Top 50 Singles of 2009: 10-6

10. Blake Lewis - Heartbreak On Vinyl



The Idol runner-up’s best single to date. A smart, hooky ode to record stores and those who love them.

9. Tommy Sparks - She’s Got Me Dancing



A springtime party track in a year where there weren’t many to go around. From the squeaky synth opening to the undeniable hook, this was pure magic.

8. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi



Gaga’s most lasting radio single yet, the jaw-dropping video was what really propelled this to the forefront of people’s minds. Several months in, it still hasn’t gotten old.

7. Melody Club - The Only Ones



A galloping pop single signaling a shift in the band’s sound, this track just makes you feel really, really good. Simple as that.

6. Filthy Dukes & Tommy Sparks - Messages



Even better than Sparks’ solo stuff, this electro dance track was the coolest thing to come out of the UK this Summer. I prefer to think of it as the 2009 Scissor Sisters comeback single that never was.

Top 20 Albums of 2009: 6-5

6. Blake Lewis - Heartbreak On Vinyl



If someone would have told me early in the year that a Blake Lewis album was going to end up on my top ten countdown, I wouldn’t have believed them. I was not a big fan of his thrown-together debut and had all but written him off. It turns out that he did exactly what he should have done with the follow-up. He forgot about selling records and made the album that he wanted to make. It’s obvious that this was a labor of love, and it’s all the more better for it. This is one of the most flawless electro pop albums of the year and a highlight for American Idol and talent show contestants worldwide.

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5. The Galvatrons - Laser Graffiti



My top five is littered by albums that should have sold more than they did this year. The Galvatrons were one of the most exciting new bands of 2009, yet the public didn’t seem to warm to them as much as I did. Their influences are my influences when it comes to music, so I was bound to love them. The songs are uniformly great and the synth work is awesome. The videos were also amazing. The only thing that kept this from going higher is the production, which feels too cluttered for its own good. Still, song-wise, this is a flawless album.

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