I compiled a list of my 30 favorite songs of 2011, not so you can see how cultured I am and how awesome my taste is, because the answer to both is “not very.” I made this list for the same reason I ask for your favorites at the end of each year: networking is one of the best ways to find new, great music.
Merril Garbus a.k.a Tune-Yards. Photograph by Ashley Jordan Gordon.
Yes, you can listen to the radio, or check the top 100 songs on iTunes, or use Pandora (or Spotify, or Napster, or Winamp, or a DiscMan, or a WalkMan, or go outside and find a guy with a BoomBox on his shoulder, or go to a phonograph club, or listen to the latest monk chants at your local monastery) and those collections will give you different viewpoints on what good music is. Not a bad viewpoint, but just something different. So I’m presenting my list to give you something different. And hopefully there’s something in there you like.
Each song is presented by category, along with the artist, and my overall annual ranking in ( ). And each title is a link to the song (which will open in a new window), so enjoy!
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Music That is So Cool You’ve Probably NEver Heard of It (Electronic/Hipster Rock Collection)
- “My Country”, Tune-Yards (1) – Silly name for an artist, wonderful music with eclectic sounds and influences (this is the only time I’ll get all music critic in this space). This song reminds me of MJ’s Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’. It’s crazy to think this is just one person (Merril Garbus) doing all this stuff. Check out the whole album, especially Bizness (sweet video) and Powa.
- “Midnight City”, M83 (21) – Sweet sax solo.
- “Tongue Tied”, Grouplove (24) – it’s in an Apple commercial, so you know it’s catchy.
- “Amor Fati”, Washed Out (27) – great throwback sound.
- “Woods”, The Rosebuds (28) – toy pianos sound fun.
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Afternoon Music (this is what my friend Sarah Zaitchik calls songs that are bouncy and energizing but not in your face)
- “Mylo Xyloto”/”Hurts Like Heaven”, Coldplay (4) – Take the fire from my belly and the beat from my heart.
- “I’ll be Waiting”, Adele (5) – Get better! Throat surgery doesn’t sound fun.
- “The Light in Me”, Brandon Heath (6) – Always uplifting.
- “Lights”, Ellie Goulding (8) – The slightly awkward dancing in this video reminds me of Duffy (who Criss introduced me to through our 2008 music survey–see, it’s good to share) “dancing” on SNL a few years back. Hey, British music execs: just let your singers sing. They don’t want to dance.
- “Set Fire to the Rain”, Adele (9) – If these songs were on cassette, my wife and I would have broken this one from overplaying it.
- “Charlie Brown”, Coldplay (11) – Looks like Afternoon Music has been cornered by people from England.
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Morning Music (a softer complement to Afternoon Music)
- “U.F.O”, Coldplay (3) – Kind of a nightly prayer in a way.
- “The Real Thing”, Sahara Smith (12) – She’s from Wimberly, right outside of Austin. I think my advisor, the guitar-playing academic/cowboy from Oklahoma, would like her album. Larry, are you reading this? Another song of hers, Train Man, sounds a lot like Wicked Game by Chris Isaak, whose name is spelled different than mine but close enough that we should be friends.
- “Summer Fires”, The Wilderness of Manitoba (18) – This reminds me of the summer fires we had here in Central Texas. Because of the title. If you didn’t get that part. Also because of the music.
- “Michicant”, Bon Iver (22) – Good album.
- “Rum Hee”, Shugo Tokumaru (30) – Probably the best Japanese song on this list.
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Songs That Make me Wish I Knew how to Play Electric Guitar
- “Holdin on to Black Metal”, My Morning Jacket (2) – listen to the song, and then listen to the Thai pop song it was based on.
- “With a Little Help From My Friends”, Casey Abrams (10) – My daughter’s second favorite song of the year. When it Casey’s album coming out? Is he still alive? Am I going to watch American Idol this coming season? So many important questions!
- “Howlin’ For You”, The Black Keys (25) – That video may have some parts you don’t want to watch, so instead, watch it in the MONEYBALL TRAILER. I still can’t believe Brad Pitt’s in a movie about the A’s.
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Songs for Running around Town Lake (a.k.a. that “Hippity Hoppity Music,” as my mother-in-law would say)
- “City Kids”, OCD: Moosh and Twist (7) – Great song by a pair of 18 year-olds from Philly. Uses a sample of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” Worth a listen, even if you don’t like hip hop. Also see “Live it Up”.
- “Daddy Fat Sax”, Big Boi (15) – I’m a bit ashamed to admit that this is my favorite running song. The music, lyrics, and delivery are all a bit obnoxious. But what are you gonna do.
- “The Show Goes On”, Lupe Fiasco (17) – Uses a sample of another popular song that is only 7 years old. I guess that should bother me?
- “Simply Unstoppable”, Tinie Tempah (20) – Good album (Disc-Overy). This seems like a good time to admit that I buy the clean version of songs when I can. This link is NOT the clean version.
- “Come on Baby”, Saigon featuring Jay-Z & Swiss Beatz (23) – Jay Z and Pitbull are in a competition to see who can be in more things.
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Radio Heavy Songs That I Still Like After 100 Listens
- “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”, Katy Perry (14) – If you want me to like a song, put a saxophone solo in it.
- “Somebody to Love”, Justin Bieber (16) – I always play music before class for my University of Texas students, and they went CRAZY (in a good way) when I played Justin Bieber, singing along like it was Happy Birthday. Still weird that he has adults dancing behind him in every video, though, especially dreadlocked (?), powder-y shirtless lumberjacks (FF to 0:25).
- “Pumped Up Kicks”, Foster the People (19) – My daughter’s favorite song of the year. Dance party.
- “Light Up the Sky”, The Afters (26) – Cool song to watching lightning to.
- “Just Can’t Get Enough”, Black Eyed Peas (29) – Look, I’m just as disappointed as you are. But the ear wants what the ear wants.
What are you favorite songs of 2011? Leave a comment and let me know. Hope you enjoyed some of my favorites, and here’s hoping Hootie and the Blowfish releases a dubstep remix of their greatest hits in 2012.