Top Songs of 2011 - Volume 2

Here is the second half of my favorite songs of 2011.  I’ve got some good news for those of you concerned that the electric guitar is going extinct because this volume contains a decent number of more traditional rock and/or roll songs with electric guitars.  Here we go.

Top Songs of 2011, Volume 2 (in no particular order for the most part):

1. “Intro” – M83 (ft. Zola Jesus).  While this song isn’t quite as spectacular as “Midnight City”, it’s more than awesome enough to kick off the second volume of my top songs of 2011.  I love the way the song builds and builds until the sweeping climax of the final two minutes.
2. “Sails” – Hooray For Earth.  Here’s the fifth and final song of my top 5 of 2011.  The song may not seem like anything special at first, but once that chorus drops and the bass starts hitting, the song becomes something special. This was easily one of my most listened to songs of the year.  Also, it was spectacular live.  Also also, play it loud.
3. “Heart In Your Heartbreak” – The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.  Hey, there’s something about this song that seems different.  Oh right, it’s the return of the electric guitar.  I haven’t really given this album the attention it deserves, but this song has always jumped out at me.  Good old rock and roll.
4. “Get Away” – Yuck.  The guitar onslaught continues, and this one is even a little noisy with muddy distortion and vocals buried in the mix.  The main riff is so simple and catchy, and while it seems so effortless, the band deserves all the credit for crafting something so perfect.
5. “Breaking Down” – Florence and the Machine.  The second song from Florence to make the list is more along the lines of what you’d expect from her, but this song still defies those expectations with her restrained vocal performance.  You can’t fault any singer with pipes like Florence for letting loose whenever possible, and ultimately, it’s the contrast between this song and others from Ceremonials like ‘Shake It Out” and “What the Water Gave Me” that makes this song so memorable.  
6. “As Bright As Your Night Light” – Nerves Junior.  This group was a very late discovery, which I owe to the music blog Pretty Much Amazing.  We live in a great day and age when music of this caliber gets produced by bands without major label funding or promotion.  This is a great song.
7. “Loop the Loop” – Wild Beasts.  Here’s another smooth jam from Wild Beasts.  The band’s vocals have always been a little unique and sometimes over the top, but they deftly figured out how to incorporate them seamlessly into the more restrained and elegant songs of this album.
8. “Green Aisles” – Real Estate.  Speaking of smooth jams and elegant songs, here’s another Real Estate song.  I instantly connected with the chorus of “all those wasted miles / all those aimless drives through green aisles / our careless lifestyle / it was not so unwise, no.”  This song helped make Days a perfect soundtrack for an autumn drive over mountain paths.
9. “County Line” – Cass McCombs.  So I guess this is the smooth jam section of my list, and that’s cool because I love all of these songs.  Cass McCombs is in no hurry with this jam.  This song would be perfect for a slow dance, if it weren’t for the heartbroken lyrics:  “You never even tried to love me / What did I have to do to make you want me? / I feel so blind I make out the passing road signs / All that you would have me do is cross that county line.”  I feel you, Cass.
10. “Changes” – Sandro Perri.  This song, another late discovery, is the last song in this string of smooth jams.  I really don’t know much at all about Sandro or the rest of his music, but this song is outstanding.  I wish they would have jammed the chorus to this song over and over, it is so good, but I recognize that sometimes it’s the briefness of something, that feeling of not having enough and wanting more, that makes a thing special.
11. “Cruel” – St Vincent.  This song is classic St Vincent: disquieting lyrics set to incongruously upbeat music combined with off kilter guitar riffs into a song that will be stuck in your head for a very long time.
12. “The Words That Maketh Murder” – PJ Harvey.  There are artists with considerable discographies that I keep meaning to listen to, but I never seem to get around to it.  PJ Harvey is one of those.  I did manage to listen to her latest release, Let England Shake, and this is just one of the great songs on that album.  Someday I’ll get around to more of her music.
13. “Dystopia” – Yacht.  First off, the version of this song I included is edited and I had to pull it from the music video.  That’s why there are sound effects like explosions throughout the recording.  That being said, this was one of the catchiest jams of the year, and their album Shangri-La was solid all-around.
14. “Same” – Hooray For Earth.  The third and final Hooray For Earth song to make my list.  This synth-pop song, like all the others I posted, is immaculately produced, but it’s the vocals and the melody that really make the song great.
15. “Seekir” – Zola Jesus.  I’m a big fan of looped vocals in songs.  I’m also a fan of songs that keep building and introducing new elements until there is a glorious wall of sound that can vanish instantly.  This is a good tune.
16. “Serpents” – Sharon Van Etten.  While Tramp, Sharon Van Etten’s latest album, wasn’t released until a couple weeks ago, “Serpents” was released as a single in 2011.  I am smitten with Sharon Van Etten so anything she released in 2011 was pretty much guaranteed to make this list.  I will definitely be posting more about this amazing artist in the near future.  In the meantime, enjoy this rocking song.
17. “Never Never” – SBTRKT.  This song has a very nice groove and sounds amazing, but it’s the soulful vocals that make it one of my favorites of the year.
18. “Eyes Be Closed” – Washed Out.  This is a perfect summer jam, but it also works really well at night on a pair of nice headphones.  This song makes me feel like it’s not worth getting stressed or worried about stuff because everything is going to be okay.
19. “Second Song” – TV on the Radio.  I’m hoping that I’ll get a chance to see TV on the Radio play live – I’m not really counting seeing a portion of their set from far away at a festival as really seeing them.  This song is them at their funky best.
20. “Romance” – Wild Flag.  Sleater-Kinney is near the top of the list of bands I regret never seeing in concert, so anything that reminds me of Sleater-Kinney is instantly a good thing.  Wild Flag is made up of two-thirds of Sleater-Kinney, and, as this track demonstrates, they rock.  Just not quite as much as Sleater-Kinney.  I’m still hoping for a reunion.
21. “Vomit” – Girls.  I’m not very familiar with this group, but this song was instantly memorable.  It’s a six and a half minute jam that ends up incorporating an organ and gospel vocals.  How could it not be amazing?
22. “Someone You’d Admire” – Fleet Foxes.  This song, like “Helplessness Blues” in my previous entry, hits me hard.  It’s such a simple song, acoustic guitar, a melody, and a harmony, yet it is incredibly poignant and affecting.
23. “Try to Sleep” – Low.  Low is another band that I keep meaning to really check out.  I’ve listened to and enjoyed a few of their albums, but I still have a long way to go to really familiarize myself with this band.  This is a beautiful song.
24. “Codex” – Radiohead.  Sometimes I forget that Radiohead put out an album in 2011.  Even though The King of Limbs is not my favorite Radiohead album, not by a long shot, there are still some really good songs on it.  I’ll be giving the albums a few more listens leading up to my road trip to see them play in Phoenix on March 15^th.  This song, and especially the performance I linked to, is exquisite.
25. “End Come Too Soon” – Wild Beasts.  I really don’t need to say much.  This is a perfect track to end my list.

Well, that's that.  Again, I had to split this volume so here's Part 1 and Part 2.  I hope this is has been useful/enjoyable for someone besides myself.

Coming soon:  my Top 10 Albums of 2011.