2008 Year-End List #2: Top 20 Songs

I'm totally an album guy. I very rarely skip around during any album I am listening to. I guess I like to see things through until their fruition. Musically speaking, at least.

Last year I tried to make a top 20 songs of the year list, and it was difficult. I had a hard time separating any single track from the albums that I truly loved. I could not take those out of context. I probably could have come up with something, but it would have been a list of favorite songs from albums that weren't in my top 20, because it was easier to weed out the good songs on those releases.

This year I tried even harder to come up with 20 songs that I thought were the cream of the crop, above all other songs. I'm not sure exactly how accurate this is, but hey, I gave it my best shot. Here they are, my 20 favorite songs of the year. I think.

(20) "I Can Do What I Want, When I Want" Xiu Xiu (from Women as Lovers)
Xiu Xiu is a conundrum to me. My first experience was with 2004's Fabulous Muscles, which had maybe three totally great, schizophrenic synthy pop gems. The rest of the album was ruined by some of the most bizarre shit I've ever heard: overdramatic loud/soft/loud dynamics, grating noise for grating noise's sake and an ultimately creepy spoken word track. This goes for every album since (and I assume every album before).

Women as Lovers doesn't have as much of the synthy stuff, but it opens with this jam. In spite of the blaring saxophone (which is kind of cool), this is a subtle piece, considering who's written and recorded it. There are cool melodies during the choruses, but the best part is that drum beat. Here, the drummer is a man after my own heart.

(19) "The Airport Line" The Week That Was (from The Week That Was)
I am still bumming about Field Music's "break up" or hiatus, or whatever it is they're on. But, thank God and Peter Brewis for this beautiful ode to some of the best music the 80s had to offer (XTC, The Police, maybe?). I can cope somewhat with songs like this.

(18) "Black Rice" Women (from Women)
Women did right to go to Chad VanGaalen to capture the songs on this record the way they did. Typically, I love my clean production (and dirty production put through a cleansing filter, or vice versa), but when lo-fi recording is done right, like this, then I am about it. What a pop song! Awesome melodies sang by an imperfect voice, appropriate use of glockenspeil (which is rare nowadays), big, overdriven drums, it's all here! Travis Bravender also helped me to realize that the best part is when the bass guitar is playing the glockenspeil part. Seriously, what a great idea, dudes!

(17) "The Hollows" Why? (from Alopecia)
I will admit, I'm not a huge fan of the verses in this song, even though Yoni Wolf could be considered one of indie rock's great modern lyricists (this coming from someone who usually doesn't pay attention to lyrics). The magic happens in the choruses and the middle section. During the choruses, the drum part is smart and unconventional and the distant female backing vocals are my jam. Also, the harpsichord part is great. My favorite part is during the end of the bridge, right when Yoni's voice is doubled. It's subtle, and only a little bit of a crescendo, but for some reason it resonates and feels intense. This is a great song.

(16) "In a Cave" Tokyo Police Club (from Elephant Shell)
This is my guilty pleasure of the list. Tokyo Police Club are a little too close to nu-emo for my liking. Even though they use space in their songs well (ala Spoon, who are a WAY better band, of course), the vocals sound forced or fake and there is this overriding sense of nu-emoness that I just cannot shake. All of this to say this song is fantastic (and there is one other on the album).

I love songs and albums that make me wait for my favorite part, and TPC nail it here by tagging the chorus on at the very end. Everything just clicks there: the repeating synth part, the simple guitar line (which is joined by a slightly funky riff reminiscent of the end of Death Cab for Cutie's "The Sound of Settling") and especially the vocal melody, which is perfect.

(15) "Gobbledigook" Sigur Ros (from Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust)
I will not deny that the music sounds like Animal Collective covering a Dave Matthews Band tune (which was the lost B-side to Sung Tongs, j/k). I also will not deny that this is probably Sigur Ros' greatest song because it is pop song length and there are actual melodies. Of course the percussion is really cool too.

