Yesterday I teased five tracks that were in the running to be named the Song of 2011. Here they are:
Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
We Found Love - Rihanna
Skyscraper - Demi Levato
Don't You Wanna Stay - Jason Aldean feat Kelly Clarkson
Each song played over and over in my car, at work, in my head. But only can be the Song of 2011...
For plumbing emotional depths and giving me the thrill of sing-crying along on my many commutes, I name "Skyscraper" by Demi Levato the Song of 2011.
Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
2011 Musical Year In Review
I've been slacking with bringing the year end list that I never quite managed to put on paper, so let's do a stream of consciousness type run down of the music that had me dancing, crying and lip-synching... for my life!
I was into some pretty mainstream shizz this year, including Billboard's number album of the year 21 by powerhouse British soultress Adele. You couldn't escape "Rolling In The Deep" or "Someone Like You" and the latest single "Set Fire To The Rain" is probably my favorite track. Rolling Stone named called the plus-size stunner a Heartbreak Superstar but upbeat songs like "Rumour Has It" also allows that voice to expand over a slinky Soul Train beat.
Speaking of that voice, Kelly Clarkson's 2011 album Stronger had some great songs on it as well. The title track is the closest thing to dance pop Miss Independent has done, while "You Love Me" has a Tina Turner vibe that fits Kelly to a tee. Other standouts are "Honestly" and "Dark Side" - both firmly in the love-is-hard power ballad genre that Clarkson has reigned over for the last ten years.
Britney Spears also had a good year, "Hold It Against Me" was a total jam. As was Beyonce's "Countdown" - the one B jam I remember from her lackluster LP 4.
But 2011 was also the year for Disney pop tartlets to take the charts by storm. Selena Gomez & The Scene went new-wave with the dance chart smash "Love You Like A Love Song" after rocking a more subtle inspirational teen pop sound with "Who Says." Meanwhile Selena's one-time BFF Demi Levato bounced back from a battle with bipolar and eating disorders with a heartbreaking ballad recorded before a stint in rehab. "Skyscraper" sounds every bit like the cry for help it turned into, simply gorgeous with a string and piano backing a vocal that is raw and sorrowful. It is my first nominee for Song Of 2011. But not all was tears, the funky collabo with Missy Elliot and Timbaland "All Night Long" is ripe for dancefloors.
Speaking of dancefloors, Ellie Goulding lit them up with the shimmery title track of the album on every Anglophile's lips this year, Lights. Ellie is sure to follow in the footsteps of Robyn and Annie in the foreign-lass-that-has-gay-boys-dancing subgenre of pop. Another great dance track is Beth Ditto's solo single "I Wrote The Book" - replete with a video that doubles as a tribute to Madonna's "Justify My Love." Super producer David Guetta released another bloated pop-star-studded disc this year, but even among the generic pop sounds of Usher and Flo Rida comes a great dance track "Titanium" featuring the lovely Sia. It's a wall-to-wall dance track with a chorus that gets the blood pumping. But the dance song that gets my vote for Song of 2011 is Rihanna's 90s retro club banger featuring British producer Calvin Harris "We Found Love." That line in the chorus, "We found love in a hopeless place," is one of the most breathtaking moments in pop this year.
Meanwhile, saxophones took over the dancefloor and the pop charts. Dev's "In The Dark" utilized the sexy brass as a beat sample, as did Alexandra Stan's "Mr Saxobeat" - both great stripper music. More sex and more Sax can be found in Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" but skip the Missy Elliot remix. Also saxing it up was Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" - the best eighties power ballad since the decade ended.
I always wondering the fact I'm being pandered to should prevent me from enjoying the queer-bait music that always seem to come across my screen. But when it's silly, harmless and catchy fluff like X-Factor reject Simone Battles' "He Like Boys" I don't mind. The cutesy tale of a girl realizing her boyfriend likes boys the same way she does is fun and catchy and a little dumb, kind of like Rebecca Black's awful/awesome sandwich "Friday." Hey, don't judge. I also like Drag Racer Pandora Boxx's "Cooter" which is ten time worse, and also ten time more awesome.
Two slightly more serious gay-friendly singles also had a sway over me. Punk band Rise Against's "Make It Stop (September's Children)" is the first mainstream rock effort I know of to reference the 2010 suicides of LGBT youth. The lyrics seriously make me cry every time I hear them, especially over the bridge where lead singer Tim McIlrath recites the names and ages of the most well known bullying victims. It's unexpected and an important moment in rock music.
Lady Gaga has never been afraid to spread the word on love and acceptance of LGBT people. "Born This Way" also gets a nod for Song of 2011. It's simple, obvious message holds the power: "I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way." Yes, she jacked the melody from "Waterfalls" and "Express Yourself." But who else has the balls (and rumored dick) to say things like "no matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life" and take it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It's a legendary move. She may not have been the first queer-friendly pop star but, by golly, she is the most visible person on the planet and she uses her fame for good. Born This Way is probably my favorite album of the year as well, I still love "Bloody Mary," "Government Hooker," "Sheisse" and "Highway Unicorn."
I also got scads of enjoyment out of Florence + The Machine's "Shake It Out", Rye Rye feat Robyn's "Never Will Be Mine" and Grace Jones' "Corporate Cannibal" which finally saw it's US release this year. From the Breaking Dawn soundtrack came the lovely ballad "A Thousand Years" by Christina "Jar Of Hearts" Perri. "Pumped Up Kicks" came out of nowhere, but the whistle-happy rock single by Foster People got me singing along about people running "faster than my bullet." Gangsta. Glee didn't inspire me to download as much this year as the past two, although Lea Michele and Diana Agron's mash up of "Unpretty" and "I Feel Pretty" was inspired, and like every gay boy I swooned over Darren Criss and The Warbler's a capella take on "Teenage Dream."
Country sounds that I was digging included the legendary Dolly Parton's single "Together You And I" and genre-hopper Kristin Chenoweth's "I Want Somebody (Bitch About)." But it was the sweet, sad sounds of romantic duets that had me putting a tear in my beer. (Yeah right, as if I'd ever drink beer. Make it a Smirnoff Green Apple.) Lady Antebellum followed up "Need You Now" with the misty eyed "Just A Kiss" - an ode to a chaste peck at the end of a date. Jason Aldean and my girl Kelly Clarkson considered a slightly more carnal end to the night with "Don't You Wanna Stay" - another contender for Song of 2011. But Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley explore what happens when sexual fireworks end and humdrum marital life replaces it in the steamy "Remind Me."
On the hip-hop tip, despite Nicki Minaj blowing me away with the bubblegum sounds of the surprise hit "Super Bass" (the final selection to battle for Song Of 2011) and Kelly Rowland sexing the place up with "Motivation" I wasn't really that excited by any rap/hip-hop jams this year.
So, what will be my pick for Song of 2011? Find out Tuesday!
I was into some pretty mainstream shizz this year, including Billboard's number album of the year 21 by powerhouse British soultress Adele. You couldn't escape "Rolling In The Deep" or "Someone Like You" and the latest single "Set Fire To The Rain" is probably my favorite track. Rolling Stone named called the plus-size stunner a Heartbreak Superstar but upbeat songs like "Rumour Has It" also allows that voice to expand over a slinky Soul Train beat.Speaking of that voice, Kelly Clarkson's 2011 album Stronger had some great songs on it as well. The title track is the closest thing to dance pop Miss Independent has done, while "You Love Me" has a Tina Turner vibe that fits Kelly to a tee. Other standouts are "Honestly" and "Dark Side" - both firmly in the love-is-hard power ballad genre that Clarkson has reigned over for the last ten years.
Britney Spears also had a good year, "Hold It Against Me" was a total jam. As was Beyonce's "Countdown" - the one B jam I remember from her lackluster LP 4.
But 2011 was also the year for Disney pop tartlets to take the charts by storm. Selena Gomez & The Scene went new-wave with the dance chart smash "Love You Like A Love Song" after rocking a more subtle inspirational teen pop sound with "Who Says." Meanwhile Selena's one-time BFF Demi Levato bounced back from a battle with bipolar and eating disorders with a heartbreaking ballad recorded before a stint in rehab. "Skyscraper" sounds every bit like the cry for help it turned into, simply gorgeous with a string and piano backing a vocal that is raw and sorrowful. It is my first nominee for Song Of 2011. But not all was tears, the funky collabo with Missy Elliot and Timbaland "All Night Long" is ripe for dancefloors.
Speaking of dancefloors, Ellie Goulding lit them up with the shimmery title track of the album on every Anglophile's lips this year, Lights. Ellie is sure to follow in the footsteps of Robyn and Annie in the foreign-lass-that-has-gay-boys-dancing subgenre of pop. Another great dance track is Beth Ditto's solo single "I Wrote The Book" - replete with a video that doubles as a tribute to Madonna's "Justify My Love." Super producer David Guetta released another bloated pop-star-studded disc this year, but even among the generic pop sounds of Usher and Flo Rida comes a great dance track "Titanium" featuring the lovely Sia. It's a wall-to-wall dance track with a chorus that gets the blood pumping. But the dance song that gets my vote for Song of 2011 is Rihanna's 90s retro club banger featuring British producer Calvin Harris "We Found Love." That line in the chorus, "We found love in a hopeless place," is one of the most breathtaking moments in pop this year.
Meanwhile, saxophones took over the dancefloor and the pop charts. Dev's "In The Dark" utilized the sexy brass as a beat sample, as did Alexandra Stan's "Mr Saxobeat" - both great stripper music. More sex and more Sax can be found in Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" but skip the Missy Elliot remix. Also saxing it up was Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" - the best eighties power ballad since the decade ended.
I always wondering the fact I'm being pandered to should prevent me from enjoying the queer-bait music that always seem to come across my screen. But when it's silly, harmless and catchy fluff like X-Factor reject Simone Battles' "He Like Boys" I don't mind. The cutesy tale of a girl realizing her boyfriend likes boys the same way she does is fun and catchy and a little dumb, kind of like Rebecca Black's awful/awesome sandwich "Friday." Hey, don't judge. I also like Drag Racer Pandora Boxx's "Cooter" which is ten time worse, and also ten time more awesome.
Two slightly more serious gay-friendly singles also had a sway over me. Punk band Rise Against's "Make It Stop (September's Children)" is the first mainstream rock effort I know of to reference the 2010 suicides of LGBT youth. The lyrics seriously make me cry every time I hear them, especially over the bridge where lead singer Tim McIlrath recites the names and ages of the most well known bullying victims. It's unexpected and an important moment in rock music.
Lady Gaga has never been afraid to spread the word on love and acceptance of LGBT people. "Born This Way" also gets a nod for Song of 2011. It's simple, obvious message holds the power: "I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way." Yes, she jacked the melody from "Waterfalls" and "Express Yourself." But who else has the balls (and rumored dick) to say things like "no matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life" and take it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It's a legendary move. She may not have been the first queer-friendly pop star but, by golly, she is the most visible person on the planet and she uses her fame for good. Born This Way is probably my favorite album of the year as well, I still love "Bloody Mary," "Government Hooker," "Sheisse" and "Highway Unicorn."
I also got scads of enjoyment out of Florence + The Machine's "Shake It Out", Rye Rye feat Robyn's "Never Will Be Mine" and Grace Jones' "Corporate Cannibal" which finally saw it's US release this year. From the Breaking Dawn soundtrack came the lovely ballad "A Thousand Years" by Christina "Jar Of Hearts" Perri. "Pumped Up Kicks" came out of nowhere, but the whistle-happy rock single by Foster People got me singing along about people running "faster than my bullet." Gangsta. Glee didn't inspire me to download as much this year as the past two, although Lea Michele and Diana Agron's mash up of "Unpretty" and "I Feel Pretty" was inspired, and like every gay boy I swooned over Darren Criss and The Warbler's a capella take on "Teenage Dream."
On the hip-hop tip, despite Nicki Minaj blowing me away with the bubblegum sounds of the surprise hit "Super Bass" (the final selection to battle for Song Of 2011) and Kelly Rowland sexing the place up with "Motivation" I wasn't really that excited by any rap/hip-hop jams this year.
So, what will be my pick for Song of 2011? Find out Tuesday!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Top 30 Songs of 2010!
OK people! I have been writer's blocked (pick a reason: too happy in love to write/semi-stupefied with depression/kidnapped by vampires that sparkle/all of the above) for too long! So here goes my favorite blog exercise: list-making!
30. "Sticky With Champagne" - Semi-Precious Weapons You Love You
Glam rock upstarts who toured with Lady Gaga (bisexual lead singer Justin Tranter is a friend) released their second album, which featured this ode to debauchery that is so rock n roll.
29. "Do It Like A Dude" - Jessie J Who You Are
Girls going off over gender-based double standards is nothing new. Remember Xtina and Lil' Kim's "Can't Hold Us Down"? But no one has made it sound so dirty and raw as Jessie J. Her first single, a hit in the UK, comes on the heels of songwriting credits for songs like "Party In The USA."
