LINES OF ORATION PRESENTS: The Top 20 Songs of 2009

I've been attempting to pay very close attention to new music this year, and here's my top 20 of '09:
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#20. Actor out of Work by St. Vincent-I heard this song a while back, and I really think she's got something going. I don't know much about Annie Clark (except that she's a former member of the Polyphonic Spree), but "Actor Out of Work", with its upbeat and very electronic sounding guitars with her really sounding like she's gone 'mad', convinced me to keep an eye out for future releases.
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#19. Nothing to Worry About by Peter, Bjorn, and John-"Nothing to Worry About" is the epitome of weird. It's nothing like their crowning achievement "Young Folks", in fact it's like it's a different band. The chorus is so violently annoying and it almost sounds like they are trying too hard to make it strange, but I love it. The clapping/drums along with the verse have been grilled so far into my head that I cannot deny its wonderful oddness.

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#18. Games for Days by Julian Plenti-Interpol have been on a break for a while, and Paul Banks naturally decided to pursue a side project he entitled Julian Plenti. I only bought the album recently, but I've been living with "Games for Days" for awhile. I love how Paul adds just enough creepiness to his vocals, but what really makes the song for me is that it sounds as though he's trying to create a sound different from Interpol, but not so different that he abandons what he's come to be known for.
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#17. Animal by Miike Snow-My local radio station played this song to death thus beating it into my head. I've come to adore it, and it's mix of Genesis-sounding vocals along with a simple synthesizer is just catchy enough to keep it in your head for a few weeks. I mean, to this day I still can't get "I'm still I'm still an animal" out of my brain.
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#16. All is Love by Karen O and the Kids-When you saw commercials for Where the Wild Things Are, do you remember hearing the absolutely adorable and cutesy songs that delighted your ears? Well, I do. I don't think it was the song that made me go see the movie, but I will forever associate this song with that lovable movie. It's the cutest song of the year, and if it doesn't make you gush with joy, nothing will.
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#15. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit-Passion Pit were deemed the next big thing for 2009 in 2008, and it's this song that made me understand why. I heard it first from the Palm Pixi commercial, and it's the only song I've ever heard in a commercial that I haven't gotten sick of after hearing 40+ times and that hasn't destroyed the song in the process: I actually look forward to seeing the commercial.
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#14. Daniel by Bat For Lashes-For some reason, I don't really listen to a lot of female musicians: I don't know why. I really like Natasha Khan's voice in this song. I can't stand it how a lot of the female singers today sound the same, but she seems different. "Daniel" has enough weirdness to it, with the strings and the fantastical aura, that sticks with you and her soft voice fits in really well.

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#13. Say Please by Monsters of Folk-I was going through a little Bright Eyes phase when I heard "Say Please" on the radio. It's that song alone that convinced me to buy the album. I love the way the three of them swap vocals and furthur how their distinct voices meld perfectly. The wholesomeness is undeniable (and so are the Traveling Wilburys comparisons) which makes for an all around feel good mood.
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#12. In the Flowers by Animal Collective-I pop in Merriweather Post Pavilion for the first time. I'm completely new to them, I've never heard one song by them before this song. It starts off a little slow to me, but I'm quickly intrigued when the vocals come in. Then, the most beautiful magical thing to ever grace my ears comes half way. Happiness and pure joy fills me. The line "then we could be dancing and you'd smile and say I like this song" tells all. To this day, whenever I hear it, shivers rush through me.
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#11. Lisztomania by Phoenix-Other than 1901, this, to me, was the second best song from "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"; many argue that it's the best. I love the general bright, summery feel it gives, and because I decided to review the album during the summer months, I will forever associate this song with care-free summer days. Also, how could you not love how seemingly composer crazy they are?
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#10. Secret Door by Arctic Monkeys-This song was one of the few steps forward, to me, on "Humbug". After the strangely not creative "Dangerous Animals", "Secret Door" comes through like sunlight peaking through window cracks. It is a beautifully arranged piece with a very intriguing structure that builds to a magnificent ending. It's very different from what they've done before (and on the album), but it was definitely a genius work.
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#9. Two Medicines by The Dodos-As a whole, "Time to Die" was not a terrible album. Most of the songs were very (sometimes painfully) similiar, but they were well performed. The song that stuck out the most was " Two Medicines". I never listened to a song that embodied the feeling of autumn as well as this one. It's pounding drums and trance-y guitar will make you beyond stoked for the oncoming cold months, not dreadful.

