Best of 2009 - Guest List - Luiza Sa of CSS

As a precursor to our impending year-end list, we've asked some of our favorite artists to select their five favorite releases of 2009. Today we have Luiza Sa, guitarist for Brazilian band CSS. We're a longtime fan of Luiza's - she gave us our very first interview back in 2007. Since then we've kept close tabs on our girl. CSS are currently writing songs for their third LP, due next year.

Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Who doesn't love The Knife? I can't believe these people are this talented. It feels like a new sound. The future is in Sweden, maybe it always was. The show is a life experience. And the videos...

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Yellow House (2006) was a pretty good record, but I have to say Vecaktimest is even better. The production is perfect, the right amount of acoustic vibe. And I don't know many bands that could make this unique, beautiful, unexpected music and play it live perfectly. The voices are something. The video for "Two Weeks" is amazing.

GIRLS - Album
This band brings us back to the truth of the simple songs. Songs like Velvet Underground's songs. San Francisco feeling. Just makes me happy to listen to this band, but real happy - not phony happy. I wasn't paying much attention and I got addicted.

THE XX - XX
This is a beautiful combination of things that maybe we've seen, before but not together. Lovely guitars that can remind one of a Portland scene mixed with New Order's sounds and topped with nicely spoken vocals. Maybe dark, but just a bit. Very good for a first record.

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster (ep)/Bad Romance (single)
I could speak of Beyonce's not so great double album (maybe good if it wasn't a double!), yet amazing "Single Ladies" video, or the really good Jay-Z track with Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind" - but if I'm gonna pick the pop song of the year, I have to pick Lady Gaga. Her album is a good one and I'm not sure if it's going to last or be a 2009 thing, but her "Bad Romance" single that followed - it's even better. So, as much as anyone would like to forget about her, there's just no way.

FULL YEAR-END COVERAGE HERE