TOP 50: PART FIVE

Our fifth and final installment of a look back at some of our favorite tracks this year.

Reggie Goes to War – The Western Civilization
Letters of Resignation
A staple of their live performances, and generally including several members banging away on snare drums throughout the stage, Reggie is as intriguing a take on a pop song as we have heard put out this year. The title is in the third person, as are the vocals, which is twisty, as they are presumably being sung by the very same Reggie they are about. Driven by a martial march, plucked strings and a heavy, almost churchy, organ, the song is at once both signature and a complete departure from their other compositions. It seriously begs the question why more groups don’t take the occasional step outside the comfort zone.

Reveal the Rats – Fatal Flying Guilloteens
Quantum ****ing
Can you imagine living in a city without the Fatal Flying Guilloteens? Like, say Toledo, Ohio, for example. That must not be fun at all. I mean, in addition to the tour stories, the caterwauling live shows with their requisite DRAMA, and the great-to-be-around members themselves, we've got songs like this. Oh sure, there is no doubt a band in Toledo who is the most crazy live, and one who tours with the biggest names while barely being able to keep from getting kicked off it, and one whose record is getting a lot of good press - but we doubt all those different things are happening all at once to a single band. If you read about these guys online lately, this is the track they reference, and for good reason too. It's damn fine like the summertime.


Revelations 21:8 – The Western Civilization
Letters of Resignation
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Oh. Ok. You know, we kind of actually like the Wycliff New Testament translation of this passage better. It replaces “murderers” with “man-quellers.” Hahahah. What is a man-queller? Are there chicken and cow quellers too? Is there that much of an academic disagreement as to the translation of this word, that some folks think its MURDERER and other think “Nah, it more like thin the herd or something”? And actually, while we’re on the subject, the International LOLCat Translation is much more concise “But if u suck u lose.” Whatever. This song send us to the firely pond with its simple pop-craft, vocal interplay and most assuredly not-up-for-argument brimstone use of xylophone.


The Sad Pony Rides Again – O Pioneers!!!
O Pioneers / The Measure [SA] 7"
For some reason, and we’re not really sure why, we had it in our heads that O Pioneers!!! was the sort of abrasive hardcore band that generally gets our eyes leering over our shoulders in search of the exit. We freely admit, afterall, not really being into the harsher parts of life. Imagine our surprise once we finally sucked it up and went them see a show. We felt sort of like the guy wandering around the airport with the toilet-seat cover stuck in the back of his trousers. DUMB. Turns out, there’s quite a bit of pop and jangle in their songs, especially this one (our favorite from their two split releases this year), which hums around in our head long after the needle has been raised and the turntables quitted. Even Eric I Heart U’s voice, rough as it is, is far more sugar in the raw than grit gut prognosticator. In spite of it’s toughness, the up and down bounce of the guitar is almost merry-go-round fun, with a kickapoo set of drums riding the pony next to you. Such a sad pony.


Sharp Teeth – Over Sea Under Stone
5 Songs Are Not Enough
Taking a break from the more operatic vocals that are so defining on the rest of this ep, Sharp Teeth nevertheless sounds like OSUS while thrusting its walking stick into new lilly pads. A sweeping, robotic mask covers nearly every pronounced word, an effect whose repetition seems like it should get, well, repetitive - yet it never does. With an uncharacteristic crescendo, you wonder if OSUS is previewing the evolution of their sound to come, or are just taking a break from themselves. Either way, it works great.


Spitekyte – Motion Turns it On
Rima
If we had to choose a word that characterized the other indiestrumentals on our countdown, it would have to be ‘un-sanded’. Ok, so that’s not really a word, but it has to be because the closest in the thesaurus is unfinished, but that somehow implies that acts like Blades or By The End of Tonight aren’t wanting that rawness in their sound – they certainly are. Spitekyte, on the other hand, gleams. MTIO has taken their songs (which, it is said, lean more heavily towards improvisation in a live setting) and not just sanded them, but applied a shop-smelling coat of laquer on top. And it works. Really well. Spitekyte, with its keyboards and and tight snares, is a carefully sculpted recording, without a single rough edge to distracts from the beading rain that cannot penetrate it.


Teenage Ruins – Something Fierce
Something Fierce/The Hangouts 7”
Thank the maker for this song. It’s been so long since we’ve been a teenager (and ruined as one). Ruin now is about so much duller of things; there is no melodrama about being old and things not going your way. It’s completely not interesting. That’s why those sorts of shows are set in hospitals or freaky magic islands or cities in Kansas after some sort of nuclear catastrophe. Even then they’re still pretty boring. Just as no hurt is more boring than the hurt felt by someone with the life experience and capacity to handle it, so to is there nothing better than being reminded of what young pain and disappointment felt like. Man we miss it.


Translations in the Lost – Hearts of Animals
Grey Ghost #39
HAH! We always wondered when someone would get around to using the TEMPO UP and TEMPO DOWN buttons on the drum machine from their keyboard as part of a song intro. Like the tap tap tapping of nervous fingers on the teller’s counter, the beat moves along until ambushed by guitar and voice waiting outside for the bank-heist double cross getaway. And get away the song does. Bedspring guitar spurts where the cash is stashed, but only in small doses and always on the run. The revenue agents are coming and that means, well, gotta keep going.


Vultures – Jana Hunter
There’s No Home
If the Beach Boys had beach cruisers instead of 409s, and were more interested in sea-birds, turtles and having crab roasts with their friends than in girls, they might have had the early introspection to write this song. Nuff said.



West Side Boring – By The End of Tonight
The Gunslinger EP
We have this daydream fantasy where we win a fantastic sum on money in the lottery and use it to produce a TV show where our whole crew is sort of like the A-Team of bringing the PARTY to the places in the world that need it most. Most likely, this song will be in the opening episode, and during the sudden SNAP BACK of the guitar at precisely 0:58, on the screen, a c-130 cargo plane with PARTY CALL ME stenciled on the wings will emerge head-on towards the camera out of a cloud of burning black smoke. From the tail of the plane an 8 passenger van will parachute and bring the RAGE directly to the troops in Iraq. After the celebration a serious amount of hyjinks will be pulled on John McCain, who is in the country for yet another fictional fact finding trip.

Well, that wraps it up for for this trip through our favorite tracks of the year. What do you think? Were there any that we missed? And what about albums - did you have a local top ten, top five or even top one? Share your thought in the comments.