Top 50 Singles of 2009: 5-1

5. Dyno - Don’t Speak Love



My favorite new indie group of the year, this song was seemingly written using a template of everything that I love. A stunning example of why Swedish pop is so unbeatable.

4. Lady Gaga - Poker Face



Her official, world-conquering arrival. For that alone, it’s worth noting. But that’s forgetting the sheer brilliance of the song.

3. The Galvatrons - Cassandra



The track where I can safely use the “synths from Van Halen’s Jump” comparison. That, by the way, is pretty much the highest praise in the world.

2. Alcazar - Stay The Night



Never liked them too much before, but this song single-handedly changed that. This will sound as fresh and joyous twenty years from now as it does today.

1. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance



Her gutsiest single to date, and the release that marked her speedy evolution into a proper pop artist. This is so far ahead of anything else on this list, it’s ridiculous.

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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