First off, is anyone still paying attention? Sorry for the delays for those of you that are… Alright, so I know what you are thinking, and YES, I promise to finish this damn countdown. This past week was my first week of nursing school, and as a result, I have been crazy busy. However, that isn’t an excuse, it’s just what’s been going on, so without further excuse, let’s get the rest of this countdown done; I mean, it’s already 2010 for crying out loud, and I haven’t even told you about the best music of 2009!!
11: William Fitzsimmons – The Sparrow and The Crow
William Fitzsimmons falls into a category of artists that I have randomly discovered by beard; that is, I saw a picture of the artist (who has a beard), and thought to myself, “hmm… I must check this guy out” (because, well, I love a guy with a beard). Well, as with many other artists I have discovered by the way of the beard, I am glad that I did check William’s music out, because it is incredible. Much like fellow album favorite list member, Hayden, William is an amazing folk musician. William is decidedly more delicate and more quiet and relaxed than most of his folk peers, but the result is an album filled to the brim with delicate and intricately crafted songs about love, longing, and loss; all of which completely captured my ears and my heart. He also does incredibly right by pairing his beautiful voice with female vocals on the track I Don’t Feel It Anymore (Song of the Sparrow), making it one of my favorites on the album (William has a habit of pairing with great female vocalists; he paired Rosi Golan on her amazing track Hazy, from her (also amazing) album The Drifter and the Gypsy). Overall, if I could describe this album with three words, they would be tender, heartfelt, and beautiful. William may have drawn my attention initially with his looks and his beard, but he captured my heart with his beautiful music. This album is a collection of truly perfect folk songs; songs that are delightful, and peacefully wonderful to listen to. Standout Tracks: Please Forgive Me (Song of the Crow), Maybe Be Alright, I Don’t Feel It Anymore (Song of the Sparrow), Even Now, Further From You, Just Not Each Other.
12: Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
Definitely one of the more “out there” choices on my favorites list this year, Bat For Lashes certainly backs up her status as an alternative artist. She does her best to throw out anything formulaic and embraces the strange and unusual (to quote Lydia Deetz) in her music; making for a truly mystical and amazing aural experience with Two Suns. The album itself harnesses the haunting and achingly beautiful vocals of Natasha Khan (aka, Bat for Lashes), and transports you to musical landscape filled with undulating rhythms and fanciful tales of fantasy and adventure. While I will openly admit that I didn’t “get” Bat For Lashes the first time around with her debut album, when Two Suns came out, the lead single Daniel (which shares both name and imagery with the character of the same name, who simply needed to learn how to “sweep the leg”) captured my attention completely, and I instantly wanted to hear more of this amazing siren. Well, I gave Two Suns my undivided attention, and it washed over me and enveloped me with it’s beauty and grace. I was lucky enough to catch Bat For Lashes live back in August, and my love for all things Natasha Khan only intensified upon seeing her live show. This woman is amazing, and her vocals are nothing short of impressive; and with the quirky music to back it up, it’s no wonder that Two Suns finds itself on a myriad of best of lists for 2009. I love great surprises, and this album was filled to the brim with just that; musical surprises full of wonder and amazement. Standout Tracks: Moon and Moon, Siren Song, The Big Sleep, Travelling Woman, Daniel.
13: Elizabeth and the Catapult – Taller Children
Finding this album was one of those incredibly rare times when you stumble so blindly on something so beautiful, well made, and down right amazing, that you almost can’t believe that you found it the way you did. Specifically, it was the beautiful album art that drew my attention, but after one listen, it was the music behind that cover that really blew me away. To say that I wasn’t prepared for what Taller Children held upon my first listen is a major understatement. Elizabeth and the Catapult have mastered the realm of pop music that is perhaps my most favorite (the piano-driven singer-songwriter side), and in making this album, have given me a new group to seek out and cling to each thing that they offer from this moment on. From delicate, and expertly crafted perfection of songs like Apathy, to incredibly delightful upbeat melodies and downright dancehall fun of songs like Complimentary Me and Race You, Taller Children is a journey through what I consider to be the best thing about music. The album is a delightful listen from beginning to end, and nary a misstep occurs from the moment they begin. What’s also great about this fantastic record, is that it actually picks up steam, and manages to get better on through till the end. This album was a massive find in 2009, and one that I won’t be putting away any time soon. In fact, one of my biggest regrets of 2009 was missing their concert; I hope that I can remedy this misstep in 2010. Standout Tracks: Apathy, Just In Time, Rainiest Days of Summer, Golden Ink, Complimentary Me.
14: Hayden – The Place Where We Lived
While I will admit that this album didn’t resonate quite as strongly with me as his previous effort (and top ten favorite of mine from last year), The Place Where We Lived is another fantastic offering from this too often ignored Canadian folk master. While artists like Bright Eyes and Iron and Wine dominate the folk scene here in the US, it’s a major wonder of mine, why Hayden isn’t also heralded for his contribution to the music scene. His aching vocal, and tender, well written vocal journeys, wrapped nicely in a country-twinged folk package are a sheer delight, and could be directly compared to his aforementioned fellow musicians. That being said, I am glad that Hayden released another fabulous album this year, as more exposure is sure to get him the attention he deserves. If you were a fan of his previous work, this album should be a no-brainer for you, but if this is your first go-round, you shouldn’t be disappointed in the least; Hayden is a very talented musician, and this is just more great folk-rock to add to his already impressive musical resume. Standout Tracks: Let It Last, When The Night Came and Took Us, Living Grows On Us, Message From London.
