What Else Is There?

..:: #90 - Forbidden Friends - Tiny Hands ::..

It looks like The Thermals frontman Hutch Harris has been working on a new solo project called Forbidden Friends. The first single, “Tiny Hands,” instantly reminds me why I love that band so much. Catchy hooks and bittersweet themes have always been their M.O. and this song is no exception. Best Moment: “You live in a miniature galaxy where no one’s even ever heard of gravity” at 0:51.

..:: #91 - Friendly Fires - Hurting ::..

Although at first glance, Ed MacFarlane (with his unruly hair and seemingly inexhaustible supply of ugly Hawaiian shirts) might seem like an unlikely candidate to front an electro dance-rock outfit, you’ve gotta admit, Friendly Fires have a little something special. Maybe it’s because they have real instruments in the mix, maybe it’s their ability to be danceable while still straddling quite a few genres, or maybe it really is those Hawaiian shirts. Either way, I’m just glad they’ve got it. Best Moment: The “gotta let this go, gotta feel someone” at 1:40, 3:12 and 4:43.

..:: #92 - Adele - I’ll Be Waiting ::..

Right from the opening of “I’ll Be Waiting,” you can tell that Adele is on a serious mission to bring the funk. Somehow, the 21-year-old British songstress contains as much soul as a seasoned gospel singer twice her age, and her voice finds the perfect home here between determined piano and feverish horns. What’s that, Adele? You say you’ll be waiting for when we’re ready to love you again? Well, your wait is over, because we already do. P.S. We’re throwing vibes your way for that vocal chord surgery, girl. Hope you get better soon. Best Moment: Those funk filled verses, starting at 0:33 and 1:57.

..:: #93 - Little Dragon - Shuffle A Dream ::..

Yukimi Nagano’s been pretty busy lately. Last year, she she was caught hanging out with everybody’s favorite cartoon band, Gorillaz, and this year, she took time off from her busy guest vocal schedule to drop Little Dragon’s third studio album, Ritual Union. “Shuffle A Dream” is some of the best electro-infused R&B out there, stacked high with a no-nonsense groove and Yukimi’s smooth Swedish-Japanese saunter. Best Moment: When Yukimi starts echoing herself during the double-time “tricklin’ coins, makin’ a noise” at 2:09.

..:: #94 - Wild Flag - Glass Tambourine ::..

While the Sleater-Kinney reboot Wild Flag might be missing my favorite member (Corin Tucker), Carrie Brownstein has still assembled a pretty formidable crew. “Glass Tambourine” proves that even though riot grrls grow up, it doesn’t mean they have to slow down. I have a feeling seeing this song live would include a lengthy jam at the end that would be knocking wax out of people’s ears. Best Moment: When they pull things back and start from just a repeated round of “glass tambourine” at 2:35 before Carrie leads the band through a psychedelic freakout.

..:: #95 - Atlas Sound - Lightworks ::..

Even though Deerhunter just released Halcyon Digest last year (which just happened to be my favorite album of 2010), frontman Bradford Cox is already done with another Atlas Sound disc. Apparently, while the rest of his band was sightseeing in Iceland during their last tour, Bradford decided to shut himself in his hotel room and bang out another solo album. “Lightworks” is probably the least depressing song on the album, and even features some fairly carefree “aah, ah ah”s. It’s okay to be happy, Bradford! At least a little bit. We promise. Best Moment: “Everywhere I look, there is a light and it will guide the way” at 2:35.

..:: #96 - Tapes ‘N Tapes - On And On ::..

Tapes ‘n Tapes aren’t strangers to writing songs with an eerie slant and “On And On” is no exception. A gloomy organ makes its way through a dark and swampy landscape while Josh Grier pleads with us to just let him go while he moves on (and on, and on). Best Moment: Any part that has that organ crawling around underneath it, first starting at 0:03.

..:: #97 - Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - I Swear ::..

While writing a song to complain about how much the radio sucks these days isn’t really anything new, there’s something about that distinct warble Sallie has in her voice that’s refreshing. Pair that up with the rest of the band’s ’50s rockabilly sound and we’ve got ourselves a pretty decent retro-bopper. Best Moment: When the toms jump in and join Sallie for the chorus at 0:50 and 1:44.

..:: #98 - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Maniac ::..

Even though they haven’t been talked about much since their self-titled debut, CYHSY are still making some decent tunes. Filled with burbling bass and even (gasp) synthesizers, “Maniac” might not be as folkie as your usual Clap Your Hands fare, but Alec Ounsworth is still sporting one of the most recognizable voices in indie rock (even when it’s electronically echoed back at us). Best Moment: When that fuzzy guitar joins Alec and gets stuck “in another man’s ritual” at 2:05.

..:: #99 - Civil Civic - Sky Delay ::..

Civil Civic is probably what Ratatat would sound like if they traded in their zither-sounding synths and pipe organs for guitars and started playing surf rock tunes. No words, just lots of buzzing, rhythmic interplay and a few brief moments of visitation by a celestial keyboard. Best Moment: The final time the chorus comes around full force at 3:26.

..:: #100 - Starfucker - Hungry Ghost ::..

50% Alan Watts musing on the concepts of life and death / 50% sparkling electro-pop groove / 100% awesome. Sure, it’s short, but I’ll be dammed if there wasn’t a better song to kick off a party mix this year. Best Moment: When that wall of synth hits at 1:01.

Another year, another list! After listening to over 200 albums this year (along with a handful of EPs and singles), I’ve plucked just 100 of the best tracks I could find and stacked them into neat little piles. While a lot of publications tend to lean towards including mostly “singles” in their end-of-year song lists, I always try to pick out the best song from an album, regardless of whether it comes packaged with a video or its own album art. It may not always be the catchiest or the most well known (this is What Else Is There?, after all), but it will be the one that made my eyes go the widest or my head float the highest. While I don’t include remixes (they tend to aggravate my obsessive compulsive music organizing disorder), I have been known to include covers if they’re part of an official release.

I’ll be cross posting my list on www.offthegrid.fm as well, so if you prefer your lists in 10 song chunks instead of one at a time, you can follow along there. That said, let’s get to it!