Gary's Top 100 of the 2010s

The most striking music video of the decade.
Will it claim the top spot on the Top 100?

So...it has come to this.

It has been a long six years since one of us hit "Publish" on this Little Blog That Could, but I am here to revive it from the brink, for at least one more post.

As the 2010s (The Tens? Teens? Ugh.) unceremoniously come to its expected Gregorian conclusion, it is apropos to close out the decade with a post on our very blog that was, ahem, thriving at the decade's beginning.

Ten years is an eternity in Music Years, particularly with how music is consumed. The decade started with an iPod like a pirate ship, and concludes with the entirety of music a mere tap away on our smartphones. In the same vein, the music landscape has gone through its share of changes, peaks, valleys, etc., during these past ten years. Ten years ago, EDM was a nascent, niche subgenre, Taylor Swift had yet to become a worldwide crossover pop star, and Kanye West was still making classic, genre-defining music.

At the end of every year, like clockwork, I lament how I missed on so much great music, and that I will compensate the following year. Not sure that has ever happened, but it is a fun little game I continue to play. Regardless, I have tried my damnedest to keep abreast of the pop music landscape this past decade. 

After an unnecessary amount of deliberation, I present my favorite 100 songs of the decade. This exercise was not taken lightly: Many excellent songs were cut, and others just seem too low. Again, ten years is an eternity, and it is impossible to distill it into 100 songs...but, fuck it, let's do this.

Listen along here:

100. Katy Perry - "Firework" (2010)
99. Big Boi (featuring Cutty) - "Shutterbugg" (2010)
98. The Limousines - "Very Busy People" (2010)
97. Future - "Mask Off" (2017)
96. CHVRCHES (featuring Matt Berninger) - "My Enemy" (2018)
95. Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks" (2010)
94. A$AP Rocky (featuring Skrillex & Birdy Nam Nam) - "Wild For The Night" (2013)
93. Beyoncé - "Countdown" (2011)
92. Stray From The Path - "Goodnight Alt-Right" (2017)
91. Foals - "What Went Down" (2015)

90. Phantogram - "Black Out Days" (2012)
89. M.I.A. - "Born Free" (2010)
88. The Avalanches (featuring Danny Brown & MF Doom) - "Frankie Sinatra" (2016)
87. The Carters - "APESHIT" (2018)
86. Disclosure (featuring The Weeknd) - "Nocturnal" (2015)
85. The xx - "On Hold" (2016)
84. Travis Scott (featuring Drake) - "SICKO MODE" (2018)
83. The 1975 - "Somebody Else" (2016)
82. Neon Indian - "Slumlord" (2015)
81. Grizzly Bear - "Yet Again" (2012)

80. Chance The Rapper (featuring 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne) - "No Problem" (2016)
79. Calvin Harris (featuring Frank Ocean & Migos) - "Slide" (2017)
78. Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass" (2011)
77. Sleigh Bells - "Rill Rill" (2010)
76. Ariana Grande - "Into You" (2016)
75. The Weeknd - "Secrets" (2016)
74. Migos (featuring Lil Uzi Vert) - "Bad and Boujee" (2017)
73. Gorillaz (featuring Peven Everett) - "Strobelite" (2017)
72. Tyler, The Creator - "Yonkers" (2011)
71. Danny Brown (featuring Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul & Earl Sweatshirt) - "Really Doe" (2016)

70. Diplo (featuring Sleepy Tom) - "Be Right There" (2016)
69. Drake (featuring Majid Jordan) - "Hold On, We're Going Home" (2013)
68. Taylor Swift - "Blank Space" (2014)
67. Radiohead - "Lotus Flower" (2011)
66. Future Islands - "Seasons (Waiting On You)" (2014)
65. LCD Soundsystem - "how do you sleep?" (2017)
64. Beyoncé - "Partition" (2014)
63. Cardi B - "Bodak Yellow" (2017)
62. SOPHIE - "BIPP" (2013)
61. Arctic Monkeys - "Do I Wanna Know?" (2013)

60. Beach House - "Lemon Glow" (2018)
59. Blood Orange - "You're Not Good Enough" (2013)
58. FKA twigs - "Cellophane" (2019)
57. DJ Khaled (featuring Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne) - "I'm On One" (2011)
56. Kendrick Lamar - "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" (2012)
55. The Weeknd (featuring Drake) - "The Zone" (2011)
54. Burial - "Street Halo" (2011)
53. King Krule - "Dum Surfer" (2017)
52. Bat For Lashes - "Laura" (2012)
51. Jaime xx - "Gosh" (2015)

