10) Ryan Adams - "Two" - Alt Country's most prolific song writer proves that while it may take several missed songs (or albums), when Adams makes contact it goes a long way.
9) Arcade Fire - "Intervention" - Only a huge church organ was appropriate for this Arcade Fire epic. Win adds his typical emotion and the rest of the band adds in with perfect timing.
8) New Pornographers - "Challengers" - The Pornos could have several songs on this list, whether it be Dan Bejar's delightful "Myriad Harbour" or A.C. Newman's foot stompin' "All The Old Showstoppers". But Neko Case stands out as the best New Porno performance on the title track of the group's fourth album. Instead of overpowering the listener with her powerful voice, Case chooses a more subtle approach, letting her voice become interwoven with equally delicate guitar and piano.
7) Radiohead - "House of Cards" - The highlight of "In Rainbows" wasn't any particular song, but how everybody that downloaded it had a different favorite. Well, "House of Cards" was mine. This song also has an important moral: if you are married, don't let Thom Yorke near your wife.
6) Low - "Violent Past" - This song showcases everything that makes Low worth listening to. With its deliberate beats and hazy synth, "Violent Past" paints a picture filled with tension and desperation.
5) Kayne West - "Homecoming" - Ok, so you are Kayne West, you've gotten yourself in a little rap war with a dude that has been shot nine times, how in the world are you going to win? Ahah! Invite that charming lad from Coldplay to sing on your record so you don't scare all those suburban white kids. Chris Martin's piano and chorus are a perfect compliment to 'yne's ode to his "second city".
4) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Satan Said Dance" - I will give you $50 if you can listen to this song and not start dancing. Go ahead, put it on, I'll wait. Yeah, you just got to the part where the guitar kicks in and all of a sudden your hips started moving didn't they? The tongue-and-cheek view of Hell only adds to the songs appeal.
3) Bright Eyes - "Middleman" - Middleman was about the most refreshing Conor Oberst song I have ever heard. Why you might ask? The rising and falling strings, the silky smooth oboe and Oberst guitar all add up to a very fulfilling arrangement, but hearing the opinionated (to say the least) Conor admit that he makes daily compromises makes this song worth many listens.
2) Peter Bjorn and John - "Young Folks" - 2007 was a very good year for these three dudes from Sweden. Their critically lauded album finally got released on the west side of the Atlantic and advertisers begged to use their work to shill everything from jeans to cell phones. The simple beauty of "Young Folks" wasn't lost in all the corporate hub-bub though. An infectious whistle, an up-tempo bongo beat and the sultry voice of Victoria Bergsman made this a song loved by hipsters and CEOs alike.
1) Fall Out Boy - "Thnks fr th Mmrs" - In the vein of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy before it, Fall Out Boy's ode to one night stands is pop perfection. A song that "bends and breaks" with exquisite timing, drawing the listener to the edge of his seat before hitting the power chords that may be wrong, but feel oh so right.
Showing posts with label Best Songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Songs. Show all posts
15 January 2008
20 December 2006
Joe's Songs of the Year
21) Wolfmother – Dimension
Kinda makes me think about those days when "classic" rock was new and exciting to me, sometime before I had heard "More Than a Feeling" 700 times. Nice to hear rock/metal music that doesn’t involve that insincere bastard Justin Hawkins.
20) The Strokes – Heart in a Cage
The Strokes would be long forgotten, if not for the fact that they are a really talented rock band.
19) The Hold Steady – Chips Ahoy
I don’t listen to that much music, get off my ass already.
18) The Streets – When You Wasn’t Famous
Our good friend Mike Skinner has moved on from "trying to shag the birds and fight the geezers" to partying all night with coked out pop stars and dealing with A&R. His rapping has never been crisper, but the subject matter has started to get stale.
17) Justin Timberlake – SexyBack
Am I the only one who would lose his shit when this song came pounding on in the club? Umm, yeah, I guess I am. Still good though.
16) The Flaming Lips - Mr. Ambulance Driver
Oh Wayne, nobody gets me thinking existentially quite like you. This song, like our lives, is strangely its own and pretty damn good.
15) The Killers – When You Were Young
The lyrics don’t really make any sense and the music is a bit contrived, but when the guitars come roaring back in everything feels right.
14) Yo La Tengo – The Room Got Heavy
This song hits a groove about three minutes in and rides it for all its worth.
13) Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Gold Lion
Karen O. and the boys introduced us to their second album with this "get-over fastball". Not exactly the nasty stuff they showed on the first album, but a quality strike none the less.
12) The Racontuers – Steady As She Goes
Pretty great song about living life by the numbers. Memorable guitar part and Jack White adds in a sprinkle of what used to make the White Stripes one of the best bands around.
11) Belle and Sebastian – The Blues are Still Blue
B&S write catchy feel-good songs about things that aren’t very feel good. This is the best one.
10) Muse – Super Massive Black Holes
My guilty pleasure of the top 10. I’m not sure if I’m in on the Muse joke or if there even is a joke, but this song rocks.