28. "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum Need You Now
Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Breaking up is hard to do, but staying broken up when you're drunk and horny? Impossible. Making all that sounds sweet and beautiful? Lady A's job. Not mine.
27. "Sex & Violence" - Scissor Sisters Night Work
The 80s are calling, they are telling the Scissor Sisters to keep their sound. They do it better, anyway.
26. "Radioactive" - Kings Of Leon Come Around Sundown
That buzzing bass, that joyful chorus, that beat. "Radioactive" is just power, man.
25. "Animal" - Neon Trees Habits
Neon Trees are filling that void that The Killers left when they got all Midwestern Realness on us. An ode to animalistic rutting that have lit the pop charts on fire, "Animal" is dancable rock at it's most rocking. Plus, they have a chick drummer. I love that.
24. "A Year Without Rain" - Selena Gomez & The Scene A Year Without Rain
Perfect techno is so hard to do. Either it's too shrill or the beat plods on. Sometimes it sounds just thrown together to get gay guys on the floor at the club. But that's what makes "A Year Without Rain" so perfect. Sure, the lyrical concept is ripped from Everything But The Girl but that just makes it even more awesome. I kinda have a girl crush on Selena. She's so pretty.
23. "Raise Your Glass" - P!nk Greatest Hits... So Far!!
P!nk gives it up for the underdog with a toast to everyone who has ever been "treated like a fool." All too perfect for this moment in time.
22. "Jar Of Hearts" - Christina Perri Album TBA
After being featured on So You Think You Can Dance, this unsigned pop singer/songwriter had a hit on her hands with this stunning piano and violin ballad. Christina pours out the heartbreak in the aftermath of a selfish lover.
21. "U Should Know Better" - Robyn & Snoop Dogg Body Talk Pt 2 and Body Talk
Trading brags like old school trashing talking MCs, Swedish pop sensation and Dee Oh Double Jizzle get more and more ridiculous.
20. "Barbra Streisand" - Duck Sauce Album TBA
A strange twisted instrumental with two lyrics: a melodious "ooh" and "Barbara Streisand." The quintessential New Yorker serves as a springboard for this bouncy house tune that brings out all the hipsters for the video.
19. "Monster" - Kanye West feat Bon Iver, Rick Ross, Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
'Ye has an ego bigger than Frankenstein's monster and an appetite for applause that would make Dracula blush. But he has the drive for success and a talent to back it up. But here, Nicki Minaj shines brighter than the blood dripping from the Wolfman's teeth. Every line a threat, every word spoken so eloquently and full of venom, she is Medusa and Lady Gaga rolled in one. "Pink wig, thick ass, give 'em whiplash" Points off for Jay-Z phoning it in and way too much use of the N-word.
18. "All The Lovers" - Kylie Minogue Aphrodite
Sleek Euro-disco from the queen of sleek Euro-Disco.
17. "Only Girl In The World" - Rihanna Loud
I may have been the only person in the world to like the darkness of Rihanna's Rated R, but I was quite pleased with her return to the dancefloor. When I hear this song, I feel like the only girl in the world.
16. "King Of Anything" - Sara Bareilles Kaleidoscope Heart
Some people are asses. Smug, self-righteous know-it-alls who will not shut up. But enough about me. Let's talk about Sara's brilliant and, dare I say, sunny kiss-off to such a prick. Piano pop is so passive agressive.
15. "Fuck You" - Cee Lo Green The Lady Killer
As a child I was so sheltered I thought the "f-word" was "fart." As an adult, I found it a powerful word, used best when you want to nail a point home. Clearly, Cee Lo has a point. Stax horns and Motown background vocals have never created a break up song so angry until now.
14. "Bed Intruder Song" - Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Brothers feat Kelly Dodson iTunes Single
Antoine was my hero after pulling an attempted rapist off his sister and then going off on the idiot on the news. Then came the brilliant remix of said interview that took internet fame to the Billboard charts and my playlists.
13. "Your Love" - Nicki Minaj Pink Friday
Nicki's raps on her debut album may not match the guest verses she's been throwing out all year, but when you rely so heavily on a sample from Annie Lennox and include a chorus that is one part sweet and one part hard you can't help but love it.
12. "Like A G6" - Far*East Movement feat. Cataracs & Dev Free Wired
Have you ever felt like you lost a few brain cells listening to a song, but couldn't stop listening? That's the story of "Like A G6" - a beat like a taut rubberband and rap that could be in Chinese for all I care about it. The hook is mere white-girl gang posturing, leaving a song with as much substance as Cool Whip. And I keep coming back for another spoonful.
11. "Rolling In The Deep" - Adele 21
If you ever looked at my music collection, you know I love a slow-burning torch song. The lead single from Adele's 2011 album is torchy and sung with a confidence not found on 19. Perhaps she's grown up? Add a great beat and piano and I am hooked.
10. "Alejandro" - Lady Gaga The Fame Monster
Lady G may never make a single as fabulous as "Bad Romance" but stealing from Swedish pop masters ABBA for a title and Ace Of Base for a melody isn't a shabby way to create magic. The video may have been too crazy by half, but the song grabs you by the hair and will not let go.
9. "Whip My Hair" - Willow Album TBA
Oh, Scientology! You do create some adorable moppets. See also: Suri Cruise. Who knew a 9-year-old would force us all to risk whiplash just to get our groove on? I don't condone child labor, but I cannot resist!
8. "Shark In the Water" - V.V. Brown Travelling Like The Light
The Fauxtown boom led by Amy Winehouse may be winding down, but that doesn't mean we should retire our tambourines just yet. This light and airy pop-soul single from the British Ms. Brown is a gem.
7. "We R Who We R" - Ke$ha Cannibal
Even though the trashiest pop singer since Paris Hilton (oh snap!) can't spell to save her life, and never met a glitter-based make-up product she didn't love, I find her blend of party-hearty techno and love-everybody neo-hippie message refreshing. "We R Who We R" stands in solidarity with bullied youths, and the videos image of K-Dolla falling from a building but being caught by her fans is beautiful. In a totally trashy way.
6. "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)" - Alicia Keys The Element Of Freedom
Alicia has always has a brilliant knack for pop sounds that don't bury the soul in her voice and lyrics. This smooth-as-glass production is full of mood and a quietly dark beauty.
5. "Heavy In Your Arms" - Florence + The Machine The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack
Taylor Lautner's well-honed abs are not the only good thing to come from the filmed version of Stephanie Meyer's bestselling novels. This cut from the soundtrack to the third film is cinematic in scope, and it's little wonder Flo's debut album was called Lungs, the girl has plenty of power residing there.
4. "If I Die Young" - The Band Perry The Band Perry
Country music has always depended on melancholic songs that reflect a belief in the hereafter, but none did it in such an emo way as The Band Perry on their debut single. After the recent trend of teen suicides, the song takes on an even sadder tone.
3. "Naturally" - Selena Gomez & The Scene Kiss & Tell
Produced by the same outfit as fellow Disney star Miley Cyrus's "See You Again," "Naturally" is teen dance pop at its catchiest! The pulsing beat, Selena's sweet vocals and that chorus that just won't stop ringing in your brain are a deadly combo.
2. "Invisible Light" - Scissor Sisters Night Work
If adding Ian McKellen to your Stuart Price-helmed epic story-song of debauched clubbing isn't gay enough for you, then you're too demanding. The sleek dance sound is the Sisters' at the best.
1. "Dancing On My Own" - Robyn Body Talk Pt. 1 and Body Talk
From the first of her three EPs this year come this tribute to the "sad gay disco songs" Robyn loves. Sheer pop beauty, sad yet dancable at the same time, "Dancing On My Own" secedes her prior UK smashes "With Every Heartbeat" and "Be Mine!" as the soundtrack for heartbreak.
30. "Sticky With Champagne" - Semi-Precious Weapons You Love You
Glam rock upstarts who toured with Lady Gaga (bisexual lead singer Justin Tranter is a friend) released their second album, which featured this ode to debauchery that is so rock n roll.
29. "Do It Like A Dude" - Jessie J Who You Are
Girls going off over gender-based double standards is nothing new. Remember Xtina and Lil' Kim's "Can't Hold Us Down"? But no one has made it sound so dirty and raw as Jessie J. Her first single, a hit in the UK, comes on the heels of songwriting credits for songs like "Party In The USA."
28. "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum Need You Now
Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Breaking up is hard to do, but staying broken up when you're drunk and horny? Impossible. Making all that sounds sweet and beautiful? Lady A's job. Not mine.
27. "Sex & Violence" - Scissor Sisters Night Work
The 80s are calling, they are telling the Scissor Sisters to keep their sound. They do it better, anyway.
26. "Radioactive" - Kings Of Leon Come Around Sundown
That buzzing bass, that joyful chorus, that beat. "Radioactive" is just power, man.
25. "Animal" - Neon Trees Habits
Neon Trees are filling that void that The Killers left when they got all Midwestern Realness on us. An ode to animalistic rutting that have lit the pop charts on fire, "Animal" is dancable rock at it's most rocking. Plus, they have a chick drummer. I love that.
24. "A Year Without Rain" - Selena Gomez & The Scene A Year Without Rain
Perfect techno is so hard to do. Either it's too shrill or the beat plods on. Sometimes it sounds just thrown together to get gay guys on the floor at the club. But that's what makes "A Year Without Rain" so perfect. Sure, the lyrical concept is ripped from Everything But The Girl but that just makes it even more awesome. I kinda have a girl crush on Selena. She's so pretty.
23. "Raise Your Glass" - P!nk Greatest Hits... So Far!!
P!nk gives it up for the underdog with a toast to everyone who has ever been "treated like a fool." All too perfect for this moment in time.
22. "Jar Of Hearts" - Christina Perri Album TBA
After being featured on So You Think You Can Dance, this unsigned pop singer/songwriter had a hit on her hands with this stunning piano and violin ballad. Christina pours out the heartbreak in the aftermath of a selfish lover.
21. "U Should Know Better" - Robyn & Snoop Dogg Body Talk Pt 2 and Body Talk
Trading brags like old school trashing talking MCs, Swedish pop sensation and Dee Oh Double Jizzle get more and more ridiculous.
20. "Barbra Streisand" - Duck Sauce Album TBA
A strange twisted instrumental with two lyrics: a melodious "ooh" and "Barbara Streisand." The quintessential New Yorker serves as a springboard for this bouncy house tune that brings out all the hipsters for the video.
19. "Monster" - Kanye West feat Bon Iver, Rick Ross, Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
'Ye has an ego bigger than Frankenstein's monster and an appetite for applause that would make Dracula blush. But he has the drive for success and a talent to back it up. But here, Nicki Minaj shines brighter than the blood dripping from the Wolfman's teeth. Every line a threat, every word spoken so eloquently and full of venom, she is Medusa and Lady Gaga rolled in one. "Pink wig, thick ass, give 'em whiplash" Points off for Jay-Z phoning it in and way too much use of the N-word.
18. "All The Lovers" - Kylie Minogue Aphrodite
Sleek Euro-disco from the queen of sleek Euro-Disco.
17. "Only Girl In The World" - Rihanna Loud
I may have been the only person in the world to like the darkness of Rihanna's Rated R, but I was quite pleased with her return to the dancefloor. When I hear this song, I feel like the only girl in the world.
16. "King Of Anything" - Sara Bareilles Kaleidoscope Heart
Some people are asses. Smug, self-righteous know-it-alls who will not shut up. But enough about me. Let's talk about Sara's brilliant and, dare I say, sunny kiss-off to such a prick. Piano pop is so passive agressive.
15. "Fuck You" - Cee Lo Green The Lady Killer
As a child I was so sheltered I thought the "f-word" was "fart." As an adult, I found it a powerful word, used best when you want to nail a point home. Clearly, Cee Lo has a point. Stax horns and Motown background vocals have never created a break up song so angry until now.
14. "Bed Intruder Song" - Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Brothers feat Kelly Dodson iTunes Single
Antoine was my hero after pulling an attempted rapist off his sister and then going off on the idiot on the news. Then came the brilliant remix of said interview that took internet fame to the Billboard charts and my playlists.
13. "Your Love" - Nicki Minaj Pink Friday
Nicki's raps on her debut album may not match the guest verses she's been throwing out all year, but when you rely so heavily on a sample from Annie Lennox and include a chorus that is one part sweet and one part hard you can't help but love it.
12. "Like A G6" - Far*East Movement feat. Cataracs & Dev Free Wired
Have you ever felt like you lost a few brain cells listening to a song, but couldn't stop listening? That's the story of "Like A G6" - a beat like a taut rubberband and rap that could be in Chinese for all I care about it. The hook is mere white-girl gang posturing, leaving a song with as much substance as Cool Whip. And I keep coming back for another spoonful.