50. Sleigh Bells - "Rainmaker" (2017)
49. Bobby Shmurda - "Hot N***a" (2014)
48. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Round And Round" (2010)
47. Kanye West - "Blood On The Leaves" (2013)
46. Lorde - "Royals" (2013)
45. Lil Uzi Vert - "XO Tour Llif3" (2017)
44. Every Time I Die - "Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space" (2012)
43. Billie Eilish - "bad guy" (2019)
42. Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" (2010)
41. Foals - "Spanish Sahara" (2010)

40. Run The Jewels (featuring Zack De La Rocha) - "Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)" (2014)
39. Daft Punk (featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - "Get Lucky" (2013)
38. Frank Ocean - "Thinkin Bout You" (2012)
37. Caribou - "Can't Do Without You" (2014)
36. Robyn - "Dancing On My Own" (2010)
35. Drake - "Nice For What" (2018)
34. Bon Iver - "Hey, Ma" (2019)
33. Oneohtrix Point Never - "Replica" (2011)
32. Vampire Weekend - "Step" (2013)
31. Diplo (featuring Nicky Da B) - "Express Yourself" (2012)

30. Four Tet - "Love Cry"
29. The Weeknd - "House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls" (2011)
28. Every Time I Die - "Map Change" (2016)
27. Tame Impala - "Let It Happen" (2015)
26. Deerhunter - "Helicopter" (2010)
25. Radiohead - "True Love Waits" (2016)
24. JAY-Z & Kanye West - "N***as In Paris" (2011)
23. Jaime xx (featuring Young Thug & Popcaan) - "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" (2015)
22. Jack Ü (Skrillex & Diplo) with Justin Bieber - "Where Are Ü Now" (2015)
21. Bon Iver - "Holocene" (2011)

20. Rihanna & Calvin Harris - "We Found Love" (2011)
19. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Prancer" (2013)
18. Disclosure (featuring Sam Smith) - "Latch" (2013)
17. Jaime xx (featuring Romy) - "Loud Places" (2015)
16. Kanye West (featuring JAY-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver) - "Monster" (2010)
15. Grimes - "Realiti" (2015)
14. Kendrick Lamar - "DNA." (2017)
13. Ariana Grande - "no tears left to cry" (2018)
12. Childish Gambino - "This Is America" (2018) - (Narrator: It did not claim the top spot.)
11. Lorde - "Green Light" (2017)

10. FKA twigs - "Two Weeks" (2014) - There are sexual songs, and then there is "Two Weeks". The entire song exudes sexual confidence, both lyrically and musically. As FKA twigs breathlessly seduces and promises her soon-to-be lover "give me two weeks, you won't recognize her", the rhythm pulsates and builds to its climactic chorus, taking the listener along for the passionate ride. With her vocal range and dynamic, genre-defying sound, FKA twigs has established herself as one of the most exciting acts today, and "Two Weeks" helped rightfully launch her into the public's consciousness.

09. Grimes - "Oblivion" (2012) - A bubbly piece of indie pop at first listen, Claire Boucher creates a chilling disconnect between sound and meaning on "Oblivion". Boucher describes an incident when she was violently assaulted, in an eerie sing-song voice. The unsettling sense of threat permeates the song, with the taunting "la la la la la"s and repetition of "See you on a dark night" as a constant reminder. The music video adds another layer, as it depicts the sharp contrast between a solo Boucher singing and dancing while surrounded by overt masculinity. The visuals are stark, as she appears to be tackling the root of her fears head-on. While the reminders are (and always will be) there, Boucher uses "Oblivion" as a therapeutic outlet, all the while creating a pop masterpiece.

08. Todd Terje - "Inspector Norse" (2012) - The epitome of "earworm", "Inspector Norse" is an impressive example of infectiousness. During the six-and-a-half minute futuristic disco journey, Todd Terje throws every trick at the listener, daring him or her to dance along for its entirety without pause. The synths and buildup are captivating, all the while maintaining the sonic equivalent of a smirk. The payoff is mesmerizing and dazzling, beautifully subtle in comparison to many EDM "drops". 

The end result is an impossibly catchy trip, without a wasted moment. Music serves many roles, and "Inspector Norse" is a masterclass in irresistible. 

07. LCD Soundsystem - "Dance Yrself Clean" (2010) - James Murphy has always seemed hyperaware of time passing one by and getting older, while simultaneously having the ability to twist that feeling into something bigger and "in the moment". The opening track to LCD's (at the time) final album plays on this sense of self-awareness and urgency, setting up a nine-minute, two-part dance party to end all dance parties. The three minute buildup is slow, calculated, and barely audible, making the arrival of the energetic, synth-heavy second half that much sweeter. While Murphy knows it is "the end of an era, it's true", he does everything he can to keep the party going just a little bit longer (like holding a note for fifteen-seconds-going-on-an-eternity). "Dance Yrself Clean" is the grizzled, gray-haired counterpart to "Shake It Off": Despite its impending despair, Murphy convinces the listener that all of one's current preoccupations can be forgotten by dancing oneself clean. 

06. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Limerent Death" (2016) - The Dillinger Escape Plan have become the gold standard for combining raw aggression and...math. Their atypical song constructions and precision set them apart from their peers, spearheading the subgenre of mathcore for nearly twenty years. Their final act before disbanding, Dissociation, revealed a band that was firing on all cylinders, still well in their prime with a lot more to give. Their albums' opening tracks have long been home to some of their best songs, all unrelenting introductions to the album that follows. With apologies to "Prancer", Dillinger saved their best opener for last in "Limerent Death". The song is an unbelievable showcase for Greg Puciato's impressive vocal range, as he pours his soul into every note. He comes off as an utter madman, who continues his descent into insanity by the song's end, as his words become less and less comprehensible. As always, the technical aspects of the song are impressive, striking all of the right primal chords, leaving the listener both in awe and sympathetic overdrive.

05. Carly Rae Jepsen - "Run Away With Me" (2015) - Never underestimate the power of a sweet saxophone riff. (Seriously, look at this Top 5.) Jepsen's soaring vocals pair with the evocative backing to create the best pure pop song of the decade. As with most great pop songs, the premise is simple enough: Overwhelming infatuation to the point of escape. The relative calm of the verses sets up the beautiful whirlwind of a chorus, where Jepsen convincingly pleads to "take me to the feeling". Fittingly from the album Emotion, "Run Away With Me" is a perfect encapsulation of glee and yearning, a timeless classic in the pantheon of pop.

04. Kanye West (featuring Pusha T) - "Runaway" (2010) - The highlight of a nearly flawless album filled with them, "Runaway" saw Kanye exploring a new emotion: Self-awareness. In typical 'Ye fashion, he fully admits to full-on douchebaggery and other nicknames of that ilk. He stops short of repentance, instead admitting that he cannot change who he is, and encouraging others to run away if his behavior is too much. Despite the self-deprecating, self-realizing lyrics, the three-minute vocoder outro provides the closest thing to catharsis for Kanye. While his voice is masked and manipulated, he still comes off as raw and vulnerable, as the haunting piano plinks and orchestral swoons surround him. The decade has been a veritable rollercoaster for West, but MBDTF and "Runaway" were unquestionably his best work.

03. Kendrick Lamar - "Alright" (2015) - Police brutality and the continued oppression of black Americans unfortunately permeated throughout the decade. The Black Lives Matter movement helped bring these atrocities to the public consciousness, and "Alright" fast became an anthem of resilience, a rallying cry of sorts. Despite all the pain, all the suffering, Kendrick assures "We gon' be alright", providing a beacon of hope in these troubling times. The song is driven by a Pharrell-produced jazz beat and Terrace Martin on saxophone, elevating the feeling of cautious optimism. No artist had as consistently an excellent decade as K. Dot, but To Pimp a Butterfly was his greatest, most thought-provoking work, and "Alright" was its centerpiece.

02. The 1975 - "Love It If We Made It" (2018) - A "We Didn't Start The Fire" for the 2010s, The 1975 create an anthem of the decade by exploring and namedropping many of its headlines and atrocities. As lead singer Matt Healy reels off topics such as the opioid epidemic, the disproportionate incarceration of black Americans, the Syrian refugee crisis, the perpetuation of misinformation, and Trump himself, it is easy to feel that "modernity has failed us". Despite all of this, Healy remains optimistic about the resiliency of the human spirit, hopeful that we can make it through together. Despite the inherent ennui of the times, Healy's best vocal performance to date, surrounded by swirling saxophones, is convincing evidence that we might make it after all.

01. M83 - "Midnight City" (2011) - With one song, M83 were elevated from indie darlings to household name. For good reason: "Midnight City" is a work of art, and their magnum opus in a library littered with magical moments. Heavily steeped in and inspired by the '80s, Anthony Gonzalez pays homage to the decade, while toeing the line between sincere and cheesy. The song is gripping from the get-go, immersing the listener into a synthesized dreamscape of nostalgia. As the title implies, "Midnight City" is an ode to the allure of the city, with its endless possibilities and wonder. It is even therapeutic: "The city is my church", cries Gonzalez, "it wraps me in its blinding twilight", as the synths wrap the listener. The song ends in dramatic fashion, played off with a sultry saxophone that would make "Careless Whisper" blush. The decade has come and gone, but "Midnight City" is the rare example of an evocative, powerful classic that has the ingredients to endure the test of time.

