It's hard to know quite what Irish indie dance beatmaker Daithi is going for with new single "Chameleon Life", but in attempting to tick so many boxes he manages to achieve appeal on an impressive number of levels. Seemingly flying the flag for cutesy indie/electropop before joyously morphing into a sparkling blast of sunny EDM, "Chameleon Life" paints with enough colour to please most fans of EDM, from the weird and quirky (Unicorn Kid, Fenech Soler) to the full on anthemic (Calvin Harris, Madeon), whilst managing to pander to fans of female fronted indie, courtesy of adorable singer Rye (Gossip, Icona Pop). But above all, its cheery carefree party vibe is predominantly what makes it's quite so infectious. Another bonafide Summer of '13 anthem without a doubt.
FOR FANS OF: Calvin Harris, Unicorn Kid, Fenech Soler
Showing posts with label unicorn kid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unicorn kid. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Monday, 1 October 2012
TOP 10 SONGS OF SEPTEMBER 2012.
10
"Default"
Atoms for Peace
Atoms for Peace
The first single proper from the unexpected supergroup that includes Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Flea of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. At first listen it's hard to hear anyone apart from Thom Yorke on this jittery, quirky electronica track, but "Default"'s wistful melodies and restrained, tasteful beats are in fact much easier on the ear than Thom Yorke's introverted, difficult solo material. Much like his excellent collaborations with Modeselektor last year, Thom doesn't mumble through the words as if he wishes the listener would leave him alone, instead his voice is beautiful, gliding along in spectral falsetto. If this track is the default setting for Atoms for Peace's debut record, allegedly due early 2013, then it's a promising benchmark.
9
"Feeling's Gone"
Beacon
I've come across a lot of atmospheric post-James Blake pop bands over the last year popping up on blogs, but few have quite created something as haunting as Brooklyn-based Beacon's debut single "Feeling's Gone". A wonderful, beautifully tragic lyrical refrain, "Feeling's gone, we waited for too long, but if you stay the night, we can find some more", opens the track, and the muffled synths, initially shrouded in misty pads, hint at a climax to come, but it isn't until the track's final minute that it triumphantly breaks out into an xx-esque dance beat. It's brief, but expertly done. The band's debut EP is out on October 2nd, called For Now.
"Feeling's Gone"
Beacon
I've come across a lot of atmospheric post-James Blake pop bands over the last year popping up on blogs, but few have quite created something as haunting as Brooklyn-based Beacon's debut single "Feeling's Gone". A wonderful, beautifully tragic lyrical refrain, "Feeling's gone, we waited for too long, but if you stay the night, we can find some more", opens the track, and the muffled synths, initially shrouded in misty pads, hint at a climax to come, but it isn't until the track's final minute that it triumphantly breaks out into an xx-esque dance beat. It's brief, but expertly done. The band's debut EP is out on October 2nd, called For Now.
8
"Ache"
Twigs
Twigs' "Ache" appeared online a couple of months ago, out of the blue with no clue as to the identity of this mystery singer. It arrived with an arresting, somewhat unsettling video, a slow motion clip of a masked dancer contorting his body in a rhythmical rage. It was a bizarre pairing with this sensual, intensely sexual art'n'B track, yet somehow a perfect fit. Twigs' gentle voice can be compared to the sugary tones of AlunaGeorge or even Aaliyah on a good note, but there's no denying that this is a track that suggests Twigs has a lot more to express and to offer.
7
"Fall"
Presets
Presets
"For a band who focus so intently on their less melodic, minimalistic rave numbers, I personally wonder why The Presets don't just stick to melodic dancepop numbers like "Fall"...
6
"Suicide Mission"
Groundislava feat. Baths
On the outskirts of the flourishing underground bass scene lies Groundislava, who are fond of their subby hip hop beats, but are also very fond of rubbing shoulders with the likes of Boards of Canada and Four Tet. As a result, Groundislava's Feel Me record mixes gorgeous electronica with a gritty, modern bass edge. "Suicide Mission" stands out on the record for its enchanting, eerie vocal and baroque-tronic synth arpeggios, like the long lost, missing cousin of SBTRKT's "Wildfire".
