#1 Song Rewind 2005-2009

I'd love to have some new music to share, but all my favorite blogs and radio shows are busying themselves with these self-important year-end countdowns. What a waste.

So instead of trying to put up the hottest new thing, I will commit the cardinal sin of music blogging and put up some older tracks for your listening pleasure. These tracks topped the Pursuit of Catchiness year-end countdown back when I didn't need a blog to share music with my friends because we all lived in a one-square-mile radius at Princeton. With a nod to my #1 album of 1994, let me take a trip down memory lane:

2009: Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move

The best track from the best album of last year, hands down. Dr. Sean Maguire told Will in Good Will Hunting that a soulmate is "someone who challenges you." That explains my boundless love for 2009's Bitte Orca, an album that I have listened to and marveled at without end. "Stillness is the Move," with its hip-hop sensibility and jaw-dropping vocals, was my introduction to the magical world of Dave Longstreth et al. Bonus: after catching their show at the Somerville Theater (best concert I ever saw), me and Paul met the band at Redbones and bought them a round of Dogfish. It was awesome.

2008: Metaform - Urban Velvet

What would happen if the old John Coltrane Quartet with McCoy Tyner on the keys got DJ Premier to produce a track for them? This track, from Metaform's absolutely dirty Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, represents my best guess. His solid instrumental album, composed entirely of samples, follows nicely in the tradition of groundbreaker DJ Shadow and provides a more polished counterpoint to fellow sample maestro Girl Talk.

2007: Beirut - Nantes

One of several remarkable tracks from 2007's The Flying Club Cup, "Nantes" gets the nod for epitomizing the Balkan pop sound that has come to be so associated with Zach Condon and his band. Beirut's performance at Terrace Lawnparties in the fall of 2007 was probably a highlight of my life.

2006: TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me

Rock and roll lives! Reanimated by the power of electricity, with Nigerian-born lead singer Tunde Adebimpe in the role of Dr. Frankenstein, TV on the Radio are alive indeed and continue to haunt the dreams of would-be Brooklyn rockers everywhere. "Wolf Like Me" is the clearest manifestation of the raw sonic energy that defined Return to Cookie Mountain, one of the best albums of 2006. Best served loud.

2005: AZ - The Come Up

You don't have to wear skinny jeans or smoke Parliaments to make good music in Brooklyn. On "The Come Up," Brooklyn stalwart AZ teams up with DJ Premier (only the Greatest Producer of All Time) for a lyrical stroll through parts of the borough where even the most intrepid hipsters dare not tread. When a perennially underrated MC gets a chance to shine on a track by DJ Premier, you know he'll bring his A-game. Premo delivers the goods as always: the beat is tight, and the hook features cuts so clean you could dress a wound with 'em.

#1. What It's All About

A musical whole should be greater than the sum of its parts. From Gregorian chant to Gregory Isaacs, from Bach to Bacharach, musicians have seized on the powerful auditory effect of combining lines of music to make something beautiful. In the most transcendent pieces, the musical output ceases to feel like a creation and itself assumes the role of creator: the dynamic interplay of the varied and unique parts weaves a tapestry of its own reality, complete with musical truths and lies, rights and wrongs, triumphs and disappointments. You know it when you hear it - and it's something special.

With that fittingly hyperbolic preamble, the time has come to reveal the number one song of the year. Simply put, if you don’t like this song, you’re wrong. Take a Q-tip, soak it in Listerine, clean the poor musical taste out of your ears, and give it another listen. Swedish rockers The Radio Dept. have really outdone themselves on this track, piling layer upon layer of musical brilliance onto "Heaven's on Fire" until it’s in danger of tipping over under the weight of its own awesome. 

#1. The Radio Dept. - Heaven's on Fire

How do I love this song? Let me count the ways. There’s the simple but flawless rhythm guitar, which really needs to be bottled and distributed to pop-music wannabes around the world. Then the lead guitar – actually two tracks – comes in for the first time around 0:42 with a delicate and supremely melodic motif that resurfaces at opportune moments throughout the track like the musical equivalent of Robert Horry. For the chorus, they’ve traded the toy piano for a real piano, and its rolling chords make for a perfect change of pace without losing any sonic intensity. Finally, in the last minute, another surprise: the horns section, which heralds the arrival of the King of All Singles, long may he reign.

