Welcome to Day 7 of Listmas ’13. Thank you for reading Ranting About Music here in its third year, and I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. At the end of today’s entry is a hub for the links to the rest of this year’s Listmas. Have a wonderful holiday, and I will see you again in the new year!
Albums That Just Missed the Top Ten
Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork
Grown Up Avenger Stuff – Sparkleton
David Bowie – The Next Day
Drake – Nothing Was the Same
Album I Would Have Liked More if I Listened to it More: Deafhaven – Sunbather
Album I’m Not Sure I Like Because I Do or Because I’m “Supposed” To: HAIM – Days Are Gone
Album I Know I Don’t Like, Even Though I’m “Supposed” To: Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
Most Disappointing Album: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Moquito
Most Underrated Album: Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady
Favorite Pop Album: Sky Ferreira – Night Time, MyTime
Favorite Pop Album (Top 40 category): Lorde – Pure Heroine (disclaimer: I’m still stewing on Beyonce)
“Sleeper” Album of the Year: The National – Trouble Will Find Me/Savages – Silence Yourself–neither wowed me at first, but grew on me in the last few months.
Least Essential Album of the Year: Fall Out Boy’s hardcore pose on PAX AM Days
Album of the Year (Pop-Punk Division):
5. Mixtapes – Ordinary Silence
4. Lemuria – The Distance is So Big
3. Paramore – Paramore
2. Allison Weiss – Say What You Mean
1. The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation
Favorite Hot 100 Hits That Didn’t Make the Year-End:
Kendrick Lamar – “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
Lady Gaga ft. R.Kelly – “Do What U Want”
Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
Honorable Mentions (Considered For Ten Best Hits):
Justin Timerlake and Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity”
Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
Lana Del Rey – “Summertime Sadness” remix
Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
Dishonorable Mentions (Considered For Ten Worst Hits), Brought to You by the Letter M, Apparently: Katy Perry – “Roar”
will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
Best Number One Hit: “Locked Out of Heaven” (hard choice)
Worst Number One Hit: “Blurred Lines” (easy choice)
Most Baffling Number One Hit: “Just Give Me a Reason” (I still don’t get how this one happened)
Most Boring Number One Hit: “Roar”, my God “Roar”
Pop Career Least Likely to Recover from 2013: Britney Spears. Her Smurfs 2 soundtrack single was a flop, but even it looks like a wild success compared to Britney Jeans‘ abysmal sales.
Pop Career I’m Most Curious to See in 2014: Lorde. Pure Heroine holds together well enough as an album; time to see if she has anymore big singles in her. Should be exciting.
Welcome to Day 6 of Listmas! Today, I’m looking at my top fifty favorite songs of the year. The list is in alphabetical order by song, so don’t read too much into the rankings. Enjoy!
