(no subject)
This list is not to be confused with the Top ____ Radio Singles of the year list, which is hopefully forthcoming (note: these two lists do, however, overlap to a certain extent, further solidifying my status as a lower of banal pop music.)
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25. Tapes 'n Tapes - Insistor
Makes me think of indie rock cowboys.
24. Justin Timberlake - My Love
Hard to deny the combination of Timbaland's "weird science" and JT. As radio singles come, this is like the Holy Grail (although it's not my favorite single of the year, per se).
23. Christian Falk ft/Robyn - Dream On
The darkest (and best) lyrics I heard all year. The juxtaposition of the Postal Service and just abject depression and brutality is so intriguing -- it might not make you feel so hot listening to it, but you cannot deny it's brilliance.
22. Belle & Sebastian - White Collar Boy
Unhumanly happy and catchy. The feelgood indie pop single of the year.
21. Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives
Talk about a tour-de-force of a pop track -- this ranks up there with the best of the last few years. If you want something to drive around blasting out of your windows next summer (and if you don't mind being a year late), this is the jam for you.
20. Malajube - La Monogamie
Another absolute pop gem, this one built around my favorite formula: the spingle-tingle crescendo at the end is killer. Too bad I can't understand what they're saying.
19. The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health
These guys are kinda creepy (see picture). This song is also light years better than "Silent Shout." Sounds like old Aphex Twin with distorted vocals on top, and get this, it's not boring (which means it is quite unlike all other recent IDM, and the other 11 tracks on this album!) Works for me.
18. Band of Horses - Funeral
As straightforward rock/pop tunes go, this one's pretty great. Would work well in an record shop, a somewhat tasteful pub, or a Jeep commercial.
17. The Rapture - Don Gon Do It
This band's pretty obnoxious, yes, and this song has too much kitsch to really make it a keeper, but it's a whole lot of fun (albeit, cowbell-driven fun). The post-chorus harmonies are pretty ridiculous too.
16. The Killers - When You Were Young
The only radio "rock" single that mattered this year. Dudes can write a great rock single.
15. Clipse - Trill
It's like Star Wars: The Rap Song, if Star Wars had black people.
14. Built to Spill - Goin' Against Your Mind
I ran around triumphantly -- "Guys, they're back! Built to Spill is back!" Then I listened to rest of the album... But this song just shreds, for all 8-9 minutes, and when the guitars start squealing like alarms at the end it's almost like heaven.
13. M. Ward - Chinese Translation
What a gorgeous song. Perfect for late summer sunsets (seriously). This song just begs to be in a movie.
12. Phoenix - Rally
This song is pretty firmly inducted into my "Summer Tunes" canon. It's bliss.
11. Junior Boys - First Time
I think this is the JB's are their most child-worshipping, and sort of uncomfortably (for me), at their sexiest. This song sits weird with me, as in, I should be singing it to an 8 year old boy or something. But it's still absolutely incredible, and reminds me of Hall & Oates, which is always a good thing.
10. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Hey Thom -- this one song alone is better than 90% of Hail to the Thief!
9. Mogwai - Glasgow Mega Snake
Any time I needed a good punch in the face via music, this is where I went. Sort of makes me want to carpetbomb a small, defenseless nation, or eat a baby out of a woman's womb.
8. T.I. - What You Know
The most triumphant song I heard all year. Every time I finished this song, I either wanted to turn into LeBron James or go fight somebody just because. The epic-ness of the synth line is indescribable -- it must be experienced, and when you experience it, you will have a Rocky Balboa moment.
7. TV on the Radio - Playhouses
Everyone went crazy over "Wolf Like Me," and I think "Playhouses" was so much better. These guys all around blow, however.
6. Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
What? Nelly Furtado this high? Ranked above all this great indie rock? Yes! This song is fantastic (and hysterical) and I still get excited every time it's on the radio. Really, though, all the credit has to go to Timbaland.
5. The Futureheads - News and Tributes
About a plane crash that killed an entire soccer (football) team, this song is so realistically heartbreaking, and it never lost its sting every time I listened to it.
4. Phoenix - Long Distance Call
What can I say? I loved this album and no song better defined it than this one. Pretty much perfect.
3. Neko Case - Star Witness
This song grabbed me from the first time I heard it and never let go. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, etc... all those adjectives. The layered vocals of the chorus are one of the highlights of the year.
2. Destroyer - Rubies
I've always wanted to hear a song that sounded like this. And the greatest thing is that everytime I think it's going to stop, it just keeps going (it's 9 minutes long!). One of the best songs I've heard in years.
1. Radio Dept - Every Time
I spend my entire time listening to music searching out music that sounds like this. This song is just so incredibly perfect and lush that I've never once gotten sick of hearing it, which is a feat. Like JAMC's "Just Like Honey," this song wraps up everything that I love about shoegaze music into a neat, easily-digestible 4 minute package. If you haven't heard it, be sure you do.
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