spin magazines top 20 songs of 2009

for the complete top twenty
20. "Up to Our Nex" Robyn Hitchcock
"The great psych-rock surrealist struggles—in unerringly tuneful fashion—to get over, under, and around the feeling of falling in love. "So rad!" "How sad!" Neither. Both. Beautiful."


19. "Life in Marvelous Times" Mos Def
"Over a triumphant beat, Mos futurizes and postulates a Brooklyn of sidewalk sin and sympathy, then concludes, "We can’t be alive in no time but now."


18. "Raindrops" Basement Jaxx
"Pop music's MDMA moment came and went. This track brings it back—giddier. Go kiss a stranger."


17. "This Tornado Loves You" Neko Case
"Anthropomorphizing meteorological phenomena sounds like the stuff of kids' music; Case's breathy coo puts an end to that idea real fast."


16. "Bulletproof" La Roux
"A perfect pop hook backed by bubbly eight-bit bloops and delivered by a ginger-pomp'd cross between Annie Lennox and a replicant. The superhuman league."


15. "Animal" Miike Snow
"Weird how this synth-pop stunner about predeterminism wiggles into your substratum like it's always been there. Or is that the point?"


14. "Dominos" The Big Pink
"If you're going to compare carnal conquests to falling dominos, you should make it sound bigger than God and catchier than death."


13. "11th Dimension" Julian Casablancas
"Who woulda thunk that the boy king of post-millennial cool would end the decade channeling Laura Branigan? And that it'd feel as natural a fit as Marquee Moon?"


12. "How I Got Over" The Roots
"A satin Latin groove handles the hips while Black Thought's micro-is-macro sociology targets the head. The heart's left with a "Someone has to care" refrain. Here's hoping."


11. "Walkabout" Atlas Sound, feat. Noah Lennox
"Bradford Cox's dreamy excavation of his childhood continues in gloriously refracted fashion, with vocal help from Animal Collective's Panda Bear."


10. "Successful" Drake ft. Trey Songz.
"With two words—“I suppose”—Drake gets into some Gatsby shit. F. Scott’s bling ambivalence never had a hook as seductive as Trey’s golden come-on."


9. "Aeon" Antony and the Johnsons
"A shattering soul aria suggesting that maybe, just maybe, love and pain make sense if you think they last forever."


8. "Daniel" Bat Your Lashes
"That Natasha Khan can make a torch song feel like pure cinema isn’t surprising; that she’s in fact invoking The Karate Kid kind of is."


7. "You Got the Love (The xx Remix)" Florence and the Machine
"A spitfire with a gift for going big and three young masters of the slow burn meet in the middle for a modern classic of baby-making music."


6. "Make Her Say" Kid Cudi, feat. Kanye West & Common
"Flipping "Poker Face" on its kinky ear, these semiconscious MCs trans-muted the year’s guiltiest pleasure into four funky minutes of winking machismo."


5. "Use Somebody" Kings of Leon
"All swaying arms holding lighters—sorry, cellphones—aloft and singing at the top of your lungs, and oh man, this is gonna be the best. Summer. Ever."


4. "My Girls" Animal Collective
"Kaleidoscoping Möbius strips of ecstatic vocal melody with synths that shiver like creation, and an argument for domesticity as the only bliss worth believing in."


3. "Hellhole Ratrace" Girls
"A plaintive rumble that manages to sound desperate and joyous in the same breath. “In Dreams” for a confused time."


2. "1901" Phoenix
"Effervescent, well-appointed radio candy with the refrain "I’ll be anything you ask and more." Since when did the French become so accommodating?"


