Ok, here it is, the big one. But first, some ground rules. Only songs that were released as singles in 2011 or on Albums in 2011 count. If a song was released as a Single in 2011, but the Album came out in 2010, it doesn't count. If a song was released as a Single in 2011, but the Album is yet to be released, it does count. Also, when reading this keep in mind that this is MY Top 10, not yours or somebody's, mine. I'm not saying that these are the best 10 songs of 2011, only that they are my personal favorites. If You don't agree, great! I want to know what other people listen to and how tastes vary. Life would be boring if we all listened to the same music, all I'm asking is that you give these 10 songs a try.
So anyway, on with it;
10. Smells Like Teen Spirit - The Muppet Barbershop Quartet (The Muppets OST)
No this does not break my "No Parody Songs" rule, and here's why: if you're a Nirvana fan, you have a love/hate relationship with Smells Like Teen Spirit. It's a classic song that encapsulates the Grunge movement and the power that Nirvana had, however, it has been killed by overplay and thousands of sub-par covers. Because of this, any version of 'Teen Spirit that makes the song tolerable again is well worth my time. This Barbershop version featuring Sam the Eagle and Beaker is both hilarious and a great departure from the original. The Muppets presented a series of great songs in the new film, this being the pinnacle of comedic reinterpretation. This being something of a parody though, it would never make any higher than 10 on this list, but still well worth checking out.
9. Words I Never Said - Lupe Fiasco Feat. Skylar Grey (Lasers)
I came home after a party one night, and as is my habit, turned on Rage for a few minutes before I went to bed. What came on was this song. I was blown away by the rapid-fire blasting of American Imperialism, Israeli Foreign Policy and Jihadist Terror groups by a young Muslim-American MC full of bile and possessed of fantastic flow. The rage flying around in the lyrics of this song is simply amazing, but sadly unfocused. It seems that Lupe hates a lot of things that he can't really keep his mind on and this has a detrimental effect on the song as a whole. Whilst Words I Never Said blew my mind the first time I heard it, replay has amplified the flaws and made it slip down this list a bit. I do, however, look forward to what Lupe Fiasco puts out in the future.
8. Arlandria - Foo Fighters (Wasting Light)
Before I really got into Punk Music, I was a Rocker from way back. Sadly, a solid Rock album is a rare thing these days, and when one does come along it always seems to involve Dave Grohl, not that this is a bad thing. Wasting Ling is probably one of the better Foo Fighters albums, it certainly was an unexpected musical gem in 2011, getting a heck of a lot of play on the work CD player. As is usual, the best song, Arlandria, is buried on the b-side of the album and has received almost no air-play. It's songs like this one that have made Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters a cornerstone of Rock for over a decade.
7. Blinded By Love - Jack Ladder (HURTSVILLE)
Jack Ladder has been a fixture of the Melbourne indy music scene for years, but finally broke through in 2011, enjoying some bigger live gigs and having a few of his songs featured on television. For those not in the know, Jack Ladder is the "less creepy" version of Nick Cave; deep voice, haunting vocals and clear Blues/Country influence. Blinded By Love is an epic of a love song, a winding ballad of loss, redemption and a deep and binding love. Every now and then you need something a little melancholy, and this song is a perfect catharsis when you're just a bit down.
6. Speed of Darkness - Flogging Molly (Speed of Darkness)
I was disappointed with Flogging Molly's latest album, it lacked the bile and rage of their previous releases, continuing the band's downward spiral into being just another Irish folk band. However, every cloud has a silver lining and Speed of Darkness has a gangbusters title track. Angry, loud and ready to punch you in the eardrum, Speed of Darkness is the kind of song to smash up a bar to, and it's good to hear that Flogging Molly has retained some of their zeal since the epic album Drunken Lullabies.
5. Ghost on the Dance Floor - Blink-182 (Neighborhoods)
What year is it? 1998? No, but for some reason I'm listening to Blink-182 and I love it. This song is the perfect blend of Cheshire Cat-era Blink-182 and Angels and Airwaves, talking about young, desperate love with soaring vocals and guitar. I was apprehensive about this album when it came out, but I was sold after the first track. Not much more to say about this one, just a really solid song.
