This... is SERUS (not serious) business.
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#20
"I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time"
Bon Iver
Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" is one of the most covered songs in pop music history, which is unsurprising as it's also one of the most powerful. But Bon Iver, covering this as a b-side to his "Calgary" single, gives it a surprisingly icy and non-saccharine touch, with a heavily compressed piano and rough vocal that sounds like a single take. Justin Vernon's falsetto is fully fledged, and painfully high, almost uncomfortably so. But this raw, flawed take is all the more emotional because of it, making the song less self-pitying and more lonely and isolated. It's ambiguous use of lyrics from another Raitt song at this track's close, the song being "Nick of Time", one with a decidedly more uplifting message, suggests an eventual comfort in solitude that no other version of the track would even consider, and it's a move that only Bon Iver would make.
#19
"OK Pal"
M83
On a record with enough "epic" to span over a Fantasy trilogy, "OK Pal", for me, is the track that provides the biggest heart leap every time, out of several contenders for the title. A simple two note hook looping for most of the song, and guitars epically twanging in the guiltiest of 80s pleasures, somehow, this one is the warm, cheese-loving centre of the wonderful "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming".
Download M83 OK Pal
#18
"This" (feat. Thom Yorke)
Modeselektor
This is what Thom wishes his solo material sounded like. "This" is creepy, brilliant and unsettling, with very little actual audible words coming from Thom's feature-spot, his voice mainly being cut and paste over deep, menacing bass-driven electronica. 6 and a half minutes gives the track plenty of time to build and breathe, and we eventually hear Yorke break gloriously out into a reverb laden falsetto with a non-cut and pasted vocal, and even letting moody guitars creep in towards the end, reminiscent of Radiohead's darkest moments. But nothing quite matches that first spinetingling moment, when Yorke's voice is heard on a loop, whispering "This/This/This/This..."
#17
"Over My Dead Body"
Drake
The piano/female vocal chorus alone is spine-tingling enough to warrant a placing in my top 50 songs of the year, but Drake's opener to his remarkably emotional (for a rap record) "Take Care" album, features some of the most honest adjusting-to-fame lyrics heard from a superstar, and not in a self-indulgent, self-pitying Eminem or Tyler manner, but in a fearful way, an emotion that one imagines many stars feel, but very few admit to. "I was drinking at the Palms last night, and ended up losing everything that I came with..." See? They're just like us.
#16
"Codex"
Radiohead
As with "Nude", "Sail to the Moon" and "Pyramid Song", no one does a surreal power ballad like Radiohead. But this time round, we're hearing the message clearer than ever. "Jump off the edge, into a clear lake" Thom peacefully murmers to us, and so enchanting is the shimmering piano that we could well be enticed in ourselves without realising. As with all of Radiohead's thoughtful suicide ballads (or what we assume to be), there is a level of innocence and even optimism that makes it even more beautiful and poignant. Thom rhymes "dragonflies" with "fantasise", and all of a sudden we enter the fantasy world that only Radiohead can open up to us.
And with every record, although it seems we are let further and further into the mindset of Mr Yorke, it's my bet that we will probably never understand quite what these beautiful words mean. But isn't that where the magic lies?
#15
"Life is Life"
Noah and the Whale
After the clinically depressed "First Days of Spring" let frontman Fink wallow in his post-break-up self-pity, it was a true delight to hear this track open the band's third record. Burbling synths and an amateur drum machine burst into a triumphant life-affirming anthem, that would seem hollow if it were not for the knowledge of where Fink has been mentally, and that the writer of hopeless odes to heartbreak "Stranger" and "I Have Nothing" is now singing "it feels like his new life can start". The use of third person is telling, and it's a common feature on "Last Night on Earth"; Fink has come to peace with himself, and is now taking inspiration from outside of himself, something a lot of songwriters are too proud to do. Although probably the least folk-sounding track the band has ever produced, lyrically, this tale of triumphing over depression, of changing one's life, proves Fink to be as adept a folk songwriter as any of his peers.
#14
"Shuffle"
Bombay Bicycle Club
After the lazy summer afternoon soundtrack that was "Flaws", it was refreshing to see Bombay Bicycle Club take an big risk in airing yet another a sunny new sound on "A Different Kind of Fix". But it all started with the most experimental track of all, the indie dance anthem "Shuffle". From the moment that stuttering honky tonk piano kicks in, til the final jumping vocal sample bows out abruptly, it's a plethora of hooks, yet Jack Steadman's heartbreaking cotton-candy voice and the band's wonderful songwriting still manages to shine through, better than ever in fact. "Shuffle" doesn't so much shuffle as bounce, and it was a new spring in the step of a band who, three very different records down the line, have yet to disappoint.
