A very literal spring-themed playlist for the rainy day here in the Bay Area.
"Spring and a Storm" / Tally Hall
"...many people think that's where you go when you die / do you? / well I think you return to obscure / or wherever you where, before you were / but I won't let you lose yourself in the rain"
"Rain" / Bishop Allen
"cause if its ever gonna get any better / its gotta get worse for a day"
"Rain On" / Woods
"Oh, how the days will rain on you"
"Wet and Rusting" / Menomena
"It's hard to take risks / with a pessimist"
"Sonic Bloom" / The Polyphonic Spree
"When love gets inside of you / it makes me invincible"
"King of Carrot Flowers, Part I" / Neutral Milk Hotel "Each one a little more than he could dare to try"
"3,000 Flowers" / Destroyer
"Scars where its talons used to be"
"Blue Bird" / The Rosebuds
"While natures radio / plays music in our home"
"Dry the Rain" / The Beta Band
"Choking on the vitamin tablet / the doctor gave in the hope of saving me"
"She's A Rainbow" / The Rolling Stones
"Have you seen a lady fairer?"
Over the course of the year, I plan to work towards the best of 2011 by reviewing songs from the past -- in 5 year increments. I was going to start with 1961, since this is the 50th anniversary, but sweet jesus what a brutal year for music that was. When "Runaround Sue" is a legitimate contender for best song of the year it is time to move on.*
* It's not just me, Pitchfork's top 100 songs of the 1960's included just three from 1961.
By 1966, though, the music world looked a whole lot better. It was still a year before Hendrix, Bowie and Creedence would debut, but the biggest bands of all time were already making their mark, blues music was in its golden age, and both the Motown and Stax labels were in full swing. My list is full of the usual suspects, but they are the usual suspects for a reason. And, to be fair, it's not as if the below were the biggest hits of the year back then. Billboard's top 5 in 1966 was:
1) "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" by Sgt. Barry Sadler
2) "Cherish" by Association
3) "(You're My) Soul And Inspiration" by Righteous Brothers
4) "Reach Out I'll Be There" by Four Tops
5) "96 Tears" by ? & The Mysterians
In fact, only two of the songs below were in the Billboard top 100 for 1966. Maybe in 45 years everyone will think Wolf Parade and Deerhunter were huge and forget who the Black Eyed Peas are. One can dream.
Grooveshark playlist (without the Beatles track) is at the bottom.
Top 10 Songs of 1966
"Help Me (A Tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson)" / Junior Wells / Chicago/Blues/Today!
"Lower that nightshade / put on your mourning gown / 'cause you know I ain't sleepy darling / but lord I feel like lying down"
"God Only Knows" / Beach Boys / Pet Sounds
"I may not always love you"
"Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" / Bob Dylan / Blonde on Blonde
"And here I sit so patiently / waiting to find out what price / you have to pay to get out of / going through all these things twice"
"Mustang Sally" / Wilson Pickett / The Wicked Pickett
"Got to put your flat feet on the ground"
"Paint It, Black" / The Rolling Stones / Aftermath
"I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes / I have to turn my head until my darkness goes"
"It's Growing" / Otis Redding / The Soul Album <Temptations cover>
"For No One" / The Beatles / Revolver
"And in her eyes you see nothing / no sign of love behind the tears / cried for no one"
"Hold On, I'm Coming" / Sam & Dave / Hold On, I'm Coming
"When the day comes and you're down / in a river of trouble and about to drown"
"Uptight (Everything's Alright)" / Stevie Wonder / Uptight
"She says / no one / is better than I / I know / I'm just an average guy"
"I'm a Believer" / The Monkees / More of the Monkees
"Not a trace / of doubt in my mind"
This blog was created solely as a place to post my annual top songs list, with the thought that it would lay dormant during the balance of the year. At least, that was the original intention. Now that the place exists and has some furnishings, it feels cruel to leave the poor thing completely unattended for 11 months.
