It's January, which means it's time for another edition of the Village Voice's annual Pazz and Jop poll of music critics. Yes, it's probably the latest, high-profile wrap-up of the best music of 2009, but it's also the biggest in sheer number of voices -- some 697 voters submitted ballots this year. 
No South Florida acts really cracked the upper reaches of the best albums poll (I'm sure you're all wailing and gnashing your teeth in disbelief at that piece of news. Okay, so the Postmarks' Memoirs at the End of the World did score two votes.) Yet there was still geeky love on P&J to a few South Florida acts: Surfer Blood, Rick Ross, Jason DeRulo, and even Flo Rida.
Surfer Blood's indie hit, "Swim (To Reach the End)," scored five votes on the singles poll. (Okay, so one of those votes came from me, in a fit of tricounty pride, and another came from Sweat Records' Lolo Reskin, but still.)
Ricky Ross got 11 votes for "Magnificent," his track with John Legend. He got three votes for "Maybach Music Part Two." None of the voters for either were from here. Same thing with Flo Rida's "Right Round."
Jason DeRulo's Auto-tuned appropriation of an Imogen Heap song, "Watcha Say," got two votes.
A few other tenuous Florida connections: If you REALLY want to split hairs you can also find a South Florida connection in blog darlings Sleigh Bells, a vaguely electro-ambient-pop-ish duo whose male half formerly played in Poison the Well. Oh, they're also Surfer Blood pals. Their song "Ring Ring" got two votes in the singles category; "Crown on the Ground" got six. That's like half of their songs to date.
The Drums (also Surfer Blood pals!) briefly lived in Orlando before coming to their senses and moving on to Brooklyn. Their song "Let's Go Surfing" scored a few votes in the singles category. It's the year of beachy songs, apparently.
Fort Myers' Plies wound up on the list, since his appearance on Gucci Mane's "Wasted" got seven votes. (It's a weird phenomenon that mostly white and male, indie-rock-centric critics have to vote for a few trap rap-type singles every year to make themselves feel "down." That song is NOT one of the year's best in rap; come on, now!)
And if you want to count Lil Wayne, who winds up on every year-end best-of list, everywhere, always, his single "Every Girl," with Young Money, scored four votes on the singles poll. "I'm Going In" got three. "Swag Surfin" got two.
Finally, this is where we publicly shame the six people who ACTUALLY VOTED FOR KE$HA'S "Tik Tok" as one of the best songs of 2009. While the sane among us pray for the rapid sinking of this failed country singer's abominable, transparent attempt at electro-pop lite, these guys need to check their heads.
If you want to read individual ballots by Crossfade contributors and friends, check out the following links: ballots for Arielle Castillo (yours truly), Jose Duran, Jose Davila, Christopher Lopez, and Lauren "Lolo" Reskin.