4. Rum and Coca-Cola - Wanda Jackson (The Party Ain't Over)
Wanda Jackson has been know by many names over her career, The Female Elvis, the Queen of Rockabilly, she deserves them all. She is one of the greatest female vocalists of all time and this album was a ray of hope in sea of party anthems and hip-pop. Rum and Coca-Cola is a great Caribbean- inspired Rock and Roll number with themes of exploitation and American Imperialism thrown in for good measure. This is one of the best albums of the year, it was really hard to pick just one track to demonstrate why it's so good, but I think this one does it justice. A great album from an artist that has been great for decades, get it today.
3. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win - The Beastie Boys Feat. Santigold (Hot Sauce Committee Part II)
In 2010, Devo released an album in the midst of hordes of pretenders attempting to emulate what they had done decades ago; with this Devo proved that they always have been and always will be the masters of their genre. In 2011 history repeated itself with the Beastie Boys coming back to lay the smack into the mountain of so-called "Rappers" clogging up the charts. I chose this song over Too Many Rappers because it truly demonstrates what made the Beasties great in the first place, their willingness to experiment and push the boundaries of the genre. This song is peppered with references to Bob Dylan, Public Enemy and other influential artists as well as blending the Beasties' unique flow with exotic horns. This is where Rap should be going, rather than stagnating.
2. Mind Your Manners - Chiddy Bang (Breakfast)
Last year I did Chiddy Bang a disservice by putting their Breakout single, Opposite of Adults, as number 10 on my list, it should have been much higher. It continually amazes me that Flo Rida and Soljahboy have huge rap careers, but Chiddy Bang remain unheard of. Chiddy Bang break the mold of current rap, focusing on success through merit, respecting one's peers and critics and never resorting to violence. This is my number 2 simply because I keep listening to it, it's a great song and I can't wait to get my hands on the album.
1. Tomahawk - Pour Habit (Got Your Back)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzweeW--MsY (freaking video wouldn't work for some reason)
At my core, I'm a Punk Rocker, and no song Punk Rocked harder in 2011 than Tomahawk. Pour Habit are a unique voice in the Punk Landscape, using two vocalists, a double kick drum and metal-inspired guitar riffs. If this song doesn't get your blood pumping and inspire you to tear down the establishment, nothing will. Catch these guys live for an experience you'll never forget.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
2011 In Review: Dishonourable Mentions
Overall, 2011 produced some really good music (we'll see next week) and I was only disappointed with a couple of purchases I made. However, the bad music that was out there in 2011 was really bad. I now dread parties and other gatherings where I may be forced to listen to the same crap that everyone who doesn't know better than to listen to pop radio. So yeah, every rose grew in a pile of shit, so here's the pile of fertilizer that was dumped on us in 2011.
Against Me - Total Clarity
I really like Against Me!, I honestly think they're one of the better Punk bands out there. Also, I'm usually one of the first people to complain when an "indy" band starts to sound more mainstream, however, in the case of Against Me! the band really does sound better with more complex post-production. Both New Wave and White Crosses (their previous albums) are really solid albums that explore a variety of themes and push what can be done with Punk Rock. However, Total Clarity is a return to oldskool Against Me! with its screaming dunk narrowback vocals and "How the hell do I tune this thing?" guitar work, this album sounds like the kind of thing Against Me! was putting out in 2001. The band has grown over the past decade and it's not a crime to show it; just to demonstrate the dip in quality since the last album, here's the title track off White Crosses:
So yeah, Against Me!, disappointing. You can do better.
LMFAO
I'm not even putting up a video for this one, because we've all been forced to endure this "band" at least once in the past six months. Once I had heard that this Uncle/Nephew duo "just happened" to be related to one of the biggest Motown producers in history, I was concerned. Being fair minded I listened to Party Rock Anthem. When I was done vomiting, I decided that it was the worst song I had heard all year. Seriously. PARTY ROCK ANTHEM IS THE WORST SONG I HEARD ALL 2011. Worse than Friday, worse than Bieber. There is no chorus, only an annoying beeping, the song doesn't mean anything or try to convey any ideas. Some of my friends really enjoy this band, telling me that they like the theme of cutting lose and having fun because of the crushing weight of reality. Really? Andrew WK was doing this ten years ago! But wait! Apparently it's really just a parody! Apparently people don't know what parody means! Read some Jonathan Swift or watch some Mel Brooks (High Anxiety or Young Frankenstein for starters) and then tell me that LMFAO is clever and and topical. This "music" is so close to the lowest common denominator that I now go out of my way to avoid it. Shame on anyone who bought this shit. Here's some Andrew WK to show you damn kids what real party music sounds like:
Hipsters
This isn't the generic Hipster-bashing you're familiar with, but actually a legitimate complaint. Hipsters, I have no problem with you, just please stop appropriating the affectations of other Subcultures. If I run into one more Hipster at a Punk gig, I swear I'm going to murder it.
