My Top 40 Songs for 2011

My Top 40 Songs for 2011

I figured I would start my music blog with my top 40 for the year 2011. This is not an exact science as to how I came up with these 40 songs. I went through my playlists for the year, grabbed my favorite 50 or so songs. Then got that down to 40 and put them in some sense of order and then wrote a quick explanation of each. Enjoy.

40           Black Stone Cherry - In My Blood

Pretty generic pop metal song but I really like it. Nothing different than 10 other bands out right now, it just sounds good to me.

39           Ringside - Starbrite

Pretty obscure band. They had a minor hit in 2005 called “Tired of Being Sorry”. This is a  very catchy song.

38           The Parlotones - Push Me To The Floor

This band is from South Africa. They sound like a cross between Muse and Snow Patrol. This is another song that has a crescendo which seems to be a common theme in many of my favorite songs.

37           The Alternate Routes - Carry Me Home

The Alternate Routes are a band from Connecticut. I have no idea how I heard of them, although they were on Conan several years ago.

36           Scars On 45 - Give Me Something

Another band who sound similar to Snow Patrol and in my mind, that’s a good thing. They have had several songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy. They’ve released a few EP’s but no full length cd yet.

35           Lindsey Buckingham - Stars Are Crazy

He’s looking a little old now and I’ve never loved a full album by him but Lindsey Buckingham usually has a song or two on each CD that I love. His new one is no exception.

34           Brett Dennen - Make You Fall In Love With Me

This guy makes great music but I have a hard time watching him. He looks like Mason Reese, the Underwood Deviled Ham kid. He has a Jack Johnson vibe and makes some very happy songs. This one was a favorite of mine this summer. Just don’t watch his videos.

33           Bell X1 - Velcro

Bell X1’s initial claim to fame was that Damien Rice was originally the lead singer. They have appeared on Craig Ferguson and Conan. They definitely have an 80’s feel to them.

32           Foo Fighters - Walk

I am not huge fan of the Foo Fighters. I can take them or leave them. This is one that I can take. The video is great as he recreates Michael Douglas in the movie "Falling Down".

31           Goo Goo Dolls - Still Your Song

I don’t love the Goo Goo Dolls as much as I used to. They tend to sound the same from album to album but he still knows how to write a catchy song. This is the best from “Something for the Rest of Us”.

30           Fitz & The Tantrums - Don't Gotta Work It Out

This band reminds me so much of Hall and Oates. There are so many great songs on “Pickin’ Up the Pieces”,  but this is probably my favorite. It didn’t hurt that they played on “Live From Daryl’s House” earlier this year.

29           Ximena Sariñana – Different

Ximena Sariñana is a 26 year old Mexican singer. Her voice reminds me of Zooey Deschanel and the video for this reminds me of an old 80’s video style. This is a great pop song.

28           Aaron Lewis - Country Boy

Aaron Lewis is the lead singer of Staind. I’ve always been pretty indifferent to Staind. They had a few songs that I sort of liked but that’s about it. Country Boy is off of his solo EP, “Town Line”. It’s a bare bones acoustic song with a country twang. The single Country Boy features George Jones ,which in my opinion, makes the song.

27           Danger Mouse - Two Against One (feat. Jack White)

I don’t like everything that Jack White puts out but I tend to really like songs he does with bands he creates (Dead Weather, The Raconteurs etc). I think working with other artists pushes him to write some great pop rock songs. This is no exception. Some have this listed as the band Rome. Either way it’s Danger Mouse with some musicians collaborating with him.

26           The Cars - Sad Song

Benjamin Orr was my preferred singer in The Cars but always liked Ric Ocasek. I have loved many of his solo albums since the cars broke up. Benjamin Orr died in 2000, so a real Cars reunion album was impossible. This has all the remaining members and really attempts to capture the old sound.

25           The Airborne Toxic Event - Numb

The Airborne Toxic Event have put out 3 great cd’s so far. Their 2008 self title debut, “The Airborne Toxic Event is amazing. Their 2010 live cd, “All I Ever Wanted” is so great and does such a fantastic job doing different versions and covers, I listen to it over and over. The 2011 cd, “All At Once”, may have topped them both. It contains 3 songs on my top 40 list. Numb has such a cool vibe mixing guitars, keyboards and a driving beat.

24           My Morning Jacket - Holdin on to Black Metal

I am not a fan of My Morning Jacket. They are too hipster folky for me. That’s why it’s very strange that I love this song so much. I’m also not a fan of group chanting on songs but for some reason I love it on this one. It’s got a dark feel that their other stuff just doesn’t seem to have.

23           Lissie – In Sleep

This CD actually came out in 2010 but I didn’t become aware of it until 2011. Nothing special with it, typical girl singer and alternative vibe but it’s a great song.

22           Carolina Liar - Drown

Carolina Liar is a Swedish band with American lead singer Chad Wolf. They had 2 break out singles a few years ago with “I’m Not Over” and “Show Me What I’m Looking For”. This continues the same sound. They are just a good pop rock band.

21           Trevor Hall - Dr. Seuss

Trevor Hall is a singer song writer that has a rock reggae thing going on. I stumbled on him a few years ago and loved his CD “Trevor Hall”. This song off of his current release, “Everything Everytime Everywhere” is amazing. In order to listen to whole cd’s instead of picking and choosing, I load my Ipod with new cd’s and then just hit random. This one caught my attention and have played it over and over since.