11. "Rolling In The Deep" - Adele 21
If you ever looked at my music collection, you know I love a slow-burning torch song. The lead single from Adele's 2011 album is torchy and sung with a confidence not found on 19. Perhaps she's grown up? Add a great beat and piano and I am hooked.
10. "Alejandro" - Lady Gaga The Fame Monster
Lady G may never make a single as fabulous as "Bad Romance" but stealing from Swedish pop masters ABBA for a title and Ace Of Base for a melody isn't a shabby way to create magic. The video may have been too crazy by half, but the song grabs you by the hair and will not let go.
9. "Whip My Hair" - Willow Album TBA
Oh, Scientology! You do create some adorable moppets. See also: Suri Cruise. Who knew a 9-year-old would force us all to risk whiplash just to get our groove on? I don't condone child labor, but I cannot resist!
8. "Shark In the Water" - V.V. Brown Travelling Like The Light
The Fauxtown boom led by Amy Winehouse may be winding down, but that doesn't mean we should retire our tambourines just yet. This light and airy pop-soul single from the British Ms. Brown is a gem.
7. "We R Who We R" - Ke$ha Cannibal
Even though the trashiest pop singer since Paris Hilton (oh snap!) can't spell to save her life, and never met a glitter-based make-up product she didn't love, I find her blend of party-hearty techno and love-everybody neo-hippie message refreshing. "We R Who We R" stands in solidarity with bullied youths, and the videos image of K-Dolla falling from a building but being caught by her fans is beautiful. In a totally trashy way.
6. "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)" - Alicia Keys The Element Of Freedom
Alicia has always has a brilliant knack for pop sounds that don't bury the soul in her voice and lyrics. This smooth-as-glass production is full of mood and a quietly dark beauty.
5. "Heavy In Your Arms" - Florence + The Machine The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack
Taylor Lautner's well-honed abs are not the only good thing to come from the filmed version of Stephanie Meyer's bestselling novels. This cut from the soundtrack to the third film is cinematic in scope, and it's little wonder Flo's debut album was called Lungs, the girl has plenty of power residing there.
4. "If I Die Young" - The Band Perry The Band Perry
Country music has always depended on melancholic songs that reflect a belief in the hereafter, but none did it in such an emo way as The Band Perry on their debut single. After the recent trend of teen suicides, the song takes on an even sadder tone.
3. "Naturally" - Selena Gomez & The Scene Kiss & Tell
Produced by the same outfit as fellow Disney star Miley Cyrus's "See You Again," "Naturally" is teen dance pop at its catchiest! The pulsing beat, Selena's sweet vocals and that chorus that just won't stop ringing in your brain are a deadly combo.
2. "Invisible Light" - Scissor Sisters Night Work
If adding Ian McKellen to your Stuart Price-helmed epic story-song of debauched clubbing isn't gay enough for you, then you're too demanding. The sleek dance sound is the Sisters' at the best.
1. "Dancing On My Own" - Robyn Body Talk Pt. 1 and Body Talk
From the first of her three EPs this year come this tribute to the "sad gay disco songs" Robyn loves. Sheer pop beauty, sad yet dancable at the same time, "Dancing On My Own" secedes her prior UK smashes "With Every Heartbeat" and "Be Mine!" as the soundtrack for heartbreak.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The "It Gets Better" Playlist
In the wake of teen suicides nationwide, it's easy to wonder where these teens can turn. For the first time that I can recall, pop radio may hold the answer.
OK, I may be putting pop songs on a pedestal, but pop stars are releasing songs that people can dance and sing along with but also encourage young people who are bullied without being schmaltzy. And while these are not the newest themes, as Christina Aguilera and Cyndi Lauper would be quick to remind you, this is the first time I've seen a recurring theme of singles and album tracks that are directed at bullied youth (and LGBT ones in particular.)
That naughty trash-pop minx Ke$ha tells Entertainment Weekly that her mini-album Cannibal's lead single "We R Who We R" is intended to be a pride anthem, a "celebration of any sort of quirks or eccentricities." It's also a lot of fun to dance to, as well:
Meanwhile, Katy Perry's tumultuous relationship with the gay community takes a turn for the better with the "Fireworks" - a Jack Kerouac-referencing ditty of empowerment, with boys kissing in the video:
Over in P!nk's world, one of two news songs included on the US release of her Greatest Hits... So Far!!! album is "Raise Your Glass." Besides quoting the Joker, this anthem for underdogs and sundry other "dirty little freaks" continues P!nk's strong commitment to gay rights. She performs the song at a gay wedding in the video for the song:
The Facebook Generation's songwriter of record, Taylor Swift includes the song "Mean" on her platinum-selling disc Speak Now. It's a simple tale of childhood bullies left in the dust as Taylor goes on to selling a million-plus CDs in a week. "Someday I'll be big enough that you can't hit me" the country-pop cutie sings, and I pray that troubles kids are singing along. Because it's true!
I'm still on the fence about Eminem and Lil' Wayne's Haddaway-sampling single "No Love" The video is heartbreaking, but as usual Wayne and Em can't control their potty-mouth, including both racial and homosexual slurs in the rhymes. Thoughts?
Let's clean our ears out with some very positive music from Broadway cast members! The proceeds from the iTunes downloads of "It Gets Better" directly benefits The Trevor Project, the only national suicide prevention hotline for LGBT youth. It's very inspirational and catchy, too!
And we cannot forget the classics, Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" has been a source of inspiration for gay people for years. In support of the "It Gets Better" project, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles performed the song. Truly beautiful!
Of course, you know Lady Gaga will be weighing in soon...
OK, I may be putting pop songs on a pedestal, but pop stars are releasing songs that people can dance and sing along with but also encourage young people who are bullied without being schmaltzy. And while these are not the newest themes, as Christina Aguilera and Cyndi Lauper would be quick to remind you, this is the first time I've seen a recurring theme of singles and album tracks that are directed at bullied youth (and LGBT ones in particular.)
That naughty trash-pop minx Ke$ha tells Entertainment Weekly that her mini-album Cannibal's lead single "We R Who We R" is intended to be a pride anthem, a "celebration of any sort of quirks or eccentricities." It's also a lot of fun to dance to, as well:
Meanwhile, Katy Perry's tumultuous relationship with the gay community takes a turn for the better with the "Fireworks" - a Jack Kerouac-referencing ditty of empowerment, with boys kissing in the video:
Over in P!nk's world, one of two news songs included on the US release of her Greatest Hits... So Far!!! album is "Raise Your Glass." Besides quoting the Joker, this anthem for underdogs and sundry other "dirty little freaks" continues P!nk's strong commitment to gay rights. She performs the song at a gay wedding in the video for the song:
The Facebook Generation's songwriter of record, Taylor Swift includes the song "Mean" on her platinum-selling disc Speak Now. It's a simple tale of childhood bullies left in the dust as Taylor goes on to selling a million-plus CDs in a week. "Someday I'll be big enough that you can't hit me" the country-pop cutie sings, and I pray that troubles kids are singing along. Because it's true!
I'm still on the fence about Eminem and Lil' Wayne's Haddaway-sampling single "No Love" The video is heartbreaking, but as usual Wayne and Em can't control their potty-mouth, including both racial and homosexual slurs in the rhymes. Thoughts?
Let's clean our ears out with some very positive music from Broadway cast members! The proceeds from the iTunes downloads of "It Gets Better" directly benefits The Trevor Project, the only national suicide prevention hotline for LGBT youth. It's very inspirational and catchy, too!
And we cannot forget the classics, Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" has been a source of inspiration for gay people for years. In support of the "It Gets Better" project, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles performed the song. Truly beautiful!
Of course, you know Lady Gaga will be weighing in soon...
Monday, September 13, 2010
VH1's "100 Greatest Artist Of All Time" - Really?
I love lists. I love arguing over them, I love reading them, I love making them. I love lists.
So when I heard that VH1 would be counting down the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time, as voted on by over 200 artists, I got excited. I knew The Beatles would be number one, because Boomers have been wacking off over them for so long that I think
little babies are currently being born knowing the words to "Let It Be" and thinking they mean something important. I thought MJ might sneak ahead, but since only rock bands matter in this world, I shoulda known I'd be wrong.
But the list, which you can read in it's entirety here, pisses me off. Why? Cuz I like being pissed off. As usual, men make up the bulk of the list. Only 14 of the artists are female solo artists or have female leads.
Also, only one country artist (Johnny Cash) and one jazz musician (Ray Charles) made the list. And these men both crossed over into rock in major ways.
So who is missing? For starters, Dolly Parton, a songwriter and guitar player with a beautiful voice and major star power. Songs like "Jolene" and "Down From Dover" are some of the most powerful pieces of music I've ever heard. And while we're talking country, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire and Hank Williams could have replaced Van Morrison, Pearl Jam and Peter Gabriel on the list.
Moving past country, The Pretenders are the only band holding it down for the female rockers. Where are The Go-Go's or Pat Benatar? Or BLONDIE? For fuck's sake, they did everything The Police did AND had a disco hit!
And let's talk classic artists of the pre-rock era. Billie Holiday? Frank Sinatra? Judy Garland? really, these people mean nothing? What about Nina Simone? Did everyone miss "Mississippi Goddam"?
I must say, a few people did surprise me in a good way. ABBA making on was a delight. I really think they are greatly underrated. Listening to their full albums leave the listener a glimpse into a weird world of pop songs refracted through many genres throughout the world. And Justin Timberlake has a lot more up his sleeve than people see. Mary J. Blige is a gift as well.
I think what it comes down to is that musical appreciation is subjective. And what I love others may hate, and vice versa. I just hate the fact that men get the praise for doing the same thing over and over while women are presented as just sex objects with little talent.
So when I heard that VH1 would be counting down the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time, as voted on by over 200 artists, I got excited. I knew The Beatles would be number one, because Boomers have been wacking off over them for so long that I think
little babies are currently being born knowing the words to "Let It Be" and thinking they mean something important. I thought MJ might sneak ahead, but since only rock bands matter in this world, I shoulda known I'd be wrong.But the list, which you can read in it's entirety here, pisses me off. Why? Cuz I like being pissed off. As usual, men make up the bulk of the list. Only 14 of the artists are female solo artists or have female leads.
Also, only one country artist (Johnny Cash) and one jazz musician (Ray Charles) made the list. And these men both crossed over into rock in major ways.
So who is missing? For starters, Dolly Parton, a songwriter and guitar player with a beautiful voice and major star power. Songs like "Jolene" and "Down From Dover" are some of the most powerful pieces of music I've ever heard. And while we're talking country, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire and Hank Williams could have replaced Van Morrison, Pearl Jam and Peter Gabriel on the list.
Moving past country, The Pretenders are the only band holding it down for the female rockers. Where are The Go-Go's or Pat Benatar? Or BLONDIE? For fuck's sake, they did everything The Police did AND had a disco hit!
And let's talk classic artists of the pre-rock era. Billie Holiday? Frank Sinatra? Judy Garland? really, these people mean nothing? What about Nina Simone? Did everyone miss "Mississippi Goddam"?
I must say, a few people did surprise me in a good way. ABBA making on was a delight. I really think they are greatly underrated. Listening to their full albums leave the listener a glimpse into a weird world of pop songs refracted through many genres throughout the world. And Justin Timberlake has a lot more up his sleeve than people see. Mary J. Blige is a gift as well.
I think what it comes down to is that musical appreciation is subjective. And what I love others may hate, and vice versa. I just hate the fact that men get the praise for doing the same thing over and over while women are presented as just sex objects with little talent.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Top 50 of 2009: Part Two - 25 to 1
25. "Russian Roulette" - Rihanna (Rated R)
The lead single from Ri Ri post-Chris Brown album is dark, moody and dangerous - the perfect way to annouce her return from a hellish year.
24. "Tik Tok" - Ke$ha (Animal)
Like Lady Gaga's trashy sister from the dark alley's of LA, Ke$ha made her mark as music's newest party girl in this Dr. Luke-penned party hardy anthem. Infectious as herpes and bouncy as a stripper's bra, "Tik Tok" is the party jam du jour.
23. "She Wolf" - Shakira (She Wolf)
It's French disco sung by a Colombian beauty, it has lines like "this is lycanthropy" and "I'm starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office." It shouldn't work, but by some voodoo, it does.
22. "Strut" - Adam Lambert (For Your Entertainment)
It's the theme song for every Tyra wannabe, "Strut" has soundtracked my every attempt at walking in imaginary heels and gown.
21. "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" - Pitbull (Rebelution)
The Cuban-American rapper creates my favorite naughty line ("Got her in the cock pit, playing with Pit's cock/now watch me make a movie like Alfred Hitchcock") and gives me a song to sing to my boyfriend to let him know I'm in the mood.
20. "Laughing With" - Regina Spektor (Far)
Regina explores the painful reality of life, while reminding us to laugh along with the Almighty when things go wrong.
