(t5!) My Year in Lists 2008: Singles!
Singles I loved, 2008.
#30: Rihanna – Disturbia
Rihanna’s excursion to superstardom had stops as a reggaeton diva, an electro siren, a B-grade Beyonce, and a world-conquering femmebot. But “bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum,” Rihanna has gone crazy now. Who would have guessed that she would make a first-class goth queen? “Disturbia” is a surefire floor burner, an up-tempo zombie bumblebee that buzzes around your head. It was initially written for her main squeeze, Chris Brown, but the Graffiti Artizts songwriting team believed that the track was more suited for a female voice, which is an on-the-ball decision. Chris Brown’s slender tenor would have been diluted by the ominous, synth-pop thundercloud, while the Bahamian princess’ seemingly artless chops is a veteran in this type of environment.
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#28: Ne-Yo – Miss Independent
What happened to Ne-Yo? Gone are lyrics like “Just one touch and I erupt like a volcano and cover her with my love”. Now he’s fetishizing women that don’t need his massive spoiling. Did someone castrate the multi-platinum R&B superstar while he wasn’t looking? Maybe not. The wiser out of all of us get the sense that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Most have primarily conveyed a “sex you up” message on their songs, following the tiny purple footsteps of Prince. There are women who are turned off by those songs’ misogynist nature, and Ne-Yo says I haven’t forgotten about you, you untapped demographic. Independent girls need lovin’ too. While his concept of a gentleman smells fishy, the quality of his polished tenor, as well as the blend of glimmering synths and start-stop beat, does a lot to redeem Ne-Yo’s sniveling sensitive guy façade.
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#27: Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor
They’re geeks! How can these awkward geeks, these pencil-necked white dudes, prep the floor for cool club-goers like us? What business do they have mentioning R. Kelly as a main inspiration? How can dudes too shy to ask someone to dance order us to “do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now?” It’s easy to knock Hot Chip, but it only takes one go-round of “Ready To The Floor” to be sure that they clearly experts in instilling rhythmic gestures in you. In true nerd fashion, the background consists of vivacious electro synths straight off your 8-bit Nintendo video game console. Brace it with a noggin-driving beat and swathe it with Alexis Taylor’s nervous melody and it’s noxious. I dare you to sit through this hit without some form of timed movement.
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#26: T.I. f. Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil’ Wayne – Swagga Like Us
Like U.S.A. basketball, rap gave us a Dream Team in 2008. Kanye West is Chris Paul: unlimited number of settings on the dial, an extremely effective table-setter who can dominate the game when all else fails. Jay-Z is Kobe: the seasoned veteran of the bunch, who is respected by most of his peers and is also infallible in clutch time. Lil’ Wayne is Lebron James: excessively stellar even when the effort isn’t 110%. T.I. is Dwyane Wade: wasn’t supreme at his last outing, and now is intensely determined to prove that he can be the best of the star-studded group. M.I.A.’s voice looped over and over for a whole track is Beijing: the playground for world annihilation. Every single player on this star-studded roster had been better at other occasions, but “Swagga Like Us” shows that collectively, they’re invincible.
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#25: Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
“Best contestant he had ever had on any TV talent show.” That’s what notorious vocal critic, Simon Cowell, hailed Leona Lewis after winning England’s X Factor. Better than Kelly Clarkson. Better than Jennifer Hudson. Better than Jordin Sparks. That’s such a compliment, especially coming from a critic who has reserved his hyperboles for belittlement, is not said without proof to back it up. Lewis’ voice is stunning and can rival the top belters on the market. However, she has shown a skill in “Bleeding Love” that most accomplished songbirds have trouble (or incapable of) mastering: restraint. She refuses to overwhelm One Republic’s Ryan Tedder’s production, which incorporates fluid organ chords and feathery drums. Others with a voice like Leona’s would have succumbed to smothering the song with melisma.
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#24: V.I.C. – Get Silly
To those that say that ringtone rap is ruining hip-hop, to those who think that today’s rappers our nothing but cash-craving idiots who have nothing to say, to those who long for the golden age, V.I.C. and I have got two words for you: get silly! Half the reason why this is loved so much is because of the creeping private eye snap beat; the other half is because getting silly is unthinkably fun. No one’s comparing this to Biggie or Tupac, so relax! “Get Silly” is more like “Ice Ice Baby” or “Baby Got Back” or “Rumpshaker”. Here’s V.I.C.’s career strategy: (1) gets mad cash for this, (2) will probably never see the need to even try for a second hit, then (3) fade to nothing. Despite the short-lived infamy, ten years from now, kids will go, “remember that Get Silly dance? That was a blast, wasn’t it?”
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#23: The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
For the record, her name’s Katie White. Remember it. Write it down if you have to because she gets really pissed if you don’t retain it. Anyway, this is “Hollaback Girl” 2008. It straddles the line between memorable pop and aural nails on chalkboard, only instead of Neptune pep rally beats, you get “Hey Mickey” recreated using GarageBand and hulked up by a strutting bassline. Fortunately for us, it leans towards the awesome, candy-coated side. But what’s great about The Ting Ting’s “That’s Not My Name” is that when you sing along with it or when you walk around with your iPod with it blasting in your ears, it lets you effectively channel your inner bratty energy, which especially applies to teenage girls who refuse to linger in anonymity.