So there will be the occasional post going forward. The posts won't be of-the-moment or be a particularly good way to discover new releases. There are plenty of better curated sites for that around the web. Instead, I will throw up the odd playlist structured around a single theme or idea. They will -- like the year-end lists -- include a mixture of genres with the added benefit of mixing time periods.
In each post, I will include only a Grooveshark widget (until Apple buys it and shuts it down, at least) to stream the playlist and a list of the tracks themselves, with limited commentary or graphics. In the spirit of that whole brevity thing, below is a playlist of my favorite songs under two minutes in length.
I can't necessarily recommend that you come back often before the December year in review begins again, but if you do there will be music.
Sub 2:00 Playlist (from shortest to longest)
"Die" by Iron & Wine from Dark Was the Night (2009) -- 1:07 "And no matter how hard we try / we are not afraid to die"
"An Accidental Memory" by Eluvim from An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death (2004) -- 1:12
"Before I Knew" by Basia Bulat from Oh, My Darling (2008) -- 1:15 "It was the first time I sang out loud all through the night"
"Inspection Wise 1999" by The Hives from Veni Vidi Vicious (2000) -- 1:38" Check the time / T minus 5 / and you're still looking"
"Final Day " by Young Marble Giants from Final Day EP (1980) -- 1:44 "As the final day falls into the night / there is peace outside in the narrow light "
"Dark Place" by Barton Carroll from The Lost One (2008) -- 1:46 "I've never been here before / kinda digging the experience"
"Travel" by Thao from We Brave Bee Stings and All (2007) -- 1:47 "But I took / a million looks / how they ate me up / made me heavy and for what?"
"Optimist vs. the Silent Alarm (When the Saints go Marching)" by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone from Vs. Childen (2009) -- 1:51 "We've mapped a route with all right turns so lights won't get us caught / We've got a mess of cash in duffel bags and every penny's hot"
"Career Opportunities" by The Clash from The Clash (UK) (1977) -- 1:53 "And I won't open letter bombs for you"
"That's What I Want To Know" by James Carr from You've Got My Mind Messed Up (1967) -- 1:58 "I don't know / I don't know another man's sorrow"
The cream of the 2010 crop, in reverse order this time (for no good reason). The grooveshark widget is at the bottom of the post. Make sure to let me know what I missed.
20. "Kala Djula" byAli Farka Touré & Toumani Diabeté (from Ali and Toumani) <instrumental>
The mere existence of this sequel to my #2 album of the last decade was a wonderful surprise, sinceTouré passed away in 2006.
19. "This is the Remix" byGirl Talk (from All Day) < (Rick Ross * Banarmama) + (Lil' Kim * Jaskson 5) + Toadies * (B.o.B. + Method Man) + (Lil Jon & East Side Boyz * Simon & Garfunkel) + (Fabulous * INXS) >
Greg Gillis's excellent gimmick hasn't gotten old yet.
18. "Run" byVampire Weekend (from Contra) "And I don't think your eyes / have ever looked surprised"
It feels like this album came out way too long ago to still qualify for this list. Contra was the rare sophomore effort that successfully balanced the exploration of new sounds without abandoning what made the debut successful.
17. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" byThe National (from High Violet) "I still owe money / to the money / to the money I owe"
While others will disagree, I found High Violet a step backwards after Boxer (my #5 album of last decade) and Alligator. Lyrically, the band is as strong as ever, but there are at least 4 songs on each album of the prior albums that would have placed higher on this list.
16. "Uh Huh" byWu-Tang vs. The Beatles (from Enter The Magical Mystery Chambers) "Y'all know my occupation / I'm puttin' in the words / So when there's imitation / I put them in the dirt"
Looking for Grey Album-like success, Tom Caruana created a mashup that drew from the entire Wu catalog and combined it with music from the Beatles. The results were mixed, but "Uh Huh" combined an obscure Method Man track with an obscure Beatles B-Side ("You Know My Name") to create a pretty fantastic song.