19. "All I Ever Wanted" - Kelly Clarkson (All I Ever Wanted)
Kelly may have been forced by Clive Davis to create a radio-friendly album, but that didn't stop her from playing on the edges of pop/rock a little. This funk-fused pop song, the title track from her fourth album, utilizes Kelly's powerful pipes to their full effect.
18. "Stillness Is The Move" - Solange (unreleased)
Solange samples the same source material as Erykah Badu's "Bag Lady" to cover indie stars Dirty Projector's love song, creating a brilliant old school soul jam.
17. "Dance In The Dark" - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster)
As if creating an 80s style synth-pop dance song wasn't enough, the Gaga one drops a "Vogue" style breakdown in the middle and name checks every tragic fame monster ever, from Sylvia Plath to Jon Benet Ramsey. Brilliant!
16. "Battlefield" - Jordin Sparks (Battlefield)
Pat Benatar may have let the world know that love is a battlefield some twenty-odd years ago, but that doesn't stop Jordin Sparks (with some help from Ryan Tedder) from asking why.
15. "Already Gone" - Kelly Clarkson (All I Ever Wanted)
Ryan Tedder was a busy boy this year, producing hits for Jordin Sparks, Beyonce, Kelly and One Republic as well as album tracks for Adam Lambert. So it seems eventually he would recycle ideas from one song to another. But even after giving the same beat to Kelly and Beyonce, it was clear that Kelly's heartfelt vocals and heartbreaking lyrics created a better song.
14. "Fuck You" - Lily Allen (It's Not Me, It's You)
Lily Allen kept her potty mouth for the follow-up to her debut, but dropped the retro sound for the sleek, modern electropop of It's Not Me, It's You. But on this middle finger to the Bush administration, she sounds like a chorus girl with a heart of black hatred. And light snarkiness.
13. "Te Amo" - Rihanna (Rated R)
What's a girl to do when fun on the dancefloor turns into something more? Try not to break any hearts, even if it belongs to a girl who can only say "I love you" in Spanish.
12. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift (Fearless)
She might be the hottest thing in country music, but "You Belong With Me" is hookier than most pop songs and the lyrics are universal. For every gay boy in love with his straight best friend, every lonely girl in love with the boy next door and every person who ever felt the sting of unrequited love, this is your song.
11. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - Kelly Clarkson (All I Ever Wanted)
Yes, it's "Since U Been Gone" part two. But what better song to recycle? It's a brilliant slice of power pop perfection, and there is nothing better than Kelly on her game, singing the songs of Max Martin and Dr. Luke. (Well, besides singing her own songs... coughMyDecembercough)
10. "Date My Avatar" - The Guild feat Felicia Day (Single Only)
I know it was meant to be a throw away promo for a web show about geeks playing RPGs. But it filled the Aqua shaped void in my heart and taught me the glories of cosplay.
9. "Genius Next Door" - Regina Spektor (Far)
Over a densely moving piano, Regina waxes poetic over kids almost drowning in lakes. Is it a metaphor? Is it a true crime story? Do I care? It's brilliant.
8. "Two Is Better Than One" - Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift (Love Drunk)
Two is better than one, at least when those two are a pop punk band and a country cutie who harmonize over acoustic guitars and strings. Ah, I'm just a sucker for a power ballad...
7. "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster)
It's dance pop at it's most intelligent, with forty-seven hooks and seven zillion pounds of glamorousness. If you can resist dancing, you have better self control than I. If you can resist singing along, you are not human!
6. "Whatya Want From Me" - Adam Lambert (For Your Entertainment)
It's telling that this second single from Adam's debut is a little more toned down, and little more contrite. After the absurd scandal over his performance on the American Music Awards, Adam needed something a little softer. But that doesn't mean that this song, penned by Pink for her last album, is a snoozer. It's still powerful and perfect for his amazing instrument.
5. "When Love Takes Over" - David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland (One Love)
It's a dancefloor anthem, perfect for singing along, dancing along and living. I'm so glad to have Kelly back in the game!
.4 "Dear God, Please Help Me" - Marianne Faithfull (Easy Come, Easy Go)
Marianne's whiskey-soaked vocals completely destroy the heart of any one who hears her cover of Morrisey's song of innocence lost while in Rome. The high church organs and guitars swirl around her instrument of mass emotional destruction to create the best cover of the year.
3. "Don't Stop Believin'" - The Cast Of Glee (Glee - The Music, Volume 1)
Lea Michele and Cory Monteith lead the cast of the most joyous thing on TV in a cover of the most triumphant anthem in pop history. To not love it is to admit you are missing your emotion chip.
2. "Paparazzi" - Lady Gaga (The Fame)
Love and obsession intertwine over icy Italio Disco beats on the fourth single from Our Lady Of Perpetual Fabulousness's debut disc. The fact the video is epic and the line "You're my rock star in between the sets/Eyeliner and cigarettes" perfectly describes my current boyf helps make "Paparazzi" the best Gaga tune this year.
1. "Daniel" - Bat For Lashes (Two Suns)
In this ode to nostalgic love and the Karate Kid, Natasha Khan replaces the string quartets and girl group tambourines of her debut with synths and beats. It's still creepy as hall, and the atmospheric lead single from her concept album took her detached-yet-emotional vocals to another level.
The lead single from Ri Ri post-Chris Brown album is dark, moody and dangerous - the perfect way to annouce her return from a hellish year.
24. "Tik Tok" - Ke$ha (Animal)
Like Lady Gaga's trashy sister from the dark alley's of LA, Ke$ha made her mark as music's newest party girl in this Dr. Luke-penned party hardy anthem. Infectious as herpes and bouncy as a stripper's bra, "Tik Tok" is the party jam du jour.
23. "She Wolf" - Shakira (She Wolf)
It's French disco sung by a Colombian beauty, it has lines like "this is lycanthropy" and "I'm starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office." It shouldn't work, but by some voodoo, it does.
22. "Strut" - Adam Lambert (For Your Entertainment)
It's the theme song for every Tyra wannabe, "Strut" has soundtracked my every attempt at walking in imaginary heels and gown.
21. "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" - Pitbull (Rebelution)
The Cuban-American rapper creates my favorite naughty line ("Got her in the cock pit, playing with Pit's cock/now watch me make a movie like Alfred Hitchcock") and gives me a song to sing to my boyfriend to let him know I'm in the mood.
20. "Laughing With" - Regina Spektor (Far)
Regina explores the painful reality of life, while reminding us to laugh along with the Almighty when things go wrong.
19. "All I Ever Wanted" - Kelly Clarkson (All I Ever Wanted)
Kelly may have been forced by Clive Davis to create a radio-friendly album, but that didn't stop her from playing on the edges of pop/rock a little. This funk-fused pop song, the title track from her fourth album, utilizes Kelly's powerful pipes to their full effect.
18. "Stillness Is The Move" - Solange (unreleased)
Solange samples the same source material as Erykah Badu's "Bag Lady" to cover indie stars Dirty Projector's love song, creating a brilliant old school soul jam.
17. "Dance In The Dark" - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster)
As if creating an 80s style synth-pop dance song wasn't enough, the Gaga one drops a "Vogue" style breakdown in the middle and name checks every tragic fame monster ever, from Sylvia Plath to Jon Benet Ramsey. Brilliant!
16. "Battlefield" - Jordin Sparks (Battlefield)
Pat Benatar may have let the world know that love is a battlefield some twenty-odd years ago, but that doesn't stop Jordin Sparks (with some help from Ryan Tedder) from asking why.
15. "Already Gone" - Kelly Clarkson (All I Ever Wanted)
Ryan Tedder was a busy boy this year, producing hits for Jordin Sparks, Beyonce, Kelly and One Republic as well as album tracks for Adam Lambert. So it seems eventually he would recycle ideas from one song to another. But even after giving the same beat to Kelly and Beyonce, it was clear that Kelly's heartfelt vocals and heartbreaking lyrics created a better song.
14. "Fuck You" - Lily Allen (It's Not Me, It's You)
Lily Allen kept her potty mouth for the follow-up to her debut, but dropped the retro sound for the sleek, modern electropop of It's Not Me, It's You. But on this middle finger to the Bush administration, she sounds like a chorus girl with a heart of black hatred. And light snarkiness.
13. "Te Amo" - Rihanna (Rated R)
What's a girl to do when fun on the dancefloor turns into something more? Try not to break any hearts, even if it belongs to a girl who can only say "I love you" in Spanish.
12. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift (Fearless)
She might be the hottest thing in country music, but "You Belong With Me" is hookier than most pop songs and the lyrics are universal. For every gay boy in love with his straight best friend, every lonely girl in love with the boy next door and every person who ever felt the sting of unrequited love, this is your song.
11. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - Kelly Clarkson (All I Ever Wanted)
Yes, it's "Since U Been Gone" part two. But what better song to recycle? It's a brilliant slice of power pop perfection, and there is nothing better than Kelly on her game, singing the songs of Max Martin and Dr. Luke. (Well, besides singing her own songs... coughMyDecembercough)
10. "Date My Avatar" - The Guild feat Felicia Day (Single Only)
I know it was meant to be a throw away promo for a web show about geeks playing RPGs. But it filled the Aqua shaped void in my heart and taught me the glories of cosplay.
9. "Genius Next Door" - Regina Spektor (Far)
Over a densely moving piano, Regina waxes poetic over kids almost drowning in lakes. Is it a metaphor? Is it a true crime story? Do I care? It's brilliant.
8. "Two Is Better Than One" - Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift (Love Drunk)
Two is better than one, at least when those two are a pop punk band and a country cutie who harmonize over acoustic guitars and strings. Ah, I'm just a sucker for a power ballad...
7. "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster)
It's dance pop at it's most intelligent, with forty-seven hooks and seven zillion pounds of glamorousness. If you can resist dancing, you have better self control than I. If you can resist singing along, you are not human!
6. "Whatya Want From Me" - Adam Lambert (For Your Entertainment)
It's telling that this second single from Adam's debut is a little more toned down, and little more contrite. After the absurd scandal over his performance on the American Music Awards, Adam needed something a little softer. But that doesn't mean that this song, penned by Pink for her last album, is a snoozer. It's still powerful and perfect for his amazing instrument.
5. "When Love Takes Over" - David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland (One Love)
It's a dancefloor anthem, perfect for singing along, dancing along and living. I'm so glad to have Kelly back in the game!
.4 "Dear God, Please Help Me" - Marianne Faithfull (Easy Come, Easy Go)
Marianne's whiskey-soaked vocals completely destroy the heart of any one who hears her cover of Morrisey's song of innocence lost while in Rome. The high church organs and guitars swirl around her instrument of mass emotional destruction to create the best cover of the year.
3. "Don't Stop Believin'" - The Cast Of Glee (Glee - The Music, Volume 1)
Lea Michele and Cory Monteith lead the cast of the most joyous thing on TV in a cover of the most triumphant anthem in pop history. To not love it is to admit you are missing your emotion chip.
2. "Paparazzi" - Lady Gaga (The Fame)
Love and obsession intertwine over icy Italio Disco beats on the fourth single from Our Lady Of Perpetual Fabulousness's debut disc. The fact the video is epic and the line "You're my rock star in between the sets/Eyeliner and cigarettes" perfectly describes my current boyf helps make "Paparazzi" the best Gaga tune this year.
1. "Daniel" - Bat For Lashes (Two Suns)
In this ode to nostalgic love and the Karate Kid, Natasha Khan replaces the string quartets and girl group tambourines of her debut with synths and beats. It's still creepy as hall, and the atmospheric lead single from her concept album took her detached-yet-emotional vocals to another level.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Top 50 of 2009: Part One - 50 to 26
It's a little late in coming, but here is part one of the year's best songs...
50. "One Love" - David Guetta feat Estelle (One Love)
Brit pop star Estelle brings a gospel stomp to this techno gem.
49. "Telephone" - Lady Gaga feat Beyonce (The Fame Monster)
Beyonce may have struck first, releasing a remix of her I Am... Sasha Feirce single "Video Phone" featuring the Gaga one, but "Telephone" is ten-million percent better.
48. "Throwing My Arms Around Paris" - Morrissey (Years Of Refusal)
Paris the city. Not Paris Hilton.
47. "Evacuate The Dancefloor" - Cascada (Evacuate The Dancefloor)
One of the many trashy "Just Dance" rip-off from 2009, only featuring the greatest line in techno history: "Stop, this beat is killing me."
46. "When Doves Cry" - The Twilight Singers feat Appolonia (Purplish Rain)
From Spin magazine's tribute to the classic soundtrack to Purple Rain comes this moody, spooky reading of the title song.
45. "Story Of A Heart" - Benny Andersson Band (Story Of A Heart)
The closest thing to ABBA reunion we may ever get.
44. "Whatcha Say" - Jason Derulo (Jason Derulo)
Producer JR Rotem samples Imogen Heap for the strangest r&b single to top the Hot 100. True story.