That's all she (I) wrote. I had to pay my respects to the Top 10, but the entire damn list is deserving of a blurb...I just do not have the time or the energy.
We continue this regular scheduled hiatus, already in progress. See y'all in 2029.

Gary's Top 50 Songs of 2013

So, this exists, lest I unceremoniously continue onto the next year without an overly meticulous ordering of the closing year’s tunes that happened to hit my earhole (fairly certain that is the medically accepted term).

Self-deprecation aside, 2013 proved to be a staggering juggernaut in the music realm. From triple-A-listers to unassuming newcomers and the plethora in between, it seemed like everyone dropped at least an EP this year. Personally, I can’t remember such a stacked year in music releases. That might be due to the alcohol abuse, but I digress.

Due to increasing time constraints and all that, it felt overwhelming to attempt to keep pace with all of the releases this year. Alas, music was still enjoyed, dammit, and that admittedly microscopic sample of tunes was the pool of songs run through rigorous testing in order to qualify for this highly prestigious honor.

In my best Casey Kasem impression, let's count 'em down, shall we?

Listen along with this nifty Spotify playlist, too!

50. "Purple Yellow Red and Blue" by Portugal. The Man

49. "Bitter Rivals" by Sleigh Bells

48. "Rap God" by Eminem

47. "A Tooth for an Eye" by The Knife

46. "Say That" by Toro y Moi

45. "Tom Ford" by Jay Z

44. "Ya Hey" by Vampire Weekend

43. "By and Down" by A Perfect Circle

42. "Love Sick" by Sleigh Bells

41. "Sacrilege" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

40. "Proper Spirit" by Small Black

39. "Right Action" by Franz Ferdinand

38. "Pumpin' Blood" by NONONO

37. "The Walker" by Fitz and The Tantrums

36. "Tennis Court" by Lorde

35. "Came Back Haunted" by Nine Inch Nails

34. "One of Us is the Killer" by The Dillinger Escape Plan

33. "24 Hours" by Sky Ferreira

32. "Howl" by Beware of Darkness

31. "Pompeii" by Bastille

30. "The Mother We Share" by CHVRCHES

29. "IFHY" by Tyler, the Creator ft. Pharrell

28. "You're Not Good Enough" by Blood Orange

27. "Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities

26. "Hurricane" by MS MR

25. "Biggie Bounce" by Diplo ft. Angger Dimas & Travis Porter

24. "Bound 2" by Kanye West

23. "Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys

22. "If You Got It At Five, You Got It At Fifty" by Norma Jean

21. "Doin' It Right" by Daft Punk ft. Panda Bear

20. "Trying To Be Cool" by Phoenix

19. "Tunnel Vision" by Justin Timberlake

18. "Blurred Vision" by Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell

17. "Black Skinhead" by Kanye West

16. "Wild For The Night" by A$AP Rocky ft. Skrillex & Birdy Nam Nam

15. "Bubble Butt" by Major Lazer ft. Bruno Mars, Tyga & Mystic

14. "Black Out Days" by Phantogram

13. "Inhaler" by Foals

12. "Alive" by Empire of the Sun

11. "Stranger" by The Limousines

10. "Hold On, We're Going Home" by Drake ft. Majid Jordan

Two years ago, Drake released a stellar, minimalistic R&B single about a drunk dial. This year, Drake released a stellar, minimalistic R&B single about a good girl who could be The One. It is a rather simple love song littered with mushy lines like “I want your hot love and emotion endlessly”, but when contrasted with The Weeknd-aping backbeat, “Hold On” delivers as a pro-commitment ballad, which is almost shocking in today’s musical and real-world landscape, but certainly so for the seducing singer himself. Love songs are a dime a dozen; Drake’s love song effortlessly separates from the pack as a standout this year.

09. "Sex" by The 1975

“And this is how it starts”, frontman Matthew Healy sighs at the beginning of “Sex”, before detailing the carnal desires and foreplay of two would-be lovers fuckers. It is an undoubtedly and predictably sexy song, but there is one problem: “She’s got a boyfriend, anyway.” The listener is able to feel the palpable tension as it plays out over the evocative ‘80s pop backdrop. On paper, it teeters on cheesy, but the song always overcomes this with its sense of genuineness and emotion. Plus, who can’t relate to a song about fucking?

