Friday, January 10, 2014

2013 Songs: The Top Twenty




20. "Weight" by Mikal Cronin (from MCII)
"Take me from myself"

This is probably the most we've ever liked a song for which we can never seem to remember the lyrics or melody. Seriously, in 10 minutes we will not be able to hum a bar. 
19. "Grace for Saints and Ramblers" by Iron & Wine (from Ghost on Ghost)
"There were misled misfits / teething biscuits / fountains full of penny wishes / parties full of pretty fishes"

Ghost on Ghost is probably the weakest Iron & Wine album to date, and its still pretty good. 
18. "Varsity" by Smith Westerns (from Soft Will)
"Thought I always had to win / or I wasn't anything / guess it's a point of view"

There is a thin line between gorgeous folk rock and boring folk rock. For our money, Fleet Foxes' and Grizzly Bear's second albums crossed over to the wrong side of the line. Smith Westerns' did not. 
17. "Oh Sailor" by Mr. Little Jeans (single)
"
When you feel like you're out there on your own / know there is someone watching over you"

Child choirs in pop music, awesomely creepy or creepily awesome? 

16. "Afterlife" by Arcade Fire (from Reflektor)
"
I've gotta know / can we work it out?"

Funeral was our #4 album of the 2000s.  Neon Bible and The Suburbs, meanwhile, were critically beloved (and placed songs on this list) but felt impaired by Win Butler's gloomy seriousness. So the lighter feel of Reflektor is a welcome change. As is the very present
Talking Heads and Sandinista-era Clash influence. But the double album, sub 75-minute runtime thing is weird. 
15. "Crying My Heart Out (radio edit)" by Young Galaxy (from Ultramarine Deluxe Edition)
"
And it's hard / when I'm playing 'Love Tear Us Apart'"

Strange year for Young Galaxy.  They released a pretty OK album in Ultramarine.  Then they released a deluxe edition of Ultramarine that added five new songs, all of which were (somewhat objectively) as good or better than the best song on the original version.  

14. "Sonsick" by San Fermin (from San Fermin)
"Sell lies like they're only drugs / it'll pick me up"
An excellent debut album from San Fermin, even if very little of it sounds remotely like "Sonsick", starting with the fact that most tracks have a male singer.   
13. "Black Skinhead" by Kanye West (from Yeezus)
"
You n*****s ain't breathing / you're gasping"

Yeezus is fine as a showcase to appreciate Kanye's ridiculous production skills, but outside of a few tracks it feels like a significant step backwards in songcraft and features half an album's worth of lazy sexual prowess boasting.  Maybe we all just love loving Kanye a bit too much. (Pretty negative for our #13 track, huh?)

12. "Oh Yeah" by Foxygen (from We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic)
"I'm feelin' groovy on another one's dime"
One of the hardest albums to pick a single track off of. "No Destruction" or "San Francisco" could have easily taken a comparable spot. This may be a better Jagger-esque falsetto than Jagger ever had ("Fool to Cry" kind of sucks, "Sweet Thing" is awesome, though). 
11. "Blurred Line" by Robin Thicke (from Blurred Lines)
"hey hey hey"

Inescapable, but deserving. Robin Thicke (co-worker's brother-in-law) is the first zero or one degree of separation artist to make the list. Others in play include Capital Cities (went to high school with one of the guys) and John Legend (shared an office with Mrs. Hummed of Mystery at Boston Consulting Group, because John Legend was once John Stephens and a consultant)
10. "Creep in a T-Shirt" by Portugal. The Man (from Evil Friends)
"Just because I lost it doesn't mean I want it back"

Danger Mouse quickly debunks the theory we put forth last year that hiring him as a producer is a sure fire way to create one of your better albums, but never your best. Evil Friends is a career high point for P.TM. 
9. "Ragtime" by Neko Case (from The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You)
"I'll reveal myself invincible soon"

Including her work on the New Pornographers, this is the 5th top 25 appearance for Neko Case.  
8. "Play by Play" by Autre Ne Veut (from Anxiety)
"I don't wanna be there tonight / you make me low / you make me crawl"

