Mr. Seven's Top 50 Songs Of 2011

[Mr. Seven]

"I'm not myself today"

 

#22: 'Enough' - SONOIO

 

 

Sounds like: Rebirth.

 

There's something really 1980's American high school movie soundtrack about this song. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's not the industrial aspect, obviously. It's not the pulsating bass. It must be the chorus which is so goddamn ostentatious and infectious I can't help but see Judd Nelson punching the air in silhouette when it hits. For those previously unaware of SONOIO, he is perhaps better known as Alessandro Cortini, former synth specialist with Nine Inch Nails. He's worth keeping an ear on.

[Mr. Seven]

"Cause you really hurt me"

 

#21: 'Princess Of China' (ft. Rihanna) - Coldplay

 

 

Sounds like: Something unexpected.

 

Hey I'm as shocked as you are, really. First off, Rihanna has managed to devolve into one of the most obnoxious and boring artists around. The promise of 'Umbrella' has never been capitalised on and all of her songs appear to be about cock. When she's not churning out her own nonsense, she's actually fairly useful on other people's songs. Still, teaming her with Coldplay seemed destined to fail. I expected a slushy power ballad, and while I'm sure many will argue that that's what we got with 'Princess Of China', I'm here to tell you that that's bullshit. Musically the song is much more interesting than it has any right to be. As for its structure? Fucking hell man, there's NO CHORUS. Now don't get me wrong, that's not the bravest thing in the world nor is it terribly original, but it is tricky to pull off and it is the last thing you would expect from this collaboration. Fun fact: I recently spent an entire hour-long bus journey listening to this on repeat. While sober. And I fucking loved every second.

 

Top 50 tunes of 2011? Can't be bothered to rank them, but here we go :

 

Fuck off.

[Mr. Seven]

I personally enjoy Nature Feels the most on the album,

 

A truly bizarre experience I had a few months ago was listening to this tune on YouTube around the time of the London riots, and in the comments box someone had written "just listened to dis tune thru my headphones while we smashed up house of fraser' . Seemed the most ridiculous song to be playing whilst causing civil unrest and destruction.

 

As I've said before, I simply don't believe her.

 

That's no barrier to liking music though, surely? I don't believe Bowie was a rock star from space but I still loved the Ziggy Stardust album. Obviously some music helps from believability; the rawness of Billie holiday records is all the more emotive when you realise the emotional turmoil she had gone through. 'Me And a Gun' by Tori Amos is immensely powerful because she was talking about a real experience of being raped. John Martyn's album Grace and Danger is ever more moving when you read the story about the breakup that accompanied it. And going back to Bowie, part of the reason Station to Station is such a fun album is because he really was the coked up madman he portrays on the record while making it.

 

But all great artists, especially pop artists, don't have to have real personalities. The entire chart is full of frauds; nobody believes Katy Perry kisses girls and likes it, everyone knows Gaga's craziness is just a marketing charade. Mobb Deep were art school students not merciless killers but that doesn't stop be enjoying The Infamous as a violent hardcore rap record. Tyler the Creator doesn't go around killing people and raping women but I still thought Goblin was one of the best albums of the year. It doesn't bother me if Del Ray is real as long as the music is awesome. It isn't as if her lyrics portray something she's not.

 

Isn't the real issue here that you just don't think she's particularly talented? Which is a much more sensible reason not to like her, and absolutely fair enough.

 

You're not getting it. It's not that I don't believe her image or her lips or whatever she does on stage, it's that when I hear her voice, I feel nothing. Worse than nothing, I feel suspicion that someone is trying to convince me of an untruth. I have no problem with people playing characters (in fact I believe that in order to go on stage every night you have to play a role of sorts) but Lana Del Rey is completely void of any redeeming feature.

[Daaaaaad!]

Top 50 tunes of 2011? Can't be bothered to rank them, but here we go :

 

Fuck off.

I'm inclined to agree. In fact, I think we can all come to the agreement that nobody gives a fuck what you like and that you are a boring cunt who will probably never read this, therefore negating any reason or remote point for posting your dull, shitty song list.

[PowerButchi]

Top 50 tunes of 2011? Can't be bothered to rank them, but here we go :

 

Lykke Li - "I Follow Rivers"

tUnE-yArDs - "Es-So"

Paul Kalkbrenner - "Boxeig Liese"

Battles - "Futura"

Low - "You See Everything"

James Blake - "Limit to Your Love"

Raphael Saadiq - "Good Man"

Tanya Auclair - "Thrum"

Jamie XX - "Far Nearer"

Zola Jesus - "Shiver"

Zomby - "Natalia's Song"

EMA - "Grey Ships"

PJ Harvey - "The Last Living Rose"

Howling Bells - "Into the Sky"

Jonathan Jeremiah - "Heart of Stone"

The Pierces - "You'll Be Mine"

Katy B - "Go Away"

Kuedo - "Scissors"

Thundercat - "Daylight"

Nicholas Jaar - "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust"

Oh Land - "Break The Chain"

Hyetal - "Diamond Islands"

Obenowa - "Make It Better"

The Stepkids - "LaLa Song"

Shabazz Palaces - "Youology"

Jacques Greene - "Another Girl"

Feist - "How Come You Never Go There"

Jamie Woon - "Ladyluck"

Bright Eyes - "Jejune Stars"

Joan as Police Woman - "Magic"

The Mummers - "Call Me A Rainbow"

Battles - "Futura"

Lana Del Rey - "Video Games"

The Art Department - "Tell Me Why" Pt.1

Austra - "Lose It"

Hannah Peel - "The Almond Tree"

Burial - "Street Halo"

Anna Calvi - "I'll Be Your Man"

Cute Heels - "Silence Complot"

Teeth - "Shawty"

Mo Kolours - "Biddies"

Egyptrixx - "Naples"

Digitalism - "Circles"

CSS - "Hits Me Like A Rock"

Colourmusic - "Yes!"

