The Best Songs of May 2009

---Top 20 Songs for May 2009---
(No Order)

1. The Sounds - Nobody Sleeps When I’m Awake – The Sounds first album was a wonderful debut surprise, and with this powerful and instantly catchy first single, their second album is looking to be just as good as their first.
From the Album “Crossing the Rubicon”
http://the-sounds.com/

2. Maximo Park - the Kids Are Sick Again – Usually good for one or two great songs per CD, Quicken the Heart is no exception, with this slow burning, but explosive-ending song. The last minute of the song is an excellent piece of music, especially after building slowly for the first two minutes of the song.
From the Album “Quicken the Heart”
http://www.maximopark.com

3. Taking Back Sunday - Sink Into Me – Snappier then their previous stuff, it looks like TBS is going to break the mold on their new disc, thankfully, it’s instantly recognizable as TBS, yet new enough to be fresh.
From the Album “New Again”
http://www.takingbacksunday.com/

4. Evermore – Everybody’s Doing It – Truth of the World is by far the biggest surprise this year, as it’s a nearly perfect album from start to finish. This is my favourite song on the album, from the starting synth intro, through the explosive ending, and the quiet outro, all about political propaganda.
From the Album “Truth of the World”
http://www.evermoreband.com/

5. Evermore – Hey Boys and Girls (Truth of the World Part 2) – More instantly likeable then the previous song, its also really diverse, with hand claps, Muse-like guitars, and a great choral sing-along breakdown and ending.
From the Album “Truth of the World”
http://www.evermoreband.com/

6. The Thermals – Now We Can See – Despite being very upbeat and summer-y, this song’s also got a real edge to it, with the lyrics sounding almost angry. It’s contradictory, but it makes for a great song, with an easily catchy chorus.
From the Album “Now We Can See
http://www.thethermals.com/

7. Phoenix – 1901 – One of my favourite songs of the year, it’s just a simply great upbeat song; it all comes down to great songwriting in the end, and Phoenix nailed it with 1901.
From the Album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
http://www.wearephoenix.com/

8. Phoenix – Rome – From start to finish, this is another startling good album, with every song a pop rock gem, as Rome further illustrates.
From the Album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
http://www.wearephoenix.com/

9. Sonny Moore – Gypsyhook – From the former singer of screamo band From First to Last, Gypsyhook is the weirdest pop song that you’ll ever here, despite the absolutely filthy lyrics.
From the album “Gypsyhook EP”
http://www.sonnymoore.org/

10. Silverstein – Apologize (One Republic Cover) – One of the few songs worth hearing off the abysmal Punk Goes Pop 2 album (most of the bands are more pop then punk), Silverstein knock this cover out of the park, making the song their own, yet keeping it recognizable.
From the album “Punk Goes Pop 2”
http://www.myspace.com/punkgoespop2

11. The Tragically Hip – Coffee Girl – We Are the Same is a great album, but it’s very moody and sad, with a lot of droning and down-beat songs. Coffee Girl is my favourite off a great album from a band that shouldn’t be making such great music this far into their career.
From the album “We Are the Same”
http://www.thehip.com/

12. Japandroids – The Boys Are Leaving Town – Despite being sludgy and lo-fi, Post-Nothing is really vibrant through its simplicity and cranked up guitars. Hard to describe, but it’s worth more then one listen, as it’s a real grower.
From the album “Post-Nothing”
http://www.thehip.com/

13. The Streets – David Hassles – I’m pretty sure the beast is from the “People Getting Punched” digital short from SNL. What more could you want?
From the album “Twitter EP”
http://www.the-streets.co.uk/

14. Tinted Windows – Kind of Girl – What do the bands Cheap Trick, The Smashing Pumpkins, Foutains of Wayne, and Hanson have in common? Members of the Tinted Windows all came from those bands, to create the weirdest supergroup in awhile. The album’s too repetitive and too over sugary pop to be good, but this first single is a fun listen.
From the album “Tinted Windows”
http://www.tintedwindowsmusic.com/

15. NOFX – We Called it America – Taking a cure from Bad Religion, NOFX crank up the straight forward political punk, for a quick yet intense song.
From the album “Coaster”
http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/

16. NOFX – Creeping Out Sara – The funniest non-parody song I’ve heard in awhile. If you know who Tegan and Sara are, this song will make you laugh and cringe at the same time.
From the album “Coaster”
http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/

17. The Audition – Sign. Steal. Deliver – Fun little pop-punk song that’s only punk in its genre’s name.
From the album “Self-Titled Album”
http://www.myspace.com/theaudition

18. Gallows – Death Voices – 90% of people won’t like Gallows, but the 10% who do will adore them. Grey Britain is the angriest and darkest album I’ve heard in a long time. Apparently Britain’s a cesspool, and Gallows are letting out their aggression on this amazing album.
From the album “Grey Britain”
http://www.myspace.com/gallows

19. Gallows – The Vulture (Acts 1 and 2) – More instrumental then Death Voices, it documents the diversity of the album, as its not just all screaming and hard guitars. The haunted singing and acoustic guitar is just as dark as the enraged screaming and thrashing guitars that follow it up.
From the album “Grey Britain”
http://www.myspace.com/gallows

20. Attack in Black – Leaving Your Death in a Flowerbed – AIB dropped all of their hardcore influences for this album, and it turns out those influences were the only thing making AIB interesting. This is the best of the bunch off a really boring album, and its decent at best.
From the album “Years By One Thousand Fingertips”
http://www.attackinblack.com/

21. Flo Rida – Gotta Get It (Dancer) – To cleanse to pallet, how about yet another song about strippers from the master of writing about strippers.
From the album “ROOTS”
http://www.officialflo.com/