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Top 10 Songs of 2013: #3 – “Don’t Swallow the Cap” by The National

26 Dec

The National

In 2010 The National appeared on the Music Court’s incipient end-of-the-year countdown. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” reached the eight spot, and, three years ago on Dec. 22 I wrote the following about the song:

When the lyric, voice and instrumentation all join together to struggle with the same concept that the song represents, well, that demonstrates musical experience and intelligence, two things that The National has a lot of.

“Bloodbuzz Ohio” probably deserved a higher placement on the 2010 list. I’m making up for that now. “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” a single off of the National’s sixth studio album Trouble Will Find Me (May 17, 2013), is a perfect demonstration of the above quotation. The new album, which was recorded in New York (north of NYC), debuted at #3 on the US Billboard 200, the same spot as the band’s 2010 release High Violet. While both releases are similar in content and ratings, the new album represents an expected maturation for the band, and this musical efficacy is best displayed in “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” the #3 song on the Music Court’s 2013 list.

One of the rare negative reviews of Trouble Will Find Me stated that the music seemed emotionally dry. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, the melancholic baritone of Matt Berninger is even more saturated with driving, lachrymose rhythms and candid, painful lyrics. It is easy to be deceived, though, because it does seem that the musicians in the National are finally comfortable with who they are. Comfort does often lead to complacency, but for the National it has led to newfound puissance.

While Berninger’s distinctive baritone absorbs the vast majority of the National’s praise, it is essential to point out the two sets of brothers who lay the groove and hold down the musical fort with adroitness. Aaron and Bryce Dessner, who also produced the album, take care of the guitar and airy keyboard that provide the complement to Berninger’s somber vocal. Scott Devendorf helps drive the rhythm forward with an effective bass guitar, and his brother Bryan is responsible for the persistent drumbeat. For the first 30 seconds of “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” the band is in full force. Perhaps most impressive in the song’s inception are the effervescent keyboard sounds that are high-pitched (relatively) and alien-like. The sounds set an eldritch scene, one that Berninger snugly fits into when he opens his mouth.

“Don’t Swallow the Cap” is yet another quintessential lugubrious lyric that features such gems as “I have only two emotions, Careful fear and dead devotion” and “Don’t think anybody I know is awake.” It’s a song about loss and grieving, and Berninger’s croon glides throughout the song like a figure skater, effortlessly manipulating the thin ice. Excellent song by an excellent band.

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Top Songs of 2013: #5 – “Royals” by Lorde

20 Dec

Lorde

We are halfway through our Top 10 countdown, and we have reached a song that may warrant some legitimate complaints because of its placement. Many can make an excellent case that Lorde’s minimalistic mega-hit “Royals” should grace the top of all Top 10 song lists for the year 2013. It does represent the rare piece that transcends all music, gaining frequent mainstream radio play and Indie appeal. This year saw several infectious hits (“Blurred Lines,” “Get Lucky,” and “Roar”), but these songs were geared towards and remained in their mainstream niche. “Royals” and another song on this list that was not mentioned yet literally blurred music lines, but not in a lewd, egotistical (but somewhat sardonic) manner. For that and a slew of other tasty reasons, “Royals” leads off the homestretch of this 2013 song countdown.

What can be said about “Royals?” Well, first, I guess it is important to mention that Lorde – Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor – was born during the height of Los Del Rio’s vexatious dance-craze “Macarena,” which quite literally swept the world (much like “Royals”) and was #1 on the Billboard charts when Lorde was born in New Zealand. So, yeah, she is 17. Mature beyond her years, Lorde is known for her musical precociousness. She was signed by Universal at 13 and immediately started writing songs. It was only a matter of time before one of the songs stuck. She released her debut EP The Love Club on SoundCloud in November of 2012, and by March of this year “Royals,” track two on that album, hit #1 on the New Zealand Top 40 and rapidly started its Godzilla-like destruction of global charts. And wow does this song have staying power. Months later, it is still voraciously consumed by eager ears – meaning, while some over-played hits get stale (OK, ALL overplayed hits), “Royals” has this mysterious lasting power that draws in listeners and doesn’t let go of them prior to the passing of a three-minute sing-along.

