The Top 25 Songs of 2011

(Ed. note: I am well aware that it is January 16, 2012. I am also aware that most best-of 2011 lists came out at the end of December, 2011. I wanted this list to come out at that time but it took me so fucking long to write this. I wasn't anticipating this post to be this long, but it is...so...yeah. Deal with it.)

Well, another year and all that shit. It's been an OK year for music, in my opinion. I always seem to say this at the end of every year. "Yeah it was decent. Not great, but not terrible". In reality, the true measure of a year's worth of music cannot be calculated until long after December 31. Opinions change. What was good in 2011 may not appear as good in five years. The fact of the matter is that we cannot yet begin to determine what songs sound "dated", or trapped in their time. Some songs will inevitably be associated with one point in the history of popular music, other songs will transcend. That's my criteria for judging the best. Do they retread and regurgitate old tricks? Or do they create a new way of writing and creating that other artists desperately attempt to catch up to?

Though not the greatest for music, 2011 is a year that will be remembered for the continuance of the synthesizer's stranglehold on pop music. Personally, I thought that guitar music was going to take its rightful spot atop the music heap. My inclinations were initially verified by the release of Yuck's self-titled debut in February. Or at least I thought. They released an album full of songs inspired by the early 90s heroes of indie rock - Superchunk, Dinosaur Jr., etc. However, I was wrong in my prognostication. New wave and post-punk continued to dominate the minds of modern rock songwriters. The Horrors, M83 and Handsome Furs released albums that were legitimate nods to the 80s new wave/post-punk sounds. I guess I'm OK with that, but I WAS expecting some change. Leave it to 2012 to give us some new albums that will lead the way. Maybe.

Bernie Trotsky gave his top 30 of 2011 in my last post. One of his rules was that bands could not have more than one entry on the list. I don't agree with this whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned, if the album is good it will have more than one song that is worth considering for the top songs. This is the reality of the ranking system. I'm not going to penalize a song because it was on an artist's great album. If they have more than one great song in 2011 then so be it. Throw it in the ring. These are the best songs, after all. So, what I'm trying to say is that I have no rules. If the song was great, it belongs on the list. After all, as the masthead says, "it's not the scene, it's the song".

So without Freddy Adu, here are my Top 25 songs of 2011:

#25 Foster the People - Helena Beat

2011 was an incredible year for Foster the People. Their colossal single "Pumped Up Kicks" finally broke into America's radios despite being released in mid-2010. So no, "Pumped Up Kicks" doesn't qualify for this list. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? However, their debut album, Torches, was released eariler this year and featured another infectious single, "Helena Beat". This song is typical FTP - heavy synth and drum machines providing a backdrop for Mark Foster's wimpy but endearing falsetto. While much of the album would prove to be disappointing, "Helena Beat" was a strong single that combined a brilliant hook with unabashed enthusiasm.

#24 Adele - Rumour Has It

If you check out Rolling Stone's Top 50 albums of 2011, you will find Adele's 21 at the top of that heaping pile of dogshit. This isn't to disparage Adele's work this year - 21 is a great album that has every right to be at the top of a "best of 2011" list. It's just that Rolling Stone's Top 10 is about as stupid as the burnt out hippies that still flip through its pages. Regardless, Adele has quickly become the world's leading voice and has established herself as a force. 21 is doing for her what Back to Black did for Amy Winehouse, or the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill did for Lauryn Hill. "Rumour Has It" is a soulful, pounding track that explores the underworld of rumour-mongering in a way that Timex Social Club never could.

#23 Coldplay - Major Minus

Coldplay continues to baffle me. They're going in directions that they, in my humble opinion, should not be going. I'm all for artistic exploration and evolution. If anything, I encourage it and would like to see more bands engage in expanding their soundscape. However, hiring Brian Eno does not automatically push you into the experimental realm. Nor does experimenting with R&B and Pop sounds. If I play in a rock band and I start to borrow things from pop artists like OneRepublic and Rihanna, I am not experimenting. I am pandering. I am pathetic. This is Coldplay, now. While I don't doubt that Chris Martin et al are quite comfortable with what they are doing, I can't see this direction as anything more than "playing down to an opponent". Coldplay used to set the standard in pop rock music (thanks to Radiohead). Now it seems that they are following the standard.

Oh yeah, the song. "Major Minus" was one of the few bright spots on the album. When I heard this song on the flip side of "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" I figured that this was the direction that Mylo Xyloto was headed. The song featured a funky Madchester-based rhythm with a busy bassline, a soaring, crunchy guitar and a neatly tuned acoustic. The Big Brother theme of the lyrics was also something that enticed me. Holy shit, was I wrong about the album. Great song, though.

