Somebody Do Something

As the guardian music section says, “It's almost the end of the year... Let's make lists!”

Let’s indeed.

Traditionally, I have a hard time of naming my favourite songs of the year, not least because I always become embroiled in some kind of argument with myself about whether tracks count that I heard last year, but were only released as singles this year. The world of mp3 blogging doesn’t do anything to help matters, obviously, but the vast ocean of possible tracks to list out there has forced me to impose some kind of rules on myself otherwise I’d still be sitting listing songs in a week’s time.

As ever, the rules are vague, and I’ve discovered after deleting a few false starts of this paragraph, impossible to summarise. Not a lot of help I know. Essentially though, being a good song isn’t enough. It has to have some kind of significance in both the grand scheme of things and my own little world. It has to somehow stand out from the crowd, and have a certain degree of originality. Basically, it needs to stand up for itself devoid of any context- as a perfectly crafted slice of pop music.

Here’s the list, with some choice mp3s.

10. Prinzhorn Dance School- You are the Space Invader -
Buy album from Amazon

9. Diplo- Must be a Devil

8. The Shins- Sealegs

7. The Teenagers- Homecoming -
Buy 7" from Pure Groove (Be quick!)

6. Grinderman- No Pussy Blues -
Buy album from Amazon

5. Rihanna- Umbrella

4. The Rakes- We Danced Together (Sebastian Mix) -

3. Justice- D.A.N.C.E

2. M.I.A- Paper Planes -
Buy album from HMV

1. LCD Soundsystem- All My Friends


I thought I'd get in there quickly before Pitchfork steals all my choices for their countdown. Albums will no doubt follow soon!