TOP 100 SONGS OF 2007: 1-10

Here it is, 2007's top ten songs. These are the ones you've been waiting for, folks! I'll move quickly onto discussing the songs, then:



10. Tori Amos - Girl Disappearing (Sendspace link)
Album: American Doll Posse

A melancholy, piano-led song about a girl who is disappearing into "a prison behind her eyes" while Amos watches, in the midst of a war pitting "woman against feminist". Its lyrics are enigmatic and intriguing, Amos' vocals are wonderful, the music pulls you in and drags you upwards. I'm still puzzling out the song's meaning, but its a beautiful piece of work regardless, and the best off her latest album.

9. Dragonette - Take It Like a Man (Sendspace link)
Album: Galore

Dragonette is at their best when they take a character I should have no interest in and draw me in, and this is exactly what they do here. While not being very slow, this song does have a strange softness to it, and it does express the idea that though this couple 'get a little crazy with the razor blades', they do love each other. This paradox, being able to draw you into the story of such an alien figure, and just the quality of the song that matches or beats the rest on Galore makes this a winner.

8. Andrew Bird - Self-Torture (Sendspace link)
Album: Armchair Apocrypha (iTunes bonus track), Soldier On EP (as 'Water Jet Cilice')

Andrew Bird at his best here. The song opens with his haunting whistling, like a bird call through am eerie mist. Bird's voice appears then, soaring through this mist with visuals of a mysterious girl with golden curls and morbid thoughts. The song is completely mysterious, but it resonates through your bones and through your body. Wonderful, and a tragic cut from Apocrypha. After this and the gems on the Soldier On EP, I would love to get my hands on any other Bird b-sides.

7. Grand Archives - Sleepdriving (demo) (Sendspace link)
Album: Demos

One of the best newcomers to come out of 2007, battling with the now-defunct Die Romantik for the title, this was a wonderful look at the potential of this band. The multiple vocalists gives it a wonderfully ghostly feeling, which works magnificently considering the fuzzy state the song is describing. The lyrics are quite interesting, with a great core theme in 'sleepdriving' that gives you the sense of needing only to escape, without any real consciousness, just instinct. The highlight is the voices, which just resonate in your chest, almost painfully beautiful.


6. Beirut – Elephant Gun (Sendspace link)
Album: Lon Gisland EP

Surprisingly, Beirut's best song this year wasn't on their much lauded new album The Flying Club Cup, but on their fantastic Lon Gisland EP. The epic nature of the band behind the music, with Zach Condon's excellent voice stirring into the mix, makes for a truly inspiring song. This feels wonderful, and that's the only way to describe it. It takes you and throws you into the sky, and you can't tell whether you're flying or falling.


5. Natalie Walker – Circles (Sendspace link)
Album: Urban Angel

A hauntingly beautiful foggy piano-based song about the circle of life, centring specifically around a pregnant woman whose soldier husband dies and leaves her alone with a child on the way. I showcased this track when I discovered it, and it's still outstanding, filling you up with ghostly vocals until you're ready to burst. Natalie Walker has one of the best voices I''ve heard.

4. Tegan and Sara - Back in Your Head (Sendspace link)
Album: The Con

Another former track showcase, this song has gone the rounds with remixes galore. A bouncy , angst-filled track about drifting apart, with the protagonist missing the time "when I was so strange and likeable". The lyrics here are excellent, and the music is a highlight, bouncing along. The vocals sometimes sound echoing, fitting the distance this song is about. The Con was a grower, and this one has shown itself to be the album's best.


3. The Pierces - Three Wishes (Sendspace link)
Album: Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge

Since I got it, I've been enchanted with The Pierces' very strong third album, and by far this was the most impressive track. A haunting, calm song with a preamble about the nature of the soul before it descends into a song about desire that, along with presenting a number of wonderful options for the wish taker, hints to the terrible potential of the scorned.

2. Die Romantik - Another Round (Sendspace link)
Album: Narcissist's Waltz

My favourite discovery of 2007, Die Romantik had an amazing, macabre sound that worked to their extreme advantage. The strained, yet immensely wonderful vocals of , combined with their particular spine-tingling sound, made their work always exemplary. The band broke up in the early days of 2008, which is especially a same considering this utter gem of a song left behind. Not buying Narcissist's Waltz in time for it to rank amongst 2007's Top 10 Albums post was a massive shame.


