2011: The Top 100 Best Songs: Part IV

The year was far from radical but we did get some great, middle-of-the-ground songs that indicate how great next year will be. Here goes the fourth part, #21-40: Danny Brown sightings.



21. Parking Lot (Rebekka Karijord):

treads nicely between the Joni Mitchell-Tori Amos divide, Karijord’s gem was originally released to obscurity two years ago but here it pops up Stateside and now we’re converts too.





22. Unluck (James Blake):

a marvelous and soulful amalgamation of diverse sounds entwined and masterfully set in motion. For the doubters on the genre, start here at this breathless gem.





23. Landscapes (Florence + The Machines):

liquid brilliance, Welch unveils what is essentially a demo but within its folds lies the type of emotional connection that most of her peers lack.





24. Trails (Asobi Seksu):

the sound of a band finally confidence to add searing vocals to the pretty atmospherics that have, up to now, been their focus. Brilliant result.




25. The Running Range (The Go Team):

a rolling, seamless power-pop ode to sheer energy, Ian Parton’s zany collective remains fully committed to throw in everything—even the proverbial kitchen sink—to make an idea stick.





26. Fond of Jane (The Botaniks feat. Bernhoft):

an almost gospel high, Bernhoft delivers a long-overdue and obvious ode to Jane Fonda...as if the ‘barefoot in the park’ line hadn’t tipped us of sufficiently.





27. Mongk II (British Sea Power):

a lovely, slow-paced vibe thrives throughout this rock ballad and then all the band’s past frustrations seep out at last to a higher purpose.





28. LOL (Danny Brown & Black Milk):

Luckily, Brown isn’t the type of rapper who needs warm up time; he literally spits out his ideas over whatever groove Black Milk throws his way.





29. Lofticities (Purity Ring):

in a case of the B-side track stealing thunder from its lead, Megan James’ sex-reverberating-sadly voice perforates everything all around it.





30. One of Life’s Pleasures (Paul White feat. Danny Brown):

star cameo by Brown utterly lifts this as high as it could get…with White laying the brilliant instrumentals down and watching it blow up magnificently.





31. California (EMA):

throwback to grunge’s past but unearths a frightening future, Erik Anderson’s drawl flung over raw, sensitive issues isn’t what we want to hear but need to.





32. Tomboy (Panda Bear):

a stunning title track that runs like a fine symphony. We’re used to his water-logged beats by now but the get us each time still because they’re so irresistible.





33. Wild Man (Kate Bush):

after a six year absence, Bush returns with the erstwhile dream-pop that made her famous in the first place. A track about the musings she’s done about Yeti, the track gets turning with its stunning chorus.





34. Thunderbolt (Bjork):

a stuttering piece of hot electronic mess. It bridges the gap between her worlds, with its heavy orchestrated flow giving way to her vocals and video game-like synths.





35. To Begin (Alela Diane & Wild Devine):

a folk masterpiece, Alela unfurls a heady mix of strong will and melody into a winning combination and, surprisingly, much oompf.





36. I’m Sorry We Lied (Blood Orange):

real disco fever from the latest project by Devonte Hynes. The falsetto kills the runaway love story being shifted while being told.





37. Transparency (d’Eon):

his masterstroke, full with two-step and electro-pop flourishes that renders the notion that only black musicians can get funkiness out of soul redundant. I can’t think immediately of any of the standard black soul-pop solo males doing anything this ridiculously good and effortless.





38. Bicycle (Unknown Mortal Orchestra):

mechanical jangling meshed with impressive pop groove and a band that clearly has been influenced by the psychedelic 1960s and the freak-folk movement in equal measure.





39. Mirrorage (Glasser) (Lindstrom remix):

an impressive, tribal-sounding electronic reverb, Mesirow’s classic gets the royal treatment when mixed down puritanically.





40. Spellwork (Austra):

a crowning electro-pop jewel by the band fronted by the assured Katie Stelmanis. They may be a new band but the usage of synths over the funked-up groove shows a pro at work.

