Archive for category Best of

Best of 2010 (a little late)

Penguins



To me, it was a year of singles, not so much complete albums. There were a few good ones released, no doubt, however there wasn’t really one that I could play all the way through on repeat. However, there were more than enough single tracks to keep me happy. It’s interesting to note that I had four different artists repeat in the top 25. Not sure what that means, maybe I didn’t branch out enough or maybe there just wasn’t anything worth branching out to. But all in all, I’m content with my selection. With that, I bring you my favorite songs of 2010:


25. The Radio Dept. – Heaven’s On Fire

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“…i’m a little like you | ugly on the inside | but while I dive into the gritty | you just stand by…”


24. NightBus – Guys Like You

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“…but i’m not with you for material things | you know i’m the modern girl | and as long as daddy doesn’t find out i’ll take you all over the world…”


23. Bruno Mars – Marry You

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“…cause it’s a beautiful night | we’re looking for something dumb to do | hey baby | i think i wanna marry you…”


22. Yeasayer – I Remember

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“…i remember making out on an airplane | still afraid of flying, but with you i’d die today…”


21. Sun Airway – Put the Days Away

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“…but you’re gonna find something to hold close | in the moonless night I wait for your ghost…”


20. Hanson – Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’

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…”cause the love i’ve got is better than what you gave…”
(Whatever, the song made me happy. Shut up.)


19. Sia – I’m In Here

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“…i’m fearing it all | stuck inside these walls | tell me there is hope for me…”


18. Japayork – Teenagers

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“…we feel great taking too much and some more we feel alive | the bright lights take us where we’ve never been before…”


17. Robyn – Dancing On My Own

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“…stilettos on broken bottles | i’m spinning around in circles…”


16. Kanye West – Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver)

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“…now look at what you just saw | this is what you live for | aaaahhhh i’m a motherfucking monster”
(the reason this song is on here instead of “Power” or “Runaway” is because of ms. minaj. her wicked 1 minute and 20 second verse is by far the hottest thing to hit my eardrums in 2010. period.)


15. Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

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“…they heard me singing and they told me to stop | quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock | these days my life, i feel it has no purpose | but late at night the feelings swim to the surface |
’cause on the surface the city lights shine | they’re calling at me, come and find your kind…”
(the opening lines from this song have my vote as the best lyrics of the year. And this song needs to be the soundtrack to Freedom.)


14. Cee-Lo Green – Please

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“…but with all the wrong i’ve done | how could love ever love me…”


13. Dirty Gold – California Sunrise

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“…i’ve been sleeping far too long | hibernating from your love | i need some summer sun to come and wake me up…”


12. How to Dress Well – Decisions

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“…don’t forget to check your cell phone…”
(they’re really the only lyrics i can make out in this song)


11. Vampire Weekend – California English, Pt. 2

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“…this girl was smarter than television scripts | this girl wasn’t damaged her jeans were just ripped | this girl was the girl that the girls in your world thought about when the night was cold…”


10. Sara Bareilles – Bluebird

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Unlike “Gravity” which ended Bareilles’ last album, her sophomore closer brings a message of new beginnings however lonely they may be. It’s one of those sad-happy songs that after coming to a close make you think that just maybe this bluebird, too, will have this chance fly over the rainbow.


09. Alphabeat – DJ

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This was Wes’ song of the year and, weirdly enough, my most played song on iTunes. No matter where I was or what mood I was in, whenever I heard it I smiled and started dancing…all night.


08. Mumford & Sons – After the Storm

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I wrote about this hauntingly beautiful song here and I can’t really say anything more about it.


07. Rufus Wainwright – Zebulon

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Rufus has always sung with bravado and drama backed usually with a full band, a reason why so many love his music. But here, it’s just his voice and a piano. There are not many things that are more beautiful sounding than this. It’s tender, sweeping, haunting, emotional. The output of feeling he has in this song is almost tangible. This song further solidifies that Rufus’ voice is a perfect instrument, and one that continues to amaze me.


06. Cee-Lo Green – F**k You

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This song topped many 2010 lists and for good reason. It was super catchy, had retro 70s swag that felt fresh, and everyone likes a good fuck you song. It also had some of the best lyrics in a track this year including, “i guess he’s an x-box and i’m more atari”. Being an Atari myself, I readily hopped on the f**k you bandwagon.


