The Best Songs of 2007, Part 1: Songs 100-91 come from the center of the Earth!

Hi there, and welcome to part 1 of my countdown of the best songs of 2007. Before I start, a few notes:

For one thing, 101 songs is a long list. I realize this. But, the whole thing together is less than seven hours of music. That’s not even an entire workday. So it’s not that long, in the grand scheme of things. But to make it more digestable (and less boring), I’m breaking the list down to ten (or, in today’s case, 11) songs at a time, along with links to videos or some other way for you to hear the song. I’ll post the next installment when I’m done writing it. It might be tomorrow. It might be tonight, if I get bored enough. It also might not. But soon. Also, any mp3s I post will only be up for a very limited time–a week, maybe. So act now!

Now, if you’re a chart stickler and want to know what got included and what didn’t–all of the songs on the top 101 are from 2007. That is, either they’re on albums that came out in 2007, they came out as singles in 2007, or they came out at the very end of 2006 but weren’t big on the radio until 2007. I didn’t include recent internet leaks from albums coming out in 2008, so as much as I love Three-Way by the Magnetic Fields and that new Ashlee Simpson song, they’ll have to wait until next year. (#95, on the other hand, did make the list, because it was put up on an official Myspace some time ago.)

Also, next to each song, you’ll see a number*. That’s how many times it was played (or, if you insist, scrobbled) by last.fm listeners last week. While you’re basically no one to last.fm listeners unless you’re Radiohead (or an equally white male British group) I did just learn the horrible fact that last week alone, Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry was played over four thousand times by choice, possibly by people that even like that song. I mention that because, after thinking about it for a while, I’ve decided that Big Girls Don’t Cry is the worst song of 2007. Not to mention the most overplayed. Fergieferg’s way of randomly sledgehammering notes rather than singing them, and her songwriters’ style of sticking together any silly verse with any silly chorus, made me actually kind of like London Bridge and Clumsy, her insane new single. But Big Girls Don’t Cry makes me want to shoot somebody in the head, probably because it’s slow and she’s whining about a blanket, for Christ’s sake. I spend most of my waking moments dreading the thought that I ever hear that terrible, terrible song . So four thousand plays—not including the radio—is totally beyond me. Especially when some of the best songs of the year got, like, two plays last week. (Or, in one case, zero plays last week. Poor #98!)**

Also, for the record, I didn’t actually listen to the Radiohead album yet, so don’t expect to see them on the list. I’m not sure why, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Oh, well. I’m sure they’re on everybody else’s list, though, so if you want to see them on somebody’s best songs of the year list I’m sure you have plenty of other choices. Oh, and speaking of online-only releases, I didn’t include anything from the one album I had anything to do with the release of this year. Not that it’s not great; I just didn’t want to be tacky.

If there are any songs on this list that you like or want to know more about, go buy the albums. Tell your friends. Add them to your Myspace. Send them an e-mail, even, if they’re unfamous enough to possibly read it. Let them know you like them.

(*Well, almost every song. It only lists plays per week for the top 20 songs by an artist, so the ones I chose less popular songs by aren’t on there.)

(**Also, speaking of last.fm, that’s where I found all the pictures, too. If you care, which I’m sure you don’t.)

Anyway, on with the list:

101. Shy Child, Drop The Phone (603 plays last week)

One of those trendy two-piece hipster bands, Shy Child put out their third album this year, got big in England and on Myspace, and put out this catchy, jerky little song about cell phone signals. Neat!

100. Chris Brown, Wall To Wall (2009 plays last week)

For some reason, even though I think Akon and all those other big R&B heartthrobs are boring as dirt, I like Chris Brown. He’s a big cheeseball, sure, and I think it’s silly that all his songs are about how hot he is when he’s looks like he’s only halfway through puberty, but his songs have some good hooks and, I don’t know, I just kinda like the dude.