#22 Viva Brother - Darling Buds of May

The music hype machine in the UK is about as well-oiled as Victoria Beckham vacationing in Ibiza.  Every year the NME or Q picks a couple of bands, slaps one of them on the cover of their rag and works the public into a frenzy. Some of these bands (Arctic Monkeys, The Horrors, The Vaccines) are worth the praise, while others (Gay Dad, Dirty Pretty Things, anything with Pete Doherty) fall flat on substance. After being featured as one of NME's Bands to Watch in 2011, Viva Brother were a band that was thrown on to the Hype Machine assembly line. The question of whether or not they were worth the hype seemed to be answered when they dropped a less than stellar debut album, Famous First Words, in the early summer of 2011. Despite the overall shittyness of the album and the unreasonable brashness and cockiness, Viva Brother still have their moments, most notably on the songs "Still Here" and "Darling Buds of May", the lead single released in early 2011. There was something about "Darling Buds" that led me to believe that this band was destined to be the Next Big Thing. The awesome hook seemed to harken back to the height of mid-90s Britpop, while the working-class snarl was reminiscent of Liam Gallgher and Ian Brown at their brashest. Though the album was a letdown, I wouldn't count this band out in the future, considering they are capable of such great little ditties as "Darling Buds of May".

#21 Yuck - Sunday

As I said at the top, I really thought that this was the year that 90s alternative would start to infiltrate indie rock. What made me believe this was Yuck's self-titled debut album. This album was an unabashed love letter to bands like Superchunk, The Pixies and Sonic Youth. While fuzz and distortion was heavy on the album, the song "Sunday" was one of the more toned-down numbers that made the album so great. Where Yuck can melt your face off with straight ahead ear-ringers, they can also turn down and let their brilliant melodies shine through. "Sunday" is song that was released in 2011 but could have easily been lifted from an early 90s Sloan album.

#20 Beady Eye - The Roller

I don't think anyone feels bad for Liam Gallagher that Beady Eye didn't really dominate the charts like he thought they would.  The Noel-less Oasis released a really boring album in early 2011. It sounded like they just recorded all of the non-Noel songs that would end up on the next Oasis album or B-side...WAIT A SECOND, THEY DID? I love Liam, and he takes a fucking pounding from dickhead hipsters in North America, but I don't mind people enjoying a little schadenfreude with the flaming piece of shit that was Different Gear, Still Speeding. Really, the only good thing that came of the album was the song "The Roller", a spirited John Lennon-like romp with a classic growling hook. Liam is at his best in this song that makes me yearn for more Oasis. 

#19 The Vaccines - Post Break-Up Sex

Even more hyped than Viva Brother in 2011 were the Vaccines, a group of kids from posh West London that were packing clubs with celebrity fans before they even dropped a single. While the hype may not have been fully deserved (there aren't too many bands that actually live up to the type of expectations these Brits heap on them), the Vaccines did manage to piece together a decent album that combined the earnest baritone vocals of Interpol (via Joy Division) with the Ramones and a sprinkle of early 1960s surf music.  Melodies and composition aside, the beauty of "Post Break-Up Sex" is the earnest and quirky lyrics that truly reveal a band of young guys that are having a shitload of fun. That sing-a-long chorus ain't bad either.

#18 The Horrors - You Said

The Horrors first entry on this list is the sparkling "You Said" off Skying, one of the great triumphs of 2011. Of the 80s inspired albums of the past few years, Skying is one of the few  that pays homage to the dark post-punk 80s synth rock of Psychedelic Furs and Echo and the Bunnymen while incorporating more modern sounds. "You Said" is the epitome of this style with it's blaring synths and rhythmic baseline combined with a Britpop-styled skip beat. In addition to the 80s synth influence, the song builds to a beautiful coda that builds upon itself like something from My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.

#17 Bombay Bicycle Club - Lights Out, Words Gone

Bombay Bicycle Club's A Different Kind of Fix was an incredibly strong effort that fused BBC's previous albums with some subtle electronic influences. The album also marks a departure from the more guitar-driven songs from the band's past. A prime example of the minimalist guitar approach is most prevalent on the song "Lights Out, Words Gone", where light, muted guitars quietly rise above drone synth voices. The beautiful melody soars over the understated synths and guitars and relatively busy rhythm section. Coming from a band that is rightly labelled as a true art-school band, "Lights Out, Words Gone" is simple, minimal and fantastic.

#16 The Strokes - Taken for a Fool

To say the recording of the Strokes highly anticipated (I guess?) "reunion" album was unorthodox is an understatement. After the band recorded the bed tracks, lead singer Julian Casablancas recorded his vocals in a different studio and sent them back to the band via email with incredibly ambiguous and vague instructions. Casablancas felt like it would be a good way of involving the rest of the band in the creative process. Did it work? Mehhh I don't know. Angles seems to be the greatest departure for the Strokes of all of their albums. That doesn't mean it's great, it just means that it tries. Ironically, the best song on the album is the most Strokes-like - "Taken for a Fool" is the usual jaunt with the dueling guitars of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr and Casablancas' Lou Reedish "too cool" flair.

In an unrelated note, longtime music critic Chuck Klosterman attempted to quantify a band member's contribution to a band through a bastardized version of the baseball statistic VORP (Value Over Replacement Player). Klosterman uses Albert Hammond of The Strokes as the guinea pig for his fucked up "statistical analysis" which is nothing short of ridiculous. However, applying statistical value to a band is not the most ludicrous act he commits in this article. Klosterman actually says that the Strokes are known for "Casablanca's woozy-sloth vocals and Fab Moretti's precision drumming". Wait, WHAT? That's like saying the Mona Lisa is known for its beautiful frame. What a fucking crock of shit.