The song is a reflection of the artist. Lorde’s mother is an award-winning New Zealand poet (Sonja Yelich), and this poetical artistry bleeds out in the song. Lorde maintains a delightfully dark presence (almost Adele-like) and this esoteric passion is reflected in her performance and vocalizations. “Royals” would not be nearly as good of a song if it weren’t performed by an individual whose vocal is authentic and almost pained. That quality is invaluable.

Let’s delve into the piece. “Royals” is clearly carried by its basic percussion. The song is just percussion, basic synth, and vocal layering. Compare this song with “Get Lucky,” which features a slew of electronic instrumentation. Both songs are equally viral, but “Royals” does a lot more with a lot less. This is just one endearing quality of this song. Lorde’s vocal is haunting and oddly sensual. She is able to create a tremendous sound without any garishness, which is actually the main theme of the lyric. The song features heavy emotion and verisimilitude while remaining comprehensive and shrewd. It’s a tasteful, zaftig piece that is well-constructed and melodically astute.

The lyric is also quite keen. The motif of “a different kind of buzz” stands out in the song. While many songs on the radio talk of extravagance (“jet planes,” “islands,” “diamonds,” and “Cadillacs”), Lorde speaks of these items as mere fantasies (well, they may not be for her now!). The “luxe” of the so-called rich and famous doesn’t “run in our blood” and she aptly says that the subjects in the song will never be “royals.” It’s not a song about the joys of modesty, but rather it is an acute portrayal of materialistic youthful aspirations that are often marked by misguided avarice. Smart song, huh?

And if this is #5 … can you imagine what is next? Scroll down for #6-10 as well as the preview post, which outlines songs 11-19, and make sure to stay tuned for the rest of the countdown!

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Top 10 Songs of 2013: #6 – “New Lover” by Josh Ritter

18 Dec

ritter

Josh Ritter is no stranger to the Music Court’s end-of-the-year countdown. In 2010 he placed #4 with his ode to Annabel Lee, “Another New World.” Readers of the Music Court will recognize that I do maintain a sort-of music reviewer crush on Mr. Ritter, but let me assure you that … well … ok, the selection is inevitably biased. Although I cautioned all readers that the selections were obviously biased, I did judge songs based on a metric, and did so as objectively as possible. Honestly, I did not want any repeat performers from past years and I ended up with (spoiler alert!) two, but I believe this is more of a testament to each artist/band’s potency and productivity than any unconscious subjectivity. Truth be told, Ritter absolutely deserved a spot on this year’s list. “New Lover” encompasses a rare blend of masterful, spiteful lyrics and deceptive acoustic pacifism. Don’t be fooled; Josh Ritter has constructed a subtly epic “f*ck you” to his old lover.

Ritter released his seventh full-length studio album in March of this year. The album just continued his streak of excellent releases. Although some could aptly argue that all of his albums are excellent, Ritter hit his stride with The Animal Years and has since sailed through his Historical Conquests (his best album) and So Runs the World Away, where 2010’s #4 song appears. The Beast in Its Tracks, this year’s release, combines Ritter’s one-two punch – infectious acoustic instrumentation and witty, daedal lyrics that bounce effortlessly with the rhythm and make ink imprints in the mind of the listener.

“New Lover” represents Ritter’s split with Dawn Landes. The song so well portrays the thoughts and feelings of a forlorn lover that it would actually be a disservice for me not to include some of my favorite lines in this post. I would literally be depriving you of lyrical mastery. Future lyricists of the world, check out Ritter’s words for inspiration.

I can’t pretend that all is well, it’s like I’m haunted by a ghost
There are times I cannot speak your name for the catchin’ in my throat,
There are things I will not sing for the sting of sour notes.

Ritter starts the song with an inevitability. Breaking up is indeed hard to do, and one reason for that is that the individual haunts you and causes pain even when he/she is gone. He even compares the entire process to music (understandably, that is his trade) and it is true that a split carries the “sting of sour notes.”

Moving on, Ritter writes:

I’ve got a new lover now, I know that she’s not mine,
I only want to hold her, I don’t need to read her mind,
And she only looks like you when she’s in a certain light.