1. “25 Bucks” by Danny Brown ft. Purity Ring
2. “Afterlife” by Arcade Fire
3. “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore
4. “Bad Guy” by Eminem
5. “Bad Parts” by Mixtapes
6. “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West
7. “Blood on the Leaves” by Kanye West
8. “Brilliant Dancer” by Lemuria
9. “Buzzcut Season” by Lorde
10. “Dead Island” by Kitty
11. “Demon to Lean On” by Wavves
12. “Despair” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
13. “Diane Young” by Vampire Weekend
14. “Do What U Want” by Lady Gaga ft. R.Kelly
15. “Dream House” by Deafhaven
16. “Fade Away” by Best Coast
17. “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell
18. “Givin Em What They Love” by Janelle Monae ft. Prince
19. “Glory and Gore” by Lorde
20. “Graceless” by The National
21. “hittin linx” by Kitty
22. “I Appear Missing” by Queens of the Stone Age
23. “I Will” by Sky Ferreira
24. “I’m Not Your Hero” by Tegan and Sara
25. “Instant Crush” by Daft Punk ft. Julian Casablancas
26. “International Smile” by Katy Perry
27. “Making It Up” by Allison Weiss
28. “Maw Maw Song” by The Joy Formidable
29. “Monomania” by Deerhunter
30. “My God Is the Sun” by Queens of the Stone Age
31. “Nosetalgia” by Pusha T ft. Kendrick Lamar
32. “Partners in Crime” by The Strokes
33. “Picasso Baby” by Jay Z
34. “Pink Rabbits” by The National
35. “Pusher Love Girl” by Justin Timberlake
36. “Q.U.E.E.N.” by Janelle Monae ft. Erykah Badu
37. “Reflektor” by Arcade Fire
38. “Sacrilege” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
39. “Shut Up” by Savages
40. “Sirens” by Pearl Jam
41. “Some of Us” by Grown Up Avenger Stuff
42. “The Wire” by Haim
43. “Too Much” by Drake ft. Sampha
44. “We Could Die Like This” by The Wonder Years
45. “Where Are We Now?” by David Bowie
46. “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” by Arctic Monkeys
47. “wonder 2” by My Bloody Valentine
48. “You & Me” by Disclosure ft. Eliza Doolittle
49. “You’re Not the One” by Sky Ferreira
50. “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey
5. Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven (#11)
Billboard magazine named Bruno Mars as their Artist of the Year, and while I scoffed at it originally, it makes perfect sense. Mars didn’t drum up headlines, but he had four singles; three of which were major hits, and two went to number one. In a year where singles juggernauts like Katy Perry and Ke$ha couldn’t sustain momentum, that is killing it.
And it all started with “Locked Out of Heaven”, released late last year. Mars has always fancied himself as a retro-futurist, updating the sounds of old populist rock and soul acts with elements of today’s pop, and “Locked Out of Heaven” is the first time that he perfected the formula. The reggae/The Police verses shouldn’t work with an EDM-lite chorus, but it’s pitch perfect here. What really sets “Locked Out of Heaven” apart from Mars’ contemporaries is that few others make music that sounds this performed; “Heaven…” has a crisp, live production that gives everything from the “Uh!”s to the descending synth in the chorus extra punch. I hope you like this song, because it’s going to be a public events fixture for years. Speaking of which…
4. Drake – “Hold On, We’re Going Home” (#34) With “Hold On, We’re Going Home”, Drake said that he and producer Noah “40” Shebib explicitly wanted to make something timeless; in their own words, “a wedding song”. It’d be premature to call “Hold On” a total success on that front, but I think it’s got a chance at being on wedding playlists from now until death. 40’s production is essentially an update on 80’s pop R&B, the lyrics are lovely and cute (though admittedly, the song’s heavy use of “good girl” kept it from being a number 1 contender for me), and for once, Drake sounds totally comfortable in his own skin. The bulk of Drake’s career so far has seen him acting hard, moody, and totally, definitely not at all the type of guy for which a Twitter account describing him as someone who catches snowflakes with his tongue and waits 30 minutes before swimming to be hilarious because it’s just believable enough. On “Hold On”, he says fuck it–he’ll be the emotional crooner who can’t quite hit some of the song’s high notes, and dances like a dork to the beat. And you know what? That guy ain’t half bad.
3. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing” (#44) Here’s a song that I was skeptical of, listened to as a curiosity, liked whenever I heard it, then liked it enough to find it on my own, and then even loved it enough to buy. I don’t know when or how, but it became a favorite. Calvin Harris is one of the banner names in EDM right now, but he has a fairly light, less blown out touch than D.Guetta or Zedd’s bangers; for all of its EDM trappings, “Sweet Nothing” could easily live as a straight up disco track. And, while it won’t get confused for a Janelle Monae track, the lyrics offer a little more depth than your typical dance pop, giving more catharsis to an already huge chorus. Florence Welch, famous Florence and the Machine frontwoman/oversinger throws herself into the song, and she fits dance floor queen surprisingly well for an artist that I typically thought of as being stiff (can we lock her and James Murphy in a recording studio together?). This is everything that I wanted from “Stay the Night”.