This song has a great chorus, but it's the 1:40 - 2:05 section that is one of our favorite vocal snippets of the year
7. "Hopeful" by Josh Ritter (from The Beast in its Tracks)
"But I know the look in his eyes and I know all the old signs / just a couple more curves before his own road unwinds "

The most positive track on an album of heartbreak.  Is the "she" that is hopeful the old girl, the new girl, or both?
6. "Young Fathers" by Typhoon (from White Lighter)
"I was born in September / and like everything else I can't remember / I'll replace it with scenes from the film / that I / will never make"

If the album cover is a Rorschach test, we see Tanzania. Which validates the whole theory of the test. Also, Tanzania looks a lot like Wisconsin. Also, only five of these damned things left. 
5. "Chain Smoker" by Chance the Rapper (from Acid Rap)
"This part / right here right now right here / this part my shit"

The best rap album of 2013 was a debut mixtape (available here). Stream the track here
4. "Hit Me" by Mystikal (single)
"Whether they diamonds / Madonna / designers / iguanas / Rihanna / vaginas / piranhas / hit it!"

What the fuck was that? This insane tribute to James Brown brings the funk, but is also ridiculously quotable. Runners up for the quote:
5. "That n***a is sicker and slicker than oil on a pelican"
4. "We go together like stanky & smelly / tummy & belly / peanut butter jelly"
3. "Say it proud / I'm black and I'm loud"
2. "I’m the maestro / I’m the n***a with the stick in this bitch" 
(you tube link)

3. "Gustavo" by Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle (from Perils from the Sea)
"And I looked down and my hands were trembling"

We are big fans of Sun Kil Moon, but have found his recent albums a bit dull musically. We are big fans of The Album Leaf but don't love the addition of vocals to his instrumentals. So combining the best of both artists in Perils from the Sea is a perfect match.  
2. "November 2011" by Moonface (from Julie With Blue Jeans On)
"Let me take you up these stairs / let me take you to my life / let me take you like a lamb leading the slaughterer to the knife"

Spencer Krug does an Alphas tracks, but with slightly more hopefulness than the doomed Mountain Goats couple.  Someone is going to use this as a first dance song at their wedding and the couple in question will be awesome. Spencer just misses out on a #1 with a fourth band (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake) and makes an 11th top 10 appearance on this list. Stud. 

1. "Step" by Vampire Weekend (from Modern Vampires of the City)
"Maybe she's gone, and I can't resurrect her / the truth is she doesn't need me to protect her / we know the true death /  the true way of all flesh / everyone's dying, but girl you're not old yet"

MVotC is such an incredibly strong album that it may have been the deathblow to the Vampire Weekend backlash.  It should be, at least. If "Step" didn't exist, "Hannah Hunt" may still hold this spot and "Ya Hey", "Diane Young" and "Unbelievers" wouldn't have been far behind. But "Step" does exist and it is just about the perfect pop song. Even our favorite songs usually have a moment that we look forward to or miss once it is passed (see #8 above), which can't help diminish the rest of the song. "Step" is all highlights. Great verses, great chorus, great build, great lyrics that are just obtuse enough to resonate, great odd little "every time I see you in the world..." bit that is neither a chorus nor verse, great way all but the drums drop out at the penultimate chorus, great video that recalls the great album cover. It's not a song that changes the music landscape or the world in any way, its just an undeniably great song in all respects, making it the easiest #1 decision we've had to make in a while. Thanks for reading and listening. 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

2013 Songs: 21-40




40. "Under the Earth" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (from Mosquito)
"Twelve times / put a hex on you"

The heavy use of dub/reverb makes this the first of two remaining artists to remind us strongly of Sandinista-era Clash. "Sacrilege" is pretty great as well (unlike the creepy-as-hell, Garbage Pail Kids inspired album cover).

39. "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" by Kishi Bashi (from 7" Singles EP)
<Talking Heads cover>

A straightforward, stripped down cover, but we are talking about, for our money, one of the greatest songs of our lifetime and quite possibly the most genuinely romantic (the "naive" subtitle refers to the melody, not the lyrics).  So an excellent new version by an emerging new artist (#92 on last year's list) is welcome. 

