This album from N.A.S.A., it would appear, features every hip-hop artist you might ever want to listen to, all in one place. Spin tips it as the party album of the year. Can't say I disagree. Downloads at the end of the link, or listen to "Whachadoin" here (via Pitchfork).
These are the songs I found myself listening to over and over again this year, roughly in order from least over-listened to most over-listened. Some of them struck a personal chord. Some are just too catchy to be ignored. And yeah, there's 26 of them, because I just couldn't whittle it down to 25. Enjoy, please!
26. Hazelwood Motel - Break Myself In Two. This song is dead last onto the list time-wise, and probably actually belongs somewhat higher on it listened-wise, but I'm too lazy to redo the numbering. I love its simultaneous loudness and quietness. That when they're done, they end. And of course the driving guitar, which seems to be a theme this year. (Previous post, with info on where to download.)
25. A.A. Bondy - Killed Myself When I Was Young. Whoo, boy, this guy is off somewhere deep in the black forest. This is actually one of his more cheerful songs. Here's the Daytrotter session. Below, something else.
24. Absentee - They Do It These Days. You just don't hear good rock and roll with piano and trumpets and smart lyrics much any more. More driving guitar, too.
23. Ketch Harbor Wolves - So Long To The Ground. Download their album - the whole peaceful thing - for free here.
22. Yoav - Yeah The End. This is a gorgeous mellow song on a gorgeous mellow CD that resides in my top five list this year. Listen to it here or check out a stunningly good live set that doesn't have this particular song on it here.
21. The Cotton Jones Basket Ride - Chewing Gum. This is an ambling, shambling tune, "Feeling softer than the velvet sky, longer than the sun." Download it here.
20. The Mae Shi - Run To Your Grave. I like the directness of this song. Here's the beat. Here's the chorus, yelled. Here's, err, some driving guitar. Here's the rest of the song, also yelled. Here's a video in primary colors.
19. Kanye West vs. Radiohead - Reckoner Lockdown. I thought Kanye was the bomb on the MTV music awards when he did this song with those crazy taiko drummers in the background. However, I hate the album version/just not a fan of vocoder. But this remix with Radiohead got it halfway back to decent again. Not to mention that I can't possibly have a year-end list that doesn't somehow have Radiohead on it.
18. The Ting Tings - Great DJ. Were it earlier in the year, this would probably be higher on the list, but these guys sort of faded for me. Still, check out the Daytrotter session.
17. Saul Williams - List of Demands. This song was the soundtrack to a shoe commercial that was on non-stop during March madness. I don't remember the shoe, but the song lingers on. The song itself was written some time ago, but this guy is no dummy, so he reissued it on a CD this year. This is an outrageously cool rockin' version from 2005.
16. Catherine A.D. - Carry Your Heart. This is late onto the list. I like the crazy key changes in the chorus. Visit her MySpace page.
15. The Subways - Rock & Roll Queen. This song did not worm its way into my head until I saw "RocknRolla". Since then, I've probably played it an average of once a day.
14. Calexico - Two Silver Trees. If tumbleweeds could sing, this is what they would sound like.
13. The Bug featuring Warrior Queen - Poison Dart. I can't understand a word of it, but I love it. So very fierce. Another album that is in my top five (Via KEXP.)
12. Little Jackie - The Stoop. I love this song because it perfectly reflects how I feel about Brooklyn. So what if I don't have a stoop. NPR live session here.
11. T.I. featuring Rihanna - Live Your Life. The sheer audacity, to sample a not very good song from O-Zone, and turn it into a riotous ANTHEM. Here's the live version from the MTV video awards.
10. M83 - Highway of Endless Dreams. Appropriately named, is what. (On last.fm)
9. Raconteurs - Salute Your Solution. Good dirty South backwoods rock and roll with killer keyboard, some seriously cool reverb, and an even cooler video. Go here to watch it, since their record company no longer allows embedding. Or go here to listen.
8. Lil Wayne - A Milli. Lil Wayne is outrageous. The lyrics on this joint are insane. And the chant of "a milli" is a heartbeat that won't be ignored. I especially love this live version with ?uestlove doing the a millis AND playing the drums.
7. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Colour Television (download here. All the characteristics of a song I'd love - strong driving bass line, jangly guitars, and ironic pop culture lyrics. Another wheel of fortune. Another million tortured. Acomin' from my color television. Another story televised. Another million hypnotized.
6. Atmosphere - You. Just a good recession-era jam. A late entry into the top five albums.
5. Kings of Leon - Closer. For three hours, I stood crammed like a sardine in front of the All Points West main stage, awaiting Radiohead. Luckily, Kings of Leon was playing for an hour and a half of that. That was all it took for me to go from "meh" to a fan. This song, it oozes sex. (Via Pretty Much Amazing.)
4. Nada Surf - The Fox. I liked this song, but then I happened to be playing it while I was reading Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," and now I love it. Funny how its meaning changed for me. I haven't the slightest idea what this video is all about, and it assuredly isn't the official video for the song, but it is suitably strange.
3. Michael Franti - Remote Control. I saw Michael Franti for the first time at All Points West, and the dude just oozed happiness. This song is an anthem for good, in a year that needed such an anthem. Hey world, you know you got to put up a fight. Download here.
2. The Kills - URA Fever. With driving minor key bass beat, thrash guitar and creepy point-counterpoint vocals, this was a perfect tune for driving along the shore at night this summer. It was also a perfect tune for getting stuck in Holland Tunnel traffic. Second favorite album of the year. (Previous post.)
1. Elbow - The Bones of You. This is my favorite song of the year, on my favorite album of the year. This song is about nostalgia, and is nostalgia. Download it here, and check out a great year-end list while you're at it.
I have no idea just how unusual white rioja is (seems counter-intuitive though, no?) so I won't make a big stink about it. But I will say that you should run buy yourself a bottle of this hint-of-banana-oh-so-smooth-tasting 2005 Sierra Cantabria Organza before it is ALL GONE. I had it with a magnificent tasting dinner at Blue Hill, and I can't even remember which course I had it with, because the wine obliterated the food. I then ran out and bought two bottles of it the next day at Astor Place, which now seems to be out of it. Should have bought up their stock.
I heard Hazelwood Motel on a KEXP year-end podcast, and I have had them on repeat ever since. I am not the only one; plays of this "Break Myself In Two" masterpiece have, like, doubled on their MySpace page in the last couple of days. Of course, at least 20 of those come from me...I lerv the snarly guitar so.
I wonder if these guys are named after one of the several Hazelwood Motels I found online while hunting a non-existent decent picture of them.
KEXP is giving away an MP3 of this and other good stuff here!
Commentary on stuff I like, which is mostly music, but is sometimes, in no particular order, college basketball, wine, books, pop culture, media, weird business trivia, Brooklyn, good food, and other stoopid stuff. And sometimes, commentary on stuff I don't like, which includes but is not limited to, in no particular order, the MTA, rude people, too much work, and other stupid stuff.
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