There have been some damn good songs on this countdown, but this was a no-brainer for the #1 spot since I decided to write it. I spend countless hours trying to find good new music. Once in a while, I stumble across a song like this, and the feeling of hearing it for the first time is what it's all about. "Heaven's on Fire" comes in at #1 because whether on the first listen or the 301st, this song still makes me feel like I've discovered something beautiful.

#2. Anybody for doubles?

Everybody likes tennis. I like tennis, and in 2010 I also really enjoyed Tennis. This husband-wife duo from Denver put out a 7” single in July that has had the blogosphere buzzing for months in anticipation of their full-length LP, now set for a January release. Unable to decide which I like more, I am giving two-for-one honors to Tennis, with both the A- and B-sides of their single Baltimore coming in as the #2 song of 2010.

#2. Tennis - Marathon

#2. Tennis - Baltimore

The music on this single and the upcoming album was mainly inspired by an eight-month sailing sojourn that Tennis took up and down the Atlantic coast last year, culminating in their marriage in the Bahamas. Having recently enjoyed both sailing and getting married on the Atlantic coast – though unfortunately not at the same time – this is a concept album I can get behind.

Tennis sailing (from their Myspace)

Husband (me!) and wife sailing - kinda like Tennis

The songs themselves refer to places that they saw along the way: “Baltimore,” “Marathon” (in the Florida Keys, not Greece), “South Carolina.” The lo-fi aesthetic and basic construction of these pop gems evoke the simplicity of life at sea, though the lyrics don’t whitewash the attendant hardships. "Marathon" recounts one harrowing moment near Coconut Grove: “We didn’t realize/ that we had arrived/ at high tide, high tide/ barely made it out alive.” Arrival in Baltimore brought equally pressing dangers of a more pecuniary sort: “Can we get a job? / We’ve come this far/ is that asking a lot?” Reality has a way of intruding on even our most idyllic moments, but the life-affirming timbre of the whole album leaves an impression more of smooth sailing than sudden squalls.

With its endlessly catchy bass line and handclaps, “Marathon” is the belle of the ball, and right around 1:15 I usually get goosebumps. But don’t sleep on “Baltimore” either – like its namesake, the song is a bit grittier, but the fuzzy vocals and distorted guitar riff complement each other beautifully, especially in the chorus. Taken together, both tracks bear the hallmark of a vibrant, coastal sensibility that's as crisp and fresh as sea spray.

I passed on a chance to see Tennis this week on account of Monday Night Football. I won't deny that this makes me a boorish philistine - though unlike the Philistines of old, my team won (45-3!). Don't make the same mistake as I did; pause tonight's Celtics game for 10 minutes and give Tennis a listen. One of my favorite bands of the year, they've crafted masterfully emotive sea shanties and ballads for the modern spirit adrift - beating on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. 

#3. Catchiness Caught

The Pursuit of Catchiness, you say? The #3 song of the year has pursued catchiness, captured it, and feasted ravenously on its juicy innards. Brought to you by the awesomely weird Ariel Pink (né Rosenberg) and his band, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, the many-splendored thing entitled "Round and Round" was recently described by Gorilla vs Bear as "the undisputed best song of 2010." I guess I'm disputing that to a degree - there are still two songs left to come on the countdown - but there's no debating that its robust harmonies, clever orchestration, and Mona Lisa of a chorus make this a song for the ages.

Speaking of the ages, it's fascinating to think that before the late 19th century, nobody had ever heard the same exact song twice. Meanwhile, I have personally enjoyed this track well over 200 times since it came out in the spring of 2010. This comes out to an average of about once a day, meaning I successfully listened to this song with more frequency than I remembered to take my One-A-Day® vitamins. Get your first dose below and see what has kept me coming back for my daily booster shot of boogie.

#3. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round 


The song opens with a hint of the deep harmonies that will come to define the track, mixes in a little interplay with the keyboards, and finally settles down into a cool groove. Choose your metaphor to describe the initial sensation of Ariel's hypnotic voice and the persistent, repetitive bass line: a merry-go-round seems facile; I prefer to envision Alice descending the rabbit hole, or George Clinton's fully operational mothership making a swirling approach into a black hole formed by shrunken cosmic (bass) strings. 

