My Favorite Pop Songs of 2006
It feels like a fitting way to start this blog by posting a list of songs, complete with some of the best music videos of the year!
20. The Decemberists - Summersong (The Crane Wife)
I feel like I was one of the only people who thought The Crane Wife was a little underwhelming. Sure, the epic "The Crane Wife pt. 1 & 2" was one of the most incredible songs that the Decemberists have ever done, but mostly the album just left me cold. This song is pretty good though. And this is not an official video or anything like that, I just thought it was funny.
19. Robert Pollard - Dancing Girls and Dancing Men(From a Compound Eye)
I figured with as much as Bob Pollard has given to me, I owed it to him to get him on this list. Sure, From a Compound Eye doesn't come anywhere near classic GBV but it's still pretty fucking good.
18. Built to Spill - Conventional Wisdom (You in Reverse)
Just a killer song from Built to Spill. Has the epic feel of records like Perfect from Now On and Keep it Like a Secret with the more raw pop-oriented sound of the earlier records.
17. The Pipettes - Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling) (We are the Pipettes)
I discovered this album really, really, really late. Initially, I wrote the Pipettes off as nothing but a gimmick after hearing "I Like a Boy in Uniform (School Uniform)" and only recently listened to the full length. And oh how surprised I was! I was expecting more of a 60's girl group feel and yeah, it has that, but the music feels more twee than anything. And I love that. I love that so much. And this song, this album is just so much fun!
16. Beirut - Postcards from Italy(Gulag Orkestar)
I don't know if I can justify this as a pop song, but goddamnit it makes me feel so so good everytime I hear it. Another album I didn't get into until after the fact, but better late than never I guess. And those neutral, milky trumpets. MM! One of the most wonderful and inventive records/songs of the year.
15. Dave Fischoff - Rain Rain Gasoline (The Crawl)
Listen to : "Ghost of the Afternoon"
The song I have linked is not that good and really, Fischoff's The Crawl is just a pretty good album. But that song, "Rain Rain Gasoline" kills me and I am very sad that I could not find an MP3 of it to share.
14. Danielson - Did I Step On Your Trumpet (Ships)
The "Wolf Like Me" of the late summer/early fall on KJHK. It seemed like every time I turned on the radio this song was on, and every time I kept the dial locked. The places this song goes, the way it morphs over three minutes always knocks me on my ass because it feels like it's over before it even started.
13. The Starlight Mints - Inside of Me(Drowaton)
A wonderful, drippy and excited pop song, everything that a good pop song should be. I don't know what else to say, other than that it would be impossible for me to ignore a song like this on a list like this.
12. The Replacements - Message to the Boys (Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?)
Listen to: "Alex Chilton" one of the greatest pop songs in history.
Again, another song I had a hard time trying to justify for this list. The Replacements are without a doubt one of the greatest rock bands of all time, but I think of a song like "Alex Chilton" and realize that they were an amazing power pop band. That song is one of my favorite songs of all time, and the new song that they recorded for their career retrospective, "Message to the Boys," is vintage Mats and, of all the songs on this list, is the one that got stuck in my head the most this year.
11. Morrissey - You Have Killed Me (Ringleader of the Tormenters)
The man still has it. Spring semester I covered the the Wednesday afternoon show(2-4, the show I had this fall) and it was right after Brandon H's, and I remember convincing him to play the new Morrissey single as the last song of his show, the one that had just come in to rotation. And I remember the volume being turned up very loud in the studio, and I remember us jumping around and singing along to the song. And I remember this song blaring out of my car at various times during the summer (how lame!).
10. Matthew Friedberger - The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co. Resignation Letter(Winter Women)
This came on my iPod while I was trekking across Colorado with my family. Driving through the mountains, this little gem popping into my headphones was so welcome. So catchy! So wonderful to listen to! It's a great little song that ended up getting buried on Friedberger's overwhelming/substandard double album.
9. Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks(Writer's Block)
Undeniable. A dancey pop song with whistling, one that burnt up the blogs and for good reason! It's almost perfect. In my world of perfect pop songs, this song could play. I'm not quite sure if it's there yet, in my mind, but it's pretty damn close. Listen, and watch the weird/cute video!