1. Andrew Bird - Heretics (Sendspace link)
Album: Armchair Apocrypha

Soaring and nonsensical, with his voice and whistling at their glorious best, "Heretics" is a work of fantastic art, sending shivers down my spine while giving me hours' worth of musing over its mysterious lyrics. The fantastic beats make it Bird's catchiest song yet, and it doesn't surprise me that this is bringing attention to Armchair Apocrypha. Though I will be the first to say Apocrypha isn't 100% the album that The Mysterious Production of Eggs was, "Heretics" is definitely in the running against "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" for my favourite of Bird's tracks. Excellent, excellent song that gets better every listen.

If you enjoy these songs, I strongly urge you to consider buying their albums, because these are some of the best songs I've ever heard. If 2008 has a haul half as strong as 2007's, then it will be an excellent, excellent year.

TOP 100 SONGS 0F 2007: 71-80

We're just starting to gain some momentum. so I'm gonna cut to the chase and keep going...

80. Remi Nicole - Right Side of Me (Rapidshare link)
Album: My Conscience & I

A really sweet love song about feeling accepted and loved, even at her worst. It's so honest, very downbeat and low and showcases Remi's voice and lyrics instead of the music. I enjoy the little dialogues Remi relates, and when she finally says, "I think you're amazing," we believe that she does.

79. Tori Amos - The Beauty of Speed (Rapidshare link)
Album: American Doll Posse

I fell in love with this song through a live version, actually, which moved a little slower and forced Tori to sing normally all through the chorus, something I initially disliked, but have grown to love. The lyrics and her vocals here are spine-tingling, and her piano is, just as always, beautiful. While this album has been slow to grow on me, this song readily demanded to be acknowledged.

78. Klaxons - Golden Skans (Rapidshare link)
Album: Myths of the Near Future

One of the catchiest songs of the year, it spread through the blogs like wildfire. I have no idea what it means, but it doesn't really matter to you when you're listening to it and getting caught up in its craziness. Kicks off like one of the bands titular klaxons, demanding your attention as it pounds forward, then

77. Rilo Kiley - Smoke Detector (Rapidshare link)
Album: Under the Blacklight

I have to admit, as a Rilo Kiley song, this is disappointing; in fact, the entirety of Under the Blacklight was. It should have crammed itself all into my Top 20 instead of straggling down here in the 70's. That said, if I forget what this should be, I enjoy Jenny Lewis' fun vocals and the not-bad lyrics.

76. Bowerbirds – Human Hands (Rapidshare link)
Album: Hymns of a Dark Horse

Another quiet Bowerbirds song, wonderful in its simplicity. They showcase their environmental focus here again, speaking about how despite the danger nature may pose, there is no hate; that is unique to humanity, a fact we should be both ashamed and proud of. We are different, Bowerbirds tell us, and it's up to us to realise how to use it for good and not evil.

75. Spoon - The Ghost of You Lingers (Rapidshare link)
Album: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Unlike Spoon's usual style, this song is genuinely creepy, with vocals quite and sounding distant and far away like a ghost's, while the music itself pounds on relentlessly. Impressive atmosphere used here, to great effect. Few songs do creepy well, and I like how this one does it.

74. Mgmt - The Youth (Rapidshare link)
Album: Oracular Spectacular

From intriguing newbies to my collection, Mgmt (sometimes called 'The Management') bring a song with layers that is quite mysterious as to its meaning. I believe it's about the core value differences between our generation and those before us, though I can feel a note of paranoia here as well. It makes me curious, and either way it's a fun listen.

73. Tegan and Sara - Soil, Soil (Rapidshare link)
Album: The Con

For a long time 'The Con's redeeming note in my eyes, a really sweet song about waiting on a call from someone important. 'Buried in my yard, a letter to send to you. And if I forget, or God forbid die too soon, hope that you'll hear me, know that I wrote to you." Those lines, the desperation and sadness within them, caught my heart in a big way and held there whiule the rest of the album grew on me.

72. Remi Nicole - Go Mr. Sunshine (Rapidshare link)
Album: My Conscience & I

Bookending young Ms. Nicole's oddly similar spots on this section of this list is this wonderful anthem to summer, the song that introduced her to me and got me excited for her debut (which I ended up loving). It's full of just those little details you love about summer. I'm expecting this song will be on every commercial imaginable.c

71. Modest Mouse - Little Motel (Rapidshare link)

An oddly tender, if at first seemingly nonsensical, song from a band I often associate with, well, songs I don't like too much. The self-perspective the protagonist shows here is impressive, and it's a nice song about the regret of the destruction of a relationship. Regret fills every word of this song, pours through it. It seems remarkably mature for a band that too often fills their songs with screaming and/or whining.

