Welcome to The Tune’s secondhand Top 100 Songs of 2011!
A year ago, before the relaunch of The Tune, my fiancé made his habitual for-fun lists of his favorite songs and albums of 2010 and asked me if I’d like to do the same. Being a passive listener to his music, I only paid attention to the music I liked a lot and remembered a few extra things here and there through repeated osmosis. After whining that it was impossible for me to create a list of songs and order them (even 25 seemed daunting), he managed to convince me to make a Top 10 albums list. I managed to forget one of my favorite albums while writing it, and then I pouted until he stopped trying to get me to post it on Facebook for our friends to see.
A year later, as the co-owner, occasional writer, and editor of The Tune, I had a lot more to work with. Sorting through all the music I collected over 2011 scared me away from touching the project for a while, but I still managed to make a Top 20 Albums and a Top 100 Songs list before the year was out. So here I am, three months later, finally getting around to posting my Top 100 Songs (too bad holding a few titles hasn’t helped my procrastination). At this point it’s as much for me as it is for anyone who wants a second (perhaps slightly weirder) opinion on the best music of 2011. My comments generally address why I like the song, which may not tell you what you want to know, but can hopefully be something that draws you in, too. I should also mention (now that I’ve gone and labeled genres) that fans of catchy, dance-able songs will have a lot to look at. Heh.
-Edie Adams
Honorable Mentions:
105. Tasseomancy - “Diana” (folk)
Creepy in an old-timey kind of way
104. Snow Patrol – “Called Out in the Dark” (pop rock) [MP3]
Good, simple guitar riff that doesn’t get old
103. Rihanna - “We Found Love (ft. Calvin Harris)” (dance pop)
Organs + pop = awesome
102. Portugal. The Man – “Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now)” (indie rock) [MP3]
Falsetto singing works well when describing desperation
101. Jamie Woon – “Lady Luck” (R&B)
A very successful personification of this influential woman
Top 100:
100. Washed Out – “Amor Fati” (indie pop)
Expansive as an ocean from the ’80s
99. The Strokes – “Life Is Simple in the Moonlight” (alternative rock)
Solid, catchy chorus with a great guitar solo
98. Emmy the Great - “Paper Forest (In the Afterglow of Rapture)” (folk pop)
A gentle, honest psalm
97. Storm Queen – “It Goes On (Vox)” (electropop)
It goes on through intriguing techno evlolution
96. Cults - “Abducted” (indie pop) [MP3]
Cutesy, slightly creepy way of saying you love someone
95. Light Asylum – “Dark Allies” (electronic)
Clear snare drum beat dancing in fuzzy synths
94. Active Child – “Call Me Tonight” (indie pop) [MP3]
Spaced out, cheesy dance track
93. PJ Harvey – “The Words That Maketh Murder” (alternative rock) [MP3]
Quaint yet very near
92. Cults - “You Know What I Mean” (indie pop) [MP3]
Sultry high musings
91. Is Tropical – “The Greeks” (world pop) [MP3]
Spastic, glorious strings
90. The Throne - “No Church in the Wild (ft. Frank Ocean)” (rap) [MP3]
Ohh that baseline…
89. St. Lucia – “We Got It Wrong” (electropop) [MP3]
Slow build into a synth-gasm
88. The Rapture – “How Deep Is Your Love?” (indie pop) [MP3]
Quavering, soaring vocals
87. Florence + The Machine – “Heartlines” (indie pop) [MP3]
Super Lion King-ready
86. CANT - “Answer” (psychedelic trance)
Bouncing around in space never sounded so good
85. YACHT - “Shangri-La” (electropop)
Best excuse to sing “la-la-la” this year
84. ME & LP – “(Bonnie Says) No Shitty Ride” (island dance)
Shake your booty
83. Death Kit - “Boy” (indie pop)
Nod your head and groove
82. Dredg - “Kalathat” (alternative rock) [MP3]
Ohh that guitar…
81. Thurston Moore – “Mina Loy” (experimental rock)
Ohh, that guitar! …if only Thurston’s record label weren’t poopy-headed enough to remove every trace of a good stream of this song, you might be able to hear those guitars a little better than in this live recording…
80. Lana Del Rey - “Kinda Outta Luck” (indie pop)
Norah Jones if she were slightly drunk
79. Radiohead - “Codex” (experimental rock)
Warm piano blanket
78. My Morning Jacket - “Circuital” (indie rock)
Ohh that guitar!
