These three EPs were our favorite from 2009. Though they be small, they are mighty with sound. As with our favorite ten albums, we do not consider this a “best of”, but a “most enjoyed.”

1)Artist: I Fight Dragons

Title: Cool Is Just A Number EP

Label: Self Released

Genre: Rock/Pop/Nintendo

There will never be a shortage of bands using a gimmick to promote their music. Sometimes the gimmick is in the music, and when it is, the music usually lacks any coherence from song to song and any artistic value is lost in translation very quickly. I Fight Dragons is a new breed of band that uses re-purposed Nintendo systems as instruments in their music and for now the gimmick is great as they release their debut EP Cool Is Just A Number.

Just using various Nintendo products such as the NES, the Super NES, and even one member credited as using the Power Glove(!) was not enough for this six piece band as they have apparently swallowed the entirety of 8-bit grandeur that is included in everything from their album cover to their website to their swag. But, IFD manages to pull the heart strings of nostalgia and make the whole act work on paper, and nothing has even been said about the music or how the band performs in public.

When it come to tunes, this band is catchy as it gets! Even though they bill themselves as a NES band, these guys and girl know how to play traditional pop with a rock flavor that is reminiscent of late seventies and early eighties electro-rock.  The electronic kick adds a warm element to the music that is truly background while at the same time being in the front. With the hooks of songs like “Money”, IFD brings modern style punk to a new horizon that is just being explored by bands across the country. Even the love song “With You” uses perfect bleeps with acoustic guitar to achieve a subtle sound that is memorable. Over time the sound may wear, but for now it is better and more inventive than %99.9 of all new and upcoming bands.

When all is said and done, gimmicks are usually the downfall to a band. Blips and bleeps will only carry the band so far and this EP has six songs that are indications of why they will succeed. Since their inception in 2008, the band has played to several sold out shows around their hometown windy city of Chicago. I Fight Dragons has an album coming soon and it will show if these six band mates can pull off their artistic adventure. Hopefully, Mario rescues the princess.

2)Artist: Beirut

Title: March of the Zapotec/Holland

Label: Badabing Records

Genre: Folk/Pop/Electronica

First there were gypsies, then Parisians, and now Mexicans. Zach Condon, recording under the name Beirut with his small band of musicians, has made his band known worldwide for it’s truly indie sensibilities with his ukulele and playfully lilting vocals. March of the Zapotec is Condon's take on the Mexican funeral processions he saw while visiting a few years ago. To accompany Zapotec, he also shows his new hand at electronic music on the second half of the EP titled Holland.

On Zapotec, Condon does little to stray from his now classic formula that has made him a sensation worldwide. Condon knows how to create a scene with music. The Mexican funeral party is clearly seen in each song and the lyrics and vocals help us travel from stop to stop to pay our respects for our dearly departed.  He even employed an authentic 19 piece band Jimenez band to give originality. Holland is where the norm gets thrown out the window. There are still traces of trumpets and other instruments; but they are re-imagined through the lens of electronica. I have noticed Condon popping up in the credits of other musicians works and those works mostly have been in this field in which he worked for many years before discovering brass instruments. This small back-half EP shows Condon is willing to do something different which is needed to freshen his sound.

Zapotec is truly another well done piece of work for Beirut. If you are a fan of Beirut already, you will not be disappointed in the least. Holland is where the work really stands out. Unexplored territory is usually where artist find a new life and Beirut is no different. Listening to this EP is just as enjoyable as Beirut’s last two albums. The second half of this EP surprises with its new tone and if this is the new direction of Beirut, Condon should go to Holland more often.

3)Artist: Bon Iver

Title: Blood Bank EP

Label: Jagjaguwar

Genre: Folk Rock/Pop

There are only so many songs an artist can squeeze onto an album.  Justin Vernon juiced every note and chord out of For Emma, Forever Ago for one of the best crafted album of this decade. This is no small feat since it was also his debut. To follow such a work of art, Vernon has now issued a small four song EP titled Blood Bank to compliment his first work. It is kind of like discovering the sketch plans and notes for a follow up piece for the Mona Lisa from Leonardo da Vinci.

For only four songs, this EP packs a lot into sixteen minutes. The first track “Blood Bank” could just as easily been included on For Emma with its subtle falsetto and remembrances of a love years before. “Beach Baby” would have fit with the cold wintery essence of For Emma, if not for the very very short story (something about putting his tongue in someones ear?!) happening on the beach. Vernon’s band now includes two other friends and they are in tune with the old vibe from the first album while adding their own touch with some slight distortion and light keyboards which comes to light on the experimental track, “Babys.” The EP is rounded out by “Woods” which is probably the first use of a strictly folk rock singer using a vocoder. In my very humble opinion, “Woods” should have rounded out For Emma. It somehow fits even with its new electro/retro aesthetic.

Following a stellar album is extremely difficult, no matter how talented. Releasing an EP was a smart choice for the young Vernon. Blood Bank shows how an artist can grow over a few years and only serves to give us a taste of the new sound he will surely employ on his next masterpiece.