However you see it, after about two minutes you get your first taste of the song's crown jewel, its unapologetically poppy chorus. If you insist on describing it as cheesy, at least grant me that it is more of a sharp Vermont cheddar than a Kraft single. Appreciate the earnestness with which it is sung - and Ariel is a pop enthusiast, so irony is not intended. There is something undeniably uplifting in the utterly uninhibited refrain, a Phil Spector-esque "Wall of Sound" that deserves a place in the Cooperstown of Choruses.

Ariel wisely hitches his wagon to the refrain's star, riding it into the sunset. In the end, is there something almost saccharine about "Round and Round?" Maybe. But Diet Sunkist is full of saccharine, and that's a pretty damn good drink. So drink it up - on ice or straight out of the can, Ariel Pink's "Round and Round" always goes down smooth.

#4. Wait until the weekend

Do not adjust your stereo while listening to the #4 song, and whatever you do, do NOT fast-forward. Good things come to those who wait. I first heard this song in the taproom of my beloved Terrace F. Club at Princeton Reunions 2010. After a minute or so, I must admit that I looked skeptically at the alum who had put the song on and was now just bobbing his head with a knowing smile. But then, at the 3:00 mark (3:10 to be precise), the heavens opened, the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal to the infectious beat of the most explosive dance jam this side of the Rapture.

#4. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean

Like my career path since college, “Dance Yrself Clean” starts slowly. For the first couple minutes, there’s nothing but simple percussion (handclaps and a cowbell feature prominently), alternating high and low synth notes on the first beat of every measure, and the deceptively vanilla voice of 40-year-old James Murphy (AKA LCD Soundsystem). Finally around the 2:00 mark, a higher-pitched but still basic synth riff provides a faint hint of the vibrant soundscape to come.

To my mind, the structure of the song isn’t just a gimmick; it's supposed to mirror life. In the beginning, there's the mundane, tedious, predictable rhythm of the workweek, and Murphy is practically sleepwalking through the routine. But then - “don’t you want me to wake up?” he sings – and the track comes alive. The fabled weekend has arrived, and finally our protagonist can dance himself clean of a week's worth of brown-nosing, boot-licking, and otherwise preparing a face to meet the faces that you meet. The raw energy of this track in its final six minutes reflect the powerful joy of that fleeting emancipation from the quotidian, and it's all the more accentuated by its contrast with the deliberate, almost plodding cadence of the song's opening.

But really, you don’t have to think too hard about "Dance Yrself Clean" to enjoy it. I could just as well have posted this song with the note "listen to the whole thing - loud," and you'd get the picture. I respect a song that takes longer than fits into a ringtone to build up to greatness, and Murphy, who made mediocre music for nearly two decades before debuting as LCD Soundsystem, certainly knows a thing or two about that. Whether as a metaphor for life, an epic dance track, or something in-between, "Dance Yrself Clean" is an absolute banger that's well deserving of a spot on the Top 10 of 2010.

#5. The Sweet Science

After blasting onto the music scene with their critically-acclaimed “All Hour Cymbals” back in 2007, Brooklyn rockers Yeasayer put together their latest album with all the urgency of a DMV clerk. While the band busied themselves with touring, partying, and posing for the obligatory “uninterested band leaning against a wall” group shot, music fans from Red Hook to Fort Greene could only fill the intervening months by growing moustaches and pretending to really like Animal Collective. So it was that 2010’s “Odd Blood” was one of the most anticipated releases of the year, and its lead single “Ambling Alp” is the #5 song on our countdown.

#5. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

Unlike so many songs, “Ambling Alp” is actually about something: boxing. The song’s title is a reference to Primo Carnera, an Italian-American heavyweight champion who earned the nickname “The Ambling Alp” due to his impressive height. The avuncular adages and grandfatherly advice that comprise much of the lyrics are homage to lead singer Chris Keating’s grandfather, a one-time journeyman boxer. They hearken back to a day when men were men, doctors recommended cigarettes, and Communists were a threat other than in the realm of political hyperbole.

Musically, Yeasayer come into the bout in fighting shape. This bouncy track is all about the percussion, and  the drums open up with a flurry of combinations guaranteed to leave the listener dazed and on the ropes from the opening bell. The distinctive swinging feel is evoked by the usage of 12/8 time, wherein each beat is broken into three parts instead of the usual two. Anchored by this unique meter, the soundscape is further punctuated by sound effects from rushing water to something that sounds like C-3PO burping.

