The Year in Music

Favourite Album


1. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmmLRt0p-fg&ob=av2e




2, Destroyer - Kaputt




Favourite Song


1. Frank Ocean - "Songs for Women"




2. Charli XCX - "Stay Away"

current favs

Beirut - East Harlem
This sing-a-long track is another testament to Beirut's musical and songwriting prowess. From start to fimish, it is a must-listen to avid music lovers..."Sound is the colour of gold/Sound is what keeps me forward/The sound of your breath in the cold/Is the sound that brings me home"

Beirut - Goshen
Arguably Beirut's most mass-friendly song

Beirut - The Rip Tide
A definite grower this is. The contents of uplifting sounds and darker lyrics allow it to emit positive emotions entwined with negative vibes, ultimately creating an equilibrium.




Junior Boys - Banana Ripple
In 2009, JB offered a grower in the form of "Parallel Lines". This year, it's this. From 4:49 til the end, you're in for an opulent treat.




Charli XCX - Stay Away
A pop song in its own right, it contains at least a few addictive melodies. But please note that this is not your run-of-the-mill pop song.

α

Destroyer - Suicide Demo for Kara Walker

The intro has the best of Sting in unison with Prefab Sprout's most profounding musical proficiencies.

Best of 2010 Music

Best album

Beach House – Teen Dream
Some of the tunes and melodies are so fertile that they grow even if sporadically.





Best song

Dent May – Eastover Wives
A very good combination of sax and sex

Best intro

Ariel Pink – Little Wig

Best verse

No Age – Valley Hump Crash

Best chorus

Deerhunter - Desire Lines

Best outro

Ariel Pink – Little Wig

Best track to track in an album

Interpol’s “Success” followed by “Memory Serves”

Kanye West’s “Devil in a New Dress” followed by “Runaway”

Avey Tare’s “Laughing Hieroglyphic” followed by “3 Umbrellas”

White Denim's "Incaviglia" followed by "Light Light Light"

...

Teenage Fanclub - Sometimes I don't need to believe in anything
You feel a new sense of emancipation for this band.




Gonjasufi - Kowboyz and Indians
A whirling, fun tune with its highlight being the bridge where a woman rants away freely

Gonjasufi - Change
'Wah wah'-ed chord, thrilling drum and bass, little jazzy piano part complement this song

Gonjasufi - Sheep
The singer sounds like he's sometimes sick of violence and power trip: "I wish I was a sheep instead of a lion/Cos then I wouldn't have to eat this meat that is dying/I wish I was a sheep instead of a lion/Only because I wouldn't have to kill to eat...Have you ever seen 2 lions when they meet?/Egos too big to greet/One is up in the other's teeth/It wouldn't be this way if they were eating leaves" Vegetarians would be happy to hear this

Gonjasufi - Made
Classy beginning, psychedelic end in the vein of Hendrix but fuck the long, middle void

Contemporary songs

The Liars - Scissor
As the initial vocal fragments come together, I was conned not surprisingly by The Liars into thinking that the fragments would form into Jeff Buckley's "Mojo Pin".
Beautiful verse.
These guys can also be as punk-ass as The Pixies as evident in the chorus.

The Liars - Proud Revolution
Think Yeah Yeah Yeahs + Radiohead

The Liars - Drop Dead
Middle Eastern riff courtesy of 2 sumptuous chords which bare themselves clearer in the brief final moments of the song.

Jaga Jazzist - Toccata
Cinematically good

Four Tet - Sing
Repetition never sounded so addictive for a long time

Vampire Weekend - Diplomat's Son
Here lies the most elaborate art-piece by VW to date.
It's playful, thoughtful and plentiful in terms of creative ideas and melodies.
"I can sleep wherever I lay my head on." rephrases a section of Grant Lee Buffalo's "All That I Have".
Ezra Koenig also reminds himself to seize the day ("If I wait, would I ever forgive myself?").
The mini instrumental part after the 2nd chorus is a celestial marriage between new (electronic music gadget) and old (beautiful worn out piano) sounds.
The mentioned part is a genius change of tempo.
This song can easily be featured in some scenes of Cidade de deus.

2009 music

Favourite EPs and LPs of 2009

EP

2. Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP

Song in EP:

Easier to like: Circulation
Grower: Rainwater Cassette



1. Beirut - March of the Zapotec EP / Real People - Holland EP

Song in EP:

Easier to like: The Concubine
Grower: The Akara

LP

2. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care

Song in LP:

Easier to like: Dull to Pause
Grower: Parallel Lines

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

Song in LP:

Easier to like: My Girls
Grower: Daily Routine

Mother of all growers: Junior Boys - "Parallel Lines"

Based on pre-listens of Beach House's Teen Dream, it contains a few good songs.

Favourite songs of 2009

20. Lady Gaga ft. Colby O'Donis - Just Dance
You just can't deny her, can you?

19. The Field - The More That I Do
Monumentally hypnotic, especially the 2nd half

18. Pomegranates - Tesseract
Feel good, easy listening tune

17. Keri Hilson ft. Kanye West & Ne-Yo - Knock You Down
OMG. You listen to that babe.

16. Boys Noize - Jeffer
Before you know it, you'd be doing some Transformers dance moves.

15. Asobi Seksu - Blind Little Rain
Cocteau Twins would be proud but fuck the long silence towards the end of the song.

14. Bill Callahan - Jim Cain
Heartrending with some beautiful violin moments

13. Junior Boys - Dull to Pause
The melody melts you.

12. Lily Allen - The Fear
A very good pop song

11. DJ Quik & Kurupt - Blaqkout
DJ Quik + Kurupt = Gumbo. One of them raps, "I'm gonna hit you right off at the intro."
He really did.

10. Royksopp ft. Lykke Li - Miss it So Much
This is a charmer from start to finish.

9. Bibio - Fire Ant
An insane transformation is in store

8. Beirut - The Akara
Imagine a funeral scene. After all the mourning is done with, the celebration of life continues, which is also portrayed in some parts of this song.

7. Maudlin of the Well - Excerpt from 6,000,000,000,000 Miles Before the First, Or, the Revisitation of the Blue Ghost
Best epic song of the year

6. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse ft. David Lynch - Star Eyes (I Can't Catch It)
I overheard David singing "R2D2". Sucha lovely lullabye with effective strings, xylophone and sounds in general.

5. The Flaming Lips - Silver Trembling Hands
Its chorus struck me instantaneously. The rest of the song is no less electrifying.
This and the track preceding it called "The Impulse" plus "Evil" can be added into the Lips' masterpiece cabinet.

4. Animal Collective - Brothersport
Plausible lyrics and energetic, bouncy music even in the absence of Dave Portner's scream session.

3. Major Lazer ft. Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze - Keep it Goin' Louder
Good blend of mild Indian beats, Auto-tune and melodic hooks
It's about partying with a truck-load of babes.

2. The Doves - Winter Hill
A seemingly simple rock tune which generates colossal resonance to your senses.
These lads can scale any slippery slope effortlessly.
I bet one of the Gallaghers secretly sings this song especially the chorus in the showers.

1. White Denim - I'd Have it Just the Way We Were
Succinctly done.
Each band member serves his purpose wonderfully in this song.
It begins with a bang, maintains its momentum and ends triumphantly.
AnCo will be happily dethroned this time around.