Top 10 Songs of 2015 – #7: “Get It” by Matt & Kim

19 Dec

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Matt & Kim are a deliciously weird due from Brooklyn, NY whose eccentricity is a story in and of itself; however, like all eccentric music groups, if the music doesn’t hold up, then the band won’t last. Since 2006, however, this duo has created nothing but genre-bending, effervescent music that has not changed with the release of their latest album in 2015, New Glow. We go way back to the beginning of the year for the #7 song on the countdown, “Get It,” the first single released off the new album. Those of you who have stared at a television this past year might recognize this one from the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line commercials.

If anything, this song is deliciously Matt & Kim, engaging listeners in the same zeal as songs like “Daylight” and “Let’s Go.” Matt & Kim creates such unique Indie/Dance music that it is tough to compare them with any other band; just when you start thinking they sound like somebody in the business, the band modifies its sound; for this specific song they implemented some odd synth noises that mixed with percussion spark immediate movement in the listeners; it’s inevitable; you might as well succumb to it. It’s tough to describe what the “drop” of the song is; it almost sounds like a breathless frog – and, yes, that does sound negative, but it’s pretty darn cool. The song is driven by synth sounds just like that one, and these breakdowns make the song desirable. The song, which is about partying (in case you couldn’t guess), models a party; it is driven by constant dance beats and repetition of lines like “we don’t want to go home.” One desires to be part of the crowds displayed in the music video, which is wild.

If I had to summarize this review and quickly describe why I think it deserves a spot on the top songs of the year list, I would only need one word: fun. There are not many songs that can be described as simply fun, and Matt & Kim encompass that idea in almost all of their songs, but, on their 2015 album, especially “Get It.”

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Top 10 Songs of 2015: #8 – Don’t Wanna Fight by Alabama Shakes

17 Dec

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Brittany Howard’s wail is pretty famous. Her band’s first hit, Alabama Shakes’ “Hold On,” was fairly popular when it came out and it lives on, used frequently as a transition between stories on NPR. The band released their sophomore LP, Sound & Color, earlier this year, with “Don’t Wanna Fight” as their lead single. The album in itself was an accomplishment, but what I really want to talk about is that beautiful funk ballad.

I will admit that my relationship with Alabama Shakes had at times been rocky. I enjoyed their sound, but their songs sometimes bleed together, and ultimately Boys & Girls never stuck with me. But this year, Alabama Shakes proved to me that they deserved a second chance. “Don’t Wanna Fight” grabs you immediately from that first squeal and keeps you until final the tear-soaked plea to just stop fighting. 

I think what makes “Don’t Wanna Fight” so transcendental is that it is the fight. Laura Marling has a song, “Strange,” which is written similarly, from the perspective of a person directly in the middle of an argument (though Marling technically sings from both perspectives). Marling sings frankly, whereas Howard becomes more and more unsettled as the song progresses. The bassline never changes, but does its job adding to the tension brought on by those emotional lyrics and vocals. To tell the truth, the instrumentation could have come from UMO’s first album, particularly because of that dusty, vintage guitar melody. Really though, Alabama Shakes have simply improved on a classic and simple style of music: soul-fire igniting funk. 

Sound & Color is out now. Find more information about Alabama Shakes on their website, and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

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Top 10 Songs of 2015: #9 – “Cold Cold Man” by Saint Motel

16 Dec

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When thinking of words to describe Los Angeles-based Indie Pop band Saint Motel, it would not be cold. Instead, the band’s creative blend of effervescent horns, Motown-infused disco rhythms, and jaunty piano is warm and cozy. “Cold Cold Man”fits the paradox; it is a synth-driven pop piece that inspires dance and sing-a-longs. It is the quintessential Saint Motel song, and it is on The Music Court’s top songs of 2015.

The song, which was actually released in 2014 but premiered as a single in 2015, has often been viewed as a secondary piece next to the band’s prominent hit “My Type,” but, in a similar manner to “My Type,” it successfully combines so many tremendous components into one concise ditty. Saint Motel has the ability to do just that – combine a score of elements together to create a song with an enticing melody, catchy vocals, and skilled instrumentation. The band has been doing this since it came together in 2009, through the band’s debut LP in 2012, through the slew of concerts they have played in support of bands like Imagine Dragons and Weezer, and finally through the release of their most recent EP My Type, which will hopefully lead to the band’s sophomore EP soon.