38. "Restless Leg" by Har Mar Superstar (from Bye Bye 17)
"Shake shake shake shake shake the leg oh oh"

We hadn't heard of Har Mar Superstar before hearing a few classic R&B sounding tracks from his 5th album, Bye Bye 17.  Pitchfork thought little enough of the guy to give his second album a 2.0 and his third album a 1.9. For context, both of those would have been the second lowest score they gave out over the past year. Of course, 4 of their 25 lowest scored albums of 2013 made this list, so maybe we shouldn't be surprised. 

37. "Demon to Lean On" by Wavves (from Afraid of Heights)
"Holding a gun to my head / so send me an angel"

The mid-90s punk that Wavves recalls is now as removed from today's music as the original punk wave was from the 90s.  So we look forward to the 4th wave around 2030.

36. "A New Life" by Jim James (from Regions Of Light And Sound Of God)
"Babe / open the door / and start your new life"

Takes a while to get going, but patience pays off with a nice old fashioned build.  While we've been disappointed with My Morning Jacket's recent output, at least James is keeping busy with interesting side projects. 

35. "There Can Be Only One" by Cass McCombs (from Big Wheel and Others)
"
If love is either all or none / who owns my heart?"

Very much roll-the-window-down-and-cruise music. Very Lou Reed (RIP) as well. 



34. "Wild Country" by Wake Owl (from Wild Country EP)
"
If I want to leave / I will"

Based on the last several tracks, this list is in danger of becoming unbearably pleasant.


33. "I Remember You" by Rilo Kiley (from Rkives)
"And may old acquaintance be forgot / but I remember you"

The male voice here is full cheeseball but Jenny Lewis sounds great and we like the borrowed riff from "Marquee Moon" enough to overlook it. 


32. "Lightning Bolt" by Jake Bugg (from Jake Bugg)
"
Everyone I see just wants to walk with gritted teeth"

The comparison to Dylan is an easy one, and one that is not sustainable over the course of a full album, but the 19-year old certainly pulls it off for two and a half minutes.


31. "This Evening So Soon" by Bob Dylan (from Another Self Portrait: The Bootleg Series Vol. 10)
<Bob Gibson cover>

The man himself, in an unreleased track from the Self Portrait sessions.  This concludes the unintentional flashback portion of the top 100 list, with new/"new" music from favorite acts from the 60s (Dylan), 70s (Bowie, #53), 80s (Clash, #100) and 90s (Pearl Jam, #58).


30. "Heaven" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (from Little Moments EP)
<no idea what Alec is saying>

We can't think of another band where the perceived decline in quality fails to match what we hear.  CYHSY's debut was pretty universally praised, but its follow-up (which featured our #1 song of 2007) was quickly forgotten and few people noticed/cared when they broke up and got back together. Even friends who swear by the debut don't care much for the recent output. (bandcamp link)

29. "Before We Run" by Yo La Tengo (from Fade)
"Take me out beyond the stress / speak to me in words we can't erase / take me out / it's only us"

One of the things lost in the translation to digital music is the art of track listing.  "Before We Run", like "Moonlight Mile"on Sticky Fingers or "I Believe" from Talking Book, could only be a closing track. 

28. "Needle" by Born Ruffians (from Birthmarks)
"Lost / but in my place"

At the 0:50 mark, the yelping pop goodness that made Red, Yellow and Blue one of our favorite albums of 2008 is back.

27. "You" by Bibio (from Silver Wilkinson)
"Find somebody else / just like you"

Anthemic, even with only 13 words in the song. 

26. "Walkin On a Pretty Day" by Kurt Vile (from Wakin On a Pretty Daze)
"Phone ringing off the shelf / I guess it wanted to kill himself"

We just realized that the album title and the song title are not the same. Huh. 

25. "Spinning Signs" by Painted Palms (from Forever)
"I'm just talking to the things inside my head"

Tame Impala got a lot of love last year (consensus #3 album of 2012 according to Metacritic's compilation of top 10 lists) for a very good album of trippy psych-rock.  The advance single from Painted Palm's debut (due Jan 14) would be right at home on that album, and would instantly be the best song.  

