The Airportline: Observations

the whitest boy alive 1517 street concert ic berlin

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2009 came and went like all years do, with a volcano of music washing over us in all kind of formats. I lost track for a while, went back, got tired of the new, sat long night listening to 2 Pac and wanting time to stop so I could catch up. But the time when you actually could keep up is long gone, there is not enough time for anyone to keep track of all those great tunes that crawl around the internet waiting for some hungry ears to explode into. This is not a list, just some comments on things I paid attention to at some point. I was suppose to make it better and longer but ran out of steam.

Best song title
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – This Love Is Fucking Right.
Sweet indie pop that combines Belle & Sebastian cuteness with Jesus and Mary Chain distortion. It turns out sounding like a cheerful in love version of Swedish pop masters The Radio Dept.

Best falling in love song based on a European capital
Camera Obscura – French Navy
2009 was the year that this Scottish outfit finally got the recognition they deserved, and with an album like this My Maudlin Career it was always going to be impossible for them to stay under the radar. Makes you want to book a trip to Paris even if it is on a Eurolines bus.

Best White Funk
Whitest Boy Alive – 1517
It was early in the year when they played in a cold Berlin in front of a functionally dressed Berlin hipster crowd (see video above). The music was warm as a thick Norwegian sweater and the funk was whiter than Nordic milk.

Best lets turn everything into maximum
Passion Pit – Moth's Wings
This band annoyed many this past year. It is not difficult to understand why. With a high pitch voice and 1000 kilos of emotions in each song it takes its toll on the ears. But while Passion Pit became unbearable in the album format they occasionally got things right. This song, with its twisted electro chorus and confetti sound, did bring plety of smiles to my face.

Best British darkness epic pop
White Lies – E.S.T.
Having been dominated by Editors the past years, this year brought another black and white loving band when White Lies burst through with this magnificent heavy song with a chorus that is lethal in case you happen to hear it while jogging. Great Joy Division throwback. No idea how the rest of the album sounds like.

Greatest pop number
Atlas Sound – Walkabout (feat. Noah Lennox) / Girls – Lust For Life
I’m not even gonna write anything about these songs cause they are both so epic, and both define all that is good with a pop single that you just will have to listen yourself. I don’t believe that there are musts in life but if I would believe in it, I would tell you that you have to listen to these songs. You must listen to these songs. See, now I said it.