15. "Dogs of Clinic 17" byThe Extra Lens (from Undercard) "5 of us are left / (that's down from 20) / but the guy in the white coat / he tells me that 5 is plenty"I have more John Darnielle music in my collection than any other artist (because not many other artists have recorded 400 songs), but more is always welcome. As is often the case with the Mountain Goats, the song title provides insight beyond what is in the track itself.
14. "Desire Line" byDeerhunter (from Halcyon Digest) "Forever fades black / and comes up cold"
As interesting as Microcastle but much more lively, Halcyon Digest was one of the year's pleasant surprises.
13. "House of Gold" byBreathe Owl Breathe (from Magic Central) "We will romanticize what we want out of life / you and I will someday die / everyone at the dance was wearing masks / so, so did I"
There is a lot going on in the seemingly simple song, one of the catchiest this year. Oh yes, and there are handclaps.
12. "Wide-Eyed, Legless" byLaura Veirs (from July Flame) "Will we ever more kiss on the boardwalks fading rail? / In the light of the waves and the comet's waning tail / I don't think so"
Ominous and nostalgic, this song immediately surpassed anything else I had previously heard from Veirs.
11. "Tambourine Man" byCloud Cult (from Run With the Wolves EP) <Bob Dylan cover>
A cover of any song probably shouldn't be this high on the list. A cover of a song as iconic (and much covered already) as "Tambourine Man" definitely shouldn't. And yet, something about Cloud Cults reimagining of the song, from Craig Minowa's earnestness to the backing piano, plays in a way that Dylan (and others) never did. Awful, awful album cover.
10. "Zebra" byBeach House (from Teen Dream) "Any way you run, you run before us"
My words can't do this lovely song justice. Beach House crushed it with Teen Dream.
9. "Sweetest Kill" byBroken Social Scene (from Forgiveness Rock Record) "I break you through this world / Let me break you through this world / Can I break you through this world? "
Given their large and rotating membership, BSS has no consistent sound. This makes can make them frequently frustrating and occasionally very great.
8. "Rill Rill" bySleigh Bells (from Treats) "So this is it, then?"
Speaking of Broken Social Scene, this song plays like the narrator from "Anthems For a 17-Year-Old-Girl" stopped sitting in her room waiting for the guy to dream about her and grabbed a baseball bat.
7. "Fuck You" byCee Lo Green (from The Lady Killer) "I pity the fooooooooool"
Smokey Robinson used to write 10 songs each year that were this good. Why do they come around once a decade now?
6. "Crash Years" byThe New Pornographers (from Together) "Tonight will be an open mic"
Neko Case just sounds better with the boys.
5. "Oh You, Old Thing" byWolf Parade (from Expo 86) "Bon soir, bon soir ma ville / I’m gonna leave you now in the arms of babes"
Spencer Krug fails to 3-peat, but posts an 8th top 10 appearance in six years, despite the rule against more than one song per artist. The Wolf Parade breakup would be much more soul crushing if Krug and Boeckner weren't doing great work elsewhere. Choosing between this track and "Cave-o-Sapien" was difficult, but ultimately I went with the love song to Montreal. My favorite album cover of 2010.
4. "I Walked" bySufjan Stevens (from The Age of Adz) "For at least I deserve the respect of a kiss goodbye"
Sufjan ditching the banjo for beeps and blips worked remarkably well on a few tracks and less well on others. But by releasing "I Walked" in advance, the rest of the album couldn't help but disappoint.
3. "Good Intentions Paving Company" byJoanna Newsom (from Have One on Me) "And I know you meant to show the extent / To which you gave a goddang / You ranged real hot and real cold but I'm sold / I am home on that range"
There are critically acclaimed bands that I haven't liked or understood but eventually came to enjoy, but none like Joanna Newsom. I hated, and still don't like, her early work -- viewing it as insufferably precious. But, for this year's triple-album, Newsom stopped singing like an 8-year old and started singing like a 13-year old and it really worked.