8. The Blow - Parenthesis(Paper Television)
As the countdown gets closer and closer to number one, it gets harder to write about these songs without using words like "perfect," "wonderful," "poptastic," etc. This is another one of those songs. It completely exploits everything wonderful and weird about indie pop and turns out one of the catchiest tunes (with some of the weirdest and most enjoyable lyrics) of the year.
7. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken (Let's Get Out of the Country)
A great song that shows the great lengths that twee pop has traveled over the years. A great melody and chorus with syrupy strings to bring it home, one of those songs that I hit the back button for. It just gets it right every time.
6. Voxtrot - Soft and Warm(Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives EP)
The toughest decision for this list was choosing which Voxtrot song would be on it. They released two completely stellar EPs in 2006 (Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Your Biggest Fan) and the bands growth between the two EPs just shows the band getting better and better. Refining their sound and becoming one of the best new bands around. And definitely the band that I am most excited about for 2007. "Soft & Warm," I think, is the most exceptional, and really, it's only slightly better than all of the other songs. But it has something to it, maybe it's that "Baby I'd leave you for the person you used to be" line. I don't know. But, for reference, here are the ones I was deciding between:
Voxtrot - Trouble
Voxtrot - Your Biggest Fan
Voxtrot - Four Long Days
Voxtrot - Rise Up in the Dirt
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives
5. Islands - Rough Gem (Return to the Sea)
Aside their live show being one of the most excruciating experiences of 2006 (the night before, drummer J'amie Tambeur quit the band and that night, Nick Diamonds was a complete jerk (but the jerkiness would not be explained until months later)), Return to the Sea was still one of the best records. The potential that the Unicorns always had, but could never realize as the Unicorns. The next logical step in Nick Diamonds' rise as one of the kings of indie pop. This song is everything that a pop song should be AND has the cutest music video of the year to accompany it!
4. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Scattered Pearls(Etiquette)
This song. It's like a little beautiful breeze that you feel for a few seconds, and it feels nicer than anything you've felt in a long time, and then it's gone. But it isn't any longer than it needs to be. Another one of those perfect pop songs that completely fulfills every goal that it sets out to meet.
Video for: "The Subway Home" (I found a hilarious live version of "Scattered Pearls" where Owen sings the song and it was only hilarious because it was so awkward. This video is prettier.)
3. Belle & Sebastian - The Blues are Still Blue(The Life Pursuit)
When I first heard this album in January I openly hated every song with the exception of "The Blues are Still Blue." Other than that, I thought thought the band had expelled of all the cuteness that they'd developed for a bland modern rock record. And over the year, I got over it and slowly embraced the record and now I really enjoy it! And it is a lot cuter than it used to be, and this song, well, it only got better. And the video only helped.
2. I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona (Let Me Introduce My Friends)
This song is pure evil. It hooks you in at the very VERY beginning of the song and just doesn't let go. It's adorable and fun and makes me move my body in ways that none of the other songs on this list make me move my body. And those horns! And those voices! Props to James Barr for recommending this to me, and the look on his face when I said I hadn't heard the song yet. It expressed something saying I NEEDED to hear this song. That it would change my life or something and, for about a month, listening to it a few times a day, it did. It made everything brighter and more tolerable and, when the song is on, for three minutes the world becomes a better place.
1. Portastatic - Sour Shores (Be Still Please)
This song is destructive. Everything that a pop song should be and, without a doubt in my mind, the greatest pop song of 2006. And while this list is not a "Best of," simply a list of my favorite songs, I have no reservations in declaring this the BEST pop song of 2006. None at all. Because it is. It has to be (in my mind). I discovered it on accident, too. The new Portastatic record was in rotation and I was scrounging to get my 12 rotation songs in, and it just sort of fell into my hands. "I like the cover," I thought, "and the reviewer really likes this 'Sour Shores' song so I guess I'll play that." And I was hooked. I think I might have made an announcement on air asking Lawrence if they had just heard what I heard. I have probably listened to this song more than a hundred times and NEVER ONCE has it gotten old. It's still as fresh as when I first heard it and, at four and a half minutes, never gets boring and has enough tricks up its sleeve to keep you hooked in until the very end.
Sadly, there is no video for this song, but there IS for this one:
Video for "Song for a Clock":
And now, it is with great pleasure that I crown Portastatic's Mac MacCaughan as 2006's King of Indie Pop!