2011: The Top 100 Best Songs: Part III

The year was far from radical but we did get some great, middle-of-the-ground songs that indicate how great next year will be. Here goes the third part, #41-60: the 'soul music' edition...




41. Countdown (Beyonce)

: hearkens back to two decades earlier but still comes out fresh. Beyonce, never one known for such emotional reach, connects effortlessly.





42. Novacane (Frank Ocean):

hip-hop soul’s response to The Rolling Stones’ Sister Morphine, Ocean unveils the type of career woman he’d link to shack up with…and the consequences thereof.





43. Underground Kings (Drake):

kudos to Bun B to be the first to recognize this track’s greatness, as Drake documents the restlessness of youth and his own personal anxieties over an outstanding flow.





44. Doorstep (Tune-Yards):

inspired partially by the controversial police-shooting of Oscar Grant two years ago (‘don't tell me the cops are right in a wrong like this’), Doorstep is a turning point in our relationship with Merrill Garbus. Now we’re really listening to her words, parsing their every meaning for the political message hidden beneath the sweet delivery.





45. Coming Down (The Weeknd):

manages to find the right line between sex appeal and sexual imagery. It’s a new disposition we’ve seen heavily this year, perhaps a nod to the path unearthed years before by R. Kelly but, thankfully, The Weeknd manages to swill some well-needed D’angelo into the mix and that adds a stunning new coat to the formula he presents us with.





46. Battery Kinzie (Fleet Foxes):

a cheer on any winter day but also the affirming way Pecknold holds on to the notes seethes with more than just emotional ambiguity.





47. Video Games (Lana del Rey):

the comparisons to Nancy Sinatra aside, one definitely sees the strains of doom that gripped Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black working itself into this frantic ballad.





48. Call Me Tonight (Active Child):

he focuses solely on weaving an otherworldly falsetto over electronic-tinged landscapes, something like a night time Justin Vernon.





49. Mother’s Meat (Dead Rider):

a little Xiu Xiu influence never hurt anyone and when lead vocalist, Todd Rittmann throws in some Bowie-esque theatrics then the full effect of this treat is enhanced beyond measure.





50. Seafarer (Tennis):

Allison Moore knows how to juxtapose her voice to atmospherics and create harmony, instead of being drowned out. She may be calling out to her love for his return but next time she’ll make sure to be a part of the journey.





51. Trip (Vacationer):

simple pop ode dressed up in a woozy bass-line for the weary jet-setter or when the voices in your head are drowning you in negativity. And to think this is merely a side project for the group when feeling especially experimental!





52. Get Some (Lykke Li):

as she sings, this is indeed like a lonely lover’s charm and who can get past the most quotable line of all songs this year, ‘I’m your prostitute/ you’re gonna get some’.





53. Wake & Be Fine (Okkervil River):

written by the band as a testament to childhood memories, they’ve uncovered a beautiful train-wrech that you can’t keep your eyes off.





54. That’s My Bitch (Jay Z & Kanye West):

royal boys night out and though the album itself didn’t redefine hip/hop, there’s no rule against these famous men from spitting out an elegantly-wasted joint once in a while.





55. Some Children (Holy Ghost):

after a surprise turn in Department of Eagles’ While You Wait for The Others, soul crooner Michael McDonald turns up here and, as unlikely as it is, strikes gold again among pre-programmed beats galore.





56. Out of this World (ASAP Rocky):

sure there’s swag here but ASAP Rocky constructs his tale deftly with so many life references that one can’t help but getting hooked immediately.





57. The Muse (Laura Marling):

a Fiona Apple-ish effort that works as well as shows the burgeoning maturity that is seeping out of this precocious singer/songwriter.





58. Just Don’t (Raphael Saadiq feat. Yukimi Nakano):

breezy bluesy jam that allows Saadiq to suffuse his own type of Prince mastery unto lyrical pyrotechnics.





59. Savage Night at the Opera (Destroyer):

there’s a scene in an early Harry Potter film where the gang are trying to decide if music could be used to lull the fierce guard dog blocking the Chamber of Secrets. Here, Dan Bejar has provided us with just the song for such an occasion.