99. Sleeping In The Aviary, Another Girl (19 plays last week)

Punk-poppy Wisconsin trio Sleeping In The Aviary’s debut album Oh This Old Thing? came out in May. Chances are you haven’t heard it, which is too bad because it’s quite delightful in a spastic fun kind of way. Also, they’re wicked gay and you can totally see their pubes on the internet.

98. Gang, Rat Poison (0 plays last week! Come on, people!)

I have a strong suspicion that the two ladies in Gang are probably really annoying in real life, judging from their press photos and their singing style. On the other hand, Rat Poison, the lead track on the
5-song EP they put out this year, is jarringly silly and makes for a
great sing-along.

97. San Serac, That Obscure Object Of Desire (6 plays last week)

San Serac, who left Providence to move to Boston a couple of years ago, released Professional this year, a great album if you want to like David Bowie in the 80’s but just can’t bring yourself to get over Dancing In The Street. My favorite track, which shares its name with a Bunuel movie I’ve rented like eighty times but never actually watched, is one of the less flashy affairs.

96. Maroon 5, Makes Me Wonder (6085 plays last week)

Adam Levine annoys the shit out of me, even though I think he’s kind of hot in an evil way and I still like the Kara’s Flowers CD I got for 99 cents in high school. [nb: Mr Levine’s not hot in the Makes Me Wonder video, though. I can’t get over the dumb haircut.] Still, his lame fake funk vocals can’t stop the disco conga line this song’s bound to start at Bar Mitzvahs for years to come. Also, expect ALev to do a Rob Thomas solo jump soon—the video’s official Youtube page says “Music video by Maroon 5 performing Makes Me Wonder with Adam Levine” like he’s a guest vocalist in his own band. Also, I have the feeling he’s not actually as tall as this photo might indicate.

95. Eef Barzelay, Apocalyptic Friend (27 plays last week)

Clem Snide’s oddly-named frontman used Myspace to preview a few tracks from his forthcoming self-titled album, which will be out on SpinArt next year. Apocalyptic Friend is louder than his previous stuff, though its lyrical content isn’t far removed from the sad, witty, hopeful songs he’s written so well for a decade now.

94. Beastie Boys, The Cousin Of Death (dunno how many plays)

The Beastie Boys’ all-instrumental The Mix Up album was a great summer party record, all organ doodling and guitar skronk that somehow avoided being lame or, god forbid, funky. The whole thing’s good—one of the problems with lists like this is that solid albums without any standout tracks either end up at #94 or don’t make the cut at all. (Sorry, Throbbing Gristle!)

93. Rappers Delight Club, When We Were Kids (Part One) (2 plays)

One thing I never, ever, ever like is when rappers have songs about when they were kids, especially if the song is called Back In The Day. (Sorry, Missy Elliott and Lady Sovereign.) It’s totally different, though, when the people rapping are barely eleven and they’re rhyming over a Jens Lekman sample. The rapping kids thing was kind of a mini-trend this year (See also: Heaps Decent.)

92. The Choir Practice, White Hat (10 plays)

The Choir Practice are a bunch of Vancouver indie kids who jumped on the “let’s start a band with 7800 of our friends” wagon that The Polyphonic Spree and I’m From Barcelona started. It seems a little contrived, but it’s rescued from being too precious by quietly abrasive riffs. (Another mini-trend I approve of: novelty Canadian Girl Indie!) Plus I get a big silly grin on my face every time White Hat comes on.

91. Christina Aguilera, Mother (no idea how many plays)

Not to be confused with Oh Mother, the Back to Basics track that’s apparently a single now. This John Lennon cover by a is the only bright light in an unbelievably horrid tribute benefit album. Sure, it’s nice to get people to care about Darfur, but surely that could have been done in a way that didn’t involve Matisyahu, Aerosmith, AND Los Lonely Boys. Mother’s really pretty, a big pop production in the way that it doesn’t sound like one; it comes across like Xtina’s pre-show vocal exercises, without seeming insincere. And not just because she’s in the family way herself, as seen above.