15: Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
As much as I loved Lily’s wonderful debut, Alright Still, I had a bit of worry about her follow up the first time I heard the lead single, The Fear. While I really liked it, I felt it was a more electronic, and decidedly more dance-y direction for her to take, and I while I did like it, I was worried Lily may have lost her edge. Well, my fear (ha!) was quickly quelled once I had a proper listen of the whole album, as what I heard was classic Lily, and quite fantastic throughout. The jaded lyrics, sung by her sweet voice, mixed with delightful melodies and arrangements made this a great album I definitely enjoyed through most of 2009. While she certainly took some different directions with this album, and relied on familiar melodies and several of the sounds of the music of yesterday (the intro to Fuck You is practically note for note the Carpenters (They Long To Be) Close To You), I think that she was able to put enough of a fresh spin on each track that she made it her own. Perhaps most of all, I have to applaud the fact that Lily always tells it like it is, and whether she’s condemning a less-than-there lover, or slamming a horrible previous US president, one thing is for sure; she certainly knows her way around a clever lyric, and is no stranger to delivering her delightful brand of vicious wit without batting an eyelash. I will note, that it is practically criminal that she didn’t include the amazing B-side Fag Hag on this album, as it would have clearly been the biggest standout favorite for me. Standout Tracks: He Wasn’t There, Chinese, The Fear, Him, Fuck You.
This is probably going to be the shortest song in the history (or future) of the Five Song Friday. This energetic track clocks in at just under 2 minutes, but the entire two minutes are a fun filled, dancey romp that is too great to ignore. You probably hear the sampling of Billy Joel’s Sleeping With The Television On, that makes the song somewhat familiar, and perhaps, even more lovable. They have been playing this song like CRAZY on BBC Radio One, and I have to admit that I crank the radio up and dance every time I hear it. This song is MASSIVE, which is funny because it is less than two minutes long! I can’t wait to see what else Marmaduke Duke has in store on their upcoming release, Duke Pandemonium. 
When I first heard this song, one question filled my brain, “could this possibly signal a triumphant return of the boy band?”. Well, of course, only time can tell, but V Factory have an undeniable resemblance to another boy band, 5ive, who were pretty massive in the UK in their hay day. Also interesting to me, is that V Factory shares not only a sound similarity to 5ive, but also that the V most likely stands for 5, and as such, the two are even further, and more inexplicably linked. I am curious to see what V Factory will follow this fantastic pop track up with, because if it anything like this, then we may have an answer to the aforementioned proposed question: hells yes!
Remember the amazing Blu Cantrell and her ‘it’s over’ anthem, Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)? Well, I do, and this song instantly reminded me of that fabulous hip hop track; but not because they sound similar in any way. Tina Parol uses the same subject matter of Blu’s break-up track, but instead of a tell off fit for a hip-hop diva, Tina steers more towards the pop-rock/Avril Lavigne-angsty rock in her delivery. In doing so, she has made another ‘you screw me over, I’ll take your money’ kiss off track that is radio-ready music to my ears. There’s something about an angry girl, exacting revenge on a bad boyfriend by hitting him in the wallet, that makes a great subject for an empowering ‘it’s over’ song; whether it be a hip hop anthem with a blasting beat, or in this case, an angsty, and energetic rock-pop track. 
Initially, this song really didn’t hit me as hard as it probably should have, because the beginning is a little weak. However, at about one minute in when the violins take you to the first crescendo, it really soars. Paula’s sweet vocals remind me a lot of fellow female artists like JoJo and Christina Milian, and with this song, Paula really shows that she belongs on the charts right there along with her pop peers. This is one of those songs that gets better with each listen, and I am really glad that I gave Paula another chance; she’s got a great little pop ballad on her hands with this one.
Finally today, I wanted to bring you something a little bit more subdued than the other tracks featured today. I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes’ most recent release Two Suns (which was released on Tuesday) all week, and this is my favorite track from the CD. The ethereal nature of her voice and the beauty of the arrangement of this track really brings up memories of my favorite Feist songs, and as such, really makes me glad that I gave Bat For Lashes a listen. The rest of the album is quite diverse, at times going from what sounds to me like old Fleetwood Mac, and other times, going all of the way to the other side of the spectrum, invoking a bit of Bjork for some unexpected electronica (or folktronica, as I believe it is called). Overall, the entire album is a great listening experience. This is one of those “hey, you’ve heard of her right? Isn’t she amazing!?!” artists, and I am extremely glad to spread the word about how much I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes. NOTE: Yes, I have seen lots of reference to Kate Bush with regards to similarities; however, believe it or not, I have never listened to Kate Bush. I will try to remedy that, but I make no guarantees; I just wanted to acknowledge that I have heard their are similarities between the two.