First Quarter: Favorite Songs
In response to Henry’s post, here are my favorite songs of first-quarter 2010. While the album as a whole may be lagging behind 2009, I have already fallen in love with many individual songs this year.
Honorable Mention: The New Pornographers - “Crash Years” - Neko Case steals the show in this uptempo number off of their forthcoming LP.
5. Beach House - “Walk In The Park” - this duo made the leap from local heroes in my native Baltimore to globally acclaimed stars with 2010’s Teen Dream (Sub Pop). “Walk In The Park” is a particularly enchanting highlight.
4. Surfer Blood - “Swim (To Reach The End)” - I don’t mind if these newcomers are ripping off Lou Reed or anyone else; I can’t resist the catchiness and nonstop energy of tracks such as “Swim” and “Floating Vibes.”
3. Spoon - “Trouble Comes Running” - a straight-up rocker from indie veterans Britt Daniel and co. and my favorite song off of Transference.
2. The Morning Benders - “Promises” - if this reminds you of Grizzly Bear’s 2009 release Veckatimest, perhaps it’s because GB member Chris Taylor produced the Morning Benders’ Big Echo. The album displays a range of tones and emotions, but “Promises,” with its nostalgic lyrics, resonates the most with me: “I can’t help thinking we grew up too fast / And I know, I know this won’t last / A second longer than it has.”
1. Vampire Weekend - “I Think Ur A Contra” - even though our General Manager can’t stand these Columbia grads, I think they’ve put out some of the most fun and most relatable music of the past five or ten years. This track closes out their sophomore album with sparse instrumentation and a bizarre vocal melody that seems to jump in every direction before yielding to a precise percussion arrangement. Keep up the good work, Ezra Koenig. -DSF
