Pitchfork's 100 best songs list is up...

Blind, White Winter Hymnal, Ready For the Floor, L.E.S. Artistes take top four spots.

Usually like their album lists better than their song lists, which I feel stray too completely into Dance and AM radio, arena's into which this year's list strays even more completely than others.

Straight up Rock n' Roll almost non-existant (no Black Mountain, Jicks, Gutter Twins, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Harvey Milk etc.)...a bone to Nick Cave, a bone to The Hold Steady, maybe one or two others that's it...and in what I think is most egregious bulk ommission, site must be in pissing contest with Q Magazine, cause anything in a trad Brit Pop anthemic vein, (Elbow, Glasvegas, Gaslight Anthem, British Sea Power, Last Shadow Puppets, Coldplay, Oasis, Sons and Daughters), which I felt was this year's second strongest niche (after folk-rock), was completely blanked.

So on the whole, while they do have tracks from a lot of the key touchstone albums represented, overall feels like a remarkably narrow scoped representation of the year...a very limited and disappointing list...probably only 12-15 tracks I straight up agree with them on on inclusion.

Did really like inclusion of The Nun's Litany - Magnetic Fields and A&E - Goldfrapp, two of my favorites of year...and they did get the two best songs from Hercules and Love Affair right, and in the right order.

MGMT's Time To Pretend made last year's songs list. Why does it appear on this years too? Kind of the same thing with Flashing Lights and DVNO. Two songs from albums released LAST YEAR. I know they weren't "singles" until this year, but doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of a "Best of 2008" songs list?

The top 10 is pretty hard to argue with (not a bad song in there), but some of the other choices on the list are a little...uh..questionable. No Lights & Music, Mykonos, Last Shadow Puppets, or Wolf Parade AT ALL, really? At least they threw Poison Dart and Put On on the list.

quote:

Originally posted by Lawrence_Of_Suburbia:
MGMT's Time To Pretend made last year's songs list. Why does it appear on this years too? Kind of the same thing with Flashing Lights and DVNO. Two songs from albums released LAST YEAR. I know they weren't "singles" until this year, but doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of a "Best of 2008" songs list?

The top 10 is pretty hard to argue with (not a bad song in there), but some of the other choices on the list are a little...uh..questionable. No Lights & Music, Mykonos, Last Shadow Puppets, or Wolf Parade AT ALL, really? At least they threw Poison Dart and Put On on the list.

They already had two Cut Copy and Two Fleet Foxes tracks in their top 100...so I can understand no Lights & Music or Mykonos...but like I said above, a huge number of possibles left off for a endless parade of dance/electronica numbers in what I personally think was a down year for that kind of music...obviously they saw it differently.

I wish they hadn't excluded Bleeding Love. There's a lot of reverse elitism going in their song lists. They had Milkshake and Hollaback Girl on one of their singles lists (rightfully so), and they have American Boy in the top ten. so I really thought my beloved Bleeding Love was going to be there. Imagine my disapointment...

I really am enjoying Santogold's record, but I always skip L.E.S. Artistes. That song is too "ghost" for comfort to a certain Tegan and Sara song that I particularly like. It's as if she ripped off the irresistible melody in the verse, replaced the chorus with a few dull pop hooks, and it somehow won the critical acclaim of RS and P4K. Hmmmm...there are so much better songs on that record (although thank God P4K did mention "Lights Out" at one point on their list).

The music video is a dandy though.

I made a similar post in the Pitchfork's year end album list thread. Here is the list resulting from Pitchfork's individual staff song lists if our Metacritic user lists scoring method were used instead.