#15 WU-LYF - We Bros

Another band of kids! The Manchester-based WU-LYF are a bunch youngins that incorporated elements of indie, world music and indecipherable Tom Waits screaming. The band released their debut album Go Tell Fire to the Mountain in 2011 and it was as impressive a debut as any this past year. Despite the band's young age, WU-LYF writes music like seasoned vets. The impressive rhythm section is complimented by the intricately beautiful guitar work, grand church organ and barking vocals. It sounds like a screwed up combination, but it somehow works. "We Bros" is a stand-out with its reggae-tinged guitar and bassline and the singalong chorus (once you look the lyrics up). Despite going back to the similar chord progressions a little too much, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain is quite good - particularily "We Bros".

#14 The Joy Formidable - Whirring

The Joy Formidable were one of the "buzz bands" from 2011 and they were certainly worth the buzz. Unlike the other bands that were subject to the hype machine, the Welsh band's hype seemed more organic and natural as they weren't pasted on magazine covers or shoved down our throat on NME.com. Their prowess eventually crossed the Atlantic with the release of their self-titled debut album. Their mass appeal is driven by fierce, high octane anthems, but is guided by their charismatic frontwoman Ritzy Bryan. Her vocal prowess is accompanied by fantastic guitar skills and an energetic stage presence. I could have picked any number of songs off of The Joy Formidable, but I figured I'd throw "Whirring" in, since it was the lead single is just a great fucking song.

#13 The Decemberists - Down By The Water

In early 2011, I heard a fantastic rendition of R.E.M.'s "Cuyahoga" by the Decemberists. The folky lyrics and melody seem well suited for lead singer Colin Meloy - a songwriter that creates strange and interesting worlds with his lyrics. So it came as no surprise that the Decemberists' 2011 album The King is Dead had some R.E.M. influences. So much so that Peter Buck lent is jangly Rickenbacker to the lead single "Down By the Water". The result is a beautifully written song that also features bluegrass singer-songwriter Gillian Welch. The rest of the album was not their greatest work, but "Down By the Water" is one of their better songs.

#12 Handsome Furs - Bury Me Standing

I cried a little when Wolf Parade broke up (or indefinite hiatus). The Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug combination was reminiscent of XTC's Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding or, dare I say Lennon and McCartney. Their songwriting styles seemed to counter each other in such a profound and complimentary way. Krug was the strange, darker one while Boeckner was the outgoing, Springsteen-type (just watch this interview on Q and compare the body language and reactions from Dan and Spencer) . Through this fantastic dichotomous songwriting style, Wolf Parade epitomized clever and smart 21st century modern rock. It was only natural that I would enjoy Boeckner's side project with his wife, Handsome Furs. Their 2011 album Sound Kapital was a super electronic-infused effort resulting from what was probably a 24 hour acid trip in a locked panic room with Kraftwerk blasting through a loudspeaker. "Bury Me Standing" is just one of nine great songs from one of the best albums of 2011.

#11 Noel Gallagher - AKA What a Life!

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds was one of the more highly anticipated albums of 2011 - at least in my mind. I was excited about the former Oasis backbone's new material as there was a chance for the surly Mancunian to branch out and experiment a little. Unfortunately, most of the album sounded like a bunch of Oasis throwaway songs without Liam's voice. That's not to say that the album wasn't enjoyable, because High Flying Birds was certainly one the better albums of 2011. It's just that I expect more from Noel. What came from Beady Eye was certainly what most people expected - Oasis without any direction. However, the substance was to come from Noel. Despite the album's retreading, the song "AKA...What A Life" was a glimpse into what Noel Gallagher is capable of - an electronic infused song with an incredible hook. I'm also comforted in the fact that Noel has admitted that most of the album were old Oasis songs, and that he will be releasing a second album this year with Amorphous Androgynous that will most likely reveal his true creativity.

#10 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

These hip Brooklynites took the sound and feel of My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain and put into a nice little indie-pop package. Riding the critical wave of their 2009 debut, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart (bad name) released Belong this past year to resoundingly positive reviews. Last year's effort is a more concentrated and polished sound than their debut, with bigger hooks and crisper production. They enlisted Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness producer Flood and the Smashing Pumpkins sound really shows, especially on the album's title track/opener. "Belong" is a mountain of fuzz, earnest vocals and a killer hook. It's good to hear indie bands that aren't afraid to write a straight-ahead chorus. If you're good at it, why not?

#9 Girls - Vomit

I wasn't a huge fan of the San Francisco-based Girls debut album Album (hipster much?), so I was a little apprehensive about their 2011 album Father, Son, Holy Ghost. However, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the variety of influences heard on this record. From the Beach Boys (who isn't listening to them these days) to the Beatles to Buddy Holly, Father explores your dad's record collection. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. The album peaks with the song "Vomit", which makes me want to do anything but. The almost 8 minute epic song is littered with ear candy, including a "Great Gig in the Sky"-styled vocal solo from a back-up singer. The dark and alienating lyrics are just a cherry on the top of modern day indie masterpiece. 

