Top 50 Songs of 2011 | Honourable Mentions

First of all, I love lists, and I can't resist posting my favorite songs of the year here. So as a little primer for the entire Top 50, here are the songs that I liked this year, but for one reason or another, didn't make the final list:

Malajube | "Synesthesie"

This is a weird one, because I loved it so much when it first came out that I went and got the whole album. I don't know if the rest of the songs let me down and dragged this one with them, but over time it's lost it's pop-y sheen to me. It's effervescently jaunty, and I can understand enough of it that the language certainly isn't a barrier, but I've resigned myself to simply liking this song enough to include it here - just not on my actual list of favorites.

Carly Rae Jepsen | "Call Me Maybe"



Wanna know why it's not the overt pop stylings of "Synesthesie" that turned me off of it? It's because this song is so ridiculously pop and twee that I should be looked at with the kind of questioning gaze an adult that still watches YTV would get - if that makes any sense. It's not even funny how juvenile "Call Me Maybe" is, but maybe that's what's so appealing about it: at worst, it makes you think back to high school and any good times you had as a teenager. The truly great part about the track however is the music itself. The strings are unprecedented in such a tune, and the rest of the music hangs back enough that it doesn't overpower her voice or the strings. Speaking of her voice, I guess Carly Rae was a former Canadian Idol contestant, so it's nice to see her turn out a great song like this. Her delivery at the start makes you think of just another Miley Cyrus/Disney star-wanna-be, but as soon as the beat drops in, she showcases her worthy pipes. I've wrote too much about it already, but suffice it to say "Call Me Maybe" was easily my guiltiest pleasure of 2011.

Asobi Seksu | "Little House of Savages" (Walkmen Cover)



I had to sneak this one in mainly because it introduced me to Asobi Seksu, a New York dream pop band in the guitar-feedback vein of My Bloody Valentine. The song itself stays quite true to Asobi Seksu's own music, with the guitars whirring away in the background. But the real magic starts when lead singer Yuki Chikudate drops her falsetto and puts on a typically great singing performance for her, making a great show of a tune originally done by The Walkmen. It may be grinding on the ears at first, but give it a minute and it opens up as a rewarding listen.

Russian Circles | "Mladek"

Unfortunately, the reverse happens here, with a very promising song taking a turn to a darker side, and in the process ruining some of the good will it had amassed in its opening instrumentals. About a minute and a half into "Mladek", a deftly nimble cacophony of inspiring guitars veers into the crunching abyss of instrumental death metal. I mean, I expected as much, seeing as that's the genre Russian Circles calls home, but for them to tease at such a premise, then rip it down one evil-sounding note after another - it was enough to make this song enjoyable, but not enough to land it a spot in the Top 50. The musicanship is obviously great on this track, and in changing up the mood, it spans a variety of emotions over it's nearly eight-minute runtime; so don't get me wrong, I like the song. Just pointing out that it's never that pleasant to be on a nice walk in the woods, then take a wrong turn and end up face-to-face with a grizzly - musically or in real-life.

The Strokes | "Under Cover of Darkness"

A blast to whistle. Probably a joy to play on guitar. A pleasure to imitate Julian Casablanca's whiny delivery. But just as with every song on this short-list, there's something that keeps me from making it one of my favorites. It's tough to pinpoint with "Under Cover of Darkness", because there really is so much to love. If I had to pick anything though, it's what has befallen all of The Strokes' music since their debut: it just isn't their debut. They've proven they'll never do anything as good or as iconic as Is This It, but damn if they haven't tried. Occasionally they end up with a pop-rock gem like this one. So even though part of me wants to appreciate this song for what it is, I can't listen to music or view it in a vaccuum. It's the very reason we make lists, rank things, or argue about them. And I list this one with the honourable mentions, rank it outside the Top 50, and argue that it's not as good as the rest of The Strokes' stuff, or the other 50 songs I liked better than it in 2011.