08. "Blood On The Leaves" by Kanye West

How does a narcissistic creative genius top a release that many lauded as near-perfection three years ago? With Yeezus, of course, which is nearly perfect in its own right despite being entirely distinct from MBDTF. ‘Ye is no stranger to unorthodoxy, and Yeezus oozes it, pushing the boundaries of what hip-hop sounds like yet again. It is an album so good that one’s favorite track can change on the daily (truth be told, I had a difficult time ranking the three that cracked the Top 50, as well as limiting it to just three entries). “Blood on the Leaves” masterfully works in a Nina Simone sample and some 808s­-y Autotune verses before the bombast hits, all the while simultaneously evoking lyrics about a breakup and racial injustice. All told, “Blood” and Yeezus are incredible and powerful accomplishments, yet seemingly par for the course for West.

07. "Royals" by Lorde

Unexpected ubiquity should not detract from the impressiveness of Lorde’s year. She released an unusually catchy single destined for endless replay that ended up topping the Hot 100 for weeks and earning her countless live performances and multiple Grammy nominations. Oh yeah, and she was sixteen, making her the youngest artist to top the Hot 100 in over a quarter-century. “Royals” is immediately etched into the listener’s mind once the chorus rolls around, with its singsong-y name-dropping that even your grandmother could rattle off by now. The laughably minimal finger-snap beat works to great success, and shifts the focus to Lorde’s lyrics deriding the “opulence” and “bullshit” of today’s mainstream music. Needless to say, “Royals” was a refreshing standout amidst the rest of the radio schlock this year and established Lorde as one of the year’s most exciting new artists.

06. "Latch" by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith

It’s pretty telling when a song I first heard this month can have enough of impact to land this high on a year-end retrospective. There is no overcompensation or short-term memory effect at play, either: Disclosure put out an outstanding debut this year, and “Latch” is the perfect entry point for any newcomer. The British duo do everything right by laying down a retro-tinged electropop beat that submerses the listener, and guest vocalist Sam Smith nails it with a dichotomous combination of a sexy, crooning verse and a dynamic, evocative (and falsetto-as-fuck) chorus. Throw in some words about digging someone so much that you want to latch onto them and never let them go, and it becomes easy to see why the song stands out as one of the year’s best. The one thing I wish about this song is that I discovered it sooner.

05. "Step" by Vampire Weekend

Despite two excellent records to their name, Vampire Weekend somehow out did themselves on Modern Vampires of the City, a more subdued, exceptionally written, and generally beautiful work when compared to its predecessors. “Step”, the B-side to the upbeat and more textbook single “Diane Young”, exemplifies such praise, with a brilliantly executed less-is-more approach. The end result is four-plus minutes of gorgeously minimalistic instrumentation, placing emphasis on the lovelorn lyrics of a lost lover and admission that “I can’t do it alone”.

04. "I Appear Missing" by Queens of the Stone Age

At this point, I am clueless as to what Queens of the Stone Age have to do to get the recognition that they deserve. To be fair, they are playing massive arenas and were just nominated for three Grammys, and perhaps I’m biased and overselling them (nah). But, dammit, …Like Clockwork may end up being the band’s best and most complete album. In an album filled with legitimate highlights, “I Appear Missing” stands above the rest as a six-minute opus that transforms into an all-out, immersive rock epic in its latter half. If you still think QOTSA is a “stoner rock” band for some reason, you’re selling them considerably short of where their true talent lies.

03. "Reflektor" by Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire have yet to make a bad record. A potentially controversial statement for most bands, Arcade Fire’s track record has been so superb that it would be controversial to say otherwise. Reflektor keeps their winning streak alive and well, and the lead single and title track exemplifies what they do best: ­­­Larger-than-life, arena-filling anthems. Believe it or not, the song is seven minutes long, but its persistent vitality and urgency has listeners suddenly yearning for a replay. The song distinguishes itself from their past works while still remaining very representative. And to think, all of this musical greatness was because of a trip to Haiti.

02. "Prancer" by The Dillinger Escape Plan

Six seconds. That’s all of a warning shot you get before Greg & Co. bludgeon you over the head for the remaining 3:45 of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s lead single off of One of Us Is The Killer, the mathcore forefathers’ fifth full-length. “Prancer” is a contradictory combination of refreshing yet strangely familiar. One might consider it a “greatest hits” song, as it compiles all of the motifs, ploys, and elements of many of their prior works. Mathcore neophytes might be intimidated, even frightened, by such an intense song. Their unrelenting intensity is a staple, famously at their live shows, but somehow it faithfully translates to record. The song is a trip of near-constant brutality, off-the-wall time signatures and composition, and just enough of time in the middle for repose. No song this year could top the adrenaline rush that “Prancer” so effortlessly provided.

