Swirling Melody

So, for this post I’m going to do every song on my iPod which I have listened to 100 or more times, of which there are 28. I think this list demonstrates how versatile my musical taste is. So wasting no more time, here they are.

28) “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro – This song starts out with the quietest bassline you’ll ever hear, and then a synth melody comes in over it, giving the hint of what’s to come. A high note hits once, and the staccato synths come in. This track is just so danceable, but that’s not even the best part. Sam’s voice comes in. I was blown away the first time I heard it. My dad loves to sing along to this song, and my mom loves to hear me sing it. It’s one of the best songs on my iPod, without a doubt. 101 listens.

27) “Bathtime in Clerkenwell” by The Real Tuesday Weld -This song is just plain crazy; there are no lyrics, just nonsense syllables. But it’s so damn catchy! You can thank my sister Bri for this one. 101 listens.

26) “The Minstrel’s Prayer” by Cartel -This song is a soaring anthem of innocence and earnestness. The pounding drums start, and you’re a little worried, but then the guitar comes in, and the gentle melody, and then the strings. This is one of those song’s that inspires me to sing harmony even though it’s not in the song, and it always reminds me of my sister, Kerida, because I put it on a playlist and she felt the need to call me and tell me that she couldn’t stop listening to this song. 102 listens.

25) “Boston” by Augustana -This is the first song I learned to play on piano, and so it reminds a lot of people of me. I have mixed memories about it though; looking back, it’s not as great of a song as I thought it was, but it’s still quite good/nostalgic. Ooh, see now I’m listening to it and it’s bringing back so many memories. I think maybe I just listened to it too much. I have no idea where I first heard this song. 103 listens.

24) “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz – I FUCKING LOVE GORILLAZ. Beginning to end, this whole album is fantastic, but this was (obviously) the first song I heard off of it, so I’ve listened to it a lot. That laughing is fucking genius! and that bass line! and the guitar melody! and the “feel good!” Oh gad, this song makes me geek out. “Windmill, windmill, for the land…” Genius. 112 listens.

23) “Potential Breakup Song” by Aly & AJ – This song is so catchy! and good! The best thing Disney’s pumped out in the last ten years (musically, at least.) This song is a pop masterpiece. And I can’t stop dancing. 116 listens.

22) “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” by The Arcade Fire – This song is also a masterpiece, but of a different kind. The best song Arcade Fire has ever recorded, which is saying a lot. It tells an interesting story, and gets stuck in your head so easily. I can’t listen to this song enough, which explains why it’s on this list.  118 listens.

21) “Headlock” by Imogen Heap – This song is kinda overwhelming in the first listening; there’s so much going on, and half of it’s sounds like it’s just barely on beat, like the mixing is a little off. But let me tell you, this is purely intentional. This song is another exploder, when we get to the second chorus. And then she brings it back down for the bridge. This is a great song, but one where the video makes in even better. 119 listens.

20) “Don’t Stop the Music” by Rihanna – I loved this song for about 7 months before it was a hit. And honestly? I was almost mad it was, because I love thinking I’m the only person I know who knows a truly amazing song. This song is infectious, clever, and different every time the chorus hits (Believe me, I know. I arranged this song to be sung a capella. You notice these things.) And I know it’s about dancing, but some songs about dancing are really boring to dance to. Not this fucking song. This song fucking rocks. 125 listens.

19) “All Alone” by Gorillaz – This is the sleeper on the Demon Days album. It has a simple but weird hook, a fun rap part, and an airy bridge, all surrounded by a background melody that almost sounds like a clown horn through an autotune. Plus, it’s really fun to dance to. I always wished there was a video for this one… 125 listens.

18) “One of These Things First” by Nick Drake – This is one of the best songs from the Garden State Soundtrack, a truly incredible collection of songs. It was the first album that I listened to because I liked it, and not one of the five older people in my family that already had their own musical tastes. This song is absolutely gorgeous, but still fast paced, and it feels great to sing it. Although holding the “n” on “Could beennnnnnnnnn one of these things first,” always feels funny. 130 listens.

17) “Soul Meets Body” by Death Cab For Cutie – I. Adore. This. Song. It introduced me into the wonderful world of Ben Gibbard (Although I knew all the words to Give Up already because Kerida would play it before I felt the overwhelming need to know who something was by. Same story with Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American.) This whole album is amazing, I don’t even know if this is the best song, but I can just keep listening to this song. I remember one day in math class, freshman year, I asked Sara if she knew who Death Cab was, and she said no, so I smiled, we crawled under the counter to do our work, and we listened to this song and “I’ll Follow You Into The Dark.” I also remember another time when a friend of mine was arguing that no one can listen to a song endlessly and not get tired of it. And I said “I have songs that I don’t get tired of…” and they said “Oh yeah? Like what?” and I replied “Soul Meets Body.” Then they laughed and told me Death Cab For Cutie sucks. I stared at them for a moment, and then promptly consumed their finished math homework. 135 listens.