Next Week: The Top Ten!
Against Me - Total Clarity
I really like Against Me!, I honestly think they're one of the better Punk bands out there. Also, I'm usually one of the first people to complain when an "indy" band starts to sound more mainstream, however, in the case of Against Me! the band really does sound better with more complex post-production. Both New Wave and White Crosses (their previous albums) are really solid albums that explore a variety of themes and push what can be done with Punk Rock. However, Total Clarity is a return to oldskool Against Me! with its screaming dunk narrowback vocals and "How the hell do I tune this thing?" guitar work, this album sounds like the kind of thing Against Me! was putting out in 2001. The band has grown over the past decade and it's not a crime to show it; just to demonstrate the dip in quality since the last album, here's the title track off White Crosses:
So yeah, Against Me!, disappointing. You can do better.
LMFAO
I'm not even putting up a video for this one, because we've all been forced to endure this "band" at least once in the past six months. Once I had heard that this Uncle/Nephew duo "just happened" to be related to one of the biggest Motown producers in history, I was concerned. Being fair minded I listened to Party Rock Anthem. When I was done vomiting, I decided that it was the worst song I had heard all year. Seriously. PARTY ROCK ANTHEM IS THE WORST SONG I HEARD ALL 2011. Worse than Friday, worse than Bieber. There is no chorus, only an annoying beeping, the song doesn't mean anything or try to convey any ideas. Some of my friends really enjoy this band, telling me that they like the theme of cutting lose and having fun because of the crushing weight of reality. Really? Andrew WK was doing this ten years ago! But wait! Apparently it's really just a parody! Apparently people don't know what parody means! Read some Jonathan Swift or watch some Mel Brooks (High Anxiety or Young Frankenstein for starters) and then tell me that LMFAO is clever and and topical. This "music" is so close to the lowest common denominator that I now go out of my way to avoid it. Shame on anyone who bought this shit. Here's some Andrew WK to show you damn kids what real party music sounds like:
Hipsters
This isn't the generic Hipster-bashing you're familiar with, but actually a legitimate complaint. Hipsters, I have no problem with you, just please stop appropriating the affectations of other Subcultures. If I run into one more Hipster at a Punk gig, I swear I'm going to murder it.
Next Week: The Top Ten!
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011 In Review: Honourable Mentions
With 2011 behind us, it is time to look backwards and do the inevitable "Top 10" lists of the music that formed the soundtrack for the year. Before I dig my own grave with my own Top 10 of songs most people have never heard despite my talking about them at every party, lecture and funeral I've attended, I'm starting off with a couple of short articles.
I'm starting off with a couple of weeks focusing on some songs I haven't paid much attention to; some that need mention but weren't good enough to make my Top 10 and some that made me cringe.
So here they are, my Honourable Mentions for 2011:
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
When the Pop music world is saturated with bland, soulless party music week after week, a heartfelt song about Gender and Sexual equality making it onto the charts is simply amazing. Amittedly, I have problems with this song, the production is overdone and there's a lot of post-production effects on the track, and these stop me from really enjoying it, but it's worth a listen. Having a fair few Bi/Poly/Homosexual/Neuter/Transgender friends and aquaintces, it's good to hear a Musician with a lot of pulling power making a socially responsible stand for Human Rights.
The Lonely Island - Jack Sparrow
The reason this song isn't on my Top 10 is that I cannot take Parody/Joke songs seriously. It's not that I don't enjoy humorous songs, but you'll never see Weird Al or The Lonely Island grace lists of my favorite songs, I just don't like them in high rotation. The reason you see this song mentioned here is simple; I fucking hate Micheal Bolton. Seriously. This has to be the first song ever that features Bolton that I actually enjoy listening to, and that deserves recognition. Also the element of Club Dance Song parody in Jack Sparrow is highly enjoyable, given the continued prevalence of such songs on the Pop Charts.
