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Top 50 Songs of 2009: 30–21

Posted by Jakub

ISO50-Top-50-2009-30-21
We’re getting closer to the Top 10 and with the playlists now that Scott integrated this is way more exciting even for me.

30 Lone – Karen Loves Kate
29 Beach Fossils – Daydream
28 Memory Tapes – Swimming Field
27 Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No
26 Bear In Heaven – You Do You
25 High Wolf – Don’t Fuck With The Tropics
24 DJ Koze – 40 Love
23 Actress – Crushed
22 Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
21 Neon Indian – Should Have Taken Acid With You (Daytrotter Version)

This is part of a series of posts on the top 50 songs from 2009. Click here to view all posts in the series

New Audio Player

Posted by ISO50

iso50-plb
For those of you who listen to a lot of the songs here on the blog this should make your lives a lot easier. We’ve added a new audio player to the site for individual music posts which supports playlists. This means that you can just hit play and let them go without having to click each song individually. The new system is based off the same JWPlayer framework as the normal ISO50 Playlist player (top of the center column) but it will now be for individual posts as well. We will continue to update the main Playlist each month or so, but you can think of this as a new mini playlist each day. The skin is just temporary as I refine it, but all the core functionality should be there.

So far it’s only been implemented on Jakub’s recent “Top 50 Songs of 2009” series but it will be used for all music posts moving forward. So give it a try and let us know how it’s working. If you find any bugs or issues please let us know in the comments.

Enjoy!

Top 50 Songs of 2009: 40–31

Posted by Jakub

ISO50-Top-50-2009-40-31
…and the list gets longer, after listening to few of these songs in the 30’s I feel like some of them should be in the Top 10 but then I look the Top 10 and understand why its like this. Hopefully some of you are clicking the links and checking a few older posts out, we posted a ton of music this year, its blowing my mind.

40 – Juana Molina – Un Dia
39 – Kurt Vile – My Best Friends (Don’t Even Pass This)
38 – Tim Hecker – Sea Of Pulses
37 – Paul White – Highlife
36 – The Mercury Program – Arrived/Departed
35 – The Horrors – Sea Within A Sea
34 – Washed Out – Phone Call
33 – Piano Magic – The Faint Horizon
32 – Holiday Shores – Edge Of Our Lives
31 – White Rainbow – Tuesday Rollers and Stroller

This is part of a series of posts on the top 50 songs from 2009. Click here to view all posts in the series

Top 50 Songs of 2009: 50-41

Posted by Jakub

ISO50-Top-50-2009-50-41

This week we’ll unveil the Top 50 songs of 2009, a new playlist at the end and then the Top 10 albums of the year. Hope you enjoy the list, some memorable tracks from the year and some of the linked previous posts.

50 – Nite Jewel – Artificial Intelligence
49 – Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream
48 – Real Estate – Suburban Beverage
47 – High Places – From Stardust to Sentience
46 – STL – Silent State
45 – Legowelt – Day Sailor
44 – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Can’t Hear My Eyes
43 – Volcano Choir – Island, IS
42 – The Field – The More That I Do
41 – 2562 – Lost – Unbalance

This is part of a series of posts on the top 50 songs from 2009. Click here to view all posts in the series

Mark E + Dabrye + Emperor X + J-Wow

Posted by Jakub

Fever Ray
If you follow the blog you’ll noticed a repeat talented culprit always bringing me to a daze, Mark E is the king of dizzying slow repetition, I can have his songs on repeat for hours maybe even days.

The NEW Adult Swim Compilation is now available for FREE to download, It includes remixes of ATL rap artists by Dabrye, Flying Lotus, Prefuse 73, Michna, Mad Decent, Starkey, Memory Tapes, Salem, etc. If you need to get rowdy in an Escalade this weekend then here’s your soundtrack.

And now for something completely different, keeping the folk pop ball in the air while the end of the year draws closer is Emperor X, I like this song but I wouldn’t at all if it wasn’t lo-fi, definitely a nice wake up song if you get a chance to make it to a cabin this winter in the woods.