Against this dynamic backdrop, the vocals cut out cleanly and surely, unafraid to go toe-to-toe with the one-two punch of the driving beat and relentless keyboards. The cumulative effect is Tyson in his prime: a first-round knockout. "Ambling Alp" is a feel-good song that, while it may not have shaken up the world in 2010, shook my subwoofer with enough frequency to earn the title of #5 song of the year.

#6. You can call him Francis

As Winston Churchill (or was it Lisa Simpson?) once said: Francis Farewell Starlite is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Upon first viewing the iconic video for his 2008 single "The Top" during a trip to San Francisco this past March, I felt many things: curiosity, wonder, profound confusion, and maybe even fear.  I had to know more. Once I saw this take-no-prisoners rehearsal video from his grimy basement apartment, I was utterly hooked, and even started wearing Jerry's laptop as a hat to better hear every revelatory note .

Hearing Francis for the first time

Hard as this may be to believe, Francis Farewell Starlite was not his birth name, though it is his legal name now. Formerly known as Abraham, Francis studied musical composition and piano performance at Wesleyan. His tightly composed and cleanly executed tracks reflect that classical training as well as another oft-cited influence: "The Elements of Style" by Strunk & White. This penchant for conciseness and simplicity, coupled with his melodic sensibility, manifests itself in a lot of short, pleasant, nice-to-listen-to songs - something of a rarity these days. 


In choosing a song from Francis's 2010 album "It'll Be Better" for the Countdown, I was spoiled for choice. The album was probably my favorite release of the year; the songs drip with honesty and emotion, and the compositional creativity in every track is a testament to the wide range of influences Francis is drawing on (he eschews comparisons, but artists and critics have nonetheless invoked Prince, Phil Collins, James Dean, James Brown, Joe Cocker, and Peter Gabriel in trying to describe his sound and stage presence). For me, however, the album's high point is undoubtedly "Darling, It's Alright."

#6. Francis and the Lights - Darling, It's Alright


This song is quintessential Francis. Strunk & White implore the writer to "omit needless words," and Francis has done just that in this tight 2:23 track. "Prefer the standard to the offbeat," they suggest - and indeed the song starts conventionally, with Francis singing Huey Lewis-esque over the piano and a simple drum backing before building steadily. "Work from a suitable design," Strunk & White say, and here Francis has his master stroke: two verses, a quick refrain after each, and then a breakdown taking it all the way home.

Ah, the breakdown - the Situation to this song's Jersey Shore, lending it a whole new level of profundity and intensity. The bass line reaches up into the cosmos whence Francis arrived in an escape pod from Krypton so many years ago, while the drums align with his impassioned singing for maximum effect. Songs like this one are best seen live - and at the show I caught back in April, Francis had the small crowd hanging on his every Godfather of Soul-inspired gyration. A musical icon perhaps arriving on the scene 20 years too late, Francis and the Lights have the #6 song of 2010.

Left to right: Me, Francis, Mike T. and Paul at the Middle East in Cambridge

#7. The Fundamental Beat of the Universe

#7. Toro y Moi - Low Shoulder

Toro y Moi is the polyglot stage name of Chaz Bundick, South Carolinian producer and DJ extraordinaire, whose dance-pop tour de force “Low Shoulder” comes in at the #7 spot on the Countdown. I first got acquainted with Toro y Moi’s unique style and mastery of the soundboards last year when he remixed Washed Out’s “Feel it All Around.” On that track, and others like this year’s excellent “You Hid,” Toro y Moi weaves deftly between hi- and lo-fidelity, creating a sensation of floating and detachment from reality – life as a permanent dreamscape.

On “Low Shoulder,” he weaves somewhat less subtly between pumping the jams and pumping the jams, creating a sensation with symptoms similar to acute funk syndrome and chronic head bob-itis. If this song does not make you want to get down like James Brown, seek medical attention immediately, as you could be in dire need of a groove marrow transplant. 

In the first few bars of the track, the keyboard comes in with what can only be described as the fundamental beat of the universe – the first jams God put on his 8-track player after he turned on the lights. Soon accompanied by a thumping bass line, hand claps, and soaring synths, the song builds in less than thirty seconds to a full-blown dance party in a box. It’s the type of sonic explosion that needs to be blasted through speakers to be fully appreciated – save the earbuds for the subway.