43. "Sweet Dreams" - Beyonce (I Am... Sasha Feirce)
Queen B finally goes the entire electro pop route, and proves she can take any sound to the charts.
42. "Fireflies" - Owl City (Ocean Eyes)
Sometimes, a radio single is so delightfully giddy and insanely catchy, nobody cares it's about an insomniac counting fireflies.
41. "Feel It In My Bones" - Tiesto feat Tegan & Sara (Kaleidoscope)
Yes, lesbian twins like techno, too.
40. "Heartbreak On Vinyl" - Blake Lewis (Heartbreak On Vinyl)
So do American Idol runners-up.
39. "Love Sex Magic" - Ciara feat Justin Timberlake (Fantasy Ride)
Hot funky vibes and a sick as hell lyrical back and forth makes me wish JT and Ciara teamed up more often.
38. "Use Somebody" - Kings On Leon (Only By The Night)
Everybody covered this rock track, and radio played it so much I almost got sick of it. Almost...
37. "3" - Britney Spears (The Singles Collection)
Britney + Max Martin + dirty sex talk = pop gold.
36. "High Hopes & Heartbreaks" - Brooke White (High Hopes & Heartbreaks)
American Idol '08's resident good girl takes a ride on the sunny side of Cali pop and breaks her heart in the process.
35. "Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starhip feat. Leighton Meister (Hot Mess)
Emo pop band meets Gossip Girl star and sparks fly.
34. "Down" - Jay Sean feat Lil Wayne (All Or Nothing)
Beautiful techno-pop with the Weezy cameo required to make it a smash hit.
33. "I Get Off" - Halestorm (Halestorm)
Female-fronted rock band enjoys vouyerism and hard guitars.
32. "Eat You Up" - BoA (BoA: The First Album)
Why America couldn't embrace a Korean chick with fly beats and funky dance moves I will never understand.
31. "Please Don’t Leave Me" - P!nk (Funhouse)
Please don't think I'm an obsessive stalker chick, just cause I am.
30. "You Found Me" - The Fray (The Fray)
They found God on the corner of Billboard and Number 13.
29. "Million Dollar Bill" - Whitney Houston (I Look To You)
Alicia Keys penned this funky ode to praiseworthy lovers. Why can't her upbeat stuff ever sound this good? Cuz she ain't Whitney.
28. "Fallin For You" - Colbie Calliat (The Breakthrough)
And to think, two years ago I hated Colbie Calliat. But when you create a song that mixes the best parts of Sheryl Crow, Fleetwood Mac and new love, you create a winner.
27. "The Room Where You Sleep" - Dead Man’s Bones (Dead Man's Bones)
Ryan Gosling is not just that hottie from The Notebook. He's also the frontman for a creepy children's choir-guesting southern Gothic rock band. This song is creepy as fuck. I like it.
26. "Hot Stuff" - Alison Ireheta (American Idol performance)
Taking Donna Summer's classic disco hit about working girls and amping up the rock beat to match your insane whisky-soaked vocals takes more balls than a 16-year-old girl should have.
50. "One Love" - David Guetta feat Estelle (One Love)
Brit pop star Estelle brings a gospel stomp to this techno gem.
49. "Telephone" - Lady Gaga feat Beyonce (The Fame Monster)
Beyonce may have struck first, releasing a remix of her I Am... Sasha Feirce single "Video Phone" featuring the Gaga one, but "Telephone" is ten-million percent better.
48. "Throwing My Arms Around Paris" - Morrissey (Years Of Refusal)
Paris the city. Not Paris Hilton.
47. "Evacuate The Dancefloor" - Cascada (Evacuate The Dancefloor)
One of the many trashy "Just Dance" rip-off from 2009, only featuring the greatest line in techno history: "Stop, this beat is killing me."
46. "When Doves Cry" - The Twilight Singers feat Appolonia (Purplish Rain)
From Spin magazine's tribute to the classic soundtrack to Purple Rain comes this moody, spooky reading of the title song.
45. "Story Of A Heart" - Benny Andersson Band (Story Of A Heart)
The closest thing to ABBA reunion we may ever get.
44. "Whatcha Say" - Jason Derulo (Jason Derulo)
Producer JR Rotem samples Imogen Heap for the strangest r&b single to top the Hot 100. True story.
43. "Sweet Dreams" - Beyonce (I Am... Sasha Feirce)
Queen B finally goes the entire electro pop route, and proves she can take any sound to the charts.
42. "Fireflies" - Owl City (Ocean Eyes)
Sometimes, a radio single is so delightfully giddy and insanely catchy, nobody cares it's about an insomniac counting fireflies.
41. "Feel It In My Bones" - Tiesto feat Tegan & Sara (Kaleidoscope)
Yes, lesbian twins like techno, too.
40. "Heartbreak On Vinyl" - Blake Lewis (Heartbreak On Vinyl)
So do American Idol runners-up.
39. "Love Sex Magic" - Ciara feat Justin Timberlake (Fantasy Ride)
Hot funky vibes and a sick as hell lyrical back and forth makes me wish JT and Ciara teamed up more often.
38. "Use Somebody" - Kings On Leon (Only By The Night)
Everybody covered this rock track, and radio played it so much I almost got sick of it. Almost...
37. "3" - Britney Spears (The Singles Collection)
Britney + Max Martin + dirty sex talk = pop gold.
36. "High Hopes & Heartbreaks" - Brooke White (High Hopes & Heartbreaks)
American Idol '08's resident good girl takes a ride on the sunny side of Cali pop and breaks her heart in the process.
35. "Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starhip feat. Leighton Meister (Hot Mess)
Emo pop band meets Gossip Girl star and sparks fly.
34. "Down" - Jay Sean feat Lil Wayne (All Or Nothing)
Beautiful techno-pop with the Weezy cameo required to make it a smash hit.
33. "I Get Off" - Halestorm (Halestorm)
Female-fronted rock band enjoys vouyerism and hard guitars.
32. "Eat You Up" - BoA (BoA: The First Album)
Why America couldn't embrace a Korean chick with fly beats and funky dance moves I will never understand.
31. "Please Don’t Leave Me" - P!nk (Funhouse)
Please don't think I'm an obsessive stalker chick, just cause I am.
30. "You Found Me" - The Fray (The Fray)
They found God on the corner of Billboard and Number 13.
29. "Million Dollar Bill" - Whitney Houston (I Look To You)
Alicia Keys penned this funky ode to praiseworthy lovers. Why can't her upbeat stuff ever sound this good? Cuz she ain't Whitney.
28. "Fallin For You" - Colbie Calliat (The Breakthrough)
And to think, two years ago I hated Colbie Calliat. But when you create a song that mixes the best parts of Sheryl Crow, Fleetwood Mac and new love, you create a winner.
27. "The Room Where You Sleep" - Dead Man’s Bones (Dead Man's Bones)
Ryan Gosling is not just that hottie from The Notebook. He's also the frontman for a creepy children's choir-guesting southern Gothic rock band. This song is creepy as fuck. I like it.
26. "Hot Stuff" - Alison Ireheta (American Idol performance)
Taking Donna Summer's classic disco hit about working girls and amping up the rock beat to match your insane whisky-soaked vocals takes more balls than a 16-year-old girl should have.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Paul And His Littlest Hag Present: The Party Jams Of '09
My cousin Sarah and I go way back, I babysat her when she was five and six years old and we've been close ever since. We go shopping, do lunch and hang out all the time. She even went with me and my boyfriend to Pride this year, which cemented her status as My Littlest Hag. She's only 11, but she's the coolest 11-year-old I know!
One of our favorite activities is going shopping and jamming out during the car ride to and from the mall. We both fell in love with some random party-starter music this year. Here is our picks for Party Jams Of '09 (in no particular order.)
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" - Beyonce
Yeah, I Am... Sasha Fierce came out in 2008. But that didn't stop "Single Ladies" from becoming a pop culture force that continued into the new year. Sarah and I spent hours on YouTube watching all the ridiculous spoofs and homages to the hand-twisting, ass-slapping and leg gyrating choreography of the video. Yeah, it might not be the best video of all time, Kanye, but it is pretty sweet.
"Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga
Sarah dressed as Gaga for my Halloween party, so picking just one jam from Our Lady Of Perpetual Pop-tasticness was difficult. But "Bad Romance" is a true party starter, from the "Ra-Ha-Ah-Ah" in the first few seconds to the the epic bridge and all the techno glory in between.
"When Love Takes Over [Electro Radio Edit]" - David Guetta feat Kelly Rowland
Yes, I have to specify the correct mix. The album and radio/video versions are too tame for party kids like us, the remixes too long and harsh. The Electro Radio Edit is just perfect, three minutes of pure pop punctuated with a techno stamp at the ends of the verses. If Sarah and I ever realize our dream of an under 16 club, this song will be in permanent rotation.
"Tik Tok" - Ke$ha
Like a low-rent version of Lady Gaga, Ke$ha has redeemed herself from the folly of singing the hook on "Right Round" with an ode all night partying. Should an 11-year-old being dancing to a song that glorifies bad dental hygiene like "brush[ing] my teeth with a bottle of Jack"? Probably not. But I'm her gay, not her mother.
"Don't Stop Believin'" - The Cast Of Glee
Led by Broadway star Lea Michele, the cast of Fox's musical blockbuster Glee tackled the Journey classic to cap off the debut episode. Show choir may never be "sexy" but thanks to the inspirational lyrics, Lea's stunning vocals and an arrangement that starts out a Capella and ends with a full band, it will be friggin' awesome. And perfect for car ride sing alongs!
"She Wolf" - Shakira
Two words: howl along. The chorus of Shakira's brilliant French Disco-inspired single is perfect to sing along to, but even better if you can time yourself right to howl at the right spots. Sarah and I can.
"3" - Britney Spears
I did not pick this song. Sarah choose it for the list, and I could not really ask her if she was sure she wanted a song about menage a trois on her party playlist. The beat is hot, though. I'm hoping that's the only reason Sarah likes it.
"Watcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
Again, it's a sing-along chorus that won't quit. Yeah, it's borrowed from Imogen Heap's moody "Hide And Seek" but it's still hot. And those horns are fire.
"Replay" - Iyaz
Shorty might be like a melody in Iyaz's head, but this JR Rotem-produced single is perfect earworm fodder for me. The melody is playful and fun, easy to remember and hooky as hell. Little wonder I keep singing it like my iPod's stuck on replay. Clever bastard.
"Down" - Jay Sean feat Lil' Wayne
First, Jay Sean is fucking hot. I'm just putting that out there. Second, this pop/R&B single is glossed with so much electro sheen I don't think you could avoid dancing like a gaysted club kid every time it comes on. And since Sarah and I know all the words to Weezy's rhyme, it's a perfect sing-along.
"Supermassive Black Hole" - Muse
You can thank Twilight for bringing this buzzed-up guitar-laden rock song to our collective attention. While other's might debate Jacob vs Edward, Sarah skips the whole discussion and goes straight for beefy Emmet. Wait, we were talking music?
One of our favorite activities is going shopping and jamming out during the car ride to and from the mall. We both fell in love with some random party-starter music this year. Here is our picks for Party Jams Of '09 (in no particular order.)
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" - BeyonceYeah, I Am... Sasha Fierce came out in 2008. But that didn't stop "Single Ladies" from becoming a pop culture force that continued into the new year. Sarah and I spent hours on YouTube watching all the ridiculous spoofs and homages to the hand-twisting, ass-slapping and leg gyrating choreography of the video. Yeah, it might not be the best video of all time, Kanye, but it is pretty sweet.
"Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga
Sarah dressed as Gaga for my Halloween party, so picking just one jam from Our Lady Of Perpetual Pop-tasticness was difficult. But "Bad Romance" is a true party starter, from the "Ra-Ha-Ah-Ah" in the first few seconds to the the epic bridge and all the techno glory in between.
"When Love Takes Over [Electro Radio Edit]" - David Guetta feat Kelly Rowland
Yes, I have to specify the correct mix. The album and radio/video versions are too tame for party kids like us, the remixes too long and harsh. The Electro Radio Edit is just perfect, three minutes of pure pop punctuated with a techno stamp at the ends of the verses. If Sarah and I ever realize our dream of an under 16 club, this song will be in permanent rotation.
"Tik Tok" - Ke$ha
Like a low-rent version of Lady Gaga, Ke$ha has redeemed herself from the folly of singing the hook on "Right Round" with an ode all night partying. Should an 11-year-old being dancing to a song that glorifies bad dental hygiene like "brush[ing] my teeth with a bottle of Jack"? Probably not. But I'm her gay, not her mother.
"Don't Stop Believin'" - The Cast Of Glee
Led by Broadway star Lea Michele, the cast of Fox's musical blockbuster Glee tackled the Journey classic to cap off the debut episode. Show choir may never be "sexy" but thanks to the inspirational lyrics, Lea's stunning vocals and an arrangement that starts out a Capella and ends with a full band, it will be friggin' awesome. And perfect for car ride sing alongs!
