2011 Songs: 61-80

The next batch... 

80. "Victory Dance" by My Morning Jacket (from Circuital)

"Take machete into the brush / though at first there is no path"

I am usually onboard with an artist's maturation, but can't help but wish Jim James & co. would just rehash It Still Moves. Circuital is better than Evil Urges but it is increasingly clear that MMJ is not (and doesn't want to be) the band I once loved.

79. "Cold Feet" by Lost Lander (from DRRT)
" Too much conversation / too much information / I've got to turn it off"

Lost Lander is the new project from personal favorite Brent Knopf (Menomena, Ramona Falls). Debut album due in 2012. 

78. "Real is a Feeling" by Pictureplane (from Thee Physical)
"and we all feel real"

Pictureplane has now made the top 100 songs list twice ("Goth Star" in 2009). They would have easily made the list for ugliest album covers twice as well.

77. "Price Tag" by Jessie J (feat. B.O.B.) (from Who Are You)

"We're paying with love tonight"

Trite anti-consumerism sentiment plus obvious posturing on a track that is over-produced to the extreme.  What's not to like? Pitchfork called it "like Nelly Furtado fronting Sugar Ray." I can't defend this one, other than to say that B.O.B.'s pop-rap is likable to me where it is probably nauseating to most.

76. "Circle Married the Line" by Feist (from Metals)
"It's as much what it is as what it is not"

If the long-awaited follow-up to The Reminder didn't deliver as many Apple-tv-spot-ready songs it made up for it with admirable consistency.

75. "Exhaustible" by DeVotchKa (from 100 Lovers)
"There is no one that loves you better / than me my dear"

While some bands alienate old fans and/or attract new ones by constantly evolving (see #80 as an example), some are content to stick to their niche. DeVotchKa has been doing that wonderfully for nearly a decade.

74. "Cruel" by St. Vincent (from Strange Mercy)
"They were the zephyr blowing past you / glowing fiercely / so they can't see you"

When I reflect on this song, I am tempted to think that I admire it more than I like it. Then I listen to it again and realize that's bullshit; it's a pretty great song by any standard. 

73. "Hand It Out" byWoods (from Sun and Shade)
"I'll roll right over / if it makes much sense to you"

I'll praise one band for staying true to its niche (#75) and criticize another: if Woods doesn't evolve a bit (or at least stop putting out an album every year), fatigue is going to set in. Not there yet, though. Perfect Sunday morning music.

72. "Fresh Paint" by Pree (from Folly)
"Sorry only comes / when folly goes / and makes a habit out of leaving on the light"

After a phenomenal EP in 2009 (including song #16 on that year's list), Pree releases a pretty good piano-driven debut LP. You either love the voice or you will hate the music.

71. "Mermaid" by Okkervil River (from I Am Very Far)
"But my mouth / fills with both panic then prayer"

A slow builder from Will Sheff and crew. I enjoyed I Am Very Far but can't help but feel that the band misses Jonathan Meiburg (and, for me, Shearwater's output doesn't make up for the loss).

70. "I'm God" by Clams Casino (from Instrumental Mixtape)

<instrumental(ish)>

I believe those are Imogen Heap's vocals sampled on the track. Clams is part of an interesting group of DJs/producers that find success in songs that aren't quite mashups, aren't quite remixes, but yet aren't quite complete originals.

69. "Shuffle a Dream" by Little Dragon (from Ritual Union)

"You cruise around in your deluxe water craft"

Little Dragon wonderfully combines vintage-sounding vocals with modern electronic backing, no better than on this track. 

68. "America's Son" by Air Review (from America's Son)

"I am America's son / and I'm so inclined to run"

A pleasant enough, but forgettable, song -- until the chorus kicks in.

67. "Wait" by M83 (from Hurry Up, We're Dreaming)

"There's no end / there is no goodbye / disappear / with the night / no time"

While I personally don't get the universal acclaim for "Midnight City" (see #63; to my ear it has a faux urgency that is better suited to its Victoria Secret commercials than best-of-2011 lists), this gorgeous track unfolds with pain and grandeur. Crap, this song should probably be higher on the list...

66. "You Are A Tourist" by Death Cab For Cutie (from Codes and Keys)

"This / fire / grows / higher"

At this point, Death Cab is like the indie rock equivalent of Ed Zwick movies. They are pretty good. Everyone generally agrees that they are pretty good. But no one is ever asking themselves: "Damn, when is the next Ed Zwick movie coming out".

65. "Ghost Towns" by Radical Face (from The Family Tree: The Roots)

"All this time / I've been chasing down a lie / and I know it for what it is / but it beats the alternatives / so I'll take the lie"

I like the trend of one-man acts like Radical Face (aka Ben Cooper) still using band names rather than their given names. It's nice to know if I ever recorded something I could still call myself Jimmy Stewart's Fury or Covenant Breach or something. Not that I spend a lot of time thinking about these things...

