Songs I Discovered in 2009, Part IV

A long time ago, I e-mailed some people and asked what music their significant others play that they can't stand. Some people responded with specific artists like ABBA, The Beatles, Butthole Surfers, Matisyahu, Michael Bolton and Rush. Others hated on entire genres like country, freestyle, house, and metal. I'm not judging them though, I've also hated on country, progressive house, and black metal for years.

This whole exercise came about because of something I read in a California record store chain's (Amoeba) "Music We Like" pamphlet of staff picks for spring/summer 2009. Tarin from the San Francisco store wrote: "Once you find that special someone who actually likes the same music as you, hold on tight, and go to as many concerts as you can. Plus I heard that 50% of all divorces are caused over bad choices in music... What?! It could be true."

I laughed out loud when I read that because people used to call me ridiculous when I refused to date anyone that liked country music. Well, maybe I am ridiculous, but I want it to be because I'm REALLY into my music, not because I'm REALLY against someone else's. Hence, I'm about to get longwinded about the ABSOLUTE best songs I have come across in the last couple of months. I GUARANTEE they're all worth downloading, and for each artist featured, there are many more songs to check out. Don't get bogged down by the sheer volume of artists though - each one is different from the rest, so variety is the spice of this playlist. Hopefully that can make up for all my hating.

But before I get to that, please permit me to share a couple more quotes from some fellow haters (which I was surprised to find hidden away in the aforementioned "Music We LIKE" pamphlet). Not only are these comments hilarious, but I find their hate to be permissable because they're backed up by clear, concise, rational reasons. Annie from the Hollywood store wrote: "Your mom called and said the new Animal Collective falls short! This is a group that doesn't need to sound poppy! Sorry!"

Scott B. Hurst, also from Hollywood, seconded Annie's motion in his review of Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool and Pure Pop For Now People; "I think the title pretty much sums this one up. Actually both titles are pretty genius. It's a record with something for damn near everyone. Leave that Animal Collective record in the bin and take this one instead (it has a better jacket). Pretend it just came out last week and play it for your friends and enjoy the "retro" feel of authentic British pop rock with intelligence and wit."

1. "Boom Boom Boom (DJ Ammo/Poet Named Life Megamix)" - Black Eyed Peas; From the G.I. Joe end credits and far superior the original version.

2. "Burial" - Miike Snow; I love the bells. The last time bells gave me chills like this was on BT's "All That Makes Us Human Continues," and that song single-handedly restored my hope for the future of fresh, original music. Going back to my e-mail question at the top, my wife hates downtempo electronic music like this, but not nearly as much as she hates...

3. "...Frosti" - Björk; Of all my favorite music artists, my wife hates Björk the worst, but she shouldn't mind this song because there's no singing (although I can still hear Björk in it). Did I mention I love the bells? My parents have a music box on their nightstand that I loved to play with when I was a little kid. I think that's where my love of music boxes came from.

4. "Heart and Soul" - T'Pau; I gave a mix CD to my brother at Christmas a few years ago and I titled it "Mullet Rock: Music To Backflip On BMX Bikes By, Or Fly F-14 Tomcats To." I've since changed the name to "Awesome '80s Rock," and this song would've fit nicely on there.

5. "Hot Hot Hot" - Buster Poindexter and His Banshees of Blue; My dad sent me his latest mix CD, which had a steel drum version of this song and that sent me on a quest to find the original. I had completely forgotten about it and if not for fast food commercials, I might never have known it in the first place.

6. "I Want You to Know" - Dinosaur Jr.; This new release would still fit perfectly on my "Alternative '90s Rock" mix CD. It would also fit on the Singles soundtrack (which is a movie you should watch this week if you haven't already).

7. "Katmandu" - Cat Stevens; Of all my dad's old LP's, I liked the cover artwork from this album because it was so simple - just a dented trash can with no background.

8. "Make Her Say (feat. Kanye West & Common)" - Kid Cudi; I should probably be offended by the raps but I love the stripped down and chopped up vocal loop. Is it actually Lady GaGa from "Poker Face" or just some R&B unknown?

9. "Nature of Inviting" - IAMX; The music sounds like recent Depeche Mode and the vocals like Duran Duran.

10. "Never Enough (feat. Carlitta Durand)" - Tanya Morgan; The dissonant jangly guitar loop pulls you in, the bass line on the verses keeps you around, and the R&B chorus finishes you off.

11. "Nothing Lasts Forever (Acoustic Version)" - Echo & The Bunnymen; With Oasis in the next studio, Liam Gallagher contributed backing vocals to the track. Gallagher "insisted we put tambourine on" which "took (the original version) to another level" (Wikipedia). I prefer this version because it doesn't have all that busy-ness.

12. "One More Chance" - Michael Jackson; What I should have included for the last song on my "Jacksonology" playlist instead of "Brand New Day"

13. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" - Yes; Going back to my "Awesome '80s Rock" playlist, it's changed a lot since I gave it to my brother for Christmas. Ever since 100.7 Jack FM started in San Diego, I've rediscovered all these forgotten gems and one hit wonders.

14. "Smile the Day After Today" - Black Moth Super Rainbow; Reminds me of the '70s church videos they used to show us in Sunday School. Peaceful.

15. "So Insane" - Discovery; Weird timing/rhythm changes and vocals like Vampire Weekend, but all electronic.

16. "Still Lost" - West Indian Girl; I came across this song on the "Big Sonic Chill" program on San Diego's FM 94.9. Their remix EP was the last hard copy CD I purchased, in preparation for the Street Scene music festival I'm going to.

17. "Sweet Disposition" - The Temper Trap; This is the best song from (500) Days of Summer, better than Hall & Oates, Regina Spektor or even The Smiths.

18. "Two Doves" - Dirty Projectors; Back in high school, my brother and I had what we called "music to slit your wrists to," which was basically Lillith Fair-style female vocals over piano or acoustic guitar. We thought that was really funny, but no one else that we explained it to ever got the joke. Now I find myself drawn to the emotional nakedness of it, and the recent folk revival hasn't hurt either.

19. "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon; This will be the Joshua Tree of its generation - THE song to play as the last dance at prom, graduation parties and high school reunions.

20. "Young Love" - Janet Jackson; Hard to believe that predates Thriller.

OUT ON DVD TODAY: ALIEN TRESPASS