Front Porch Musings

Hey guys,

Wow, what a holiday. I’m at home in San Francisco with what feels like the flu, but I couldn’t have had more fun this Thanksgiving. It is always good to see old family and friends and I was able to do both. I have been working on my best of 2009 songs for a while now. I started with 150 songs, widdled it to 100 a few days later, and tonight I give you the absolute top 50. These 50 tracks represent what I consider to be some of the best music of the year. I hope I didn’t miss anything but I think it is a pretty good list. What do you think???

50. Corb Lund – A Game in a Town Like This

I hear a lot of Jackson Browne in this steller track about a gamblin’ man with a soft side that plays out a lot like the Eagles. I bet Brain thinkis this is one of the best tracks he’s ever heard. (He Loves Jackson Browne and The Eagles)

49. Paul Westerberg – Drop Them Gloves

This isn’t even a very good Paul Westerberg track but I like the way it fights. This is a grower and I really do love the beat and lyrics here. The harmonica is an awesome touch.

48. The Heavy – Sixteen

Very cool track by an underrated band. This one was one of my favorite surprises this year. The chorus is just just awesome.

47. Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension

Great dance track by the kid who put indie rock on the map in the late 90′s-early 2000′s…no matter what others might tell you

46. Brand New – At The Bottom

Although these Long Island brooders record “Daisy” hasn’t really caught me yet, this song is easily one of their best songs ever.

45. Langhorne Slim – Say Yes

Langhorne’s 2009 release was not one of my favorites, but I loved this track. I’m a fan of the rocking Langhorne but this mid-tempo track is awesome. I love when he sings ‘Darlin, now look…’

44. Ha Ha Tonka – The Outpouring

This dark album was one of my favorite to jam at night. This track is a more uplifting one and I love the backing vocals. One of those tunes you just spin on repeat for hours.

43. Chuck Ragan – The Trench

Not surprised that Chuck Ragan recorded this track in some of California’s coolest wilderness spots. This track sounds just like it felt hanging out there as a kid.

42. The Roadside Graves – Ruby

The Roadside Graves remind me of The Felice Brothers. This song reminds me of “Frankie’s Gun.” I really loved “My Son’s Home”

41. Dawes – When My Time Comes

The album reminds me a bit of what The Wilco album could have been. I really think this was one of the best this year.

40. Matthew Ryan – Dear Lover

A great ballad by America’s most honest songwriter. I don’t know why but this one sounds very Paul Westerberg to me

39. Dan Auerbach – My Last Mistake

I thought this song was a ton of fun. Great song to throw on a “day at the beach” mix. Our friend Uncle Jim probably thinks this song is too girly for Dan but I like it.

38. Rancid – Last One to Die

Bay Area punk heroes write one of their best songs ever on this year’s “Let the Dominos Fall.” A great, f*ck you anthem with just enough mainstream appeal to be awesomely ironic.

37. Dear Landlord – Rosa

Dear Landlord’s “Dream Home” has an argument for being the best punk album of the year. Pound for pound, one of the most flawless, no-frills punk albums I’ve heard in a while.

36. Michael Dean Damron – Dancing in the Moonlight

Michael Dean doing one of the most badass songs ever the only way a badass knows how. At first, I couldn’t imagine him doing this song, but it is such a perfect cover. Great version. Up there with Justin Townes Earle doing “Can’t Hardly Wait” for this year’s best recorded cover.

35. New York Dolls – Lonely So Long

The Punk legend’s “‘Cuz I Said So” was a real treat this year. I love this R&B tune by the band. Kind of their “Beast of Burden”…

34. The Devil Makes Three – For Good Again

These country ass kids made one of the best records of the year with their debut. This track is my favorite off that record.

33. Ballboy – The Art of Kissing

Sandwiched in-between track titles “I Don’t Have Time to Stand Here With You Fighting About the Size of My Dick” and “There Are Only Inches Between Us but There Might As Well Be Mountains and Trees”, “The Art of Kissing” was one of the coolest songs of the year but a band I had never heard of. The instrumentals are fantastic and I love the lyrics. Everyone should hear this band.

32. The Avett Brothers – Slight Figure of Speech

One of the Avett Bros most rocking tracks and the breakdown/rap is one of the best things they have done.

31. Matthew Good – On Nights Like Tonight

Matthew Good is one of my favorite artists. I love the lyric “On nights like tonight when no one’s around/ I turn off the lights and float off the ground” in this song and I think lyrically this might be my favorite track of the year. Just a perfect song by him.

30. Lee Fields & The Expressions – Ladies

Simply put, the year’s best soul song

29. The Hold Steady – Adderall

Craig Finn again delivers with clever lyrics in front of an awesome Tad Kubler guitar riff. Should have formally been on “Stay Positive”

28. North Twin – Fool

Another Jackson Browne-meets-the-Eagles type song but there is no denying the awesomeness of this outlaw country track with some serious lovesick blues

27. Dead to Me – Modern Muse

San Francisco punk rockers move on from losing one of their songwriters in a big way with “African Elephants” this year. This track from the record sounds like a whole stampede of pacaderms.

