Bananas – Blue Scholars Listen
What do you get when you tell Geo to rap over a metronome and let Sabzi create a song over the acapella verse? The result is Bananas… literally and figuratively. The song sounds more simplistic than anything the duo has ever done, and is one of many great tracks off of their Hawaii themed OOF release.
Kingdom Come – Dyno Jamz Listen
Back an MC with two trombones, two trumpets, a drummer, keyboard player, and bass player and you've got Dyno Jamz, a UW favorite who have created an incredible fusion of jazz, hip hop, and soul. When the initial piano riff of Kingdom Come hits you can't help but feel good. No song this year does such a good job of matching lyrics and instrumentation… combining an overall feeling of contentment with longing nostalgia. It was a big year for Dyno Jamz who won EMP's SoundOff! competition in March (over the likes of Sol and Makeup Monsters) and have instantly become the UW's go to house band.
My Volvo – Grynch Listen
Sure a song about a Volvo might be a bit of a gimmick but ask anyone who was at Grynch's Chemistry CD release party and they'll tell you this joint brought the house down (so much so that he played it again as an encore)! The chorus in an instant sing-along that you can't help but get into. Perhaps I have a soft spot in my heart for this song as I too drive a 1986 Volvo, but no matter what you have to respect someone rapping about what he knows, and credit to ill Pill for his solid work on the beat.
Smoke and Mirrors – Grynch (Feat. Tunji & Geologic) Listen
My personal favorite song on Grynch's Chemistry
EP, it starts slow before breaking into a smooth yet aggressive beat (it's produced by Scenik, my friend, and one of my favorite producers.) Featuring Tunji and Geo (Chemistry also featured the likes of One Be Lo and Ra Scion), Grynch is on his way to the top, and at the young age of 23 already has a body of work that has established him as one of the top MC's in the Northwest. If you haven't already, you can get his EP for FREE here!
Be the One – Jack Peñate Listen
Admittedly most people reading this won't know who he is, but Jack Peñate's Everything is New album is rock solid from top to bottom, highlighted by Be the One. His music can't be categorized into a specific genre, and ranges from soul, to Latin, to R&B, to rock. Maybe that's part of his draw. The 25 year old from London performed at Neumos in late September with Miike Snow in one of the best shows I've seen in a long time.
Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z Listen
The song has become overplayed in the last few months however there's no denying the power of Jay Z's and New York's own soulstress Alicia Keys. When you're sitting in the first row of Yankee Stadium listening to your own song play as Derek Jeter steps up to the plate you know you've made it (as much as I despise the Yanks.) Not to mention his unreal show at Key Arena was probably the biggest concert in Seattle in 2009.
Shish Kabob – KnowMads Listen
I've always been a huge fan of the Seattle based KnowMads (from a Ballard rival, Roosevelt High School), but when I sat down and listened to The Rooftop I just thought to myself… "Damn… these guys are getting REALLY good." Not that they weren't before but their beats and delivery are improving with each successive release, becoming one of the top notch hip hop groups in Seattle. From songs like Happy Simples, to Sunrise, to Pick Me A Part, to The Rooftop (where they rap over – and improve upon Lupe's The
Emperor's Soundtrack), and now with their December 31st, 2009 album release Seattle (which had it been released earlier in the year would have certainly had a songs on this list) the trio continues to evolve as artists and make incredible music.
Back to the Start – Lily Allen Listen
Though this list is dominated by hip hop, I didn't include this song just to cover a variety of genres. While it might be the token "pop" song on this list, Lily Allen's sophomore album It's Not Me, It's You easily avoided the sophomore slump, easily allowing Allen's attitude and humor to shine though once again. Back to the Start is an infectious fast-moving synth-driven tune about her tumultuous relationship with her sister, and includes one of the catchiest choruses of the year.
Animal – Miike Snow Listen
Miike Snow is essentially the brainchild of Swedish producers Bloodshy & Avant who for years have
produced songs for the likes of Britney Spears (Toxic, Piece of Me), Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Rob Thomas, Kylie Minogue, Maroon 5, and many others. They soon decided they wanted to create an album that was their own, so they recruited a few other musicians to form the band Miike Snow, releasing a self-titled album this last year. Never having heard of them I went to the Jack Peñate show where they were headlining and was instantly hooked on their alternative indie electro-pop. Animal soon became one of my favorite songs of the year, and while I didn't think anyone else knew about them, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Rolling Stone magazine listed Animal as #20 on its annual Top 25 Songs of the Year list!