Funny youtube comment: "I asked Siri to play this song, but it just shuffled my iPod!"
#13
"Blue Cassette"
Friendly Fires
It's hard to think of another chorus this year that takes your breath away quite like "Blue Cassette" does the first time you hear it. Although it doesn't have the stargazing message of "Paris", "Blue Cassette" could well be the bands' biggest anthem to date. Once the tribal drums crash through the sonisphere, those orchestra hits smack you once, twice, THRICE in the face, and Ed Macfarlane yells "As I hear your voice, it sets my heart on fire!", it ceases to matter that the song is essentially about a grubby tape cassette found buried in the back garden, like some sort of glorified time capsule. But any band that can take THAT, and make a song like THIS, I'd wager that Friendly Fires could take anything and turn it into a blissful summer anthem. Glorious.
#12
"U&I"
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" record is predominately about self-acceptance and self-expression, so it's quite ironic that its most affecting track is a big country rock ballad about true All American love. There's no mistaking that this is one of Lady Gaga's most powerful melodies, and one of her most straight forward, memorable songs. However, by performing a country ballad, Lady Gaga instantly crushes the stigma of country and closed-mindedness, and it's a bold move, one only she could make. When Gaga cries out "You and I!" repeatedly at the track's emotional climax, it becomes apparent that the Nebraska thing is a façade, sang with tongue firmly in cheek. This is a love song to every one of her fans, and it indeed makes one proud to be amongst them.
#11
"Green Aisles"
Real Estate
Amongst an album full of heartbreaking songs, "Green Aisles" is the one that just about has the edge of them all. The daydream tapestry of guitar is a perfect background to the wonderfully simple vocal. "And if you just sit tight, I'll be there soon" is delivered as the most touching lyric of the record, closely followed by "The phone lines, the street lights, led me to you". This ain't nothing but a suburban love song, and few other songs this year have expressed love in such an honest way. It doesn't do much to draw attention to itself, but when it comes to songwriting and emotion, "Green Aisles" is pure perfection.
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Now, THE TOP TEN TRACKS OF 2011. Ok, here we go...
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#10
"Watch the World Go By" (feat. Le Prix & Lake Heartbeat)
Johan Agebjorn
"Watch the World Go By" (feat. Le Prix & Lake Heartbeat)
Johan Agebjorn
A lot of dance music from Europe follows these trancey disco rules, but nothing this year even approaches the emotional power and heart of this track. Swedish producer Agebjorn brings the shimmering walls of synth, and plenty of sweeps and swooshes, but it is the typically hushed vocal performance of featured Le Prix, in an undecorated and gentle take, that really delivers the uplifting rush of a melody honestly and perfectly. Lyrically, she sings of a typical fantasy of running away with a loved one, and the lyrics, on page, come across a tad saccharine, but when the chorus explodes into "I never wanted to be special, I just wanted someone who was special to be mine", all cynicism is irrelevant. These sentiments have been heard before, especially in dance music, but never before have they been expressed so sincerely and beautifully.
#9
"LYF"
WU LYF
WU LYF's music exhudes rebellion and youth at every turn, with every vocal racket (an acquired taste for certain), every reverb heavy guitar line and every restless drum beat. But what makes it so impressive is the sheer passion with which each song is performed, each one sounding like a single live take (which they probably were, recorded in a chapel of all places, which explains the vast echo). "L Y F" opens the record, and soars to #9 in my list because in 4 minutes it seems to bare the soul of the band, and what an introduction. A simple organ motif opens the song peacefully, and the track shuffles and fidgets through its verse before bursting into its heavenly, vast chorus. The scream of "I love you forever", as a majestic guitar line weaves its way tearfully, sticks with you for the rest of the album, and in that one simple phrase, the band's heart couldn't be worn more on their sleeve.
#8
"Boys of Paradise"
Unicorn Kid
Unicorn Kid may not be the most famous bedroom synth-meister, but he's been doing this since he was 15 years old. Listening to his early material, hyperactive glitchy 8 bit Game Boy music, he may have polished and commercialised his sound over time (he's 19 now), but the love and celebration of the music he makes still shines through. His stunningly fresh sounding "Tidal Rave" EP takes startling euro-synth lines, mixes them with the melodies of early PlayStation games (not literally, metaphorically) and throws them over a mix of early 90s rave beats and glowing, balearic pads. "Boys of Paradise" has the happiest of happy melodies, and bounces along like a 5 year old on Haribo, and it's utterly, utterly joyous.