64. "One Whole Year" by Bombadil (from All That The Rain Promises)

"But I'll tell you in a minute it was shorter than it felt"

Another odd song by this jokey band from Duke University ("Sad Birthday" was #88 on the 2009 list and "Honeymoon" should have been in the top 50).    

63. "Balance" by Future Islands (from On the Water)

"Because before the morning comes / there's a certain calm / and then there's light / it just takes time"

I feel like this song is a much more successful version of what M83's "Midnight City" is trying to be. And I am aware I am in the minority on this one. 

62. "Maybe Baby" by Blitzen Trapper (from Terminal Sales Vol. 4: Please to Enjoy)

"Set me free / but leave the key"

While nothing from the band's proper LP in 2011 (American Goldwing) stood out for me, this track from a Sub-Pop sampler is a new addition to my list of favorite tracks under 2:00.

61. "Tenere Taqqim Tossam" by Tinariwen (from Tassili)

< in Tuareg - mostly>

Tassili represents a "worlds colliding" event for someone that is an unabashed fanboy of both music from Mali (source of my #2 album of the 2000s) and TV on the Radio (Kyp Malone and Tunde Adepimpe appear on this track and others on the album).

2011 Songs: 81-100

After a dormant 12 months for this blog (other than a few top 10 lists for 1966, 1971, 1976... etc. up through 2001 as well as a few other random posts), I am happy to return with the first installment of our top 100 songs of 2011.

As before, the list is limited to one appearance per artist to maximize diversity.  If the very top of this list isn't quite as strong as past years, the list is certainly as deep as it has ever been. 

As in the past, immediately below is a Grooveshark widget with available songs. While I have posted the songs in the text below in descending order (100-81), they are in ascending order in the widget (81-100). This wasn't an accident, for some ungodly reason this is what makes sense t0 me. 16 of the 20 songs below are in the widget, while safe links to stream the other 4 are provided in their respective entries.

100. "I Wish I Was Jack Johnson" by Skee-Lo & Jack Johnson 

<Vico Ono mashup>

It is always a treat to hear two songs you never much cared for elevated into something better. The track isn't available through grooveshark but you can listen via youtube here.

99. "Trees Are a Swayin'" by Say Hi (from Um, Uh Oh)
"But I'll love you to the end of the world"

Say Hi (no longer To Your Mom) continues to churn out catchy music from Eric Elbogen's home computer.

98. "Black Night" by The Dodos (from No Color)
"When I wanted you / how I haunted you / all to myself"

Not having "Fables" from Time to Die on 2009's list was a mistake as it should have made the top 30 or so. No Color's lead single isn't quite as good but accurately represents The Dodo's brand of "aggressive folk"

97. "Oh My Heart" by R.E.M. (from Collapse Into Now)
"It's sweet / and it's sad / and it's true / how it doesn't look bitter on you"

While nothing off of the new album is a fitting epitaph for an amazing career, Collapse is a fine latter career effort by the boys from Athens.

96. "Video Games" by Lana Del Rey (from Video Games EP)
"Kissing in the blue dark / playing pool and wild darts"

Avoid the vapid discussion of the singer herself and simply enjoy the music.  I am looking forward to more in 2012.

95. "Tabby and Lucy" by Boston Spaceships (from Let it Beard)
"Something to take my blues away"

Robert Pollard had three shots at the list this year, with a solo album, a new GBV single and the last Boston Spaceships album. And yet all I think of when I see the album cover is this. (Not on grooveshark so stream on soundcloud here)

94. "Take Me Over" by Cut Copy (from Zonoscope)
"Did you see me falling?"

Cut Copy's second album of 80's nostalgia is as strong as their debut and features this Fleetwood Mac / Men At Work hybrid as well as perhaps my favorite album cover of the year. 

93. "Little Talks" by Of Monsters And Men (single)
"You used to play outside when you were young"

This song was the final addition to the list. While they are trying a little too hard to be the "Icelandic Arcade Fire" it isn't an entirely unfair comparison. Debut album due in the U.S. in 2012.

92. "Mama" by The Very Best (from Super Mom Mixtape)
<in Chichewa>

Another mixtape from Malawi's Esau Mwamwaya, this time making good use of Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More".

91. "Lighthouse" by NewVillager (from NewVillager)

"Keep it up / don't stop / don't lose your place"

This was also a late add to the list. At this time next year I will almost certainly view this ranking as either too low or wonder what the hell I was thinking to include it all. So catchy, though.

90. "Call it Off" by Washed Out (from Amor Fati Single)

< ? >

I enjoyed the debut LP from one-man chillwave band Washed Out but didn't find an individual song to latch onto until I heard this slinky B-side from the Amor Fati single. No idea what the lyrics are.

