Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Top 13 Songs of 2006 (ranked!) (5-1)

Here are the rest of them.

5. The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Radioslave's Secret Base Remix), (Trentemoller Remix)
So hard to choose a version here, so I didn't. Consider the original included in this too. This is also my way of putting some Radioslave and Trentemoller into the top 10, because they both deserve it this year. The remixes take The Knife's heaviest hitter this year in two totally different, and equally stellar directions. Both are also basically just using the same formula they input for all of their remixes, but it just happens to work even better here than usual. These two songs also contain two of the best peaks of the year to be released by anyone. Then when you get some time (listening to both mixes will set you back a good 17+ minutes) be sure check out the original, which does a great job all on it's own.

4. The Rapture - Whoo! Alright, Yeah...Uh-Huh
Some people don't see many shortcomings on the new Rapture album, but I do. However, all anyone has to do is listen to WAYUH, and basically justify the purchase of the full album. There are other fun songs on "Pieces..." but I see none better than the original leaked track. It took me awhile to warm up to this song too. It wasn't really part of the "Echoes 2" that I expected and maybe wanted. Of course releasing an Echoes 2 wouldn't have served the band well at all. A lot has happened in the world of music in the 5 years they've been gone, and even though I only like songs here and there on the new album, those good ones, boy are they good. This song contains the best breakdown of the year, no contest.

3. Escort - Starlight
In a year when "neu" disco took most of the spotlight in the world of dance music, Escort's "Starlight" and follow-up single "Love In Indigo/Karawane" were refreshing doses of disco that actually sound like disco. "Starlight" has all of the trademarks of classic disco sound, and contains such excellent songcraft and arrangement, you could almost swear it was the 70s. This is not to say that the band is hung-up on nostalgia though. It's hard to put your finger on, maybe it's the sleek production, but Escort still sounds fresh and new. I'm really excited to see where this band goes in 2007, because they, along with Justice, are one of the most promising new artists to emerge this year (a claim I made about Hot Chip last year, and look where they've ended up!).

2. Kelis - Bossy (Alan Braxe and Fred Falke Earth Out Remix)
JT may be making THE songs to remix, but Kelis' "Bossy" turned out the largest quantity of exceptional remixes this year. Alan Braxe & Fred Falke gave us two amazing cuts, both of which might as well occupy this spot, along with mixes from SebastiAn and Switch. I don't even like the original song all that much, but man what a blueprint it left. Nothing makes a remix look better than when it easily soars above its source material. Now I may have a bias towards AB&FF, but the question really seems to be, "Why don't you?" They consistently retain their title as French house super-producers because they keep churning out tracks that sound like they were made by French house super-producers. Their "Earth Out" remix of "Bossy" was stuck in my head for so much of the year after its release. I had to listen to it like it was an addiction, and an infectious one at that.

1. Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends
I was so proud of myself for finding this song all on my own. I read no reviews, heard nothing from friends, and never saw it namedropped anywhere. I simply went onto Soulseek looking for more Justice remixes and happened to stumble onto the biggest, catchiest, most intense, and ultimately uplifting song of the year...also the best. I thought it would be a cheesy mash-up, but then I realized people were remixing the remix! This was gonna be huge. No other track, except for maybe Justice's own "Waters of Nazareth," is so closely intertwined with being the sound of 2006. Seeing Justice live in Chicago was the icing on the cake. To anyone reading this, take Justice and Simian's counseling to heart: "Because we are your friends! You'll never be alone again! Now come on!" (Note: you should be yelling these lines as loud as possible and throwing your fist in the air on every syllable.)

Monday, December 18, 2006

Top 13 Songs of 2006 (ranked!) (13-6)

Well Pitchfork listed their top "tracks" today with little in terms of surprise. Maybe I was just more in tune with weekly releases this year, but barely anything on their list was foreign to me. And where are all of the remixes? They maybe put a handful on there at most, which terribly underrepresents some great artists this year. They did make me aware of a Michael Mayer/Superpitcher mega-producer team-up that I didn't know happened, and turns out is badass. Other than that, "eh." I've decided to go ahead and pick and rank my favorite 13 songs of the year though, because the list 2 posts ago is awful long, and although I like all of the songs on there, some deserve special attention. And it's 13 because I went down the aforementioned list and that's how many I thought deserved to be in the top 10. A lot of these bands put out multiple excellent singles and remixes, so the decision was quite tough, but I'm not including any duplicates of artists, for the sake of...whatever, Pete i guess. Here's 13-6; Top 5 forthcoming...

13. Nelly Furtado - Maneater
I played the original Hall & Oates song off of the Runaway Bride soundtrack on the final installment of Kyle and I's radio show...as a joke. So, I expected this to be equally ridiculous. I downloaded the album "Loose" soon after it was leaked, but never really listened to it and ended up deleting it. "Promiscuous" found it's way into my head via Verizon Wireless commercials, which made me end up disliking the thing altogether, and this was before I even realized it was the new Furtado song. Months go by and I get into Radioslave's remixes pretty heavily and download the mix of no. 13 here and liked it quite a bit. Then I hear the real song in the mall and think, "Goddamn it, you mean I had this song on my computer like 6 months ago and got rid of it?! I feel like a fool." Y'all can have your "My Love," but this is my Timbaland fueled chart-topper of choice.