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#22: Akon – Right Now (Na Na Na)
Music singles work the opposite way from movies. Producers delay the release date of movies so that it’s fresh for Oscars consideration; musical artists aim to get their prizefighters out as soon as possible so that they’ve already exhausted their ubiquity once it’s time for the bloggers to make their year-end lists. Release it later than September and it won’t have enough spins to get noticed. When it does get noticed late, like Akon’s “Right Now (Na Na Na)”, it usually deserves the recognition. It’s chemically proven that Akon’s chipmunky voicebox have sounded shrill when paired with street R&B production, or reggae-lite jams, or sped-up Bobby Vinton tracks. However, it seems like the bionic quality of his vocals seems to mingle well with a trancey, euro-dance beat. It’s better late than never, they say.
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#21: Cassie – Official Girl
In “Official Girl”, Cassie changes her identity from the shivery yet teasingly obtainable, upscale high school escort in “Me & U” to a sweet, innocent, ultimatum-wielding, lovelorn lady android. One element that was kept during the transition, though, is her anemic voice—that anti-Beyoncé processed vocals that get by on pure charisma alone. The placidity of it is mind-blowingly entrancing and the compatibility with the minimalism of Danja’s beats is gratifying. Any other production would most likely overwhelm Cassie, but she melts here instead to marble the unrelenting itchy percussion. Of course, her button-nosed cuteness doesn’t hinder things, and she comes across like a pouting sweetheart that you’d surely regret once she’s out the door just as she's warned.
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#20: Alphabeat – Fascination
This type of peppyness Alphabeat has imprinted on the world—part New Radicals, part “Footloose”—is just begging to be punched. Images of teen movie fake smiles, hand-in-hand frolicking, and high-fiving celebrations go along with “passion is our passion” and “we love this exaltation” lyrics. However, if it wasn’t completely devoid of any sense of irony, and if the hooks didn’t lay eggs on your brain, and if the “Wo-ah, Wo-oh-ah” chorus wasn’t so magical, and if “the word is on your lips…say the word” bit wasn’t designed brilliantly to force anyone to subconciously surrender to its might, I would’ve hated this song. I was on the verge of doing a Rick Astley-type dance to this hand-clappy, inorganic guitar-driven single, but good thing I snapped myself out of it. What the hell is wrong with me?
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#19: Usher – Moving Mountains
When has Usher been most consistently potent? On boisterous club-bangers? On libidinous fornication numbers? On melodic syrupy come-ons? It’s undeniable that he’s had ubiquitous hits like these in the past, but Mr. Raymond IV is incomparable when he’s singing slow-burning tearjerkers, like “Moving Mountains”. Most of the credit goes to Terius “The-Dream” Nash for penning lamentable lyrics like “But I keep climbing and hoping things would change and the sky turns gray, and the water from the rain washes progress away.” These are words that are too familiar to anyone who has endured through a relationship turned passionless. But it’s the way Usher commands you to feel these verses, breathlessly wailing “just leave me” over and over to a disheartened lover. When he’s like this, he’s indisputably the champ.
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#18: Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes
Who is this Santogold and where did this “L.E.S. Artistes” come from? It sort of sounds like No Doubt only without the ska influences, like if Gwen Stefani grew up in Brooklyn instead of the OC. It kind of reminds you of M.I.A…no, wait…Nelly Furtado! It’s like if Nelly Furtado has turned indie rock, as if she’s suddenly influenced by Blondie, or The Pretenders, or The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or Tegan And Sara. That voice, singing “Build me up, bring me down/just leave me out you name dropper”, unites preciously with the downward sticken, palm-muted guitar notes and slow-burning beat, and it sounds comfortably familiar. After the 47th time you’ve played in a row, all the influences, all the similarities to other acts, they’re all moot points.
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#17: Kanye West – Love Lockdown
Kanye West is frustrated, and using the auto-tune, he lets it all out with “Love Lockdown” This disheartened song of doubt, conflict, and vexation sounds like the most intimate thoughts of every scarred lover at 4 AM. “I’m not loving you, the way I wanted to,” delivered with glazed eyes by someone so hostile, someone that has prepped himself for carnage. His monotone is vulnerable and naked, and there’s nothing to clothe it with but piano stomps and glacial drums. Kanye has put the soul vocal loops, the lush instrumentation, the obscure samples aside for a second. This is not about transcending genres; it’s about getting things off his chest. He ends it with a coda of assaulting percussions, pounding the life out of the Taiko drums, leaving it as bruised as his forlorn heart, making every listener feel his pain.
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#16: T.I. – Whatever You Like
It’s just too bad. I was extremely keeping my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t lock someone up with two no.1 singles, a no.1 album, and one of the most concrete signifiers of pop culture omnipresence—a parody by “Weird Al” Yankovic—in 2008 but, alas, justice doesn’t work that way. I was lukewarm on this initially, for not matching the swagger that “What You Know” bulldozes you with and to be fair, however, not many in this world can do what that song did. This is T.I.’s take on pop, the Rubberband Man’s take on singing without the pervasive auto-tune. And as a result, it doesn’t crush, it keens and glides. It’s an invigorating blast of fresh air thrown by a synthy beat producer Jim Jonsin has cashed twice in. Stacks on deck? Patron on ice? I just want T.I. freed!
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#15: Wiz Khalifa – Say Yeah
First, it was Timbaland employing futuristic trance synths in his production. Then, Kanye West experimented on putting his rhymes on a Daft Punk “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” sample. Of course, soon enough, the efforts will inspire someone like Pittsburgh’s Wiz Khalifa to say to these two pioneers that they are not “better off alone” in this trance-hop movement. It’s already a mathematically appropriate junction since the typical slothful snap production has half the BPM of a conventional electronica track; but, it also takes a masterful flow to turn a mediocre Alice DeeJay 1999 hit into a marvelous rap beat. The natural progression of things leads to someone doing an entire album pure of trance-hop songs; I’m hoping Wiz Khalifa is the one to make the hugely entertaining leap.