16) “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse – This song rocks my damn socks. Lit’rally. It channels Journey and Kansas and Stix, but it’s more awesome than EVERY SONG THOSE BANDS HAVE EVER RECORDED COMBINED. Not many songs can boast that when they have like 4 lyrics. This also wins the award of longest song on this list. Anywho… I’m a sucker for horns and harmonies, and this song has them a plenty. Also? What a fuckin’ kick-ass guitar solo. I mean seriously. 139 listens.

15) “No Air” by Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown – My mother loves this song. What does that tell you? That’s it’s another fricken’ fracken’ great song. I seriously want to give this song a great big hug. This is probably the best thing American Idol has produced. And I always applaud songs that have backup vocals and harmonies that you can barely detect; as though you have to sit back and truly appreciate the song to catch them. And boy do these kids have some pipes. 145 listens.

14) “Wraith Pinned to The Mist and Other Games” by Of Montreal – I was a little surprised this song was on the list at all, let alone this high on it. And then I started listening to it, and I remembered. I think this song can definitely be attributed with the reason I always notice bass lines (that’s all the song is for a little bit,) and maybe sending me off on my way of dissecting individual parts of a song and loving them, and not just the song as a whole. In order to dance to this song, all you have to do is walk in place and swing your hips really far. This song always makes me think of my friend Natalee, because we would dance to this song backstage during the fall play. This is another one that was on a mix CD from Briavael. “Let’s pretend we don’t exist. Let’s pretend we’re in Antartica.” 154 listens.

13) “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap – We’re back to a gorgeous one. If you’ve never heard this song (and I don’t see how that’s possible) It’s 100% voice (well, and computer-on-voice action) but it’s just so beautiful. It’s on of those songs where you know all the lyrics, but you don’t know what it means. And you don’t care. You just sing your little heart out. There are quiet parts, and powerful parts, and almost tearful parts. Hold out for the bridge; it might be one of the best pieces of music ever written. 164 listens.

12) “Let Go” by Frou Frou – Another one from Garden State. This song has been with me through a lot. One day after rehearsal for Into the Woods, I walked home, saw all of our stuff in boxes, crawled under a chair, listened to this song on repeat, and cried. It was the first time it hit me that we were leaving our home town. I sat there for about half an hour, no one saw me. But regardless, this song is powerful all the way through. The layers of sound are almost distinguishable from each other. My dad once said that one of the reasons to listen to music is the tension, and this song is chock full of it. 177 listens.

11) “We Will Become Silhouettes” by The Postal Service – This song reminds me of the bed and breakfast my parents used to own (one room in particular.) I sat on the couch and looked out the window, which was at the floor because the ceiling of the room was the roof, and imagined exactly what this song describes. I pictured myself putting my head where the window and the floor met and just screaming my head off, and there were people in raincoats walking outside, completely oblivious to me. So then of course I imagined them exploding. And then I just danced like a moron and sang the “Bah bah bah bah’s” because I was alone. It made the song very real to me. I don’t wanna become a silhouette. Another time I was listening to this song with my brother, Sam, and I turned to him and said “Just another happy little song about nuclear holocaust.” 183 listens.

10) “Nothing Better” by The Postal Service – Can you tell I like Postal Service? I saw a music video for this about three years ago. It was homemade, but it was so good, that I thought it was the real one, and now I think of it every time I hear this song. This song is so amazing! It’s clever, and real, and catchy. All requisites of an amazing song. “Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better than making you my bride and slowly growing old together.” 186 listens.

9) “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk – I remember hearing Kanye’s “Stronger” and really liking it, mostly because of the background. Then my brother came to me and was like “Do you know the song “Stronger?” Well, apparently he sampled a different song and I want to find it.” So we googled the lyrics. And that was my introduction to the wonderful world of Daft Punk. If you haven’t seen the unofficial video to this song, it really is fantastic. I also remember going to a slumber party and being the only one still awake at like 2:00 in the morning and watching Toonami (Omigod do you remember Toonami? Holy shit, we’re old.) They were showing music videos, and they were all from Interstella 5555 and the first Gorillaz album, but I didn’t know it then. I just thought they were really weird. Now look; two of my favorite bands. 186 listens

Eight) “Dashboard” by Modest Mouse – This song another truly incredible one. That guitar riff is a work of pure genius, and you know me, always a sucker for well placed horns. This is one of the few songs on this list that doesn’t remind me of something. Well, nothing besides sitting up in my loft bed late at night at night in my giant, empty room at the bed and breakfast, leaning up against the wall. Wow. That’s pretty specific for a nothing memory. 188 listens.

