30
Britney Spears “’till The World Ends (Salem Remix)”
I had a dream that the world came to an end. In this dream I was dancing in a grungy, dark, pulsating club with a large crowd of sweaty like-minded folk enjoying night life in throbbing unison. The song that was playing was Britney Spears’ “’till The World Ends.” Incidentally, the setting for that song’s music video is the date on the Mayan calendar that was supposed to be the end of the world. The original version of the song, however, is unbecoming of such a scenario. When the world ended in my dream, everything slowed down to a painful degree. The walls around me crumbled, the strobe lights fell, and the ground burned. But we kept dancing through this slow motion chaos, and Salem’s remix–the realistic rendition of what muffled trauma entwined with euphoric dance sounds like–was what we were dancing to.
29
Childish Gambino “Freaks and Geeks”
Using the best aspects of the rap genre, Donald Glover uses amazing beats and flawlessly combines it with a few cringe- worthy lyrics that raise eyebrows but are firstly and lastly clever. The cleverness doesn’t hit higher than “Freaks and Geeks” and this is the one rap song that I revisit tirelessly. Every once in a while I need to take a break from Drake, Ana Tijoux, Kanye, etc. (I’ll spare you the entire list) but for whatever reason, not a week goes by that I do not listen to Childish Gambino. For the 30 Rock writer and Community star “having an Emmy just wasn’t enough,” and with talent like his, it shouldn’t be.
28
Drake “Hold On We’re Going Home”
This is perhaps the most perfect song on this entire list. It grabs you right away, it stays with you, there’s a chill bridge, and it never gets old. “Don’t be surprised if it smothers the radio,” wrote critics, and none were surprised. Drake is a sublime singer and his singing, not his rapping, is what makes him so popular.
27
Terry Hsieh Collective “Dream of the Red Chamber”
When I saw this live, I cried and it stuck with me. The trombone notes and the piano solo (different from the studio recording here) were incredibly moving and powerful. Such a happy and vivid memory. Modern Jazz at its best.
26
Beyoncé “***Flawless”
Etymologists must be drooling, for they get to study the word “flawless” in the aftermath of this incredible song. If there ever were a time to explore pop’s power to directly influence the vernacular and the culture of a people, there is no better time than now. The NY Times published a great piece about the concept, and in the year and a half since its release, “Flawless” has grown into a empowering feminist phenomenon. This should go without saying if it samples Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s speech “We Should All Be Feminists,” but by doing so Beyoncé made a brilliant activist move by making a relevant issue immensely accessible to her millions of fans. A moment that will never be forgotten by those striving towards gender equality.
25
Idina Menzel “Let it Go”
A couple weeks ago I was washing my hands in a public bathroom alongside another dude and across the way from a stall that held a father and his very young daughter. Under his supervision she went potty and as she did so, her Frozen™ toy watch exclaimed “Let it go! Let it go! Can’t hold it back anymore!” Myself, the guy next to me, and the dad all started to laugh at the moment. Outraged, the girl demanded to know why we were all laughing at her treasured watch. The dad responded dismissively, telling her she was too young too understand. Not fazed in the least, the little girl proceeded to sing the rest of the song.
There, in that male dominated space, she refused to be laughed at and triumphantly and defiantly sang, empowered by “Let it Go” and its message. It reminded me of the influence that Lion King had on me as a kid, and it is unbelievably awesome thinking about how this song has empowered an entire generation of children. It should not be underestimated.
24
Death Grips “Hacker”
“I’m in your area!!!!!” ascertains the rapper Ride. And by God, you’ll know it if Death Grips are in the area, because the noise rap craziness will assault your senses. While the beats in this song are certainly loud and hard-hitting, however, the lyrics are the real talking point. Ride gets in everything he can, whether it be about WikiLeaks or Lady Gaga, he is here to let you know what he thinks about it all. My favorite line by far is: “Make your water break in the Apple Store.” How about THAT for a consumerism diss?
23
Japandroids “The House That Heaven Built”
It took an enormous amount of restraint not to put this song higher on the list just for the sake of fun and partying. “If they try to slow you down, tell them all to go to hell” would be a terrible line if I didn’t identify so heavily with it. When it comes down to it, that kind of lyric only makes sense if you are high energy fella, and that is what I have learned. I get so excited about a thing, (whether it be a book, a song, a movie, a…thing!) that everyone knows about it, and if people get upset by my intense joy, they will let me know. Well, you know what, let me have my fun. That’s the Japandroids’ mantra, and even though “partying” is a pretty broad and stupid reason to joyfully yell at the top of your lungs or ingest an unhealthy amount of alcohol, it never is that simple.
I happened at a house built of living light Where everything evil disappears and dies
22
Beach House “Myth”
At Oberlin College the head of the Classics department taught a class that dealt with “self-mythologizing,” and even though I didn’t take the course, I heard about how it explored social media and the idea of building myths. “What comes after this / momentary bliss,” might just be the perfect lyric describing that fleeting and false feeling of pleasure we all get when we see a “like” notification on facebook. What do people see on your profile besides what you want them too? Is it a lie that you’re creating about yourself? A calculated and carefully crafted image that can only spread with the aid of your friends and followers?
Do you lie? We’ll let the ashes flyHelp me to make it Help me to make it
21
Deafheaven “The Pecan Tree”
The first four minutes of this epic track is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I implore you to give it a chance. Believe me when I say that it evolves into a darkly beautiful and bittersweet guitar riff that will put you on your knees and cry up to the heavens with your arms spread wide. Black metal has never been this majestically gorgeous, and I don’t think that it will transition into jubilant post-rock this immaculately ever again.
The Ponderings of a Deej 