Best of 2009: Top 5 Songs from Bad Albums

I did this list before in 2007 and had a lot of fun with it, so I thought I'd bring it back. Here, for your written-enjoyment, I present to you the Top 5 Songs of 2009 that just so happened to be on bad albums.

#5. "No You Girls" by Franz Ferdinand, from the album, Tonight - Franz Ferdinand has had trouble recapturing the magic of their debut album way back in 2003. I think even they could admit to that. However, in 2009 they tried something a little bit different and for that I totally commend them. Franz's self-described dance album had a few decent tracks on it, and this one was the standout. "No You Girls" is the catchiest thing from the group since "Take Me Out," featuring one of the grooviest choruses of the year! Handclaps, syncopated guitars, and a catchy hook; hell, it's got pretty much everything you need for a great pop rock song!

#4. "Glass" by Bat for Lashes, from the album, Two Suns - This was the first song by Bat for Lashes that I ever heard, so it tends to stick with me much longer than any of the other tracks on her overrated and mediocre 2009 album. In fact, it's not too much of a stretch to say that it's her ONLY song that's still getting listened to by me at this point. Now I know I'm going to get a lot of negative comments for calling this one a bad album, but really I just never could get into it. You can't really fault me for that….right?

#3. "Waters of March" by Anya Marina, from the album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II - "Waters of March" (or "Águas de Março" in the original Portuguese) has been around in its various forms since the 1970s. In fact, in 2001 it was named as the all-time best Brazilian song. I'm not familiar enough with Brazilian music to hop onto that bandwagon, but it is a delightful tune either way. On her 2009 sophomore release, Anya Marina covered the song beautifully and its been getting steady plays ever since. I love this song! A friend of mine calls it (the original) his favorite of all time. Meh…I don't speak Portuguese. So I'll stick with this one.

#2. "Deja Vu" by Eminem, from the album, Relapse - Relapse was the best thing Eminem has done since The Eminem Show, I'll give him that much. But for the most part the album was filled with insincere tracks that seemed more or less aimed at recapturing the edginess of his first three albums rather than creating something that spoke of who Marshall Mathers is now. There's your standard songs about murder and drug abuse, fair enough, but all of it sounds forced rather than real. The one exception to this is the song "Deja Vu" which finds Marshall lamenting about his on again off again relationship with substance abuse. It's the only time on the album when I feel like he's opening up and being real with his fans rather than trying to imitate the Slim Shady of a decade ago. The result is a downright amazing song, and one of the best rap tracks of 2009!

#1. "French Navy" by Camera Obscura, from the album, My Maudlin Career - In 2006, Camera Obscura did much this exact same thing. They created a somewhat okay album with a stunner of an opening track that just somehow managed to become one of the year's best. To say "French Navy" is 2009's "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" is probably stating the obvious at this point. Oh well, it is. While it may not be near as classic as that magnificent song, "French Navy" has all the magic and catchiness of all of Camera Obscura's great ones!