01. "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell

It was that rare love at first sound, really. When Nile Rodgers strums away on that simple-yet-elegant guitar intro of Daft Punk’s first legitimately new single in seven years, it was justified thinking to believe that they were onto something glorious. Countless plays and a summer’s worth of inundation later, and the song still holds as strong as that unforgettable first spin. EDM has become steeped in household ubiquity lately, and until “Get Lucky”, Daft Punk had essentially been on the sidelines watching DJs and artists popularize a genre that they had so carefully crafted and mastered over the past decade-plus. Rather than one-up their contemporaries, they did a 180 and decided to make an entire album as homage to the music that influenced and shaped their distinct sound. Although, as far as homages go, they one-upped everyone else by actually getting the dude in the band for whom they had such reverence.
And then there’s Pharrell, who single-handedly takes the song from “catchy” to “catchy-as-fuck” with his textbook sing-along lyrics about trying to get laid and, erm, phoenixes. The end result was a genre-blurring classic with mass appeal that dominated the summer (and this countdown) for good reason.

I suppose you couldn't get a much more striking contrast between those Top 2 songs, which I had flipped back-and-forth almost daily before settling on the final 1-2.

Some last minute entries (Sky Ferreira, Disclosure) sneaked onto the countdown, but a bunch did not. I vow to give Deafheaven and Jon Hopkins some early 2014 lovin'.

That's about it. Here's to hoping 2014 provides as bountiful a selection of quality tunes as this year.

Traipsing The 'Net: Ides of March Edition

Back with a triumphant return for a second week is Traipsing The 'Net, where we compile the highest-selling and best-reviewed albums, as well as the highest-selling, most played and hottest tracks. First up, let's take a look at the best-selling albums this past week:

Billboard 200: Top 10 highest-selling albums:

1. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball (debut)

2. Adele - 21

3. Various Artists - NOW 41

4. Lady Antebellum - Own The Night

5. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

6. Whitney Houston - Whitney: The Hits

7. Drake - Take Care

8. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV

9. Luke Bryan - Spring Break 4...Suntan City (debut)

10. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself (debut)

The Boss's seventeenth studio album unseated the unstoppable Adele from the top position. Springsteen nabbed his tenth No. 1 album, tying him with Elvis Presley for third most. Only The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (12) (?!) have had more. Even over a month after her untimely passing, Whitney Houston continues to top the charts like she used to in the '80s and '90s. Country fans continue to be a main driving force for fledgling album sales, as evidenced by Lady Antebellum and Luke Bryan. Indie darling Andrew Bird also cracks the Top 10 with his sixth LP.

New and Upcoming Music, by Metascore: Top 10 highest reviewed albums*:

1. The Mezingers - On The Impossible Past [93]

2. Burial - Kindred (EP) [89]

3. Anais Mitchell - Young Man In America [88]

4. Django Django - Django Django [87]

5. The Men - Open Your Heart [87]

6. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas [85]

7. Goldfrapp - The Singles [85]

8. Karen Dalton - 1966 [84]

9. Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, Vol. 2 [83]
10. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory [83]

* Albums must have at least 7 reviews to qualify. "New and Upcoming Music" compiles all albums released within the last three months. 

Nothing too different here. The Mezingers jump up to the top spot, but the same ten albums remain. I don't expect this chart to change much, except when an album has been out for over three months. The number in brackets indicates the album's Metascore. If you don't know what the Metascore is...come on, man.

Billboard Hot 100: Top 10 most popular songs:
1. "We Are Young" by fun. featuring Janelle Monae

2. "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson
3. "Set Fire To The Rain" by Adele 
4. "Glad You Came" by The Wanted

5. "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra

6. "Turn Me On" by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj

7. "Take Care" by Drake featuring Rihanna

8. "Young, Wild & Free" by Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars
9. "Starships" by Nicki Minaj

10. "Part of Me" by Katy Perry

fun. has surged all the way to the top spot this week with their huge new single "We Are Young". fun. had always had a recipe for success, as evidenced by their infectious debut, Aim and Ignite, so good for them for getting the attention that they deserve (or to some cynics, "selling out").  Also, Gotye's surprise hit "Somebody That I Used To Know" cracks the Top 5.  Other than that, a lot of the same songs remain, with some flip-flopping here and there. 