Red Snapper - "Loveboat"

Metronomy - "The Bay"

Nerina Pallot - "Grace"

Duke Spirit - "Procession"

Com Truise - VHS Sex"

 

-*****

[Trevor]

Diva Sunny, go back to whining about Maria's inclusion on the ROH roster.

 

Keep up the good work Mr Seven, I particulary enjoyed 212 and Nicola Roberts' song.

[d-d-d-dAz]

As concerns Coldplay, I really quite like them.

 

And, I don't like them in the traditional 'I'm a chavvy twat who distinguishes myself from other chavvy twats by saying I like Coldplay and Kings of Leon instead of DJ Balls and MC Skidmark' way but in a way that thinks that they make really good, anthemic, stadium sized pseudo-indie pop songs in a way that not many others have managed quite so well.

 

I think if it wasn't for coming across a bit self righteous and precious (and the fact they appear everywhere and on everything) they wouldn't be quite so hated. Had their recorded CV been propped up by gigs in venues no bigger than the old Astoria, with their coverage amounting to no more than a few perfunctory words in Uncut magazine, they'd be far more celebrated than what they actually are.

[Mr. Seven]

MC Skidmark was this close to making the list this year.

[Mr. Seven]

Chatty bunch aren't we?

 

"Once you get the feeling"

 

#20: 'Shuffle' - Bombay Bicycle Club

 

 

Sounds like: The feelgood hit of the summer.

 

When you consider that BBC are quite dour and can be very rude, 'Shuffle' is a bit of a revelation. Quite simply, I didn't know they had it in them. From its opening bounce, the upbeat pace of the song is relentless. Guided by a jerky melodic piano and striding vocals, it's a song that puts both a smile on your face and a spring in your step, and coming from a cynical fucker like me, that's high praise indeed.

[Mr. Seven]

"Should have used my head and not my heart"

 

#19: 'Inflammable Heart' - Man Without Country

 

Sounds like: A sucker punch.

 

Someone get Butch to the thread immediately so he can swell with national pride. Hailing from Wales, Man Without Country might be one of the most exciting new electronic acts to emerge from the home of Ryan Giggs since... well, ever? M83 chief Anthony Gonzalez seems to agree, having snapped up the duo for their recent tour. As with most awesome synth-based tunes, this is all about the kick-in. When it hits, it'll floor you.

[Mr. Seven]

"Now you're just..."

 

#18: 'Somebody That I Used To Know' - Gotye

 

 

Sounds like: A mask slipping.

 

Break-up songs are often maudlin, dramatic things. Don't get me wrong, there's an argument that the best music is about pain and loss but it's nice to get a different spin on the concept. Scary looking Gotye has always been good at injecting his work with a pop sensibility and 'Somebody That I Used To Know' often sounds like something that has escaped from the 60s. The presence of Kimbra doesn't just put the song over the top from a vocal point of view, it turns the whole thing into a clever two-hander and further exposes Gotye's forced apathy. He's hurt and he's not fooling anybody, but he shines.

[Mr. Seven]

"Feel it break"

 

#17: 'Beat And The Pulse' - Austra

 

 

Sounds like: A trip.

 

And a dark one at that. First off, the intro is pretty much flawless, making exceptional use of pacing and time. Every change has character and further draws you into the song. By the time the high notes come in you're putty in its hands. And then those ethereal vocals enter the fray and your surrender is complete. A magnificently gloomy pop song.

[Devon Malcolm]

Finally - one that I predicted! Only discovered it a short while ago but it's ace.

[Mr. Seven]

#16: 'Rano Pano' - Mogwai

 

 

Sounds like: What you'd expect.

 

And I don't mean that in some snide way. Fact is, like with a new album from Slayer, you know what you're going to get with Mogwai. Granted, tracks like 'Mexican Grand Prix' stand out more than some others on the superbly-titled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will but it's the tracks that stick to Mogwai's template that hit hardest. I will admit that the brilliance of 'Rano Pano' didn't fully resonate with me until I experienced it live. Since then it's been tattooed on my brain.

[Mr. Seven]

"Come into my heart"

 

#15: 'Vomit' - Girls

 

 

Sounds like: A confessional.

 

All goes back to what I've said about Lana Del Rey, what I said about Frank Ocean. When it comes to matters of the heart, I need to believe you. At times Girls' Christopher Owens sounds utterly drained on this track, as if his exhaustion threatens to overcome him. He sounds like a man desperately trying to convince himself that things will work out, that the one that got away is just around the corner, that all he needs to do is open his heart and she'll come running. All told it's entirely selfish, but you'll sympathise by the end.