At least for me, this was a great year for music. Particularly, this was a great year for the radio. Never have I found so much to enjoy on both Top 40 and Alternative radio. Sure, there were still unbearable songs that made me change the station every time they came on, such as “Call me Maybe,” or “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” the atrocious exploitation of the teenage girl market known as One Direction quickly comes to mind on the mainstream end of the dial, and “Tongue Tied” grew worse and worse with each torturous spin it received on 102.1 The Edge. But all in all, there were plenty of quality, intriguing songs dominating the airwaves. This was the year when anything and everything could take over the charts, from the mysterious “Somebody that I Used to Know” to the indescribable “Gangnam Style.” Of course, even in this climate of “anything can happen” radio, there was plenty of great music that completely eluded radio play, mainly the music of minor label artists and indie blog darlings. Without further ado, I present my top ten songs of the year, with a couple songs so terrible I just had to write about, and the most embarrassing song I enjoyed this year.
10. These Days – Foo Fighters
Heartfelt and powerful, “These Days” is a straightforward, well-executed expression of a universal sentiment and possibly the Foo Fighter’s greatest song since “Everlong.” Great lyrics and a memorable melody make this an easy pick for one of the best rock songs of the year.
9. We Are Young – fun.
This is the rare song that gets better with overplay, that reveals just how inventive, different, and artful it is with each subsequent listen. For better or worse, this song perfectly captures the sound, the feeling, and the attitude of being young at the start of this decade. It exudes youthful irresponsibility (“Let’s set the world on fire” “We can burn brighter than the sun”), and its chorus is instantly memorable and obnoxiously able to be sung. Its transition from excited anticipation towards utter, unrestrained joy is wondrous and establishes it as a contemporary masterpiece.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FjpJuE32OU
8. I’m Shakin’ – Jack White
In a year that gave us “We Are Young”, “Gangnam Style”, and “Thrift Shop”, a throwaway Little Willie John cover off of Jack White’s solo debut, Blunderbuss, was the most joyfully fun song of the year. Here, Jack White takes a break from the intensity and heartbreak of songs like “Love Interruption” to roll off a bouncy guitar lick and return to his blues roots. “I’m Shakin’” finds a genius artist of great depth and work ethic just cutting loose and having fun.
7. The Only Place – Best Coast
What a pure, unadulterated blast of summer fun and joy. What ever happened to sunny, chipper, pop odes to summer, beaches, and surf that weren’t sung by the notoriously inconsistent Katy Perry? Best Coast’s warm, catchy salute to California rivals any Beach Boys’ song in terms of pure happiness and enthusiasm and boasts both one of the best music videos and easily some of the best guitar-playing of the year. Speaking of great guitar songs…
6. Little Black Submarines – The Black Keys
Listen to those glorious, towering electric guitar solos. The Black Keys usually distance themselves from the epic side of rock ‘n’ roll, but when they deviate from their typical, simplistic blues-rock song structures, they connect with a song of pure beauty and raw power. How I ever disliked this song eludes me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=490s689kvpo
5. Somebody that I Used to Know – Gotye
Overplayed? Of course. Instant classic? Absolutely. “Somebody that I Used to Know,” in its simple, quiet way, leaves a permanent mark on your brain. Something of a throwback to the 80s pop of artists like Peter Gabriel, this brooding hit expertly walks the tightrope between restraint and passionate frustration. Kimbra’s verse is beautifully sung and an ingenious counterpoint to Gotye’s passive aggression.
4. Lights – Ellie Goulding
An absolutely beautiful vocal that perfectly captures the vulnerability and darkness of the lyrics, a memorable, danceable beat, an excellent chorus; what more can you ask from a pop song? This enchanting dream of a song deserved every second of airplay it got and took this listener to a different, wonderful world every time he heard it.
3. Madness – Muse
Talk about absolutely crushing the competition. Of all this year’s mainstream alternative hits, not one song came close to touching the brilliance of Muse’s “Madness.” Every second of “Madness” is interesting. The restrained guitar solo, Matthew Bellamy’s breathtaking, Bono-esque vocals, the inspired fusion of dubstep, gospel, and alternative rock, that stuttering “M-m-m-m-m-m-m mad-mad-mad” hook. Muse’s ingenious expansion of its sound reminds me of U2’s own evolution with 1991’s Achtung Baby. Although die-hard Muse fans were ambivalent at best to Muse’s new sound, I applaud this band for expanding their sound and challenging themselves. I can’t wait to see what this band has next for us.
2. Swimming Pools (Drank) [extended version] – Kendrick Lamar
In a word: terrifying. This rap, my pick for the best track on Lamar’s incredible good kid, m.A.A.d city album, makes the world of alcohol addiction horrifyingly real. It transports the listener to a place of darkness and allows the listener to feel the loss of freedom and pure terror that overtakes a drinker as the chemical dependent falls into the “swimming pool” of addiction. Its lyrics are sparse and effective, providing a simple tale about Lamar’s experience with the substance. This is one of the greatest hip-hop songs I’ve ever heard, and I heavily recommend checking out this artist’s oeuvre.
1. Candy – The Men
This is not only my pick for the best song of the year, but also my favorite song of all time. I know the feeling of this song well. It’s the feeling of freedom, of breaking away from the bonds of darkness, of Huckleberry Finn floating down the Mississippi River, of Andy Dufresne breaking out of Shawshank. It’s a song of hope and total self-realization. It’s the expression of the universal longing that rests in the heart of every person. No song has ever captured that feeling as perfectly as “Candy” has. It has at least twice as many plays as any song in my iTunes library and a very special place in my heart, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
Worst Top 40 Radio Song of the Year:
Back in Time – Pitbull
The most annoying, painful sound of the year was the beat on this song. It’s a beat so terrifyingly mechanic and grating I can’t help but ask the question: Did any thought go into it? Despite being universally acknowledged as a technically incompetent rapper, Pitbull at least possesses the essential pop musician qualities of personality and energy. At his best, Pitbull brings a sense of pure fun to catchy beats (“I Know you Want me (Calle Ocho)”). At his worst, Pitbull is static and bordering on lifeless over a pitiful track. This is an example of the latter.
Worst Alternative Song of the Year:
Ho Hey – The Lumineers
Never have I heard a song so manipulative, formulaic, simple-minded, lacking in creativity, and just all around lifeless as “Ho Hey.” The lyrics are as laughably idiotic and derivative as possible. This is the country song that people think of when they think about what a stereotypical bad country song sounds like. This is as artful as a drawing on a classroom desk. It’s a song that literally anyone could have written and a song that has been written countless times. It’s a hit song so embarrassing it ranks with abominations like “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band as one of the worst pieces of music to somehow find a massive audience.
The Most Embarrassing Song I Liked this Year:
Want U Back – Cher Lloyd
…No comment.