05. Robyn – Fembots

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Robyn was a force in the music scene this year. With an ambitious three album project, hot videos, and a tour, I’m not sure how she had time to keep her teeth so nicely filed. It seemed every time I put on my headphones a new slammin new Robyn song was playing. It was hard to choose which song would crack my top 10, but “Fembots” (off of Body Talk Pt. 1) grabbed me from the start and never let go. It’s effortlessly smooth chorus was one of the best this year and paired perfectly with the robotic verses and blips and bleeps throughout the track. It was the perfect start to an awesome year from Robyn.


04. Yeasayer – O.N.E.

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After Animal Collective’s monster album last year there has been a definite swing to the style that they perfected. Yeasayer has piggybacked on this, and, in their own right, has created more of a pop version of a similar sound. The roots are there, the bad isn’t going anywhere, they just need to tighten up and edit a bit more. For me, O.N.E. is the best on the Odd Blood, an 80′s electro throwback with killer verses and awesomely heave beat drops. And if you haven’t seen the video, it’s quite a trip.


03. Martin Solveig – Hello

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French electronic music DJ and producer Martin Solveig featured Canadian electropop group Dragonette for this ridiculously amazing work. The video for the song was recorded at Roland Garros where Martin Solveig faces Bob Sinclar, another DJ, in a tennis match…during a real match. Sweet. It’s such a great, fun, summer song. And hand claps! You know how I love hand claps. And when the beat drops. Oh. So. Nice. Hello Martin and Dragonette, thanks for coming to play. Game, set, match.


02. Arcade Fire – We Used to Wait

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Oh, C minor chord. Your haunting, persistant, continuous keys. You make this song move. From the opening to the closing you are there. I can’t really think of a song that has the same chord played with such a determined purpose over the course of the entire track. It’s almost as if the chord is the sound of the runner’s footfall with each stride he takes. If you haven’t played around with the interactive video, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time…and makes me love the song that much more. It’s a massive album with some great standout singles, but “We Used to Wait” is special. It has that thing that only Arcade Fire can do. That thing where you are in the song, where it’s about you, not anyone else on the metro or on the sidewalk, but you. And, as Win Butler sings, it’s strange how something so small (like a song) can keep you alive.


01. LCD Soundsystem – I Can Change

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I’m not sure there are many things better than LCD Soundsystem recording a great song. It can be a complete work of art, in my opinion. From lyrics like “love is a murderer | but if she calls you tonight, everything is alright” to “I can change | if it helps you fall in love”, the emotional baring and stripping that James Murphy goes through is remarkable, almost cringe worthy at times if we ourselves had never felt the same way. With it’s quirky little 70′s blips permeating the track to Murphy actually using that smooth voice of his (even going into falsetto) to infect lyrics that get stuck in your head well after the song has ended. Please, please don’t change. This is why I fell love with LCD Soundsystem.


Get the Best of 2010 .zip file here (179MB so be patient, it’s be worth it)

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Best Songs of 2010

It is that time of year again. The “Best Of” season, the best singles, best album and best artists of the year. The lists are all over the internet, magazines and TV shows. I am sure that everyone of these lists use very scientific calculations and means to decide their rankings, and the list below is no exception. I used various facts, figures and statistics to compile my list of top 25 songs of 2010. (Who am I kidding, this is all opinion based somewhat on my musical whim, fancies and other highly unscientific reasons.)

You may ask why 25? Well first Josh and I tried to create our top ten lists, and well this was an utter failure on all accounts. It was impossible to whittle down our favorites to just ten. And twenty, too easy, lets add five more into the whole mess and together you will get the top 50 songs as seen by C&B.

After the Top Ten, number order really loses nearly all meaning, just an FYI.

1. Alphabeat – DJ (I Could be Dancing)

This is hands the best song of 2010. ‘DJ’ is what Pop music should be, infectiously fun, campy, and really doesn’t take it self too seriously. With a perfect tip to 90′s Euro dance-pop and something all their own, Alphabeat is something special in the world of Pop music. ‘DJ’ has done more to make me smile this year alone than maybe any other song.

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2. Robyn – Hang With Me

Robyn truly one of music’s most masterful writers, my good friend DJ MAJR sums it up the best, “[Robyn] is catchy without being vapid.” Honest, sincere and beautiful, Robyn is able to tell a story like very few in music can.

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3. HURTS – Better Than Love

From Theo’s enthralling voice, to rich full synths that ebb and flow creating a whirlwind of sound, to brooding lyrics that cut straight through it all, ‘Better Than Love’ is a song that stands out from everything else in Pop.