Drug Dealer Girl – Mike Posner & the Braintrust Listen
Mike Posner's first officially released mixtape A Matter of Time stands as one of my favorite works of 2009. The 21 year old Duke senior sports a unique, almost raspy voice, and flows over some of the better production of the year ranging from the laid back simplistic Who Knows, to the upbeat synthy Drug Dealer Girl. Gotta love lyrics like:
I'm sure that you're never ever gonna be a runway model
But you can make a bomb ass piece out of a water bottle
And when you count my money
You look so sexy to me and it might sound funny
But I would by a O-Z just to get you in my bed room
Callin – The Physics Listen
More free Seattle hip-hop making the list, The Physics release High Society EP (lauded by The Stranger as one of their top local releases of the year) contains more than one song that was considered for this list (namely Good), but Callin (about an overbearing girl who constantly calls her man wondering when he's coming home…) stood out due to its mellow beat that's so easy to sit back and vibe to. You can download the entire EP for free here.
Kids in the Back – Rockwell Powers and ill Pill Listen
The heavy hitting first song and title track off of my man ill Pill and Rockwell Powers album, Kids in the Back perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. Maybe I'm biased because I personally know him so well, but at 19 years old ill Pill (who also produced Grynch's My Volvo) has to be seen as one of the up and coming producers in Seattle. This song is absolutely banging, the drum, bass, and horn combo make it sound like it could have come from a soulful back alley. And like a lot of the music on this list, Kids in the Back can be downloaded for free here!
Spliff - Sol Listen
At the young age of 20, this was a big year for Sol Moravia-Rosenberg AKA Sol, a junior from the University of Washington and Nathan Hale graduate. In February he released The Ride, in March he took 2nd to Dyno Jamz at the EMP SoundOff! competition, and in October released his six track Dear Friends, EP. With Spliff Sol created one of the most laid back songs of 2009, a 420 anthem, and his biggest song to date. Sol samples both Biggie and Nas to create an unforgettable chorus which perfectly complements the rest of his ganja themed anthem.
Millions – Sol Listen
Best described in another review "[Millions] seems like it was made for the radio with a melodic, understated hook and repetitive piano lick". One of two standout tracks on Sol's Dear Friends, EP which can be downloaded for FREE here! Big credit for Fifth Element for his production work on both Millions and Hyyy. Two of the most easy going laid back tunes of 2009.
Hyyy / Solstice – Sol Listen
I decided to include Hyyy and Solstice in my list as a single entry, so that a.) I could sneak another song onto my list of 15 and b.) Their similarities. Each song is a first track on a 2009 Sol release: Solstice starts The Ride while Hyyy starts Dear Friends, EP. Each song has managed to skyrocket up my iTunes play count rankings because each song is far too short for its own good (Solstice clocks in at 2:02 while Hyyy is slightly longer at 2:20), ending just when I start vibing to it, causing me to play it again.
Hyyy is a smooth melodic joint (no pun intended) that is perfectly simplistic in instrumentation, never trying to do too much, allowing you to listen to Sol's crisp and concise verse. It's a song that feels very peeled back and authentic.
Solstice doesn't just kick off The Ride, but serves as Sol's canvas for introducing himself to the game. In another short song over a sample that repeats his name over and over again, Sol gives his listeners a brief insight into who he is, where he comes from, and what kind of rapper he plans on becoming.
Honorable Mentions:
When Love Takes Over – David Guetta (Feat. Kelly Rowland) LISTEN
PickUpYaFlow - Dyme Def LISTEN
The Rooftop – KnowMads (Feat. La) LISTEN
Already Home – Jay-Z (Feat. Kid Cudi) LISTEN
Burial – Miike Snow LISTEN
Faith – Rockwell Powers and ill Pill (Feat. Peter Baldwin) LISTEN
Breathe – U2 LISTEN
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