While the lower end of my Top 20 revealed a lot of music I might be ashamed I listened to this year, I think the Top 10 reveals a good combination of quality popular hits, a few fantastic songs that never caught on and maybe one or two surprises.
I highly recommend downloading all of these.
10. Alexis Jordan – Happiness
This track was a hanger-on from 2010, but it's easy to understand why. I discovered Happiness early in 2011 after it had very minimal success on the North American charts the previous summer. The track uses Deadmau5's Brazil as the backing for Jordan's soothing vocals that take the original track up a notch every time she reaches for a high note.
9. Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji – Pressure (Alesso Remix)
Other remixes were hard-pressed to compete with the magic that Alesso made here. He took a track that initially was pretty soggy and injected a building tension that uses Nadia's vocals to frame a pulsing beat that could take down the walls of almost any club. The genius at work here has been totally under appreciated.
8. Adele – Rolling In The Deep
I'm surprised this track isn't higher on my list, but I think it had more to do with it being played everywhere I went in public, which lessened the need for me to play it on my iPod or computer. Adele fuses soul, pop, R&B and an overall contextualization of where music has been, and where it's going, which makes this not just a stellar track, but one we'll be telling future generations "I remember when I first heard that song on YouTube..."
7. M83 – Midnight City
The sheer power of this song almost trumps the fact that Midnight City is an exercise in modern musical genius from an artist that deserves more recognition from the masses.The thumping combination of electro beats, and vocals that linger in the shadows, make it nearly inconsequential that you probably have no idea what this song is really about (I didn't until I read into the lyrics and did a little more exploring). This is probably my favourite track of the year, and it should rank higher on this list. Did I mention the song climaxes with the best saxophone solo in recent memory...OK, settle down over there Gaga, we like your song too.
6. Outasight – Tonight Is The Night
Perhaps the biggest guilty pleasure in my Top 10 is this pop track which was catchy enough to be picked by Pepsi to launch a "legends" TV campaign. Inspired by the 80s party atmosphere, rapper/singer Outasight spouts lines about how he's finally coming out to party. Yes, that's about it. But for some reason it really works because he convinces you that going out to party is some sort of social uprising. "Comes a point where lying no longer works, so you have to stand up for how you wanna live." Sounds like he's coming out to me...
5. Miranda Cosgrove - Dancing Crazy
Avril Lavigne penned this song, and Miranda sings it like she's the Sk8er Girl herself. Somehow it all works to pop radio perfection, and in another time this probably would've been a hit. Unfortunately, that was 10 years ago when NSync rules the airwives. No matter because the naive party energy ("put your hands up" instead of put your drinks up?; and flirting with lines like "I like you and you like me") taps into that side of you that wishes you still had some naive party energy.
4. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
At this point some of you have screamed at your computer with wide eyes "BORN THIS WAY? REALLY?!?!" and that's part of the reason why this track ranks so high. It was an anthem that burst onto radio with a fury that was inescapable, but a message that rarely makes it to radio. It was aggressive and proud in a way that didn't do it by putting others down. Few songs like that exist these days since hip-hop took over, and Gaga's confidence in this song gave soggy playlists some new life.
3. Penguin Prison - Don't Fuck With My Money
This electo-pop-funk ditty is infused with a few vocal grunts a la Michael Jackson, and it should've been a big hit on radio, but the expletive in the title seemed to turn many people off, and the "Don't Mess With My Money" version just didn't have the same power. I've found a little consolation in knowing that a lot of people I know heard this song and said "Wow, this is really great!" Perhaps that'll at least ensure it ends up on the soundtrack to a bunch of movies.
2. Olav Basoski - New Day
I'm surprised this song didn't hit the top of my Most Played because it sort of took over my life when I first heard it. Of course, it's a party song like many others on my list, but there isn't much of a message here. Instead, it hinges on an irresistible optimism that's built on that beat. It takes over from the get-go and only lets up once mid-track to give House music fans a moment to breathe. New Day could've found a home in discotheques 30+ years ago, but is also feels fresh in 2011.
1. Oh Land - White Nights
Part of the reason White Nights soared so high is because the trippy music video gave Oh Land's track a second life on my playlist. But, I must admit it was one of the songs I talked about most in 2011. The bouncy, percussive atmosphere White Nights was perfect for afternoon daydreams of bounding through meadows and wrestling with minotaurs. Or was that a dream...? I can't be sure.
Hope everyone found a few songs they loved!
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