2009: Songs of the Year - Number 5

You know what? Balls to this, Blogger won't let me post what I've written for this for some reason, so here's basically what I've been trying to say

I LOVE LOS CAMPESINOS! THIS SONG IS AMAZING! IT'S A FREE DOWNLOAD! YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!

2009: Songs of the Year - Number 6

Taking a new direction is one thing, completely reinventing yourself is another, especially after a mostly derised debut album. But that's what The Horrors did, shocking everyone by returning after two years as a very very good band. "Sea Within A Sea" was the first release from Primary Colours and was a world away from the garage-punk of Strange House; eight minutes of swirling synths, Ian Curtis-esque vocals and a whole dollop of Krautrock. In a year of complete musical turnarounds, "Sea Within A Sea" was undoubtedly the most suprising and the best.

2009: Songs of the Year - Number 7

Surely Jay-Z is one of the biggest stars on the planet today? Very few can lay claim to being bigger (Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga...Kings Of Leon maybe...but that's it). So for someone of such stature to rally against one of the most prevalent trends in modern music (auto-tune) is a brave move, but one that was pulled off with aplomb. Okay, it was a little hypocritical since Kanye West was involved, but that one point aside, "DOA" is a bold, brash statement of intent, with tumbling drumbeats, a great guitar hook and a fantastic choice as a lead single for The Blueprint 3

2009: Songs of the Year - Number 8

Another classic from a rather poor album. Tongue 'N' Cheek saw the former Dylan Mills go from underground hero to triple chart-topper and the best popstar in Britain right now. Unfortunately, "Bonkers" was only one of a handful of tunes to match up to Dizzee's past glories. Only just reaching the annoying stage 7 months after release, "Bonkers" lives up to it's name, being one of the best, but most unlikely Number Ones of the year.

2009: Songs of the Year - Number 9

I'm the first to admit that Ian Brown's solo career isn't exactly fantastic. A good chunk of it is mumbling indie-rock with a dancey beat behind it, just to pull in a few unsuspecting Stone Roses fans. Some may even say "Stellify" is more of the same but then they'd be wrong. An instantly catchy piano line builds to what should have been a festival anthem of a chorus (unfortunately the majority of the crowd at Leeds didn't have a clue) and a great brass breakdown (I'm a sucker for them). It's just a pity the rest of the album was shockingly poor.

2009: Songs of the Year - Number 10

I don't think there's been one song this year that has been as simultaneously downbeat and uplifting as this, the title track and opener to Noah And The Whale's second album. Only a song rooted in real-life heartbreak could provide such lyrical contrasts as "It's the first day of spring/And my life is starting over again", "For I do believe that everyone has one chance/To fuck up their lives" and "For I'm still here hoping that one day you may come back" The funereal, "Be My Baby"-aping drumbeat combined with orchestral flourishes that tug on the heartstrings make for an emotional 6 minutes and 39 seconds. To be honest, any one of the songs on The First Days Of Spring could have been here, but I'm playing safe and going with the first, and possibly the most powerful on the album.

2009: Songs of the Year - #50 to #11

2009: Songs of the Year...FINALLY! - #100 to #51

Most sincere apologies, dearest readers. I actually cannot remember the last time I blogged, a sad state of affairs indeed. The reasons are (not so) may and (not very) varied; laptop reset itself, thus deleting everything I was writing and had written to put on the blog, uni got in the way a little, then came Christmas, New Year's, a lot of eating and procrastination, an obsession with (500) Days Of Summer and Inglourious Basterds (amazing soundtracks for both by the way) etc etc. Excuses, exucses, I know. So without further ado, here's #100 to #51 on Hitsville U.K.'s Songs of 2009 countdown. The rest will come tomorrow, with some actual writing for the Top 10 and the Albums of 2009 list following next week, along with tips for 2010. Better late than never eh? (Even further apologies if you can't read this well :[)