Gary's Top 50 Songs of 2011

 Yet another calendar year is imminently concluding, and as always, the perfect sendoff is a meticulously crafted, seemingly arbitrary list of songs from said calendar year!  This may have been the most difficult year-end song list I’ve compiled, as I had to eliminate some very worthy songs.  Also, certain songs just seemed like they were better than their ranking.  Alas, the list is final.  No refunds.

For the first time, with the wonders of “technology”, I am able to pass along this countdown as an almost-full-fledged playlist. Click here and enjoy 45 of the 50 songs fo’ free, courtesy of Spotify, which will soon replace whatever shitty music player you currently utilize.  The five songs not available via Spotify have YouTube videos linked next to them (Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, the two The Weeknd songs and Coldplay).  Because God forbid you didn’t hear Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, et al.

50. “Mr. Saxobeat” by Alexandra Stan
49. “Amor Fati” by Washed Out

48. “I Will” by Danny Brown (vide0)
47. “L Y F” by WU LYF
46. “Helena Beat” by Foster the People
45. “Countdown” by Beyoncé
44. “Will Do” by TV on the Radio
43. “Civilization” by Justice
42. “Holdin On To Black Metal” by My Morning Jacket
41. “The Last Huzzah” by Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire featuring Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown and El-P (video)

40. “Curl of the Burl” by Mastodon
39. “Die” by Girls
38. “Make Some Noise” by Beastie Boys
37. “Sail” by AWOLNATION
36. “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” by Arctic Monkeys
35. “Jack Sparrow” by The Lonely Island featuring Michael Bolton
34. “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)” by The Wombats
33. “Lonely Star” by The Weeknd (video)
32. “Polymers Are Forever” by Future of the Left
31. “Michael Jackson” by Das Racist

30. “Take Care” by Drake featuring Rihanna
29. “Trembling Hands” by Explosions in the Sky
28. “6 Foot 7 Foot” by Lil Wayne featuring Cory Gunz
27. “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj
26. “Go Outside” by Cults
25. “Paradise” by Coldplay (video)
24. “Otis” by Jay-Z & Kanye West
23. “Replica” by Oneohtrix Point Never
22. “Bizness” by tUnE-yArDs
21. “We Found Love” by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

20. “Adult Goth” by Gang Gang Dance
19. “Polish Girl” by Neon Indian
18. “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys
17. “Slow Motion” by Panda Bear
16. “Perth” by Bon Iver
15. “Don’t Move” by Phantogram
14. “Vomit” by Girls
13. “Need You Now” by Cut Copy
12. “Ice Cream” by Battles featuring Matias Aguayo
11. “Chinatown” by Destroyer

10. “High For This” by The Weeknd (video)

09. “Marvins Room” by Drake

08. “Holocene” by Bon Iver

07. “Street Halo” by Burial

06. “Yonkers” by Tyler, The Creator


05. “N***as In Paris” by Jay-Z & Kanye West


04. “Lotus Flower” by Radiohead


03. “Calgary” by Bon Iver

02. “Intro” by M83 featuring Zola Jesus

01. “Midnight City” by M83

Yes, M83 at #2 and #1, which comprise the best nine-plus consecutive minutes in music this year.  Thanks for showing up everybody else, but it really was not close.  Nothing quite matched the grandiosity and evocative nature of those two songs back-to-back, although Bon Iver certainly was close, logging three entries in the Top 20.
Fear not: The year would not be complete without my laborious rundown of my favorite albums, which will be posted before year’s end.  Until then, rock the shit out of that Spotify playlist.