Best Song of 2005: Heat #2

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

A tough opener for the year saw Amerie, Girls Aloud, Robyn and Maximo Park all squeeze through. However t.A.T.u and the Veronicas tied for 5th place! Vote in the tie-breaker below.

Next up we have LOTS of indie. Oh dear...

• You get SIX TICKS over the three bits of the poll, unless you told us all your new favourite (and why) from the last heat. 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 2006 (unless I think of something else to do in 2006).



• 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 #1527537]


Extra ticks this heat go to justfanoe, mesearch, koganbot and me.

Comments

Black Stars And Endless Seas

[koganbot]

t.A.T.u. "Cosmos (Outer Space)"



The ache of longing pierces the entire universe. Here's Lena's demo, which is even more beautiful:



And here's "Kosmos" on Lyudi Invalidy:

Re: Black Stars And Endless Seas

[meserach.livejournal.com]

I have extreme difficulty taking t.A.t.U seriously, and when we're dealing with this level of hyperbole that's a problem. I'm fine with life-or-death exaggeration in pop music, but something in the delivery just doesn't work for me here.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I've only got four definite ticks in this heat so I am willing to be persuaded as to the merits of others!

[koganbot]

I want to point out that I nominated both t.A.T.u.'s "All About Us" and the Veronicas' "4ever," that "4ever" is written by Max Martin and Dr. Luke but not the Veronicas, and that "All About Us" is written by the Veronicas (w/ Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander). I hope that forestalls any confusion.

I voted for "4ever," which is my favorite Veronicas song. "All About Us" is very good, but - this may surprise you - there are t.A.T.u. songs I like far better.

She brought a lotta men to their knees, only one of them was thinkin, Lord won't you help her please

[koganbot]

Jamie O'Neal "Devil On The Left"



A woman torn between two masters, but in the end she gets the middle man. (Passionate country songstress, I'd say deeply American, but she was born in Australia.)

she's got the TRUTH!

[redcommieapples.livejournal.com]

poor yummy bingham never got the break she deserved, after all, she gets to choose who she wants to give some of that mmm mmm to!

Re: she's got the TRUTH!

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

yeah the Yummy Bingham album was really good. It came out in the UK but did it even get a US release on CD?

She's got enough goods to feed the whole world!

[credoimprobus]

I love this tune SO MUCH.

Re: she's got the TRUTH!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

This is good! Not quite as good as that Brandy track but a nice brass hook nevertheless.

[martinv.livejournal.com]

I feel I need to confess to voting for the Stereophonics. This would never normally happen. It's just that this is a weak heat, and Dakota is their one and only career highlight. Apologies.

[martinv.livejournal.com]

Also: why is 'Cool' doing so badly?! Astonishing.

[meserach.livejournal.com]

I nominated "Cool", but I sense that even at the time reaction to it was muted. somehow... Stefani fatigue, perhaps?

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Because it's not as good as 'Early Winter'?

Missy - Can't Stop

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Rich Harrison was - erm - unstoppable in 2005. This is a fan vid I think.

STOP CHARLOTTE

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

I have no complaints about the top 3 right now (and am astonishingly DELIGHTED that Ladytron are leading). But Charlotte Church in the 4th spot when there are better songs out there is inexcusable. Here are some better options:


Robyn's Bum Like You. This is awesome, and delicate and beautiful, I know not everyone here likes Robyn but this is her most heartfelt vocal, and it sounds all the better against such a sparse acoustic backing track.



Gwen Stefani's Cool - if the original is faling to persuade you, then why not have a listen to Richard X's marvellously squelchy remix


Martha's Bloddy Mother Fucking Asshole. Sweariness never sounded so good.

Re: STOP CHARLOTTE

[koganbot]

"Bum Like You" - which I ticked enthusiastically, and I definitely prefer this version to the dance remix - is a candidate for the Rough Guide To Co-Dependent Relationships, if I can find room amidst all the Kelly Clarkson and Sheryl Crow tracks.

"I could knit you mittens and make you pie"

[meserach.livejournal.com]

^^ This = best.

I should just actually listen to the whole Robyn back catalogue I guess, I've yet to hear a think I don't like.

Re: "I could knit you mittens and make you pie"

[koganbot]

Don't know much prior to 2005, not counting "Show Me Love," but I highly recommend 2002's "Blow My Mind," from her psychedelic era. She co-wrote it with Alexander Kronlund of "If You Seek Amy" fame.

Spotify

[meserach.livejournal.com]

http://open.spotify.com/user/meserach/playlist/3aBtVervJlyhz5GN8JamUk

No Martha Wainwright, censored Missy Elliot, n Nina, no Foxy, no GZA. Otherwise complete!

Re: Spotify

[koganbot]

Here's Foxy's great, slinky "Come Fly With Me":

Candy Shop = Metaphailure

[meserach.livejournal.com]

So 50 Cent wishes to tell us he'll "melt in your mouth, not in your hand", thereby employing the cunning "my penis is a candy bar" metaphor which underpins the track, only given the connotations of "melt" with "penis" means that this line actually suggests that 50 Cent is turned off by oral sex. Hmm.

LCD Soundsystem

[meserach.livejournal.com]

I speak as someone largely ignorant of LCD Soundsystem outside of their appearances in this process.

I have to ask: Is the way the vocalist enunciates words a bug or a feature? Because gods it's making me a little crazy. Although it kinda works here with the tracks propulsive bass - kinda makes me think of a Jagger-like strutting frontman. Are they like that live? It would be a lot more tolerable as an affectation if it was part of a whole performance.

Re: LCD Soundsystem

[koganbot]

I have the same question myself. I guess the answer is that it's both a bug and a feature. It lands too much on the "mediocrity" side of the "mediocrity/artist" divide for me - relevant similar vocalists who at their best get their bugs over to the "artist" side would be Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman, Mark E. Smith, H.P. Baxxter. They're willing to be better than their listeners, whereas James Murphy doesn't get there for me. But then, though I've got one of the LCD Soundsystem albs, I've not given the band a chance to win me over. So someone else will be able to give you a better answer than I can, and maybe tell me where to hear the art.

Bruce Springsteen and a song I forgot to nominate

[meserach.livejournal.com]

Listening to the Springsteen here (which was very good, I have to say) reminded me of another song I forgot to nominate for 2005: "Preston Miller" from the album Flowers of Avalon by Tracy Grammer.

It's a murder ballad.

Let's see if there's a stream anywhere:



Well worth seeking out for country/folk fans.

I only mean well, I promise

[credoimprobus]

Being as it's 9 and a half minutes of hypnotically repetitive bobbins with only three minutes of vocals in the middle, this isn't going to be for everyone, but it is abs AMAZING. One of the highest points of iiO's brief but brilliant career, and my absolute favourite track of theirs.



(And did I mention this is from my album of the decade? Seriously, if you enjoy this, Runaway in the '04 polls, and the one upcoming in a few polls, you NEED to look up Poetica. One of the biggest favours you'll ever do yourself.)

Re: I only mean well, I promise

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Aw dude this is GREAT. Your tireless efforts on behalf of iio have finally won me over!

Re: I only mean well, I promise

[credoimprobus]

Hooray! :)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

God I just realised that none of these comments are turning up in my inbox because of Martha Wainwright. CHEERS MARTHA

[koganbot]

Apparently in 2006 a whole mess of Idolators' Jackin' Pop ballots suffered a similar fate when Idolator put "Jackin' Pop" in the subject line.