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#14: Kid Sister – Pro Nails
“Pro Nails” is this year’s “Lip Gloss” by Lil’ Mama not only because it’s a breakout female rapper clawing her way to become relevant, but because it’s also an agile bragging about a topic that is tremendously inconsequential. Although she doesn’t have Lil’ Mama’s flow to turn even the most critical heads, she does have her boyfriend A-Trak to bless her with lively production. Here, he backed her with an aural playground equipped with a toxic chopped-and-screwed hook, a sprightly electro-hop beat, and some astonishing synth spices. It’s uncertain how far the A-Trak connection, or even the Kanye West endorsement, can take her, but right now, all it matters is that her done up toes with fingernails to match ain’t nothing to mess with.
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#13: MGMT – Kids
One of the highlights of my year: It was Easter weekend and my friends and I were about to embark on a journey to a tranquil small town an hour away from the city I’m living in. The plan was to camp out on a beach somewhere to do nothing but eat, drink, and do all the beach things you think of when people do beach things. We were expecting a weekend that induces a smile whenever recollected, and we weren’t disappointed. Anyway, I love arranging moments of musical solipsism, syncing car adventures down highways or strolls in beautiful surroundings with my iPod, choosing the music in advance and soaking it in, trying to find a way into the sublime. MGMT’s synth shower “Kids” was blasting on my radio to kick off the ride that summery day, and it made me 374 times more excited for it than I already was.
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#12: Lil’ Wayne f. Bobby Valentino – Mrs. Officer
Trying to expect synergy from the usually divergent verses of Lil’ Wayne is unlikely, but he has triumphantly done so for a delightful five minutes in "Mrs. Officer". Weezy is way too often seen stringing easy rhymes together, usually about how he’s the best rapper alive. However, in “Mrs. Officer”, he attempts to extort as much lyrical wit from the female cop sexual fantasy premise, and comes up with something golden the majority of the time. Over a limber bassline, crackling drum track, and sun-kissed guitars (as opposed to Lil’ Wayne’s guitar playing, which is just suck-kissed), Mr. Carter offers you lines like ”I said ‘Lady what’s ya number ?’/ She said ‘911′” and “She know I'm from the streets and all she want me ta do is fuck tha police.” Bobby Valentino’s vocal impersonation of a police siren is pretty winsome as well.
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#11: Chris Brown f. Keri Hilson - Superhuman
The scrawny twinkle-toed teenager puts his “How to Dance like Michael Jackson” Instructional DVD on pause for a moment to show off his versatility as a singer. “Superhuman” is an unexpected success, a power ballad that is luscious, thrilling, and overflowing with omnipotent emotion. While “No Air” is carried by the strength of Jordin Sparks’ pipes for the most part, this is Chris Brown confidently taking Hilson’s hand so that they can skyrocket towards the majestic heavens. Also, The Knightwritaz have painted an awe-inspiring sky for the two splendidly harmonized silky smooth vocalists to soar on—each snare hit tugs a heart string, each twinkling piano note restores our faith that the type of fictitious love they’re raving about exists.
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#10: Chris Brown – Forever
Say what you want about the plethora of R&B robots over the years, but no one else could have pulled this off other than Chris Brown. It’s because everyone else is masquerading as a lovestruck gangsta thug while Chris Brown is comfortable playing the role of a teen heartthrob. “Forever” sounds poppier and more boyband than R&B, and there’s not another current R&B star who looks boyish and innocent enough to pull this off. His candied vocals simply rush through the popping 4/4’s, fizzing synths, and rumbling basslines. And when the moment when he exclaims “it’s like I’ve waited my whole life, for this one night” escapes your speakers, it feels like confetti and fireworks erupt with it. “Forever” is both juvenile and jubilant, all in one package.
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#09: Young Jeezy f. Kanye West – Put On
There’s an obscene surplus of haphazard singles with a disinterested artist featured, venn-diagrammed half-assedly to cater to two (or more) fan bases. But it is very rare that two artists confluence to grab a track and run with it towards two different, yet both marvelous, directions. Young Jeezy takes the gleaming hard-as-fuck beat, and energetically flows on it so astonishingly that it desensitizes you from the absence of any lyrical revelations. Then, after a long episodic delay, like a roller coaster reaching a peak before a massive plunge, Kanyeezy, with his new found auto-tune, unleashes a guest verse that sounds cold and menacing. “I put onnnnnnn, I put onnnnnnnnnn, I PUT ONNNNNNNNNN!”; rap anthem of the year.
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#08: The-Dream – I Love Your Girl
Can’t you imagine yourself and The-Dream (or Terius Nash to his entourage) in a situation like this? He’s shaking his head, apologetic about what just happened. “Girl chose me, don’t be mad, Kelly told y'all don't bring 'em in the club,” he says as he shrugs his shoulders, letting you know that all is far in love, war, and getting your girl to go home with him. And he’s so beguiling and sympathetic when his words are defusing your anger over a snappy track with ticklish clicks and an electric organ pillow. You just want to punch his face in for stealing your girl but, because he’s such a charming motherfucker, you unclench your fists instead and sorta just tolerate what he did. “Part of me feels so bad, but OOh! not that bad.” Man, it’s songs like this that lets you know that you can never be too secure.
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#07: Estelle f. Kanye West – American Boy
Stuck in underground relevance? Finding it difficult to make an international splash? Then, strap yourself to Kanye West and hang on for a swift trip to the top! That’s what London-bred soulstress Estelle did, and she’s now a ringleader to an R&B anthem for females all over the globe. Kanye’s incessant with the British idioms here, and its quality is typical—colossal quotey finger verses with winking punch lines that made him compelling over the years. However, as reliable as Kanye’s contributions are, Estelle’s addition to her own song shouldn’t be slighted. Her vocals are honeyed, self-assured and buoyant in the midst of the breezy beat, a stew of gritty synths and soulful house beat that Will.I.Am reheated from his track, “Impatient”. Hitching her wagon to a star? If all it did was expose this song to the world, I’m all for it.