"She Wolf" - Shakira
Two words: howl along. The chorus of Shakira's brilliant French Disco-inspired single is perfect to sing along to, but even better if you can time yourself right to howl at the right spots. Sarah and I can.
"3" - Britney Spears
I did not pick this song. Sarah choose it for the list, and I could not really ask her if she was sure she wanted a song about menage a trois on her party playlist. The beat is hot, though. I'm hoping that's the only reason Sarah likes it.
"Watcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
Again, it's a sing-along chorus that won't quit. Yeah, it's borrowed from Imogen Heap's moody "Hide And Seek" but it's still hot. And those horns are fire.
"Replay" - Iyaz
Shorty might be like a melody in Iyaz's head, but this JR Rotem-produced single is perfect earworm fodder for me. The melody is playful and fun, easy to remember and hooky as hell. Little wonder I keep singing it like my iPod's stuck on replay. Clever bastard.
"Down" - Jay Sean feat Lil' Wayne
First, Jay Sean is fucking hot. I'm just putting that out there. Second, this pop/R&B single is glossed with so much electro sheen I don't think you could avoid dancing like a gaysted club kid every time it comes on. And since Sarah and I know all the words to Weezy's rhyme, it's a perfect sing-along.
"Supermassive Black Hole" - Muse
You can thank Twilight for bringing this buzzed-up guitar-laden rock song to our collective attention. While other's might debate Jacob vs Edward, Sarah skips the whole discussion and goes straight for beefy Emmet. Wait, we were talking music?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
My Top Five Creepiest "Love" Songs In Pop Music
This may seem like a random list, but the other day I heard the Pearl Jam song that you'll find on the list and thought "this is a seriously creepy song." I was reminded of several other creepy pop songs about love, and I'm not even counting intentionally spooky songs by shock rockers or death metal bands. So here we go:
#5 - "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" - The Crystals (1962)
I love girl groups, and the Crystals recorded one of my faves, "He's A Rebel." Phil Spector may be crazy, but his "wall of sound" provided the template for pop masterpieces to come. And the songwriting team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin created some amazing pop records. So the fact this tale of domestic abuse is undeniable pop gem is frightening, but not surprising. The strings, the harmonies and percussion can't disguise the fact that this girl thinks her boyfriend's punches are an indication of a high level of love. "Because if he didn't care for me, I could have never made him mad" - the saddest part is the number of women who use this excuse every day!
#4 - "Every Breath You Take" - The Police (1983)
The British rock trio recorded dozens of hits, but none more sinister than this stalker's anthem. Written by lead singer Sting, "Every Breath You Take" is deceptive if you don't pay attention. At first the idea of watching one's partner's every breath is romantic (see "Don't Want To Miss A Thing") but upon closer inspection the truth is revealed. "Can't you see, you belong to me" is chilling, the bridge unveils the fact that said partner is missing. What sounds like a love song is a break up song by a man who doesn't want it to end. The double bass adds to the spooky sound.
#3 - "Last Kiss" - J Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers (1963) and Pearl Jam (1999)
This is the strangest song on the list, a first person account of the death of a girlfriend in a car accident. The lyrics are so descriptive - "the painful scream that I heard last" "something warm running in my eyes" and the chorus! The first time the song was a hit was with the Cavaliers, the matter-of-fact vocals and chipperness of 60s rock seems at odds with the depressing lyrics but there was no denying the emotion. But when Pearl Jam covered the song, Eddie Vedder's tortured reading made it even sadder.
J Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers version:
Pearl Jam version:
2: "You Are My Sunshine" - American Country Standard (first recorded 1939)
Not unlike other songs on the list, at first glance this sounds like a pretty love song. It's often sung to babies as a lullaby and has been used in many films and TV shows. But that just the chorus, if you take a listen to the verses you might get a different take. Verse two for instance:
"I'll always love you and make you happy
If you will only say the same
If you leave me and love another
You'll regret it all someday"
It's basically the same BS Mr. "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" spews to keep his girl by his side. So keep singing the pretty chorus to the children, just leave the verses for the grown-ups.
Norman Blake version (from O Brother, Where Art Thou?):
1: "Beautiful Soul" - Jesse McCartney (2004)
This is when the head scratching starts. "Huh? That silly teeny-bopper song? What's so creepy about that?" you say. First, let's go for the obvious: verse two. He's putting the moves on his lady with a "you might need time to think it over, but I'm just fine moving forward." Date rape much? And the passive-aggressive line from the bridge: "Maybe do you think you could want me too?" Translation: "Like, make up your mind already bitch!" But the clincher for me comes when he vamps over the final chorus "I want you and your soul!" and I realize the whole song is about owning this chick's soul. "But Paul," you say, "he just means he wants her because of the beauty in her soul." Then why doesn't he say that? Why is it all "I want your soul," huh? JESSE MCCARTNEY STEALS SOULS!!!!!!
#5 - "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" - The Crystals (1962)
I love girl groups, and the Crystals recorded one of my faves, "He's A Rebel." Phil Spector may be crazy, but his "wall of sound" provided the template for pop masterpieces to come. And the songwriting team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin created some amazing pop records. So the fact this tale of domestic abuse is undeniable pop gem is frightening, but not surprising. The strings, the harmonies and percussion can't disguise the fact that this girl thinks her boyfriend's punches are an indication of a high level of love. "Because if he didn't care for me, I could have never made him mad" - the saddest part is the number of women who use this excuse every day!
#4 - "Every Breath You Take" - The Police (1983)
The British rock trio recorded dozens of hits, but none more sinister than this stalker's anthem. Written by lead singer Sting, "Every Breath You Take" is deceptive if you don't pay attention. At first the idea of watching one's partner's every breath is romantic (see "Don't Want To Miss A Thing") but upon closer inspection the truth is revealed. "Can't you see, you belong to me" is chilling, the bridge unveils the fact that said partner is missing. What sounds like a love song is a break up song by a man who doesn't want it to end. The double bass adds to the spooky sound.
#3 - "Last Kiss" - J Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers (1963) and Pearl Jam (1999)
This is the strangest song on the list, a first person account of the death of a girlfriend in a car accident. The lyrics are so descriptive - "the painful scream that I heard last" "something warm running in my eyes" and the chorus! The first time the song was a hit was with the Cavaliers, the matter-of-fact vocals and chipperness of 60s rock seems at odds with the depressing lyrics but there was no denying the emotion. But when Pearl Jam covered the song, Eddie Vedder's tortured reading made it even sadder.
J Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers version:
Pearl Jam version:
2: "You Are My Sunshine" - American Country Standard (first recorded 1939)
Not unlike other songs on the list, at first glance this sounds like a pretty love song. It's often sung to babies as a lullaby and has been used in many films and TV shows. But that just the chorus, if you take a listen to the verses you might get a different take. Verse two for instance:
"I'll always love you and make you happy
If you will only say the same
If you leave me and love another
You'll regret it all someday"
It's basically the same BS Mr. "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" spews to keep his girl by his side. So keep singing the pretty chorus to the children, just leave the verses for the grown-ups.
Norman Blake version (from O Brother, Where Art Thou?):
1: "Beautiful Soul" - Jesse McCartney (2004)
This is when the head scratching starts. "Huh? That silly teeny-bopper song? What's so creepy about that?" you say. First, let's go for the obvious: verse two. He's putting the moves on his lady with a "you might need time to think it over, but I'm just fine moving forward." Date rape much? And the passive-aggressive line from the bridge: "Maybe do you think you could want me too?" Translation: "Like, make up your mind already bitch!" But the clincher for me comes when he vamps over the final chorus "I want you and your soul!" and I realize the whole song is about owning this chick's soul. "But Paul," you say, "he just means he wants her because of the beauty in her soul." Then why doesn't he say that? Why is it all "I want your soul," huh? JESSE MCCARTNEY STEALS SOULS!!!!!!
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Top Ten Albums Of 2008
10: David Cook - David Cook The first true rock star American Idol winner roared on his second album, the first since winning the talent competition. From the heavy rock of "Bar-Ba-Sol" to the emotional piano ballad "Permanent" and hitting every second-wave alternative sound in between, David proved it wasn't just the cougar love that won him the title.
9: Taylor Swift - Fearless
She's only 18, but she already has the songwriting chops of a Max Martin. Taylor's sophomore disc contains some of the best written country songs in recent memory, very few cliches or borrowed ideas. Starting with her declaration that "yeah, those girls are beautiful, but would they write a song for you" on "Hey Stephen" and going through the very grown up realization that Prince Charming doesn't exist on "White Horse" the Pennsylvania-born, Nashville-dwelling country pop star can even make an "I love you Mom & Dad" song like "The Best Day" sound amazing.
8: Katy Perry - One Of The BoysKaty and her team of crack song doctors and producers (including Max Martin and Dr. Luke on the number one single "I Kissed A Girl" and former Eurythmic Dave Stewart on many other tracks) couldn't help but make catchy pop songs. But that's not the only reason to listen to One Of The Boys, it's the lyrics that explore gender roles in a tongue-in-cheek manner that elevate the album above the electro washed pop-punk of her Warped Tour peers.
7: Mariah Carey - E=MC2
There's no mistaking, Mariah's still a diva. Just because she doesn't out-octave Kathleen Battle much on her latest disc, she's still riding fly, migrating from the bar to the club to the party to the after party and is generally that chick you like. She's a Diva Don now, as gansta as an oversized Tony Montana t-shirt over a bulletproof vest. And yes boys, she wants you to touch her body...
6: Shelby Lynn - Just A Little Lovin'
The Grammy-winning country star covers Dusty Springfield with much emotion over gentle acoustic piano jazz. It's the perfect album to soundtrack breakfast with your southern gentleman on your veranda. I often use the word "chill" to describe certain electronic music that doesn't throb with a four-on-the-floor beat, but is smooth and downbeat. These are "chill" country versions of classics like "The Look of Love" and the title track.
5: Madonna - Hard Candy 
It's not the perfect Madonna album, but really her singles collections The Immaculate Collection and GHV2 are the only perfect Madonna albums. Hard Candy does have many great disco-meets-hiphop tracks, from the lead single "4 Minutes" to the celebration of clublife "Heartbeat" to the throbbing roller-disco of the Wendy Melvoin guesting "She's Not Me" there are many tracks to stick into your party playlists.
4: Girl Talk - Feed The Animals Girl Talk is the king! Taking just the hookiest parts of every pop, rock, hiphop, indie and oldies hit ever and layering, chopping and speeding up those bits he creates a tossed salad of an album. I don't know that you can call it music, the frenetic beat is more like every ADD kid's favorite... Wait! Is that Ace Of Base? I love this song!
3: Jay Brannan - Goddamned 
There are moments on the Shortbus actor's full length debut album that sound like demos. The raw hook, just surrounded by acoustic guitar and piano, feel exposed. But as listeners to number 8 album will attest, sometimes high production values can obscure true emotion, something that never happens on Goddamned. The keystone track is "Housewife" - a wistful love song that threatens to leave me a bundle of sobs. But I would also recommend "A Death Waltz" or "Half-Boyfriend" as perfect places to start learning about the songwriting talents of Jay Brannan.
2: Santogold - Santogold
She is a creator, thrill is to make it up. Part Mark Ronson, part M.I.A., part B-52s, all insanely catchy and experimental. Sometimes it's a ball of noise, but sometimes it's gentle surf guitars and new wave hooks. One thing she is not: a Lower East Side Artiste. But she is pretty hipster friendly, but she comes bearing banger choruses.
1: Robyn - Robyn
What can I say about Robyn I haven't said before? Every damn song on here is a fucking masterpiece of pop, I have never loved every single song on an album before. Even my favorites (ABBA Gold, Regina Spektor's Begin To Hope, Relient K's Two Lefts) have a clunker or two, but not Robyn. Elevating pop music to an artform is the only way to describe it: every hook is stuck in your brain, every emotional plea is heartrending, every witty remark burns. Even the experimental stuff like "Anytime You Like" is transcendent, and the only song I would describe as average R&B is "Should Have Known" and it sounds like a winning hit! If you love pop music, if you love music in general, Robyn is the disc you must own. I know I subscribe to the "hyperbole is single greatest thing ever in the history of the universe" theory of music critiques, but I'm for real this time. For the love of Linda Perry, buy the damn thing!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Top 100 of 2008 - 20-1: A Swedish Invasion, Those Crazy Idols And She Kissed A Girl And I Liked It
20: Rihanna - "Disturbia" (from Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded)
Part "Thriller" and part "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" but all smoking hot pop beat and crazy-making lyrics, "Disturbia" is the poppiest single Rihanna had all year. A major feat in a year that saw six singles from the new pop princess. Listen here.