12. Ratatat - Wildcat
My only previous experience with feline roars as pop elements was on the Chemical Brothers "It Began In Afrika," which was an alright track at the time, but "Wildcat" makes you appreciate the tenacity of those growls a little bit more. It's so prominent here, being the title and all and the beast itself being on the cover of "Classics" that it kinda had to sound like this or be an utter failure. This is also an achievement for Ratatat in that the song isn't slow or upbeat, but meanders in the middle and touches on both. More people need to remix this and other Ratatat tracks, and how bout getting some renowned people to do it. I want a club banger from this!

11. Junior Boys - In the Morning
I couldn't stop listening to this when I first got it, and then when I was going to see JBs live, and after I bought the CD from their concert. I've come to appreciate more great songs on the album, but my favorite track has never fluctuated. The selling point for me was the high-pitched synth squeals that highlight the chorus later in the track. It's hard to believe after loving Last Exit that Junior Boys could sound so different and still so good, making music that's almost dancefloor material instead of music for sleepytime/winter.

10. Van She - Kelly
Most people seem to like this song, or Van She in general, because of their combo of 80s-referencing synths and guitars and French house stylings. I fall into this category as well, but I really like this song in particular because it just feels so sad and desperate. "Kelly" makes my heart ache and yet I want to dance it at the same time. It's a horribly confusing emotion, but incredibly unique.

9. Sunset Rubdown - Shut up I am dreaming of places where lovers have wings
I did not expect to like anything on the entire Sunset Rubdown album. As a Wolf Parade fan, I was blindly loyal to that original group and thus by default opposed to off-shoots. Besides, I like the other singer better, even though I've come to realize that Krug is a far better lyricist. I'm a big fan of epic album closers, and with no release from M83 this year "Shut up..." takes the prize (Boris' "(when we're gone)" in close second). This song is another lovesick anthem, but thankfully not whiny. Sometimes bands save the best for last I guess.

8. The Pipettes - Pull Shapes
Wow, picking just one song to put on this list from the groups excellent debut LP is quite the task for me. Every single they released seemed to get better and better, and then when the album finally hit, there was a whole new slew of great songs to gleefully cue up one after the other. "Pull Shapes" is simply the most well-rounded , well-composed, and catchiest (though that's hard to evaluate one against another) of the Pipettes' releases. Just remember, it's "pip-ettes," not "pipe-ettes." These girls may have travelled forward in time from the 60's, but they're still more "pep rally" than "science fair."

7. Herbert - Movers and Shakers
As others have noted, Herbert's political over/undertones are incredibly subtle, to the degree that really only Herbert knows what they are. Maybe that's part of the reason why "Movers and Shakers" appeals to me; it's a little more obvious. Not to go into a full-on analysis, but it's inherent in the songs title what is being talked about here: those who control the world and those who control the dancefloor. It's the crux of what the whole album is about for me. I love art that can be appreciated for what it is, but then offers a rewarding experience to those who choose to dig in deep and really figure it out. I think my album selections reflect this more so than my singles selections.

6. Hot Chip - Boy From School (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework)
This was the year that Hot Chip just exploded over everything; in a good way, like when a cake explodes. "Boy From School" was my surprise favorite track on the pre-Warning EP2, and I was glad to see it get a remastering of sorts on the final album cut. Even more pleased was I to hear what Erol Alkan had done with the track. Before this point I never really cared for Erol's remixes, they just seemed so boring and repetitive, but here (actually, this whole year) he steps out of his shell a little bit and while keeping the track length at the usual distance (an asset here), he expounds upon the beauty of the original's craft. The result ends up rivaling anything Asobi Seksu put out this year for the title of "prettiest song." Fred Falke's take on "Colours" is also amazing, but he'll be appearing elsewhere...

Friday, December 15, 2006

Favorite Albums of 2006 (so far)

Top 10
1. Herbert - Scale
2. The Knife - Silent Shout
3. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
4. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
5. Trentemoller - The Last Resort
6. Hot Chip - The Warning
7. Ratatat - Classics
8. Eliot Lipp - Tacoma Mockingbird
9. Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
10. Asobi Seksu - Citrus

Others I like a lot (maybe more)
Machinefabriek - Marijin
Para One - Epiphanie
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Various Production - The World Is Gone
Zombie Nation - Black Toys
Tim Hecker - Harmony In Ultraviolet
Plus Device - Puncture
OOIOO - Taiga
The Advantage - Elf-Titled
Nathan Fake - Drowning In A Sea Of Love
Ellen Allien and Apparat - Orchestra Of Bubbles
Boris - Pink
The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes

Favorite Songs of 2006 (so far)

The Advantage - [Contra - Alien's Lair & Boss Music]
Alan Braxe &/or Fred Falke - [Defender/Bliss single, Kelis - Bossy (AB&FF Remix), Kelis - Bossy (AB&FF Earth Out Remix), Hot Chip - Colours (FF Remix), Jamiroquai - Runaway (AB&FF Remix)]
Asobi Seksu - [Thursday]
Audio Werner - [Just Wanna Get Down, Just Wanna Get Down (Audio Werner Remix)]
Basement Jaxx - [Take Me Back To Your House, Hush Boy (Les Visiteurs Remix), Lollipop]
Belle & Sebastian - [Another Sunny Day, We Are The Sleepyheads]
Blackstrobe - [Shining Bright Star (Phones Industrial Mix)]
Boards of Canada - [Hey Saturday Sun]
Booka Shade - [Body Language, Darko (Booka's Air Tube Mix)]
Boris - [(when we're gone)]
Brtschitsch - [Twirl/Under single]
Clogs - [5/4]
Daft Punk - [Prime Time Of Your Life (Para One Remix)]
Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russon - [Relevee (Carl Craig Remix)]
DFA - [Arthur Russel - Springfield (DFA Remix), Goldfrapp - Slide In (DFA Remix), Hot Chip - Just Like We (Breakdown) (DFA Remix)]
Digitalism - [Zdarlight, Jupiter Room (Erol Alkan Edit)]
DJ Shadow - [Enuff (feat. Q-Tip & Lateef), This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way)]
Electronicat - [Mummy Cat Part 1]; '05, I know, but it was '06 for me
Eliot Lipp - [Brand New, Sex Tape]
Ellen Allien & Apparat - [Turbo Dreams, Leave Me Alone]
Equinox - [Acid Rain VIP]
Escort - [Love In Indigo/Karawane single, Starlight single]
The Fiery Furnaces [Benton Harbor Blues (again)]
Franz Ferdinand - [Fade Together (Avalanches Remix)]
Girl Talk - [Hand Clap]
Herbert - [Something Isn't Right, The Movers And The Shakers, Birds Of A Feather]
Hot Chip - [Boy From School (Erol Alkan's Extended Remix), Over and Over, Look After Me]
Islands - [Swans (Life After Death)]
Junior Boys - [In The Morning (feat. Andi Tomi), Count Souvenirs]
Justice - [Waters of Nazareth, Let there be Light (DJ Funk's Bounce Dat Ass Remix), vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends]
Kavinsky - Testarossa Autodrive
The Knife - [We Share Our Mother's Health (original version, Trentemoller Remix, Ratatat Remix, Radioslave's Secret Base Remix), Like A Pen, Forest Families]
Liars - [Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack]
Lindstrom - [Another Station]
Mathias Schaffhauser - [November Reign (Audio Werner Remix)]
Mr. Oizo vs. Uffie - [Half and Uff (A.D./D. Edit)]
MSTRKRFT - [Community Revolution In Progress]
Mylo - [Otto's Journey]
Nathan Fake - [Grandfathered, Superpositions]
New Young Pony Club - [Ice Cream (Van She Tech Remix)]
OOIOO - [Uma]
Para One - [Dundun-dun, Sages-Femmes]
The Pipettes - [Pull Shapes, Judy, It Hurts To See You Dance So Well]
Plus Device - [Ultra Seductive]
The Presets - [I Go Hard I Go Home (The Juan Maclean Remix), Down Down Down (Digitalism Remix), Are You The One (Van She Tech Remix)]
The Prodigy - [Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix), Smack My Bitch Up (Sub Focus Remix)]; also '05, eh
Radioslave - [Secret Base, Nelly Furtado - Maneater (RS Remix), Chelonis R Jones - Deer In The Headlights (RS Remix),
The Rapture - [WAYUH, WAYUH (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)]
Ratatat - [Wildcat, Lex, The Shout Out Louds - The Comeback Big Slippa (Ratatat Remix)]
Rex The Dog - [Maximize]
Ricardo Villalobos - [Fizheuer Zieheuer]
Royksopp - [Sparks (Live)]
Sally Shapiro - [I'll Be By Your Side]
Scissor Sisters - [I Don't Feel Like Dancing (Linus Loves Vox)]
SebastiAn - [Ross Ross Ross, H.A.L., Kelis - Bossy (SebastiAn Remix), The Rapture - Get Myself Into It (SebastiAn Remix)]
Simian Mobile Disco - [Hustler, I Bealive]
Sunset Rubdown - [Shut Up I Am Dreaming Of Places Where Lover Have Wings]
Trentemoller - [The Very Last Resort, Moan, Evil Dub, Moby - Go (Trentemoller Remix), Unai - Oh You and I (Trentemoller Remix)]
Van She - [Kelly]
Various Production - [Sir]
Wizardzz - [Mimi Vivian Sunrise]