#8 Elbow - Lippy Kids

I've never really been into English band Elbow, but I probably should be, considering I really like what little I've heard from them. Build a Rocket Boys! tends to drag in spots, but it's still a solid album that explores a lot of innocence themes. Nowhere is this more evident in the song "Lippy Kids" where lead singer Guy Garvey sings about childhood experiences and memories. The song features minimal musical accompaniment which perfectly frames Garvey's strong and powerful voice.

#7 Radiohead - Lotus Flower

The King of Limbs was not the album I was hoping for, but Radiohead's lesser work is still better than most bands' best work. That The King of Limbs was still one of the best albums of 2011 should tell you something about the quality of music that Radiohead is capable creating. The standout of this album was the song "Lotus Flower", which seemed to garner more attention for its video and subsequent parodies. Thom Yorke is certainly a better dancer than I am, and this song is certainly better than most songs last year.

#6 Real Estate - It's Real

Oh, shit just got real. Yet another surf band. But unlike the sparse minimalism of The Drums, Real Estate features lush guitars and melodic arpeggios. With melodies straight out of a Brian Wilson dream and chiming guitars that would bring Peter Buck to his knees, Real Estate put forth a great sophomore album in 2011 (Days). "It's Real" is a fantastic little ditty that features jangly guitars and sincere lyrics with a simple and effective hook. I figure that the surf music will eventually run it's course (particularly with The Drums having just recently split) but Real Estate is a band that is capable of so much more.

#5 Bon Iver - Holocene

"And at once I knew I was not magnificent". Incredible. These guys (really just Justin Vernon) deserve all of the mainstream success that has and will continue to come to them. This song is so powerful I almost tear up every time I hear it. A song that can evoke so many emotions (at least with me) is worthy of any and all praise. A recent Grammy nomination for Song of the Year may have the hipsters a little upset, but it makes sense that music this good is loved by so many people.

#4 Yuck - Operation

As I said before, Yuck conjures up memories of the alternative slacker rock of the early 90s. "Operation" features slacker lyrics with a fucking face-melting guitar riff that makes me want to punch a wall.  Yuck is capable of rehashing 90s rock, but in a good way that sounds fresh and new.  This song epitomizes the sound and feel of Yuck.

#3 Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle

A rickety parlour piano loop provides the canvas for which Bombay Bicycle Club work their magic. A Different Kind of Fix has everything, and it shows in "Shuffle", as BBC is able to incorporate elements of electronic, funk and rock in one song. Not that bands haven't done this sort of thing before, but BBC seem to do it in their own, interesting way. With the funky bass line and an infectious rhythm, "Shuffle" is a fantastic song from one of the best albums of 2011.

#2 The Horrors - Still Life

On their 2007 debut album Strange House, the Horrors did punk rock pretty well. Somehow, the band has evolved in only four years into something almost completely different. I think that's one reason why 2011's Skying is such an interesting album. The contrast between a song like "Still Life" and a song like "Sheena Is a Parasite" is incredible (honestly, listen to the two songs back to back). The Horrors somehow followed a late 1970s punk rock to early 1980s New Wave narrative in the only four years (think Johnny Rotten from the Pistols to PiL). Performance enhancing drugs, maybe? Whatever it is, the Horrors came into their own in 2011 and created a complete and incredible album that features one of the best songs of 2011 with "Still Life". The Richard Butler styled vocals and the sweeping synths are highlights of this post-punk anthem. Yes, the 80s are still influencing modern songwriters, but with songs like "Still Life" I certainly don't mind if the 80s hang around for a while.

#1 M83 - Midnight City

YES I AM AWARE THAT PITCHFORK RANKED THIS SONG AS THEIR NUMBER ONE SONG OF 2011. But that's not the reason why I picked it as my song of the year, or why Bernie Trotsky picked it as his song of the year. It really was the best song of the year, hands down. Just listen and watch the video:

Unfuckingbelievable. In a year of sax solos (Kenny G with Katy Perry and Clarence Clemons on that Lady Gaga abortion she calls a song) M83 showed the music world how its fucking done. "Midnight City" is nothing short of a modern day classic.

OH MY GOD THAT WAS EXHAUSTING. I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN.

INTO THE NEON FILLED NIGHT - The Best of 2011

Ed Note: Bernie Trotsky is a Duran Duran obsessed quasi-hipster living in Peterborough, Ontario. He enjoys a good harlequin novel and has been known to start flat-earth debates. 

This year's installment is the largest one yet. I was finally able to whittle down my list to the top 30 songs of the year. As always, an artist or musical act may not be represented on the list more than once. Listed below are  honourable mentions, songs that were disqualified due to my asinine stipulation that artists may not be represented on the list more than once, and, if this wasn't hipster enough as it is, a reference to last year's list. Anyways, check it out!