60. Plath Heart (Braids):

a booming, sorrowful sound reverberating nicely. No doubt for the doomed American poet but the rubbed-down electronics at the end really does bleed one’s heart.

2011: The Top 100 Best Songs: Part II

The year was far from radical but we did get some great, middle-of-the-ground songs that indicate how great next year will be. Here goes the second part, #61-80:




61. Sabre-tooth Tiger (Cage the Elephant):

a start-stop-start sheer punk madness. There’s some heavy shadiness involved but note how that hasn’t stopped the boys from wrecking tasty bloodshed.





62. Baby Says (The Kills):

killing us softly with their misery and clear obsession, The Kills go for the jugular with this gorgeous, slow-burn ballad that perfectly captures the requisite sadness.





63. This is the Life (Curren$y):

another induced high, which means some spitting out blunts, bitches, bedroom scenes. He’s done it all before but there’s more melody here than ever before.





64. Trouble on my Mind (Pusha T feat. Tyler the Creator):

bad intent masquerading gloriously within rap. Tyler doesn’t mind confronting controversy and here he packages a very appealing self-defense mechanism.




65. Candil de la Calle (Apparat):

picking up where Sufjan Stevens left off last year, Apparat gives this year’s best emo track bleed seamlessly. That, at least, can’t get lost in his translation.





66. Rush Hour Traffic (The Cool Kids):

now they’re all grown up and showing serious swag. We get at least three different skill levels demonstrated here and passing grades all around.





67. Stay Away (Charli XCX):

a slinky club banger from the British teenager, one that draws heavy influence from T’Pau’s hit Heart and Soul, some twenty-five years ago.





68. Judas (Lady Gaga):

note the hysteria executed in the breath-taking chorus, the flawless construction spinning out of control and the dirty thrill of the Gaga-connect.





69. Fine Tune (Miranda Lambert):

not exactly the generic type of country music it appears to be, Fine Tune slows Lambert’s vocal delivery down heavily then drown it with delicious waves of distortion.





70. Te Amo (Atlas Sound):

strikes an astonishing resonance to Thom Yorke-esque delivery over a baroque arrangement. The painful delivery spreads far and wide.





71. Schibe (Lady Gaga):

worded mostly in German, echoes early 90s techno with an excellent Madonna-aping bridge (‘when I’m on a mission/ I rebuke my condition/ if you’re a strong woman/ you don’t need permission’).





72. 24h Party People (Pollyester):

global math-pop at its finest, Euro style. This is the same type of formula used by Los Campesinos but this duo manages to outdo Gareth at every turn here.





73. How Come You Never Go There (Feist):

simplistic, endearing tune, just the way Leslie Fiest planned it but amid the ramblings, there’s a heart-breaking personal tumult unfolding.





74. Chorea (Esben and The Witch):

a smart, wizardry effort juxtaposed to Rachel Davies’ insistent vocals, almost daring one to lose oneself into the trance-like waves of sonic distortion.





75. Days Are Forgotten (Kasabian):

never mind LL Cool J’s obsession with it, just sway to the blissful dub-soul concept that the boys have hit upon. These grooves rival the same studio tricks Gorillaz have mastered.





76. Swim Club (The Cave Singers):

reminds us of the very best of Fleetwood Mac with its groovy folksiness. Lead singer, Peter Quirk allows the beat to simmer in perfect symmetry to his voice.





77. Lady Luck (Jamie Woon):

smooth blues ballad that helps (finally!) to distinguish Woon from James Blake…he’s the crooner. The smooth falsetto weaves itself seamlessly along without a doubt.





78. Wilhelm’s Scream (James Blake);

the best soul any man has done since D’angelo, Blake places his persona a sea with glorious uncertainties and watches as the effort stays afloat.





79. 1988 (Summer Camp):

‘one year at a time’, sings Elizabeth Sankey repeatedly as the recollection of youth washes over this highlight on the band’s sophomore.





80. Green Aisles (Real Estate):

lovely ode to recollection, unspooled by the band so thoughtfully, dreamily. The line, ‘our careless lifestyles’, hints at so much psycho-damage too.