I don’t need to read her mind. Burn. But he still can’t escape his former love, as described by the looking like you portion. Throughout the song, Ritter sings that he hopes that his ex has also found happiness, but one can almost tell in the song that there is some facetiousness in his vocalization, which throughout the song is subdued but noticeably sardonic and pained – almost Dylan-like. How does he end the song, though?

I hope you’ve got a lover now, hope you’ve got somebody who
Can give you what you need like I couldn’t seem to do.
But if you’re sad and you are lonesome and you’ve got nobody true,
I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me happy too. 

Tell me you didn’t smile. Tell me you haven’t felt this way. Ritter is human. You are human. He demonstrates the ineluctable post-breakup spite with such poise and finality. Just freaking perfect.

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Top Songs of 2013: #7 – “Ways to Go” by Grouplove

16 Dec

grouplove1

Grouplove popped onto the Indie music scene in 2011 after the release of its incipient album Never Trust a Happy Song, which featured a track list of effervescent pop/electronic hits that included the earwig singles “Colors” and “Tongue Tied.” Prior to the release of its first full-length album, Grouplove had already started spreading its unique blend of love throughout the U.S. with tours with Florence and the Machine and Joy Formidable and a self-titled EP that propelled the band of accomplished musicians onto the radar of numerous music lovers. They have yet to disappoint.

On the heels of a successful U.S. tour in 2012, which included stops at Coachella and Bonnaroo, Grouplove’s sophomore release hit the music world almost two years to the day of its debut. Released in September of this year, the album reached #21 on the charts and has since featured two singles, one of which is featured in this post.

“Ways to Go” is about as bubbly as bubbly can get. More impressive, it is distinctive. One of the reasons why Grouplove has found a special place in my music-saturated heart is its ability to separate itself from a plethora of other Indie Pop/Rock bands. One cannot overstate this quality – it is quite impressive. In some ways this genre of music is like shells on a beach, most look the same but there are a few that hold unique shapes and colors. Grouplove is a rare shell – when you hear the music you know it is Grouplove.

In typical Grouplove fashion, “Ways to Go” sticks to you like krazy glue. It’s hook could catch even the most stubborn fish. Christian Zucconi’s vocal is infectious and it doesn’t hurt that it sits above a cheery rhythm and concordant instrumentation. The call-and-response chorus will be implanted in your head of hours, and the contrasting message of “I got a little bit longer” and “I got a ways to go” reminds me of the Beatles’ proclamation that “It’s getting better all the time … it can’t get much worse.” The lyric, which also plays on the theme of dreams, meshes well with the eccentric video with a hopelessly optimistic message – especially with recent current events.

One thing is for sure with Grouplove … they don’t have a ways to go; they are already here. The band is still relatively young, but it is reaching the pinnacle of its variegated Indie sound – a hip combination of fizzy instrumentals and unconventional vocals.

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Top Songs of 2013: #9 – “Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys

11 Dec

Arctic Monkeys

Do I Wanna Know? is sexy. It’s every word and reverb-filled guitar strum are trying to seduce you.

Like an artful lover, it never loses control. The whole song is purposefully restrained – teasing, if you will. Rather than blow all their ideas in the first song, Do I Wanna Know is the sound of the Arctic Monkeys inviting you to explore the deeper, darker ideas further within AM. The brooding sound is even more frustrating when you know it’s followed by the powerhouse of rock that is R U Mine?

“Been wondering if your heart’s still open and if so what time it shuts,” Alex Turner crones after the first chorus. It’s the sound of an awkward young band from Sheffield grown up and matured. “Simmer down and pucker up…”

Don’t mistake the slang in the title as dumbing down ‘for the kids.’ They’re just feeling comfortable in their own skins. The song is practically seething sexuality, celebrating the early hours of the morning when anything can happen. Lyrics slip like half-formed thoughts or drunken comments from Alex Turner’s lips. Obsession seems to be a perfect muse for him.

Appropriately, the video for this song shows sound waves vibrating into a range of shapes including the form of beautiful women like the beginning of a Bond film. It finally changes into the letters ‘AM.’ They might as well have left their number and a note saying ‘Call me.’

Tune in Friday for #8 on the list.

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