26. The Takers – St. John’s Son

The Takers released a great record this year and I love this fun rocking track. I bet this one would be pretty clutch live.

25. Justin Townes Earle – Can’t Hardly Wait

JTE is one of my favorite songwriters but he sounds even better covering other people’s songs apparently. “Can’t Hardly Wait” is a perfect cover. Justin makes it his own on 2009′s “Midnight at the Movies”

24. Jason Isbell & The 400 unit – The Blue

This record is one of my favorite chill-out albums. Brain and I were listening to it at our friend Jim’s place the other night and it gently rocked away in the most perfect way. “The Blue” is my favorite song Jason has done in a very long time.

23. The Wooden Sky – The Late King Henry

A simple sing-along tune that makes me want to wrestle with Brain after a long night of drinking as we pull in to the apartment without babes, but dork out with Budweisers and music ’til about 4:30 in the morning talking music.

22. Micah Schnabel – American Static

Two Cow Garage guitarist writes one of his best songs for his 2009 solo release “When The Stage Lights Go Dim.” Micah is really climbing the ranks of great American songwriters.

21, Adam Arcuragi – People & Private Music

Adam is one of my favorite singer-songwriters today and “I Am Become Joy” is such a good record. it is a crime no one knows who this guy is. The players on this track create some of the coolest sounds ever. This guy is for everyone who likes good music.

20. Those Darlins – Wild One

The only chick singers on my list but that’s okay. I think they could kick the ass of every dude on this list anyway…

19. Deer Tick – Straight Into a Storm

Reminds me of what East Coast Surf Rock would sound like…Like maybe if the guys from Vampire Weekend spent less time riding on friend’s boats and more time riding waves they would have written this song…Deer Tick is just the coolest. When I saw them open for The Felice Brothers they rocked me to the bone.

18. The Low Anthem – The Horizon is a Beltway

I love this band and this gothic gospel track is one of the coolest I’ve heard.

17. Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire

More rock than two guys should be allowed to make. Sounds like early Firebird Band to me…

16. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears – I’m Broke

Black Joe puts on one of the best shows you’ll ever see and this year he released one of the best records of 2009. The Austin native is a true rock star. “I’m Broke” is a masterpiece.

15. Matt Jow Gow and The Dead Leaves – Steady Life

Finally, we have another Whiskeytown.

14. Joey Kneiser – Adelina

Joey Kneiser is my favorite songwriter and “Adelina” is one of his catchiest songs. I love the part where he sings “gettin’ high at your brothers house/ kissing in the dark when the power went out”

13. Nothington – A Mistake

My favorite punk track of the year. Jay Nothington has the best growl in music.

12. Scott H. Biram – Wildside

Simple. Simple. Simple. Scott H. Biram’s “Wildside” is my favorite track he’s ever done. Perfect songwriting.

11. Dinosaur Jr. – Over It

There is just something special about Dinosaur Jr. 2009′s “Farm” is such an awesome record and this tune was just a fist pumping anthem. I would have loved to see them when they were in town this year but I went and saw another band instead. Not a very smart move.

10. Jon Snodgrass – Remember My Name

The break up of Drag The River broke my heart. I guess if Jon Snodgrass and Chad Price make records like they did this year I can live with it. I love the first verse of this song.

9. Truckstop Coffee – Ghost or Angel

These Floridians went through a ton of shit recording this year’s “For Dear Life.” The record truly sounds like a band just hanging on by a thread. This dark rocker to open the album sets the mood from the first note. One of the year’s best.

8. Leopold and His Fiction – One For Me to Find

So Johnny Cash. Daniel James is the next great blues rocker.

7. Roman Candle – One More Road

The best pop song of the year. “I’m gonna take this slot machine by the lever and hope that we pull down three big cherries” is a really cool hopeful line.

6. The Whigs – In The Dark

Athens garage rockers released this single from their 2010 album late this year and it shows the promise of a band that I think will be skyrocketing to the top very soon.

5. Ryan Bingham – Country Roads

Country crooner Ryan Bingham’s rocking “Roadhouse Son” was one of my favorite records this year. This song should have been a mainstream hit.

4. The Only Sons – Troubled One

The best Southern Rock song this year. Kent Goolsby is today’s most underrated songwriter.

3. Lucero – Darken My Door

Ben Nichols’ best song in my opinion. The tale of unfinished but yet heartbreaking love is so true to life I feel that everyone can relate to this song in some way. Listening to Lucero, you know why our friend Johnny once said about the music he plays “Why would I cover anything other than Lucero? Their songs have everything.”

2. American Aquarium – Katherine Belle

I love that American Aquarium is going for a Springsteen sound here. This song just gets me so pumped up. I love the lyric “Which one of you boys is buying my drink?” and love the fact that the babe sings James Brown and drinks whiskey. This song is just perfect.

1. The Felice Brothers – Run Chicken Run

And finally, the best song of the year. What do I have to say about it? Nothing other than if you see The Felice Brothers live and happen to catch this song in their set, I have no doubt that you’ll understand why it is my number 1.

Phew, hope you enjoyed it…That was a fun little project for what I think was one of the best years of music I can remember. Here’s to 2010 being the same…

- Skeet