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The Most Ut of 2005December 27, 2005... Thanks to the wonder of the Internet, and particularly the wonder of mp3 blogs, I have actually heard enough new music this year to compile a best-of list. It's the first time I've been able to say that since about 1994. So without further ado, here are twelve songs released (or re-released) in 2005 that are, in the words of Judy Jetson, "the most ut." They are kinda in order by preference, from most preferred to less preferred, but consideration was also given to what songs sound best one after the other. #1. Deep Thinkers - Kiss The Sky. Leonard D. Stroy, producer for this Midwestern duo, cadges his samples from all over the globe, including (in this song) the Middle East. Not only that, but he cuts and pastes the shit out of them fuckers, too. The man is a monster. Deep Thinkers - Kiss The Sky#2. Deep Thinkers - We Live in Kansas City and... Brother of Moses, Deep Thinkers' MC, is no slouch, either. Bro Mo has something to say and the ability to say it with flare. In "Rock the Beat," for example, he dismisses the three largest-circulation hip-hop monthlies in America for being "fashion magazines." That takes a lot of courage. Dude also has a sense of humour, as evidenced by this song. Deep Thinkers - We Live in Kansas City and...#3. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth. My first thought was that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was a band name so lacking in imagination that I didn't need to hear their music to know that it sucked. Then I heard this song and it all started to make sense. Clearly, they named themselves so that the stores would shelf them right next to Eric Clapton, with whom they share so many sonic parallels. Listen to the way the singer channels the spirit of Clapton in the fast parts of the song, for example. I'll even bet he was wearing a Big Suit while he sang... What? Big Suit was David Byrne? Oh. Never mind. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth#4. Okkervil River - Latest Toughs. Here's another band with a name that screams "Hey, you there, please pay us no mind whatsoever." Fortunately, my instincts aren't the only thing I listen to because, as it turns out, "Latest Toughs" isn't the only great song on Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy album. They put on a good live show, too, particularly when people don't heckle front man Will Sheff while he's being all emotional and shit. Okkervil River - Latest Toughs#5. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Ain't No Jesus in Here. I'm not sure if this English band's debut album is even available in North America. What I do know is that all four of the mp3s available for download on the band's website are swell--none more so than this one. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Ain't No Jesus In Here#6. Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left. I've always been wary of singer-songwriters. Nothing says 1970 and the end of rock and roll as a force of revolution, dope, guns and fucking in the street quite like the singer-songwriter. Still, singer-songwriter-violinist-whistler Andrew Bird has recorded his bad self a winner here. Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left#7. Sufjan Stevens - The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts. Speaking of singer-songwriters, "The Man of Metropolis..." is the kind of song you hear once and never forget, even if at first you can't remember where you heard it or who did it. Sufjan Stevens - The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts#8. Bloc Party - Banquet. Bloc Party's got more press lately for the dust-up between its singer and the singer of Art Brut, than for its music. Myself, I'd rather listen to Bloc Party's earnest songs of worry than Art Brut's endless stream of piss-taking--for the same reason I'd rather listen to the Police than the Slits: catchier songs with a lot more depth. Bloc Party - Banquet#9. Art Brut - Fight! Sure, I prefer Bloc Party's music, but I'd rather go drinking with these lads. "Some people like things left unspoken / I prefer to have it out in the open / Some people like things left unspoken, I don’t care if you shout it, get it out in the open / Come on, come on lets have a fight." Full marks for honesty, boys. Art Brut - Fight!#10. The Go Team - Huddle Formation. Okay, do you know anyone else who is making music like this? Yes, I know George W. Bush was a cheerleader in high school, too. The Go! Team - Huddle Formation#11. Mutronium - I'm All Over You. Wow. This is the best Cars song the Cars never wrote. Mutronium - I'm All Over You#12. Jandek - Blue Blue World. After self-releasing forty-odd (odd being the operative word) albums over the course of two-and-a-half decades, the mysterious Jandek performed live, unannounced, at a festival in Glasgow in October 2004. It was His first-ever live performance. Unraveling the mystery of just who the "representative of Corwood Industries" is, and what it is he does when he isn't howling into a microphone, was one of the highlights of 2005 for me. Oh yeah, plus I actually enjoyed listening to His music, too. Jandek - Blue Blue WorldHonourable mentions are also in order for Caribou and LCD Soundsystem. No one song on the LCD Soundsystem album stood out for me, but there sure were a lot of good ones to choose from. As for Caribou, well, they do put on an awesome live show, don't they? I particularly dig that whole two drummers thing. Thanks for stopping by. See y'all in the New Year. Permadink | | |
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