Top 5 Tracks for Week Ending 2010-07-09
I love lists. So here’s one that I might – just might – continue to share over time: The top 5 tracks that are hugging my ears in a particular week. Last.fm does a stellar job of tracking raw plays over time, but what follows is not necessarily a list of the most played tracks in a given week. No, these are the tracks that run through my head as I try to fall asleep, and which remain there when I wake up:
The National – “Conversation 16“
This track meanders around for a bit, lulling you into a false sense of peace until it notches up and sends you hurtling into an unfortunate corner of self-reflection. Powerful music makes you think, even if the lyrics bear scant resemblance to those thoughts. And with lyrics like, “I was afraid… I’d eat your brains… ’cause I’m evil”, it’s just as well.
Pendulum – “Propane Nightmares“
I heard this for the first time on a recent flight and it rocked my world. It’s continued to rock it ever since. An absolute pumping killer of a track, it was released on Pendulum’s 2008 album “In Silico”, and it simply takes you places. Best track off the album, no less. Plus the band hails from Australia, and therefore deserve your love and attention.
Faithless – “Not Going Home“
The opening track of Faithless’s recent’n’decent 2010 LP, “The Dance”. Vocalist Maxi Jazz is just the master of cool, with a voice that continues to demand respect. He’s the type of guy you want MCing just about everything. The fact that he’s now aged in his 50s makes him all the more brilliant.
This track will be a dancefloor annihilator (if it isn’t already) with its addictive rhythm, regulation constant bass beat, subtle troughs and lofty peaks. It has shades of Faithless doing dance at their best: it’s one part “God is a DJ”, a smidge “Salva Mea,” with a pinch of “Insomnia”. And the oft repeated, “It’s not over, I’m not goin’ home till I can take you with me, I’m not goin’ home…” just bloody well works. For me. And many others, I suspect.
Beach House – “Walk In The Park“
Some tracks just have it. This is one of them. Moody, airy, sweet, and unwaveringly right. Easily one of my favourite tracks of the year, and if it doesn’t make my 2010 best-of, give me now whatever it is that I would have to smoke to delude myself into omitting it later.
Hybrid – “Formula of Fear“
One of the best tracks off what might end up my favourite album of the year: “Disappear Here“, the latest release by one of the most influential electronic acts of the last decade – Hybrid. This is a sugary yet pounding track that serves as the crescendo for the first half of the album. Check out the live video!
Most phenomenally of all, my wife approved of all these tracks. That is a rare and momentous occurrence, so enjoy it while it lasts. Animal Collective’s “What Would I Want? Sky.” and The National’s “England” should probably have made this list. But I decreed that it must contain a maximum of five tracks. So there.