,

last.fm Top Tracks Chart: Top 10 most played songs by all last.fm users

1. "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye
2. "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele
3. "Born To Die" by Lana Del Rey4. "Paradise" by Coldplay 
5. "Video Games" by Lana Del Rey
6. "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People
7. "Midnight City" by M83
8. "We Found Love" by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
9. "Somebody Like You" by Adele
10. "Shake It Out" by Florence + The Machine 

Measured by how many unique listeners scrobble a particular track in a given week, this chart is notoriously stable, with this week being no exception.  Over 53,000 last.fm users played "Somebody That I Used To Know" last week, compared to "Rolling In The Deep"'s 44,000 and change. I've heard that M83 song is pretty good, too.

We Are Hunted Emerging Chart: Top 10 Hottest Tracks:

1. "Pillow Talk" by Wild Child

2. "Primadonna" by Marina and the Diamonds

3. "The Wave" by Miike Snow

4. "Before The Dive" by St. Lucia

5. "surely" by SBTRKT

6. "Be A Body" by Grimes

7. "Rained The Whole Time" by Shlohmo

8. "Neptune" by Lemonade

9. "Pouches of Tuna" by Action Bronson

10. "Numbers" by Logic

Click the link at the top to be sent to We Are Hunted's website, where you can stream the entire Top 99  

Unlike the last.fm chart, We Are Hunted is constantly changing, making it an excellent source of brand new and up-and-coming songs. Literally no holdovers from last week, although another Grimes track enters the Top 10. Her new album, Visions, is quite good.

I figured I'd throw my own two cents into this mix, so here are five songs I'm currently addicted to right now:

1. "Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space" by Every Time I Die

2. "Express Yourself" by Diplo featuring Nicky Da B

3. "The Hope" by Scuba

4. "Arguing With Thermometers" by Enter Shikari

5. "Show Me" by Team Me

I'm still obsessed with ETID's lead single off of their excellent new record Ex Lives. It might be this year's "Good Neighbor" for me: Energetic and nearly relentless for nearly three minutes of bliss. The new Diplo song is simply extraordinary at scratching the itch that you didn't realize even existed. "Show Me" is a song I caught wind of via We Are Hunted, and it really reminds me of the lovechild between Passion Pit and Mew. Guardian says that they are "so full of glee, they make the Polyphonic Spree sound like a black metal band." Well put. I could easily see them blowing up in the near future.

That's it for this week's iteration of Traipsing The 'Net. As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome to help improve the segment and keep it another mainstay in the newly-revitalized Cassette Musique lineup.

This Week In Music News

In yet another Cassette Musique weekly feature (because we're pretty short on original content), we will give you a selection of music news and interesting links from the previous that week that we deem noteworthy and important enough for the frequenters of this blog to read.


For the week leading up to March 12th, 2012:


Westboro Baptist Church radicals deride Radiohead as "Freak monkey's [sic] with mediocre tunes keeps you busy and focused by lightness. It changes nothing, God is undoing and digging up and throwing down this nation." Other than the Westboro Baptist Church's apparent assumption that God does not care much about grammar, what can we glean from this? For one, they're quite astute when it comes to Radiohead's recent mediocrity. However, I really think they're attacking the wrong band.


Passion Pit is making progress on their new album, and it's going to be "expansive." I'm not sure what that means in relation to catchy synth-pop, but apparently singer Michael Angelakos is using something called a kaleidoloop to alter the pitch of his voice.  Apparently he already didn't sound enough like a girl on "Sleepyhead"...


The title of Fiona Apple's new album is, drumroll please....The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do. As acts such as Mew and Atlas Sound have shown, ridiculously long and incoherent album titles are a right of passage for pretentious indie bands. However, the lack of brevity in Ms. Apple's latest offering his child's play compared to her 1999 release, which featured an eight line poem for an album title. 


Diplo's new EP Express Yourself is being released in May. Do yourself a favor and listen to the lead single of the same name if you haven't already.


The music portion of South By Southwest (or SXSW for all you acronym-slinging hipsters) music festival, one of the several glorious musical gatherings that I desperately want but probably won't ever have the opportunity to go to, starts tomorrow. About 18,000 bands are playing, however some of the bigger acts include the aforementioned Fiona Apple, Lionel Richie, Skrillex, Bruce Springstein, Andrew Bird, Dan Deacon, The Magnetic Fields, John Mayer, and Norah Jones. 


Sleigh Bells has released a cover of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable."  Click here to hear the once bombastic noise pop duo further neuter themselves. Click here for a taste of what they used to sound like. 


The new EP from Burial, entitled Kindred, is the third most acclaimed original release of 2012 thus far. If you're a fan of downtempo/ambient dubstep, give standout track "Ashtray Wasp" a listen. 

