I haven't been as engaged this year with new stuff because of my wedding and grad school, but it wouldn't be right if I didn't reflect on the year a little bit. Here are my picks for best 2011 songs.
10. Weekend- Smith Westerns. Typical, Brittany. Typical.
9. He Gets Me High- Dum Dum Girls. I like the way they describe falling for a guy. It's pretty accurate.
8. Jesus Fever- Kurt Vile. Big up to Philly. Kurt Vile's the perfect music for wearing fair isle sweaters and walking in the snow or damp, rainy winter weather.
7. Super Bass- Nicki Minaj. This song is zany, crazed, sweet, and addictive like the candy-color pink of Minaj's hair on her album's cover. I am from now on referring to hot men as "pelican fly."
6. Headlines- Drake. I like his voice because it's quiet and low, and the hook gets in your head.
5. Meet Me in the City- The Babies. This song reminds me of living in Brooklyn, feeling the garage-rock rush of bumping into and meeting dirty-haired, hipster-clad members of the opposite sex. The yelp of excitement that opens the track begins the adrenaline-laced search for caution-to-the-wing fun that can only be found in this city, godforsaken as it is.
4. Judas- Lady Gaga. I have been there, both spiritually and romantically, though I think Gaga's talking much more in the metaphorical sense here. You've got the perfect saint of guy but all you want is to bathe in a bucket of beer with a filthy animal. That pretty much sums up my pre-marriage sex life. Gaga redeems herself by showing remorse through this song. I used to write poetry. Don't think girls don't know they pick the wrong guy when they pick the asshole. We deserve the tidal wave knock out.
3. Suck It and See- Arctic Monkeys. Alex Turner has a way with words, and his cheeky poetry turned lyrics is clever, flippant, and brilliant. Not to mention, the kid's hot so a lot of girls would like to follow the imperative of the track's title. Surprisingly, "Suck it and See" seems a little bit like a last ditch anthem; why not give it a go, we've got nothing to lose in the way of love.
2. Life is Simple in the Moonlight- The Strokes. This is one of the only Casablancas-solo songs in terms of writing on the latest Strokes album, and it's definitely the best. The melancholy, dreamlike soundscape draws you in and keeps you because you can almost reach Jules' voice through the mist-- that buzz that has defined the Strokes sound since their birth. Talk about animals on TV and brooding telephone calls ends with the adamant "Don't try to stop us, get out of the way!" Don't count my boys out.
1. Jamie Marie- Girls. The plaintive guitar and simple, sad vocals hit home honestly, poetically. For anyone who's ever regretted leaving behind an old, tired love for his chance to move on up in the "modern world," this is the song you can sing to yourself when you feel bad about your choice, wise, selfish, necessary or not.