Ten Honourable Mentions (in no particular order):
Real Estate - "It's Real"
Burial,  Four Tet, and Thom Yorke - "Ego"
Metronomy - "The Bay"
Lana Del Rey - "Blue Jeans"
Death Cab For Cutie - "You are the Tourist"
TV on the Radio - "You"
Yuck - "Operation"
Toro Y Moi - "Still Sound"
PNAU - "Solid Ground"
Washed Out - "Amor Fati"

Ten Songs Ruled Out By "The One Song Per Artist" Rule*
Bombay Bicycle Club - "Lights Out, Words Gone" (LOVE THIS SONG...would've been a Top 10)
Craft Spells - "Party Talk"
Peter Bjorn and John - "Breaker, Breaker"
Digitalism - "Miami Showdown"
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Belong"
Cut Copy - "Take Me Over"
Penguin Prison - "Fair Warning (Oliver Remix)"
Justice - "Ohio"
Holy Ghost! - "Wait and See (CFCF Remix)"
Destroyer - "Chinatown"
Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks (on 2010 list)*


The Top 30 Songs of 2011

#30 - Second Chance by Peter Bjorn and John
While nothing can match the masterpiece that is "Writer's Block", this song from their latest is pretty decent.

#29 - Heart In Your Heartbreak by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
One of the best surprises and acts that I saw at Osheaga this year. Love the shout-out to My Bloody Valentine.

#28 - Civilization by Justice
I honestly expected a lot more from this album. Civilization, featured in that adidas commercial, was the highlight by a distance of 2.2 km. 

#27 - A Truly Happy Ending by Junior Boys
While their last album was a bit of a disappointment, this one was much better. Check out the Diamond Rings remix too.

#26 - Flowers by Teeth
One of those songs I randomly click on that work out for the best. Weird? Yup. Trotsky Style? Definitely.

#25 - Bizness by tUnE-yArDs
I'd heard a lot about them but wasn't a particular fan of anything...until I heard this one.  

#24 - 2 Hearts by Digitalism
This started out HOTT, but really faded as the year went on. Nice to hear some new stuff from them. Been a while. 

#23 - Do It Again by Holy Ghost!
For some reason, this song reminds me of a Roxette song. This just edged out "Wait and See" for a spot on here.

#22 - Show Me Lights by Friendly Fires
Bought this album the day it came out and was not disappointed. I like this tune the best, though "Live Those Days Tonight", "Blue Cassette", and their cover of Depeche Mode's "Strangelove" are pretty great too. 

#21 - Love U More (RAC Mix) by Sunday Girl
RAC does about 3 or 4 remixes each year that take a solid song and make them stellar. This is one of them.

#20 - Pop Song by Baths
One band I wished I had gotten to see at Osheaga but couldn't make work. Sigh.

#19 - Don't Fuck With My Money by Penguin Prison
I'd been waiting for this album for a looooong time. Well worth the wait. Get it. It's fantastic.

#18 - After The Moment by Craft Spells
Just a random discovery. Saw them in a basement in Toronto and they were so talented, yet so humble. Great sound!

#17 - If You Wanna by The Vaccines
So many elements of so many bands going on here. This was a summer playlist staple. 

#16 - Holocene by Bon Iver
And at once I knew I was not magnificent...

#15 - True Loves by Hooray For Earth
Awful band name, but great video and amazing song.

#14 - Helena Beat  by  Foster The People
WARNING: PRETENTIOUS HIPSTER RANT: It's a shame that I got this song in January because it feels so stale and old now. It just lacks what it had at the start of the year. Combined with the fact that their singer is a coolie/douchebag deluxe, there's no wonder why it tumbled out of the top ten.

#13 - We Found Love by Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
WARNING: NON-EXISTENT HIPSTER CREDIBILITY RUINED: Yes, I heard this for the first time on the radio in carpool on the way home from Havelock. Yes, it's Rihanna. Yes, the lyrics are repetitive. Yes, the video is disturbingly awkward. It's an amazingly catchy song and I hear it everywhere. I like it.

#12 - Contact High by Architecture in Helsinki
I need to listen to more of their earlier stuff. Check out the Clock Opera remix for a different take.

#11 - Poor In Love by Destroyer
This album's terrific. Since this is my favourite song on it, it gets placed here. Not a sound I'd normally go far. Guess i'm meeting last year's resolution to be more open to different music styles...

#10 - Need You Now by Cut Copy
This song is a total grower. It just keeps building and building...then boom goes the dynamite.

#09 - Don't Move by Phantogram
Had heard a couple of their previous songs, but THIS one is just spectacular. Love it.

#08 - What About Us by Handsome Furs
Initially, I hated how it slowed down. It eventually grew on me but it could've been top 5 if it stayed like the start.

#07 - Still Life by The Horrors
Yet another amazing group introduced to me by The Brothers Randall. This song harkens back to the 80's, which is enough in itself. I still think he should've hit a high note during one of the choruses. Love those horns.

#06 - How Deep Is Your Love by The Rapture
Always been a fan of The Rapture. Played that video of the turntable and disco ball a million times before the album came out. Check the record out, as there are only two crappy songs on it.