1. "Zero"Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"With her gift for sod-off squawking and tear-streaked realness, Karen O was born to lead the frisky rock revolt that the aughts never earned. So here, with a regal hip check, she strides off by her lonesome, resplendent synth riff all aquiver, cooing, "Get your leather on," as we gambol on the grave of 2009’s tragic, orgiastic flimflam."

special delivery from BOD & the Advisors!

check it! two new posts to get you through this coming week. good luck with finals! can honestly not wait til it is winter quarter and our adventure realllly begins.

click forward to experience some tantalizing treats from BOD and the Advisors :)

fall finals. blow off some steam!

so you have been sitting at that desk, or couch, or table in kerckhoff for farrrr too long! these are some songs to allow you to blow off some steam and release a little of that pent up energy! or maybe just get a bit into the holiday spirit...


annie augustine outreach:
Love Actually is definitely the best Christmas movie ever. I watch it a million times every break and I just love this song, even though it's completely ridiculous!


george ratkovitch career events:


angela scales advisor:


aly yarris:
these people are literally insane, i would die to have these skills. guhhhh im just obsessed.


gloria ko advisor:


cassi porter blue and gold week:
my FAVORITE Christmas song to just sing like crazy too when i need to blow off some steam :)


amber bissell marketing and communication:


erika drazen internal:


suz park senior class cabinent:


johana fiserova president:


meghan gieber dinners for twelve strangers:
his song is good motivation for doing well on finals and for life in general! plus the music video is bomb. love megs

fall finals. study time.

i mean really, how many times can you listen to your same "studytime" playlist? here is some music to freshen up your playlist and probably ensure straight As this quarter... or something like that :)

annie augustine outreach:
I know it's cliche, but I'm obsessed with Empire State of Mind and especially Jay-Z and Alicia Key's live performance at the MTV Music Awards. They're both so incredibly talented and Jay-Z is just a classy, old school, bad ass kinda gangsta! Whenever I need some serious study motivation I watch this performance. He's just so legite strollin' backstage like that! Plus, I spent a lot of time in NYC this summer and the city has a special place in my heart...the lights seriously will inspire you!


amber bissell marketing and communications:


george ratkovich career events:


aly yarris spring sing... duh:


angela scales advisor:


gloria ko advisor:


cassi porter blue and gold week:
or basically ANY Rascal Flatts song... their playlist on my iPod is ALWAYS on while studying :)



erika drazen internal:
I'm a nerd, I know, it's from Lord of the Rings.


suz park senior class cabinet:


johana fiserova president:

fall week 10. happy holidays!

happy holidays spring sing! i had no idea going into this year that i would be so blessed with such a fun and wonderful committee. you guys rock my world and i am so glad we kicked off the holiday season together tonight.

aly: here is judy garland "have yourself a merry little christmas" from meet me in st. louis.


i grew up in San Diego's version of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. the ultimate was when I got to high school and finally was in a Rockette in the Kickline... here is a really bad video of the real Rockettes!


maiah:


yan: not exactly Christmasy but I just watched (500) Days of Summer this wknd and this song's great! Reminds me of falling in love again.


felicia: because its the only song that my tone-deaf self can sing to!


kevin: I think this one's pretty self-explanatory. But i love singing the guy's part since it's so low. Anyone wanna sing the girl's part?


kelsey: I wanted the Frank Sinatra version but found this funny one instead ahahha


courtney:its super cliche and totally 90s but im obsessed and it makes me feel in love and so christmasy and its also in love actually which is like up there in best movies ever. and yea. its so bomb and happy and gleeful and merry. i love it.

and lina! I bet errbody is going to pick this, because it is SO christmas and department store sales.... mariah carey! I can't everr hear it without wanting to sing along...and buy an ugly sweater on sale.


leah: used to sing this all the time when i was little-my grandma would play the piano. I even auditioned for a play with this song : ) So it reminds me of childhood and the winter months


guest appearance: heather manske alumni relations career events! she thinks it speaks for itself...


nancy: sorry for the weird Home Alone background, but it's one of the few renditions of this song that I like. In middle school I used to sing in the choir and we'd always have a Christmas concert and this was always my favorite song to sing :)

fall week 9. i am thankful.

i am very thankful for...

ythy:
I think this is pretty self explained... but this song has inspired soooo many people. Including me. It also reminds of of some great memories with my parents with I was a weee little one :) This is really a song I can neverrr get enough of.


yan:
I play it every time after I finish a giant project, whether it be college apps, midterms, all-nighter papers. It gets me acquainted with living again after locking myself down for an extended period of time


aly:
i am thankful for music that has whimsy and makes you want to "flee this town and bury your dreams under the ground."


kevin:
I'm thankful for Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens because it chills me out without fail. Perfect for driving down the 101 in San Diego to my favorite burrito shack after a surf sesh.


