Well I had a nice holiday week off, I hope you had the same. What’s new in the Top 10?
…m’kay. Sure, why not? Lil Wayne has had a prolific career; he started building a name for himself in rap/hip-hop circles in the early part of last decade, and finally started gaining mainstream success in 2007 when he started what I can only assume was an attempt at being featured in every hit in the top 40. Releasing the platinum selling Tha Carter III in 2008 only added to his fame, and thanks to that album (as well as “feat. Lil Wayne” almost being a prerequisite for a hit song), even people living under rocks knew his trademark death-rasp by the end of 2009.
However, Lil Wayne’s career came to halt in early 2010 when an assault weapons charge and releasing Rebirthwere more than enough to earn him nine months of jailtime. Hell, Rebirth still makes me want to ask Ryker’s Island what their return policy is. Ah, well. “Six Foot Seven Foot” is his first post-prison release, so let’s take a listen, shall we?
“Six Foot Seven Foot” owes its production to Bangladesh, who also produced Wayne’s hit “A Milli”. And Bangladesh’s “vocal loop as a beat” technique that made “A Milli” a hate it or love it hit is present here; this time the sample comes from “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)”, a traditional Jamaican song. The song also uses a fairly standard booming bass and drums combo, which while it isn’t anything original, everything fits together really well. And hell, the point of this song isn’t the production, it’s Lil Wayne.
This might be one of Lil Wayne’s most crucial releases. Coming back from jail, promoting Tha Carter IV (Feb 2011), and reestablishing himself after Rebirth and I Am Not A Human Being, “Six Foot Seven Foot” had to show that he still had it. And the long and short is that he does; this song is nothing but rapid fire non-sequiturs delivered in his high-pitched cackle (and thankfully no Auto-Tune). Wheezy burns through his two verses with more energy, flow, and tenacity than most anyone else out there. Greatest Rapper Alive is a title no one should give themselves, but in “Six Foot Seven Foot”, Lil Wayne makes a case for being the most idiosyncratic rapper around.
Cory Gunz is one of the Young Money rappers that isn’t Lil Wayne, Drake, or Nicki Minaj, and thus doesn’t really matter. His verse isn’t bad (in fact, he hits a high point towards the middle), but running against an on-fire Lil Wayne is a tall order, and Gunz just can’t keep up.
I like “Six Foot Seven Foot”; the production’s not bad, the featured rapper does ok, and Lil Wayne is on top of his game here. But at the same time, the song doesn’t really make for a compelling listen. After a listen or two, taking a solid three minutes of Wheezy cranked up to 10 is a little grating, and while I can’t fault the production on being bad, it doesn’t do anything that makes me especially want to listen to it. A promising first single, but not a total homerun.
We’ve already looked at the best and worst of the hits, now it’s time for my top 5 albums of the year! It’s not a short list because I didn’t listen to a lot this year’s music, it’s a short list because I wanted to just focus on the truly great stuff and what I had time to digest. Also, I’m still just one guy doing this blog in his (depressingly little) free time, so if I missed your favorite, don’t sweat it. Anyway, here we are!
5. Candy Hearts – Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dreams And we start with the obscurest choice on the list. Candy Hearts is a pop punk band operating out of New York, and “Ripped Up Jeans…” is their debut album. And it manages to shame most mainstream bands with how consistently great it is. Candy Hearts write about experiences we’ve all had: frustration, unrequited love, fun, and friendships; all with some of the most adorably thought out lyrics I’ve heard. It’s backed by solid instrumentation, clever hooks, and great production (especially valuable when “shit” is the current indie scene’s production fetish). The band fires through 13 tunes with talent, energy, and poise, and by the time closer “Cracks Beneath Closed Doors” ends, you want more.
4. The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang These Jersey boys follow-up their 2008 breakout The ’59 Sound with a lean, ten song record that stands up excellently next to their finest. Despite being shorter than previous outings, American Slang throws in more ideas than Gaslight’s tried before, but their precision-tuned Springsteen inspired punk rock doesn’t suffer for it. Fallon aims a little higher on his singing, and his stories of Americana lyrics are still a high-point for a band riding a wave of well-deserved success.
3. The Roots – How I Got Over Serving as the house band for Jimmy Fallon’s late night show would slow down most bands, but then again, most bands aren’t The Roots. Black Thought, ?uestlove, and the rest of the crew (plus a slew of collaborators including Johanna Newsome, John Legend, and Monsters of Folk) set down 40 minutes of soul and jazz fused grooves about isolation, perseverance, and, well, how to get over. Instead of slowing down, The Roots picked up momentum, and as a result, How I Got Over is a rare start to finish treat.
2. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach 2010 was a year chocked with ambitious records. And while Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn can’t claim the title of most ambitious record (sup, Kanye?), he makes a pretty damn good case for one of the best albums as far as the ambition:quality ratio is concerned. As Snoop Dogg leads through the smooth “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach”, you being to realize that Plastic Beach asks you to sail away to somewhere else entirely. Dreamy and dreary synths, orchestras, and a boat-load of collaborators all find somewhere in the sand, and Plastic Beach has my pick for most underrated album of the year.
