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December 12, 2007
Our Top 50 Songs of 2007: #40-31
Animal Collective - "Peacebone"
Melodic freak trance... The opening encapsulates Strawberry Jam's concept: fuzzed out electronic blurts flailing non-rhythmically suddenly get harnessed into a groove. Then, what follows is a purposefully-rough-around-the-edges song of beauty. Be not afraid. - K. O'Brien
What the hell? A completely earnest protest song by a white American male that comes across as neither limp-wristed non-involvement nor as jingoistic caricature. We needed this. In an '07 list theme, "Winds" opens up with a fiddle solo wailing over a plunk key saloon piano and honky-tonk beat. What makes this track work as a proper protest song is that it treats all sides equally: "The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute / If you burn them all together you get close to the truth." - R. Monty
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Catch You"
Trying to evade Ms. Bextor's grip on delectable pop is a lesson in futility. Bound for discovery you are! Sure the chorus proclaiming "There ain't no distance far enough/ My love's gonna find you" doesn't even pretend to hold back the cheese factor, but the relentless pulse of the bass-heavy synth isn't pulling any punches either. Yes please. - M. Swankster
Sunset Rubdown - "Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days"
Much like the whole of Random Spirit Lover, this song is a grower. Admittedly, the medieval Celtic hootenanny intro can be a tough sell to paddle past, but oh my goodness, once you do! If the music between minute marker 3:19 through 3:50 is not the most undeniably excellent section of any song released this year then, well...your opinion varies from mine. - MS
The title track to Blonde Redhead's 23 references the 23 Enigma (the belief that all events are connected by the number, 23, which William Burroughs famously espoused). After a mournful tolling keyboard, the strong, insistent melody kicks in, set against slaloming Loveless guitars, and achieves major liftoff. Kazu Makino updates the ethereal vocal sound of 4AD stalwarts Lush to fine effect on a song that is very difficult to talk about without resorting to the word "shoegazing." I thank the secret cabal that controls world events that I didn't have to go there. - D. Klein
Jay Z - "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..."
Y=X, where Y is the amount of horns in a hip-hop song and X is how much I'm going to like it. - RM
the White Stripes - "Effects and Cause"
The philosophy of causality never sounded so casual. Even Aristotle would have been a fan. Though the chicken/egg debate will rage on until the next album, the contagious playfulness of this song makes it a clear favorite. - Y. Korngold
This song has been bootlegged since '97, but I'm not sure this would have made my list a decade ago. It was all about Radiohead's bombast back then. So, what's changed? Well for one, it's obvious now that this sort of miserable in the details but uplifting as a whole ballad is an even trickier tightrope than I'd ever dreamed (cough*Coldplay*cough). But mainly it's that both me and my high school favorite band grew up. The subtle studio mastery in this finally finished song proves they've got a monumental lead. - J. Klingman
Who knew caribou were monogamous? Dan Snaith’s vocals are smooth enough for wedding play but backed with enough pop that I wouldn’t be too surprised if a certain presidential hopeful played this song on repeat down in Iowa. - YK
What grabs me is that fat bass locking in on the beat, the terse guitar commentary, the handclaps, the finger snaps, and the ragged glory of Daniel's vocal. And of course, the economy of the package. As the Katie Holmes character reminds the Michael Douglas character in The Wonder Boys, writing is about making choices, and the Spoonists have taken this to heart; you can appreciate what they didn't do as well as what they did. And while "Don't You Evah" will never be as sophisticated lyrically as "Well Did You Evah," the Cole Porter chestnut, its sly refrain is a keeper. - DK
Posted by Jeff Klingman at December 12, 2007 05:37 PM
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Comments
"Don't You Evah" wasn't written by Spoon. It was never released by the Natural History, a terrific NYC band that broke up recently.
Posted by: Jake at December 14, 2007 11:07 PM
dude! i am totaly in that picture of spoon!
front row baby!!!
Posted by: tera at February 9, 2008 01:00 AM
Hey everyone, check out my remix if you get a chance:
Radiohead - Nude (Minty Fresh Remix)
http://radioheadremix.com/remix/?id=1527
Thanks!
Posted by: mintyfreshbeats at April 22, 2008 05:18 PM
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