“Cold Cold Man” is on this list because it has yet to leave my mind since I listened to it in preparation of writing this post. The song’s potent harmonies mix with its keys-focused melody; it plays like a mix between newer Coldplay and Jukebox the Ghost if both bands were transported back to a colorful 70s spy television show; thus, the band is almost impossible to compare. It is a true throwback. Saint Motel is a throwback to a time when music was edgy and perspicacious. The band is tremendous, and I look forward to hearing more from then in the future.

 

Top 10 Songs of 2015: #10 – Kissing by LUM

16 Dec

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The first installment of our Best Of list has earned its spot purely by virtue of being the song I played the most this year. “Kissing” is a multi-faceted song, and every single tiny detail has forced me to play it incessantly.

“Kissing” is a glitchy tune that fills my spirit with some aural ooze, music that I can feel in my core. There are shimmering moments throughout; at one point we hear something I can only describe as a processed glockenspiel riff. This is one of those tracks that puts a grin on my face after I hear just the first few notes, with a lo-fi, attention-stealing intro that easily slides into a gorgeous cacophony by way of an unusual verse. The verses in this track are really more like short quips of commentary, but the more ambiguous, the more relatable, which could be another reason that I cling to it.

One thing most of the tracks I play on infinite repeat have in common is their singability- or how well I can approximate the noises that are lyrics so I can sing along. LUM may not have provided full lyrics like, say, Joanna Newsom, but there are so many audio clips used as part of the beats that it doesn’t matter. I find myself belting “huh huh huh” and “whoooa whoa” with the same enthusiasm as I might have sung “got it got it” last year.

LUM is a Canadian electronic artist on the label Bedroomer, but I have been unable to find many other details about him. He’s got a fairly current Instagram account, but there is only so much I can gather from out-of-context photos. He has a mustache! Other than that, all we have are beats. But if I had to, I could live on those for years.

Track Bedroomer to get updates on new sounds from LUM.

Top 10 Songs of 2015 – The List Begins … Tomorrow

14 Dec

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As we are about to say hello to 2016, it is once again time for The Music Court to countdown the best songs of 2015; And, yes, I did make an Adele pun. Her hit song will almost certainly end 2015 at the top of the Billboard charts (as her new LP is selling like hot cakes doused with maple syrup). It may even start 2016 at the top and pull an “Uptown Funk,” which ravaged the Billboard charts for around four months before giving way to the melancholic summer hit, “See You Again.” That said, let’s move beyond these introductory pleasantries and get to the nitty gritty of the list.

Last year, Zoe and I labored over several songs to choose a Top 10 list fit for the music kings and queens, and this year is no different. Thus, as always, some well-deserving songs were left off the Top 10. Thus, like each year we have done this list, on the eve of the list’s start we bring you a few songs that just missed the top 10 and found themselves on the environs, still excellent songs in their own right.

#12: “Ong Ong” by Blur

After a 12 years, the longest album gap in Britpop mainstay Blur’s illustrious career, Damon Albarn and the boys released The Magic Whip in April of 2015 and with it released track 11, “Ong Ong,” a jaunty, repetitive track that just might be one of the best songs ever released by the band. Why? It’s droning underbody hums like that of a dying car’s roar, which sounds awful, I know, but in reality it is infectious. The song carries from there in a tight, skilled manner only an organized, experienced band can create.

#11: “Stressed Out” by 21 Pilots

We go from sagacious songsters Blur to relatively new kids on the block Twenty One Pilots whose blend of alternative-rock hooks mixed with hip/hop make for a unique and exciting sound. “Stressed Out” is excellent for two reasons – lyrics and hook. I’m not a big rap fan (as the music selection on this blog may suggest); however, the rap in this piece is effective – the song’s message is that of nostalgia.

“It’d be to my brother, ‘cause we have the same nose,
Same clothes homegrown a stone’s throw from a creek we used to roam,
But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered,
Out of student loans and treehouse homes we all would take the latter”

21 Pilots does an effective job melding youthful memories with current mid-20s problems. The hook talks about turning back time and does so with an almost reserved vigor that is melodic and catchy.

 

Great songs and they missed the list! The top 10 starts tomorrow. Stay tuned.

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