Here’s a secret: I’m bad at ranking things. I have a few tops (for instance, movie = Brazil), but don’t ask me to pick two through ten. I’ve got several things that can make the list, but ordering them is impossible since it can depend on my mood or nostalgia or phases of the moon.
So while everybody else is picking their top 10 albums of the year, I’m just going to come up with a bunch of arbitrary categories instead. This is likely just a “part one”; I don’t want to make any promises about actually updating this blog, but I’m pretty sure I’ll come up with more categories soon after I post this.
Album from 2009 Still In Heavy Rotation
Sunset Rubdown - “Dragonslayer”. I seriously still listen to it at least two or three times a week, and it’s not even close to growing old.
Best Song With A Crazily Long Title
Los Campesinos! - A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; Or, Letters From Me to Charlotte. Plus it looks like there’s a video or EP or something grand coming soon for this song!
Best Title Track
Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself. Probably a good candidate for the theme song to my life, too.
Best Opening Track
LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean (from “This Is Happening”).
Best Single Moment of Any Song
Also LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean, at 3:05. It’s my ringtone!
Best Free Album
John Vanderslice - Green Grow the Rushes
Best Cat-Related Cover Art
Sorry, Snacks the Cat, but the astro-cat from The Klaxons’ “Surfing the Void” totally shuts you out. Maybe your owners can help you get over the heartache by sharing a bunch of their weed.
Best Dan Bejar Song
Silver Jenny Dollar from The New Pornographers’ “Together”
Best Twitterer
Jon Wurster (from Superchunk and The Mountain Goats), hands down. Dude makes me laugh with every single post.
Best Concert Intro
Public Enemy. They had a goddamn drum corps and marching band dance through the crowd and up to the stage!
Weirdest Concert Moment
Stuart Murdoch from Belle and Sebastian climbing along the railings of the austere DAR Constitution Hall, chucking footballs into the crowd as the rest of the band played Booker T & the MG’s “Green Onions”.
Funniest Musical Performance
Reggie Watts opening for Conan O’Brien. Look up performances of Big-Ass Purse and Fuck Shit Stack online, but it was even better in person.
Album I Probably Would Have Liked Better If It Had More Songs With Regine Singing and Fewer With Win Singing
Arcade Fire - “The Suburbs”. Win Butler also gets the coveted Worst Haircut award!
Best Album for Driving Fast, Singing Along, and Playing Air Drums Until You Careen Off the Interstate and Cause a Forty-Car Pileup
Superchunk - “Majesty Shredding”. Just be sure to point at your closest wound and tell the paramedics, “oh, my gap feels weird” as they’re loading you onto the life flight helicopter.
Best Soundtrack Album
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (except for that one Teenage Dream song by T. Rex).
Predicted Names for New Subgenres in 2011
Smurfhouse. Stutter chill. Youtubular. Cootie core. Minotaur metal.
So while everybody else is picking their top 10 albums of the year, I’m just going to come up with a bunch of arbitrary categories instead. This is likely just a “part one”; I don’t want to make any promises about actually updating this blog, but I’m pretty sure I’ll come up with more categories soon after I post this.
Album from 2009 Still In Heavy Rotation
Sunset Rubdown - “Dragonslayer”. I seriously still listen to it at least two or three times a week, and it’s not even close to growing old.
Best Song With A Crazily Long Title
Los Campesinos! - A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; Or, Letters From Me to Charlotte. Plus it looks like there’s a video or EP or something grand coming soon for this song!
Best Title Track
Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself. Probably a good candidate for the theme song to my life, too.
Best Opening Track
LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean (from “This Is Happening”).
Best Single Moment of Any Song
Also LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean, at 3:05. It’s my ringtone!
Best Free Album
John Vanderslice - Green Grow the Rushes
Best Cat-Related Cover Art
Sorry, Snacks the Cat, but the astro-cat from The Klaxons’ “Surfing the Void” totally shuts you out. Maybe your owners can help you get over the heartache by sharing a bunch of their weed.
Best Dan Bejar Song
Silver Jenny Dollar from The New Pornographers’ “Together”
Best Twitterer
Jon Wurster (from Superchunk and The Mountain Goats), hands down. Dude makes me laugh with every single post.
Best Concert Intro
Public Enemy. They had a goddamn drum corps and marching band dance through the crowd and up to the stage!
Weirdest Concert Moment
Stuart Murdoch from Belle and Sebastian climbing along the railings of the austere DAR Constitution Hall, chucking footballs into the crowd as the rest of the band played Booker T & the MG’s “Green Onions”.
Funniest Musical Performance
Reggie Watts opening for Conan O’Brien. Look up performances of Big-Ass Purse and Fuck Shit Stack online, but it was even better in person.
Album I Probably Would Have Liked Better If It Had More Songs With Regine Singing and Fewer With Win Singing
Arcade Fire - “The Suburbs”. Win Butler also gets the coveted Worst Haircut award!
Best Album for Driving Fast, Singing Along, and Playing Air Drums Until You Careen Off the Interstate and Cause a Forty-Car Pileup
Superchunk - “Majesty Shredding”. Just be sure to point at your closest wound and tell the paramedics, “oh, my gap feels weird” as they’re loading you onto the life flight helicopter.
Best Soundtrack Album
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (except for that one Teenage Dream song by T. Rex).
Predicted Names for New Subgenres in 2011
Smurfhouse. Stutter chill. Youtubular. Cootie core. Minotaur metal.
