Top 25 Songs of the First Half of 2005: #15-11
Now we got a stew cookin'.
15. Stars "Ageless Beauty" from Set Yourself on Fire (Arts and Crafts)
Deep down, I have to admit a good romantic comedy can really hit the spot. I mean how can you have the whole enchilada with out a little cheese. On the exterior, Montreal-based Stars' "Ageless Beauty" is an ethereal pop gem with Amy Milian's sugary, in-the-clouds vocal providing the sparkle. However deep within the sentimental, lovey-dovey chorus of "You will always be the light", the track stays tried and true with it's convictions. The unabashed honesty proves that a song can be effective with having to mire itself masked emotions and unnecessary tricks. It's more powerful in admitting it's cliched. It refuses to be embarassed. Just like I can admit Bridget Jones' Diary is pretty damn good movie... only I'm still slightly embarassed.
14. The National "Baby, We'll Be Fine" from Alligator (Beggars Banquet)
The remarkable thing about "Baby, We'll Be Fine" and The National in general is that there really isn't anything really remarkable. It's kind of a blue collar song, a blue collar band. They thrive on old-fashioned methods: dark minor-keyed melody, jangly guitars, haunting strings for a little mood and honest, brooding lyrics, specifically peppered detailed verses ("I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile", "I wake up without warning and go flying around the house/In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out") and stone-cold simple choruses ("I'm so sorry for everything"). There couldn't be more solid a foundation than Matt Berninger's booming deadpan baritone voice and Brian Devendorf's textural, simply indispensable drumming. And like most things built sturdy and plain, it works.
13. The Kills "I Hate the Way You Love (Pt. 1)" from No Wow (Rough Trade/RCA)
Being born in the end of October makes me a Scorpio. Most every horoscope/astrology book has told me I'm dark, weird and into kinky s&m type shit. I can't tell a ball gag from an ass plug, but I can tell you that never in the 25 years of my fragile young life have ever been so turned on by the chainsaw sex romp that is "I Hate the Way You Love (Pt. 1)". Alison Mosshart's sultry razor sharp vocal blends with Jamie Hince menacing overdriven guitar to power this sexual garage juggernaut. They slither over each other, full of venom, fangs revealed. If this is what being a Scorpio is all about, I should start thinking about embracing who I am. Or it's just a rad song and you can keep that whip and zodiac horseshit the fuck away from me.
12. The Decemberists "The Sporting Life" from Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars)
Honestly, right when you think Colin Meloy can't get any more imaginative, he drops a doozy on us all. One would think that the author of songs about french legionnaires, chinese trapeze artists and ghosts of dead babies couldn't reach any further. But guess what? He can. Indie rock's newly crowned King Nerd of Cool has penned a brilliantly catchy song about something he possibly can't know about: Soccer. Most of us would like to believe Meloy was a kid who never saw any daylight (in Montana?) because he was trapped in a dusty library reading Stevenson and Kipling books. He can't be heading soccer ball into the far corner. Meloy brings a story of failed athletic pursuits to life with an amazingly catchy twee-pop meets motown melody. Though the story is about screwing up and the sport is somewhat ambiguous (a little nerd shines through afterall), Meloy does a tremendous job getting into character. Trying that hard gets a gold star from me.
11. of Montreal "The Actor's Opprobrium" from The Sunlandic Twins (Bonus Disc) (Polyvinyl)
Okay you got me. It's on the bonus disc. Sometimes it's hard for me to let go. Don't get me wrong, I love The Sunlandic Twins. But any sign of the old, and my kung fu grip is in action and it ain't lettin go. "The Actor's Opprobrium" if anything is like Satanic Panic in the Attic, a nice middle ground between the dancy Sunlandic-era and the pysch-pop Coquelicot-era, balancing a Kinks-esque melody with hints of buzzy synths and disco basslines. While I'm surely interested in buying that, the selling point is Kevin Barnes' tale of a B-rate horror "snuff film" gone awry, a nice reminder that Barnes used to tell quirky tales of fascinating characters with tremendous wit. But I suppose as a die hard of Montreal fan, I'll just have to settle for the bizarre electro soul that now embodies a once great pysch-pop figure.
Shit! We're in the Top 10! #10-6 should arrive mid-week. So should my DVD set of the Beverly Hills Cop movies. Booyah!