I feel like I shouldn’t post this song because overall I don’t really like it, its wanting to be clubby puts a bad taste in my mouth but the downtime with Fever Ray’s voice made it bearable, I hope you can wade thru the garbage and find the beautiful glimpses.

Good Guy Mikesh & Filburt – Cleaning Up (Mark E Remix)

[audio:cleane.mp3]

Goodie Mob – Is That You God? (Dabrye remix)

[audio:goodied.mp3]

Emperor X – A Violent Translation of the Concordia Headscarp

[audio:empx.mp3]

Fever Ray – Now’s The Only Time I Know (J-Wow Mix)

[audio:feverjay.mp3]

Tycho – Coastal Brake Out Now

Posted by Scott

ISO50-Tycho-Coastal-Brake-12EP-Outnow
The new Tycho 12″ EP, “Coastal Brake” is officially out in physical (12″ Vinyl+Digital) and Digital (MP3+WAV) formats. You can get it directly from The ISO50 Shop, iTunes, or your favorite online retailer. There are very few copies of the limited edition 12″ vinyl (which includes the digital edition MP3+WAV) left, those can be had here.

On a related note, after their Forkcast post last week, Pitckfork did a full review of the track this week. Check it out here.

For those of you who already ordered the vinyl, those began shipping yesterday (some orders going out from Merchline). You should have received a download code with instructions for getting the digital files as well. If you bought the vinyl at a show prior to the official release, email talk (AT) ISO50 with the UPC code from the back of the cover and we’ll send you a download coupon.

Premiata Forneria Marconi – Per Un Amico

Posted by Beamer

Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per un Amico

As far as Italian prog goes, PFM are the poster children. I’ve yet to find another group in the genre that makes it so smooth and buttery. The segways between movements (or lack there of, generally) is to die for. This album fails to leave my rotation.

There’s not much to say. The music speaks for itself. There’s quite a few movements, so give it a full listen.

If you’re looking for similar stuff, be sure to check out:

  • Locanda Delle Fate’s “Forse le Lucciole Non Si Amano Più”
  • Camel’s “Moon Madness” (England)
  • Grobschnitt’s “Rockpommel’s Land” (Germany)

Premiata Forneria Marconi – Appena un Pò (1972)

[audio:pfm_appena-un-po.mp3]

Premiata Forneria Marconi – Per Un Amico (1972)

[audio:pfm_per-un-amico.mp3]

Jonsi+Fleet Foxes+Pantha+Gatekeeper

Posted by Jakub

Gatekeeper
Jónsi of Sigur Ros is back with a more daily listenable LP but still keeps the classic Icelandic sound that he’s known and loved for. This song gets me excited to think there might be more days ahead that will make me what to put on albums by Jónsi.

Now with David Letterman and Rolling Stone fame I wonder what Fleet Foxes has has in store for us in 2010, I hope we get something like Blue Ridge Mountains, it has that Midlake, Band Of Horses and Choir Of Young Believers touch with infectious piano and strumming.

One thing I like to ask certain boutique record stores is what is the most surprising selling record and a couple times the clerks have said Pantha Da Prince, Etherea which was in East Village in New York told me they went thru over 200 copies which blew my mind. Well his new release is on Rough Trade and the only song i’ve heard is pretty interesting, a lot of random bells, glasses, and maybe even ornaments being played over Bola like IDM techno, looking forward to the rest of the LP.

If Hollywood decides to keep butchering up our childhood favorite cartoons then I hope when they get to He-Man they atleast get Gatekeeper to do the soundtrack, they’d be perfect for it, its like Moroder-esque with these more distort organic field recordings during the epic parts, looking for more from these guys.

Jónsi – Boy Lilikoi

[audio:jonsi_boy.mp3]

Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains

[audio:ff_blue.mp3]

Pantha Du Prince – The Splendour

[audio:pdp_s.mp3]

Gatekeeper – Forgotten

[audio:gate_for.mp3]