Lazy Sunday Playlist: March 11, 2012 Edition

The bear in the middle has the right idea

In what will hopefully be a recurring segment on Cassette Musique, each Sunday I will detail a playlist of songs that encapsulate what Sunday is all about: slow moving, contemplative, and sedate. Although some will undoubtedly call these songs "boring" at first glance, I prefer to think of them as occupying a higher plane of existence. They distill a serene tranquility that is oft underappreciated in a schizophrenic society that favors fleeting gratification over properly developed, long-term satisfaction. So with that in mind, promptly turn off your mind, and escape into an unexplored realm.



(Oh yeah, make sure to listen with headphones. Laptop speakers do not do these songs justice!)

Eluvium - Prelude for the Feelers
Eluvium is the brainchild of recording artist Matthew Cooper who, like many other artists in the genre, draws direct influence from ambient behemoth Brian Eno. "Prelude for the Feelers" moves at a slow, consistent pace throughout, layering a consortium of synths and violins over a helplessly sweet piano melody.

Hammock - Floating Away In Every Direction
Readers of this segment will become very familiar with Hammock, as they're one of my favorite bands and required listening for anyone looking to delve into ambient music. "Floating Away In Every Direction" is typical Hammock fare, interspersing a subdued electric guitar melody with layered atmospherics and various crescendos.

The Field - A Paw In My Face
The Field's debut release From Here We Go Sublime is quite simply one of the best albums of all time and was ranked by metacritic as the most critically acclaimed album of 2007. "A Paw In My Face", the album's second track, lays down a chorus of hypnotic, trance-like beats atop a smattering of whimsical noises and is a good starting point for new listeners.

John Murphy - The End
Straight off the 28 Days Later Soundtrack (because nothing says ambient relaxation like a zombie apocalypse), John Murphy's "The End" is short and sweet, clocking in at just under two minutes and including the sparse guitar melodies and layered synths indicative of a Hammock song.

Balmorhea - Bowsprit
Balmorhea is a six-piece instrumental band from Austin, TX that likes to spice things up by throwing a variety of unorthodox instruments into their distinct brand of ambient music. "Bowsprit" follows course, featuring sweeping violins and what sounds like banjo-plucking throughout.

Artist of the Week: ENTER SHIKARI

Fresh off the release of their third and most recent album, A Flash Flood of Colour, Enter Shikari is making waves with their unconventional and intensely satisfying blend of music. Equal parts metal, pop, and dubstep, Enter Shikari's music defies convention and is likely to elicit a chorus of "WTFs" from many upon initial exposure. Should I sing to it? Dance to it? Mosh to it? All three, at the same time, actually.

Originally hailing from Hertfordshire, England, the four-piece is still gaining mainstream popularity in the U.S. but is the benefactor of a strong radio presence and widespread support in their homeland. Their 2007 debut Take To The Skies debuted at #4 on the UK Albums Chart, while the aforementioned A Flash Flood of Colour charted at #1 in January. I was initially exposed to Enter Shikari's idiosyncratic stylings with the single "Sorry, You're Not A Winner," which was featured in EA Sports' NHL 08 video game and lays down one of the most creative closing breakdowns in metalcore history.

Fans of post-hardcore bands like Chiodos and Asking Alexandria will immediately identify with Enter Shikari's blend of clean and screamed vocals, metal-influenced riffs, and chugga-chugga breakdowns. However, what sets Enter Shikari apart from their peers has been a large and increasingly utilized dose of electronic elements, ranging from the nintendo-esque beeps in "Mothership," bouncy synths in "Labyrinth," to the heinously dirty dubstep wobble in "Arguing With Thermometers." The band has progressively embraced their electronic side with each additional release, culminating on A Flash Flood of Colour, which features four or five songs with significant electro-dubstep influences.

Vocalist Rou Reynolds, who has an amusing ability to maintain his British accent while singing, displays impressive vocal range, effortlessly segueing through spoken word, melodic croon, and guttural bark, sometimes all within one song. Reynolds' lyrics are highly political and activistic, typically deriding modern society's obsession with consumption and monetary gluttony at the expense of the environment and relationships. I could do without the overtly idealistic banter, but the band typically makes up for it with some killer instrumentation, such as in "Gandhi Mate, Gandhi." Like Reynolds' vocals, Enter Shikari's song structures are highly variable, with some displaying a typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus arrangement while others are the auditory transformation of a Jackson Pollack painting.

Fresh. That's the word that will continually come to mind when listening to Enter Shikari, particularly on their new record. No two songs sound the same, nor do they sound like songs from any other band. Fans of driving rock and electronic music, particularly those with an open mind, will likely dig the eclectic brand of dub-pop-core that Enter Shikari offers.

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