Unicorn Kid
Unicorn Kid may not be the most famous bedroom synth-meister, but he's been doing this since he was 15 years old. Listening to his early material, hyperactive glitchy 8 bit Game Boy music, he may have polished and commercialised his sound over time (he's 19 now), but the love and celebration of the music he makes still shines through. His stunningly fresh sounding "Tidal Rave" EP takes startling euro-synth lines, mixes them with the melodies of early PlayStation games (not literally, metaphorically) and throws them over a mix of early 90s rave beats and glowing, balearic pads. "Boys of Paradise" has the happiest of happy melodies, and bounces along like a 5 year old on Haribo, and it's utterly, utterly joyous.
#7
"Beth/Rest"
Bon Iver
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon never had any qualms with a sickly sweet balladic melody, but the aching beauty of his falsetto always let him get away with anything. Yet for many, the 80s keyboards and power ballad mantra of Bon Iver's second record's closing number "Beth/Rest" were a step too far into Phil Collins territory. But this is the reason it is in fact, an utterly perfect way to end a perfect record. On a record that carries you to every beautiful corner of its far away fantasy world, "Beth/Rest" continues the fantasy by using sounds so retro and unexpected that you can't help feel like you're dreaming. But given all that, regardless of the medium Bon Iver has used to communicate "Beth/Rest", it is undeniably heart stoppingly wonderful. 2.29: "I ain't living in the dark no more, it's not a promise, I'm just gonna call it". The rest of the lyrics might be nigh on gibberish, but, as with most Bon Iver tracks, that one line says all that needs to be said. The music says the rest.
"Beth/Rest"
Bon Iver
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon never had any qualms with a sickly sweet balladic melody, but the aching beauty of his falsetto always let him get away with anything. Yet for many, the 80s keyboards and power ballad mantra of Bon Iver's second record's closing number "Beth/Rest" were a step too far into Phil Collins territory. But this is the reason it is in fact, an utterly perfect way to end a perfect record. On a record that carries you to every beautiful corner of its far away fantasy world, "Beth/Rest" continues the fantasy by using sounds so retro and unexpected that you can't help feel like you're dreaming. But given all that, regardless of the medium Bon Iver has used to communicate "Beth/Rest", it is undeniably heart stoppingly wonderful. 2.29: "I ain't living in the dark no more, it's not a promise, I'm just gonna call it". The rest of the lyrics might be nigh on gibberish, but, as with most Bon Iver tracks, that one line says all that needs to be said. The music says the rest.
#6
"Marvin's Room"
Drake
"I'm just sayin' you can do better". At first, "Marvin's Room" seems to be his ode to love and fame, and how the two suit each other. But for all the lines about groupies and spending all his money drinking, you realise this is just a regular old drunk dial to an ex. "Fuck that n*gga that you love so much" he drawls drunkenly, and the woozy trip hop backing courtesy of producer 40 suits the mood perfectly. What's so affecting however is the line "the girl I would try, is happy with a good guy, but I'mma call her anyway". It's a surprisingly touching, and very self-aware lyric, one that shows his vulnerability, and also admits his lack of morality. Hip Hop so rarely admits its weaknesses and addresses its stereotypes in this way. Only someone as talented and honest as Drake could've really expressed hitting rock bottom like this.
#5
"Someone Like You"
Adele
For many normal people, not necessarily music fans, this will be the song they most associate with 2011. It was widely acclaimed on the release of "21", but then Adelemania began when she performed the song on the BRIT awards. Ordinary people who wouldn't normally buy CDs, went out and bought hard copies of "21" as if Adele was a charity for heartbroken women everywhere.
"Someone Like You"
Adele
For many normal people, not necessarily music fans, this will be the song they most associate with 2011. It was widely acclaimed on the release of "21", but then Adelemania began when she performed the song on the BRIT awards. Ordinary people who wouldn't normally buy CDs, went out and bought hard copies of "21" as if Adele was a charity for heartbroken women everywhere.
Now, this doesn't happen for just any artist, or for just any song. "21" is a great album, great songs, big, back to basics arrangements, hints of soul, and Adele's voice has matured aeons since her debut, BUT... "Someone Like You" is on a different level. There are no gospel choirs, no big thumping drums, no heartfelt string arrangements... just Adele and a piano.