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4. Example – Kickstarts

Completely new and unique is the way to describe ‘Kickstarts’ and anything Example creates. ‘Kickstarts’ really is an endearingly sweet love song about the highs and lows of every relationship; expertly paired with explosive beats and high energy synths that are the perfect embodiment of all the excitement love brings. Plan and simple its quite brilliant!

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5.  Kylie Minogue – Get Outta My Way

Her want to live to the fullest and her lust for life is contagious and passed through her music to everyone who listens to it. ‘Get Outta My Way’ is no exception, full of spunk and sass with that ever present exuberant joy.

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6. Japayork – Teenagers

For me there is a visceral reaction/connection to this song that I feel every time the chorus hits. The urge to escape; to leave the problems, pain and strife of the world behind and enjoy the now. Revel the moment you are in, to love life and the people you are sharing it with.

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7. Penguin Prison – The Worse It Gets

Penguin Prison has created the perfect musical embodiment of the yearning I get to leave the noise of the world behind and get away from it all.

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8. Chew Lips – Slick

Cool synth beats paired with piano chords and deep bass that build excitement through the whole song. Tig’s voice perfectly floats over the beats telling the story of memories and life gone by.

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9. Goldfrapp – Alive

Disco is alive! Glam and glitter. I would say more but it would only cheapen it.

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10. Bright Light Bright Light – Love, Pt 2.

‘Love Pt. 2′ overwhelms you with the carefree exuberance that comes with realizing you are able to feel love’s faint flutter in your heart again.

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11. Florence and The Machine – Dog Days Are Over

12. Joe McElderry – Real Late Starter

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13. Cassette Kids – Spin

14. Delphic – Doubt

15.  Moneypenny – Destroy

16. Gorillaz – Doncamatic

17. Aeroplane – Without Lies (ft. Sky Ferreira)

18. Sia – I’m In Here

19. Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

20. Frankmusik & Computer Club – Losing Streak

21. The Ting Tings – Hands

22. Kaskade – Fire In Your New Shows (ft. Dragonette)

23. Ellie Goulding – Lights

24. Lights – My Boots

25. Hyper Crush – Keep Up

Get the Top 10

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DJ Earworm – United State of Pop 2010 (Don’t Stop the Pop)

The time has come again for DJ Earworm to wrap up the top Billboard songs of 2010 into one giant mash-up.

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Get the Mp3

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Super Pop ’00s by Jack Rayburn

Pop


With Josh on extended vacation for the holidays and all of you clamoring for music, he graciously asked if I would play C&B “guest poster” this week. I was all too happy to oblige. So without further ado, I give you Super Pop 00′s – some of the best in rare, pure, and unadulterated pop music over the past decade.


For those who like their hooks infectious but worry about damaging their indie cred, you can have it all in Annie. This Norweigan-born Berliner has been churning out some really catchy, understated electropop hits across the pond in a decade when all the cool kids had already switched the station. “Chewing Gum,” the lead single from her debut album “Anniemal,” is a nice tongue-in-cheek nod to the vanity of the 90′s with all the signature Annie elements – light high-register vocals, some vocalizing on the intro, and some slick production.
mp3 download: Annie – Chewing Gum (Vocal Mix) (2004)

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It was a struggle to pick a single contribution from Ms. Spears for this list – but I’ve always liked this as it’s something different for her. “Over to You Now” is a track that didn’t make the cut from her “In The Zone” sessions. Written by Guy Sigsworth (“Everytime”), Imogen Heap, and Robyn, is a fast-paced electroromp that is half-video game, half-Pure Moods, and 100% danceable. With producers like Fernando Garibay (“Quicksand,” Lady GaGa – “Dance in the Dark”) and David Guetta (“When Love Takes Over”) already working on her seventh album, we can look forward to even more dance-heavy tracks from Ms. Spears next year. In the meantime, enjoy.
mp3 download: Britney Spears – Over To You Now (2005)

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Gwen has always proven herself to be ahead of the curve when it comes to fashion and music. This track screams “80′s comeback” and was one of the first mainstream artists of this decade to predict the decade’s resurgence. This is a oft-ignored track from her “Love.Angel.Music.Baby” solo debut. Light strings give way to some Banarama-esque synth and build to a three-layer chorus/bridge/hook. I’m gonna need the doctor.
mp3 download: Stefani – Serious (2004)

