I had only vaguely listened to Phoenix (their last album) before I saw on them on SNL. Watching them perform and hearing this layered pop song come together — the first repeated note, the drums, the melody, then the lyrics. If it never built from there, it’d still probably have made my top ten (as I’m a sucker for power pop).

But nope, then it hits the bridge, gets very quiet with the piano, and it’s just like a time bomb … there’s the bass and boom, everyone hits at once, all on beat, and we’re off.

Like a riot, like a riot, oh, indeed.

(It’s not “like a rhino”, as I’d initially thought.)

(Also, if you don’t like this song, you have no soul.)

I’ve liked them, but there just wasn’t anything about them that made them stick out.

Then I heard “French Navy”.

With it’s 60s Girl band sound, and production that wouldn’t have been out of place in Motown, Camera Obscura may have eclipsed single song their forefathers of Belle and Sebastian created (well, maybe not “Boy With The Arab Strap”). It’s also my second favorite song of the year, and likely could have been number one if you I wrote this a week ago or a week from now.

Put all together, it can be amazing or …. less than amazing (see some tracks off of the re-released debut album).

This is amazing.

Sounding very much like The Arcade Fire (with the multiple instrumentation), it also reminds me a ton of The Delta Spirit (who made last year’s list). Just a lot of energy, driven by the foot-stomping, hand-clapping percussion. Probably my favorite find of 2009, and it happened in late December. If I make this list 3 weeks ago, you may have never heard of Fanfarlo either.

I don’t generally like music that runs this electronic. But this is so damn poppy, and so damn good, and they can play all of this music live … it’s not just someone in a studio. It’s a bunch of synths and instruments. They’re a real band playing real music, that just sounds like it was a dude in a studio with a bunch of computers.

So, that’s how I end up with Passion Pit in my top 10. And “Moth’s Wings”, in particular, as it’s the deepest song, sonically, I think, from the whole album.

And her newest album is no different. It’ll probably win some Grammys and she’ll finally get the notoriety she deserves and folks will get to hear her belt out awesome songs. In this case, it’s a song about what would happen if you fell in love with a tornado and it basically f’d you up. So take that.

(p.s. While you’re at it, you should probably listen to this song from 2006. Then you’ll basically go buy all of her stuff. You can thank me later.)

Me, I like them even more. Where else can you hear a pop song about infanticide? And, oh jesus, this song is amazing live.

Yep, ’tis good.

It’s a slower album, without anything that breaks out quite as much as “Everyone Looks Better in the Dark“, but it has some great tunes.

Tops is this one.

“Now We Can See” by The Thermals is this odd mix of pop and garage rock (garage pop?) that sounds like music you shouldn’t like, but you get completely sucked in. The songs all sound very similar, they’re low-fi and grungy, but underneath it all are these pop hooks just trying to get out.

This is the song where they get out the most, and it makes the #9 spot on my list.

Now We Can See — The Thermals

And then I’ll blow your mind and tell you how they’ve covered Pet Sounds in its entirety (I will pay you money if you can find me a recording of that).

While you are unblowing your mind, take a listen to “Florence Foster Jenkins.” It’ll make you feel better.