77. The Strokes – “Games” (alternative rock) [MP3]
Like a rock carnival
76. The Rosebuds – “Without a Focus” (indie rock)
A good tug on the lump in your throat
75. Still Corners – “I Wrote in Blood” (dream pop)
Ohh that guitar…
74. Kasabian - “Neon Noon” (rock)
The Beatles in space
73. 311 - “Sunset in July” (pop rock) [MP3]
Ohh those intervals…
72. The Rapture – “In Love Divine” (dance punk)
Apocalyptic choir
71. Daughter - “Home” (indie)
Soft and steady
70. Panda Bear – “Slow Motion” (psychedelic pop) [MP3]
Dance party under water
69. Kasabian - “La Fee Verte” (rock)
The Beatles singing about alcohol instead of drugs
68. M83 - “Midnight City” (dream pop) [MP3]
Bouncing around on Jupiter’s rings
67. Butch Walker – “Synthesizers” [MP3]
Best chorus for drunken karaoke this year
66. The Weeknd – “The Birds Part 1″ (R&B) [MP3]
Genuine love-spurred plea
65. Destroyer - “The Laziest River” (experimental indie)
A lazy river of musings
64. Manchester Orchestra – “Virgin” (indie rock) [MP3]
Best creepy children’s choir track this year
63. The Phenomenal Handclap Band – “Following” (psychedelic disco) [MP3]
Entrancing robotic echoes
62. The Antlers - “Rolled Together” (indie)
Ohh that guitar…
61. Emmy the Great – “Trellick Tower” (folk pop)
Gorgeous religious metaphor
60. Theophilius London – “Last Name London” (rap/hip hop)
Super catchy self-introduction
59. City and Colour – “The Grand Optimist” (folk) [MP3]
Raw self-examination
58. Scattered Trees – “Four Days Straight” (pop rock)
Ohh that guitar…
57. Bon Homme – “Mother” (psychedelic dance)
Best quirky Freudian self-analysis ever
56. Low - “Nightingale” (indie rock)
Quiet consideration
55. Astronautalis – “Dimitri Mendeleev” (rap) [MP3]
Rhythms to die for
54. Active Child – “High Priestess” (indie pop) [MP3]
Shivering rhetoric
53. Toro Y Moi – “New Beat” (synthpop)
Ohh that baseline…
52. Low - “You See Everything” (indie rock)
Chord progressions and intervals like waves
51. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games” (indie pop) [MP3]
Best bad boy/nice girl song this year
50. D.A. & The Supa Dups – “Too Cool (ft. Vybz Kartel)” (island dance)
Makes for a Supa Dupa workout song every time.
49. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues” (folk) [MP3]
A rejuvenating reflection on one’s place in the world.
48. Ladytron - “White Elephant” (slow dance pop)
“Destroy Everything You Touch” on spindly spider legs.
47. Radiohead - “Lotus Flower” (experimental rock)
Thom’s falsetto + creeping baseline = shivers all up and down.
46. Coldplay - “Paradise” (pop rock)
Ohh that baseline…
45. The One AM Radio – “Sunlight” (electropop)
A breathing baseline makes this song alive.
44. Rue Royale – “Halfway Blind” (folk pop)
Ohh that guitar…
43. Hooray for Earth – “Black Trees” (indie pop)
A spacious vision of the end.
42. Dredg – “The Thought of Losing You” (alternative rock)
Earnest lyrics over a driving guitar riff.
41. The Rosebuds – “Woods” (indie rock)
Ohh those chimes…
40. Bon Iver – “Minnesota, WI” (indie folk) [MP3]
When Justin Vernon doesn’t sing falsetto, it’s just as heavenly.
39. Rue Royale – “Flightline” (indie pop)
Best driving base drum this year.
38. Radiohead - “Staircase (Live from the Basement)” (experimental rock) [MP3]
Ohh that guitar…
37. Cass McCombs – “Memory’s Stain” (folk rock)
Wait for the waltz; you won’t regret it.
36. Peter Dragontail – “Crazy Bout You (ft. Maggie Horn)” (techno pop) [MP3]
The best lovesick techno track this year.
35. Poor Spirits – “No Bad Days.” (indie electronic)
Best use of arpeggios this year.
34. Death Cab for Cutie – “Stay Young, Go Dancing” (indie pop) [MP3]
Good anthem for the young-at-heart.
33. Hooray for Earth – “True Loves” (indie pop)
Best listened to with the base all the way up.
32. Clock Opera – “Lesson No. 7″ (indie rock) [MP3]
Best vocal syncopation this year.