The Rap Critic
(http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/rap-critic/rap-critic-reviews)
One of the many reviewers on the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses website, the Rap Critic is perhaps among the least well known, which is a damn shame. Whilst the more famous Todd in the Shadows injects more vitriol and humour into his reviews, The Rap Critic is technically brilliant, discussing wordplay, flow, influences and sampling when reviewing a Rap song. Also, unlike most internet reviewers, the Rap Critic is intimately familiar with his subject matter and is willing to talk about Songs that he likes, rather than just hating on things for a laugh. Whilst I'm on about ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, I recently learned that one of their Reviewers dissed on some friends of mine. I'm not responding to this in any way other than to mention that it happened.
R.E.M.
If I had to pick my 10 favorite bands of all time, R.E.M. would be on that list somewhere. Always ahead of the curve, willing to experiment and never letting themselves get pigeonholed musically, R.E.M. were a unique voice in the Musical landscape. That said, the last two R.E.M. albums were pretty poor. It's not that the songs were bad, it was just that they were kinda the same thing R.E.M. had been doing for years. In late 2011, R.E.M. called it quits after decades of great music. So well done R.E.M. for bowing out gracefully after an almost unparalleled career of awesomeness. Above is a video of Electron Blue (from the album Around The Sun) a truly beautiful song that I never tire of listening to.
Hat Guy - Mad props to my Level 3 homies...
Next Week: Bottom of the Barrel
I'm starting off with a couple of weeks focusing on some songs I haven't paid much attention to; some that need mention but weren't good enough to make my Top 10 and some that made me cringe.
So here they are, my Honourable Mentions for 2011:
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
When the Pop music world is saturated with bland, soulless party music week after week, a heartfelt song about Gender and Sexual equality making it onto the charts is simply amazing. Amittedly, I have problems with this song, the production is overdone and there's a lot of post-production effects on the track, and these stop me from really enjoying it, but it's worth a listen. Having a fair few Bi/Poly/Homosexual/Neuter/Transgender friends and aquaintces, it's good to hear a Musician with a lot of pulling power making a socially responsible stand for Human Rights.
The Lonely Island - Jack Sparrow
The reason this song isn't on my Top 10 is that I cannot take Parody/Joke songs seriously. It's not that I don't enjoy humorous songs, but you'll never see Weird Al or The Lonely Island grace lists of my favorite songs, I just don't like them in high rotation. The reason you see this song mentioned here is simple; I fucking hate Micheal Bolton. Seriously. This has to be the first song ever that features Bolton that I actually enjoy listening to, and that deserves recognition. Also the element of Club Dance Song parody in Jack Sparrow is highly enjoyable, given the continued prevalence of such songs on the Pop Charts.
The Rap Critic
(http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/rap-critic/rap-critic-reviews)
One of the many reviewers on the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses website, the Rap Critic is perhaps among the least well known, which is a damn shame. Whilst the more famous Todd in the Shadows injects more vitriol and humour into his reviews, The Rap Critic is technically brilliant, discussing wordplay, flow, influences and sampling when reviewing a Rap song. Also, unlike most internet reviewers, the Rap Critic is intimately familiar with his subject matter and is willing to talk about Songs that he likes, rather than just hating on things for a laugh. Whilst I'm on about ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, I recently learned that one of their Reviewers dissed on some friends of mine. I'm not responding to this in any way other than to mention that it happened.
R.E.M.
If I had to pick my 10 favorite bands of all time, R.E.M. would be on that list somewhere. Always ahead of the curve, willing to experiment and never letting themselves get pigeonholed musically, R.E.M. were a unique voice in the Musical landscape. That said, the last two R.E.M. albums were pretty poor. It's not that the songs were bad, it was just that they were kinda the same thing R.E.M. had been doing for years. In late 2011, R.E.M. called it quits after decades of great music. So well done R.E.M. for bowing out gracefully after an almost unparalleled career of awesomeness. Above is a video of Electron Blue (from the album Around The Sun) a truly beautiful song that I never tire of listening to.
Hat Guy - Mad props to my Level 3 homies...
Next Week: Bottom of the Barrel
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