Tuesday, January 6, 2009

List On Fire [Repost]

Finally I've compiled what I think to be my top 100 songs of 2008. It wasn't easy, and I can almost guarantee a change or two will come, however I think my overall choice and placement is satisfactory.

Last year my list contained only a single song by each artist to allow for more variety, however upon reflection, I feel that quality suffered at the hands of quantity. If Vampire Weekend wrote 10 amazing tracks this year (and they did), they should all make the list.

Judge away -- I'm unabashed in my love for pop music, and all things aurally pleasing.

***UPDATE: According to my Cease and Desist letter, there can be no more links. I'm sure you can find them all somewhere...

01 Sex On Fire, by Kings of Leon
Easily the most affective song of my year; holds some symbolism, and passed my "Did-It-Make-The-Hair-On-M
y-Body-Stand-Up?" test on it's first try. (Very few do.)

02 Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, by Vampire Weekend
Definitely the most versatile song the year, with equally great and diverse reworkings from The Teenagers, Radioclit, and the name-checked Peter Gabriel himself. (See for yourself!)
Also: Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit Re-work
Also: Teenagers Remix
Also: Hot Chip + Peter Gabriel Cover

03 Street Lights, by Kanye West
Right up there with Sex On Fire in terms of punch-you-in-the-gut raw emotion. So very real. (And it's co-written by Esthero!)

04 Isn't It Obvious, by Emma-Lee
Isn't it obvious how much I love this song? Lots of personal meaning, and great end of summer listens.

05 White Winter Hymnal, by Fleet Foxes
What can I say about Fleet Foxes that hasn't already been said? Catchiest lyrics of the year.

06 Rock With U, by Janet Jackson
I can't understand how this wasn't a huge hit for her comeback bid. I devoured it's blip-filled goodness whole. (Great video too.)

07 Some Constellation, by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
I can imagine having found this in the summer instead of winter, it may have been my official summer song. It yearns for the patio at night, and so do I.

08 A-Punk, by Vampire Weekend
I had some doubt as to whether I should include this, considering it was released in 2007; but the actual album was '08, plus I didn't fall for the song like I did Oxford Comma (which I did disqualify), until this year.

09 Revelry, by Kings of Leon
Basically the same song as Sex On Fire (chord-wise), just slower with more woo-hoo's, which make me feel good inside. (Plus I can play it on guitar!)

10 Green Light (Afrorganic Remix), by John Legend
Really cool turn production-wise for Legend, enlisting Andre 3000. The remix is even better than the original, adding a deep reggae-vibe.

11 Make It Mine, by Jason Mraz
A serious dark-horse. I wouldn't have initially considered it one of my favorites, but according to iTunes, it's my most listened-to song. (And it's great.)

12 Works For Me, by The Twelves
Cool dancey track from my favorite DJ/Remix team of the year.

13 Money, The Undisputed Heavyweights
Amidst their demise this year, we're left with a flirtation with greatness. A song that never left my rotation from May - December.

14 Kim & Jessie, by M83
So I just found this last night, and it's one of those songs you only need to hear once to love. Brilliant.

15 You Can Never Go Back, Jon McLaughlin
It's like sugar-coated Electric Light Orchestra. The poppiest of anything here, and I'm not ashamed to say I found it via the playlist at Abercrombie & Fitch.

16 Electric Feel, by MGMT
It took a live show for this song to really hit home, but now I see how electric it really is.

17 Right As Rain, by Adele
My second highest played song of the year, I believe.

18 All My Friends, by The Main Drag (LCD Soundsystem Cover)
Last year's song of the year gets an awesome heartfelt indie re-working. Really soft and sublime.

19 Mansard Roof, by Vampire Weekend
A soca beat beneath some great indie rock. These guys can do no wrong in my eyes. Only at #18, and they've already got 3 entries!

20 Forever, by Chris Brown
Had my best DJing moment of the year while spinning this song at a wedding, waaay out of town at 3am, to a room full of great people.

21 Time to Pretend, by MGMT
Some of the best lyrics of the year for sure. Plus I don't think any song is as instantly recognizable, thanks to the chiming chorus.

22 Bleeding Love, by Leona Lewis
I'm not a huge Leona Lewis fan, but I can't deny how well-written I think this song is on so many levels. A real guilty pleasure.

23 We Are Not A Football Team (Acoustic), by Minus the Bear
I'm always a fan of heavily electronic-based bands going acoustic, and Minus The Bear blows their original out of the water on this EP.