5
"Latch"
Disclosure feat. Sam Smith
"Latch" is the first single that really sets Disclosure apart from just another UK underground dance act, mainly because it takes risks. Looking at the more popular numbers of Disclosure's output so far, "Boiling" brings ethereal female vocals to the table, and "Tenderly" showed us the duo's ear for perfect vocal sampling, but not only does "Latch" bounce rather than pound, the camp, falsetto-heavy vocals of Sam Smith are totally out of the bass ball-park. Not a million miles from the soulful croon of Sam Sparro, the slamming climax when his falsetto hits in the chorus is the most exciting moment in any Disclosure track thus far. A track this daring makes Disclosure seem more than just another craze, this gives more than just a hint the duo could be in it for the long run.
4
"Swept Away"
The xx
The elevated presence of Jamie on Coexist is most apparent on the tribal, subtly ravey "Swept Away". For all the criticism directed at the band's sophomore effort, its lack of creativity and progression, "Swept Away" certainly sounds like the band taking a step in a new direction. Jamie's 90s dance beat is simple, tom heavy and does nothing if not intensify the breathless emotion of the band's trademark reverb heavy soundscape. The track pulses like a heartbeat, yet still manages to float.
The xx
The elevated presence of Jamie on Coexist is most apparent on the tribal, subtly ravey "Swept Away". For all the criticism directed at the band's sophomore effort, its lack of creativity and progression, "Swept Away" certainly sounds like the band taking a step in a new direction. Jamie's 90s dance beat is simple, tom heavy and does nothing if not intensify the breathless emotion of the band's trademark reverb heavy soundscape. The track pulses like a heartbeat, yet still manages to float.
3
"Little Talks"
Of Monsters and Men
Although the track might be unabashedly chirpy in its main hook, the band's charm and the male/female vocal chemistry end up justifying the sheer joy that this song exudes. However, the song is allegedly a conversation between a dead man and the wife he left behind, and the bittersweet nature of one-two lines such as "there's an old voice in my head that's holding me back - well tell her that I miss our little talks" are all the more poignant when sung over such an uplifting brass-laden indiepop backing. A track that on first listen seems to reveal all it's ever going to, but on repeat listens, it dawns on you that you may never completely understand everything it has to say. Heartbreaking, beautiful and quite clever really.
Of Monsters and Men
Although the track might be unabashedly chirpy in its main hook, the band's charm and the male/female vocal chemistry end up justifying the sheer joy that this song exudes. However, the song is allegedly a conversation between a dead man and the wife he left behind, and the bittersweet nature of one-two lines such as "there's an old voice in my head that's holding me back - well tell her that I miss our little talks" are all the more poignant when sung over such an uplifting brass-laden indiepop backing. A track that on first listen seems to reveal all it's ever going to, but on repeat listens, it dawns on you that you may never completely understand everything it has to say. Heartbreaking, beautiful and quite clever really.
2
"Need U"
Unicorn Kid
Unicorn Kid
After last year's phenomenal rave revival of Unicorn Kid's Tidal Rave EP, "Need U" strides even more confidentally down the 90s rave route. Somewhere between rave classics "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" and "Set You Free", and leaving even more of his 16-bit roots behind, "Need U" is Unicorn Kid's crowing glory, and the most euphoric, stargazing dance track of the year by far thus far.
1
"Everything is Embarrassing"
Sky Ferreira
The Robyn-esque robot-pop of Sky's early singles "One" and "Obsession" were mildly distracting, but ultimately uninteresting in the long term. Her music smarted with a 'manufactured and lifeless' stamp, that sadly a lot of female singers cannot help by be branded with; one popular single, then oblivion and obscurity. But Sky Ferreira's "Everything is Embarrassing" is phenomenal. You can not only hear a real girl, her emotion, her words, but you cannot pin down what exactly the track is trying to prove, and this mystery is the beauty of it.
Sky Ferreira
The Robyn-esque robot-pop of Sky's early singles "One" and "Obsession" were mildly distracting, but ultimately uninteresting in the long term. Her music smarted with a 'manufactured and lifeless' stamp, that sadly a lot of female singers cannot help by be branded with; one popular single, then oblivion and obscurity. But Sky Ferreira's "Everything is Embarrassing" is phenomenal. You can not only hear a real girl, her emotion, her words, but you cannot pin down what exactly the track is trying to prove, and this mystery is the beauty of it.
Co-produced by Blood Orange's Dev Hynes, the track has the same warm, enveloping sound that gives life to that band's music, and Sky's voice is virtually untouched and airy, what sounds like a girl with nothing left to prove. She sings, defeatedly, cynically, yet beautifully "maybe if you let me be your lover, maybe if you tried, then I would not bother". A poignant, soft, yet hard hitting lyric, one that defines Sky Ferreira's character more than any other lyric she has sung before.
