I have to admit that for the longest time this year I’d stopped feeling excited about music. It took a backseat to the other things that seemed more urgent and more clamorous for my attention: movies, literature, visual art, school, Paul Newman… hell, even clothes. Looking back on that period I realize how much I was sorely missing music without even knowing it - especially in school. It’s so difficult to hear yourself think while surrounded by people 24/7; I should have known that besides sleep, listening to music was the only time in my college life I could feel like I was alone. So when I finally got back into it - reentering that vast personal space, just me and the songs - it felt like a breath of relief. Music’s so important.
Anyway so these are my six official 2010-defining songs. Or maybe second-half-of-2010 -defining songs because honestly this January seems like a lifetime away (what did I listen to then? What was I doing then? Who was I then?!). Nevertheless all of these are additions to my personal all-time classics list and when I think of them in the future I’ll be thinking of now.
1) "Bloodbuzz Ohio", The National
There’s been a lot of talk about Matt Berninger’s deep, world-weary, sardonic, sinister (cf. Rachel), orgasm-inducing (cf. Zara) man-voice. But tearing myself away from that for a second, I also love the unique and lovely diction of his lyrics, and that goes for the rest of "High Violet". All these words are just so damned fun to sing along to: “I was carried to Ohio on a swarm of bees.”
2) "Wicked Blood", Sea Wolf
My favorite Sea Wolf song which is saying a lot. It combines all the reasons for my fandom – he writes exactly the kind of imagery I love (“neo-Brothers-Grimm/Halloween”?), he sings exactly the kind of melodies I love, he has exactly the kind of sparkly/grimy/alt-rock sound I love, he makes videos I love… and he’s from Los Angeles! Ahh let’sgetmarried.
3) "Soft Shock (Acoustic)", Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Stupidly, before this year I’d never really given that much thought to the YYYs – I think maybe the blending of what my head classified as “boy music” and “girl music” confused me. Obviously I have since learned to transcend such silly boundaries. Karen O is a master of sweet, dreamy achiness and I will never get sick of this.
4) "Vesuvius", Sufjan Stevens
When he played this at the Wiltern, there were these huge transparent screens in front of and behind the stage onto which they projected these rolling waves, so it looked like the whole band was standing underwater. My favourite part is the last half a minute when the climactic, blue-green erupting-volcano music suddenly makes that abrupt switch to that clean, white, chiming, almost Christmassy music (“Why does it have to be so hard?”).
(I’m sorry, I have absolutely zero idea how to write about audial stuff. I have to use visual language because that’s how my mind works so forgive the weird synaesthesia.)
5) "Lovin’ Arms", the Wood Brothers
This alarm in my head always goes “cooouunnnnttttrrrryyyy muuuuusssiiicccccc” when I listen to this. But his voice is so warm and bluesy and affectionate that I don’t really care. It’s like a pot of golden honey in summer. The musical equivalent of comfort food. “Someday/when you’re up there flying” – that little break in his voice there always gets me.
6) "There Goes the Fear", Doves
I’ve always loved Doves but it was only this year that this really began to grow on me. Maybe it's another instance of that "hitting you at the right time at your life" thing - when I was a kid I was suspicious of hope and joy and everything this song represents, that unabashed earnestness and optimistic good cheer that one so rarely associates with British music. But now I love it; I love the wonderful video and I love the riff with all its infectious forward momentum.
Honorable Mention to Arcade Fire’s entire album, “The Suburbs”. Since I only heard it a couple weeks ago I thought it’d be kind of unfair to include it in a supposed year-encompassing list but it really is way up there. Also to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Beth Rowley, Carla Bruni, the soundtracks of “The Brothers Bloom”, “Inglourious Basterds”, "Where the Wild Things Are" and “In the Mood for Love”, and my top 2 travelling songs which are “This Time Tomorrow” and “Born to Run.”
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