songs of 2011

hey gang. if you've been with us for awhile, you know that i know that you know about all my problems with year-end lists. but in case you don't, this is what i wrote when i did my "songs" post back in 2009:

i didn't want to title this "BEST songs of 2009." mostly because i have no idea what would make a song "the best." or for that matter, what would even make a song just "good." good how? is it good compared to other songs of 2009? is it good compared to other songs in general? is it contextually important? is it musically progressive? is it technically complex? is it a new genre? a reimagining of an old genre? does it add to the value of popular music? is it culturally relevant? will it last? i don't know. i only know what i like. and i only know what i like right now. some of the songs and music that i listened to relentlessly at the beginning of this year haven't been listened to in months. some songs that i listen to relentlessly right now may sound boring in a few months. some songs i'll never listen to again, and some will still be spinning for years to come. it all just seems a little arbitrary.

so i guess what i'm trying to say is that this will ultimately just amount to a list of songs from the year 2009. placed in no particular order. of some possible importance. some may be musically and melodically complex. some may be barely more than the human voice. some may be from new genres. some may be from bent genres. some may be plain 'ol radio pop. they will all be songs i like. i hope you like them, too. i'll include some writing where appropriate, in case you're curious as to why i've included them or what i think of them.

so there you have it. this year i'm going to put streams of each of the songs below them, in case you'd like to listen while reading (edit: blogger stopped working when i tried that, so instead, there are links to streams). i've also created a spotify playlist with these songs on there (but note there are couple songs on my list not available on spotify). let's go!

james blake :: the wilhelm scream
this song/musician/album did to me in 2011 what skinny love/bon iver/for emma did to me in 2008. the voice is everything.

dirty beaches :: lord knows best
sounds like a demo the national's matt berringer might have wrote while blasted. especially because of berringer's knack for being able to put at least one line in each song that just rips your heart out. here, "lord knows best that i don't give a damn about anyone but you."

the national :: exile vilify
speaking of the national, there's this. another homerun by berringer and crew. maybe the most consistent band working right now.

the strokes :: under cover of darkness
i don't think i saw this song on any "best of..." lists that i saw this year, which i thought was kind of surprising. it's another great single in an already hearty list of great singles for the band. post-post-punk radio rock ear candy.

fleet foxes :: grown ocean
this was the "cornerstone song" on the album, for me. it's the song that held the album together. that opened the album up.

cut copy :: take me over
feels like drinking on balmy nights.

my morning jacket :: holdin on to black metal
a weird and awesome santana-tinged song by the only band from this era that could pull it off.

kurt vile :: baby's arms
i know i said i don't like to play favorites with songs and these lists, but this may be my favorite song of 2011. just flawless. “baby’s arms” bears the trademarks of Vile’s strongest work: hypnotically dynamic fingerpicking, Dylan-esque sing-speak vocals, and atmospheric beeps, bloops and flourishes that transport the listener to some astral plane far far away.

kurt vile :: runner ups
another classic kv jam. too good.

arctic monkeys :: the hellcat spangled shalalala
although the new album didn't quite hit me as hard as humbug did (i know i'm in the minority, but i still think it's their best album), this song is just a knockout. dark and poppy, sharp and shaggy, and full of alex turner's trademark lyrical turns.

real estate :: it's real
another cornerstone song. opened up the band for me. those whoas.

picture plane :: real is a feeling
“real is a feeling” starts with a lone synth line somewhere in the distance, coming closer and closer, and while your brain is slowly starting to pick apart the melody…BOOM. the tinny 808s and surging bass line slip right past that spongy grey matter in your hatrack and your body just starts moving. it’s a beautiful thing. don’t fight it.

beyonce :: countdown
i mean, come on. just the best pop song that radio stations actually played in 2011. no question. the best song that beyonce has ever written. and if the radio format doesn't change much in the next eight years, this is a strong contender for "best pop song that radio stations actually play" of the decade.

m83 :: midnight city
best pop song that radio stations didn't play in 2011? i would say so. like every good M83 song, “midnight city” comes replete with skyward synths, stadium-sized drums, ghostly layered vocals weaving in and out of the atmospheric haze, and a catharsis-loaded chorus. but there is something else here, as well. something new. while as emotive as any of M83′s previous work, “midnight city” seems to trade out some of the band’s trademark melancholia (think “teen angst” or “you, appearing”) for dancefloor euphoria. and the results are incredible. also, there is a sax solo.

m83 :: new map
best song outro of 2011. starts at three minute mark.

the drums :: money
the upside to being one-trick ponies is that you get really good at that trick. that bass line.

st. vincent :: cruel
a great song from an album full of great songs. that siren voice.

gem club :: twins
whispered vocals, spindly cello, and piano so soft you can hear the key strokes. best sad song of the year.

diy :: keep shelly in athens
feels like a song you would expect to hear inside a bar in the movie bladerunner.

the horros :: still life
feels like a song you would expect to hear at the end of a john hughes movie. the highest of compliments.

dum dum girls :: coming down
sometimes the three right chords are the three right chords. play ‘em straight and sing from the heart.

tune-yards :: the bizness
the best dirty projectors song not by the dirty projectors.

austra :: lose it
that voice. something about this song is just so beautifully eery. i couldn't get enough of it this year.

lana del rey :: video games
just so much hype and hate surrounding this poor girl. to be honest, i'm not super interested in any of it. it's just such a good song (and a pretty great video). here's to hoping she doesn't license the song to grey's anatomy.

gil-scott heron and jamie xx :: i'll take care of you
a surprisingly complimentary mash.

the shimmering stars :: i'm gonna try
a perfect pop song excellently crafted to fit snugly within the late 50s/early 60s am radio pop parameters, this song could have floated over the airwaves half a century ago, fitting seamlessly between tunes by buddy holly and the zombies. aside from that opening lyric about wanting to kill everyone.

unknown mortal orchestra :: ffunny ffrends
like playing a warped 45" that's been left in the sun.

drake :: headlines
definitely did not and am not buying in to the hype on this album, but this song is a jam.

the streets :: trust me
i've never been sadder about a musician's trajectory than mike skinners'. not because i think his albums got progressively worse, but because i think that he thought his albums got progressively worse. what a sad way to end your career. but this song is just so so so good. one of my favorites. "now that things are costing nothing is any of it good? come and love me read my nothings blogging with the flood."