(14) "Abandon" French Kicks (from Swimming)
Every French Kicks album after their debut full length, One Time Bells, opens with what is at first the obvious best track. With their last one, 2006's Two Thousand, this changed. On The Trial of the Century (2004) and this year's Swimming, it did not.

On "Abandon," the usual suspects are all here: an innovative and quirky drum beat, some synth, a repetitive, reverby one note guitar line and LOTS of vocal harmonies in the higher register. But, what this has that all other French Kicks songs don't is an awesomely inspiring and bad ass guitar riff. Nothing else on the record comes even close to touching this.

(13) "Gardenia" Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (from Real Emotional Trash)
Here is further proof that Stephen Malkmus still has it in him. This is a perfect pop song. That is all that needs to be said.

(12) "Top Drawer" Man Man (from Rabbit Habbits)
This time last year I was reminded how much I liked 2006's Six Demon Bag. I was surprised to find that it was quite a bit. Early on this year, Rabbit Habbits was one of the albums I anticipated the most. Even though I was let down, at least it birthed this jam of jams with its strutting rhythm, less pirate-y gang vocals, totally awesome drumming and the Sufjan Stevens-ish string and woodwind insanity at the end.

(11) "Weekend" The Sea and Cake (from Car Alarm)
Lord Jesus, what a song! After listening to Car Alarm the other day I decided that from now on I declare The Sea and Cake my second favorite band. I've also decided that "Weekend" is their best song since the one-two punch of "Afternoon Speaker" and "All the Photos" that opened up 2000's Oui. This is interesting to me because there is virtually one chord played through the entire thing, only to switch for two counts after every four measures. Smooth! It also helps that there is some bleep-bloop synth programming via The Fawn (1997) and a nonsensical yet fitting bass synth lick. Plus, John McEntire, as would be expected, is at his most awesome behind the kit. Bonus!

(10) "The Rip" Portishead (from Third)
I don't know why I never checked Portishead out well before this record. I remember my brother being really into them back in the late 90s. Unfortunately I could only get behind a few of the tracks on Third. It is just one of those challenging records that I can't wrap my brain around.

For me, "The Rip" is a diamond in the rough. The clashing of organic and inorganic sounds as well as the minor key chord progression and dark tone of the song remind me of something Radiohead would have recorded for Kid A or Amnesiac (as do the other songs that I like from the album). This is both haunting and beautiful.

(9) "Heavy Meadows" Javelins (from Heavy Meadows)
I already wrote a blurb for "Heavy Meadows" for my Top 10 Songs of 2008 by Local Bands list, but here it is again, copied and pasted:

This title track is the best song on my favorite Detroit area album since Red Shirt Brigade's Home of the Cannon Saints. It might be the band's smartest track: Matt Howard's guitar odes to The Smiths and Talking Heads (but weirder). rhythm section Matt Rickle and Julian Wettlin (both also of Thunderbirds Are Now!) showing restraint but keeping things interesting (Wettlin is especially genius on the choruses) and the mixture of Rickle's voice with Anathallo's Erica Froman. The strings add a nice amount of quirk and all of these things combined make for this subtle but key song from the local album of the year.

(8) "In the New Year" The Walkmen (from You & Me)
I was shocked at how great of a song this was when I first heard it back in June. It is a jam in the truest sense of the word. Hamilton Leithauser belts his guts out per usual, but instead of rage or doubt or whatever negative emotion he usually seems to be feeling, he seems optimistic here. The organ during the choruses and the bubbly drum part (especially those classy, subtle fills) help to match the mood. Even the harsh, reverby guitar riff seems to have overflowed with joy. It's neat to hear The Walkmen like this.

(7) "Friends" Lightning Love (from November Birthday)
I've also already written about this. This song consists solely of piano (or the piano sound on a keyboard) and the most simple of drum parts. Oh, and of course there are vocals, primarily by Leah Diehl, who sings only the sweetest of melodies and harmonies. That's all there is, and apparently that's all that is needed to make THE perfect pop song.

