Well, the response was overwhelming. Two people demanded a year-end list. So here it is. Or, rather, here’s Part 1. I don’t believe anyone’s listening to these ridiculous hour-long mixes I post, so I’m breaking this one up into a few chunks. Here’s chunk number one.
1. Cee-Lo Green – “Fuck You”
Yes, it’s already played out. That takes nothing away from the indelible melody, the audacious chorus, and the undeniable charisma that Cee-Lo has always had. Always. You guys, he was already a really big deal. And I’m not just talking about “Crazy,” which is also great. I’m not just talking about his amazing features on Outkast songs either (can you imagine “Git Up, Git Out” without him?). I’m talking about the god-damned Goodie Mob. If you don’t own Soul Food, correct that immediately and then get back to me.
2. Ra Ra Riot – “Boy”
The effervescent pop trend (Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Elsinore, etc., etc.) is one that I hope doesn’t go away. This song makes me want to jump up and down on a hotel bed until the pizza gets here. I don’t know what it’s about. Knowing my luck, it’s about PTSD in Afghani freedom fighters or something (yes, I subscribe to Newsweek.
3. The Walkmen – “Juveniles”
I’ve always liked The Walkmen, but this album accompanied me on some long trips to and from Forest Lake to lead an after-school program whose numbers dwindled to disheartening lows. And for that, I am especially grateful. It turns out it sounds even better through headphones, although that shouldn’t surprise me. The refrain (“You’re one of us or one of them”) was especially resonant during a mid-term election that I took a little too personally.
4. The Radio Dept. – “This Time Around”
I hear something new that I like each time. This time, I’m hearing Jens Lekman, although I’m not sure if I’m just projecting Scandinavian influences onto Scandinavian artists. I wish I had it on a cassette so I could listen to it on a Walkman (You can stop making them, Sony, but I’ll never relinquish mine! It was my shield! My umbrella, ella, ella!)
5. CEO – “Come With Me”
This is the guy from The Tough Alliance, but I like this project better. There’s been a bunch of nonsense from the music writers this year about white dudes co-opting modern R&B sounds, and I think that’s what they said about this one. Whatever. I don’t hear any R&B here, it’s electronic pop music with wobbly vocals, and it sounds good. Not too long, not too short. In strictly aural terms, CEO is to Delorean as Biblio is to Boards of Canada. If you get that reference, you’d probably be inclined to argue with it.
6. Caribou – “Odessa”
Truthfully, I was a little disappointed with Swim. I really loved Andorra. It was an electronic album that showed terrific songwriting chops and always seemed to be on the verge of toppling over into a tub of warm Rhodes distortion (good grief, James). This one feels colder to me, and way less accessible. But “Odessa” is a masterpiece.
7. Jamie Lidell – “Enough’s Enough”
Yep, I already posted this one. That’s probably going to happen a few times in this list. I love how willing Jamie Lidell is to let things get loose and weird. He could make a ton of money if he’d get in bed with someone like Mark Ronson, but it just isn’t him. This is by far the most conventional song on Compass, which I liked a lot.
8. X.O. – “She Posed To”
I already wrote about this a while ago. Everything works here. Everything. It’s chips and vinegar. It’s a piping hot shower at 2pm on a December day. I hope the man’s making a good living at this, because he deserves to. This is from X.O.’s only mixtape this year, 1.1.10.
9. Aloe Blacc – “Good Things”
Aloe Blacc has this great Bill Withers thing going on. He overreaches sometimes, but that fits genre, which is soul music made forty and fifty years ago. Obviously, he and I have some of the same records.
10. Mavis Staples – “You Are Not Alone”
This is my favorite song of the year. Jeff Tweedy wrote it for Mavis, and there’s a beautiful video, which I’ll dig up and post, of the two of them performing it together. It’s direct and right-on. I find it extremely comforting, which I think is the point.
More (much more) soon.