#05 - Julius by Starfucker
For a solid two months, this was the frontrunner for song of the year. They have a handful of decent songs, but this is the best by far.

#04 - Shuffle by Bombay Bicycle Club
Song of the summer for a number of reasons. 

#03 - Apollo Throwdown (Star Slinger Remix) by The Go! Team
Whenever this song comes on, I think of the glory of jerseys and jorts. The Go! Team's first album was a staple in my Japanese days and their second one had some solid tracks, but nothing matches this remix.

#02 - Money by The Drums
Absolutely love this song. The falsetto, ridiculous bassline, and a beat perfect for steering wheel drumming make it a deserving runner-up to...

#01 - Midnight City by M83
This song just blows everything else away. Listen to it now. Watch the video. It's the best of 2011.

Bernie Trotsky

The Best of 2011 and beyond

It's been some time since I last posted anything and for the three people that read this blog, I apologize. There really hasn't been a lot to write about in the past two weeks. Combine that with the holidays and you have a recipe for apathy. However, I promise that there will be more posts as soon as 2012 gets going. And Lord willin', there'll be more topics to cover.

Of course, this is the time of the year that all of the major music publications and websites have their "best-of" lists. Yes, they tend to get played out, and I know that I've only had a few posts and haven't reviewed anything yet, but I figured that an end of the year "best of" list is in order. After all, this is my favourite thing to write about it. I love doing these lists because they tend to spark great debate and discussion amongst music lovers.  First, I'll post my top 25 songs of the year, then my top 10 albums. I'll also have a post discussing Rolling Stone magazine's top albums of the year, which is always worth a laugh or two.

I especially enjoy reviewing my picks with Bernie Trotsky, since he and I share very similar AND very different tastes. Trotsky is a friend of mine that takes his music quite seriously. Once in a while on Drums and Wires I'll have him chime in and give you his opinion on things. For his inaugural post, he will give you his Top 30 Songs of 2011. It will hopefully be the first of many posts for Mr. Trotsky.

Well, enjoy the posts and the rest of your holidays. If you like a post, please share it on facebook, twitter and the like.

This Week in Utterly Repulsive Facist Bullshit: Indonesia State Declares War on Punks

If you haven't seen filmmaker/anthropologist Sam Dunn's "Global Metal", a documentary profiling the heavy metal genre's influence in all corners of the globe, please go see it. If you have, then you'll know the part when Dunn travels to Indonesia to seek out some the country's prominent metal bands and diehard fans. It is mentioned in the film how strict Indonesian culture is regarding popular Western music, particularly music like heavy metal and punk with their themes of defiance and anger. Some of the interviewees, including drummer Lars Ulrich, describe Metallica's first concert (about 3:30 into this clip) in Jakarta, in 1993, where a riot broke out outside the stadium walls. Not wishing to set a good example for the young rioters, the police and military declared open season on batting the shit out of any young person outside the stadium wearing a black shirt. Even if they had a ticket to get in.

While the regime in Indonesia has transitioned from a dictatorship to a mostly democratic government, the citizens of this Southeast Asian island nation still must contend with far-right politicians and religious groups wielding their powerful influence over the country's leaders. In fact, one of the country's states, Aceh, has instituted Islamic law, barring people from such deviant activities as wearing tight pants or being born a homosexual.

So it comes as no surprise that these Aceh assclowns have decided to impose their primeval moral code on Indonesia's greatest threats to decency: terrorists islamofacists punk music fans.

Police in Banda, Aceh arrested 65 people at a punk music concert, most of whom were young adults and teens. The officers shaved the concertgoers heads, took away their piercings and necklaces, threw them in a pool of water for "cleansing", then forced them into a moral and religious brainwashing camp for 10 days. This is like one of those cheesy metal videos where there's a post-apocalyptic world where music is banned and anyone dressing a certain way is arrested until White Snake comes along and rescues all of the locked-up young people. Except it's real. And ain't no mullet-donning rock gods gonna ride in on flying guitars and save these poor kids.

I don't need to get into some rant on why this is wrong. You and I both know it is. But I will point you to the Geddy Images photo that accompanies the article. The two young men in the photo can't be more than teenagers. The looks on their faces of shock, sadness, and embarrassment strikes a chord. These kids - who listened to, and were inspired by music - just had their identity ripped from them.

There's a reason that music causes riots (like in Jakarta in 1993) and gives us pictures like the one you see in the article. Music has a power on people's emotions like nothing else. For these kids, their music defined them. It gave them their sense of style. It told them that they didn't have conform and that there was a special group of people for which they could share their passion. It gave them a chance to escape the desolate conditions in which they live, and the oppressive police state that governs them. It gave them freedom.

For these kids, they are their music.

Remember that the next time you throw on Rihanna.

The British Are Coming... for Your Number 1 Spot

Don't get between a Brit and his music. After all, this is the island that produced some the best music the world has ever seen (The Beatles, Led Ze...blah blah blah). They've also produced some of the worst (Spice Girls, Spice Girls, etc.). Regardless, Britons are rabid about their tunes.

