Hey, another female fronted band (this isn't the last on the list)! Cults were sort of the music blog darlings of 2010-11, with their ridiculous good songs "Go Outside" and "Abducted". Another duo, this is 60s and 70s pop music drenched in today's production to come out with a sound that you'd be hard pressed to pinpoint in era.
It's also really good. This track stands out, in my mind, because of how blatantly it rips off "Where Did Our Love Go?" Normally, that'd be a bad thing, but it is so overtly borrowed, yet so incredibly different, that you can't help but feel like this is the modern successor to that song.
At 2 and a half minutes, it's this perfect, fuzzy, slow, sort of haunting song that has these little moments of power that pop up every 30 seconds or so. It's short enough (like most Cults songs) that it doesn't overstay its welcome.
At this point, a pattern has emerged. With St. Vincent and Florence + the Machines as predecessors (and Mates of State, if you want to pull in the Honorable Mentions), we're on our 3rd female fronted rock bands. This is also another song that fills that previously mentioned niche of starting out slow and quiet and slowly building until it breaks out.
The insane part of it, when you hear it break out, you have no idea that Wye Oak is a duo. The sound is so much bigger and fuller. The mix of this album is truly great, putting sounds and instruments in places that fill your ears and make them seem so sprawling.
The Onion A.V. Club named this album the best of the year, and I don't think that's a stretch. It's a really good record (there are a few more stellar tracks) and one that will probably get a lot more notoriety in 2012 when Wye Oak blow up.
This song could have easily come out on Fountains of Wayne's self-titled debut album, on its follow up Utopia Parkway, or (with a bit more sheen) on Welcome, Interstate Managers. Which is to say, it would have fit in perfectly on three of the shiniest, most perfect pop albums of the last 15 years.
There are a few keys to a great Fountains of Wayne song:
Some pretty specific details (think "Radiation Vibe", "Stacy's Mom", "Red Dragon Tattoo")
A super hummable hook (everybody can still sing "Stacy's Mom", and I bet if you heard "Denise" once you'd know it for life)
Shiny guitars
"The Summer Place" has all three elements in spades.
Details
She's been afraid of the Cuisinart since 1977
Now when she opens up the house
Well, she won't set foot in the kitchen
Hummable Hook
M-i-i-ind
Shiny Guitars
The song starts out with about 20 seconds of danceable guitar riffs. What more do you want?
Sky Full of Holes was a really great return to form by Fountains of Wayne. There are probably 3 or 4 more songs I could have chosen off the album. It's worth the listen.
It's taken me a while to get on the bandwagon. I had sort of lumped St. Vincent (Annie Clark) in the Joanna Newsom category, the "I sing pretty and play unique orchestral music." Which is good, but tends not to be something that I really dig.
But, I was wrong. St. Vincent is a rock star. It wasn't until I listened to all of Strange Mercy that it clicked for me. If you strip away the music, it's a really pretty song. It could completely get by purely a cappella. Then you listen closer and realize that, while she's singing the chorus, it's not just a synth she's singing over, but also her guitar. The song is a rock song, and the first time it breaks into a reasonably unexpected guitar solo, your brain switches from "this song is pretty" to "Oh, I get it now!"
It's a 3 and a half minute rock song, with strings, pretty vocals, and some really good guitar. What's not to like?
Helped to write and starred in the hilarious Mystery Team.
Won an Emmy for writing on 30 Rock, including writing "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah".
Stars as Troy on Community, which may go down as one of the top 5 sitcoms of all time.
And he put out a surprisingly good hip hop album in 2011. What's unique and surprising about it (though, if you think about it, it shouldn't be surprising) is the witty wordplay and the flow. It's just different than most stuff you hear. It harkens back a bit to Jurassic 5's clever lyrics and overlapping flow, or maybe MF Doom's references.
I'm sure someone will say that it's perfect music for white people (which is probably true, though language-wise this is certainly not an album that everyone is going to feel comfortable with …). For me, I think there are two stretches of this track that showcase why I dig this one. They standout lyrically and for their message.
Dude you're not not racist cause The Wire's in your Netflix queue
This one is pretty much aimed directly at people like me (though, hopefully, not me). The idea, of course, is that just because you listen to rap or threw The Wire in your Netflix queue doesn't mean you aren't subtly racist in other ways.
This one kid said somethin' that was really bad
He said I wasn't really black because I had a dad
I think that's kinda sad
Mostly cause a lot of black kids think they should agree with that
That doesn't require a lot of explanation. And when that section of the song hits, it actually stings a bit. Which helps explain why this made my list at #8.
I really wanted to not like this song. I avoided it like the plague for weeks. "The Dog Days Are Over" was so catchy and so incredibly overplayed. And whereas the Florence + The Machine maniacs love her often off-pitch singing in her live performances, the live performances on Saturday Night Live made me like her songs less.
