2009 According to Omar

It's a new year, it's a new decade.

Lots of cool sounds went through the blouse office in '09 and it's hard to rank these tunes from 'great' to 'made our year'. So here's a slice of some tracks we liked as a reminder of the memories made in 2K9.

Major Lazer – Pon De Floor

The first time i heard this song i repeatedly cried out “YES, YES, YESSSS!!!” It’s the greatest party starter i’ve heard in a very long time, rubbing a dirty Dancehall beat in your lap while rabid laser samples and militant snares completely annihilate whatever senses you have left after the first 90 seconds.

Animal Collective – Brother Sport

This is an ode to mateship employing kooky samples and symbolistic lyrics. It sounds a bit jarring until the build-up begins, which culminates in an afrobeat mashup of tangled samples and disjointed synths before bouncy harmonies bring it all together.

Washed Out – Phone Call

Released on the cassette-only album High Times, this track is not one of Ernest Greene’s most popular. But its summery, Mungo Jerry-esque piano riffs and gushing harmonies are testament to what’s so good about post-electro indie. It’s Lo-fi, it’s Chillwave and it symbolises summer. Guess time will tell if it lasts the winter too.

Telefon Tel Aviv – M

'M' is a dark synth-fest married to moody vocals. Carrying with it the zeitgeist of New Wave with unusual confidence, the eerie nature of this track hints at the intense emotional depths band member Charles Cooper might have entered before he was found dead, the result of an alleged suicide, two days after the release of Immolate Yourself.

Florence & The Machine – Dog Days Are Over

This project has received remarkable hype this year. The opening track to Lungs encapsulates a folk aesthetic that’s ‘big’ enough for a stadium, yet yielding enough for headphones. It strikes the perfect balance between fist-in-the-air up-tempo rock and group hugging at a Janis Joplin acoustic gig.

DOWNLOAD OMAR'S 2009 (zip file)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE BLOUSE BEST OF 2009 (zip file - 187mb)

Honourable Mentions:

Fuck Buttons – Space Mountain
Junior Boys – Bits & Pieces
Midnight Juggernauts – This New Technology
Bachelorette – Her Rotating Head
Logo – Junocide
La Roux – Quicksand
Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
Phoenix – Lisztomania
Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer
The Flaming Lips – Silver Trembling Hands