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#06: Jordin Sparks f. Chris Brown – No Air
There are definitely a lot of failed attempts by an American Idol alumni to stay relevant. However, despite all the Clay Aikens, Bo Bices, and Taylor Hickses birthed by the reality show, there’s a Jordin Sparks success story. The puppet masters have examined how they can extract the most cash out of Jordin Sparks’ paramount singing voice, and “No Air” is what happens when market research and focus groups are right on the mark. As Sparks and her strategically-paired partner Chris Brown struggle through the focused, rhythmic pace toward an emotional resolution, you gravitate closer to the sorrowful situation, only to be released into a gorgeously histrionic outro. This was a performance so expressive that there wasn’t a soul alive who didn’t sing along with the radio with this distraught Idol winner.
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#05: Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
They can hate on this because they’re an overhyped blogrock band crushed on by kids with acid-wash jeans, Keffiyeh scarves, and angular hair. They can hate on this because Vampire Weekend are a bunch of intellectual Ivy leaguers using persnickety New York references in their lyrics. They can hate on this because it sounds like something Wes Anderson would use as background music while his quirky characters do some quirky things. But they can’t hate on this because it’s an efficient, clean, and sunny piece of pop, right? I mean no one buys a record to serve purposes like “I need to hear a fusion of indie with world music”, they buy records like “I need a record that I can listen to while jumping up and down in my bedroom”. I’m loving this because I like going “hey, hey, hey, hey!” as loud as possible.
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#04: Ne-Yo – Closer
The best singles this year from our beloved doyens of R&B have been micro-seminars in the direction their genre is heading—more pop, more electronica, more Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson. Norwegian record producers Stargate have draped soft guitar arpeggio and knifing synth strings over jouncing bass and muted percussion, laying the kingdom out for Ne-Yo’s expertly sharpened sense of melody to reign on. A while ago, only European techno queens touch production like these. However, Ne-yo quickly makes us remember that a lovable 21-year old from Gary, Indiana used to make multi-platinum with this type of propulsive 4/4 tracks. No one has indisputably taken the crown from Jackson and many have wanted to do so, but Ne-yo may have the greatest chance to sit on the vacated throne.
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#03: Hercules And Love Affair – Blind
I have deep and ardent affections for Antony’s voice. I find that loose vibrato that makes him sound like a male Nina Simone very sexy. I love him in my Antony And The Johnsons records and I love him here as a diva disco vocalist for Hercules and Love Affair. However, there are those who found the stark nakedness of the 2005 noir-cabaret pop album too uneasy and those who found his voice too left of center for their liking. If you shied away from him before, it’s a lot harder to shy away from him now. If Antony is like a ghost giving you a warm embrace, both haunting and comfortable, Antony in “Blind” is like a ghost leading you through a fun Saturday Night Live dance routine. If Antony’s breath-taking voice doesn’t hook, the throbbing beat, satin synths and resilient brass sections will sure catch.
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#02: M.I.A. – Paper Planes
Those who had their ears pressed to the ground have kept “Paper Planes” a secret in 2007 when it was one of the tracks in her second album, Kala; and they were giddy that they’re keeping a surefire summertime classic to themselves. But a phenom like this should be unchained. This lethal array of finger snaps, steel pans, gunfire, ringing tills, and M.I.A. discovering the zestfulness of melody deserves to be heard. As a fan of this Sri Lankan star dust and a proponent of all things fun, I let this beast run wild and, inevitably, everything in its path was impressed. My nine-year old cousin who heard this in my car stereo? She loved it. My rockist friend who checked my Friendster profile? He loved it. My girlfriend who borrowed my iPod for a week? She loved it. And now, thanks to the “Pineapple Express” trailer, everyone with an ear loves it.
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#01: Lil’ Wayne – A Milli
“A Milli” is Lil’ Wayne’s huge middle finger flashed to his denigrators. Dare call him mixtape fodder? He’s making a million in his first week with this that he most likely made up five minutes before recording. Weezy F. Baby unleashes a torrent of boasting golden nuggets, overwhelming your brain as if it’s caught playing lyrical Tetris at the speediest level. He thrives on the beat’s minimal makeup, marvelously occupying the spaces neglected by the demented cartel of kicks, snares, and a screwed and chopped vocal sample of the title. Other rappers have tried to exonerate the odd production with their own “A MIlli” versions, but Lil’ Wayne’s incomparable bullfrog croak is best on top of Bangladesh’s percussive cacophony, a perfect harmony between sonic pandemonium and even more sonic pandemonium.
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#30: Rihanna – DisturbiaRihanna’s excursion to superstardom had stops as a reggaeton diva, an electro siren, a B-grade Beyonce, and a world-conquering femmebot. But “bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum,” Rihanna has gone crazy now. Who would have guessed that she would make a first-class goth queen? “Disturbia” is a surefire floor burner, an up-tempo zombie bumblebee that buzzes around your head. It was initially written for her main squeeze, Chris Brown, but the Graffiti Artizts songwriting team believed that the track was more suited for a female voice, which is an on-the-ball decision. Chris Brown’s slender tenor would have been diluted by the ominous, synth-pop thundercloud, while the Bahamian princess’ seemingly artless chops is a veteran in this type of environment.
