Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The 11 Best Songs of 2006

The world of blogging has changed the radio single. I mean, seriously, does any one listen to the radio anymore? Outside of getting a B-Side from a maxi-single release, I'm not even sure what gets released as a single anymore. It's not like MTV plays the videos to help you out. Yeah, yeah, a long time ago, MTV used to play videos. Making this list was tough. There were songs I liked that the radio played then I felt like a douche including them. Then there were songs that were hidden deep in the album liners that I felt no one would appreciate. So, I've decided to split it up.

Today will be the 11 Best Radio Songs of 2006 (in particular order):

1. I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor - Arctic Monkeys (Blasting this through my car speakers was like raising the Jam from the dead. Head-bobbing. Foot stomping. It was like a natural non-stop accelerate.)
2. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (This song came from another planet...from another time. With a soul classics vibe probably the most grooveable song of the year.)
3. Handle With Care - Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins (Any one who is any one with a smidge of indie cred was exploited on this Wilburys cover. A song guaranteed to put a smile on your face and it's fun for the whole family.)
4. Heart in A Cage - The Strokes (This song sounded like someone took an electrical cord and plugged it into the back of the band, charging them up to explode. This proved The Strokes are here to stay for awhile.)
5. Dorothy at Forty - Cursive (The theme song to their epic concept album is one-half fired-up burlesque routine and one-half Fugazi-driven throttle. Choppy and distorted, it gets better with every listen.) MP3
6. I Was A Boy From School - Hot Chip (The song of the summer. Light and wavvy. It reminds the listener of vacationing in Europe...even if you've never been there.)
7. Viscera Eyes - The Mars Volta (An attmept by Sirs Punk Floyd to combine their expanisve songs with radio accessibility. What we got is a sonic landscape of adventure mixed with a tightened view of sounds.)
8. The Youngest Was The Most Loved - Morrissey (What feels like a polished Smiths demo may be Moz's best track in a decade.) MP3
9. Taking Back Control - Sparta (This is what a rock song should sound like. It makes you want to get on the freeway and drive as fast as you can. Which is never a bad thing.) MP3
10. Black Swan - Thom Yorke (Who says you need a band? Thom proves that his skills as musician far exceed his ability to croon to the emo kids. A tongue-in-cheek attitude overwhelms the song with street-walking casualness that keeps you hitting that repeat key.)
11. Wolf Like Me - TV On The Radio (A masterful song overflowing with controlled distortion taking you on a ride through a messy yet rigorous vocals and sloppy yet fine-tuned melodies)

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