top 30 songs of 2006

This is my somewhat inane list of favourite songs from this year. Over half of them have already been posted here, but there might be a few surprises (probably unpleasant for some of you, but hopefully not all of you). The only stipulation I gave myself was to keep it to one song per artist, just for the sake of my sanity and because my list would be pretty boring if I posted half the tracks from my favourite album.

God, I hope these are all from 2006.

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30. The Flaming Lips - Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
"Pompeii" is a colossal epic that does its best to live up to its name. And I think it succeeds. I imagine people racing to escape as an avalanche of rock and ash rain down from the sky, and an onlooking chorus worthy of the most massive Greek tragedy.

29. Cassie - Me & U (Siik Remix)
How old is Cassie? She sounds very young here. Very young. And this song is very naughty to say the least. Siik layers Ratatat's "Crips" into the mix, and the synthesizer on the bridge is a killer.

28. SebastiAn - Ross Ross Ross
I don't know what it is about this song that compels me to go back to it so often. Maybe it's how things slow to a halt midway through and then get even crazier, or the way those strings course through the headphones giving my ears the sonic equivalent of whiplash.

27. Epic Man - More is Enough (feat. Plan B)
"More is Enough" is brilliant stuff. Plan B is on fire here, and the beat is even hotter. It kinda reminds me of last year's "Roll Wid Us" remix. Maybe it's the rapid-fire handclaps.

26. White Flight - Solarsphere
I'm not digging the guy's Jesus look so much, but this song is a stroke of insane genius. It swirls around almost aimlessly in an empty corner of the room building up energy, winding itself up into a whatchamacallit that explodes with schizophrenic intensity. The demented chorus of "Baby? Where's your love gone?!" begs the listener to join in, but it doesn't make any fucking sense and there's not enough time to do much but experience it.

25. Fat Joe - Make It Rain (feat. Lil Wayne)
What can I say? The hook is ridiculous. As the cooler kids like to say: It's a banger.

24. Snowden - Black Eyes (Le Castle Vania Remix)
I had a tough time deciding this one. It was either going to be this or "Anti-Anti", or "Between the Rent and Me". Snowden are terribly underrated in my opinion. Anti-Anti has a couple missteps, but the songs that work are so compelling and visceral that they make up for it. Amidst the high production and layers of echo and fuzz they've managed to retain the raw soul. There's no denying the soulfulness of Jordan Jeffares' vocals, and DJ DJ Dylan makes this crystal clear in his remix of "Black Eyes".

23. Young Dro - Shoulder Lean (Starkey Fractured Elbow Mix)
This is one chilly monster of a remix. Once that beat grabs hold it doesn't let go. How am I supposed to resist this shit?

22. Hot Chip - Colours
Colours and colours and colours and colours. . . . This is pretty laid back for Hot Chip, but I think I like them better this way.

21. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
I can't relate to the sense of being so head-over-heels that you become a complete blind fool, but this song gives me a pretty good idea of what it would feel like. It just soars with carefree abandon, and it's difficult to not let some of the excitement rub off on me, as cynical as I am.

20. Guillemots - Trains To Brazil
The Guillemots really struck gold with this pop gem. The brass band adds the punch that propelled it onto my list. This is insanely catchy stuff.

19. Phoenix - Second To None
It's Never Been Like That is probably Phoenix's best album yet. Placing "Second to None" at the 19th spot on my list makes its title seem somewhat unfortunate, but I wasn't going to slot it in at #1 just because of its name. It is the best and most exciting track on their album, though. These guys just churn out amazing track after amazing track and I don't know how they manage it. "Second to None" has that impossibly cool rock swagger that makes it sound like they just put it together at the last minute, but in a good way.

18. Rick Ross - Hustlin' (Benzi Refix)
I admit I never listened to most of Port of Miami. Honestly, I don't really have any desire to. Come to think of it, did I even hear the original "Hustlin'", or did I just hear insane remix after mixtape version after insane remix? The Benzi Refix is all kinds of sick.

17. Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous (feat. Timbaland)
The addictive appeal of "Promiscuous" has worn off a bit since this summer, as most songs are wont to do. I'm no longer compelled to listen to it each time I turn on my computer, but each time I do go back to it it's like it's July all over again. Timbaland's production is impeccably smooth, and Nelly's vocals radiate intensity over those gorgeous key stabs on the chorus. I think that's what gets me every time.

16. The Roots - Game Theory (feat. Malik B.)
The Roots definitely delivered on their promise with this album. The sample on "Game Theory" is a special kind of genius, but every song on the album is either good or great.

15. Herbert - Something Isn't Right
"The Movers and the Shakers" has the best lyrics, but "Something Isn't Right" gets its point across as well, and it's tons more infectious. When Siciliano talks big at the end, singing "I'm all over this world/Come on, try and take me down/I'm all over this", it's hard not to agree with the sentiments.