So how the hell did this song end up at #9? I don't know. I wish I did. I heard it on the radio and said "Hmm, that's not too bad." Then I'd hear it again and sing along. Then I'd listen to it on Spotify. Then I'd listen to the whole album and find another song or two that aren't too bad.
I don't think I'm ever going to be a huge fan of Florence, or her Machines. But, man, I like this song.
(I'm a complete sucker for songs that start quiet, then kick into a faster gear, drive forward for a bit, then break out; this song does that in the first 90 seconds.)
Fleet Foxes - "Montezuma"
This is probably the first album by Fleet Foxes that couldn't have been made in the 60s. I don't mean that in any backhanded way, at all. They just make good, timeless music. No crazy instruments or synths. There's no gimmick here. A bunch of guys with their guitars, singing harmonies, and making good folk music.
There are, for lack of a better term, peppier songs on Helplessness Blues (including the song of the same name). But, I mean, seriously, this is why Fleet Foxes are awesome, right? The song is so simple and beautiful, and as it hits the last minute, it has a little breakdown, and then we basically go a cappella for 30 seconds (not quite, but close), and then we coast out.
2011 was a weird year in music for me. There were a bunch of albums I loved, but going back through the music, I couldn't find songs that jumped out at me as being amazing. Most of these songs fit that description: the best track of a very good bunch, but with none jumping out at me as being the song.
The Decemberists - "This Is Why We Fight" The King is Dead is such a great album of rootsy, country, folk rock. It's maybe a 45 degree change from their normal literate rock. Still literate, but much more focused on the music than the wordplay. This track, and "June Hymn" are a couple of the best. The only reason it probably didn't make my list this year is because it came out early in the year and I've heard these songs so many times that they've lost a bit of impact. Six months from now, I'll probably wonder what I was thinking not putting it on the list.
Mates of State - "Maracas"
Another strong album, one that split the difference between Mates of State's older stuff and their last album. This song is such a cool song, with the crazy synths opening the song, the hook that almost feels like it's played at the wrong speed, and the last third of the song the sort of turns into a more traditional Mates song. Great song, and was phenomenal live.
Surfer Blood - "I'm Not Ready"
I don't even know Surfer Blood that well, but the first time I heard this come on the radio I said "this has to be Surfer Blood." And it was. These guys are probably the new hope for power pop/surf pop. It's a more modern sound than your traditional pop; you can hear bits and pieces of The Shins bleeding through (which is crazy, since The Shins are all of ten years old or so).
Telekinesis - "Car Crash"
Here's your more traditional power pop. Straight up, fun ass power pop. A song you'll be humming all day, bopping along to it. Then, during one listen you'll pay attention to the lyrics and wonder how such a happy song can be so depressing.
We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Human Error"
Another song that fits in the "this was the best song off of a really good album" category. Nothing on WWPJ's new album reaches the heights of their last album, but it's another batch of strong songs. And, it's another album that let's the band be one of the best live acts around, as every song is anthemic.
This is the fifth anniversary of me doing this list. So, I should be rocking this thing out, right?
Well, I've gotten a very late start on this year's top 10, so I'm going to probably blow through a bunch of tracks until I get caught up. This year, to save on the headache (and maybe make 25 cents), I'm going to use Amazon's little MP3 player. You won't get the full track, but you'll get a good chunk of it.
And, if you want to buy a song, you can just click the link and buy it from Amazon, and it'll show up in your iTunes.
The rules, as always, are simple:
The song had to have been released on an album in 2011
One song per artist
That's about it.
If you wanna get a taste of previous lists, here's the start of the list from 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007.
Actually, I'll do a quick recap here because, quite frankly, I'm sort of interested to see what the last four lists have looked like. If you care about my pithy comments, go back and read through them.
2007
Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running
Klaxons - Golden Skans
Spoon - The Underdog
Tokyo Police Club - Your English is Good (I cheated here)
Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost?
Dear Leader - Everything Looks Better in the Dark
The New Pornographers - All the Old Showstoppers
Hallelujah the Hills - Wave Backwards to Massachusetts
The Shins - Australia
Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place
2008
Tokyo Police Club - Your English is Good
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Weezer - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
Nada Surf - I Like What You Say
Delta Spirit - Trashcan
Violens - Violent Sensation Descends
The Decemberists - Valerie Plame
Ra Ra Riot - Ghosts Under Rocks
Girls Guns and Glory - 667
Lyrics Born - I Like It, I Love It
2009
Phoenix - Lisztomania
Camera Obscura - French Navy
Metric - Gold Guns Girls
Fanfarlo - I'm a Pilot
Passion Pit - Moth's Wings
Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
The Decemberists - The Rake's Song
Dear Leader - Barbarians
The Thermals - Now We Can See
The Everyday Visuals - Florence Foster Jenkins
2010
Arcade Fire - Ready to Start / Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
The Lonely Forest - Turn Off This Song and Go Outside