9) TV on the Radio – Wolf Like Me
Focused, yet hazy. Driving full tilt, then slamming on the breaks. Hyper-literate, but stoned. TV on the Radio seems to be full of contradictions, but they seem to have all their personalities working together on this song.
8) Neko Case – Star Witness
Maybe the best voice in pop music delivering a soulful, smart song. That's a pretty good formula.
7) Thom Yorke – Black Swans
Nice beats matched with semi-political, vague lyrics breaks down into some nice synth toward the end. A pretty good effort, but, fortunately, Yorke will always be compared to his past genius.
6) We Are Scientists - Inaction
Maybe the most fun song of the year. Nothing groundbreaking here, just power pop at its very best.
5) Cat Power – Lived in Bars
This starts like any weepy, regret-filled Chan Marshall song, but something great happens about halfway through. Chan looks back on all her wasted days and starts to smile…"Hey, those were pretty fun".
4) Swan Lake – All Fires
Delicate but focused and driving. The sum is greater than the parts in this collab.
3) Arctic Monkeys – When the Sun Goes Down
"Paging Noel Gallagher, please report to the geriatric ward as you have officially been replaced". The Arctic Monkeys are the new kings of British pop music (but not "Brit Pop", if that makes any sense) and are in full force on this tight song about pimps, hoes and other nightly endeavors.
2) Band of Horses - The Funeral
Made a nice run at number one. It’s the best song off a great album. The gentle and subdued portions of the song contrast the heavier chorus nicely.
1) Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
I heard this song eight months ago and declared it the song of the year at that moment. Pop perfection, nothing less.
Kinda makes me think about those days when "classic" rock was new and exciting to me, sometime before I had heard "More Than a Feeling" 700 times. Nice to hear rock/metal music that doesn’t involve that insincere bastard Justin Hawkins.
20) The Strokes – Heart in a Cage
The Strokes would be long forgotten, if not for the fact that they are a really talented rock band.
19) The Hold Steady – Chips Ahoy
I don’t listen to that much music, get off my ass already.
18) The Streets – When You Wasn’t Famous
Our good friend Mike Skinner has moved on from "trying to shag the birds and fight the geezers" to partying all night with coked out pop stars and dealing with A&R. His rapping has never been crisper, but the subject matter has started to get stale.
17) Justin Timberlake – SexyBack
Am I the only one who would lose his shit when this song came pounding on in the club? Umm, yeah, I guess I am. Still good though.
16) The Flaming Lips - Mr. Ambulance Driver
Oh Wayne, nobody gets me thinking existentially quite like you. This song, like our lives, is strangely its own and pretty damn good.
15) The Killers – When You Were Young
The lyrics don’t really make any sense and the music is a bit contrived, but when the guitars come roaring back in everything feels right.
14) Yo La Tengo – The Room Got Heavy
This song hits a groove about three minutes in and rides it for all its worth.
13) Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Gold Lion
Karen O. and the boys introduced us to their second album with this "get-over fastball". Not exactly the nasty stuff they showed on the first album, but a quality strike none the less.
12) The Racontuers – Steady As She Goes
Pretty great song about living life by the numbers. Memorable guitar part and Jack White adds in a sprinkle of what used to make the White Stripes one of the best bands around.
11) Belle and Sebastian – The Blues are Still Blue
B&S write catchy feel-good songs about things that aren’t very feel good. This is the best one.
10) Muse – Super Massive Black Holes
My guilty pleasure of the top 10. I’m not sure if I’m in on the Muse joke or if there even is a joke, but this song rocks.
9) TV on the Radio – Wolf Like Me
Focused, yet hazy. Driving full tilt, then slamming on the breaks. Hyper-literate, but stoned. TV on the Radio seems to be full of contradictions, but they seem to have all their personalities working together on this song.
8) Neko Case – Star Witness
Maybe the best voice in pop music delivering a soulful, smart song. That's a pretty good formula.
7) Thom Yorke – Black Swans
Nice beats matched with semi-political, vague lyrics breaks down into some nice synth toward the end. A pretty good effort, but, fortunately, Yorke will always be compared to his past genius.
6) We Are Scientists - Inaction
Maybe the most fun song of the year. Nothing groundbreaking here, just power pop at its very best.
5) Cat Power – Lived in Bars
This starts like any weepy, regret-filled Chan Marshall song, but something great happens about halfway through. Chan looks back on all her wasted days and starts to smile…"Hey, those were pretty fun".
4) Swan Lake – All Fires
Delicate but focused and driving. The sum is greater than the parts in this collab.
3) Arctic Monkeys – When the Sun Goes Down
"Paging Noel Gallagher, please report to the geriatric ward as you have officially been replaced". The Arctic Monkeys are the new kings of British pop music (but not "Brit Pop", if that makes any sense) and are in full force on this tight song about pimps, hoes and other nightly endeavors.
2) Band of Horses - The Funeral
Made a nice run at number one. It’s the best song off a great album. The gentle and subdued portions of the song contrast the heavier chorus nicely.
1) Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
I heard this song eight months ago and declared it the song of the year at that moment. Pop perfection, nothing less.
19 December 2006
Max's Songs of the Year
The songs of 2006 will be remembered for their ability to make the nerd in the corner start shaking his ass, to make even the biggest square reflect on his lot in life, and to make you think about what it means to be alive and a music fan in 2006. But most importantly, they'll be known, in this exact order, as the best:
(In reverse order of awesomeness)
Just missed the cut: Tapes n' Tapes: Insistor and Midlake: Roscoe.
15th runner up: Cat Power: Willie
This was going to be "Living Proof" but this song has too much soul to be denied.
14. Darkel: Some Men
Only a guy with a French accent can get away with this, but it's to our benefit that he can. At the two minute mark, this song will make you forget everything and remember why you love Air so much.
13. Beach House: Masters of None
12. I'm From Barcelona: Barcelona Loves You
When you listen to this CD, this is the song that haunts you, and amidst a bunch of songs this catchy, that's something special.
11. Ratatat: Lex
An incredible song until you get to the three fifteen mark and it blows up into something completely...complete.
10. Man Man: Van Helsing Boombox
9. Hot Chip: Over and Over
8. The Walkmen: Another One Goes By
Hamilton Leithauser at his heart-aching best.
7. Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
If you didn't like this song, you're a liar and an absolute coward. Name another producer who could be so ethereal and so pop at the same time, I dare you.
6. Belle & Sebastian: Dress up in You
"The Blues are Still Blue" is certainly catchier, but this song will be remembered for taking an elegant bare-bones beginning and turning it into a tune you can't possibly stop whistling. And featuring a trumpet solo. And saying "fuck" in the least threatening but most genuine way.
5. Junior Boys: FM
These guys found a way to strike the most delicate balance between Depeche Mode and genuinely good music, and this is the best example of what they're capable of.
4. The Flaming Lips: The Wizard Turns On...
There was so much to choose from here, but here's your best argument that the Lips are our Floyd. Wayne's weirdness is a big plus, but they're so much more.
3. Neko Case: Star Witness
Pretty much a perfect song start to finish. The scary thing? This is her eighth best song ever.
2. Ghostface Killah: Shakey Dog
1. Band of Horses: The Funeral
I bet you once they wrote the first lick, they knew how the rest of the song was going to sound. That's because this one was sent from the heavens, and at 5:22, they could have gone on another three minutes and this song is still incredible.
And the best song of 2006...
Gnarls Barkley: Crazy
Even if this wasn't #1, which it clearly is (and any list that doesn't include it should be completely disregarded) St. Elsewhere off the same album might be an even better track, but for its sheer power to make you move and its ubiquity, this is your best song of 2006.
Feel free to futilely disagree.
(In reverse order of awesomeness)
Just missed the cut: Tapes n' Tapes: Insistor and Midlake: Roscoe.
15th runner up: Cat Power: Willie
This was going to be "Living Proof" but this song has too much soul to be denied.
14. Darkel: Some Men
Only a guy with a French accent can get away with this, but it's to our benefit that he can. At the two minute mark, this song will make you forget everything and remember why you love Air so much.
13. Beach House: Masters of None
12. I'm From Barcelona: Barcelona Loves You
When you listen to this CD, this is the song that haunts you, and amidst a bunch of songs this catchy, that's something special.
11. Ratatat: Lex
An incredible song until you get to the three fifteen mark and it blows up into something completely...complete.
10. Man Man: Van Helsing Boombox
9. Hot Chip: Over and Over
8. The Walkmen: Another One Goes By
Hamilton Leithauser at his heart-aching best.
7. Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
If you didn't like this song, you're a liar and an absolute coward. Name another producer who could be so ethereal and so pop at the same time, I dare you.
6. Belle & Sebastian: Dress up in You
"The Blues are Still Blue" is certainly catchier, but this song will be remembered for taking an elegant bare-bones beginning and turning it into a tune you can't possibly stop whistling. And featuring a trumpet solo. And saying "fuck" in the least threatening but most genuine way.
5. Junior Boys: FM
These guys found a way to strike the most delicate balance between Depeche Mode and genuinely good music, and this is the best example of what they're capable of.
4. The Flaming Lips: The Wizard Turns On...
There was so much to choose from here, but here's your best argument that the Lips are our Floyd. Wayne's weirdness is a big plus, but they're so much more.
3. Neko Case: Star Witness
Pretty much a perfect song start to finish. The scary thing? This is her eighth best song ever.
2. Ghostface Killah: Shakey Dog
1. Band of Horses: The Funeral
I bet you once they wrote the first lick, they knew how the rest of the song was going to sound. That's because this one was sent from the heavens, and at 5:22, they could have gone on another three minutes and this song is still incredible.
And the best song of 2006...
Gnarls Barkley: Crazy
Even if this wasn't #1, which it clearly is (and any list that doesn't include it should be completely disregarded) St. Elsewhere off the same album might be an even better track, but for its sheer power to make you move and its ubiquity, this is your best song of 2006.
Feel free to futilely disagree.
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