Top 80 Songs of 2011

80. The Low Anthem - Hey All You Hippies


79. Balam Acab - Expect


78. Wild Beasts - Plaything


77. Radiohead - Lotus Flower


76. The Weeknd - High for This


75. Fresh and Onlys - All Shook Up


74. Grouplove - Colours


73. Dinosaur Feathers - History Lessons


72. Memory Tapes - Yes I Know


71. Okkervil River - Wake and Be Fine


70. Ford & Lopatin - Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)


69. White Denim - Drug


68. Gil Scot Herron and Jamie xx - Running


67. Cuckoo Chaos - Jesus Flag American Fish


66. Iceage - White Rune


65. Smith Westerns - Dance Away


64. Dum Dum Girls - Teardrops on my Pillow


63. Young Galaxy - Peripheral Visionaries


62. Pusha T ft. Tyler, the Creator - Trouble on my Mind


61. Holy Ghost - Hold My Breath


60. Shabazz Palaces - Recollections of the Wraith


59. The Dodos - Don't try and Hide It


58. The War on Drugs - Blackwater Falls


57. Cass McCombs - You Saved My Life


56. Youth Lagoon - Cannons


55. Fruit Bats - You're Too Weird


54. Twerps - This Guy


53. Rural Alberta Advantage - Stamp


52. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Ffunny Ffriends


51. Matt & Kim ft. Soulja Boy and Andrew W.K - I'm a Goner


50. J Mascis - Is it Done


49. Elbow - Open Arms


48. Action Bronson - Barry Horowitz


47. Toro y Moi - Still Sounds


46. Tennis - Marathon


45. Shimmering Stars - East Van Girls


44. Tyler, the Creator - Yonkers


43. Surfer Blood - Miranda


42. Washed Out - You and I


41. Wilco - Open Mind


40. Gauntlet Hair - Keep Time


39. Beastie Boys - Nonstop Disco Powerpack


38. Atlas Sound - Mona Lisa


37. Telekinesis! - Dirty Thing


36. The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love


35. G-Side - How Long (ft. Beach House)


34. Yuck - Georgia


33. Jens Lekman - Waiting for Kirsten


32. Yuna - Someone out of Town


31. Mates of State - Total Serendipity


30. TV on the Radio - Repetition


29. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues


28. Mountain Goats - Never Quite Free


27. Ivan and Alyosha - Glorify


26. Girls - Magic


25. Wye Oak - Civilian


24. Black Lips - Family Tree


23. The Throne - Otis


22. James Blake - Limit to Your Love


21. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Sink/Let it Sway


20. The Paper Kites - Bloom


19. Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts


18. King Krule - The Noose of Jah City


17. Battles - Ice Cream


16. Drive-by Truckers - Everybody Needs Love


15. Destroyer - Song for America


14. Stornoway - I Saw You Blink


13. Summer Camp - Better off Without You


12. Cults - Bumper


11. Bon Iver - Holocene


10. Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever


9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Heaven's Gonna Happen Now


8. John Maus - Quantum Leap


7. M83 - Midnight City


6. Real Estate - It's Real


5. Cut Copy - Need You Now


4. St. Vincent - Cruel


3. The Decemberists - Calamity Song


2. tUnE-yArDs - Gangsta


1. Beirut - East Harlem

Top 90 Songs of the Year

As a brief interlude before I get to Massachusetts, I have, for your consumption, my Top 90 Songs of the Year list. Each artist is only allowed one entry on the list and since I'm putting this out there before Pitchfork or Stereogum it means that it is totally uninfluenced by other lists.


90. Alkaline Trio - This Addiction
89. Happy Birthday - Subliminal Message
88. Sharon Van Etten - One Day
87. Menomena – KillemallL
86. Ludacris ft. Nicky Minaj – My Chick Bad
85. Mersault - Crank Resolutions
84. Nobody Beats the Drum - Grindin
83. Teen Daze - Beach Dreams
82. Gauntlet Hair - Our Scenery
81. Peter Wolf Crier - Hard as Nails
80. Futurebirds - Battle for Rome
79. Pearl Harbor - Sunburn
78. Owen Pallett - Lewis Takes Action
77. Wild Nothing - Chinatown
76. Retribution Gospel Choir - Workin' Hard
75. Phantogram - Running from the Cops
74. Painted Palms - All of Us
73. The Dream - Florida University
72. Glasser - Mirrorage
71. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Vocal Chords
70. Maps & Atlases - Solid Ground
69. Summer Camp - Round the Moon
68. The Radio Dept. - Memory Loss
67. The Gaslight Anthem - Stay Lucky
66. Fang Island - Treeton
65. Deerhunter - Coronado
64. Autre NV - Two Days of Rain
63. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
62. Beach Fossils - Daydream
61. Delta Spirit - Devil Knows You're Dead
60. Tokyo Police Club - Wait Up (Boots of Danger)
59. Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home
58. Sun Kil Moon - Alesund
57. Foals - Blue Blood
56. Tame Impala - Solitude is Bliss
55. The Roots - Now or Never ft. Phonte and Dice Raw