Exhibit A: there is a somewhat large faction of British music fans that are fed up with the way their charts are dominated by pop tarts. Most of these pop tarts are from shows like Pop Idol or the X-Factor. Simon Cowell is involved with most of these shows. Therefore, the Brits have a huge hate on for Simon Cowell. In the eyes of many, he is the symbol of all that is wrong with British music. 

So it comes as no surprise that the Brits with good taste don't want their ears sullied with the corporate crap that the popular X-Factor show churns out. It was last December that a Facebook group was formed by concerned British music lovers with the sole purpose of depriving Joe McElderry, last year's X-Factor winner, of the number one spot on the album charts for the week of Christmas (the Christmas Number One is a coveted accomplishment in the eyes of the British music industry. For example, towards the end of 1994, Noel Gallagher purposely wrote and recorded the song "Whatever" with Oasis strictly to add a "Christmas Number One" to Oasis' quickly growing resume (the song would reach #2)). The group decided to get as many people as possible to buy Rage Against the Machine's 1993 single "Killing in the Name Of" so that it would vault to number one and leave the X-Factor winner crying into Simon Cowell's sleeve. Their toppling of the X-Factor winner would be a victory over a "sterile pop monopoly". Their efforts would prove victorious - "Killing in the Name Of" went to number one during the week of Christmas 2010. This year, the Anti-X-Factor group has decided to use the iconic "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

It all seems so goddamn stupid. For some reason, Britons from all walks of life and musical tastes are obsessed with the charts. Perhaps it has something to do with generations of British music lovers growing up with the show Top of the Pops. Perhaps it's because the British have always embraced the single, while anyone in Canada born after 1990 has no idea what a b-side is. Whatever it is, these Brits see the charts as the representing the modern state of British culture. A number of British music fans also hold an intense resentment for people like Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller, viewing them as the driving force behind tainted charts.

This obsession by some to "rid" the charts of shallow, manufactured pop music is ridiculous for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, why the fuck does it matter? Music charts simply track the sales (combined with radio spins in North America) of singles or albums. The music chart doesn't rank songs in order of greatness. No one is forcing anyone to listen to the Top 40 songs in the UK. No one is going to steal your iPod, put the top 100 UK singles of 2011 on it, then put it back on your desk (unless it's your 7 year-old daughter). If you're a British music fan and you're listening to Top 40 radio then you probably don't mind the X-Factor winner taking the Christmas Number One. If you don't listen to the Top 40 then why should it matter to you.

Secondly, the music charts - particularly the UK charts - have always been a little screwy. The Anti-X-Factor crowd would have you believe that things just aren't what they used to be. According to them, the charts used to be filled with wonderful indie anthems and plastic crap was on the outside looking in, where it belonged. If only we could go back to the days of 1996 - the high middle Britpop ages - when the following great tunes were the 10 best-selling of that year:

Spice Girls - Wannabe
Fugees - Killing Me Softly
Babylon Zoo - Spaceman
Spice Girls - 2 Become 1
Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There
Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack
Gina G - Ooh Ahh...Just a Little Bit
Baddiel/Skinner/Lightning Seeds - Three Lions
Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart
Children - Robert Miles

You see? Now that WAAAAAHHHH??? Not exactly a list of world-beaters. Babylon Zoo is the only rock band on that list, but they fucking blew. Gina G is a pop tart in the vain of any X-Factor winner and the Three Lions song was written by a couple of comedians as the anthem for England during the 1996 Euro Soccer Championship. What's notable is the dominance by the Spice Girls, who happened to have been managed by none other than Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller...DUN DUN DUN.

So maybe I picked a bad year. After all, the Spice Girls were an unstoppable force at the time, and they occupy three of the top ten spots. Fine. So how about the first week of 1993, when grunge was starting to crest, especially in the UK:

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Michael Jackson - Earth Song
Charles and Eddie - Would I Lie To You
Take That - Could It Be Magic?
WWF Superstars - Slam Jam
Shame - Phorever People
Boney M - Boney M Megamix
Rod Stewart - Tom Taulbert's Blues
Gloria Estefan - Miami Mix
Lisa Stanfield - Someday (I'm Coming Back)

Jesus Christ, this doesn't get any better. I mean, where would modern music be without the influential and transcendent sound of....WWF Superstars (???). Or Boney M. Shit, forget Pearl Jam or Nirvana. Rod Stewart is the real champion of early 90s alternative.

Yes, I took the best-selling of the first week of 1993 after I had previously shown the best-selling of the entire year of 1996 (I couldn't find the 1993 data for the entire year) but you get the point. The charts are always going to be littered with crap. That's how it is. Millions of people will always suck back crap music for the same reasons that the Fast and the Furious films have grossed over 1 BILLION DOLLARS (no, REALLY). Garbage will always sell if it's packaged properly.

So, ease up Britons. If you go to the charts to see what's good in the world of music and you aren't a 13 year old girl or someone in the industry, then you're stupid to begin with. If you don't need a chart to tell you what to like then why does it matter? There will always be crap on the charts no matter how many Facebook groups are formed to bump an X-Factor grad. There will always be a Simon Cowell ready to pounce on the casual listeners out there and make loads of cash off the backs of hokey karaoke contest winners. That's the way it is, and this shouldn't bother anyone. My advice to my limey brethren: GET OVER IT.