By the time the song reaches its mini-breakdown at the 2:15 mark, it’s clear that Toro y Moi is fully in control of the jam sandwich that he has created, served up on a party platter, and washed down with a pre-prohibition Four Loko. His show at the Middle East in Cambridge this past May was canceled after somebody stole his laptop in Brooklyn – occupational hazard of hipsterdom - but I’ll see him next time he’s in town, and you should too. Making the best beats out there right now, Toro y Moi was a no-brainer for the Top Ten of 2010.

#8. The "Real Estate" Boom

In these troubled times, Americans have been rocked by the realization that even that most reliable of economic redoubts - home ownership - can be as volatile as your Lehman Brothers mortgage-backed securities. Personally, I have built a foundation for long-term wealth on Blockbuster stock, a great tech company (Boo.com), and investments in the next big thing in home entertainment: "LaserDiscs." But regardless of the direction of the housing market, you can't fail with this hot tip: for hockey-stick growth potential, positive cash flows, and consistently excellent quarterly performances, stick with Real Estate in FY2011 and beyond.

Real Estate almost lost the chance to be on this Countdown, as their self-titled debut came out in late 2009. However, they took a break from a busy summer of touring to release a 7" single in October, which comes in at the #8 spot.

#8. Real Estate - Out of Tune



From the first few chords of this track, I could tell that the band hadn't strayed too far from the laid-back, chilled-out grooves that had made Real Estate one of the best albums of 2009. The bandmates come from New Jersey, where the beaches' lack of beauty is exceeded only by their lack of cleanliness. In spite of this, the simple guitar riffs and steady, increasingly persistent drumming (which occasionally snaps into double time) evoke the best days of summer, when the rhythm of the waves hitting the sand and the faded music blending with the sounds of the beach hypnotize you into thinking that maybe it could all go on forever.

Like a Hoodsie cup with that wooden stick for a spoon, "Out of Tune" is a simple summer treat that keeps you coming back for more. Only one album in, Real Estate have established themselves as a band with a timeless sound and a knack for transforming good vibes into good music. Stick some sand to the bottom of a sweaty Corona bottle, sit back, and enjoy.

#9. Number nine, number nine, number nine...

Number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine...

And now, for something completely different, we turn to “Thieves” by She & Him. “She” is Zooey Deschanel, an actress who I am only familiar with as Uncle Andy's crazy ex-girlfriend Kat in Seasons Two and Three of Weeds. I've yet to block out two hours of my undivided attention to watch "500 Days of Summer," her romantic comedy with the guy who played the sad little kid in "Angels in the Outfield."  But while she may not have made my Oscar shortlist, her work as one half of She & Him has landed her and Him firmly in the coveted #9 spot on the Top 10 of 2010.

Grammatical objections notwithstanding, "Him" is M. Ward, a singer-songwriter who has been kicking around the independent music scene for the better part of the decade. He handles most of the musical heavy lifting - writing and arranging the songs, as well as playing the instruments - then wisely gets out of the way for Zooey to sing the melody on their best tracks. 

M. Ward has cited Johnny Cash as a major influence, but I hear more of June Carter Cash in "Thieves," the best song off She & Him's second album Volume Two. Zooey's hint of a country twang (presumably affected, as she hails from LA) imbues the song with a classic American pathos, heightened by the simple, plaintive character of the lyrics:

And I know / and you know, too / that a love like ours / is terrible news / but that won't stop me crying / no that won't stop me crying over you

#9. She and Him - Thieves



The song builds to its climactic high note, which is delivered with unexpected intensity. At that moment, you can practically see the heartbreaking bastard driving away on a windswept highway in his '72 Chevy while Zooey looks on forlornly from a dust cloud, choking on the bitter taste of too many words left unspoken. Or not.

Either way, there's something beautiful about Zooey's voice and the simple, elegant structure of this quintessential American love song - one of the best of 2010.

#10. The Countdown Begins

The end of a year, which is the impetus for this Top Ten countdown, is a good opportunity to consider the profoundly arbitrary nature of our concept of time. The breakdown of 365.2564 revolutions of Earth around the sun into units of twenty-four, and then further into units of sixty, is just the tip of the iceberg. The true arbitrariness derives from the fundamental fact that our concept of time is based on the orbit of our measly planet around our relatively average sun. The utter narcissism inherent in such a conception should be plain to any unbiased observer. The “end of 2010” then is noteworthy only in an arbitrary, geocentric framework that will undoubtedly make us the laughingstock of our interstellar neighbors when they arrive to colonize us. 

