The Year of Gaga, Techno Heartache and death of a King

I usually like to review the best music by this time of year. Check out some of my favourites of 2009....


Poker Face/ Paparazzi/Love Game- Lady Gaga

A pop star cannot go wrong when she is dressed in plastic bubbles and fishnet stockings. Or how about silver outer-space orbs surrounding a top. Or blouse made up of tiny Kermit the Frog heads. Music's "it" girl of the year, Lady Gaga made headlines not only for her dance-pop hits, but also for her quirky-meets-"cyborg stripper" dress sense. And thank Gaga! She provided relief from the dime-a-dozen pop starlets. More importantly, she brought back the shock factor in style and showmanship. Best moments? Her string-quartet-on-acid rendition of "Poker Face" during an episode of American Idol, and the gory freak-fest of "Paparazzi" during September's MTV Video Music Awards. 


No Surprise- Daughtry

I was driving around town after my break-up, and this song's intro came on when I reached a traffic light. I turned up the volume so loud my car side mirrors vibrated vigorously, much to the shock of the Mat Rempits beside me.



Hate This Part/ Hush Hush - Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls are credible balladeers. Remember their Grammy nominated sappy love song three years ago, "Stickwitchu"? OK, we gotta admit the dolls are riding high on the strength of Nicole Scherzinger's vocals. But hey, who cares? They're pop. They're hot. And they sound good during that drive home from work.


Good Girls Go Bad- Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester

"I was standing in the corner with my five best friends/ I knew you were trouble but how could I resist?" Gossip Girl queen bee Leighton Meester gets her girlie-girl vocals on with this dance-happy ditty about a goody two shoes falling for the bad boy. Personally, I wonder if everyone tags along their five best friends when they go to a club. But this song transformed Cobra Starship from unknowns to world famous pop stars. Good luck living up to that pressure, man. An essential dance floor anthem for 2009. 

Taking Back My Love- Enrique Iglesias featuring Ciara

Notice how pop acts opted for the techno-sound in their songs this year. Everyone from Black Eyed Peas to Backstreet Boys to Shakira were doing disco music for the year 3000. Enrique Iglesias were among those who adopted the trend, but to good effect. It prompted many a clubber to throw their hands up in the air (and wave 'em around like they just don't care)...Translation: the song made everyone dance with abandon. Heartache never sounded so good.


Love, Sex, Magic- Ciara featuring Justin Timberlake

Arghhh...a slinky R&B tune with an even slinkier video clip. We loved the song for a couple of months, and then forgot about it.


I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

You know the excitement of when you're getting ready for a night out? That's what this song is about. But hell, it's great to listen to during the bus ride/train ride/drive to work in the morning. Or whenever you need some uplifting. Head bopping & sing-alongs are most encouraged.


21 Guns- Green Day

You gotta notice a song when a certain "Hitz" station plays it every single morning. That's what happens when you set your radio alarm to the darn station. Thankfully, the lyrics are lovely & music inspiring. The best down-and-out anthem of the year. 


Knock You Down- Keri Hilson, Ne Yo & Kanye West

"Sing: sometimes love comes around...and it knocks you down, just get back up when it knocks you down." Nice.


Change- Daniel Merriwheather feat. Wale

Merriwheather looks like an altar boy from England who sings with conviction about love's ups and downs. The whole album is great, but it was this one which catapulted him to Adult Contemporary radio stations worldwide. Check out other gems from his debut disc, including" Cigarettes", "Red" and "Could You", which samples the Mama and Papas hit California Dreaming.. 


Sober/Please Don't Leave Me/Funhouse - Pink

The "serak basah" vocalist who can do a trapeze act while singing well. Pink will forever be Pink- cool, rocking and real.


Situasi - Bunkface 

A shout out to our homegrown talents. These guys were like the Blink 182 of the Malaysian music scene. Or are they the Green Day of Malaysian music? Most deifnitely not the Good Charlotte of the local scene. Bad, bad reference if we were to compare them to Good Charlotte, even if their music are alike.


We Remain Unknown- Estranged

The band is nominated for the semi-finals of TV3's Muzik Muzik again this year, but not for this song. We Remain Unknown is a track from their latest album called Remain Unknown. Go figure. The ballad sounds like something out of grunge era of the 1990s, in the vein of Alice in Chains. For me, it brings back memories of the lazy hazy days of Seattle grunge.

While we're on the subject of Malaysian performers, other noteworthy names for 2009 include Yuna, Aizat and Fabulous Cats. Rock on, Malaysia!



I Want to Know What Love Is- Mariah Carey

The only reason Mariah made the list is because of THAT performance on Oprah Winfrey's concert in Central Park, New York City. Yes, yes, I know it's a sappy take on an eighties classic ballad, but damn, this woman induces goose pimples with her breathy whistle-thin voice.


Love Story/ You Belong With Me- Taylor Swift

Country pop for the tween demographic. Or for tweens at heart. On "Love Story" Swift was all cutesy and eloquent, showing her talent for wording good melodies. But on "You Belong With Me", she was simply being herself- a teenager with teenage struggles. More power to confessional lyrics, y'all. 


Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) - Beyonce

Miss Knowles decided to chuck away a tour date out of dozens on her schedule this year. Was it a conspiracy to prevent the singer from coming to Malaysia? Or her personal protest over the country's conservative (and sometimes inconsistent ) rules on foreign performing artistes? We're still waiting to know. Despite being a single from 2008, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" continued to make waves in 2009 after winning numerous awards. I began liking this song after her performance during the MTV VMAs. 


If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback

"My best friend gave me the best advice/ He said each day's a gift and not a given right..." and so begin the lyrics to an inspiring song with an equally inspiring music video. 



Sex on Fire/ Use Somebody- Kings of Leon

Yeeeeeeeeaaah hooooo...this Sex is on fiiiirrre....




Decode- Paramore

I love this song like I love vocalist Hayley's fiery red hair 





A Little Too Not Over You- David Archuletta

Little Archie toured the world to promote his album of manufactured pop fluff this year. Lack of depth? Too naive? Too boring? Sure, but he has a lovely voice created for heartbreak ballads. Don't fret Little Archie, fall out of love and then write a heartbreak ballad! To all you music snobs: leave the boy alone. 




Revolver- Madonna feat. Lil'Wayne


Madge and the Wayne got high one day and cut a record about popping guns and having sex. Forget about the lame-assed techno stomp of Celebration, which is the other new track on her double disc greatest hits CD of the same title. This one is the hotter, raunchier new track.





Man In The Mirror- Michael Jackson

My most favourite song from the late great King of Pop. 





Lagu Kita- Aizat

Our song. Enough said.