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#29: Usher f. Young Jeezy – Love In This Club
This was irrefutably the summer’s jam. Even though it arrived a little late to the trance driven R&B party hosted by Timbaland and Justin a year ago, this is still the most smashing single Usher has been involved in since “Yeah!”. The synths oscillate so insistently over the bump n' grind rhythm making irrelevant that it’s been done before. Usher make knees weak with “You know all you gotta do is tell me what you sippin' on/and I promise that I’m gonna keep it comin’ all night long”, while Young Jeezy drops a verse in for the song's street cred. Little did I know back in June that “Love In This Club” would not only still sound sensational by the end of the year, it would somehow manage to sound better. Beat’s hotter. Synths are pulsier. Usher sounds more suave. Club’s not only open in the summer; you can love in it all year long.
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This was irrefutably the summer’s jam. Even though it arrived a little late to the trance driven R&B party hosted by Timbaland and Justin a year ago, this is still the most smashing single Usher has been involved in since “Yeah!”. The synths oscillate so insistently over the bump n' grind rhythm making irrelevant that it’s been done before. Usher make knees weak with “You know all you gotta do is tell me what you sippin' on/and I promise that I’m gonna keep it comin’ all night long”, while Young Jeezy drops a verse in for the song's street cred. Little did I know back in June that “Love In This Club” would not only still sound sensational by the end of the year, it would somehow manage to sound better. Beat’s hotter. Synths are pulsier. Usher sounds more suave. Club’s not only open in the summer; you can love in it all year long.
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#28: Ne-Yo – Miss IndependentWhat happened to Ne-Yo? Gone are lyrics like “Just one touch and I erupt like a volcano and cover her with my love”. Now he’s fetishizing women that don’t need his massive spoiling. Did someone castrate the multi-platinum R&B superstar while he wasn’t looking? Maybe not. The wiser out of all of us get the sense that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Most have primarily conveyed a “sex you up” message on their songs, following the tiny purple footsteps of Prince. There are women who are turned off by those songs’ misogynist nature, and Ne-Yo says I haven’t forgotten about you, you untapped demographic. Independent girls need lovin’ too. While his concept of a gentleman smells fishy, the quality of his polished tenor, as well as the blend of glimmering synths and start-stop beat, does a lot to redeem Ne-Yo’s sniveling sensitive guy façade.
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#27: Hot Chip – Ready For The FloorThey’re geeks! How can these awkward geeks, these pencil-necked white dudes, prep the floor for cool club-goers like us? What business do they have mentioning R. Kelly as a main inspiration? How can dudes too shy to ask someone to dance order us to “do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now?” It’s easy to knock Hot Chip, but it only takes one go-round of “Ready To The Floor” to be sure that they clearly experts in instilling rhythmic gestures in you. In true nerd fashion, the background consists of vivacious electro synths straight off your 8-bit Nintendo video game console. Brace it with a noggin-driving beat and swathe it with Alexis Taylor’s nervous melody and it’s noxious. I dare you to sit through this hit without some form of timed movement.
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#26: T.I. f. Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil’ Wayne – Swagga Like UsLike U.S.A. basketball, rap gave us a Dream Team in 2008. Kanye West is Chris Paul: unlimited number of settings on the dial, an extremely effective table-setter who can dominate the game when all else fails. Jay-Z is Kobe: the seasoned veteran of the bunch, who is respected by most of his peers and is also infallible in clutch time. Lil’ Wayne is Lebron James: excessively stellar even when the effort isn’t 110%. T.I. is Dwyane Wade: wasn’t supreme at his last outing, and now is intensely determined to prove that he can be the best of the star-studded group. M.I.A.’s voice looped over and over for a whole track is Beijing: the playground for world annihilation. Every single player on this star-studded roster had been better at other occasions, but “Swagga Like Us” shows that collectively, they’re invincible.
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#25: Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love“Best contestant he had ever had on any TV talent show.” That’s what notorious vocal critic, Simon Cowell, hailed Leona Lewis after winning England’s X Factor. Better than Kelly Clarkson. Better than Jennifer Hudson. Better than Jordin Sparks. That’s such a compliment, especially coming from a critic who has reserved his hyperboles for belittlement, is not said without proof to back it up. Lewis’ voice is stunning and can rival the top belters on the market. However, she has shown a skill in “Bleeding Love” that most accomplished songbirds have trouble (or incapable of) mastering: restraint. She refuses to overwhelm One Republic’s Ryan Tedder’s production, which incorporates fluid organ chords and feathery drums. Others with a voice like Leona’s would have succumbed to smothering the song with melisma.
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#24: V.I.C. – Get SillyTo those that say that ringtone rap is ruining hip-hop, to those who think that today’s rappers our nothing but cash-craving idiots who have nothing to say, to those who long for the golden age, V.I.C. and I have got two words for you: get silly! Half the reason why this is loved so much is because of the creeping private eye snap beat; the other half is because getting silly is unthinkably fun. No one’s comparing this to Biggie or Tupac, so relax! “Get Silly” is more like “Ice Ice Baby” or “Baby Got Back” or “Rumpshaker”. Here’s V.I.C.’s career strategy: (1) gets mad cash for this, (2) will probably never see the need to even try for a second hit, then (3) fade to nothing. Despite the short-lived infamy, ten years from now, kids will go, “remember that Get Silly dance? That was a blast, wasn’t it?”