2. "Runaway" byKanye West (from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) "And I don’t know how I’ma manage / If one day you just up and leave"
Kanye manages to create the perfect song to showcase both his ego and insecurities. Even the indulgent closing minutes seem appropriate. Great music shouldn't necessarily require knowing something about the singer himself, but its that element that make "Runaway" such a high point.
1. "Walking Far From Home" byIron & Wine (from Walking Far From Home EP) "I saw sickness / blooming fruit trees / I saw blood and a bit of it was mine"
This was a surprise. First, the full album that this song appears on won't be released for several weeks. Second, while I was sure he would continue to make very good recordings, I feared that Sam Beam's best days may be behind him. But this song has everything I love about music. It is similar in structure to a favorite Iron & Wine song, "The Trapeze Swinger", and yet completely different. Musically, the rumbling feedback of the first 40 seconds gives way to angelic backing vocals before building back and making a triumphant push on top of the "loaded linen tables". Lyrically, the song evokes nostalgia and loss, telling a story without being explicit. Vocally, its Sam Beam. It's less than 5 minutes long, but it is a fully imagined world full of musical sinners, whispering lovers, maritime believers, micturating millionaires, and homesick angels. It's my favorite song of the year.
21. "All Talk" by KiD CuDi ft. LCD Soundsystem, Cha Tha Ripper and Christian Bale (mixtape release) "You're the one who runs / so I'm the one who hunts you"
Kicking off with Christian Bale's famous rant, this pre-Man on the Moon II mixtape release made use of the best parts of "Dance Yrself Clean".
22. "Hurricane J" by The Hold Steady (from Heaven is Whenever) "You're a beautiful girl / and you're a pretty good waitress" "They didn't name her for a saint / they named her for a storm"
Craig Finn is back with more compelling tales of Minnesotan fuckups.
23. "Empty-Hall-Sing-Along" by Woodpigeon (from Die Stadt Muzikanten) "Thank god for you but / I don't care if we make it there / I won't be alone for long"
One of many worthy songs off of a very good and underrated album. Great song title, as well.
24. "As We Enter" by Damian Marley & Nas (from Distant Relatives) "Nzuri sana / switch up the language and move to Ghana"
Not a huge fan of either individually, but this track is nonstop from 0:03.
25. "Dilly" by Band of Horses (from Infinite Arms) "Dig a hole in the ground / for your wedding ring"
Ben Birdwell and his group of interchangeable bandmates keep losing ground from their debut, this jaunty track notwithstanding. Bring back Matt Brooke, please.
26. "I Need a Dollar" by Aloe Blacc (from Good Things) "(Hey hey)"
There are probably only five songs that I knew would make the top 100 list less than 20 seconds into a first listen. This is one. Also, its another TV theme song (HBO's How to Make It in America, which I didn't watch). 27. "Get Back" by Woods (from At Echo Lake) "Perfect time for / get back or get right"
Woods is my favorite among the current crop of mega lo-fi bands. They were also #27 on last year's list, so there's that. 28. "Generator ^ Second Floor" byFreelance Whales (from Weathervanes) "Don't fix my smile / life is long enough / we will put this flesh / into the ground again"
I am always a fan of tracks narrated by or sung by dead people. Honorable mention to Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave", which was both. 29. "The Poor Boy Can't Dance" byBarton Carroll (from Together You and I) "You never had your fun with an American / but I can tell you that its alright"
Just a pleasant song from a pleasant singer-songwriter. (not on grooveshark, listen here) 30. "Last Chance" by Nicki Minaj (from Pink Friday) "Uh / gun cock / pause / and I’m well aware of the gun laws"
I was tempted to put her verse from Kanye's "Monster" on the list instead, since nothing on her debut album matches its insanity. This comes the closest, albeit with a more poppy sheen. 31. "Arkansas" by Damien Jurado (from Saint Bartlett) "Fade out / this is where the credits roll"