14. The Fiery Furnaces - Teach Me Sweetheart
"Teach Me Sweetheart" is the best thing I've heard from the Furnaces so far. Eleanor has some issues to work out with her in-laws (Does she even have in-laws?), but her paranoia makes for an utterly gorgeous song. I'm not sure how the Furnaces manage to infuse such over-the-top weirdness into their songs and still retain that emotional sincerity.

13. The Dears - There Goes My Outfit
These guys are masters of theatricality and yet their songs are always extremely intuitive. The Dears know how to make their melodies the most effective, reaching breathtaking heights that would reduce lesser artists to awkward histrionics. From the get-go everything about this song just works, and its circular intensity just builds and builds and builds. . . .

12. Clipse - Trill
Yeah, yeah. Rap Album of the Year. Why are people acting so surprised?

11. Justin Timberlake - My Love (feat. T.I.)
A predictable choice, but I can't leave this off the list. Once again it's mostly Timbaland's doing. I don't know, maybe it's ALL his doing. Everything that's great about this song has already been said.

10. Peter Bjorn And John - Amsterdam
"Young Folks" is the most instantly catchy song on Writer's Block, but "Amsterdam" is the best one. I listen to this on repeat like it's "Promiscuous".

09. Liars - The Other Side Of Mt Heart Attack
Drums Not Dead is one of those albums that you have to spend a lot of time with to truly grasp its subtle beauty. However, "The Other Side of Mount Heart Attack" is immediately affecting, its mantra burrowing itself into your head ever so gently. It's so lovely that it makes you forget everything else you've ever heard.

08. Obie Trice - Cry Now
The guy is vastly underrated, and this is one of the best rap songs I've heard this year. His flow is just furious on this track. His rhymes are icy and joyless, but there is uneasy emotion buried below the surface. It walks the fine line between hot-blooded passion and cold-blooded callousness.

07. Ghostface Killah - Underwater
Are you kidding me?! Oh, how I wish this went on for a bit longer than 2 minutes.

06. M. Ward - Poison Cup
This is a strange choice for me. I didn't pay too much attention to Post-War this year, and the first time I heard "Poison Cup" I didn't hear anything special. But after the second listen there was a nagging at the back of my mind that something was surfacing that hadn't quite hit me yet. The third listen was something of an epiphany. I missed it the first few times, but this is the most painfully beautiful song of the year.

05. TV On the Radio - Wolf Like Me (feat. Katrina Ford)
Nothing needs to be said about this song. It's great no matter which way you approach it. From its first line, "Say say my playmate/Won't you lay hands on me", it transforms children's rhyme into occult experience. "Wolf Like Me" is hot and ecstatic, rapturous, violent, even sexual. But it's a disturbing sexuality that tries to entice the sadomasochist residing in us all.

04. Islands - Rough Gem
Return to Sea is filled with some of the greatest melodies I've heard since, well. . . since the Unicorns first (and last) album. "Rough Gem" is the most instantly endearing one.

03. Junior Boys - In the Morning
"In the Morning" was vying for the top spot on my list, and it was damn close. I might regret putting it at #3 later on but fuck it, every time I listen to these songs I want to switch the order. This is the sexiest song of the year. The boys make Mr. Sexyback look like a hack.

02. Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push
"Kick, Push" has been out for awhile now, so there's been plenty of time to absorb how amazing it is. My favourite track off my second favourite rap album of the year. "Kick, Push" coasted into my top ten the first time I heard it.

01. The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt
Out of all the songs I heard this year, "A Pillar of Salt" resonated the most with me. Probably the worst thing I could do is try and explain this song. You just need to hear it. If you haven't done so already, forget reading this and listen to it now. (Turn it up loud.) I'm really glad I heard this song before I found out that The Body, The Blood, The Machine was one massive polemic against the marriage of religion and politics in America. I mean, it's a vital element, but I don't know how I would have reacted to "A Pillar of Salt" if I'd known that from the beginning. I would probably have been concentrating more on the concept than on how hard this song rocks, which is just as important. This is what rock is all about, folks. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Neo-Pagans, Post-Christians, Atheists--there's something here everyone can relate to. "A Pillar of Salt" works so well because not only is it a giant "FUCK YOU" to the people running our countries, but it's damn terrifying and exhilarating to hear it. This thing is a relentless piece of rip-roaring emotion. You must listen to this song blasting at full volume. The idea of an America ruled by a Christian theocracy will seem trite to some, and there's a ton of sarcasm here, but the picture is frightening when you think about it. When Hutch Harris shouts "We don't carry dead weight long/We send them along to heaven" the essential violence in the line is horrifying. As they say on their site, the song is about "getting the fuck OUT while you still can." The scary thing is if it ever comes down to it, there is not going to be anywhere to run. The song ends with a droning siren that reverberates again and again and again, signaling what I see as one of the greatest emergencies of our generation.

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Well, that's the end of it. I hope you weren't expecting something eloquent. Now scroll back up and listen to "Underwater". That song is giving me fits right now as I type.

Now I've got final exams to study for. There probably won't be any new posts around here until next weekend. *sigh*