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#23: The Ting Tings – That’s Not My NameFor the record, her name’s Katie White. Remember it. Write it down if you have to because she gets really pissed if you don’t retain it. Anyway, this is “Hollaback Girl” 2008. It straddles the line between memorable pop and aural nails on chalkboard, only instead of Neptune pep rally beats, you get “Hey Mickey” recreated using GarageBand and hulked up by a strutting bassline. Fortunately for us, it leans towards the awesome, candy-coated side. But what’s great about The Ting Ting’s “That’s Not My Name” is that when you sing along with it or when you walk around with your iPod with it blasting in your ears, it lets you effectively channel your inner bratty energy, which especially applies to teenage girls who refuse to linger in anonymity.
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#22: Akon – Right Now (Na Na Na)Music singles work the opposite way from movies. Producers delay the release date of movies so that it’s fresh for Oscars consideration; musical artists aim to get their prizefighters out as soon as possible so that they’ve already exhausted their ubiquity once it’s time for the bloggers to make their year-end lists. Release it later than September and it won’t have enough spins to get noticed. When it does get noticed late, like Akon’s “Right Now (Na Na Na)”, it usually deserves the recognition. It’s chemically proven that Akon’s chipmunky voicebox have sounded shrill when paired with street R&B production, or reggae-lite jams, or sped-up Bobby Vinton tracks. However, it seems like the bionic quality of his vocals seems to mingle well with a trancey, euro-dance beat. It’s better late than never, they say.
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#21: Cassie – Official GirlIn “Official Girl”, Cassie changes her identity from the shivery yet teasingly obtainable, upscale high school escort in “Me & U” to a sweet, innocent, ultimatum-wielding, lovelorn lady android. One element that was kept during the transition, though, is her anemic voice—that anti-Beyoncé processed vocals that get by on pure charisma alone. The placidity of it is mind-blowingly entrancing and the compatibility with the minimalism of Danja’s beats is gratifying. Any other production would most likely overwhelm Cassie, but she melts here instead to marble the unrelenting itchy percussion. Of course, her button-nosed cuteness doesn’t hinder things, and she comes across like a pouting sweetheart that you’d surely regret once she’s out the door just as she's warned.
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#20: Alphabeat – FascinationThis type of peppyness Alphabeat has imprinted on the world—part New Radicals, part “Footloose”—is just begging to be punched. Images of teen movie fake smiles, hand-in-hand frolicking, and high-fiving celebrations go along with “passion is our passion” and “we love this exaltation” lyrics. However, if it wasn’t completely devoid of any sense of irony, and if the hooks didn’t lay eggs on your brain, and if the “Wo-ah, Wo-oh-ah” chorus wasn’t so magical, and if “the word is on your lips…say the word” bit wasn’t designed brilliantly to force anyone to subconciously surrender to its might, I would’ve hated this song. I was on the verge of doing a Rick Astley-type dance to this hand-clappy, inorganic guitar-driven single, but good thing I snapped myself out of it. What the hell is wrong with me?
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#19: Usher – Moving MountainsWhen has Usher been most consistently potent? On boisterous club-bangers? On libidinous fornication numbers? On melodic syrupy come-ons? It’s undeniable that he’s had ubiquitous hits like these in the past, but Mr. Raymond IV is incomparable when he’s singing slow-burning tearjerkers, like “Moving Mountains”. Most of the credit goes to Terius “The-Dream” Nash for penning lamentable lyrics like “But I keep climbing and hoping things would change and the sky turns gray, and the water from the rain washes progress away.” These are words that are too familiar to anyone who has endured through a relationship turned passionless. But it’s the way Usher commands you to feel these verses, breathlessly wailing “just leave me” over and over to a disheartened lover. When he’s like this, he’s indisputably the champ.
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#18: Santogold – L.E.S. ArtistesWho is this Santogold and where did this “L.E.S. Artistes” come from? It sort of sounds like No Doubt only without the ska influences, like if Gwen Stefani grew up in Brooklyn instead of the OC. It kind of reminds you of M.I.A…no, wait…Nelly Furtado! It’s like if Nelly Furtado has turned indie rock, as if she’s suddenly influenced by Blondie, or The Pretenders, or The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or Tegan And Sara. That voice, singing “Build me up, bring me down/just leave me out you name dropper”, unites preciously with the downward sticken, palm-muted guitar notes and slow-burning beat, and it sounds comfortably familiar. After the 47th time you’ve played in a row, all the influences, all the similarities to other acts, they’re all moot points.
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#17: Kanye West – Love LockdownKanye West is frustrated, and using the auto-tune, he lets it all out with “Love Lockdown” This disheartened song of doubt, conflict, and vexation sounds like the most intimate thoughts of every scarred lover at 4 AM. “I’m not loving you, the way I wanted to,” delivered with glazed eyes by someone so hostile, someone that has prepped himself for carnage. His monotone is vulnerable and naked, and there’s nothing to clothe it with but piano stomps and glacial drums. Kanye has put the soul vocal loops, the lush instrumentation, the obscure samples aside for a second. This is not about transcending genres; it’s about getting things off his chest. He ends it with a coda of assaulting percussions, pounding the life out of the Taiko drums, leaving it as bruised as his forlorn heart, making every listener feel his pain.
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#16: T.I. – Whatever You LikeIt’s just too bad. I was extremely keeping my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t lock someone up with two no.1 singles, a no.1 album, and one of the most concrete signifiers of pop culture omnipresence—a parody by “Weird Al” Yankovic—in 2008 but, alas, justice doesn’t work that way. I was lukewarm on this initially, for not matching the swagger that “What You Know” bulldozes you with and to be fair, however, not many in this world can do what that song did. This is T.I.’s take on pop, the Rubberband Man’s take on singing without the pervasive auto-tune. And as a result, it doesn’t crush, it keens and glides. It’s an invigorating blast of fresh air thrown by a synthy beat producer Jim Jonsin has cashed twice in. Stacks on deck? Patron on ice? I just want T.I. freed!
