Top 10 Favorite Songs of the Year!

(promise I will get back to some legit posts soon!  I got some favorite people in town for the week!)

1. Nobody Loves Me, Neither Do I - Them Crooked Vultures

2. Sink - Brand New

3. I Can Feel a Hot One - Manchester Orchestra

4. Keep Calm, Carry On - John Nolan

5. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap

6. Another Bag of Bones - Kevin Devine

7. Baptized by Fire - Spinnerette

8. Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

9. Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

10. Everything Must Go - Taking Back Sunday

Honorable Mentions:

Ignorance - Paramore

Don’t Let Her Pull You Down - New Found Glory

Shake It Out - Manchester Orchestra

At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be) - Fun.

1. Brand New - Daisy

Big surprise huh.  Daisy was without a doubt my favorite album of 2009 and my most anticipated of the year.  I’ve read a handful of reviews of this album and all of them say old Brand New fans may fall by the wayside with this album but I think the exact opposite.  I’ve been a Brand New fan for about eight years and with each album they keep surprising me and getting better and better.  Something about this album is super spontaneous and different to me.  The band says in interviews how this album was so random and they would record tracks and be like wait how did we get here?  For so long Your Favorite Weaponwas my favorite BN record but this one is definitely fighting it for first place (YFW, Daisy, Deja, TDAG - for the record, though ask me tomorrow and it will be a different order).  Ugh it’s just so good.  Every week I have a new favorite track off the record.  Songs that I skipped initially became my favorites when I saw them performed live.  Suggested tracks: Vices, Gasoline, Sink, You Stole, Noro, In a Jar, Bought a Bride (I posted a gorgeous acoustic of that song a few weeks back)

The rest:

Paramore - brand new eyes.  I’ve never been a huge Paramore fan but I picked up this album because I really liked the lead single Ignorance and I’ve been totally obsessed with it.  Love Hayley’s voice to death on this record.  Best tracks: Careful, Playing God, Brick by Boring Brick, Looking Up, Where the lines overlap.

Taking Back Sunday - New Again.  As I stated in a previous post, I will forever be sad that John and Shaun aren’t in the band anymore but it’s hard to hate TBS when they keep putting out good records.  I actually started to like Fred too.  I found out a little bit before this album came out that Fred had left and a new gentlemen had come in to do back up vox and guitar.  I gave him the benefit of the doubt.  Truth is he sounds (and looks) like a Jonas Brother.  Not a fan but there are so many favorites on this album I try to forget about it. Best tracks: Swing, Summer Man, Cut Me Up Jenny, Carpathia, Everything Must Go (the last one is my favorite).

Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted. I know I know.  Forgive me that I will sound like a teeny bopper when I say this but so many of the songs on this record are super relatable.  I’m excited Kelly has finally put out a really good album. Best tracks: Don’t Let Me Stop You, I Do Not Hook Up, Long Shot, Already Gone.

New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight.  NOW this album should have been the follow-up to Sticks and Stones.  I am an NFG fan tride and true so I won’t talk shit about those two full-lengths in between - I’m just glad they’ve turned back to their roots with this album.  Looking forward to seeing them with STD in February. Best tracks: RIght Where We Left Off, Don’t Let Her Pull You Down, 47, Tangled Up.

Destry - It Goes On. As soon as I heard Michelle Nolan (Michelle DaRosa!) was starting a new band I knew I would love it.  And surprise surprise I do!  Shaun Cooper (ex TBS current Straylight Run) also joins her in the band and Sam Means from the Format.  This album is unbelievable.  Very reminiscent of Rilo Kiley.  Find them on tour if you can! Best tracks: Big Mouths, Home Isn’t Home, So Far Away, Trouble.

Them Crooked Vultures - Self Titled.  I got tickets to see them after hearing a 30-second teaser they released via the internet (and my love for Dave Grohl).  They are that good and this album is no exception.  Nobody Loves Me and Neither do I is by far my favorite song of the year.  Of the decade maybe.  Ok that’s a little much but seriously it’s that addicting. Best tracks: Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I, New Fang, Mind Eraser No Chaser, Warsaw.

Spinnerette - Self Titled. This album kills.  I listened to it so much this summer (my iTunes play count can attest) and never got sick of it  I love Brody’s voice in Spinnerette light years more than I did in the Distillers.  They need to tour like yesterday. Best tracks: All Babes Are Wolves, Ghetto Love, Baptized by Fire, Rebellious Palpitations

Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing.  This album is a recent discovery of mine.  I have a friend who is absolutely their number one fan so it was just a matter of days before I caught on :).  This album is beautiful and emotional and makes you want to listen to the next line.  It’s insane.  Andy Hull has a gorgeous, haunting voice.  So yeah this is heavy in my musical rotation right now. Best Tracks: Shake it Out (I’ve been playing it on repeat for days),  I’ve Got Friends, The River, Mean Everything to Nothing, 100 Dollars.

(500) Days of Summer soundtrack - Ok so it’s not persay a new album with new songs but it’s still amazing.  I literally raced to Best Buy after I saw the movie to buy this incredible soundtrack.  There is a bonus track of Joseph Gordon Levitt singing “Here Comes Your Man” kareoke style from the movie and let me tell you that alone is worth picking this record up.  Also my favorite movie of 2009.  Best tracks: Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition, Regina Spektor - Us, Hall and Oates - You Make My Dreams, She and Him - Please Please please.. (Smiths Cover) Mumm-Ra - She’s Got You High

Least favorite albums and dissapointments coming soon!

Seriously.  How crappy is my luck this year..

My poor car.  Yesterday I was on the way home from the gym and I had a lovely little day planned.  But some tool had to plow his car right into mine.  I was driving on the road and he was pulling out of the parking lot at this auto place in Quincy.  His excuse “Oh I didn’t even see your car coming.  It’s so small.”  Really?  I wasn’t going very fast but he still ripped off the whole front bumper of my car.  Little sad seeing as that bumper is only just about 6 months old from the last time someone decided to crash into me.

Just one more thing to pile on me right now.  I went on one interview a few weeks ago.  Two actually for the same job but they had "decided to go with someone else."  Which is fine but they kept me hanging forever.  I just feel like I'm getting nowhere on the job front.  I have so much great experience but it means nothing.

I'm really debating moving after my lease runs out in May.  I just feel like there are no jobs in Boston for what I really want to do.  I don't want to settle.  But then I feel like I shouldn't be so picky.  It's a double edged sword this  career thing I swear.  

I've been trying to check out new music and take chances on random bands and it's definitely making me nostalgic of my college days.  I just recently downloaded a good bulk of music by Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine and also giving Straylight Run a second chance.  I adored Straylight when they first came out with their demos.  Being a fan of John Nolan I was overly excited about them.  His vocals, I think made Taking Back Sunday (circa Tell All Your Friends - that's the only album he's on).  I could barely stomach TBS with Fred or the new guy (who sounds and looks like a JoBro).  

Anywho - I saw Straylight at their first show at the Downtown (RIP) and before their album came out a few times and they were amazing.  Then when their album came out and they went on tour it was totally different.  The music became so downer-like and the album was so overproduced.  But I've gotten a hold of their albums after that and even the most recent without Michelle and it's surprisingly good and reminiscent of their demos.  

So yeah.  Music has literally been my best friend these days.  I just feel out of touch with a lot of things lately, but thats the one thing that's made me super happy.

Only good news next time I promise.

xok