Just remember, if you love any of this music, I urge you to check it out elsewhere! A lot of these artists are still growing, especially Dragonette, Bowerbirds, Remi and Mgmt, who all just released their debut albums in 2007. Apologies for posting this section late. I may post the next today to catch up.

THE SECOND GLANCE - COVERS #1

I'm still finding myself and the spirit of this blog, so you may have noticed some unexpected gaps in my postings. I don't expect my old post-a-day style will stick, but I'm hoping 2-3 times a week minimum will help keep you around. :)

That said, as it's Christmas, it's time for some early presents. And this time I bring: covers! One of my favourite aspects of the musical community, covers are a chance to re-interpret and reconnect with old favourites or the former despised. It's newness and oldness and everything in between.

Tegan and Sara - When You Were Mine (Prince cover) (Sendspace link)
I love this song, though I'm not so much a fan of its original artist. It just makes me happy, and though I'm not sure why, I don't question it. It doesn't feel very polished, but somehow that just adds to its charm.

Keane - Dinner at Eight (Rufus Wainwright cover) (Sendspace link)
This song, written by Rufus Wainwright about his contentious relationship with his famous father Louden Wainwright III, is just a powerful piece of music. I want to say that another artist, especially an artist like Keane who I sometimes lump with bland Brit bands that live on the 'net in multitudes, covering this song is an abomination. However, then I remember that I often undervalue Keane (tarnished by its association in my mind with the often-atrocious Coldplay and my own overlistening), and that while this rendition isn't quite as lovely as Rufus' original, it's an impressive cover and the song that drew me to the original in the first place.

Final Fantasy - Cliquot (Beirut cover) (Sendspace link)
Played before Cliquot was officially released on The Flying Club Cup, this is a lower-key, more melancholy affair with less of the drama of the original. I love the lead singer's voice, and it fits the song very well, giving this cover its worthy spot alongside the original. This version is, sadly, a little fuzzy, but that is hardly noticeable after a couple listens.

Sun Yan Zi - Silent All These Years (Tori Amos cover) (Sendspace link)
This cover is gorgeous, with the piano bobbing alongside it and Sun Yan Zi's beautiful voice pushing it along. There's something more stylised about it, and her accent is enchanting. Just as Tor bettered the original of 'She's Leaving Home', I'm wondering whether I can mark Sun's cover better than Tori's original.

Though these may not be mindblowing at first, give them a chance to work out under your skin. They'll get a hold in and never let you go.

If you like the artists, check them out elsewhere!

SHOWCASE: TORI AMOS

"These tears I've cried, I've cried a thousand oceans. [...] And I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home."


Tori Amos is, if you don't know this yet, a genius. A musical prodigy from a young age, she was the youngest student to enter the Peabody Conservatory of Music - at age 5. She was kicked out at age 11, not because of any lack of skill, but because she preferred rock and popular music instead of the more traditional styles encouraged at the school.

A piano-driven singer-songwriter, Tori Amos has since released nine studio albums, and over the course of her career has explored numerous topics. Suffering a rape and two miscarriages, this is a woman who knows personal pain and tragedy better than most so-called artists of our day and age, and makes our culture's worshipping of Beyonce and Shakira types even more of a sad parody.

Though I can't possibly do this woman justice in a single post, I can post some of her best work and let you be the judge.

Tori Amos - 1000 Oceans (Sendspace link)
This song, a touching story of a woman lamenting the distance between her and her lover, showcases both Amos' skills with a piano and her gorgeous voice. It's truly stirring, as the song's protagonist expresses the desire to cry 1000 oceans 'if that's what it takes to sail you home', and gives us a beautiful image of Tori, floating in a vast ocean of tears, waiting...

Tori Amos - Strange (Sendspace link)
Strange examines the idea of leaving everything behind to devote your life to someone, only to discover that, without that love, your world isn't your world after all, but theirs. Once that person is gone, you're stuck in a 'world that I am not a part of, except when I can play it's stranger'. She repeatedly tries to understand why she can't just learn from her mistakes and move on, stop trying to be someone she's not, and finds herself unable to. Possibly my favourite Tori song, as the vocals and instrumentation work together to make a real beautiful song. It ends on a hopeful note, as she decides that all she can do is acknowledge her mistakes and move on to a life she can call her own.

Tori Amos - Me and a Gun (Sendspace link)
Tori Amos wrote this song in the aftermath of her rape at the hands of a man who forced her to sing hymns as he did so, and threatened to 'cut her up' and take her to his friends. This experience is clear in this song, as the thoughts that run through her head run from the desperate ("I haven't seen Barbados, so I must get out of this") to terror ("So I'll just change direction, as they'll soon know where I live, and I wanna live"). This song is painful, and ponly moreso when you learn about the actual event that inspired it. The song is performed a cappella, unadorned by piano like other songs, better to show the raw trauma involved.