24 Walcott, Vampire Weekend
(It goes on and on...)

25 Make My Day, by Common and Cee-Lo
Really unique beat pressed against Cee-Lo's unmatchable vocals on the chorus. This song actually makes my day every time I hear it. Fingers crossed it's a single.

26 Kilometer, by Sebastien Tellier
The sexy Frenchman goes the distance on this one (pun entirely intended). The synth delivers some raw sexuality every time I hear it.

27 It's Your Touch, by The Black Ghosts
28 The Kids Don't Stand A Chance, by Vampire Weekend
29 Throwin' Shapes (Acoustic), by Minus the Bear
30 You Could Write A Book, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
31 American Boy, by Estelle and Kanye West
32 Crying, by TV on the Radio
33 One, by Vampire Weekend
34 Kids, by MGMT
35 The One Who Loves You Most, by Brett Dennen
36 Figured Me Out, by Jamie Lidell
37 I'm Yours, by Jason Mraz
38 Another Day, by Jamie Lidell
39 Blindsided, by Bon Iver
40 Viva La Vida, by Coldplay
41 Clothes Off, by Gym Class Heroes
42 Manhattan, by Kings of Leon
43 Bruise Easy, by Emma-Lee
44 Seventeen, by Kings of Leon
45 Let It Be Me, by Ray LaMontagne'
46 Sun Also Rises, by Fleet Foxes
47 Paranoid, by Kanye West
48 Good Time, by Brazilian Girls
49 It's Over, by John Legend
50 Blue Ridge Mountains, by Fleet Foxes
51 Beat Control, by Tilly & The Wall
52 Ragged Wood, by Fleet Foxes
53 Closer, by Ne-Yo
54 Boston, by Vampire Weekend
55 I Believe, by Q-Tip and D'Angelo
56 Use Somebody, by Kings of Leon
57 Dance Wiv Me, by Dizzie Rascal and Calvin Harris
58 Bounce (Mansion Remix), by MSTRKRFT
59 Notion, by Kings of Leon
60 That Sinking Feeling, by Emma Lee
61 Family Tree, by TV on the Radio
62 Let It Rock, by Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne
63 Club Thing, by Yoav
64 Not Gonna Teach Him (The Twelves Kickmix), by Black Kids
65 Dancing Choose, by TV on the Radio
66 Dinosaur On The Ark, by Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit
67 Always Where I Need To Be, by The Kooks
68 Call Me Up (Immuzikation Blend), by Chromeo and Skyy
69 Hearts On Fire, by Cut Copy
70 Live High, by Jason Mraz
71 Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), by Beyonce
72 M79, by Vampire Weekend
73 Robocop, by Kanye West
74 Whoa, by GRUM
75 Paper Planes (Rumpshakerz Remix), by MIA and Alan Astor
76 Campus, by Vampire Weekend
77 All Summer Long, by Kid Rock
78 Love That Girl, by Raphael Saadiq
79 Brew Barrymore, by Diplo
80 Everywhere, by Common
81 Everybody Nose, N*E*R*D
82 Sidestep, by Robin Thicke
83 Sleeping Sickness, by City & Colour
84 Gettin Up, by Q-Tip
85 Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac Cover), by Vampire Weekend
86 Warwick Avenue, by Duffy
87 Stay With Me (By The Sea), Al Green and John Legend
88 Pork & Beans, by Weezer
89 Coldest Winter, by Kanye West
90 You Are The Best Thing, by Ray LaMontagne
91 Golden Age, by TV on the Radio
92 Supreme Being, by Amazing Baby
93 Calabria 2008 (MIMS remix), by Enur
94 With You, by Chris Brown
95 Welcome To Heartbreak, by Kanye West
96 An Older Man, by Emma-Lee
97 Graveyard Girls, by M83
98 Never Just A Dream, by Emma-Lee
99 Skinny Love, by Bon Iver
100 Luv, by Janet Jackson

Cease and Desist

So it took writing just 3 blogs to get my first "Cease and Desist".

The internet is not a truck, nor is it free. Boo-urns. I'm all for copyright, and I guess I was a little abusive in this case, but it was for a worthy cause! (I think...)

This is what they had to say:

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The notice that we received from Eric Green of Destined Enterprises, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team
I'll post the actual C&D when it arrives, and I'll also repost the Top 100/List On Fire, sans links.

[Sorry kids.]