Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
70. Miley Cyrus – Party In the USA
“Seriously?” Yes, dude, seriously. You know why people hate this song? Because Miley sings it. That’s the only reason. Any other reason and you have no soul. Why? Have you listened to this song? It’s fucking awesome. Seriously. And Hannah Montana had nothing to do with its awesomeness. That crunchy bass line? That banging beat? And the melody is pop gold. I mean, it’s not like Miley had anything to do with the songwriting and production – she didn’t. She just sings. And the Auto-Tune makes her sound like sweet, sweet candy. Seriously. So stop pretending like you don’t love this song just because 14-year-old girls do, too. They’re not always wrong. Sponge Bob is still awesome.
For those of you still willing to lie and say you hate this song, and you don’t crank it when no one’s looking, nodding your head like yeah, moving your hips like yeah, let me ask you this: do you even like music? Seriously.
If you’ve been watching/reading, you already know about South Park, my favorite television program. For years, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have creatively pushed the boundaries of free speech, making fun of everything they can. Christians, celebrities, Mormons, Scientologists, Jews, atheists, and countless others have been poked fun at by the Emmy-award winning show. Parker and Stone call themselves “equal opportunity offenders.” They are American heroes.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
270. The Shins – New Slang
I heard all the brouhaha about Garden State and the hype surrounding this band, but I didn’t actually see the film until I met my good friend Kim in college. I believe it is still one of her favorite movies, and it is one that I enjoyed immensely, though I haven’t watched it since. I managed to get my hands on a copy of Oh, Inverted World back in high school, and, honestly, I didn’t really get it. Sure, the songs were pretty and soft, but I was initially bored. And dumb. It took repeated listens and a few years for me to appreciate it; what a brilliant little debut from a band that would, along with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, probably be the first in the new indie-Internet age to become too popular too quick.
When my dad brought home What I Like About You (And Other Romantic Hits) I thought it was a compilation of love songs from the 80’s by different people. Being ten years old, I had never heard of a band called the Romantics. I soon found out that all these awesome songs were by one under-rated, semi-forgotten new wave group.
Sure, we’ve all overheard the main track, especially if we watched car commercials in the 90’s. But this band had so many rocking hits, and they found the knack (pun) to mix punk, R&B, funk, and 50’s rock into one hell of a new sound for this innovative decade. Many don’t remember, but the Romantics were at the forefront of an explosion of a new sound that would envelop the next 10+ years of music. We can still hear their influence today, especially if we listen to current indie garage groups. These boys were always at the top of their game; catchy hooks, simple love-song lyrics, and straight-up rock and roll? What’s not to love? After all, it’s all Romantic.
Videogum had a great post about what Kevin Eubanks should do after he retires from the Tonight Show. And as with most Videogum posts, the comments section is pretty hilarious as well.
Not really laugh-out-loud funny, but let’s see if you music fans get it:
Finally, Glee is back! And in case you missed the Madonna parody, here it is.
It’s dreadful and wet here in the LBK – the city famous for NO draining system. The streets are flooded and there are holes in my shoes. Time to turn the heater back on. But on the plus side: Rainy Day Playlist! These tracks will get you wet. Promise.
