|
|
Two Bit vs Pitchfork's 100 Top Tracks of 2007
We started picking apart the Top 100 tracks over at Pitchfork and making notes about all of them last year. We figured we would give it another go. Now with more Buny! Four pages of goodness for you to peruse. Enjoy! Tracks 100-76, 75-51, 50-26, 25-1.
Number 100
Ost & Kex -"Milano Mugolilan (A Thrilling Mungophony in Two Parts)"
Buny: Is every song on here going to be 11 minutes? I hate the song name, the artist name (both of them - "Mungolian Jet Set" is responsible for the remix), most of the vocals and the entire last third. However, I suspect they could compile a 2-minute version of the best bits out of this that I wouldn't mind listening to.
Anj Kay: This one clocked in at 11 minutes and it seemed like it should be running over the end credits of an obscure (yet upbeat) indie film, but it was extremely enjoyable until it hit roughly the 6 minute mark and the vocals changed. Maybe I just don't like the second "part" in the two parts.
Number 99
Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - "Backed Out on the..."
Buny: First possible trend for inclusion on the list - making it hard to tell who the artist is! This turns out to be mostly a J Mascis song, and I generally like J Mascis. Except in the case of this song, apparently, since it's kind of boring.
Anj Kay: It's mainly just chorus, no? Don't get me wrong. It's not completely horrendous, but if I never heard it again, I don't think I would miss anything. This would probably make for a pretty popular Rock Band song.
Number 98
Old Time Relijun - "Indestructible Life!"
Buny: This is pretty much jazz music, in that it was probably fun to play but I can't imagine anyone would enjoy listening to it.
Anj Kay: I, honestly, have no idea about this song. It's a mish-mash of screeching, I Dream of Jeannie, and the opening track of Kill BIll. The screeching comes from both guitar chords and vocal. Luckily, it's short.
Number 97
Sir Richard Bishop - "Ecstasies in the Open Air"
Buny: I do not think he is actually a Sir! Also I think the flute is synthesised. It's a parade of LIES. This track sounds like the ambient music from Heroes of Might and Magic 3, only less memorable. Indestructible Life! suddenly seems more appealing.
Anj Kay: The music is lovely, but I kept expecting a Leonard Cohen-esque voice to lilt over the calming rhythms. A wee repetitive. It's like a music box, repeating over and over, without the little ballerina popping up to keep your attention.
Number 96
Times New Viking - "Teenage Lust!"
Buny: Another Pitchfork list protip: exclamation marks! This is an okay pop song that they made a shitty recording of to make it more interesting and distorted. I like it because it's short!
Anj Kay: I imagine this is what my Rock Band, uh, band would sound like in reality. I can't play the drums, my sister can't sing, the guitars wailing away, it's quite chaotic. (Springhill Mine Disaster, woo!)
Number 95
Groove Armada (ft. Mutya Buena) - "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)"
Buny: This is the first song on the list with a social conscience, highlighting the dangers of driver distraction. I don't know if I can be said to enjoy such lyrical gems as "Wot is diss, guess who has weplaced me", but I admit this is catchy enough that I wouldn't be changing the station if it was on.
Anj Kay: This sounds like it plowed right out of the 80s, but I think Groove Armada has a tendency to sound like that. Mutya was a good choice for the song, although I hate the video and the Monroe piercing.
Number 94
MGMT - "Time to Pretend"
Buny: I think they mislabeled an Arcade Fire track. It's not bad, though.
Anj Kay: Can you have emo anthems? I really like this song, even though it's not necessarily the type of music I listen to very often. I like when the music bows out for the vocals. Fun song.
Number 93
Antibalas - "Beaten Metal"
Buny: I like most of this, but the horns parping at each other across an octave gap really jars for some reason. Cut that out!
Anj Kay: This might as well be Stomp with horns. Are they banging on pipes and setting off car alarms? What the crap? I had to force myself to listen to the whole thing.
Number 92
Air - "Mer du Japon (Kris Menace Remix)"
Buny: Warning: contains French. Also they do that thing where it sounds like you are rhythmically sticking your fingers in your ears. I have a great manual way of achieving the same effect, involving fingers and ears. It's otherwise alright but I don't need to listen to it again.
Anj Kay: Considering the title (Sea of Japan), I was hoping the song was about pirates. It's, in actuality, disco music with nary a mention of pirates. Lots of falsetto singing and throbbing beats.
Number 91
Menomena - "The Pelican"
Buny: Extending the "two quavery voices yelling" genre popularised by Wolf Parade, Xiu Xiu, TV on the Radio etc, this band adds a twist by not really interesting me. I like pelicans though!
Anj Kay: Jesus, I'm not even off the first page and I've had enough of the screeching guitars and high-pitch whining of the singers. If the whole list is disco and squealing guitars, I'm out of here. The chorus is mildly tolerable.
Number 90
Miranda Lambert - "Gunpowder & Lead"
Buny: This is a short, silly country rock song about ladies being tough with shotguns. It is my favourite on the list so far WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME
Anj Kay: I don't mind country music and I don't really hate the song, but I dislike her voice so very much. It has a distracting quality to it, which makes me want to change my "accent" when I sing. The double standard of women being able to exact revenge, while men are unable, is also troublesome. (See also: Dixie Chicks - Good-bye Earl & Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats) No, I don't know why I knew those off the top of my head. Shut up.
Number 89
Air France - "Beach Party"
Buny: This is the second track to be described as "balearic", but the Mungophonic review had it spelled so badly I couldn't figure out what it meant. I also had to stop this track to think about why "I don't know, I don't know why" was so familar. Answer: Barry White! This is pretty good for dumb-lyric dance music.