1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs Instead of Funeral‘s explosive catharsis or the preaching of Neon Bible, Arcade fire use The Suburbs to temper their sound into their most well-crafted and broadest album to date. That doesn’t make it any smaller than the band’s past work; The Suburbs is a sprawling 16 track hour plus mammoth that looks at the mentality of white picket fences and landscaped yards for understanding and meaning. These weighty concepts are made accessible by smart song structure and dynamic performances by Win Butler and company. Hitting low points of desperation (“Suburban War”) and exuberant highs (“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains”), Arcade Fire realize that everyone’s gotta grow up, but it doesn’t mean giving up.
Well the hits just keep on coming, don’t they? Just like to point out that, like the other list (and hell, anything on this site), this is all my opinion and you’re free to draw your own conclusions. Let’s begin!
5. The Script – Breakeven
On paper, The Script are pretty unremarkable. Actually, I shouldn’t say that, because they’re pretty unremarkable in practice, too. Soft rock nice guys with basic but good musicianship singing sensitive songs about girls have been in pop music since before the Beatles, and The Script seem like one of those bands that would always end their practices with their “own” version of “Wonderwall”.
And I realize that’s not a great way to introduce the guys that did my #5 song of the year, but “Breakeven” is what happens when all those things go right. Danny O’Donoghue’s vocals, melody, and lyrics are what manage to separate “Breakeven” from whatever half-baked ballad Maroon 5 or OneRepublic is trying to push on us, and no one in the band is lacking talent. The lyrics manage to be completely honest while relating to that crappy feeling everyone gets, and despite the subject matter, the song never gets too schmatzly. “Breakeven” is That Song every guy with an acoustic guitar is learning, and I’m kind of ok with that.
4. La Roux – Bulletproof
In a year filled with “Hey, the 80s were cool, right?” synth hooks and faux-retro beats, French group (yes, group) La Roux’s synth-pop hit “Bulletproof” punches holes in the many 80’s revival wanna-bes. Elle Jackson and the rest of La Roux commit so heavily to their 80s fetish that “Bulletproof” honest to God sounds 25 years old at a glance, and that’s definitely a plus.
“Bulletproof” has a lot of perks: a manic singer, a great beat, and it’s overall a well-crafted song. And this bridge is so good, Daft Punk probably kicked their space robot helmets and said, “Why didn’t we think of that?” the first time they heard it. Unfortunately, this song seems to be lost on most people (see: any YouTube video for La Roux), then again, “Tik Tok” was the #1 song of 2010, so maybe being different isn’t a bad thing.
3. B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams (and Eminem) – Airplanes
Yeah, if I “cheated” and went obscure on the last three picks (“King of Anything”, “Breakeven”, and “Bulletproof”), well 1. I didn’t, and 2. You will know the top 3. B.o.B was one of the best new artists of 2010, and it’s not hard to see why; he’s a good rapper, and on top of that he’s amazingly pop savvy (three crossover hits in one year).
And “Airplanes” was his giant hit this year. “Nothin’ On You” might have charted higher (no. 1 VS no. 2), but “Airplanes” took over radio stations, music video countdowns, and Facebook statuses over the summer. And for a good reason; the production here is absolutely stellar, Hayley Williams’ hook (while still trying too hard) is great, and B.o.B handles the problems of “Oh shit, I’m suddenly famous” with a deft lyrical and technical touch.
And I do have to give a shoutout to “Airplanes Pt. II”, which also gained a lot of radioplay over the year. Hayley’s hook is the same, but B.o.B changes up his verse to consider what if he wasn’t famous, and maybe he’d like that. But then Marshall fucking Mathers comes in with a verse that takes the wide-eyed wandering of Williams and B.o.B, and slams into the harsh reality of what he was, and what he’d be, without the ambition he has. In a way, it’s a Take That to the rest of the song, but sometimes you have to be ok with being insulted when it’s that good.
2. B.o.B feat. Bruno Mars – Nothin’ on You
There’s nothing to not like about this song. I still think Bruno Mars is a smarmy little “I only sing so girls like me” tool, but I can’t deny his ability to write a hook; the chorus on “Nothin’ on You” is instantly memorable. The groove of the backing music hits in just the right ways without being too overbearing, and the piano throughout is simple but catchy. B.o.B let’s his personality shine through on “Nothin’ on You”; this is a guy who likes to have fun, and his verses can’t help but bring a smile to your face. And really, this song is totally about fun; B.o.B and Mars look like a pair of goofballs that got let into the studio after the Serious Musicians called it a day. My favorite “Guy likes girl” song of the year.
Well, here it comes everybody. My number one hit song for 2010. I’m just going to say in advance that the answer will probably be something of a surprise since I don’t think I’ve ever really talked about this song. In fact, most of the times that I’ve talked about this artist, there’s been an implied negative towards him/her. But here it is…
1. Ke$ha – Tik Tok Yeah. Seriously. Between Dr. Luke’s revolutionary production and Ke$ha’s angelic vocals, “Tik Tok” rightly deserves it’s place as the #1 song of 2010 both on Billboard and in my h–HAHAHA, oh, who am I kidding? Let’s get the real #1 going.
1. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance Nope. Not a typo, not trolling, not bullshitting. “Bad Romance” is Gaga’s crowning moment as a performer and an artist. From here out, Lady Gaga made it her point that she was to be taken seriously, and “Bad Romance” makes quite the argument for her. It’s the perfect mix of bombast, ridiculousness, creative weirdness, and most importantly, substance. The “rah-rah” hook is bizarrely enticing, the production captures the perfect tone of the song while still being perfectly, and Gaga’s singing is stellar.
There’s not an off-moment from the opening “Whoah” and synth blast until to the last “Want your bad romance”. The song works so well because Gaga commits to the song entirely; when synths come crashing in, she simply gets louder. Even a lot of Gaga’s bullshit artistry is gone from the song; on “Bad Romance”, she takes total control and doesn’t let go. The fact that it’s a great song and catchy as hell on top of it just settles it, this is my number one pick.
Well, that’s all done. Keeping with my year-end wrap up, tomorrow I’m going to look at my picks for the best albums of the year. It’s going to be so nice to be away from the pop charts. See you then!
To make up for the negativity and poor taste of the past two days (no matter how justified it was), I thought I’d look at what I think are the best 10 hits songs of 2010. Oh, and I should have put this one the “Worst” list, but here is the list of songs I’m choosing from. Those are the official biggest songs of the year; no one else sold more or was played more than those. So let’s take a look-see.
10. Flo Rida – Club Can’t Handle Me
Similarities to one of last year’s biggest hits aside, this chorus is great. Flo Rida has never been on my list of favorites, but on “Club Can’t Handle Me”, his verses come across more as fun than anything else. But mostly it’s David Guetta’s production that saves “Club Can’t Handle Me”; the song synthesizes some non-traditional club instruments (guitar intro, strings) into a club hit that’s more than a little danceable. The club can handle more songs like this.
9. Eminem – Not Afraid
Em’s comeback single. As he says in the song itself, “That last Relapse cd was ‘ehhh'”; an album that showed Slim trying to be himself while forgetting what that meant. But with “Not Afraid”, Em reminds us that when he wants to be taken seriously, you better shut up and pay attention. Standing at the top of his technical game and backed by a simple but quality beat, “Not Afraid” cut the cynics deep and made us all put a little faith in Eminem once again.
8. Adam Lambert – Whataya Want From Me?
Unless your last name is “Clarkson” or “Underwood”, you ever notice how winning American Idol isn’t as good as placing second? I forget who he lost against, but Lambert was able to walk away with a record deal and none of the side effects of winning American Idol; commercial deals, no creative control, and the standard godawful singles that the winner has to do.
Instead, Lambert got to release this. “Whataya Want From Me?” wasn’t written to be a runaway pop hit (although it ended up getting close), but as a smart pop rocker, it’s really good. Catchy guitar riff, a good blend of rock and pop instrumentation, a neat breakdown towards the end…but Lambert’s really the clincher here. He’s got great stage presence, builds in intensity through the whole song, and on the final chorus he gets to make his case for being one of AI’s better contestants flat. Definitely a keeper.
7. Rihanna – Only Girl (In the World)
2010 was a good year for Rihanna. With “Loud” released in late 2009, she had all of this year to ride out that album’s singles (particularly “Rude Boy”), most of which were pretty successful. And then out of nowhere came the announcement that there was another new album due, and “Only Girl (In the World)” appeared on the pop charts.
I know a few weeks ago I gave this song kind of a so-so review, but it’s really grown on me since then (obviously). “Only Girl (In the World)” is draped in the club pop that was pop’s Flavor of the Year for 2010, but it truly shines on the chorus. After the music backs down, Rihanna belts it out while the song builds beneath her, and when the music kicks back in, two great things get back together. Lyrically a little shakey at first, but the chorus has a kinda nice message behind it, and I can’t knock that. Especially with something this great.
6. Sara Bareilles – King of Anything
Sara Bareills (how the hell do you say that? Anyone know?) was one of the leftfield stars of 2008 with “Love Song”, a song I was outwardly indifferent to, but was probably my number 1 guilty pleasure for the year. Bareills doesn’t do anything that any piano-totting singer-songwriter hasn’t done before, but her singles have the right pop bend that makes them work.
And that’s the story with “King of Anything”. It’s bouncy, driven by a tasteful piano hook, and the chorus is a total singalong affair. One of the fun things about Bareilles is that she doesn’t get to sit at the Cool Table in the cafeteria of Pop High, and she’s well aware of it. Her songs carry a quirk and charm that more typical pop stars wouldn’t be able to manage. “King of Anything” takes some weird turns instrumentally (brass and strings show up), but who cares?
So that’s my late-night bottom half of the Top 10 hits of 2010. Tune in tomorrow for the rest of my “What the hell, man?” list.
Ranting About Music! 