My First Post

I've decided to start this blog off with my favorite songs that have come out this year. That's about all I have to say, so let's get on to the music....





....and so it begins:

10)Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
What is there to say about this song.....not much besides the obvious: it's easily the most catchy song of the year. Who'd a thunk that putting together Ce-Lo Green and Danger Mouse would create brilliance? Not me, that's for sure......and yet that is exactly what happened, and this song is excellent proof. Had the song not been played to oblivion, it might have made it higher on my list, but it unfortunately was overplayed, leaving only one thing left to say............damn those radio stations.

9)Yeah Yeah Yeah Song - The Flaming Lips
I was fortunate enough to get to see the Flaming Lips live for the first time, this year. Unfortunately, I only got to see two songs: this one, and She Don't Use Jelly. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed. As we walked over to the stage that the Lips were playing on, we were very surprised to see a collection of Santa Clauses accompanying Wayne Cohen on stage (the concert was in September). Whenever I hear this song, I remember that day, and the impressive show that they put on, in the 10 minutes that we got to watch them.

8)Chasing Ghosts With Alcohol - Gomez
This song has stuck out to me, ever since I first heard How We Operate. I find his voice to be hauntingly beautiful, especially in this song in particular. Since I heard this album, I have come to love Gomez and all their music, and still this song has to be one of my favorites off theirs. The intro is captivating and gorgeous. There is something special about this song, that I hear every time I listen to it, and yet I can never find myself able to describe it....

7)Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind- Yo La Tengo
An epic of an song. Yo la Tengo never cease to amaze me, no matter what I hear...

6)Elevate Myself - Grandaddy
Another catchy song that this year has produced. Before this song, I had never heard Grandaddy. I love the techno feel that this song has to it, the chorus is super catchy, and I always seem to find myself trying to sing along when ever I hear it.

5)The Island... - The Decemberists
This song is a masterpiece. This comes off my favorite album of the year, and it never seems to get old. Coin Meloy's voice is ace, and although one would think a song like this would get boring after the 6th or 7th minute, I find myself loving every second of it.

4)Steady as She Goes - The Raconteurs
I will be honest, i am a little bias towards the Raconteurs. I have been fortunate enough to see them live not once, but twice in the past couple of months. They have got some of the best stage presence out of any bands I have seen live in the post few years. I was unfortunately a little disappointed with their album the first couple of times I listened to it, but now I find my appreciation of it to have risen dramatically.

3)Hail Mary - Shearwater
Shearwater comes from my favorite band as of right now: Okkervil River. if you have not heard either, I recommend you go to wherever you get your music and "acquire" at least one of either bands albums. Shearwater's Palo Santo is easily one of the better albums of the year, if not the past ten years. This is just an amazing song in my opinion, there's not much else I can say about it.

2)Ain't Talkin' - Bob Dylan
One of the concerts that I saw the Raconteurs at, was when they opened for Bob Dylan. This was an unbelievable show for me as it was the only time I've seen him live, and his set was phenomenal. Unfortunately, he did not play Ain't Talkin', my favorite song from his new album. Dylan's new album Modern Times is a solid all around album, that's for sure, but there's something about the closing track (Ain't Talkin') that blows my mind every time I hear it. His voice is perfect for the mood he's trying to convey on this track, and his lyrics are as smart as ever. I find the instrumental parts of the song to complement Dylan's voice perfectly. Some people criticize Dylan's voice now that he's well past his prime, and to counter, I always ask them if they've ever heard this song....


....and the big number 1:

1)Fidelity - Regina Spektor
The first time I ever heard Regina, to be honest, I hated her. In my defense, it was a live show, and she was opening for an audience that would not be considered her "target audience", oh.... and I was younger and a lot less mature. ALright, back to the song....just untill fairly recently, I had completely forgotten about her, and then someone told me to listen to this song. I grudgingly decided to follow their advice (they hadn't steered me wrong before), and so I took a listen expecting to hate it, and lo and behold I fell in love with the song.

Whenever I listen to this song (a lot), I find I fall in love her voice more and more each time. While not the best singer ever, I find this song flatters her voice to a point that I can't seem to find someone who does not like the song. The bouncy strings/piano sounds in the background give this song such a Christmas-y feel that I have grown to enjoy and appreciate. While I have yet to hear another song by Ms. Spektor, she has started to become one of my favorite singers ever; just from this one song.

Almost done, don't worry. For those that haven't seen the video, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wigqKfLWjvM -although not the best video, I find it cute and fun, I especially love the ending s=for some reason.

On one last note, this song was inspired by the movie High Fidelity, and how can you not love that...




*(right click (and save as) on the song title, to download the song...

...but please, if you like a song, support the artist and go out and buy the album...
....or alternativley, look for the albums here: Amazon.com or at the itunes music store)