All this has been written a thousand times before about the song, but it cannot be said enough just how perfectly expressed the lyrics of "Someone Like You" really are. Tapping into the subconscious of every vulnerable, insecure person who has held on to a memory of a past love for too long, she sings "I had hoped you'd see my face, and that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over". The song is painfully accurate in soundtracking the horrible moment of realisation that a love is well and truly over. The chorus begins, now famously, "never mind, I'll find someone like you". Such a throwaway phrase, one that feigns hope, but really resembles deep fear of being alone. The song itself is light and simple, but the meaning alone makes it dark. And this darkness can be related to by the millions of people who have watched the video on YouTube, plus the hundreds of millions who heard it on "21" and still listen to it religiously.
It may not be the most groundbreaking 'song' of 2011, but it is one song, above all others from this year, that is undoubtedly a modern classic.
#4
"True Love Fantasy"
Unicorn Kid
Technically "True Love Fantasy", playlisted on Radio 1 this year (a big step for the unsigned Unicorn Kid), has 'sell-out' written all over it. But actually, although the track takes the generic eurosynth chord procession that we've heard a million times this year in the pitiful charts, it files every soft edge to a hazardous point, as rebellious youths shout out rallies and chants (courtesy of U.K.'s previous split EP pals Talk to Animals) and the track builds to a glorious early 90s rave bliss. So I say, if Unicorn Kid can take chart-friendly sounds, and inject them with his infectious, hyperactive rave vibes, we could be in for a treat in 2012. Fingers crossed he sold out enough, eh?
"True Love Fantasy"
Unicorn Kid
Technically "True Love Fantasy", playlisted on Radio 1 this year (a big step for the unsigned Unicorn Kid), has 'sell-out' written all over it. But actually, although the track takes the generic eurosynth chord procession that we've heard a million times this year in the pitiful charts, it files every soft edge to a hazardous point, as rebellious youths shout out rallies and chants (courtesy of U.K.'s previous split EP pals Talk to Animals) and the track builds to a glorious early 90s rave bliss. So I say, if Unicorn Kid can take chart-friendly sounds, and inject them with his infectious, hyperactive rave vibes, we could be in for a treat in 2012. Fingers crossed he sold out enough, eh?
#3
"Holocene"
"Holocene"
Bon Iver
Once you watch the heart-stoppingly gorgeous video for the equally heart-stoppingly gorgeous "Holocene", it suggests that the track is about being humbled by the earth's natural beauty, as does the line "and at once I knew, I was not magnificent". As a picked acoustic guitar line gently washes in and out like the tide, brass burbles like a brook in the background, and percussion shuffles like the wind, Justin Vernon sings contently "I could see for miles, miles, miles...". For nearly six minutes, you escape your current time and place when you listen to "Holocene", and those six minutes drift along like hours, hours, hours...
#2
"212"
Azealia Banks
"212" became infamous for constantly being removed from youtube, because of its frequent use of a certain 'c' word. But the great thing about Ms Banks' breakthrough (and a half) single, is that the NYC-based 20 year old rapper/singer Azealia Banks has a way of sounding controversial before you even know she's caused controversy. Cut said word out of the track and its still incredible and deliciously threatening, a loose, dancehall-tinged house beat and clubby synth hook providing the infectious groove for what is a riviting performance by Banks. She starts off MCing conversationally, taunting at first with lines such as "you know what's up, or don't you?", before chucking in that phrase "I'mma ruin you c*nt", and eventually by the end of the track she's distorting the mic because she's shouting so loudly. It has to be heard. It HAS TO BE. To understand how exciting this track is.
"212"
Azealia Banks
"212" became infamous for constantly being removed from youtube, because of its frequent use of a certain 'c' word. But the great thing about Ms Banks' breakthrough (and a half) single, is that the NYC-based 20 year old rapper/singer Azealia Banks has a way of sounding controversial before you even know she's caused controversy. Cut said word out of the track and its still incredible and deliciously threatening, a loose, dancehall-tinged house beat and clubby synth hook providing the infectious groove for what is a riviting performance by Banks. She starts off MCing conversationally, taunting at first with lines such as "you know what's up, or don't you?", before chucking in that phrase "I'mma ruin you c*nt", and eventually by the end of the track she's distorting the mic because she's shouting so loudly. It has to be heard. It HAS TO BE. To understand how exciting this track is.