Sufjan may have stalled on his 50 states project, but Jurado is working modestly more quickly through them in song titles. I count 6 states to date. All very dusty ones. 32. "Let Them" by jj (mixtape release) "Let them stay / let them say / let them lie / let them snitch / let them be / let them die"
Strange year for jj. They follow up the uniformly excellent No 2 with the lifeless No 3, but release two excellent rap-influenced singles: "My Way" featuring a Lil' Wayne sample and the tough talking, sweet sounding track above. 33. "Only the Young" byBrandon Flowers (from Flamingo) "And the sun will shine again"
Brandon Flowers' solo album sounds exactly like a Killers album, with all the good (hooks) and bad (lyrics) that implies. 34. "Learning" by Perfume Genius (from Learning) "But you / will learn / to mind me"
Haunting piano and vocals. Exceptionally creepy lyrics. 35. "Folk Bloodbath" by Josh Ritter (from So Runs The World Away) "And I'm hoping that it ain't true / that the same god looks out for them / looks out for me and you"
With its apt title, this song is a bloodstained mishmash of several infamous folk and blues killers/victims. 36. "We Used To Wait" by Arcade Fire (from The Suburbs) "We used to wait for it / now we're screaming / sing the chorus again"
I loved Funeral, and yet I can't help but find The Suburbs kind of ridiculous. Great, great music, but far too full of itself. Pitchfork Reviews Reviews put it best: "The Suburbs is a pretty good record if you can get past the pomposity, the lyrics about hating the suburbs that would have gotten laughed out of my high school literary magazine, ... the self-seriousness, ... [and] Win’s belief in his own messianic power." Tough but fair.
37. "Burden of Tomorrow" by The Tallest Man on Earth (from The Wild Hunt) "I drink my water when it rains / and live by chance among the lightning strikes"
One of the better Dylan acolytes recording today (Swedish division).
38. "Dark Trance" by Free Energy (from Stuck on Nothing) "And oh / whoa / whoa / whoa"
One of the better 80's recreationists recording today (non-ironic division).
39. "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons (from Sigh No More) "And I won't let you choke / on the noose around your neck"
A Grammy nominee for best new artist that is actually a new artist? The category, incidentally, is defined as: "For a new artist who releases ... the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist". Its hard not to have same opinion of the Grammy's as the bellhop who Homer gave his Be Sharps Grammy to.
40. "I'm Not Signifying" by The Rolling Stones (from Exile on Main Street: Deluxe Edition) "When you're lying on the ceiling baby / And I'm gazing on your floor"
I already had an album's worth of excellent Exile outtakes, so the new material on the bonus disc to the Deluxe Edition was a wonderful surprise, even if it wasn't quite vintage Stones. This bluesy track comes the closest for me of recreating the original sound of their days at Nellcôte.
41. "Dance Yrself Clean" by LCD Soundsystem (from This is Happening) "Break me into bigger pieces / so some of me is home with you"
While another track featuring a sample of this song was more immediate (and thus higher on the list), the 9-minute original from LCD Soundsystem's potential swan song was also a highlight.
42. "O.N.E." by Yeasayer (from Odd Blood) "No / you don't move me any more"
The acronym is from the song's first line: "One's not enough". "Ambling Alp", released in late 2009 as an advance single from Odd Blood was #8 on last year's list.
43. "Dirty Cartoons" by Menomena (from Mines) "Go home / I'd like to"
While Mines is a bit of a letdown after Friend and Foe and the strong solo work by Ramona Falls and Lackthereof, Menomena is still one of the most creative, unique and exciting bands recording today
44. "The Adventures of Isabel" by Natalie Merchant (from Leave Your Sleep) "Showed no rage / showed no rancor / turn the witch into milk and drank her"
Lyrics come from a poem by Ogden Nash. Our daughter likes it as much as we do.
45. "Trouble Comes Running" by Spoon (from Transference) "Are you picking up / are you picking up what I'm putting down?"