(6) "Foxes Mate for Life" Born Ruffians (from Red, Yellow and Blue)
This song simply rules hard. Here we have the most basic of rock 'n roll instrumentation (guitar, bass, drums) assisted by some synthesizer to spice things up. But still, somehow, Born Ruffians have a completely weird and quirky take on indie rock. Just know that it was my favorite song from the first half of the year.

(5) "Offend Maggie" Deerhoof (from Offend Maggie)
Here is another song that I was in complete awe after the first time it graced my earlobes. On "Offend Maggie," Deerhoof take Joan of Arc's emo and force it into a blissful and beautiful nature party with The Who's classic rock guitars. Keith Moon's drumming is there also, of course. He is the dude who is at that "perfectly drunk" point, loving on all the treefolk.

(4) "M79" Vampire Weekend (from Vampire Weekend)
For a second there, this was my unquestioned song of 2008. I don't know what happened, but I have never tired of it. "M79" sneaks away from the Paul Simon comparisions for four minutes and instead channels Mark Mothersbaugh's original scores to Wes Anderson films. For another second I wondered if maybe the song goes on just a tiny bit too long, but that is just ridiculous. It is as close to perfect that Vampire Weekend got on their debut (which is pretty damn close).

(3) "Street Flash" Animal Collective (from Water Curses EP)
It took me about half of the year to understand exactly how absolutely perfect this song is. I originally questioned it for its combination of obnoxious horror and earthly beauty. Now, and over the past few months, I have realized that it is pure genius. At its base, "Street Flash" is so gorgeous, and peaceful, that it doesn't really sound like Animal Collective. The beauty is what makes this such a great song, but it's the creepy cackling and alien sounds throughout and the questionable screaming in the middle that make this the song that it is, thusly branding it Animal Collective. It's as if the band layed this out as a challenge to help us grow as critical listeners and maybe even as human beings. "If you, our listeners can get through this and completely understand it, you shall be promoted from young Padawan learner to Jedi Knight." This is a dramatic way to look at this, I know, but guys, I am totally there. Inspiring.

(2) "Nothing Ever Happened" Deerhunter (from Microcastle)
In my slightly vision-impaired eyes, no 2008 album had a song that stood out as much as Microcastle's "Nothing Ever Happened." Not to say that the rest of the album is trash, because sure as a donkey's dick it's not. It's just that there are songs that are just your regular tall buildings, which are still pretty impressive, and "Agorophobia" and "Never Stops" are your typical skyscrapers: songs that are remarkable, but there are others like them. "Nothing Ever Happened" is like the Sears Tower or something. Is that a good comparison? I'm thinking the Sears Tower is the tallest building in the US, but I'm not sure at all. ANWAY, what I'm trying to get at is that it is one of a kind. The two verses showcase a superb melody and some really great bass playing. But, the extensive ending is what I've been looking for all year. Sure, it's repetitive, but does that even matter when it is such a bad ass section of a song? It is Microcastle's focal point, three-and-a-half moments of clarity, when all things good and modern rock 'n roll come together to say, "Yes, this part of this song is totally awesome, and don't you think we fucking know it?" It's what makes the entire song my second favorite of the year.

(1) "Strange Overtones" David Byrne & Brian Eno (from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
Yes, David Byrne and Brian Eno have collaborated again after so many years of not. Unfortunately, the result as a whole is not nearly as fruitful as this one, tremendous jam. So tremendous that the amount of songs released in 2008 that I liked as much or more than it is zero.

"Strange Overtones" is a feel good jam. The lyrics are charming, and if I were drunk and in the right company, I could and would dance to it. Eno's production is aces. The instrumentation is exactly what the song needs: a subtle dancy drum beat, some pretty and funky guitars, various synthesizer sounds. The highlight though, without question, is how incredibly great David Byrne's voice sounds. For one, technically, it just sounds beautiful. Here, his is the singing voice of my guardian angel. Secondly, he is seriously yearning, man. This is the perfect display of emotion. This is what I want all vocalists to sing like. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore, I've been at this list for a LONG ASS TIME.

"Strange Overtones" is my favorite song of the year, and that is that.