MOG

I probably listened to more music than ever this year, owing to a combination of factors. Great work, great connections, great friends, etc. Some of the songs themselves were even great. Anyhow, I'll post my top albums list soon, but in typical fashion here's the list of my favourite singles of 2007:

10: Amy Winehouse - Back To Black I listened to this album on and off throughout the year, but it wasn't until the dying weeks of 2007 when the weather turned quite dreary that I became fully appreciative of its title track. It goes without saying that Winehouse possesses an incredible voice and when it's allied with a song which is so perfectly heartbreaking, that's when she ticks all the boxes as a musician. As complete a pop song as was released this year. (video)
9: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Berlin Rock's forgotten heroes returned this year with this single, which presumably has little to do Germany's capital. This is an even more straight ahead rock gem than many singles from the BRMC catalogue, a dirty, sexy, guitar driven, adrenaline fuelling hit that never was. Bonus points for the Tony Hoffer mix. (video)
8: Siobhan Donaghy - Don't Give It Up Siobhan really steps into her own on her mostly-ignored comeback. That this track was so brutally disregarded is a shame, in that the former girl band malcontent actually posesses not only quite the interesting voice but a lead single far more interesting than most pop tracks released this year. Potentially, Donaghy could be one of the more interesting female solo voices on the pop landscape. (video)
7: Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts When it comes to the pop landscape, however, there are only a handful of bona fide stars with staying power and Kylie yet again volleys home a winner, this time following the formula that has served labelmate Robbie Williams so well in covering an unknown track and turning it into a smash. 2 Hearts is one of those perfectly addictive pop moments, with Kylie's signature voice riding the bassline and piano into that love it or hate it "I'm in love - WOO!" chorus that kicks the sky. Clearly, I love it. (video)
6: Idlewild - No Emotion I'm typically very nervous about new Idlewild singles, and especially after the somewhat laclustre Warnings/Promises album, I wasn't quite sure what to expect out of No Emotion. From first listen, however, this song catapulted itself into frame as one of my favourite songs of the year and the only shame is that the rest of new album Make Another World wasn't up to snuff. That being said, this is a song which can sit proudly with many other tracks in the recently released Best Of compilation, and in an age where the promo video perhaps has less to do with the music than ever, it is refreshing that the accompanying video was so completely spot on with the song. (video)
5: Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position While I felt the album from which this single was pulled was a touch undeserving of the requisite hype, its title track leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. The Magic Position is another of those perfect 4 minute pop songs, all swirling strings and xylophones with the treble turned up to 11. It could be indie, it could be pop, it could be dance, it doesn't matter. It's a wonderful, happy and uplifting tune. An antidote to the misery of Back To Black if ever there was one! (video)
4: Groove Armada feat. Mutya Buena - Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control) Pulled from fun new album Soundboy Rock, Groove Armada returned with another poptastic tune featuring another of the scorned Sugababes to go solo. I feel like I have written and will write this so much, but YET another perfect pop song here. Both Groove Armada's and Mutya's albums were hit and miss, but this was one of the defining hits of both records. The only thing bad about this song is the video which accompanied it. (video)
3: Calvin Harris - Merrymaking At My Place My favourite of the many singles off I Created Disco was the first track on the album, the basstastic Merrymaking At My Place. A great party or chill out song with a perfect beat, the sheer number of great pop singles on this record made it hard to have a favourite, but for me this has to be it. With an undeniable groove and another fun vocal hook from Harris, it's just a shame the video lacks the drug-taking references and seems to have a bizarre vocal mix. (video)
2: VHS Or Beta - Can't Believe A Single Word This song is so unbelievably New York it's mind boggling to think it came from a band of Kentucky hipsters. I guess tight jeans transcend geography but what does not is this achingly urban dance-rock anthem. Lyrically it's one of those where we've all been there, and sonically it's one of those that gets you hitting the back button to play it again as soon as it's finished. It was a nearly a toss-up, nevertheless a strong contender for my top single of the year. (video)

1: Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches In the end my single of the year ended up not only being an incredibly listenable song but also an incredibly important one. The reason pop music has always been so important is that you could take a message, ally it to a tune and all of the sudden it's a message which replays itself over and over again in your brain. It's a message which gives you pleasure and it's a message which creates sentiment. Despite Bloc Party's 2007 offering A Weekend In The City being a somewhat difficult listen for me, this track kept leaving me transfixed.

Given the state of the world over the past several years, the lyrics of this song have never been more relevant. The simple video only gives strength to these words, and allows what Kele Okereke is trying to say be at the forefront of one's mind. In truth, what makes the words to this song so important is the incisiveness with which the lines were written and delivered.

Thousands of singers have written protest songs, but only a handful have managed to include lines such as "all reasonable thought is being drowned out by the nonstop baying for blood" or "disparate and misinformed, fear will keep us all in place" in a song without it turning out completely unengaging musically or even vocally. That Okereke has managed to sum up in 3 minutes what the world has played out as I became an adult surely only catapults him to being one of the most important voices of my generation. (video)

Posted on 12/15/2007