This post is part of a series counting down my favorite songs of all time. Follow the links at the bottom of this post to read related posts.
40. Broken Social Scene – Stars and Sons
As I’ve lamented before, at some point the phrase “indie rock” ceased being a useful descriptor. Today, it’s something you would say to be vague, like the statement, “Oh yeah, I really like jazz.” There’s no tangible association that comes with music described as indie rock. Instead, there’s a hodgepodge of reference points – lounge pop, whiskey shits, guitar noise, Lou Reed, hand claps, irony, TR-808 beats and so on – that combine in a way so as to suggest something tangible. It is a genre in defiance of genre that exists to project a sort of cosmopolitan aesthetic that could never possibly exist because it would be too busy. This band is guilty of pursuing this approach to music-making, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t like it.
39. Young Marble Giants – Wurlitzer Jukebox
We’ve all grown up with a certain perception of how a studio-recorded pop song should sound. In large part, this standard is based on the evolution of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, which as Spector gladly noted at the time, was a Wagnerian flourish in principle. To put it simply, the goal with most pop music seems to be to fill the track with sound until there is no more space left. This first time I heard the Young Marble Giants, I was a little startled because here was a pop group who wanted to leave as much space as possible on the track. Minimalism is certainly the key here, but the band’s sound is certainly not as oppressive as ambient music.
38. Blossom Dearie – They Say It’s Spring
When I think of iconic voices, I don’t necessarily think in terms of virtuosity. Celine Dion, for example, has a great voice, but I don’t think it’s iconic. It’s such a swell voice that it’s hard to make a distinction between Dion and any other of her ilk. You would never confuse Blossom Dearie for Dion, and that’s precisely why I think Dearie is a great example of an iconic voice. Her voice is a sparrow chirp that’s immediately recognizable, and her choice of tunes often emphasizes the quirkiness of her voice. Admittedly, she’s not quite on the same level of an Anita O’Day or Ella Fitzgerald, but I think that’s why I find her all the more endearing. Against these titans of song, she’s the little jazz bird that could.
37. Otis Redding – Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)
There should be more Otis Redding on this list. This is the only song, and I’m not quite sure why in retrospect. While it probably is my favorite Redding song, I can think of a handful of contenders that could challenge it. But let’s focus here; this song is utterly perfect pop. I would struggle to imagine the type of person who could hate this song. People who don’t like this song probably kick a lot of puppies and steal lollipops from infants. The only bad thing about this song is that it’s not long enough.
36. Yo La Tengo – Blue Line Swinger
You know, in the process of coming up with this list, I’ve really learned a lot about my personal musical proclivities. Sometimes I surprise myself, but I can be quite predictable. This is especially true when it comes to rock and roll. Gnarly guitar skronk? Check. Ethereal female vocals? Check. Free jazz inspired noodling? Check. Welp, I’ll just pen you in at #36.
1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50 | 51-55 | 56-60 | 61-65 | 66-70 | 71-75 | 76-80 |81-85 | 86-90 | 91-95 | 96-100 |
One Trackback
[...] | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50 | 51-55 | 56-60 | 61-65 | 66-70 | 71-75 | 76-80 |81-85 | 86-90 | 91-95 [...]