2009 in Review: Music

The year in music seems like it lacks its own character. Actually it's been pretty nostalgic, and most of it has to do with the death of Michael Jackson. Everywhere you hear his songs, he's all over the billboard charts, he's at the movies. And yet, it basically left everybody else in the dust. What did the year 2009 have to offer apart from MJ?

iTunes finally getting rid of the DRM was a godsend, and it must have been a huge boost to their bottom line. I finally started downloading music for money, and with me many more people did so. Now I haven't heard any confirmation about those numbers, but I can imagine why these numbers would be terribly inconvenient for record companies to have public. Then they would have to admit that DRM is really hurting sales more than it protects their assets.

And with people saying that music rhythm games are dead, we've never seen as many new releases as this year. Guitar Hero 5, Rock Band Beatles, DJ Hero. I even shelled out for Guitar Hero Metallica. And truly it's a powerful idea that with a little hand-eye coordination you too can rock out with Robert Trujillo... Maybe there's a little market saturation going on. And you know, the fallout of the economic downturn is still taking up headlines, so people might not want to shell out a hundred bucks to buy a plastic drumset.

Finally, I have a new appreciation for J-Pop! You really can't listen to it for long starting off, but there's more depth and quality to it once you get it. And we like Japanese female artists. We do.

Most Valuable Artist 2009: Lady Gaga looks weird, dresses funny, and her songs are eccentric to say the least. I was pretty high on her first song, truly thinking it was going to be her lone and only hit single before dropping back into obscurity. But then she brought out another single, dressed up in a failed christmas ornament, and released another hit single, and then yet another... Now she's joining forces with Miss Sasha Fierce, to becoming the most dominant artist of the year.

Band du Jour: I truly hate reality shows. In fact later this month I'll have an entire post to say something about reality shows. But I think Stereo is hitting high marks, and rightly so. What can I say? Strong female vocals, powerful guitar riffs. That's pretty much all I need. Good enough for me to forgive their transgression of being on a reality show to get formed.

Artist I'm embarassed about liking: Jordin Sparks has this strange gift. She's not exactly what I'd call my type... but she's brought out singles that just manage to stick into your head, and not leave. Same goes a little bit for Nikki, but her body of work is not as great as Jordin's.

Up and Comers: This year I'm high about Paloma Faith (an excellent former iTunes single of the week), Laura Jansen, and Pixie Lott. Okay, I admit that Lott's insanely short hot pants in her debut clip have something to do with it. Raphael Saadiq are also strong new entries this year.

Top 5 singles of 2009:

1. Muse - Uprising
2. Paloma Faith - Stone Cold Sober
3. Kyteman - Sorry
4. Laura Jansen - Single Girls
5. Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

Notable entries for no other good reason but pleasant memories

• Miss Li - Bourgeois Shangri-la (Tokyo / iPod nano Gen. 5)
• Yael Naim - New Soul (Nice)
• Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Yankees win the World Series)