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#8. Pretty Visitors by Arctic Monkeys-On "Humbug", there were really only two really brilliant songs: "Secret Door" and "Pretty Visitors". This song came at you like a ton of bricks-from start to finish, it doesn't stop. It's the most upbeat on the album and possibly the heaviest they've ever done. In keeping with the sound of the "Fluorescent Adolescent" single, it's everything I had hoped the album would've sounded like and more.
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#7. My Girls by Animal Collective-On my first listen of "Merriweather Post Pavilion", this song was the one song where hours afterward I found myself singing it. Now, after listening to more than half their catalogue, I still think it's a genius song. The layered vocals singing about not caring for material things is way cool of them, but my favorite part remains the absolutely perfect drums and little water-y sound effects. Also, for those who haven't seen-it has by far the best video.
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#6. Daylight by Matt and Kim-Sure, like many indie-ish songs this year it was ruined by being in a commercial, but if it weren't for that commercial, I, like many others, probably would have never been introduced to the sunshine-y "Daylight". When Matt and Kim perform, they smile incessantly, and it's almost creepy, but the happiness translates to you even if you can't see them. The bright piano and joyful singing by the end become very reflective, almost melancholy, but it will still never cease to brighten your day.
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#5. 1901 by Phoenix-This song is the catchiest song ever made. It will infect your brain, and the only way to cure it is to give in. The slight electronic feel, the guitar lines, and the amazingly catchy lyrics have brought me back to the idea that a basic pop song can be this good. I am very happy for Phoenix that they've made a break through this year, and I guarentee it's thanks to this outstanding song.
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#4. My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille by Beirut-For a long time, I was resistant to Beirut. Then, when I saw him do "Nantes" on Later with Jools Holland, my feelings quickly changed. So, earlier this year, when I sat down to review his "March of the Zapotec" EP, my newfound love grew deeper. The 2nd half of the EP was all electronic-y stuff, and it started off with the brilliant "My Night...". It's very different from the usual stuff he does, but his fantastic voice backed by joyful synthesizers only made me want to listen to that EP more and more.
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#3. Exogenesis: Symphony, Pt. 1-3 by Muse-Almost a year ago, Muse told us that their new album would be very string oriented. Well, it wasn't, except for the glorious 3 part symphony at the end. Words cannot ever hope to describe how insanely dramatic and intense the Exogenesises are. Even if the album sucked, this stretch would've kept it from terrible ratings. Matt Bellamy is really starting to show his stuff as an orchestrater, for this almost puts his string arrangements found on "Absolution" to shame.
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#2. Walkabout by Atlas Sound-As "Two Medicines" did for fall, "Walkabout" is just about the perfect summer song, rivaling "Summertime Clothes" and The Beach Boys. It's so overtly positive and happy, and the sample they use is just out of control delightful. Plus, the vocals are perfect-Bradford Cox and Noah Lennox-could you really get better than that? It puts you in a massively good mood, and for that it's my number two.

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#1. Brother Sport by Animal Collective-There's no arguing the fact that this year was Animal Collective's year. The album came out in January, and it was then, before 11 months worth of music was heard, that people deemed it album of the year. I wholeheartedly agree. After the seemingly hundreds of listens I gave the album, I think that "Brother Sport" was the best song. It takes the tone of previous Panda Bear songs like "Chores" and "Derek" with an infectious uplifting mood created by passionate poppy vocals and nonstop synths. The song basically sums up the near perfect album with grace and leaves you with no choice but to listen again, or atleast it leaves me that way.
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I hope you liked my list, I worked long and hard on it and put in an uncomfortably large amount of thought. It's very bias, but hey, these are the songs that made up the soundtrack to my 2009.