15. Stars "Ageless Beauty" from Set Yourself on Fire (Arts and Crafts)Deep down, I have to admit a good romantic comedy can really hit the spot. I mean how can you have the whole enchilada with out a little cheese. On the exterior, Montreal-based Stars' "Ageless Beauty" is an ethereal pop gem with Amy Milian's sugary, in-the-clouds vocal providing the sparkle. However deep within the sentimental, lovey-dovey chorus of "You will always be the light", the track stays tried and true with it's convictions. The unabashed honesty proves that a song can be effective with having to mire itself masked emotions and unnecessary tricks. It's more powerful in admitting it's cliched. It refuses to be embarassed. Just like I can admit Bridget Jones' Diary is pretty damn good movie... only I'm still slightly embarassed.
14. The National "Baby, We'll Be Fine" from Alligator (Beggars Banquet)The remarkable thing about "Baby, We'll Be Fine" and The National in general is that there really isn't anything really remarkable. It's kind of a blue collar song, a blue collar band. They thrive on old-fashioned methods: dark minor-keyed melody, jangly guitars, haunting strings for a little mood and honest, brooding lyrics, specifically peppered detailed verses ("I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile", "I wake up without warning and go flying around the house/In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out") and stone-cold simple choruses ("I'm so sorry for everything"). There couldn't be more solid a foundation than Matt Berninger's booming deadpan baritone voice and Brian Devendorf's textural, simply indispensable drumming. And like most things built sturdy and plain, it works.
13. The Kills "I Hate the Way You Love (Pt. 1)" from No Wow (Rough Trade/RCA)Being born in the end of October makes me a Scorpio. Most every horoscope/astrology book has told me I'm dark, weird and into kinky s&m type shit. I can't tell a ball gag from an ass plug, but I can tell you that never in the 25 years of my fragile young life have ever been so turned on by the chainsaw sex romp that is "I Hate the Way You Love (Pt. 1)". Alison Mosshart's sultry razor sharp vocal blends with Jamie Hince menacing overdriven guitar to power this sexual garage juggernaut. They slither over each other, full of venom, fangs revealed. If this is what being a Scorpio is all about, I should start thinking about embracing who I am. Or it's just a rad song and you can keep that whip and zodiac horseshit the fuck away from me.
12. The Decemberists "The Sporting Life" from Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars)Honestly, right when you think Colin Meloy can't get any more imaginative, he drops a doozy on us all. One would think that the author of songs about french legionnaires, chinese trapeze artists and ghosts of dead babies couldn't reach any further. But guess what? He can. Indie rock's newly crowned King Nerd of Cool has penned a brilliantly catchy song about something he possibly can't know about: Soccer. Most of us would like to believe Meloy was a kid who never saw any daylight (in Montana?) because he was trapped in a dusty library reading Stevenson and Kipling books. He can't be heading soccer ball into the far corner. Meloy brings a story of failed athletic pursuits to life with an amazingly catchy twee-pop meets motown melody. Though the story is about screwing up and the sport is somewhat ambiguous (a little nerd shines through afterall), Meloy does a tremendous job getting into character. Trying that hard gets a gold star from me.
11. of Montreal "The Actor's Opprobrium" from The Sunlandic Twins (Bonus Disc) (Polyvinyl)Okay you got me. It's on the bonus disc. Sometimes it's hard for me to let go. Don't get me wrong, I love The Sunlandic Twins. But any sign of the old, and my kung fu grip is in action and it ain't lettin go. "The Actor's Opprobrium" if anything is like Satanic Panic in the Attic, a nice middle ground between the dancy Sunlandic-era and the pysch-pop Coquelicot-era, balancing a Kinks-esque melody with hints of buzzy synths and disco basslines. While I'm surely interested in buying that, the selling point is Kevin Barnes' tale of a B-rate horror "snuff film" gone awry, a nice reminder that Barnes used to tell quirky tales of fascinating characters with tremendous wit. But I suppose as a die hard of Montreal fan, I'll just have to settle for the bizarre electro soul that now embodies a once great pysch-pop figure.
Shit! We're in the Top 10! #10-6 should arrive mid-week. So should my DVD set of the Beverly Hills Cop movies. Booyah!
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