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.
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.
haha I do like it! Swedish techno pop is the best.
ReplyDeleteyou could also talk about the arbitrariness of base 10. i bet our stellar neighbors' number system is based on some variation of c, the speed of light, but definitely not in meters per second.
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right Dennis - unbelievably, the prevalent explanation that I've heard for why we use base 10 is because we have 10 fingers and toes. If that's true, it's insanely anthropocentric, and even if it's not true, it's almost meta-narcissistic that it was our first guess.
ReplyDeleteThe most logical base system would presumably be base-π, like the radians system, right? Pi is the only number with any fundamental significance, at least that I can think of.