Best Of 2009: Rock Song/ Album of the Year

2009 was the year of Obama, against Obama, auto-tune, Tiger Wood's sex scandal, Brett Farve not retiring, every rapper went to jail, Kanye vs. Taylor Swift, Rihanna vs. Chris Brown, DJ AM survived a plane crash only to overdose, O.J. got his, the Camaro, and the realization that world was coming to an end. Here's the best of this year, 2009! So who had the best rock song/album? One guess it ain't Coldplay.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and "Lisztomania" from Phoenix of course. Sprung from the same root as Air and Daft Punk, this French rock meets electronica band finally got the attention they deserved after nearly 10 years together. Catchy-as-hell and yet still substantive, "1901" may have gotten the most attention, but "Lisztomania" was more fun. Phoenix showed us the French can rock out just hard as us; "Lisztomania" is full of hard driving riffs and has a funky elecrtonic background. That being said, the entire album is amazing, there's not a bad song; in fact there's not a song on the album that won't have you humming by the end. Plus that might just be the most clever album name this year. "If you have the means I highly suggest picking one up" on your trip to Guestroom.

"Lisztomania" Phoenix [MP3 link]
"Rome" Phoenix [MP3 link]

How Music And Fashion Come Together: Polo Rocks

Rugby is Polo Ralph Lauren's collegiate clothing line. Their ad for the fall 2009 collection is somewhat typical, impossibly beautiful people, incredibly expensive casual wear and the best side of Central Park. Yet, the music chosen is a bit unorthodox for a refined, dignified Polo ad; the target audience is 18-25 year olds, albeit rather well of ones, and what appeals to this market better than rock music. The White Rabbits are a six-piece post-punk band from Brooklyn by way of Mizzou. Their sound is unique. "Percussion Gun" the song featured in the ad starts outs hard and heavy; but in between incredible percussion sections lead man Alexander Even's emotional vocalizations change the tempo and give the song a great varied quality.



Here's the full track
"Percussion Gun" White Rabbits

Rugby by Polo Ralph Lauren

Hip Hop or Rock?

The perpetual argument between hip hop heads and rock fans remains. Yet, we all know the magic that come from rap-rock collaborations. Look to "Rock This Way" by Aerosmith and Run DMC for the original and still one of the best. Conversely, terrible, awful things can come from rap-rock collaborations; see Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit rapping. Its a good sign then, when The Black Keys started to venture into rap they teamed up with some of the best people in rap you've never heard of. Blakroc is the name of their new project and record label. The mixtape features Raekwon, Mos Def, Q-Tip, the RZA just to name a few.

Check out these songs, tell me what you think.

"I Done Did It" feat. Nicole Wray and NOE [MP3 link]

"On The Vista" feat. Mos Def [MP3 link]