While Transference is nowhere near the pop-rock masterpiece that Ga x 5 was, Spoon continues to make music that sounds both original and familiar at the same time
46. "Tom Cruz" by Plants and Animals (from La La Land) "We're dying to be friends"
Source of the seemingly random title: "Our drummer titled that song as if we were Tom Cruise, hopping up and down on that couch on Oprah.” One of my very favorite albums of the year.
47. "Off the Ground" by Citizen Cope (from The Rainwater LP) "Take the good with the bitter"
Slinky beat, mumbled lyrics, damned catchy.
48. "Until the Last" by The Album Leaf (from A Chorus of Storytellers) <instrumental>
Each album, LaValle seems to add more vocals and at the expense of the instrumental-only tracks. Fortunately, his latest still includes a few choice examples of the latter.
49. "Magic" by B.o.B. ft. Rivers Cuomo (from The Ad ventures of Bobby Ray) "See, I'll deceive you with my intergalactic ether"
A bit too glossy for my usual tastes, this song was played during the 7th inning stretch of the Giants playoff games at AT&T Park (aka There's Magic InsideTM). So, yeah, it makes the list.
50. "You Are My Sun" by Sun Kil Moon (from Admiral Fell Promises) "Leona (repeat)"
Mark Kozelek often walks the fine line between gorgeous and dull, but it's great when it works.
51. "The Ghost of Rockschool" by Belle & Sebastian (from Write About Love) "I've seen God in the sun / I've seen God in the street / God before bed and the promise of sleep"
After God Help the Girl, Murdoch returns to the full band for their first album of nostalgic pop in four years. Great moment of quiet at 2:45 before the final build and refrain.
52. "Cease to Know" by Eluvium (from Similes) "My eyes choose to blur / and my body unwinds"
As with The Album Leaf, I wasn't overjoyed to hear that Matthew Cooper was adding vocals to the newest Eluvium album. Fortunately, the understated singing and simple lyrics just add another lovely, languid instrument to the mix. While the song is (perhaps) about death, the lyrics above could also describe the effect the song can have on the listener.
53. "Trick Pony" by Charlotte Gainsbourg (from IRM) "C.C. Rider riding"
The album Beck would make if he was a French actress who enlisted Beck to help him/her make an album.
54. "The Shore" by Basia Bulat (from Heart Of My Own) "All over your eyes the storm is nearly over"
Nice combination of Bulat's vocals and her playing something called a "hammered harp"
55. "Afrikaan Passport" by The Shivers (from Sunset Psalms) "All my friends say / he's a rebel"
It's hard to find much information about this band or album, but what I have heard I have really liked.
56. "Long Hard Times to Come" by Gangstagrass (from Justified) "The devils hugging on my boots / that's why I own the gun"
Surprisingly, this is the only song on the list this year to come from an FX Network theme song.
57. "Acts of Man" by Midlake (from The Courage of Others) "And when the acts of man / cause the ground to break open / Oh, let me inside, let me inside / not to wait"
"Roscoe" was my #6 song of 2006, but I didn't really love The Trials of Van Occupanther. On their follow-up, Midlake did a much more consistent job perfecting their Renaissance-Faire-rock sound.
58. "Bible Thumper" by Solid Gold (from Bodies of Water) "Hands that smell like gasoline / but I'm too cold to burn"
So... despite all efforts to avoid something like this, apparently this came out in 2008. I was tempted to replace it with something that just missed the list, but #58 is too high for that. Also, I like the song. So, we'll just pretend that it came out in 2010, OK?
59. "Communion" by Maximum Balloon ft Karen O. (from Maximum Balloon) "Gimme that beat!"
Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio released a solo project as Maximum Ballooon in 2010, with all vocals provided by guest artists, including Karen O on my favorite track.
60. "Please Speak Well of Me" by The Weepies (from Be My Thrill) "But to never regret / means you have to forget / and I don't think that I could"
Not much to the song, other than Deb Talan's unique voice