31. Death Cab for Cutie – “Doors Unlocked and Open” (indie rock)
Provocative lyrics with hard-hitting metaphors.
30. Wild Beasts – “End Come Too Soon” (indie rock)
Ohh that guitar…
29. Architecture in Helsinki – “Desert Island” (indie pop)
Could have been put into a level of Pokémon Snap.
28. Zee Avi – “Concrete Wall” (folk pop) [MP3]
Best a capella piece this year. The title’s feel and metaphor can be felt through the music and the lyrics.
27. M+A – “Liko Lene Lisa” (experimental pop)
Sparkly, danceable, poppy deliciousness.
26. Alex Clare – “Relax My Beloved” (soul pop) [MP3]
Ohh that baseline…
25. Fleet Foxes – “The Shrine/An Argument” (folk)
The music video deepened this song in a way I can’t explain; you just have to watch it.
24. Justice - “Audio, Video, Disco” (electronic indie) [MP3]
Best repetition of three words over and over again ever.
23. Jessica 6 - “Prisoner of Love” (disco pop) [MP3]
You can indulge yourself in disco and not feel bad about it. Stick around to the chorus.
22. Bon Iver – “Towers” (indie folk)
Ohh that guitar…
21. Holy Ghost! – “Some Children” (electropop) [MP3]
Funkiest baseline this year.
20. Amor de Días – “Bunhill Fields” (folk pop) [MP3]
Classical guitar makes way into deep strings with dancing drum beats, and a quirky melodic line regularly breaks the evenness of the vocals (which are saying some pretty cool stuff, too).
19. Florence + The Machine – “What the Water Gave Me” (indie pop) [MP3]
Tantalizing lyrics about going under, plucked along by a quiet guitar as the song crescendos into eternity.
18. Wild Beasts – “Invisible” (indie rock)
The strings in this song fall like a delicate, constant rain.
17. Fleet Foxes – “The Cascades” (folk) [MP3]
Ohh that guitar… Oh, and best instrumental this year.
16. Male Bonding – “Bones” (punk rock) [MP3]
The lyrics may be incomprehensible for most of the song, but that doesn’t stop it from being catchy as hell.
15. The Wombats – “Jump into the Fog” (pop rock)
From the NES baseline in the beginning to the galloping drums during the chorus, you are drawn in by Murphy’s voice.
14. First Aid Kit - “The Lion’s Roar” (folk) [MP3]
A vocal duet that makes your heart melt.
13. Jape - “Scorpio” (rock)
Perfectly solid rock song with hard-hitting lyrics.
12. Datarock - “Catcher in the Rye” (rock) [MP3]
Fun rhetoric and OH MY GOD THAT BASELINE.
11. Iron & Wine – “Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me” (indie rock) [MP3]
Forget the horn section to kick this off, the list of “becomes” that comprises the second half of this song stirs the heart with a whisk.
10. Austra - “Lose It” (electopop) [MP3]
Simple, catchy melodies take their turn and then blend into a round that gives you the shivers.
9. Bon Iver – “Michicant” (indie folk) [MP3]
Wavering falsetto chords over a quiet, rolling piano and drum plinks makes for an enriching, relaxing breath.
8. Digits - “Lost Dream” (electropop) [MP3]
Muffled, electronic organs and a heartbroken solo voice make for an all-too-short song about loss.
7. YACHT - “Utopia” and “Dystopia” (electropop)
The trippy music video (which made these go from “like” to “love”) puts these tracks togther, and so they are presented as such. Ohh, those baselines…
6. Iron & Wine – “Rabbit Will Run” (indie rock) [MP3]
Marimbas that make your insides beat with them, and a lovely game of cat and mouse in the lyrics.
5. O’Death – ‘Bugs” (folk) [MP3]
This could be sung around a campfire of lone travelers, and ohh that banjo…
4. Death Cab for Cutie – “Unobstructed Views” (indie pop) [MP3]
The most beautiful expression of love as the highest power in the world.
3. Panda Bear – “Tomboy” (psychedelic pop) [MP3]
You could go galloping across the savanna to this romping drum beat and bold vocals.
2. Fleet Foxes – “The Plains/Bitter Dancer” (folk)
Each section of this song is vital to the other, weaving a circular pattern that can be traced over and over again. Ohh that guitar…
1. Urban Cone – “Freak” (electropop)
Ohh that accent. Ohh that base drum. Ohh those synthesizers. Ohhhhhhh that guitar at 1:59. I think I have a fetish.
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