19: Chicane vs. Natasha Bedingfield - "Bruised Water" (from Best Of Chicane)
Recipe for pop perfection: Take the beat and instrumentation of a UK techno hit from almost ten years ago. Layer the vocals of a failed single from Natasha Bedingfield's debut album. Utilize a snippet of Maire Brennan's vocal on "Saltwater" to create a hair raising bridge. Serve on a video about a mermaid returning to the water and enjoy. Listen here.
18: Adele -"Chasing Pavements" (from 19)
Adele may be one of the "new Amys" but she truly has her own voice. The sound is retro-soul, like Estelle and Duffy, but the lyric is pure introspective singer-songwriter. It's a thrilling debut single, and I welcome a new female singer-songwriter to the Lilith Fair that plays in my mind. Listen Here.
17: Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake - "4 Minutes" (from Hard Candy)
When the apocalypse comes, I pray to mine and Karen's Lord Jesus that I'm standing next to Justin Timberlake. I will tell him we only got four minutes to save the world, and the only way to save it is by making out. Or we could just have a dance-off to this floor-filling Timbaland creation. Listen Here.
16: Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold" (from One Of The Boys)
Did you know Katy Perry had it in her? A totally non-controvesial dance-pop creation with a killer first line: "You change your mind like a girl changes clothes, yeah you PMS like a bitch, I would know." Listen Here.
15: Flyleaf - "All Around Me" (from Flyleaf)
There is little I love more than chick rock. Something about the female voice surrounded by growling guitars and smashing cymbals just thrills me. And Lacey Mosely has the most fragile voice in rock music, so heartbreakingly sweet for a rock star. "All Around Me" combines those qualities in an ecstatic eruption of religious fervor. Listen Here.
14: Robyn - "Konichiwa Bitches" (from Robyn)
Robyn will put you in your place, so watch yourself American pop stars. Little Miss Powerhouse is the shit, and she's not afraid to tell you all about it. She'll "tear you down like I'm in demolition... I'm so very hot that when I rob your mansion you ain't call the cops you call the fire station." I could sling lines from this song all weekend... Listen Here.
13: David Cook - "Light On" (from David Cook)
David's sensually gruff vocals are the centerpiece of this Chris Cornell-penned single, from the Idol winner's second disc. I will leave a light on for you, my sexy bear cub. Listen Here.
12: Cazwell feat. Johnny Makeup - "I Seen Beyonce" (single)
It's a lark, a goof and a snappy bit of electro-pop. The tale of a simple queen who lends Mrs. Jay-Z a ten-spot for some cheeseburgers, "I Seen Beyonce" is electronica at it's goofy lightest.
Listen Here.
11: David Cook - "Always Be My Baby" (from Always Be My Baby American Idol Studio Performances)
Even Mariah Carey was impressed that the Idol frontrunner could take her melisma-laden stalker anthem and rock the house with it. Hell, I was nursing a Ron Jeremy sized crush on Cookie and I was even surprised at his talent. Listen Here.
10: David Cook - "Permanent" (from David Cook)
Again with the Idol hottie! "Permanent" is a beautiful piano ballad, a love song from a man to his sick brother. I'm not easily moved, but when he cries "Oh god, is there some way for me to take his place" I am a tiny ball of emotion. "When all you know is far away and feels so temporary, rest your head: I'm permanent." Listen Here.
9: Kerli - "Love Is Dead" (from Love Is Dead)
The drum loop draw you in and the strings clobber you into submission before Kerli's aged-child vocals force you to confront your deepest fear before a creepy chorus: "Love is dead, love is gone, love don't live here any more." Listen Here.
8: Robyn feat. Kleerup- "With Every Heartbeat" (from Robyn)
Another stunning pop single from the one woman Swedish Invasion. Kleerup provides the string quartet backed beat and Robyn provides the heart stopping vocals on this tale of love lost. When she repeats the title on the bridge, I weep. Listen Here.
7: Brooke White - "Love Is A Battlefield" (from Love Is A Battlefield American Idol Performance)
Sometimes, you really have to KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Brooke White took the stage on '80s week with the Pat Benatar classic backed by just an acoustic guitar and revealed the heartbreaking meaning behind the song: love is battlefield on which nobody wins. Listen Here.
6: Katy Perry - "I Kissed A Girl" (from One Of The Boys)
With a Gary Glitter-esque rock beat and a sapphic subject matter, former gospel singer Katy Perry burned up the charts with an ode to lipstick lesbian experimentation. She kissed a girl, and everyone on the dance floor liked it. Listen Here.
5: Robyn - "Be Mine!" (from Robyn)
Robyn's heartbreak is truly pop gold. From "Every Heartbeat" to "Eclipse" Robyn is a pile of broken hearts wrapped in shiny hooks. "Be Mine!" is ridiculously catchy, and heartbreakingly honest. When she describes running into an ex tying his new chick's laces, over the refrain "you never were and you will be mine" your heart will break, too. Listen Here.
4: Goldfrapp - "A&E" (from Seventh Tree)
How did Alison Goldfrapp end up "in a backless dress on a pastel ward that's shining?" I think she tried to off herself, in hopes of getting her ex back with her. I don't know that I'd try that tactic, but I think we've all considered it. No? Just me? Oops... Listen Here.
3: Jay Brannan - "Housewife" (from Goddamned)
The opening line sums it all up: "Two bodies pressed together, two boys are falling hard." It's a beautiful love song, one I think we'd all like to live. Just having someone next to you, he's working on the car while you're making lunch. It's wistful, it's a dream, it's the devious homosexual agenda: to be loved by someone. Listen Here.
2: Snoop Dogg feat Robyn - "Sexual Eruption (Fyre Department Remix)" (original mix from Ego Trippin')
I like my music to have a heart, to have a deep emotional resonance. But there are times when I just want to get down and dirty and groove with some filthy lyrics and a bouncing beat. That's when I throw "Sexual Eruption" on the ol' iTunes and get my freak on. Listen Here.
1: Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" (from Spirit)
It's a diva song, written by a former teen heartthrob and that dude from OneRepublic. The single opens with a church organ and a vocal run, then the drum loop kicks in. We hit the chorus, and I am hooked, I am raising my roof and wailing along. "You cut me open and keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love" and I do the chest taps, the face tearing, every diva cliche pours out of my limbs. It's like Mary J, Mariah, Celine, Christina and Elton had a giant orgy, and I was the resulting infant. Then you think it's about end, and SHE COMES BACK! A massive run, that trills into the atmosphere, riding that beat like a porn star on Spanish fly. I can't describe the swell I get when this song comes one, it's still my third most played song on my iPod, as well as some CD spins in my car and the thousands of times I've heard it on radio. I can't get enough, I keep bleeding love for this song! Listen Here.
Part "Thriller" and part "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" but all smoking hot pop beat and crazy-making lyrics, "Disturbia" is the poppiest single Rihanna had all year. A major feat in a year that saw six singles from the new pop princess. Listen here.
19: Chicane vs. Natasha Bedingfield - "Bruised Water" (from Best Of Chicane)
Recipe for pop perfection: Take the beat and instrumentation of a UK techno hit from almost ten years ago. Layer the vocals of a failed single from Natasha Bedingfield's debut album. Utilize a snippet of Maire Brennan's vocal on "Saltwater" to create a hair raising bridge. Serve on a video about a mermaid returning to the water and enjoy. Listen here.
18: Adele -"Chasing Pavements" (from 19)
Adele may be one of the "new Amys" but she truly has her own voice. The sound is retro-soul, like Estelle and Duffy, but the lyric is pure introspective singer-songwriter. It's a thrilling debut single, and I welcome a new female singer-songwriter to the Lilith Fair that plays in my mind. Listen Here.
17: Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake - "4 Minutes" (from Hard Candy)
When the apocalypse comes, I pray to mine and Karen's Lord Jesus that I'm standing next to Justin Timberlake. I will tell him we only got four minutes to save the world, and the only way to save it is by making out. Or we could just have a dance-off to this floor-filling Timbaland creation. Listen Here.
16: Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold" (from One Of The Boys)
Did you know Katy Perry had it in her? A totally non-controvesial dance-pop creation with a killer first line: "You change your mind like a girl changes clothes, yeah you PMS like a bitch, I would know." Listen Here.
15: Flyleaf - "All Around Me" (from Flyleaf)
There is little I love more than chick rock. Something about the female voice surrounded by growling guitars and smashing cymbals just thrills me. And Lacey Mosely has the most fragile voice in rock music, so heartbreakingly sweet for a rock star. "All Around Me" combines those qualities in an ecstatic eruption of religious fervor. Listen Here.
14: Robyn - "Konichiwa Bitches" (from Robyn)
Robyn will put you in your place, so watch yourself American pop stars. Little Miss Powerhouse is the shit, and she's not afraid to tell you all about it. She'll "tear you down like I'm in demolition... I'm so very hot that when I rob your mansion you ain't call the cops you call the fire station." I could sling lines from this song all weekend... Listen Here.
13: David Cook - "Light On" (from David Cook)
David's sensually gruff vocals are the centerpiece of this Chris Cornell-penned single, from the Idol winner's second disc. I will leave a light on for you, my sexy bear cub. Listen Here.
12: Cazwell feat. Johnny Makeup - "I Seen Beyonce" (single)
It's a lark, a goof and a snappy bit of electro-pop. The tale of a simple queen who lends Mrs. Jay-Z a ten-spot for some cheeseburgers, "I Seen Beyonce" is electronica at it's goofy lightest.
Listen Here.
11: David Cook - "Always Be My Baby" (from Always Be My Baby American Idol Studio Performances)
Even Mariah Carey was impressed that the Idol frontrunner could take her melisma-laden stalker anthem and rock the house with it. Hell, I was nursing a Ron Jeremy sized crush on Cookie and I was even surprised at his talent. Listen Here.
10: David Cook - "Permanent" (from David Cook)
Again with the Idol hottie! "Permanent" is a beautiful piano ballad, a love song from a man to his sick brother. I'm not easily moved, but when he cries "Oh god, is there some way for me to take his place" I am a tiny ball of emotion. "When all you know is far away and feels so temporary, rest your head: I'm permanent." Listen Here.
9: Kerli - "Love Is Dead" (from Love Is Dead)
The drum loop draw you in and the strings clobber you into submission before Kerli's aged-child vocals force you to confront your deepest fear before a creepy chorus: "Love is dead, love is gone, love don't live here any more." Listen Here.
8: Robyn feat. Kleerup- "With Every Heartbeat" (from Robyn)
Another stunning pop single from the one woman Swedish Invasion. Kleerup provides the string quartet backed beat and Robyn provides the heart stopping vocals on this tale of love lost. When she repeats the title on the bridge, I weep. Listen Here.
7: Brooke White - "Love Is A Battlefield" (from Love Is A Battlefield American Idol Performance)
Sometimes, you really have to KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Brooke White took the stage on '80s week with the Pat Benatar classic backed by just an acoustic guitar and revealed the heartbreaking meaning behind the song: love is battlefield on which nobody wins. Listen Here.
6: Katy Perry - "I Kissed A Girl" (from One Of The Boys)
With a Gary Glitter-esque rock beat and a sapphic subject matter, former gospel singer Katy Perry burned up the charts with an ode to lipstick lesbian experimentation. She kissed a girl, and everyone on the dance floor liked it. Listen Here.
5: Robyn - "Be Mine!" (from Robyn)
Robyn's heartbreak is truly pop gold. From "Every Heartbeat" to "Eclipse" Robyn is a pile of broken hearts wrapped in shiny hooks. "Be Mine!" is ridiculously catchy, and heartbreakingly honest. When she describes running into an ex tying his new chick's laces, over the refrain "you never were and you will be mine" your heart will break, too. Listen Here.
4: Goldfrapp - "A&E" (from Seventh Tree)
How did Alison Goldfrapp end up "in a backless dress on a pastel ward that's shining?" I think she tried to off herself, in hopes of getting her ex back with her. I don't know that I'd try that tactic, but I think we've all considered it. No? Just me? Oops... Listen Here.
3: Jay Brannan - "Housewife" (from Goddamned)
The opening line sums it all up: "Two bodies pressed together, two boys are falling hard." It's a beautiful love song, one I think we'd all like to live. Just having someone next to you, he's working on the car while you're making lunch. It's wistful, it's a dream, it's the devious homosexual agenda: to be loved by someone. Listen Here.
2: Snoop Dogg feat Robyn - "Sexual Eruption (Fyre Department Remix)" (original mix from Ego Trippin')
I like my music to have a heart, to have a deep emotional resonance. But there are times when I just want to get down and dirty and groove with some filthy lyrics and a bouncing beat. That's when I throw "Sexual Eruption" on the ol' iTunes and get my freak on. Listen Here.