YOU GO GIRL!
As always,
Ian.
20. The Decemberists - Summersong (The Crane Wife)
I feel like I was one of the only people who thought The Crane Wife was a little underwhelming. Sure, the epic "The Crane Wife pt. 1 & 2" was one of the most incredible songs that the Decemberists have ever done, but mostly the album just left me cold. This song is pretty good though. And this is not an official video or anything like that, I just thought it was funny.
19. Robert Pollard - Dancing Girls and Dancing Men(From a Compound Eye)
I figured with as much as Bob Pollard has given to me, I owed it to him to get him on this list. Sure, From a Compound Eye doesn't come anywhere near classic GBV but it's still pretty fucking good.
18. Built to Spill - Conventional Wisdom (You in Reverse)
Just a killer song from Built to Spill. Has the epic feel of records like Perfect from Now On and Keep it Like a Secret with the more raw pop-oriented sound of the earlier records.
17. The Pipettes - Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling) (We are the Pipettes)
I discovered this album really, really, really late. Initially, I wrote the Pipettes off as nothing but a gimmick after hearing "I Like a Boy in Uniform (School Uniform)" and only recently listened to the full length. And oh how surprised I was! I was expecting more of a 60's girl group feel and yeah, it has that, but the music feels more twee than anything. And I love that. I love that so much. And this song, this album is just so much fun!
16. Beirut - Postcards from Italy(Gulag Orkestar)
I don't know if I can justify this as a pop song, but goddamnit it makes me feel so so good everytime I hear it. Another album I didn't get into until after the fact, but better late than never I guess. And those neutral, milky trumpets. MM! One of the most wonderful and inventive records/songs of the year.
15. Dave Fischoff - Rain Rain Gasoline (The Crawl)
Listen to : "Ghost of the Afternoon"
The song I have linked is not that good and really, Fischoff's The Crawl is just a pretty good album. But that song, "Rain Rain Gasoline" kills me and I am very sad that I could not find an MP3 of it to share.
14. Danielson - Did I Step On Your Trumpet (Ships)
The "Wolf Like Me" of the late summer/early fall on KJHK. It seemed like every time I turned on the radio this song was on, and every time I kept the dial locked. The places this song goes, the way it morphs over three minutes always knocks me on my ass because it feels like it's over before it even started.
13. The Starlight Mints - Inside of Me(Drowaton)
A wonderful, drippy and excited pop song, everything that a good pop song should be. I don't know what else to say, other than that it would be impossible for me to ignore a song like this on a list like this.
12. The Replacements - Message to the Boys (Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?)
Listen to: "Alex Chilton" one of the greatest pop songs in history.
Again, another song I had a hard time trying to justify for this list. The Replacements are without a doubt one of the greatest rock bands of all time, but I think of a song like "Alex Chilton" and realize that they were an amazing power pop band. That song is one of my favorite songs of all time, and the new song that they recorded for their career retrospective, "Message to the Boys," is vintage Mats and, of all the songs on this list, is the one that got stuck in my head the most this year.
11. Morrissey - You Have Killed Me (Ringleader of the Tormenters)
The man still has it. Spring semester I covered the the Wednesday afternoon show(2-4, the show I had this fall) and it was right after Brandon H's, and I remember convincing him to play the new Morrissey single as the last song of his show, the one that had just come in to rotation. And I remember the volume being turned up very loud in the studio, and I remember us jumping around and singing along to the song. And I remember this song blaring out of my car at various times during the summer (how lame!).
10. Matthew Friedberger - The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co. Resignation Letter(Winter Women)
This came on my iPod while I was trekking across Colorado with my family. Driving through the mountains, this little gem popping into my headphones was so welcome. So catchy! So wonderful to listen to! It's a great little song that ended up getting buried on Friedberger's overwhelming/substandard double album.
9. Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks(Writer's Block)
Undeniable. A dancey pop song with whistling, one that burnt up the blogs and for good reason! It's almost perfect. In my world of perfect pop songs, this song could play. I'm not quite sure if it's there yet, in my mind, but it's pretty damn close. Listen, and watch the weird/cute video!
8. The Blow - Parenthesis(Paper Television)
As the countdown gets closer and closer to number one, it gets harder to write about these songs without using words like "perfect," "wonderful," "poptastic," etc. This is another one of those songs. It completely exploits everything wonderful and weird about indie pop and turns out one of the catchiest tunes (with some of the weirdest and most enjoyable lyrics) of the year.
7. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken (Let's Get Out of the Country)
A great song that shows the great lengths that twee pop has traveled over the years. A great melody and chorus with syrupy strings to bring it home, one of those songs that I hit the back button for. It just gets it right every time.
6. Voxtrot - Soft and Warm(Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives EP)
The toughest decision for this list was choosing which Voxtrot song would be on it. They released two completely stellar EPs in 2006 (Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Your Biggest Fan) and the bands growth between the two EPs just shows the band getting better and better. Refining their sound and becoming one of the best new bands around. And definitely the band that I am most excited about for 2007. "Soft & Warm," I think, is the most exceptional, and really, it's only slightly better than all of the other songs. But it has something to it, maybe it's that "Baby I'd leave you for the person you used to be" line. I don't know. But, for reference, here are the ones I was deciding between:
Voxtrot - Trouble
Voxtrot - Your Biggest Fan
Voxtrot - Four Long Days
Voxtrot - Rise Up in the Dirt
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives
5. Islands - Rough Gem (Return to the Sea)
Aside their live show being one of the most excruciating experiences of 2006 (the night before, drummer J'amie Tambeur quit the band and that night, Nick Diamonds was a complete jerk (but the jerkiness would not be explained until months later)), Return to the Sea was still one of the best records. The potential that the Unicorns always had, but could never realize as the Unicorns. The next logical step in Nick Diamonds' rise as one of the kings of indie pop. This song is everything that a pop song should be AND has the cutest music video of the year to accompany it!
4. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Scattered Pearls(Etiquette)
This song. It's like a little beautiful breeze that you feel for a few seconds, and it feels nicer than anything you've felt in a long time, and then it's gone. But it isn't any longer than it needs to be. Another one of those perfect pop songs that completely fulfills every goal that it sets out to meet.
Video for: "The Subway Home" (I found a hilarious live version of "Scattered Pearls" where Owen sings the song and it was only hilarious because it was so awkward. This video is prettier.)
3. Belle & Sebastian - The Blues are Still Blue(The Life Pursuit)
When I first heard this album in January I openly hated every song with the exception of "The Blues are Still Blue." Other than that, I thought thought the band had expelled of all the cuteness that they'd developed for a bland modern rock record. And over the year, I got over it and slowly embraced the record and now I really enjoy it! And it is a lot cuter than it used to be, and this song, well, it only got better. And the video only helped.
2. I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona (Let Me Introduce My Friends)
This song is pure evil. It hooks you in at the very VERY beginning of the song and just doesn't let go. It's adorable and fun and makes me move my body in ways that none of the other songs on this list make me move my body. And those horns! And those voices! Props to James Barr for recommending this to me, and the look on his face when I said I hadn't heard the song yet. It expressed something saying I NEEDED to hear this song. That it would change my life or something and, for about a month, listening to it a few times a day, it did. It made everything brighter and more tolerable and, when the song is on, for three minutes the world becomes a better place.
1. Portastatic - Sour Shores (Be Still Please)
This song is destructive. Everything that a pop song should be and, without a doubt in my mind, the greatest pop song of 2006. And while this list is not a "Best of," simply a list of my favorite songs, I have no reservations in declaring this the BEST pop song of 2006. None at all. Because it is. It has to be (in my mind). I discovered it on accident, too. The new Portastatic record was in rotation and I was scrounging to get my 12 rotation songs in, and it just sort of fell into my hands. "I like the cover," I thought, "and the reviewer really likes this 'Sour Shores' song so I guess I'll play that." And I was hooked. I think I might have made an announcement on air asking Lawrence if they had just heard what I heard. I have probably listened to this song more than a hundred times and NEVER ONCE has it gotten old. It's still as fresh as when I first heard it and, at four and a half minutes, never gets boring and has enough tricks up its sleeve to keep you hooked in until the very end.
Sadly, there is no video for this song, but there IS for this one:
Video for "Song for a Clock":
And now, it is with great pleasure that I crown Portastatic's Mac MacCaughan as 2006's King of Indie Pop!
YOU GO GIRL!
As always,
Ian.
posted by Ian at 1:52 PM
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