Every year for the last 10-11 years, I make a year-end song mix, comprised of my favorite songs released during that year. They aren’t the “best;” they’re my favorites, as subjective as it gets. And it’s not a list per se in strict numerical order of quality (which is pretty ridiculous when you think about it). It’s all about the mix — You remember, mix tape old folks, before the shuffle days? – blending songs smoothly together, sharply juxtaposing others, making thematic connections, varying style and tempo, each song making its companions stronger. Above all, it’s my annual love letter to new music: the soundtrack of passing through another year on the planet (luckily, thankfully), an energizing accompaniment playing throughout the soul-crushing grind and giddy glee of daily existence.
There aren’t usually many hit songs included, but I’m not some indie kid snob. If I’ve heard the song and it’s a favorite, it makes the mix (like Jay-’s superb “Empire State of Mind” this year). I imagine that the songs I like COULD be “hits” in a slightly different world. I always hope people buy a few of the CDs represented on the mix and, from what people tell me, most folks nearly always buy at least 1 or 2. I practically live to hear new music, especially new (to me) bands. I hope somebody finds at least one new act or song they love. That alone makes it worthwhile to do and pass around to whomever wants it. Last, but hardly least, I absolutely love putting this thing together every year. It’s all I listen to while putting it together and for weeks, maybe months, into the new year. If you want it, pop an E to joesmithreally AT gmail on the dot & com.
001 Future of the Left – Arming Eritrea
The opening song from my hands-down, slam-dunk favorite album of the year. I like to start the thing with a bloody bang and, if it fits, pick a song on my fave album to start things off. This sure fills that bill. What puts it on top is baby grrl, Ally Ruth, 10 months old yesterday. She rockets this one to the top by CHOOSING Future of the Left, “Travels…” as her nighty-night bedtime lullabies for the last 5-6 months. Bloody true. One of my jobs in the house has been getting our grrlz to sleep at night — the best fucken “job” ever. Though breastless and not what anyone would call calm or comforting, I can put babies to sleep like a morphine drip. Anyway… I play music pretty much all the time at home, and I’d play FOTL or whatever I was taken by at the time and, after maybe a week, 2 at the most, Ally demonstrated an obvious and consistent preference for FOTL. Calm music almost made her cranky and, eventually, she would instantly snuzzle into the crook of my arm with the opening chords of “Arming Eritrea.” She’s almost always fast asleep by the 3rd or 4th song of the album. Un bloody canny and pretty goddamn cool. My baby punk grrl.
002 Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Buriedfed
Released in 2008, but I missed it until this year, thanks to my man Mark Petersen, and it was too damn good not to be in the mix. Incredible song that grabbed me from the first chord. Powerful existential hymn. Lyrically, I wish I’d written it. Musically, it’s masterfully constructed, building, in successively more intense plateaus, to one of the most cathartic experiences any song has delivered in, geez, a few years. It’s become an instant funeral song, too. (I keep a little list of 5-6 songs to play at my funeral. That’s important. I don’t want anybody else picking what’s played. A guy should be able to do what he wants at his funeral, right?)
003 Lightning Dust – I Knew
A name to remember: Amber Webber. Member of Black Mountain. A voice like none other. Best female vocal performance of any album I’ve heard this year, or at least right there with Neko Case, Regina Spektor, and Marissa Nadler. American roots meet Suicide (the band) on this drop-dead great tune.
004 Metric – Sick Muse
I’ve got a major crush on Emily Haines, yeah, so I’m dead biased to dig whatever she does. But she and the band really nailed it with “Fantasies” this year. Sped-up 80s-era (by way of Drum & Bass?) beats that make it damn hard to sit. The band has never been tighter, Emily’s never cut loose this much and let her sexy out, and her lyrics, damn, yeah, whatever, so I’m in love. It’s good to be in love. A lot. From a safe distance. That passes any monogamy test.
005 Soulsavers – Some Misunderstanding
It’s a cover of a Gene Clark (RIP) tune from 1974’s sinfully overlooked masterpiece, “No Other.” Good as the original is, Soulsavers rips it up, strips out its primal bones, beats them together, and shreds the bejesus out of it all with the best damn guitars I heard this year. (I don’t do metal much, so I miss a lot of good guitar playing.) Mark Lanegan, as always, delivers it in his raw, broken but never beaten, old smoker’s baritone.
006 The Thermals – Now We Can See
Love this song. Love The Thermals.
007 Hollerado – Got to Lose
Losing never sounded so fun. This song is positively joyous. Absolutely free album. Download at http://www.hollerado.com.
008 Regina Spektor – Man of a Thousand Faces
Regina’s been my #1 crush for a few years. Her voice, playfulness, serious musical chops, intelligence, quirkiness, humor, and, yes, admittedly, her beauty…. This is an odd choice for the 1st song from an album with so many stellar chamber pop songs. It’s the lyric she sings straight into the vittles that do me in, empty me out, damn near make me cry. I can’t think of any song character that held up such a mirror to, for, or maybe at, me. Anyway, enough. It made the funeral short list, too. First time 2 new funeral songs pushed off 2 others in the same year. Pretty damn good.
009 Eels – Prizefighter
010 Big Boi (ft. Gucci Mane) – Shine Blockas
011 British India – God is Dead (Meet the Kids)
012 The Raveonettes – Bang!
013 The Broken Family Band – Salivating
014 Lily Allen – The Fear
015 Strand of Oaks – New Paris
016 Black Mountain – Lucy Brown
Released in late 2008 on an EP that I missed. When Black Mountain gets their rustic Americana meets Led Zeppelin really on, they do it up right.
