Best Song of 2004: Heat #1

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I got 294 nominations but Michelle McManus ain't one! Welcome to 2004 everybody - coming up this year we have at least three songs/artists that have inspired lj names of poptimist members, debuts from Kanye, Estelle, TashBed and McFly, plus plenty of mumpop, teenpop, hiphop and blip-bop (that's quite enough of that - Ed).

Without further ado, let's crack open the Brandy and get Bubblin'! (sorry) It's heat #1!

• You get SIX TICKS over the three bits of the poll, unless you played the investigation game on the previous heat and told us all your new favourite (and why). Put your new favourite in the box below and get an extra tick for the next heat - do it for five or more heats and get an extra nomination for 2005.



• The top five in each heat will go through to the next stage. Make sure you rep for your faves in the comments!



• If you want to fill in the 'best song I only heard today' box later, change your vote (or tick too many by mistake), you can edit your votes by clicking on 'Poll #12345' then 'Fill Out Poll'.



• You have until Tuesday lunchtime to vote

[Poll #1494342]

Comments

Embrace me, surround me

[credoimprobus]

Augh, why are there so many of mine in this heat?

Anyway, as previously intimated this is one of my tunes of the decade:



Possibly the decade's best trance track: dark but warm, embers and velvet night; it wraps around you and engulfs you, leaves you feeling comforted and safe. You may be lost in the dark of the woods, but there's not a single thing to fear in it.


Also:



John Tejada in one of his most tender moments, without ever forgetting the groove. Minimal and hypnotically pulsing, and raised to outright beautiful by the fragile vocal.




Saul Williams is also minimal, but with sparse music hall piano and sparser beats, and uses it to ruthlessly pick over his own old teenage insecurities (I dreamed of being white and complimented by you/but the only shiny black thing that you liked was my shoes)

Re: Embrace me, surround me

[koganbot]

I like how Saul's challenge to the bling crowd is a demand that they acknowledge what they and he have in common. (So he's not just saying that his real is realer than their real, though he is sort of saying that too.)

Re: Embrace me, surround me

[credoimprobus]

It's pretty much my favourite verse, is that one, for more or less that exact reason, and accordingly contains my 2nd and 3rd favourite lines of the song, too (if you dare to share your heart we'll nod our head to its beat and I plan to have a whole army by the time that I'm through to load their guns with songs they haven't sung).

Re: Embrace me, surround me

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Ooh, really like the Saul Williams track...