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE: The Sheepdogs

With the social media tools we possess in this day and age, the Hype Machine is more powerful than ever. We are told what to like on a regular basis. Whether it’s your local active rock radio station or Pitchfork, there’s some dumbass radio DJ or some pedantic hipster telling you what you should be in to. This is a regular feature (I hope!) on DAW that attempts to eliminate all the white noise and give you the straight truth. So don’t listen to other people. Listen to me.

THE SHEEPDOGS

I’m sure you’ve all heard the story by now. The hard-working, beard-bearing Prairie quartet pulls a Jed Clampett and strikes oil in a contest to get their mugs on the cover of a magazine whose relevancy has all but vaporized with the stale pot smoke of their post-hippie readers, save for the opinions of a film reviewer and a social commentator. By winning the cover contest, the Sheepdogs gained enough media attention to be heralded as heroes for all the bands out there that are workin’, travellin’ and honing their craft. Without having so much as a single on the radio, the Sheepdogs were already garnering more attention than they ever could have imagined. Even before wining the contest they were doing a plethora of radio and TV interviews. After winning, every DJ, VJ and blowhard in Canada (and to a certain extent, the US) was mentioning their name and had an excuse to sing that fucking stupid Dr. Hook song. The Hype Machine gears were turning.

There is something about their back story that gives people the idea that the Sheepdogs are a “genuine” band. They have long hair and beards. They're from humble beginnings in Canada’s most boring province – Saskatchewan. And they play Allman/Youngesque 70s inspired classic and southern rock. Who doesn't like Neil Young? It is the antithesis of Lady Gaga, and Canadian rock radio is desperate to get behind it.

They dropped their first single, “I Don’t Know”, shortly after winning the contest. The song was lifted from their album Learn and Burn, which was actually released in 2010 (with all the hype, why not reissue?). They've been making their appearances on the late night talk show circuit, and have been casually shoved down our throats by anyone with a microphone. They've been touring the US and Canada (joining fellow Hype Machine grads Kings of Leon for a stretch) and are heralded as the next great Canadian rock band. The crest of the Rolling Stone wave does not seem to be crashing anytime soon.

ARE YOU PEOPLE FUCKING DEAF?

Has anyone actually listened to this band? Has anyone heard the song “I Don’t Know” while sober? C'mon, REALLY? From what I hear, this band really isn’t good at all. Other than their back story, there is nothing endearing about this band or its sound that makes my ears perk. They are nothing more than a prototypical bar band playing low-grade Neil Young covers.

First off, listen to the song “I Don’t Know”. It’s actually painful. I’m not sure what part of the song annoys me the most. It could be the lame-ass chorus or the flaccid guitar work. It could be that that chord progression has been beaten into the ground so many fucking times over the years by better musicians that I can’t stomach hearing it anymore. It could be the attempt at 70s rock revival that’s about 15-20 years too late. But really, it’s just not a good song. The same goes for their other songs. Banal? Trite? Tired? All of the above. Now that I think of it, this band was perfect for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine!

And that's really my whole point here. You can be as hardworking, proficient and lucky as possible, but that doesn’t mean shit when it comes to writing a great song. You can have all the hype in the world and still be a bad songwriter. Hype has brought the Sheepdogs to the cusp of superstardom. Will they continue on their journey? I DON’T KNOW! (see how I did that?) But I do know that hype can only take you so far. So the next time some jerk tells you to like the Sheepdogs, LISTEN to one of their songs first. Don’t run to pick up tickets to see them because your buddies or a DJ told you to. Make your own conclusions. Shit, you might like them anyway. But please, PLEASE don’t believe the hype!!

Welcome to Drums and Wires

Welcome to Drums and Wires.

In my hundreds of wasted hours scouring the internet for tasty nuggets of information (a.k.a porn), I noticed a couple of things. Firstly, there didn’t seem to be a lot of blogs about music. Sorry, let me rephrase that – there didn’t seem to be a lot of good blogs about music. Secondly, I would sometimes leave my computer looking like this guy after reading the Toronto Sun commenting section. I wanted to voice my opinion but I needed the proper medium. I didn’t want to become just some asshole that comments on blogs and internet articles. So I thought “Hey! Why not become some asshole that writes a blog”. So here we are.

My goal with this blog is to look at pop music in a different way from your regular music sites, try to have some fun with things and roast the big boys every so often. Hopefully I can do the occasional long-form article, op-ed piece and, of course, review some albums and songs. I can be opinionated, so go ahead and disagree with me. I welcome angry anonymous internet assholes. But please keep the mothers out of it.

So I hope you enjoy. If you like the blog, share it on Facebook as I’ll be posting my articles on my account as soon as they’re done. I’ll try to be updating the blog at least twice a week and maybe more, depending on the reaction. If you don't like the blog, you probably like John Mellencamp, and that's your fault.