2011 Songs of the Year: 20-1

Continuing my countdown of my 2001 Songs of the Year, we end with Numbers 20-1. Next week I will countdown my 2011 Albums of the Year.



20. Falty DL - "Gospel of Opal" (ft. Anneka)

NYC producer Falty DL gets lumped in with a lot of esoteric bass music artists like Mount Kimbie and James Blake, but there seems to me more of a pop slant to his compositions. Working with breathy vocalist Anneka, he created a total sense of longing and aching in the track "Gospel of Opal." The skittering beats and lonely drones of organ and keyboards conjure up a late night drive back from the club, empty handed and cold.



19. ††† - "Bermuda Locket"

"Witch house" side project from Chino Moreno of Deftones, is mainly witch house in name only. Drawing from his more electronic works with his own band, "Bermuda Locket" is a slow burning electro-ballad that is brilliant in its use of restraint. Moreno's voice kept in check while he sings over the dense mesh of synths and drum machines.



18. Ciara - "Gimme Dat"

Ok, her album officially came out in December of 2010, but I really didn't listen to it until 2011, and I'm sorry, when you have a jam like "Gimme Dat" it has to be on a list. Ciara slams it home.



17. Gauntlet Hair - "Top Bunk"

Their self-titled debut album is a hurricane of dub drums and programming, echoed vocals, and enough guitar effects pedals to scare Kevin Shields, yet it all is kept in check by some brilliant songwriting. "Top Bunk" defies description except to perhaps to call it dubgaze; guitars everywhere bouncing off each other, vocals sung from the bottom of a well, and the saddest, most haunting old time piano melody.



16. Chase and Status - "Blind Faith" (ft. Liam Bailey)

Basically the perfect mainstream dubstep track of the year. The drop near the end gives me chills.



15. Belong - "Very Careful"

Moving 180 degrees from dense drone soundscapes to overt shoegaze pop, Belong's album Common Era was full of references to Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, but I was entranced by the ghostly final track. Borrowing from early goth Cure, "Very Careful" sounds like lost demo found at the bottom of the closet, the recording so fractured it could disintegrate at any moment. The lonely drum programming, subterranean vocals, and drone guitar work seamlessly to evoke cold, far away places.



14. Alex Clare - "Up All Night"

Working with Diplo on his debut album, gruff singer Alex Clare appeared poised to take over the world. Sadly, the album was merely promising and not the brilliant debut I was expecting. With that said, single "Up All Night" is a fierce blast of power guitar chords over Moombahton beats, with Clare's monster voice eating it up like a starving man.



13. M83 - "Midnight City"

Jockeying for position with Foster the People for most overplayed song, M83's "Midnight City" is still such a fantastic track which finally gave the band entry into the public consciousness. Bonus points for best un-ironic use of a 1980s sax solo.



12. Phantogram - "16 Years"

Just a wonderful song. Tracking an emotional reawakening, it is such an uplifting piece. The guitars swooning along with the singer, creating a magical feeling.



11. Nero - "Promises"

I was told by my partner Kurt that I should have listed the Skrillex/Nero remix of the song because it was more "dubstep." I honestly prefer the original mix's driving drum programming and blasts of synths, to the remixes. Perfect music for a long drive down country roads.



10. The Drums - "Money"

Insanely catchy pop song from The Drums. The rhythm section's interplay is tighter than a vise.



9. The Antlers - "I Don't Want Love"

A bitter, anger song about the destructive nature of relationships that is couched in one of the most beautiful melodies I've heard in awhile, that somehow makes his cries of "I Don't Want Love" to seem to be wavering.



8. Rihanna - "We Found Love" (ft. Calvin Harris)

There is really nothing original about this song, the music is fairly standard rave house fare, but it is Rihanna's delivery, turning "we found love in a hopeless place" into a mantra, that sends the song to a beautiful, new level.



7. Burial - "NYC"

"NYC," is trademark Burial: ghostly synth strings, choppy blocked two-step beats, and airy, pitch shifted vocal samples. The song is so sad and haunting, it is almost unbearable to hear; a cry for love and tenderness in an unforgiving city, feeling completely alone in a sea of millions. The refrain "NYC, nobody loves me" is so forlorn, it will stick with you like a scar.



6. SBTRKT - "The Right Thing To Do" (ft. Jesse Ware)

SBTRKT's debut album didn't really speak to me, except for this amazing, bass heavy track. If I made a music mix over the summer, this track was always in it.



5. Jamie xx - "Far Nearer"

Based on his skeletal beat work with The xx, the last word I would expect to describe a Jamie xx solo track as is joyous. "Far Nearer," built on lovely steel drum patches and exhuberant vocal samples, never fails to make me feel warm and safe. I can feel myself on an island somewhere, enjoying the sun and hearing the waves softly crash in the distance.



4. Lykke Li - "I Follow Rivers"

Lykke Li delivered a knockout of a second album, showing that she can project fragility while also showing strength within herself. In the amazing single "I Follow Rivers" she sings of a deep abiding love, that she will pursue to any length possible:

"Be the ocean, where I unravel
Be my only, be the water where I'm wading
You're my river running high, run deep and run wild

I, I follow, I follow you, deep sea baby."



3. The Weeknd - "The Knowing"

On a difficult to listen to album, "The Knowing" is by far the most difficult track, the narrator punishing his girlfriend for his own sins. It becomes almost painful to listen to, the narrator pouring salt into deep wounds, oblivious to the serious pain and problems he has. His vocals culminating in a tortured wail. Stunning.

Wild Beasts / Reach A Bit Further by Constellations Festival

2. Wild Beasts - "Reach A Bit Further"

I could have put all 10 tracks from Smother on here and I would not have felt bad about it. It was painful having to limit them to just one track. The reason why this song rates so high is the delicate balance between Hayden Thorpe's gorgeous falsetto/tenor and Tom Fleming's baritone, which brings tears to my eyes. And when Fleming achingly sings "yes I will/do all the things that you ask of me/yes I will darling/have no fear," my heart breaks a little more each time.



1. Active Child - "Johnny Belinda"

This song slipped into number one by complete surprise. It wasn't until I found out they were opening for M83 that I really poured myself into the album. By far, "Johnny Belinda" is the centerpiece of You Are All I See, and by far my favorite track of the year. Pat Grossi's otherworldly choirboy voice is breathtaking. Matched with rising strings, droning keyboards, harp, and muted percussion, this dramatic song just overwhelms you with waves and waves of emotion. When Grossi sings

"Wish that I was strong enough
Wish that I could give it all
Wish that I could change enough
To be yours"

you feel immediate kinship with someone who has loved from afar, and have never felt themselves good enough to get what they truly deserve. It's a haunting song that will seep into your dreams at night.