017 Justin Townes Earle – Here We Go Again
One of the 2 most moving songs off “Midnight at the Movies,” an excellent album. This young man, son of Steve Earle, is the real deal in the roots & country singer/songwriter. Overlooked too much, methinkg. Not hip enough to get attention from hip music publications. Not mainstream enough for what passes as “country” music in America.
018 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Young Adult Friction
New band. Pop sensibilities meet shoegaze fuzz. Catchy as hell. A bit sloppy in song construction, but that’s rock n roll.
019 Sonic Youth – Calming The Snake
A shredder of a tune. Great guitar and Gordon’s growl really nail it. Killer song that harkens back to their days and sound. One of my fave bands for 20+ years. “Eternal Youth” didn’t get that many props from critics & others, but I like it as much or more than any release since “Goo” in 1990.
020 Girls – Hellhole Ratrace
021 Jay-Z (ft. Alicia Keys) – Empire State of Mind
Jay-Z is still the man who can show others who it’s done. Perfect bloody song that deserves every bit of popularity. And, damn, man, doesn’t Alicia Keys have one the best set of pipes you’ve heard?
022 P.O.S. – Let It Rattle
023 Neko Case – This Tornado Loves You
024 The Antlers – Kettering
025 Artic Monkeys – Cornerstone
026 The Big Pink – Dominos
027 Bats for Lashes – Sleep Alone
028 The Veils – The Letter
029 Fires of Rome – Dawn Lament
030 YACHT – Psychic City (Voodoo City)
031 Miranda Lambert- Dead Flowers
032 Cam’ron – I Hate My Job
033 Metric – Gold Guns Girls
034 Lady Sovereign – Jigsaw
035 Sonos – I Want You Back
036 The Decemberists – The Rake’s Song
037 The Raveonettes – Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)
038 Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
039 Say Hi – Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
040 Broken Family Band – You Did A Bad Thing
Another one I wish I’d written lyrics for. They’re playing so tight, all together, melody, simple solid riff, fine vocals. I love this under appreciated, and now defunct, band. I’m seriously the only fan I know, in life & on line. I wish somebody else would give them a chance, like em or not.
041 Soulsavers – You Will Miss Me When I Burn
Slowly, sadly, soulfully, nicely, almost daintily, cuts my heart out. (How’s that for an embarrassing adverb spew?)
042 Asa – Jailer
043 Drake (ft. Trey Songz & Lil’ Wayne) – Successful
044 Eels – In My Dreams
045 Bats for Lashes – Daniel
046 Grizzly Bear – Two Week
047 Future Of The Left – I Am Civil Service
048 Mos Def – Quiet Dog Bite Hard
049 Deer Tick – Smith Hill
050 The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
051 The Thermals – I Let It Go
052 Robyn Hitchcock – Up to Our Nex
053 Loney, Dear – I Was Only Going Out
054 Raekwon – House of Flying Daggers
055 St. Vincent – Actor Out Of Work
056 Girls – Lust For Life
057 Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
058 Sonic Youth – Antenna
059 Artic Monkeys – Dangerous Animals
060 DJ Quik & Kurupt – 9x’s Outta 10
061 Fever Ray – If I Had a Heart
062 Metric – Help I’m Alive
063 Lady Sovereign – So Human
064 Clem Snide – Hum
065 The Antlers – Two
066 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Contender
067 Lightning Dust – Waiting On The Sun To Rise
This song melts me into a poodle of pleased goo.
068 Strand of Oaks – End in Flames
069 Wax Tailor – I Own You (ft Charlie Winston)
070 Regina Spektor – Folding Chair
071 FOTL – The Hope That House Built
072 Blackout Beach – The Roman
073 Yeah Yeah Yahs – Zero
074 Joker – Digidesign
075 Camera Obscura – French Navy
076 Elvis Perkins – Shampoo
077 The Flaming Lips – Watching the Planets
078 Marissa Nadler – The Hole is Wide
079 Handsome Furs – Legal Tender
080 DOOM – Ballskin
081 The Thermals – At the Bottom of the Sea
082 The xx – Crystalised
083 The Horrors – Scarlet Fields
084 Dodos – Fables
085 PPP (ft. Coultrain) – Luv Affair
086 Black Lips – Starting Over
087 Broken Family Band – St. Albans
088 Justin Townes Earle – Someday I’ll Be Forgiven for This
089 Tegan & Sara – Hell
090 Yeasayer – Ambling Alp
091 The Big Pink – Velvet
092 Von D Ft. Phephe – Show Me
093 Brother Ali – The Preacher
094 Logistics – Murderation
095 Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire
096 Bill Callahan – Eid Ma Clack Shaw
097 The Twilight Sad – Seven Years of Letters
098 AkronFamily – River
099 The National & Nico Muhly – So Far Around The Bend
100 Guido – Beautiful Complication
101 Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You
102 Heartless Bastards – Hold Your Head High
103 Neko Case – People Got A Lotta Nerve
104 Mos Def Supermagic
105 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll
106 Clem Snide – Me No
107 Regina Spektor – Laughing With
108 Marissa Nadler – Heart Paper Lover
109 The Wrens – In Turkish Waters
I was going to keep it to 100 this year, but, by the time I got to 100, there were a few songs in the folder that I didn’t want to leave off the mix. What? Obsessive? Last year, there were 208 songs, and 207 the year before. I’m cutting back.;)
If you like the mix, leave a comment below. If you want the mix, send an email to joesmithreally AT gmail.