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There’s not much to dislike about Kate Ryan. This Belgian artist’s third studio album generated a stream of hits including “All for You” and the title track, “Alive.” Put on your roller skates, because “Je t’adore,” the song that won her the Belgian Eurovision crown, is a disco-driven builder guaranteed to have you moving by the third chorus. Francophones, be sure to check out her album on iTunes, which has the French version of this and other great tunes. It’s even better in a second language.
mp3 download: Kate Ryan – Je t’adore (2006)

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This is not Madonna’s best song. The lyrics are pretty typical for her (read: bad) but I still really like it and yes, the title fits well with the theme of this post. This B-side from “Confessions on a Dance Floor” leaves any Kabbalah-inspired modesty at the door and encourages you to reach the top, even if it means employing all the sound effect clips in your arsenal. Really though… President Madge?
mp3 download: Madonna – Super Pop (2005)

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I bet you didn’t know that electropop was alive and well in Nashville, Tennessee. Venus Hum, named after a rare heart condition, has released a handful of songs and albums over the past decade ranging from tried and true to truly unconventional. “Soul Sloshing” lands somewhere squarely in the middle. Once you get past the organic beat (which is uncomfortably cardiac) and bizarre laughter, it’s an undoubtedly enjoyable 3:47 of pop goodness.
mp3 download: Venus Hum – Soul Sloshing (2003)

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Favorite 2009 Remixes by Luke Lewis

Remix


I want to give a shout out to Luke Lewis for guest posting this week. He’s bringing you his 5 favorite remixes of the year and has written a bit about each of them. Download the songs, put on your dancin’ shoes, and turn up the volume, these are hot! Thanks Luke!


Agnes came on the music scene after winning Idol 2005, Sweden’s second season of the global ‘Idol’ show. “Release Me” is the first international single release from her third studio album. Remixed by Cahill, of Liverpool, UK, this single takes her dancefloor ready hit and adds hard-hitting beats coupled with background strings for a sound reminiscent of the disco era.
mp3 download:Agnes – Release Me (Chill Radio Edit)

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After a long hiatus from the music scene filled with drama and turmoil, Whitney’s highly anticipated album dropped in August 2009. Before the album was released, Freemasons were tapped to remix the first single. Arguably one of the most sought after remix teams worldwide, they have worked with artists such as Beyonce, Shakira, Kylie Minogue and Moby, taking their hits and making them floor fillers at any night club.
mp3 download:Whitney Houston – Million Dollar Bill (Freemasons Club Mix)

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The undisputed song of the summer, “I Got A Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas gets the David Guetta treatment on his newest album ‘One Love.’ Guetta has had a long career of producing dance music all over Europe, but did not hit the mainstream until featuring Kelly Rowland on his song “When Love Takes Over”. This remix takes the pop original and pumps it a notch up that is full of circuit house beats.
mp3 download:Black Eyed Peas – I Got A Feeling (David Guetta Remix)

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Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield” is another in a string of hits from one very successful American Idol alum that dominated 2009. A high energy remix by Bimbo Jones makes “Battlefield” perfect for any gym mix or even the club. Bimbo Jones, who operates under several other aliases, not only remixes tracks for artists such as Janet Jackson and P!nk, but has produced mainstream hits including “Leavin” by Jesse McCartney and “Piece of Me” by Britney Spears.
mp3 download:Jordin Sparks – Battlefield (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit)

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2009 has without a doubt been the year of Gaga. Her hit “Poker Face” has gone from pop to acoustic and now Dave Aude has given it a rework that gives it even more appeal. Aude has also had quite a year, selected to remix hits like La Roux’s “Bulletproof” and The Pussycat Dolls’ “Hush Hush” among several others. This remix of “Poker Face” starts out dark with heavy beats and builds into a dance mix that capitalizes on Gaga’s unmatched vocal styling.
mp3 download:Lady Gaga – Poker Face (Dave Aude Radio Edit)

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To download any of the above files please use the “right click, save file” command as you’ll be saving them directly from my server and not a file sharing site.





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Favorite songs of 2009

2009


In a year of great music it was pretty hard to narrow down my favorite songs of the year, but after multiple edits I think I’m pretty happy with my final list.


Comments are welcome and appreciated, let me know what you think, what I may have missed, and what your #1 song of the year was. If it was “Tardy for the Party” please submit your comment anonymously as I can’t promise I won’t slap your mouth the next time I see you. Click on the link here or visit the “Best of” section at the top. Here’s to 2010!





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