1: Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" (from Spirit)
It's a diva song, written by a former teen heartthrob and that dude from OneRepublic. The single opens with a church organ and a vocal run, then the drum loop kicks in. We hit the chorus, and I am hooked, I am raising my roof and wailing along. "You cut me open and keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love" and I do the chest taps, the face tearing, every diva cliche pours out of my limbs. It's like Mary J, Mariah, Celine, Christina and Elton had a giant orgy, and I was the resulting infant. Then you think it's about end, and SHE COMES BACK! A massive run, that trills into the atmosphere, riding that beat like a porn star on Spanish fly. I can't describe the swell I get when this song comes one, it's still my third most played song on my iPod, as well as some CD spins in my car and the thousands of times I've heard it on radio. I can't get enough, I keep bleeding love for this song! Listen Here.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Top 100 Songs Of 2008 - 40-21: If I Were A Boy I Would Just Dance And The World Would Revolve Around Me...
40: Beyonce - "If I Were A Boy" (from I Am... Sasha Feirce)
Even though it seems like Beyonce is really just a gay man with a va-jay-jay, she really is a girl. A girl who thinks she could be a better man than her own man. It's a fascinating look at gender roles and identity, something I've enjoyed the exploration of in pop music this year. Plus, it's acoustic soul, diva style! Listen Here.
39: Natasha Bedingfeild - "Pocketful Of Sunshine" (from Pocketful of Sunshine)
Delightfully chill in it's club-friendly sound, Natasha proves to be more than that "Unwritten" girl on the title track to her second US release. Listen Here.
38: Kanye West - "Love Lockdown" (from 808 & Heartbreaks)
From the emo-est titled R&B album in history comes this... song. I can't pin down a genre for it, the melding of tribal beats, gospel piano and auto-tuned vocals create a futuristic pop sound with an ancient feel. Like a spaceship landing on a Mayan temple, it doesn't seem a wrong as your mind thinks it should. Listen Here.
37: Taylor Swift - "White Horse" (from Fearless)
Against an acoustic guitar and fiddle, the youngest female artist to co-write ever song on a platinum debut loses her fairy tale dreams and grows up a little. Love and loss never sounded so heartbreakingly sweet. Listen Here.
36: Robyn - "Cobrastyle" (from Robyn)
She presses triggers, she don't push people's buttons. That's the little Swedish firecracker Robyn, covering the Teddybears and proving her flow is as tight as her Ziggy Stardust 'do. Listen Here.
35: Jordin Sparks - "One Step At A Time" (from Jordin Sparks)
There is one reason, and one reason alone, that I love this song. Synching my footsteps to Jordin's heel clicks and workin' it the fuck out. Listen Here.
34: Petra Haden - "An American Crime (End Credits)" (from the film An American Crime)
There is something so haunting, so bone-chillingly perfect about the end credits of the true crime horror film An American Crime. Vocalist Petra Haden, whose A Capella versions of "Don't Stop Believing" and "Thriller" are mainstays in my playlists, is arranged by composer Alan Laser to create a frightening A Capella track, with just a creepy little piano coda thrown in at the end. Listen Here.
33: Amy Winehouse - "Fuck Me Pumps" (from Frank [US Release])
This song has been around a while, but in the US we never got to here it. After the massive success of Amy's Back To Black, her Mercury-prize-winning Frank saw a US release. This is the crown jewel of the disc, a sprightly diss to the party girls in their tight jeans and fuck-me-pumps, with a tongue in cheek admission that without them there is no night life. Listen Here.
32: The Spill Canvas - "All Over You" (from No Really, I'm Fine)
Sometimes breaking up is more than hard to do, it's damn near impossible. The Spill Canvas understands this, sometimes "I gotta feel you in my bones again, I'm all over you, I'm not over you." Pain makes for awesome pop music! Listen Here.
31: Bat For Lashes - "What's A Girl To Do?" (from Fur & Gold)
Jack a classic drum and tamborine beat (from The Ronettes' "Be My Baby") then add creepy lyrics and a Bjork-y vocal. That's how you get classic indie-weirdo gold. And I loved it! Listen Here.
30: Santogold - "Anne" (from Santogold)
A percolating thunder beat and lo-fi vocals combine to tell the tale of Anne, a girl who "make lack virtue, but I'm penitent" before sliding into a gospel chorus of "J-J-J-Jesus Pieces, rescue me, the more I try, the more it gets too complicated" Listen Here.
29: Chris Brown -"Forever" (from Exclusive: The Forever Edition)
Due to writing this and number 20, Chris Brown was the king of pop in 2008. (Oops, don't let MJ here me say that!) The sweet beat, the catchy lyrics and the all around poppiness of the track are hard to resist, so I didn't bother. Truly a great moment in mainstream pop, even if it is an ad for Doublemint Gum. Listen Here.
28: Duffy - "Mercy" (from Rockferry)
It sounds like the kinda song the kids at the sock-hop would have had to hide from the chaperones, but Duffy's bouncy tribute to the brassy sounds of the sixties came out this year. "Mercy" owes a huge debt to Dusty, Aretha and The Supremes, but what girl singer worth her salt doesn't? Listen Here.
27: Jay Brannan -"Half-Boyfriend" (from Goddamned)
The Shortbus actor appears on the list for the second time with this tribute to falling in love with a fling. Jay really feels what he's singing, a must for any coffeehouse folkster, and what he's feeling resonates so loudly with what I'm feeling that it just works. "My one hope was that I'd survive you" Listen Here. (found via Towleroad.)
26: Little Jackie - "The World Should Revolve Around Me" (from The Stoop)
And the funk don't stop! My summer song of 2008 was a break-up jam with sass and attitude. Funky and flava-ful, I could not get enough of Little Jackie, even after New York Goes To Hollywood stole the single for it's theme song. Listen Here. (found via Pop Candy)
25: Estelle feat Kanye West - "American Boy" (from Shine)
The guitar riff as beat, the ego-poking rap from Kanye, the line "Don't like his baggy jeans, but I'mma like what's underneath 'em" - what's not to love? Listen Here.
24: Taylor Swift - "Love Story" (from Fearless)
Taylor plays fairytale princess to her Romeo in this slick country-pop tale of teenage love. Cute as a button, and catchy as hell. Listen Here.
23: Sam Sparro - "Black And Gold" (from Sam Sparro)
This is the first time I've ever heard a crisis of faith set to electro-funk. Questioning God's existence never made me want to dance so hard! Listen Here.
22: Lady Gag feat Colby O'Donis - "Just Dance" (from The Fame)
That beat! If anything could keep my feet moving and my ass shaking, it was the debut single from the newest Electronica star in America. I love this record baby, but I can't see straight anymore. Getting fucked up always sound fun, but Gaga manages to make it sound transcendent. Listen Here.
21; The Veronicas - "Untouched" (from Hook Me Up)
Sleek, sexually charged and symphonic-poppy, "Untouched" was the single radio should never had ignored. Finally getting airplay, thanks to requests, this slice of Pro-Tools heaven should be burning up the charts soon, and deservedly so. If you only click on one link in this list, make it this one. Listen Here.
Even though it seems like Beyonce is really just a gay man with a va-jay-jay, she really is a girl. A girl who thinks she could be a better man than her own man. It's a fascinating look at gender roles and identity, something I've enjoyed the exploration of in pop music this year. Plus, it's acoustic soul, diva style! Listen Here.
39: Natasha Bedingfeild - "Pocketful Of Sunshine" (from Pocketful of Sunshine)
Delightfully chill in it's club-friendly sound, Natasha proves to be more than that "Unwritten" girl on the title track to her second US release. Listen Here.
38: Kanye West - "Love Lockdown" (from 808 & Heartbreaks)
From the emo-est titled R&B album in history comes this... song. I can't pin down a genre for it, the melding of tribal beats, gospel piano and auto-tuned vocals create a futuristic pop sound with an ancient feel. Like a spaceship landing on a Mayan temple, it doesn't seem a wrong as your mind thinks it should. Listen Here.
37: Taylor Swift - "White Horse" (from Fearless)
Against an acoustic guitar and fiddle, the youngest female artist to co-write ever song on a platinum debut loses her fairy tale dreams and grows up a little. Love and loss never sounded so heartbreakingly sweet. Listen Here.
36: Robyn - "Cobrastyle" (from Robyn)
She presses triggers, she don't push people's buttons. That's the little Swedish firecracker Robyn, covering the Teddybears and proving her flow is as tight as her Ziggy Stardust 'do. Listen Here.
35: Jordin Sparks - "One Step At A Time" (from Jordin Sparks)
There is one reason, and one reason alone, that I love this song. Synching my footsteps to Jordin's heel clicks and workin' it the fuck out. Listen Here.
34: Petra Haden - "An American Crime (End Credits)" (from the film An American Crime)
There is something so haunting, so bone-chillingly perfect about the end credits of the true crime horror film An American Crime. Vocalist Petra Haden, whose A Capella versions of "Don't Stop Believing" and "Thriller" are mainstays in my playlists, is arranged by composer Alan Laser to create a frightening A Capella track, with just a creepy little piano coda thrown in at the end. Listen Here.
33: Amy Winehouse - "Fuck Me Pumps" (from Frank [US Release])
This song has been around a while, but in the US we never got to here it. After the massive success of Amy's Back To Black, her Mercury-prize-winning Frank saw a US release. This is the crown jewel of the disc, a sprightly diss to the party girls in their tight jeans and fuck-me-pumps, with a tongue in cheek admission that without them there is no night life. Listen Here.
32: The Spill Canvas - "All Over You" (from No Really, I'm Fine)
Sometimes breaking up is more than hard to do, it's damn near impossible. The Spill Canvas understands this, sometimes "I gotta feel you in my bones again, I'm all over you, I'm not over you." Pain makes for awesome pop music! Listen Here.
31: Bat For Lashes - "What's A Girl To Do?" (from Fur & Gold)
Jack a classic drum and tamborine beat (from The Ronettes' "Be My Baby") then add creepy lyrics and a Bjork-y vocal. That's how you get classic indie-weirdo gold. And I loved it! Listen Here.
30: Santogold - "Anne" (from Santogold)
A percolating thunder beat and lo-fi vocals combine to tell the tale of Anne, a girl who "make lack virtue, but I'm penitent" before sliding into a gospel chorus of "J-J-J-Jesus Pieces, rescue me, the more I try, the more it gets too complicated" Listen Here.
29: Chris Brown -"Forever" (from Exclusive: The Forever Edition)
Due to writing this and number 20, Chris Brown was the king of pop in 2008. (Oops, don't let MJ here me say that!) The sweet beat, the catchy lyrics and the all around poppiness of the track are hard to resist, so I didn't bother. Truly a great moment in mainstream pop, even if it is an ad for Doublemint Gum. Listen Here.
28: Duffy - "Mercy" (from Rockferry)
It sounds like the kinda song the kids at the sock-hop would have had to hide from the chaperones, but Duffy's bouncy tribute to the brassy sounds of the sixties came out this year. "Mercy" owes a huge debt to Dusty, Aretha and The Supremes, but what girl singer worth her salt doesn't? Listen Here.
27: Jay Brannan -"Half-Boyfriend" (from Goddamned)
The Shortbus actor appears on the list for the second time with this tribute to falling in love with a fling. Jay really feels what he's singing, a must for any coffeehouse folkster, and what he's feeling resonates so loudly with what I'm feeling that it just works. "My one hope was that I'd survive you" Listen Here. (found via Towleroad.)
26: Little Jackie - "The World Should Revolve Around Me" (from The Stoop)
And the funk don't stop! My summer song of 2008 was a break-up jam with sass and attitude. Funky and flava-ful, I could not get enough of Little Jackie, even after New York Goes To Hollywood stole the single for it's theme song. Listen Here. (found via Pop Candy)
25: Estelle feat Kanye West - "American Boy" (from Shine)
The guitar riff as beat, the ego-poking rap from Kanye, the line "Don't like his baggy jeans, but I'mma like what's underneath 'em" - what's not to love? Listen Here.
24: Taylor Swift - "Love Story" (from Fearless)
Taylor plays fairytale princess to her Romeo in this slick country-pop tale of teenage love. Cute as a button, and catchy as hell. Listen Here.
23: Sam Sparro - "Black And Gold" (from Sam Sparro)
This is the first time I've ever heard a crisis of faith set to electro-funk. Questioning God's existence never made me want to dance so hard! Listen Here.
22: Lady Gag feat Colby O'Donis - "Just Dance" (from The Fame)
That beat! If anything could keep my feet moving and my ass shaking, it was the debut single from the newest Electronica star in America. I love this record baby, but I can't see straight anymore. Getting fucked up always sound fun, but Gaga manages to make it sound transcendent. Listen Here.
21; The Veronicas - "Untouched" (from Hook Me Up)
Sleek, sexually charged and symphonic-poppy, "Untouched" was the single radio should never had ignored. Finally getting airplay, thanks to requests, this slice of Pro-Tools heaven should be burning up the charts soon, and deservedly so. If you only click on one link in this list, make it this one. Listen Here.
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