Play "Obsession" straight after listening to this. You'll want to turn it off within seconds in, well, embarrassment. Good luck to the new Sky.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Give Pop A Chance's Best Of July Round-Up: INCLUDING 15-TRACK MIX!
ENJOY THE GIVE-POP-A-CHANCE JULY 2012 MIX BELOW!
Azealia Banks finally dropped her mixtape Fantasea this month, to a gleeful response from this blogger. A mix of bass-heavy hip hop, underground dance and house, working with a plethora of brilliant underground producers, highlights including the camp, high fashion house anthem "Fierce" (0:00 in the mix), and brilliantly explicit moombahton flirtation "Esta Noche" (42:41), penned by Munchi.
Bat For Lashes also finally released a new single, a simple piano and voice lament, the heartbreaking "Laura" (28:42).
If you've not heard Grimes latest work with producers Blood Diamonds, the track "Phone Sex" is as balearic and blissful as it is dark and disturbing, sweetened considerably by some pretty steel drums and poppy beat. Whilst you're checking this out, the Unicorn Kid remix (45:52) is also worth a listen or 10; the kid only goes from strength to strength, his production values having never sounded more chart friendly, whilst never losing the 90s rave vibe that gives everything he touches such a joyously euphoric sound.
Anyone missing their indiepop need look no further than The Crookes, whose debut record Hold Fast is pumped with youthful energy and earworm hooks. Particularly exciting is single "Maybe in the Dark" (26:14), oozing the same desperate teenage woes of their equally likeable peers The Heartbreaks.
After opening many a recent set with the track, Crystal Castles (10:46) finally shared a studio version of the dark, difficult and foreboding "Plague", sounding like a rave caught in a tornado, with Alice Glass crying "I am the plague!" with trademark alarming gusto in the chorus.
Etta Bond's free EP Emergency Room, produced at the dirty dubstep hands of 22 year old London producer Raf Riley, made early preview "Ask Me To Stay", seem like the weak pleas of an innocent girl in comparison to aggressive anthems about vomiting, fake tan and kissing on the tube. "Boring Bitches" (3:06) is a clear standout, with Etta's enraged party girl rant at said bitches and a drop to make you bleed from the eyes.
Pnau getting access to some of Elton John's back catalogue was a bizarre project, but a successful, lush sounding one, with Pnau merging slick 70s disco sounds with a gorgeous 80s warmpad sheen, particularly on the heartbreakingly beautiful tragic disco anthem "Sad" (23:00).
My favourite remix of the month has got to go to the Krystal Klear mix of the latest Marina & The Diamonds single "Power & Control" (32:58). The Manc producer takes the initially plodding track and turns it into a 1992 house banger, complete with token bubbling organ basslines and bright piano hits.
Passion Pit returned to their early bubblegum hyperpop tendencies of early tracks like "Smile Upon Me" for a brief moment on their sophomore effort Gossamer, for the cut and paste joy of "I'll Be Alright" (18:39), which stands out like a blinding ray of sunshine on a generally emotionally heavy album. Although lyrically its just as paranoid as the rest of the record, you wouldn't guess by all the cheery melodies flying around.
The debut album by electronic bass band Purity Ring however had no shortage of highlights, with the gory words and meatgrinder bassline of "Fineshrine" (7:19) and hypnotic middle eastern bells and sugar sweet melodies of "Amenamy" (36:21) proving to be amoungst the best.
Just when you thought M83's "Midnight City" (14:59) had done its fair share of rounds, eerie electropop act Saint Saviour posts a cover so good that it will undoubtedly do its own fair share. But with haunting synth pads, distant cooing vocals and an addictive rework of the already addictive main refrain, it almost deserves to stand on its own as an original work, such is the creativity on show here.
Bass producers Lunice and Hudson Mohawke's duo project TNGHT also had released its first EP, and the dance world is already trembling under the weight of the brass bass line in "Higher Ground" (39:44).
But the real event of July was The xx finally releasing their comeback single, "Angels" (50:09). Read my review of it here.
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
My Weekly Dance Music Rundown (On ConcertTicketsHub)
This week, I talk about new releases from Benga, Disclosure, Logistics and more... Click the picture of Unicorn Boy below to read and inform yourself!
Friday, 30 December 2011
TOP 50 OF 2011: #20 - #1!!!
After little bite sized chunks of 10 great 2011 tunes at a time, I now present to you in one fell swoop my TOP 20 SONGS OF THE YEAR!
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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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
#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.
#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.
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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!!!
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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