kelsey:
Nsync xmas music because its the best!!! So excited for xmas!


felicia:
Theres nothing like O.A.R. that can turn my frown upside down :)


nancy:
so I'm a huge John Legend fan because I can relate so much to his songs. The last 3 CD's he released seem to document my life almost exactly and his music always makes me feel better. So here is a song (acapella version) that really helped me get through some past love mishaps. Enjoy!


maiah:
I am truly thankful for "Say" because it reminds me of my sister because it was her ringtone for seriously forever. I love my sister sooooo much and I miss her!!!


lina:
Errtime I put this song on I feel like ma life be a bootyfull painting


courtney:
okay i love this song because for years i would listen to and it would put me right tosleep. it is so peaceful. im thankful for it because its my bedtime song


alex:
Hmm I am truly thankful for Beethoven's 9th symphony because it's an amazing composition that took him years to write while almost completely deaf and it's so packed with emotion that it's hard not to be moved by the end. It was also the last piece I ever performed as a music major.


leah:
we always hook up a three person and a double tube at the same time we jump from tube to tube while the driver tries to flip us (and suceeds)but we HAVE TO SING- its so much more fun since we were 13 our theme song has been "Kryptonite" and to this day we sing it over and over every summer : ) It always reminds me of friends and summer and youth

fall week 8. :)

when i hear this song, it makes me smile.

aly:


yan:


kevin:


maiah:


felicia:


emily:


kelsey:


ythy:

and


nancy:


leah:


courtney:


alex:

fall week 7. dream spring sing act.

this would be one ridiculously diverse show! tune in. turn on. sing outttt.

maiah:


yan:


lina:


emily:


leah:


nancy:


kevin:


ythy:


alex:


aly:(this is sorta really nerdy.)

fall week 6. autumnal.

leah:
when i was younger i took dance for 5 years I was in jazz but wanted to take lyrical..on cloudy days i would put on my jazz shoes and listen to sarah mclachlan and make up my own dances."


ythy:


felicia:

and


maiah:
Okay so around this time I always hope that it is going to get cold, even if it is not. Since it is not cold in Southern California I pretend it is so I love curling up on the couch with some hot cider or tea or hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies!!! I know its not Christmas yet :( but its almost here so thats all I think about :) and one of my all time fav Christmas movies is Love Actually so here is the song that reminds me of it!


emily:
okay so this is the only video i could find of the song (haha it is of ellen and portia) but the song is called Keep Us by Peter Bradley Adams


yan:


nancy:


aly:
so this is one of my favorites of all time. It sounds like daylight savings time and being a sophomore in college and drinking mocha lattes from bcaf with my feet up on my wooden desk.


kelsey:


lina:
I love listening to this when I'm in New Zealand in July/August, because it's cold there while Los Angeles is sunny since it's summer in our hemisphurrr. "I'd be safe and warm, if I was in LA...." SO TRUE.


and posted in the comment section! (you guys can all do this!)

fall week 5. an intro

SO, here is the deal. one of my major goals for the year is to really have us all grow as music appreciators and connoisseurs. each week there will be a different prompt and you will respond with a youtube video of choice and then they will all be collected here for your viewing/listening pleasure. personally, my whole life i knew i loved music, but i never really knew how to develop my own taste or really dive into different types of music. it wasn't until i came to college and was exposed (thanks to my art major from berkeley who plays the banjo roomie lexi- shoutout!) and began to learn what i liked and what made me tick. personally i feel i began to live on a bit of a deeper level thanks to it! i am sure we are all at different stages in this journey of personal development - but i am pretty sure it is a journey that never really has an end.

hopefully this will open your eyes and make you look (or should i say listen) to life a bit differently!

(oh and fyi some of the prettier more legit versions of the videos wouldn't allow embedding, so we get the cheese-tastic sing along versions with words. get pumped.)

HERE IT GOESSS:

ythy:


kelsey:


aly:


kevin: (was torn between two)




felicia:


courtney:


yan:


alex:


emily:


maiah:


nancy:


leah:


hope you enjoyed :) and get excited for how full this thing is going to be in june! ahhh just imagine the possibilities...