2. Paramore – Still Into You (#100)
I can’t explain how happy I am that this one made the list. The power-pop/New Wave of “Still Into You” won’t jive with the entire family like “Hold On, We’re Going Home” will, but damn, if this one won’t get spins at wedding receptions where someone in the bridal party has pink hair. Lead singer Hayley Williams, whose studio vocal take deserves to be heard on its own, absolutely knocks it out of the park on this one, especially when she belts the final note on the bridge; she feels every word of this thing. And that’s what makes “Still Into You” so great: the song’s exuberance perfectly captures the “We’ve been together for longer than I’ve had most of my current wardrobe, and I still love the fuck out of you every day” feeling from being with someone for so long. Add in some joyous synths and catchy guitar riffs, and you’ve got a winner. It only just made the year-end list, but “Still Into You” deserved to be even bigger.
1. Daft Punk ft. Pharrell – Get Lucky (#14)
You don’t have to tell me, I know. Yes, giving “Get Lucky” the top spot is the safe, predictable, and probably a little rockist thing to do this year. Yes, the song is open critic-bait that’s been hyped by every “true” music fan since its summer release. Yes, it’s a bit played out by now.
But oh my God, have you heard the thing?
Weirdly enough, I almost think the full six minute version would have been a bigger hit than the abbreviated radio single. I realize that a six minute radio single is pushing your luck, but I think it could have worked here–the full version just sounds more developed and cohesive. But, no matter the version, “Get Lucky” is a perfectly crafted disco track that’s effortlessly cool and endlessly catchy, with through the roof production values and some of the smoothest vocals around (who the hell else could make comparing your dick to a phoenix work?). The drum machine/vocoder breakdown helps the song, too. It breaks up some of the monotony, and makes the song more than a simple throwback by blending it with some 21st century electronics.
“Get Lucky” was everywhere this summer, and it even stayed with us in the winter months. It tributes the past while moving forward, and sounding damn good at the same time, and for that, it is my top hit of 2013.
Now that we’ve gotten that bit of unpleasantness behind us, let’s look at what was good on the radio/YouTube/Spotify/iTunes this year. Same perimeters as the worst list: this chart, this year, and numbers 10 through 6 coming to you right now! But first, there are two things I need to say. The first is that I’m sorry. I am sorry.
I am so, so sorry.
Second thing?
E’RYBODY GET UP!
Honorable Mention (11.): Robin Thicke (ugh) ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines” (#2)
I know, I know. Just yesterday I did everything short of calling “Blurred Lines” the worst song of the year, and a borderline reprehensible four minutes of bro doucheiness, and here it is getting the honorable mention on the best-of. That’s mostly due to two artists, and only one of them’s actually in the song. Pharrell’s beat is, like I’ve mentioned just about every other time the song’s come up, an untouchable throwback groove that you could loop for days without noticing. The other artist that made me appreciate “Blurred Lines” was Vampire Weekend and the batshit awesome backup singers who joined them when they covered the song for BBC Radio Lounge. It’s a note for note cover, but VW do it without the asshole factor of the original, letting the fact that it’s an insanely fun song shine through. I know “I only like the beat” is a chickenshit apology, but give it a listen for yourself.
10. Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble. (#16)
God, first Robin Thicke, and now Taylor Swift. I can feel my credibility disappearing. Then again, “Trouble…” is part manic guitar pop and part nothing-but-the-drop dubstep, which are two of my biggest soft spots, so I didn’t even have a chance to fight back. It also does both of those things pretty well; the verses twitch and build in just the right way that the big, EDM chorus sounds satisfying and still somehow a little surprising. The song also sounds a little dorky at the same time, though, like T.Swift knows how inherently ridiculous it’s going to sound, but still performs the hell out of it. I can’t for the life of me remember where, but one blog commented that “Trouble…” is the kind of thing the girl Swift plays in her “You Belong With Me” video would totally jam out to, and I think the rest of us did, too. Still can’t explain the video, though.
