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Top 10 Songs of 2009 from Earshot Presents

2009 was a really great year for music. There was an outstanding release every week, it seemed. Maybe it was the glut of tasty new stuff, our shitty economy, or just the way things are working these days, but 2009 was also a year that saw a crazy proliferation of illegal downloading & file sharing and the continued demise of the recording industry. It will be very interesting to see where things go from here. While EP and its editors don’t claim to be 100% piracy free, we encourage the legit purchase of music as much as possible.

The tracks below are not downloadable from this page, but they are hyperlinked either to the iTunes Music Store or to their source. You can listen to the Top 10 Songs below or heer the ten songs (and a few extra tracks) from a streaming feed here: http://bit.ly/8IKQd6. Hopefully you’ll hear something you like or a new sound to check out when one of these acts is passing through your area.

While EP’s Best Songs of 2009 might at first appear to be just another year-end hit parade of indie rock, we’d like to make one point that clearly differentiates Earshot Presents from all those hipster magazine Top 10 lists dotting the blogosphere. EP’s Top 10 includes absolutely no Monsters of Folk songs. So if you’re looking for that kinda thing, well…

Slow Down Jo - M. Ward
Slow Down Jo is M. Ward at his finest. Reminiscent of the waltzish Fuel for Fire from 2005’s Transistor Radio, the noticeable difference here is that M. Ward has found a few friends to back him up instead of overdubbing his own vocals. Good for M.

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Chirstmas Island - LAKE
In November, EP called LAKE’s Chirstmas Island “the perfect golden oldie circa 2009″. This encahnting, timeless track is from the Olympia, WA band’s 12th album called Let’s Build a Roof, which is all pretty solid. Purchase it at the K Records website.

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Backwards Down the Number Line - Phish
Backwards Down the Number Line appears on Joy, the 14th studio album from the gotta-see-’em-live rock band Phish. John of EP is proud to have rediscovered his love and respect for the band over a very special festival weekend in Indio, CA earlier this year. Chances are good that you’ve heard all about it…and still don’t give a shit. But I’m telling ya

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The Giant of Illinois - Andrew Bird
The Giant of Illinois is part of Dark Was the Night, the twentieth compilation release benefiting the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. This song, written by the Handsome Family, was inspired by the life and death of Robert Waldow, aka The Giant of Illinois.

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There May Be Ten or Twelve - A.C. Newman
Another brilliant tune on the Dark Was the Night comp was one by the New Portnographers called Hey, Snow White. It would have been included here on this list as well, but A.C. Newman (lead man of the NPs) also had a solo release this year and we wouldn’t want to double up on a list of ten. We’ll go with There May Be Ten or Twelve, the lead track from A.C.’s Get Guilty. Kickin big ass from its first notes.

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I and Love and You - Avett Brothers
Another great lead track from 2009 is the Avett Brothers’ I and Love and You. The tune captures the beauty of the Avettt’s acoustic songwriting and serious attention to close harmony. It was great to see this deserving act get a ton of attention in 2009. I and Love and You comes from the Avett’s album of the same name.

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The Commute - I Come to Shanghai
The Commute is from the self-titled debut of Oakland-based duo I Come to Shanghai. The album is available for pay-what-you-can from the band’s website. It’s outstanding, so don’t be a cheapass.

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Don’t Wanna Talk - Brendan Benson
Brendan Benson is writing some of the best powerpop tunes of contemporary rock. They have the same energy and spirit as The Cars, but kick a lot more ass. The Raconteur’s solo release from 2009 was called My Old, Familiar Friend. Don’t Wanna Talk has Brendan Benson written all over it.

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Armistice - Phoenix
The French rock band Phoenix dropped a rock bomb called Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in May. There was a ton of buzz, which wasn’t 100% deserved. Their Grammy-nomination was probably deserved, however.

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Rolling Sea - Vetiver
Several 2009 albums were less impressive than would be expected. They included Wilco’s Wilco the Album, Deer Tick’s Born on Flag Day, Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs, and Vetiver’s Tight Knit. Vetiver’s fourth release had a few noteworth exceptions, and Rolling Sea is one.

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2008 songs that skipped EP’s radar until 2009:
Old Enough by The Raconteurs
Make You Crazy by Brett Dennen
Sometimes the Wheels from Neil Halstead’s Oh! Mighty Engine

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Great songs from albums EP wouldn’t recommend:
I Just Can’t Take it Anymore (G. Parsons) from the Lemonhead’s cover album called Varshons

Please share this top 10 with others via the Share This button below and remember to also link to the live stream from http://bit.ly/8IKQd6. Here’s some twitter-friendly text to share the stream in yer tweets and fb updates:

Hey @earshot posted the Earshot Presents Top 10 Songs of 2009. At http://earshotpresents.com and streaming from http://bit.ly/8IKQd6. (120 characters).

If you have some more time to kill, you may also be interested in checking out the Top 10 Videos of 2008 from Earshot Presents .

Damien Dempsey’s Kilburn Stroll

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Damien Dempsey’s Kilburn Stroll is taken from the Irish singer/songwriter’s 2007 release, To Hell or Barbados.

Gettin’ Ready For Christmas Day

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In February 1999 a college radio disc jockey named Lance Ledbetter set out on a mission to compile rare and essential recordings of vintage religious music. Four and a half years later the result of this journey was released as a box set called Goodbye, Babylon. (more…)

Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters: Tonight You Belong to Me

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Tonight You Belong To Me, a hit from the 50s, is performed here by Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters (and someone else on cornet, presumeably). The audio is taken from the romantic walk-on-the-beach scene of the Jerk (1979). (more…)

Anchor vs Reporter

Happy Thanksgiving 2009 from Earshot Presents

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. It’s time for the 2009 Thanksgiving slideshow from Earshot Presents. If you enjoy the video, please share it with your social media networks by using the “ShareThis” button on the bottom of the page.

The tune I chose for the video, “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got”, was an obvious choice. It’s been on very heavy rotation this year (one cover version at a time, each for months on end). For a lot of the country going through some hard times, the song’s message has never been so important to keep in mind:

Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac
Gangsta whitewalls, TV antennas in the back
You may not have a car at all
But remember brothers and sisters
You can still stand tall
Just be thankful for what you’ve got.

Have a great holiday.

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