24. "Becoming the Gunship" by Islands (from Ski Mask)
"When it was dark / I was a question mark"

Not sure if anyone has more eclectic a run of recent album highlights than Islands, from "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby" off their debut, to "Creeper" to "Disarming the Car Bomb" to "Hallways" (our #2 song of 2012) to "Becoming the Gunship". Great band. 

23. "Dance Apocalyptic" by Janelle Monáe  (from The Electric Lady)
"But I'm allergic to the house pets"

Quite the little retro kick over the last few tracks.

22. "Hurricane (Chvrches remix)" by MS MR (single)
"Keep my eyes open / my lips sealed / my heart closed / and my eyes peeled "

Chvrches early single "the Mother We Share" cracked the top 50 last year but their full length debut couldn't do better than the honorable mention list in 2013. Similarly, Ms Mr's 2013 debut of "noir&B" (a perfect descriptor, and fun to say) was a good listen, but wasn't likely to crack the list either. Instead, Chvrches complete 80'sfication of album favorite "Hurricane" represents a surprising high point for both acts. (soundcloud link)

21. "Cayucos" by Cayucas (from Bigfoot)
"oh way oh way oh / come on come on come on come on"

We'd like think that the masculine/feminine going on in the song title and band name has some meaning. Wikipedia informs that Cayucos is a little hamlet on the California coast (past Morro Bay, as the song says) and that it is Chumash for Kayak. So probably not. 




Friday, January 3, 2014

2013 Songs: 41-60





60. "The Quotidian Beasts" by Phosphorescent (from The Muchacho)
"Yeah the beast came upon me / I guess it wasn't so bad"

Quotidian means something that occurs every day, so apparently this is a 7-minutes shambolic rock song about an online news magazine. No one saw that coming, Matt. "Song For Zula", the strongest track on Muchacho, cracked the top 20 last year as an advance single.

59. "XXX 88" by MØ (from Bikini Daze EP)
"'Cause life is cynical / despite your heart of gold"

Karen Marie Ørsted covers a lot of territory on her debut EP, from this Diplo-produced rave-up of to the doo-wop croon of "Never Want to Know".  
58. "Sirens" by Pearl Jam (from Lightning Bolt)
"The slightest bit of light and I can see you clear"

A friend with occasionally questionable music taste (who is likely reading this in December 2014) seemed certain on the release of Lightning Bolt that "Sirens" would make this list. Our original impression of the song was "what's the point?", but it has grown on us considerably. Hard to believe these guys have been around over 20 years
57. "Feel the Love" by Rudimental (from Home)
<nothing from this song avoids looking dumb in quotes>

It is a toss-up between the original version and the VIP mix featuring Childish Gambino (whose guest verses there, with Chance the Rapper, and with Jhene Aiko topped anything we heard on Because the Internet).


56. "Amsterdam" by Gregory Alan Isakov (from The Weatherman)
"She's easy on the eyes"

Hushed vocals that remind us of the best of Damien Jurado or M. Ward.


55. "Midland" by The Mountain Goats (from All Hail West Texas -- Reissue)
"For three years I lived next to the airport / so nothing you can say to me can get on my nerves"

For the first time since 2007, there was no new music from Darnielle in 2013.  We did, however, get a handful of outtakes from All Hail West Texas (our #1 MG album) on its 10th anniversary. 

54. "Coming Through" by Willis Earl Beat feat. Cat Power(from Nobody Knows)
"Identify yourselves by stating your name / Willis / Earl / Beal"

Nobody Knows starts off very strong with "Wavering Lines" and "Coming Through" but then tapers off quickly. Chan Marshall, not surprisingly, makes a hell of a backup singer.


53. "The Next Day" by David Bowie (from The Next Day)
"Here I am / not quite dead"

Bowie released a highly praised album of new material this year, and yet the video for the title track (Gary Oldman!) got 90% fewer views than a cover of "Space Oddity". Love the album cover. 