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#15: Wiz Khalifa – Say YeahFirst, it was Timbaland employing futuristic trance synths in his production. Then, Kanye West experimented on putting his rhymes on a Daft Punk “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” sample. Of course, soon enough, the efforts will inspire someone like Pittsburgh’s Wiz Khalifa to say to these two pioneers that they are not “better off alone” in this trance-hop movement. It’s already a mathematically appropriate junction since the typical slothful snap production has half the BPM of a conventional electronica track; but, it also takes a masterful flow to turn a mediocre Alice DeeJay 1999 hit into a marvelous rap beat. The natural progression of things leads to someone doing an entire album pure of trance-hop songs; I’m hoping Wiz Khalifa is the one to make the hugely entertaining leap.
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#14: Kid Sister – Pro Nails“Pro Nails” is this year’s “Lip Gloss” by Lil’ Mama not only because it’s a breakout female rapper clawing her way to become relevant, but because it’s also an agile bragging about a topic that is tremendously inconsequential. Although she doesn’t have Lil’ Mama’s flow to turn even the most critical heads, she does have her boyfriend A-Trak to bless her with lively production. Here, he backed her with an aural playground equipped with a toxic chopped-and-screwed hook, a sprightly electro-hop beat, and some astonishing synth spices. It’s uncertain how far the A-Trak connection, or even the Kanye West endorsement, can take her, but right now, all it matters is that her done up toes with fingernails to match ain’t nothing to mess with.
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#13: MGMT – KidsOne of the highlights of my year: It was Easter weekend and my friends and I were about to embark on a journey to a tranquil small town an hour away from the city I’m living in. The plan was to camp out on a beach somewhere to do nothing but eat, drink, and do all the beach things you think of when people do beach things. We were expecting a weekend that induces a smile whenever recollected, and we weren’t disappointed. Anyway, I love arranging moments of musical solipsism, syncing car adventures down highways or strolls in beautiful surroundings with my iPod, choosing the music in advance and soaking it in, trying to find a way into the sublime. MGMT’s synth shower “Kids” was blasting on my radio to kick off the ride that summery day, and it made me 374 times more excited for it than I already was.
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#12: Lil’ Wayne f. Bobby Valentino – Mrs. OfficerTrying to expect synergy from the usually divergent verses of Lil’ Wayne is unlikely, but he has triumphantly done so for a delightful five minutes in "Mrs. Officer". Weezy is way too often seen stringing easy rhymes together, usually about how he’s the best rapper alive. However, in “Mrs. Officer”, he attempts to extort as much lyrical wit from the female cop sexual fantasy premise, and comes up with something golden the majority of the time. Over a limber bassline, crackling drum track, and sun-kissed guitars (as opposed to Lil’ Wayne’s guitar playing, which is just suck-kissed), Mr. Carter offers you lines like ”I said ‘Lady what’s ya number ?’/ She said ‘911′” and “She know I'm from the streets and all she want me ta do is fuck tha police.” Bobby Valentino’s vocal impersonation of a police siren is pretty winsome as well.
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#11: Chris Brown f. Keri Hilson - SuperhumanThe scrawny twinkle-toed teenager puts his “How to Dance like Michael Jackson” Instructional DVD on pause for a moment to show off his versatility as a singer. “Superhuman” is an unexpected success, a power ballad that is luscious, thrilling, and overflowing with omnipotent emotion. While “No Air” is carried by the strength of Jordin Sparks’ pipes for the most part, this is Chris Brown confidently taking Hilson’s hand so that they can skyrocket towards the majestic heavens. Also, The Knightwritaz have painted an awe-inspiring sky for the two splendidly harmonized silky smooth vocalists to soar on—each snare hit tugs a heart string, each twinkling piano note restores our faith that the type of fictitious love they’re raving about exists.
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#10: Chris Brown – ForeverSay what you want about the plethora of R&B robots over the years, but no one else could have pulled this off other than Chris Brown. It’s because everyone else is masquerading as a lovestruck gangsta thug while Chris Brown is comfortable playing the role of a teen heartthrob. “Forever” sounds poppier and more boyband than R&B, and there’s not another current R&B star who looks boyish and innocent enough to pull this off. His candied vocals simply rush through the popping 4/4’s, fizzing synths, and rumbling basslines. And when the moment when he exclaims “it’s like I’ve waited my whole life, for this one night” escapes your speakers, it feels like confetti and fireworks erupt with it. “Forever” is both juvenile and jubilant, all in one package.
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#09: Young Jeezy f. Kanye West – Put OnThere’s an obscene surplus of haphazard singles with a disinterested artist featured, venn-diagrammed half-assedly to cater to two (or more) fan bases. But it is very rare that two artists confluence to grab a track and run with it towards two different, yet both marvelous, directions. Young Jeezy takes the gleaming hard-as-fuck beat, and energetically flows on it so astonishingly that it desensitizes you from the absence of any lyrical revelations. Then, after a long episodic delay, like a roller coaster reaching a peak before a massive plunge, Kanyeezy, with his new found auto-tune, unleashes a guest verse that sounds cold and menacing. “I put onnnnnnn, I put onnnnnnnnnn, I PUT ONNNNNNNNNN!”; rap anthem of the year.
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#08: The-Dream – I Love Your GirlCan’t you imagine yourself and The-Dream (or Terius Nash to his entourage) in a situation like this? He’s shaking his head, apologetic about what just happened. “Girl chose me, don’t be mad, Kelly told y'all don't bring 'em in the club,” he says as he shrugs his shoulders, letting you know that all is far in love, war, and getting your girl to go home with him. And he’s so beguiling and sympathetic when his words are defusing your anger over a snappy track with ticklish clicks and an electric organ pillow. You just want to punch his face in for stealing your girl but, because he’s such a charming motherfucker, you unclench your fists instead and sorta just tolerate what he did. “Part of me feels so bad, but OOh! not that bad.” Man, it’s songs like this that lets you know that you can never be too secure.