20           Blue October - The Feel Again (Stay)

Blue October is another band that I had high hopes for when their 2011 cd, “Any Man in America” came out. It hasn’t really grown on me yet but the song “The Feel Again” has. Justin Furstenfeld’s voice is very haunting and really works on this song.

19           Adele - Someone Like You

There’s not a lot that needs to be said. This song has been played and played and played. That aside, it’s still a great song and as of this writing, I still like to hear.

18           Grouplove - Tongue Tied

There’s not a lot to know about Grouplove. They have 1 CD which is pretty good. This song reminds me of an old 80’s song. There seems to be a lot of them like that which bodes well for my musical tastes. I have also heard this in a few commercials lately which has now become a big way for bands to get their songs played. I don’t actually mind unless it would be for women’s feminine care products.

17           Florence & The Machine - Shake It Out

Florence and the Machine are really just Florence Welch and a bunch of various musicians, not really a full permanent band. Her music is hard to explain but it has a big sound without having much guitars. I loved many songs from her first cd and this one is no different.

16           Ha Ha Tonka - Usual Suspects

I would describe Ha Ha Tonka as a rock/folk band. Their 2011 cd, “ Death of a Decade” is great from start to finish and was a contender for my album of the year. This is the best song from that Album.

15           Mona - Lean Into The Fall

I know nothing about this band other than a brief Wikipedia page and this song. I heard it on a web page called Alternative Addiction and really like it. I’ve since been noticing it on friends Spotify playlists so it’s out there.

14           Seether - Country Song

Seether is another band, that to me is no different than 10 other bands out right now (see #40 in this countdown). I’m usually board with this kind of music but like any good pop song, if I like it, I like it. This one is a bit of a change with the country pop feel to it.

13           The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
The Black Keys have been getting a lot of attention over the last few years. I like them but don’t love them like everyone else seems to. I tend to be indifferent to them as a whole but like songs here and there. It reminds me of The Replacements back in the 90’s. People were saying they were the best band since The Beatles. I didn’t feel that strongly about them but liked a lot of their songs.

12           The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted
This is another great song from their cd, “All At Once”. My wife thinks he sounds like Neil Diamond and my friend Wes thinks this is like something that J Geils Band would have put out. Either way, I liked Neil Diamond and J Geils.

11           Rock Mafia - The Big Bang
Rock Mafia is a music producing team that produces many of the recording artists from Mariah Carey to Justin Bieber. This is their first attempt at their own music. A very driving song, the video features Miley Cyrus.

10           Tim Booth - All About Time
Tim Booth has been the lead singer of James forever. I like everything that they put out and his solo stuff is no exception. This song shows how great of a songwriter he really is. He has been such an influence on so many bands out today. This is one of many great songs on his new cd, “Love Life”.

9              Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks
I loved this song the first time I heard it in 2010 and still haven’t grown tired of it. I still may have to put it away for a while if this keeps up but we’ll see. The evolution of this song is how a song becomes a huge hit when upon first hearing it, you never would have guessed it.

8              Mat Kearney - Hey Mama
Matt Kearney is one of favorite artists. His 3 cd’s are all great from beginning to end. This is the best song from his current cd, “Young Love”. If I have any complaints with Matt Kearny, it’s that many of his songs are a little too slow. I am always looking for great upbeat songs. This is one of them and get’s played a lot on my ipod.

7              Rihanna - We Found Love
In the last 15 years or so I have shied away from most pop music. I was so tired of “This Artist, Featuring Rapper A” and “That Artist Featuring Rapper B”. Over the last several years singers like Pink and Lady Gaga have brought pop music back towards the center. This song is a great example of that.

6              Lana Del Rey - Video Games

Her dad is a millionaire domain investor, she grew up ultra rich and refers to herself as “The Gansta Nancy Sinatra”.  That isn’t the basis for what I who I want my songs sung by. That being said, this is a great pop ballad. It doesn’t hurt that she is really hot and looks great in the video.

5              Maroon5 - Move Like Jagger
This song was added to the cd, “Hands All Over” after the success of Adam Levine’s stint on “The Voice”. The cd was re-released with some additional tracks, “Move Like Jagger” being the new single. It was a great move and the CD took off. It’s a great song.

4              Snow Patrol - Called Out In The Dark
Gary Lightbody is becoming my favorite singer songwriter. He doesn’t make great albums but makes great songs. Every album he releases has a song or 2 that I can’t get enough of. The song, “Called Out in the Dark” is the first single from the upcoming US release, “Fallen Empires”.

3              The Head and the Heart - Lost in My Mind
I know nothing about “The Head and the Heart”. My wife often comes home and asks me about a song she heard on WTMD during the day. I don’t listen to the radio too much so I tend to find new music from music charts, music web sites, word of mouth etc. When I first listed to this and during the next few months I really liked it more and more. I keep hearing the Bruce Springsteen Jerry McGuire song and I have no idea why. Great great song.

2              The Airborne Toxic Event - Changing
This would have been number one. It was for most of the year. I listen to it over and over and can’t seem to get enough. On a cd of all great songs, this is definitely my favorite. Some songs I know why I like them so much but It seems like on many of my favorite songs, I have no idea why. This is one of them.

1              Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
The best song of 2011, hands down. It has everything from haunting lyrics and melody to an amazing singer and a great video that would have been a huge hit in the 80’s. It’s such a great song I have just now started to listen to the rest of the cd (it’s pretty good by the way). I think it will be one of those songs that keeps building and building. Every time I post it on Facebook, so many people comment. Check it out and definitely watch the video.