It's December! 'Tis the season where every music blog/publication under the cold sun writes a Top X of The Year list. Well, this blogger intends to do the same, so get wildly, excessively excited. The order of the day: Top Songs! 10 to be exact. Without further ado:
(Song Name - Artist -- Comments)
10. Initiation - The Weeknd -- For those who don't know, The Weeknd is an R&B artist from Toronto who has absolutely exploded onto the scene this year. With two knockout mixtapes under his belt and a third on the way, of which this track is a preview, this guy is showing no signs of slowing down. What gets me about this song in particular, beyond the captivating beat and intense instrumentals, is the way the vocals are filtered. I've written about this before, but I'll say it again: listen to the way his voice constantly shits between high and low over the course of the song. So cool.
9. Thunder Bay - Hudson Mohawke -- This track is amazing! Hudson Mohawke is an electronic hip-hop producer from the UK, in case you didn't know. He's been releasing for several years now, and his most recent EP, Satin Panthers, shows that he's only getting better. This song, in particular, is the epitome of intensity. It makes me want rave so hard I'm bouncing off the walls, or throw myself into a mosh pit or something equally intense. It brings the hard horn synths he's been using recently together with strong, obvious rave influences and the classic Hudson Mo sampling technique. It's crazy.
8. Elektricity Will Keep Me Warm - London Elektricity -- I spent all of March and April just waiting for this album (Yikes!) to come out. London Elektricity started releasing music videos for a bunch of the tracks from the album, and this song's was the first. I was instantly captivated. Elsa Esmeralda's voice is simply beautiful, and I was really pleased to see her return after she featured on Just One Second, my London Elektricity song to date. Simple in construction, Elektricity Will Keep Me Warm features a light breakbeat, sparse synths, moody piano keys, and Elsa's captivating voice. Take it in; this song has a lot to draw from.
7. Scale It Back - DJ Shadow -- This track is truly a diamond in the rough. And by rough, I mean the album it comes from. Not DJ Shadow's best work (see Endtroducing...), but out of left field comes this song. Featuring the always-impressive Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon and Koop fame, Scale It Back is my favourite chillout song of the year. I listen to this most nights before going to bed...it just gives a feeling of twilit reflection that's really appealing. I'm a sucker for piano synths, I'll admit (see songs 8, 7 and 3), and this song delivers that and so much more.
6. Invisible - Nu:Tone -- My favourite drum & bass song of the year! Nu:Tone is one of the first dnb artists I started listening to back in high school, so naturally when I heard about his new album I was well excited. He certainly delivered on that one (see Words And Pictures), and this track in particular stands out. Natalie Williams has featured on all of Nu:Tone's best tracks, in my opinion, and her voice is perfect for his style of production. Her vocal feature was expected and welcomed, but 4hero? They (pioneers of the broken beat style) come out of nowhere on this one. They certainly add a nice touch of freedom to the tight Nu:Tone drum & bass beat.
5. Surph - Rustie -- After all I've been raving about Rustie, he just had to make the top 10. Coming from the masterpiece of an album Glass Swords, Surph is my favourite song of Rustie's new intricate beat-driven style. He really feels in control on this track, taming the skittering beat with bright and electric synths. The mostly-unintelligible vocals act as a complementary instrument of sorts, and add a lot of warmth to the song. While there are so many hits on his new album, Surph shines the brightest, in my opinion.
4. For Love I Come - Thundercat -- A cover of George Duke's For Love (I Come Your Friend), Thundercat brings all the emotion of the original and puts it right in the listener's face. Slow, evolving, mystical and entrancing, this song needs no beat to drive it. That is, until he busts out a crazy bass solo at the end to round everything off. This song is fascinating, and after countless plays, I still feel like there's more to be heard and understood in this one.
3. Limit To Your Love - James Blake -- Another cover! This time of Feist's song by the same name. This version eliminates any sort of brightness the original had in favour of dark, brooding reflection. He presents two different moods in this song, the first, through treble, seems rueful or sorrowful, and the second, through bass, is much darker and more despairing. The true power of the song comes in the climax when he combines both halves together. It will raise the hair on the back of your neck. I've also never heard silence used so effectively in a song; in a way the absence of sound forces you to think about what you've just heard.
2. Darkest (Dim) - TOKiMONSTA -- Those who've spent time with me might notice that this is the ringtone on my cellphone! It's also a beautiful piece of music. The fragile voice of Gavin Turek on top of an organic beat, warm bass and reverberating guitar makes for a really smooth song. When you listen to the lyrics you realise how perfectly the instrumental complements them. It's buildups raise you with them and the breakdowns leave you hanging on her every word. It's just so well put together.
1. Embody - SebastiAn -- When I first heard this many months ago I said to myself, "This is the song of 2011, nothing could possibly beat this." Well, I was right, in my opinion. I've been known to spontaneously start dancing at parties when this comes on. If you see me subtly grooving down the street, I'm probably listening to this song. While I've never managed to figure out exactly what the vocals are saying, I've stopped caring. Embody is pure bliss, and it's easy to feel what it asks you to. The music video perfectly captures the song's message: if I'm not dancing in real life, I can always dance in my mind. Enjoy!
And that's it for the list! Honourable mentions go out to:
- You Make Me Feel - Bastille
- I <3 U So (Skream Remix) - Cassius
- Let You Go - Chase & Status
- Perfect Darkness - Fink
- Ariel - Stateless
- Fantasy - BreakBot
Obviously there are a ton of other hits from this year, but these 10 are my personal favourites. Enjoy them! I just might make a Top 10 Albums of '11, if I find the time.
