(t5!) My Year In Lists 2006: Singles! 25 to 21
Opening the satisfactory First Impressions Of Earth (released the first Tuesday of the year), “You Only Live Once” was the first song I heard released in 2006. Kicking the year off with a booming kick drum and a trademark monotone guitar pick flick, it ingrained eager anticipation for what’s upcoming. Then, the killer lead riff jumps in; it affected me then and it’s etched in my memory until December. Julian Casablancas is now undistorted, but he’s still sounding dirty, still purring nonchalantly, still awkwardly swaying to the rhythm. It’s simplistic in structure, intentionally indolent, but relentlessly melodious. It’s akin to the sound that was once dubbed the “savior of rock & roll” and the perfect beginning to an enjoyable year.
I’ve only really been just moderately excited for a Fiery Furnaces release. I mean, I'm a fan but it’s mostly because of the glittering pop melodies—which the new album, Bitter Tea, had a lot of—that are cloaked beneath the Friedberger eccentricities. I would really like them if those eccentricities are kept to a minimum though, which is exactly what we have in the UK release of “Benton Harbor Blues”. The single has the “Reprise” version of the song, in which all the distractions are excluded and the only thing left is a gorgeous pop tune. Backward vocals, backward instrumentations and melody interruptions are stripped off, exposing the sublime Eleanor alto and the swirling keyboard loop, the most exquisite ingredients of the track.
Polka-dot dresses, immovable hair-do, synchronized finger wags, mischievous winks—the retro girl-group elements of The Pipettes are beginning to look gimmicky. But, then the girlish break-up chants play out. You subconsciously mimic the choreography. Each “boy”, bent to perfection, sends a knee-weakening sensation through your already dancing body. And then, the blonde one shimmies to the front and she belts out an unexplained sweet falsetto while the other two exquisitely harmonize and the backing strings swell dauntingly. Then, you start wondering why 60’s girl-pop this affecting never blasted through radios since, well, the 60’s. At that point, you start to realize that none of the gimmicks actually matter.
“Please, slow it down,” pleads Rocky Votolato to open the song; he will never be accused of doing the opposite. When music is stripped to its essentials, the melody and lyrics has to be flawless due to the lack of distracting frills; and, thankfully, you get that in “White Daisy Passing”. In this single, he laments about the memories left behind but sincerely admits that he needs to move on. The message is a little sappy but it’s elegantly pulled off by his tender voice, reminiscent of a lo-fi Elliott Smith. And besides, the words work well with the song structure. Backed by folky acoustic guitar strumming and taps, tears may possibly be jerked. If that doesn’t do it, the fragile Simon and Garfunkel harmonies should guarantee it.
Search through Ciara’s singles discography and you’ll never find something as deliberately seductive as this. You’ve seen her shake her goodies with all her other hits; with “Promise,” she’s longing for someone to shake her goodies with. It’s a track for the bedroom rather than the dance floor, for getting down rather than getting up. Ciara whispers sultry sweet-nothings over the spacious beat and perspiring synths, straddling the line between Aaliyah’s elegant sex appeal and Prince’s menacing grind. You try to resist but you’re already hypnotized. It’s bewildering why she hasn’t delved into the realm of slow jams before this because her voice, that uncomplicated steamy exhale, is ideal for it.
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