52. "Evil Eye" by Franz Ferdinand (from Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action)
"I don't believe in god / but I believe in this shit"

A hint of "Backstreet's back, allright!" going on in the chorus, right? We don't really feel great about that.


51. "Old Love / New Love" by Twin Shadow (from Grand Theft Auto V)
"I couldn't speak / you said, I'm listening"

Songs from video games are close to outpacing movie soundtracks on this list.

50. (tie) "Your Life Your Call " by Junip (from Junip) and "Step Out" by José González (from Secret Life of Walter Mitty)
"Stand up or enjoy your fall"

Two very different tracks from José González under two different monikers.  While list rules (which must be followed!) prohibit multiple tracks from the same artist, how do we treat Junip vs. solo work? Let's call it a tie, even if "Step Out" has a bit of that desperate striving-for-epic thing that makes Of Monsters and Men sort of lame.  
49. "Now I'm All Messed Up" by Tegan and Sara (from Heartthrob)
"Go if you want / I can't stop you"

While newcomers Chvrches and Haim got a lot of press this year for releasing good, female-led, synth-heavy pop albums, veterans Tegan and Sara probably released the strongest overall album of the group.

48. "All Eyes on You" by St. Lucia (from St Lucia EP)
"I hope / you'll never have to back / what's said in the night"

A bit of a cheat here, as St Lucia released their debut LP in 2013 with "All Eyes on You" on it, but we prefer the original version from the 2012 eponymous EP.  We also prefer using the word "eponymous" where possible.

47. "Slow it Down" by The Dream (from IV Play)
"pants on her / slim fit / lights in the room / dim lit"

As stated last year, Slow Jam R&B is a horrible music genre. Like, the worst. Objectively, no idea why we are making an exception here, just look at those lyrics above. And the album title ... embarrassing. And yet, here we are.

46. "I Will" by Sebadoh (from Defend Yourself)
"And this will be / the hardest thing I've ever done "

We've never given much thought to Sebadoh.  Bakesale is in the collection and is probably the 2nd best album of the early 90's that features a naked baby on the cover. "Brand New Love" is a decent song. So we had modest expectations about Lou Barlow getting the band back together (proper use!) after a decade-plus apart. And yet, "I Will" is a great little lost-in-time nostalgia generator.  
45. "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk (from Random Access Memories)
"we're up all night to get lucky" (not a good quote but it is said LITERALLY over 50 times in the song, so...)

A little under the radar pick for readers looking for some deep cuts from 2013.

44. "Rasberry Cane" by Youth Lagoon (from Wondrous Bughouse)
"Pour the ashes into the cup / mix with wine / here's to sleep /drink up"

The most disappointing album of 2013. Most tracks from The Year of Hibernation would have cracked the top 40 of the 2011 list (Montana ended up at #8). Yes, those tracks were formula driven (muddled vocals -> swirling instrumental -> muddled vocals over swirling instrumental) but it was great formula! Bughouse was just a muddle, with the notable exception of this track and maybe "Dropla" or"Mute".  
43. "Time Rolls On" by Free Energy (from Love Sign)
"Don't wanna talk now / you'd need another dude"

So damned cheesy, but in the best possible ways. If the Kung Fury guys are successful with their Kickstarter campaign maybe this can be the theme song.
42. "The Wire" by Haim (from Days are Gone)
"I didn't go and try to change my mind / not intentionally"

With the number of advance singles Haim released over the past 18 months ("Don't Save Me" was #37 on last year's list) it was a pleasant surprise to hear how many good songs debuted on the album proper. If "Evil Eye" had some Backstreet in it, Haim owes a debt to Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" for this.

41. "Caribou Hyperbole" by Windmill (from Above Duffle Farm)
"If you had stayed / you would not have stayed for me"

Windmill is not for everyone. Matthew Dillon's makes other singers described as "nasal" seem like baritones. If you don't buy-in, it is brutal. But the man can compose a song and, frequently, turn the emotion conveyed in his voice into a positive. Puddle City Racing Lights was our #28 album of the 2000s and while Epcot Starfields and Above Duffle Farm aren't as consistently strong, their best songs match that album's high points. (bandcamp link)