#1
"Calgary"
Bon Iver
"Calgary" has been my song of the year ever since I heard it, but it is very difficult to explain why. I could have written twice as much about how Adele's "Someone Like You" has touched listeners world wide, or how Azealia Bank's "212" is a quiet revolution for hip hop, but "Calgary"... the sound of the opening three chords is all I need to confirm that this is a song that will stay with me for a long time.
Saying this, the said three opening chords are, as one youtube viewer puts it, "written in blood from Peter Gabriel's heart". And they have a point. The track is another instance where the band have taken a clear prog rock influence, and are shamelessly tugging at the heartstrings of the listener with no restraint in a very Gabriel (dare I mention Genesis...) manner. It's by no means as blatant as the aforementioned "Beth/Rest", but maybe it's the right ratio of "cheese" to sincerity that makes "Calgary" so perfectly pitched.
Starting with just pads and voice, the track exhudes the trademark "Bon Iver" peace. Vernon's multitracked and reverb-heavy vocal still manages to give the track a campfire feel, despite the instrumentation, and it is one that it returns to at the close of the track, which features just Vernon and a strummed guitar. But between these two points, the tracks builds to a glorious out of body experience, spanning what seems like every calling card that Bon Iver has.
Dreamy and ethereal to begin with, the track soon kicks in with thunderous drums and a wall of guitar, as the vocals get louder and more celebratory, including a delightful falsetto hook towards the climax, before all is stripped away to, as I mentioned, guitar and vocal. The track resembles falling into a deep sleep, and being whisked away into an intense dream world before suddenly waking up, and wondering where on earth you've just been.
Where you've been is "Calgary", and you've just been "Bon Iver'd", as I'll clumsily put it, which is to say you've been given an out of body experience by their music. And "Calgary", with all its sweet and sour musical stops along the way, is now their triumphant benchmark. Let's see if they can top this. Because sure as hell no one else even came close in 2011.
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Well, that's it folks! 2011 still had great music if you went and looked for it, let's hope 2012 will make it easier for us, hmm...??
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Here's a summary of my entire Top 50:
50. Major Lazer feat. The Partysquad - Original Don
49. Neon Indian - Halogen (I Could Be A Shadow)
48. Will Young - Jealousy
47. Lady Gaga - Heavy Metal Lover
46. Toddla T - How Beautiful It Could Be
45. Korallreven feat. Victoria Bergsman - Honey Mine
44. Chad Valley - Shell Suite
43. Beyonce - Love On Top
42. Friendly Fires - Hurting
41. The Weeknd - What You Need
(Click here to read more about #50-41)
40. The Vaccines - Norgaard
39. M83 - Reunion
38. The Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light is The Greatest Shade
37. Charli XCX - Stay Away
36. Dillon Francis feat. Diplo & Maluca - Que Que
35. SBTRKT feat. Yukimi Nagano - Wildfire
34. Katy Perry - Last Friday Night
33. Emeli Sandi - Heaven
32. Wild Beasts - Lion's Share
31. Foster The People - Call It What You Want
(Click here to read more about #40-31)
30. Friendly Fires - Live Those Days Tonight
29. Classixx - Into The Valley (Julio Bashmore Mix)
28. Chad Valley - Fast Challenges
27. Noah And The Whale - Give It All Back
26. Wynter Gordon - Til Death (Denzal Park Mix)
25. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
24. Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost
23. Cut Copy - Need You Now
22. M83 - Midnight City
21. Cut Copy - Take Me Over
Click here to read more about #30-21
20. Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time
19. M83 - OK Pal
18. Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke - This
17. Drake - Over My Dead Body
16. Radiohead - Codex
15. Noah And The Whale - Life Is Life
14. Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle
13. Friendly Fires - Blue Cassette
12. Lady Gaga - U&I
11. Real Estate - Green Aisles
10. Johann Agebjorn feat. Le Prix & Lake Heartbeat - Watch The World Go By
9. WU LYF - L Y F
8. Unicorn Kid - Boys Of Paradise
7. Bon Iver - Beth/Rest
6. Drake - Marvin's Room
5. Adele - Someone Like You
4. Unicorn Kid - True Love Fantasy
3. Bon Iver - Holocene
2. Azealia Banks - 212
1. BON IVER - CALGARY
(Click here to see what runner-up tracks were only just cut from the Top 50)
HAVE A GREAT NEW YEARS!!!
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