Anj Kay: I hate the song they are sampling (Lisa Stanfield's "All Around the World"), but they seem to make it a little more enjoyable. A very short song, but if it were any longer, it would grate. Good decision on length.
Number 88
The New Pornographers - "Myriad Harbour"
Buny: The impressive thing about the New Pornographers is that I like them despite the dude's voice, which would be a deal-breaker in another band. This song has some good bits but suffers from TMDNEN (too much dude, not enough neko).
Anj Kay: Fantastic. It reminds me of songs off of the Hedwig and the Angry Inch Soundtrack. Story-like in lyrics, yet so very whimsical.
Number 87
Sophie Ellis-Baxter - "Me and My Imagination"
Buny: Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a delightfully snooty name. Didn't she go out with Prince Harry at some point? This song is ok but forgettable apart from some enjoyably non-American vowel sounds. I must remember to go back later and comment on the youtube video for this and the Mutya song, as my assurances that I "love this song" and "she is hot" are far more meaningful from me than the other 10,000 people who said that.
Anj Kay: Boring fluff. "Murder on the Dance Floor" was a much better single. (The video also sucks, but it's not like it makes the song worse.)
Number 86
Rekid - "Next Stop Chicago"
Buny: This is like a lot of samply-type music in that I like parts of it, but then they repeat it over and over until I forget about listening to it. The reviewer says something about eerie flutes, but isn't that an oboe? I assume these guys know far more about music than I do, but there's always the possibility they're as full of shit as I am, just with more practice at getting away with it. Like, say, horoscope writers.
Anj Kay: I like the woodwind that's floating around the song, but nothing else.
Number 85
BARR - The Song is the Single"
Buny: This isn't really music. It's a rhythmic monologue with a token accompaniment. If you are interested in lyrics you could maybe listen to this a bunch but I am pretty much not. Next!
Anj Kay: The song even says "The song is the single and the single sucks." and it does, but I can't bring myself to totally despise it. I will never listen to it again, but I don't have the urge to buy it just to set it on fire.
Number 84
50 Cent - "I Get Money"
Buny: I'm not sure what to say about this. I guess if I made a "nyeah nyeah, i'm rich" song that was this childish and boring, and people put me on best of lists and gave me even MORE money, I'd probably be laughing too.
Anj Kay: Whatever. 50 Cent is a douchenozzle. It seems like he's on the joke, but at the same time, he's awfully proud of himself in the video. What with all the cash and bitches and dubs. Okay, I have no idea.
Number 83
Sonic Youth - "I'm Not There"
Buny: I don't know the original, but I can hear it in there. The music is pretty ponderous, so you have to be interested in the story, I think. I can take it or leave it.
Anj Kay: A band I don't like covering a singer I don't like. Sensational stuff. No, really. It sounds like a Bob Dylan song. If you like Bob Dylan, here you go. If not, stay away.
Number 82
Tinariwen - "Matadjem Yinmixan"
Buny: I can imagine someone coming across this track and thinking "Wow, Tuareg tribesmen? Look at all those consonants! This is going to boost my cred SO MUCH." I have to admit it's pretty listenable though. I suspect more hits from the world music aisle would have improved the list to this point.
Anj Kay: If they are going to include non-English groups on this list, goddamn Pambo should be on here somewhere. This is quite good, slightly wail-y, but with a nice group sound and opportunities to hand clap. All about the hand clap here. Reminds me a little of some of the stuff Deep Forest put out in the 90s.
Number 81
Modest Mouse - "Dashboard"
Buny: I know this song pretty well by now but I listened to it again because I like it so much. I can still complain about it though: 81 is too low!
Anj Kay: I've always made a point to avoid listening to anything by Modest Mouse. I think it's mainly because they have been over-recommended to me and so I shut it out. Having a listen, I can see why it's so popular. Nice sound, quirky voice. If their other songs are similar, I could see actually buying an album even. Just not from fucking iTunes.
Number 80
Grizzly Bear - "Little Brother" (Electric)
Buny: This is long and rambly and kind of mellow. I like the growly guitars, but while I don't mind listening to it, it doesn't really grab me.
Anj Kay: Horrible, horrible. Distinct lack of rhythm.. or singing ability, really.
Number 79
Magik Markers - "Taste"
Buny: More tough lady music, this time with fuzzy guitars. I liked it OK the first time through but I think I would be skipping this if it came up again since nothing really happens.
Anj Kay: Boo! Get off the stage!
Number 78
Amy Winehouse - "Tears Dry on Their Own"
Buny: I don't think I've ever even heard an Amy Winehouse track before. She sounds funny on the low notes. I guess I approve of the '60s soul sound, but I don't think it makes my own top 100. All the women in the film clip seem to be prostitutes. Is it comedy? She's wearing a beaver on her head!
Anj Kay: Man, do all of her songs revolve around self-destruction? Soulful. She's got a very distinctive voice which seems to be quite popular right now.
Number 77
The National - "Mistaken for Strangers"
Buny: I've liked everything I've heard from these guys. This track gets a bit Interpol, which is fine by me.
Anj Kay: This song depresses me and makes me long to live the artist's life I have always dreamt about. The Nationals have better songs, but Pitchfork may also have been going for poignancy.
Number 76
Klaxons - "Golden Skans"
Buny: The clip is too serious for me to actually take seriously, but I think I actually like this one.
Anj Kay: So, Klaxons is on this year's list, as well. They have lost some of their dance-like quality, but it's still a pretty nice song. I like 2007's "Gravity's Rainbow" quite a bit more.
Numbers 100-76, 75-51, 50-26, 25-1.
|
|