89. "Waiting For Kirsten" by Jens Lekman (from An Argument With Myself EP)

"in Gothenburg we don't have VIP lines"

What starts as a strange song about Kirsten Dunst filming Melancholia in Sweden morphs into an even stranger discussion on the Swedish healthcare system. Combined with the EP's title track, Lekman is flaunting his goofball side while we wait for a proper follow up to Night Falls Over Kortedala

88. "Hits Me Like a Rock" by CSS (from La Liberacion)

"We have too many bruises / from too much kissing"

This catchy track by Brazil's CSS also features Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie. 

87. "Salesman" by Bruce Peninsula (from The Bruce Trail Fire Sale EP)

"From the bottom of our hearts / it's as evil as it gets"

I am a sucker for modern music that sounds authentically much much older. (Not on grooveshark so listen on their bandcamp page here)

86. "Against the Grain" by Hudson (from Open Up Slowly EP)

"And I know there's no direction home / it's right here where all the wild things grow"

The central riff to this song reminds me so much of Bottom of the Hudson's "Riot Act" (a personal favorite) that I wondered if maybe that band had pulled a Say Hi and shortened its name. Alas, Melbourne-based Hudson is definitely not the same band as the (defunct?) Brooklyn band.

85. "Hudson River" by The Duke & The King (from The Duke & The King)

"Don't run astray / don't you ever take your love away"

See comment above at #87. Unfortunately, nothing else on Simon Felice's side project is as immediate as this spot-on track. (Not on grooveshark, so listen on youtube here)

84. "Back Like 8 Track" by The Go! Team (from Rolling Blackouts)

"Counterclaims coming at us like a bullet train"

The Go! Team's debut was my #20 album of the last decade and their follow-up, while inconsistent, still featured a few greats tracks (and Chuck D!). Rolling Blackouts returns to the consistency of their debut, albeit at a lower level of excellence. Still, the retro sound coupled with Ninja's raps and cheerleader squads are aways a welcome sound.  

83. "Who Are You" by Kathyrn Calder (from Bright and Vivid)

"And when / we die / our arms will open up wide"

Since 2008, all four vocalists of the New Pornographers (Calder, Neko Case, A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar) have made one of our top 100 lists as a solo artist. That is pretty ridiculous.

82. "Blackout" by Pickwick (from Myths Vol 3)

"Sitting on the floor in the bedroom / spinning Bowie around"

Reminds me of Squeeze's "Tempted", for no readily discernible reason.

81. "Make My" by The Roots (from Undun)

"They told me at the end / don't justify the dreams"

While they may make questionable political statements (I am no fan of hers, but there is a time and place), The Roots's consistency over what is now a 20-year career is pretty singular.

Rewind: Top Songs of 2001

A 2006 list of top songs was compiled at the time (and reposted here), leaving the 2001 list as the last on our semi-decennial (not a word) march from 1966 to 2011.

In 2001, I was frequently working 90+ hour weeks as an M&A analyst, which left me with very limited free time. This sleep-deprived and emotionally-weakened state directly contributed to me falling hard for three things: my wife, SF Giants baseball and indie music. This isn't the place to discuss the first. The Giants were my constant companion in the office most evenings at 10:35 pm ET as they played out a frustrating year for the team and a magical one for my steroid-enhanced hero. But when I was in the office and there wasn’t a game on, I was listening to more music than I ever had in my life. As it was for the Giants, the excellent year in music in 2001 took what was in interest and made it a passion.

Looking back on the eight top 10 lists I’ve compiled over the past year, I’d put the 2001 list behind only the incredibly strong 1971 list.

Top 10 Songs of 2001

1. "Someday" / The Strokes / Is This It
   "Oh my ex says I'm lacking in depth / I will try my best"
2. "Johnny Appleseed" / Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros / Global a Go-Go
   "If you're out to the get the honey / then you don't go killing all the bees"
3. "Okkervil River Song" / Okkervil River / Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See
   "Then I woke up one cold morning, felt an absence at my back / and I searched and stared but only the river stared back"
4. "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell" / The Flaming Lips / Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
   "I was wanting you to love me / but your love it never came"
5. "New Slang" / The Shins / Oh, Inverted World
   "Hope its right when you die / old and bony"
6. "Penelope" / Pinback / Blue Screen Life
   "Don't want to see you floating upside down / on the top of the bowl when I come 'round to visit you"
7. "As If You've Never Been Away" / Ulrich Schnauss / Far Away Trains Passing By
   <instrumental>
8. "Way Down in the Hole" / Blind Boys of Alabama / Spirit of the Century
   "Don't pay heed to temptation / for his hands are so cold"
9. "We're Going to Be Friends" / The White Stripes / White Blood Cells
   "And when I wake tomorrow I'll bet / that you and I will walk together again"
10. "Tribute" / Tenacious D / Tenacious D
    "the song we sang on that fateful night it didn't actually sound anything like this song"