Speaking of arbitrariness and narcissism, I shall now begin to list my Top Ten songs of 2010 in countdown form for dramatic effect. Just what subtle harmony or delicate transposition will succeed in separating #7 from #8? Only time will tell. Without further ado, let the countdown begin.

#10. jj – My Way

My sister Caroline will love this because, like our Olympic bandy-playing au pair Malin circa 1993, jj is Swedish. The band is comprised of some guy named Joakim on the keyboards and a breathy singer named Elin, who just barely missed out on being the most famous Elin of 2010. 

jj make electronic, poppy covers of hip-hop songs with varying degrees of success; this one is a hit. Leaving aside the really creepy Charles Manson dialogue in the intro, the song takes off running with a dance floor-ready beat and Elin’s vocal stylings over swelling keyboard vibes and even some chirping birds. 

Finally, the coup de grace: an auto-tuned, syncopated interpolation of a verse by the Best Rapper Alive, Lil’ Wayne, from an otherwise forgettable 2005 collaboration with Trina. Joakim brilliantly tunes Weezy’s vocals to his keyboard riffs, creating a pretty awesome effect that hits its aesthetic apex around the 2:00 mark.

The end result is a super-catchy, danceable jam of a song that is a credit to the imagination and deft execution of jj both on the synths and behind the microphone. A worthy kick-off to the Top Ten of 2010.

The Best of the Rest: Honorable Mentions

As I so painfully learned at 8^th grade basketball tryouts, not everybody can make the cut. But while my only solace was a good cry in the back of my mother’s minivan, these lucky also-rans will get a little time to shine. Here are some of my favorite songs of the year which, though they didn’t quite make the Top Ten squad, should still get some quality reps with the JV. 

Morning Benders – Promises

I first heard San Francisco band The Morning Benders in February, a couple of weeks before I flew out to San Francisco for a Patton Tower reunion. This is a really nice song; it's the jazz sensibility in the percussion that really stands out - the drummer's "jazz hands" (not to be confused with spirit fingers). If you like this, check out their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”

How to Dress Well and cokc dokc - Ready for the World

I’m mainly impressed with this song because of the ridiculous high note that comes in at 2:11. It’s like a sound I used to make by transposing the keyboard up an octave and tweaking the note-bender all the way up to get an extra half step, then hitting the high C – truly ear-splitting.

Reflection Eternal – Just Begun

This track gave me hope that the new Reflection Eternal album just might be as memorable as the original Talib Kweli/DJ Hi-Tek record in 2000. That wasn’t to be, but this was still a great jam, with the added bonus of including Jay Electronica (more to come from him on this list).  

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - 40 Day Dream

Like my beard, this song grew on me over the course of the summer and soon found itself firmly rooted in my repertoire. A great song to sing along to.


That's all for today. Next time, see what tracks are lucky enough to earn that varsity jacket, walk the storied halls of Blogosphere Academy with their heads held high, and date cheerleaders while giving lesser songs swirlies in the math building bathroom.

The countdown begins...

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to make a blog...

Whereas, friends near and far have recently requested that I do more to share some of my musical discoveries with them;
Whereas, I have a lot more time on my hands than I expected to, the Harvard Kennedy School notwithstanding;
and Whereas, reading blogs and Twitter has become part of my life whether I like it or not;

RESOLVED, that
I will henceforth endeavor to post and link to some of my favorite new songs on this blog for the world's listening enjoyment.

Fear not: despite the name, this blog will be utterly devoid of political punditry, claims as to which contemporary politicians are or are not Nazis, or discussions of Bristol Palin's possible 2036 Presidential campaign. I do, however, reserve the right to make repeated reference to George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.

So sit back and enjoy - I plan on kicking this off with a countdown of my Top Ten Songs of 2010, which I will be putting up between now and New Year's Eve once I get the hang of the whole blog thing.


In the meantime, I leave you with a song that I just heard this morning by way of Gorilla vs. Bear... it's Brooklyn-based Twin Shadow (who is doing a show at the Middle East in Cambridge a week from today), remixed by South Carolinian producer Hard Mix... Not likely to crack the year's Top Ten, but guaranteed to get your head bobbing unless your boogie bone is broken.

Twin Shadow - Savannah Howl (Hard Mix Remix)