Songs of the Year

Eleven of my favorite songs from the past year, in alphabetical order.

Beaten Awake - Browns Town [mp3]

I listened to "Browns Town" more than any other song this year, according to iTunes. It's by far the smallest song on a list that leans more toward the flamboyant and the epic, so its comfort is really no wonder.

Colour Revolt - Mattresses Underwater [mp3]

Forget the Arcade Fire taking their sweet time. "Mattresses Underwater" tells me that Colour Revolt has their shit together. Best upset-youth song of the year.

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 1 & 2

When a band pulls off "epic," two things happen in the time-space continuum. First, eleven-minutes-twenty-seconds becomes infinite. Second, eleven-minutes-twenty-seconds is gone before you know it.

El Perro Del Mar - I Can't Talk About It [mp3]

The Pipettes' girl-group blitz got me moving, but when that ended it was this creepy Spector sound I came back to.

Josh Ritter - Thin Blue Flame [mp3]

It's undeniable that this sweeping, ten-minute song works well, touching on be-wary ground with grace and compassion. But that it also worked in the context of The Animal Years-- that's another matter.

Junior Boys - In The Morning [mp3]

I'd go with "In The Morning" as my favorite song of the year-- It's that sexy.

Kelis - Bossy (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)

Muscles - Chocolate, Raspberry, Lemon & Lime [mp3]

This is a late entry, a song that snuck up on me in the last couple weeks. I think the draw here is the interesting mix: flamboyant synths, manly vocals, and stupidly sweet lyrics.

Patrick Wolf - Accident & Emergency [mp3]

This song is a tease.

Pink Nasty - Don't Ever Change (ft. Bonnie "Prince" Billy) [mp3]

I don't know what's more satisfying: Ms. Nasty's fresh voice singing even fresher lyrics, or the sound of Will Oldham having a blast.

Regina Spektor - Fidelity [mp3]

It felt so, so good to hear this on the radio and see this on tv-- that's how much I'm rooting for Spektor. "Fidelity" is a special song, with appeal beyond anything else I've heard this year. It's also my ringtone (I've only ever bought one ringtone), so maybe that tells you something too.