9. Macklemore & Ryan Lewist ft. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us” (#5) AND A$AP Rocky ft. 2 Chainz, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar – “Fuckin’ Problems” (#41)
Alright, these share the “best pop-rap for a party” slot. Let’s look at “Can’t Hold Us” by Big Macklemore Truck & Ryan Lewis first. As part of his wildly successful year, Macklemore’s been on a campaign to solidify his place as The Nicest Guy Anyone Has Ever Met, and part of that is how much he champions producer Ryan Lewis for his mainstream fame. In reality, that decision has much less to do with Macklemore’s sense of being a Good Guy, and a lot more to do with the fact that without Lewis, he’d still be bussing it halfway across Seattle with a backpack. The ‘More does an ok job, but it’s Ryan’s ability to cram the epicness of an entire film score’s worth of galloping drums, stabbing piano, Western-style trumpets, and club synths into four minutes that really sells “Can’t Hold Us”.
Finally, a cool song! “Fuckin’ Problems”, is just a blast to listen to; this is what a pop-rap single should sound like. 2 Chainz supplies the simplest, dumbest, and most fun hook he’ll ever come up with, and A$AP, Drake, and Kendrick don’t miss a beat between the three of them during their verses. No one’s trying to sound like they’re anything they’re not; who else but Drake is going to suggest laying under the stars and listening to the Beatles? The beat’s catchy as all get out, but still textured, and “Fuckin’ Problems” is the rare time that a group take actually feels and sound balanced. No problems there.
8. Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light’em Up)” (#40) Aaaaaand right after gaining credit for half of that last one, I had to bring Fall Out Boy into this. I didn’t go to a staggering number of sporting events this year, but every single one of them played “My Songs Know What You D–yeah, no–“Light’em Up” at least twice. And they should have, because “Light’em Up” is shitty pop-punk, but excellent arena rock. It has that big, stomping “We Will Rock You” style beat, guitars to punch the air to, and Patrick Stump sounds like he’s out for…whatever the hell this song’s actually about–I never know what the hell Pete Wentz’s lyrics are about. In any case, he doesn’t sound like someone to be fucked with, and that little “I’m on FIIIYAH” riff on the chorus is the perfect singalong. Save Rock and Roll tanked as an album, but at least we got “Light’em Up” out of it. Better than nothing, I guess.
7. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks” (#65)
This one is stretching the rules a little: “Little Talks” was released as a single in December of 2011, got a video in February of 2012, and finally became a slowburner this year. I don’t know if alternative radio exists as a widespread format anymore, but, if it does, “Little Talks” does a great job catering to it. Folk-influenced indie rock blew wide open this last year, but Of Monsters and Men are more fully formed than, say, The Lumineers, and the “hey!”s in “Little Talks” sound anthem-sized without losing any of their rabble-rousing jaunt. Add in the boy-girl vocal trade-offs, some massive rise and fall dynamics, a bit of drama, and you’ve got a winner. “Little Talks” still sounds a bit like early Arcade Fire to me, but I finally really like it on its own.
6. Lorde – “Royals” (#15)
It’s a testament to “Royals” that the message behind the song and performer can be annoying as all get out, but I still really enjoy it. For how much people play up Lorde’s identity as a “real” artist as her trump card, I think her best strength is in her subtlety. The best parts of “Royals” are its most minor features, like the massive harmonies in its second chorus, or the bassline anchoring the song from the background. Hopefully, it’s something that she gets perfects over time, since of the new pop crowd, I think Lorde has the most potential moving forward. Aside from that, it’s hard to say much on “Royals” these days; it’s been number one on the charts since October, and it had a long gestation both on and off the charts since before that. Still good, though. Now, release “Glory and Gore” as a single!
Ranting About Music! 