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#07: Estelle f. Kanye West – American BoyStuck in underground relevance? Finding it difficult to make an international splash? Then, strap yourself to Kanye West and hang on for a swift trip to the top! That’s what London-bred soulstress Estelle did, and she’s now a ringleader to an R&B anthem for females all over the globe. Kanye’s incessant with the British idioms here, and its quality is typical—colossal quotey finger verses with winking punch lines that made him compelling over the years. However, as reliable as Kanye’s contributions are, Estelle’s addition to her own song shouldn’t be slighted. Her vocals are honeyed, self-assured and buoyant in the midst of the breezy beat, a stew of gritty synths and soulful house beat that Will.I.Am reheated from his track, “Impatient”. Hitching her wagon to a star? If all it did was expose this song to the world, I’m all for it.
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#06: Jordin Sparks f. Chris Brown – No AirThere are definitely a lot of failed attempts by an American Idol alumni to stay relevant. However, despite all the Clay Aikens, Bo Bices, and Taylor Hickses birthed by the reality show, there’s a Jordin Sparks success story. The puppet masters have examined how they can extract the most cash out of Jordin Sparks’ paramount singing voice, and “No Air” is what happens when market research and focus groups are right on the mark. As Sparks and her strategically-paired partner Chris Brown struggle through the focused, rhythmic pace toward an emotional resolution, you gravitate closer to the sorrowful situation, only to be released into a gorgeously histrionic outro. This was a performance so expressive that there wasn’t a soul alive who didn’t sing along with the radio with this distraught Idol winner.
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#05: Vampire Weekend – A-PunkThey can hate on this because they’re an overhyped blogrock band crushed on by kids with acid-wash jeans, Keffiyeh scarves, and angular hair. They can hate on this because Vampire Weekend are a bunch of intellectual Ivy leaguers using persnickety New York references in their lyrics. They can hate on this because it sounds like something Wes Anderson would use as background music while his quirky characters do some quirky things. But they can’t hate on this because it’s an efficient, clean, and sunny piece of pop, right? I mean no one buys a record to serve purposes like “I need to hear a fusion of indie with world music”, they buy records like “I need a record that I can listen to while jumping up and down in my bedroom”. I’m loving this because I like going “hey, hey, hey, hey!” as loud as possible.
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#04: Ne-Yo – CloserThe best singles this year from our beloved doyens of R&B have been micro-seminars in the direction their genre is heading—more pop, more electronica, more Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson. Norwegian record producers Stargate have draped soft guitar arpeggio and knifing synth strings over jouncing bass and muted percussion, laying the kingdom out for Ne-Yo’s expertly sharpened sense of melody to reign on. A while ago, only European techno queens touch production like these. However, Ne-yo quickly makes us remember that a lovable 21-year old from Gary, Indiana used to make multi-platinum with this type of propulsive 4/4 tracks. No one has indisputably taken the crown from Jackson and many have wanted to do so, but Ne-yo may have the greatest chance to sit on the vacated throne.
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#03: Hercules And Love Affair – BlindI have deep and ardent affections for Antony’s voice. I find that loose vibrato that makes him sound like a male Nina Simone very sexy. I love him in my Antony And The Johnsons records and I love him here as a diva disco vocalist for Hercules and Love Affair. However, there are those who found the stark nakedness of the 2005 noir-cabaret pop album too uneasy and those who found his voice too left of center for their liking. If you shied away from him before, it’s a lot harder to shy away from him now. If Antony is like a ghost giving you a warm embrace, both haunting and comfortable, Antony in “Blind” is like a ghost leading you through a fun Saturday Night Live dance routine. If Antony’s breath-taking voice doesn’t hook, the throbbing beat, satin synths and resilient brass sections will sure catch.
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#02: M.I.A. – Paper PlanesThose who had their ears pressed to the ground have kept “Paper Planes” a secret in 2007 when it was one of the tracks in her second album, Kala; and they were giddy that they’re keeping a surefire summertime classic to themselves. But a phenom like this should be unchained. This lethal array of finger snaps, steel pans, gunfire, ringing tills, and M.I.A. discovering the zestfulness of melody deserves to be heard. As a fan of this Sri Lankan star dust and a proponent of all things fun, I let this beast run wild and, inevitably, everything in its path was impressed. My nine-year old cousin who heard this in my car stereo? She loved it. My rockist friend who checked my Friendster profile? He loved it. My girlfriend who borrowed my iPod for a week? She loved it. And now, thanks to the “Pineapple Express” trailer, everyone with an ear loves it.
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#01: Lil’ Wayne – A Milli“A Milli” is Lil’ Wayne’s huge middle finger flashed to his denigrators. Dare call him mixtape fodder? He’s making a million in his first week with this that he most likely made up five minutes before recording. Weezy F. Baby unleashes a torrent of boasting golden nuggets, overwhelming your brain as if it’s caught playing lyrical Tetris at the speediest level. He thrives on the beat’s minimal makeup, marvelously occupying the spaces neglected by the demented cartel of kicks, snares, and a screwed and chopped vocal sample of the title. Other rappers have tried to exonerate the odd production with their own “A MIlli” versions, but Lil’ Wayne’s incomparable bullfrog croak is best on top of Bangladesh’s percussive cacophony, a perfect harmony between sonic pandemonium and even more sonic pandemonium.
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