7) “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” by Fall Out Boy – This is the only song I listened to for like two weeks. Well, this and the rest of this album. I was a little obsessed. I knew this song long before it was a hit. In fact, I knew this song long before anything from the album was played on the radio. Again with the horn weakness, again with the string weakness, and again with the power. I’m a sucker for songs with power; I think everyone is. A powerful intrigues you, brings you in. “See, he tastes like you. Only sweeter.” 202 listens.

6) “Nth Degree” by Morning Wood – Another kick-ass bassline on this one, and this one holds a ton of memories. I first heard this song on our first trip to Madison (I think? Maybe it was just a town that reminds me of Madison. Like is Michigan or somewhere random like that. Yeah, I deff. new this before we moved to WI.) Anyway, I heard it on a mix CD that Kerida had made, and I liked it so much in my ten-year-old form  that I asked my mom to go back to it. Years later (in WI this time,) Sara and I both had it playing on our respective iPods, and instead of just rock out together, we put one headphone from each player in our ears so we were connected and rocked out in the lunch room, and everyone looked at us funny. There was another time in the lunch room when we rocked out, but it was significantly emptier, I think at a drama club pizza party of something. The most recent memory is rocking out in the parking lot of the movie theater with Sara and Adam. Yeah. This song makes you rock out. 205 listens.

5) “DARE” by Gorillaz – Whenever I see this, I go “Why the hell have I listened to this song so many times?” And then I listen. And remember. It’s simple. And Catchy. And Awesome. And totally Gorillaz. Let’s use periods. Instead of commas. Huzzah? This one deff. makes me think of the video. Can I just say I wish everyone in the entire world danced like that? 207 listens.

4) “Girlshapedlovedrug” by Gomez – This song starts with an awesome groove, and the hits keep happening. The vocals one this one are adorable. And the backup vocals are as cool and fun to sing as the melody. And I can never get it right whether it “my” or “your.” Sigh… 212 listens.

3) “The Way I Are” by Timbaland Featuring Keri Kilson & D.O.E. – This song also fucking rocks. I downloaded it after Christmas of ’07, and I’ve been jamming out ever since. The synth part in this song is so good, there almost doesn’t have to be anything else in the song. The fact that there is is just a bonus. The vocals on this one are also fun and catchy. I listen to this song and wish that it was either still a hit or old enough where it could be cool so I could play it again. Because this is the reason Timbaland is so awesome. This song. Sadly, this song actually reminds me of a total whorebitch that I never liked in the first place and then she called me a fudgepacker. I stole her phone and broke up with her boyfriend via text message. Oh, high school… 226 listens.

2) “Maneater (Single Version)” by Nelly Furtado – This song… Oh god this song… I heard this song, and four hours later I’d heard it probably 30 more times. At least. I knew all the lyrics by the third time through, so the rest was learning every single drum beat, every computer beep, every little thing the synth in the background does, every echo. I will never tire of this song. As is exhibited by the 243 listens.

Here it is, Ladies and Gentlemen. The moment you’ve all been waiting for,

1) “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service – Yeah, no surprises here. You already knew I loved The Postal Service, but I don’t think you truly understand how much. If you could marry a song, it would be this song. If you could marry a sound it would be the percussive beeps in the intro of this song. If you could marry a feeling, it would be the feeling you get while listening to this song. It’s impossible to make a bad cover of this song. Iron & Wine and Ben Folds do fantastic jobs, and there are plenty more great ones on Youtube and iTunes. I mean, I wrote a harmony for the guitar part. This song has been played throughout the last 6 years of my life, at least, so I think my mind just associates it with itself; it’s its own memory. 290 listens.

Notable misses: “Apologize” by Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic – 99 listens, “Burn This City” by Cartel – 97 listens, “Turn To Stone” by Electric Light Orchestra – 97 Listens, “Zak and Sara” by Ben Folds – 96 listens, “Boy With A Coin” by Iron & Wine – 96 listens, “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” by The Postal Service – 95 listens. Note that “Turn To Stone” is the only oldies in this whole document, but I love almost everything that came out of the 70′s.

Also, #8 is typed out because “8″ immediately followed by a parenthesis makes this: 8) Which is really annoying because I can’t figure out how to turn smileys off. And I couldn’t just add a space because then it would be different from all the other ones and it looked bad. And this looks less like a mistake than adding a space. God, my reasoning really doesn’t make any sense.

Alright. Bedtime. See y’all tomorrow.

Did I just say “y’all?” Oh dear…