100 TV on the Radio - "DLZ" +62
099 Max Tundra - "The Entertainment" *
098 Sic Alps - "Message from the Law" +8
097 Excepter - "Burgers" *
096 Jamie Lidell - "All I Wanna Do" +5
095 Ricardo Villalobos - "Enfants" +43
094 Atlas Sound - "River Card" +1
093 Kills - "Last Day of Magic" *
092 Frightened Rabbit - "The Modern Leper" +14
091 High Places - "From Stardust to Sentience" +34
090 Jay Reatard - "Always Wanting More" +41
089 Elephant Man - "No Tikkle" *
088 The Hold Steady - "Lord, I'm Discouraged" *
087 No Age - "Sleeper Hold" +46
086 Ne-Yo - "Miss Independent" *
085 Kathleen Edwards - "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" *
084 The Bug - "Warning" *
083 Max Tundra - "Will Get Fooled Again" *
082 Atlas Sound - "Recent Bedroom" *
081 TV on the Radio - "Family Tree" *
080 Rihanna - "Disturbia" *
079 David Byrne & Brian Eno - "Life Is Long" *
078 Ladyhawke - "Dusk Til Dawn" *
076 The Veronicas - "Untouched" -11
076 Orchestra Baobab - "Nijaay" *
075 M83 - "Graveyard Girl" +29
074 Solange - "Sandcastle Disco" -8
073 The Very Best - "Kamphopo" +10
072 Sigur Rós - "Gobbledigook" +1
071 The Hold Steady - "Constructive Summer" +46
070 Born Ruffians - "I Need a Life (Four Tet Remix)" -22
069 Air France - "No Excuses" *
068 Vivian Girls - "Tell the World" *
067 Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" *
066 The Dodos - "Fools" +7
065 Antony and the Johnsons - "Another World" *
064 Cut Copy - "Lights and Music" *
063 Arthur Russell - "I Couldn't Say It to Your Face" +27
062 Hot Chip - "One Pure Thought" +18
061 Santogold - "Lights Out" +39
060 Four Tet - "Ribbons" -8
059 Max Tundra - "Which Song" -7
058 Nico Muhly - "The Only Tune" *
057 Why? - "Fatalist Palmistry" -37
056 Pink - "So What" *
055 Hercules and Love Affair - "Hercules' Theme" +34
054 The Walkmen - "In the New Year" +28
053 Invisible Conga People - "Cable Dazed" +3
052 Beyoncé - "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" +29
051 Vampire Weekend - "Oxford Comma" -5
050 Wale - "The Perfect Plan" *
049 T-Pain - "Can't Believe It" *
048 TV on the Radio - "Golden Age" -4
047 Crystal Castles - "Untrust Us" +15
046 Alphabeat - "Fascination" -1
045 T.I. - "No Matter What" +18
044 Whitest Boy Alive - "Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)" -20
043 Portishead - "The Rip" -26
042 Osborne - "16th Stage" -43
041 Little Boots - "Stuck on Repeat" -34
040 Vampire Weekend - "M79" +11
039 Lykke Li - "Dance, Dance, Dance" -27
038 Cut Copy - "Hearts on Fire" +31
037 Shearwater - "The Snow Leopard" +2
036 Ida Maria - "Oh My God" -43
035 Young Jeezy - "Put On" -32
034 Amadou and Mariam - "Sabali" +19
033 Q-Tip - "Gettin' Up" -28
032 Crystal Castles - "Courtship Dating" -28
031 Aeroplane - "Whispers" ---
030 Vivian Girls - "Where Do You Run To?" +11
029 Gang Gang Dance - "House Jam" +5
028 Goldfrapp - "A&E" -45
027 Jordin Sparks - "No Air" *
026 Cut Copy - "Out There on the Ice" +14
025 Kanye West - "Love Lockdown" -14
024 Cut Copy - "So Haunted" *
023 The Tough Alliance - "Lucky" -39
022 T.I. - "Live Your Life" -18
021 Portishead - "Machine Gun" +12
020 No Age - "Eraser" -8
019 Be Your Own Pet - "Becky" -34
018 Juan MacLean - "Happy House" -2
017 Estelle - "American Boy" +7
016 Big Boi - "Royal Flush" -21
015 Lykke Li - "Little Bit" -34
014 David Byrne & Brian Eno - "Strange Overtones" +3
013 Fuck Buttons - "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" -21
012 Usher - "Love in This Club" -43
011 Wiley - "Wearing My Rolex" -6
010 Women - "Black Rice" -8
009 Air France - "Collapsing at Your Doorstep" +1
008 Santogold - "L.E.S. Artistes" +4
007 Deerhunter - "Nothing Ever Happened" +1
006 M83 - "Kim & Jessie" +1
005 The Mae Shi - "Run to Your Grave" -11
004 Lil Wayne - "A Milli" -10
003 Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal" +1
002 Hot Chip - "Ready for the Floor" -1
001 Hercules and Love Affair - "Blind" ---

Highest ranking album not in Pitchfork's Top 100:
01 (24) Cut Copy - "So Haunted"
02 (27) Jordin Sparks - "No Air"
03 (48) T-Pain - "Can't Believe It"
04 (50) Wale - "The Perfect Plan"
05 (56) Pink - "So What"
06 (58) Nico Muhly - "The Only Tune"
07 (64) Cut Copy - "Lights and Music"
08 (65) Another World - "Antony and the Johnsons"
09 (67) Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love"
10 (68) Vivian Girls - "Tell the World"

Lowest ranking album in Pitchfork's Top 100:
100. Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace" (409th)

Biggest risers within the list:
01 Beach House - "Gila" +325
02 Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace" +309
03 Spiritualized - "Soul on Fire" +252
04 Telepathe - "I Can't Stand It" +169
05 Final Fantasy - "The Butcher" +165
06 Friendly Fires - "Paris (Aeroplane Remix)" +151
07 Empire of the Sun - "Walking on a Dream" +150
08 Los Campesinos! - "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks" +115
09 Justice - "DVNO (Radio Edit)" +99
10 Wale - "The Kramer" +84

Biggest fallers within the list:
01 Goldfrapp - "A&E" -45
02 Osborne - "16th Stage" -43
02 Ida Maria - "Oh My God -43
02 Usher - "Love in This Club -43
05 The Tough Alliance - "Lucky" -39
05 Lykke Li - "Little Bit" -39
07 Why? - "Fatalist Palmistry" -37
08 Little Boots - "Stuck on Repeat" -34
08 Be Your Own Pet - "Becky" -34
10 Young Jeezy - "Put On" -32

Most times listed:
01 Hercules and Love Affair - "Blind" 20
02 Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal" 13
02 Hot Chip - "Ready for the Floor" 13
04 Lil Wayne - "A Milli" 11
05 Santogold - "L.E.S. Artistes" 9
05 M83 - "Kim & Jessie" 9
05 Women - "Black Rice" 9
08 David Byrne & Brian Eno - "Strange Overtones" 8
08 Deerhunter - "Nothing Ever Happened" 8
08 The Mae Shi - "Run to Your Grave" 8

Most times listed, not in Pitchfork's Top 100:
Cut Copy - "So Haunted" 4
Jordin Sparks - "No Air" 4
Wale - "The Perfect Plan" 4
Pink - "So What" 4

Most points per listing from Pitchfork's Top 100:
Fleet Foxes - "Blue Ridge Mountains"
Titus Andronicus - "Upon Viewing Brueghel's 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'"
Low Motion Disco - "Things Are Gonna Get Easier"
The Magnetic Fields - "The Nun's Litany"

Highest ranking album by Pitchfork without a #1 placing:
02 Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal" (best was 2nd)

Album from Pitchfork's Top 100 with the worst best placing:
80 The Bug - "Poison Dart" (best was 20th)