Tori Amos - A Sorta Fairytale (Sendspace link)
This song has Tori recalling a particularly good day, one that, 'like a good book', she can't stop reminiscing about, despite the lack of a 'happy ever after'. That day stays in her memory, a bright light no matter how that relationship continued and was lost, and you can feel her need to hold onto that memory once that love is gone.

Other great Tori tunes that I may post at a later date: Jackie's Strength, Girl Disappearing, Sweet the Sting, Gold Dust, I Can't See New York, Happy Phantom

BUY: Amazon, Amazon Canada, InSound

Just to let you know, Tori is (according to LastFM) by most-listened artist, and I'd have to say I know why. She's gorgeous, as is her music. So, give her a shot! :)

I Get All the Songs, I Get All the Songs...

If you read the opening post and downloaded the Intro package, you should have a pretty good grasp of my most-listened to music. Now, I have another passion: cover songs. Not only are they a great way to uncover new musicians, but they give a delicious new view of a song you've heard a thousand times or even only once. Whether it disgraces the original or surpasses it, it's an interesting experiment that can yield true gems.

So, 6 of my favourite covers off the top of my head:

Tori Amos - She's Leaving Home (The Beatles cover) (Sendspace link)
I must admit something: though I once loved them, I cannot stand listening to the Beatles nowadays. Maybe it was too much in my youth, but there's something about them I can no longer stand. That said, their songs are often fantastic, and this is no different. Dropping the overly bouncy tone and dozy chorus of the original, Tori makes this song work to her style - her version is a beautiful, piano-driven tale. Live cover.

Dragonette - The Boys (Calvin Harris cover) (link)
The original, 'The Girls', is an amusing but forgettable ode to the straight male's sexuality. Dragonette, the queen of fun, sexually-charged songs, takes the same song, but doesn't merely switch the pronouns. This version has an additional section in the middle and adds a bit to the chorus, vital edits that help make it a song that dares you not to dance, or at least bop in your seat. It sounds joyful without falling into 'The Girls' trap of sounding vaguely lecherous, which is a victory in my book.

Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright - Careless Whisper (George Michael cover) (link)
I've never heard the original, but this live rendition of a strangely popular, cover-wise, song is probably the best I've heard. These two interpret the song into a heartbreaking plea for impossible forgiveness, and their voices work surprisingly well. The piano works well as well, as I think it's only behind possibly the violin in perfect atmosphere for sad songs.

Bettie Serveert - Love I Don't Have to Love (Bright Eyes cover) (link)
A song about ignoring pain through mindless, anonymous sex, it works perfectly with an intense sound behind BS lead singer Carol van Dijk's tragic version of an already-bleak song. It's loud, it's dark and its painful in a good way. I spent a couple days after discovering it just playing it almost constantly, because it's that good.

Westlife - Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler cover) (link)
Looking at the ever-popular song through a male perspective, this song is sometimes hilarious, which is a sobering reminder of gender roles and how, if this weren't a cover, the singers would be decried as 'gay whiners'. That said, it's an extremely well-done cover, with appropriate piano and two guys filling in for Bonnie Tyler alone.

Vienna Teng - Cannonball (Damien Rice cover) (link)
The original, while gorgeous, began to grate after a number of listens. This version is a fresh and equally gorgeous take on the song. Vienna Teng's voice here is on top form, soaring, an arctic wing blowing through your heart and covering your skin in chills. Breathtakingly beautiful.

Now, there are far from the only covers I love. I have a collection of dozens, so you'll be pleased to know they'll probably pop up quite a bit on this blog.

And for easy downloading en masse...

ZIP FILE

Now, though I'm not planning on uploading them right now (maybe later if you ask nicely), here are some covers I also love that you might want to keep an eye out for:

CAKE - I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover)
Alanis Morissette - My Humps (Fergie cover)
Final Fantasy - Cliquot (Beirut cover)
The Cranberries - Go Your Own Way (The Cardigans cover)
Jonna Lee - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (The Postal Service cover)
MDL - Naked As We Came (Iron & Wine cover)

And ANYTHING by Scala and Kolacny Brothers. If I don't devote a whole post to them later, that is.

Thus concludes our momentary dip into the world of covers. Trust me, there's an ocean out there, just waiting...

[** Title paraphrases a line from 'The Boys'.]