54. How to Dress Well - Ready for the World


53. Restless People - Constant Panic


52. Jeff Mangum - Sign the Dotted Line (Chris Knox cover)


51. Here We Go Magic - The Collector


50. Cults - Go Outside


49. Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars


48. Standard Fare – Fifteen


47. Avi Buffalo – One Last


46. The Art Museums – So Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore
(can't find a video anywhere for this... which is strangely rewarding in that douchey hipster kind of way)

45. Katy Perry – California Gurls


44. Broken Social Scene – Art House Director


43. Belle and Sebastian – Ghost of Rockschool


42. Japandroids – Sexual Aerosol


41. JJ – Golden Virginia


40. The Love Language – Heart to Tell


39. Delorean – Stay Close


38. Beach House – Walk in the Park


37. Neon Trees – Animal


36. No Age – Glitter


35. Kid Cudi, Best Coast, and Rostam of Vampire Weekend – All Summer


34. Mumford and Sons – Winter Winds


33. Javelin – Oh Centra!


32. Drive-by Truckers – This Fucking Job


31. Tanlines – Policy of Trust


30. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Dreamer


29. Drake – Over


28. Spoon –Trouble Comes Running


27. Arcade Fire – City with no Children


26. Four Tet – Love Cry


25. The Morning Benders – Excuses


24. Twin Shadow – I Can’t Wait


23. Big Boi – Shutterbugg ft. Cutty


22. The Walkmen – Juveniles


21. Shimmering Stars – I’m Gonna Try


20. Girl Talk – All Day


19. Allo Darlin – Kiss Your Lips


18. Wavves – King of the Beach


17. Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer


16. Dom – Bochicha


15. Surfer Blood – Catholic Pagans


14. Best Coast – When I’m With You
*NOTE: This is a MUST SEE video*


13. Frightened Rabbit – Nothing Like You


12. Kanye West – Monster



11. Freddie Gibbs – National Anthem
*Again... watch this video*


10. Superchunk – Learned to Surf



9. The Hold Steady – The Weekenders


8. Robyn – Dancing on my Own


7. Vampire Weekend – Cousins


6. LCD Soundsystem – Dance Yrself Clean
*Video is must see for fans of dancing babies*


5. Local Natives – World News
*This video is like a Wes Anderson movie.... ergo you should watch it*


4. Free Energy – Hope Child


3. Yeasayer – One


2. The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio


1. Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union

Connecticut

So, I was very very intimidated by writing about Connecticut. This is probably the first time ever that anyone has said that about Connecticut but it’s true. Initially, the temptation was to just pick a whole bunch of songs about people being rich but that got boring and repetitive and frankly made me worry that I’d break out the old Che Guevara shirt again. Let’s be honest… that would not have been good for anyone. THEN I considered making an entire list of songs about how much I hate Geno Auriema and Jim Calhoun but again… spite doesn’t bring in the blog followers (actually, that’s wrong, that is EXACTLY what brings in blog followers). So in the end what did I do? I googled, “Fun Connecticut Facts” and found songs with only vague connections to these fun facts… and supplemented these with some songs about rich people!!! GET HYPED. Oh and also I added a poll question to the end (which means that everyone reading this has to vote…. Multiple times if possible so as to create the illusion that more people than just Kim, Jon, and Nate are reading this).

1) Pulp – Common People (Live at Glastonbury 1995)
I’m ashamed to say that I was not very well acquainted with this song until it made an appearance on Pitchfork’s top 200 songs of the 90s list this year. I have been making up for lost time with it however as it has been in heavy rotation on my iPod ever since. The brilliance of illustrating the painful conversation that you have with people who you acknowledge are… well… simply better at life than you are is undeniable here. For those of you that care about this sort of thing, the Glastonbury 1995 performance is legendary in that it signaled the end of the reign of the Stone Roses atop the Brit Pop pyramid. Even if you don’t care,

We’ve all been there (and if you think you haven’t, it just means you were the other person). Being forced to interact in an environment filled with people WAY outside of our economic and cultural universe. You feel like your clothes aren’t good enough and you’re not smart enough so to compensate for your inability to have conversations about jetsetting to Europe you start to either A. hide in a corner and watch the TV B. go outside and smoke even if you don’t smoke or C. DRINK HEAVILY. I have a feeling that there are lots of these parties in Connecticut.



2) Stone Cold Steve Austin Theme
Oh how I loved (love?) professional wrestling. Sure, the number hours in my youth that I devoted to watching WCW and WWF (not WWE, eat shit World Wildlife Fund) could PROBABLY have been better spent on things like social interaction with others and fine tuning the intricacies of my red and black Breeding Pit/Direct Damage Magic the Gathering deck but I don’t think I regret a single minute. The cool part about this is that Connecticut is PROBABLY the least white trash state in the union and at the same time hosts the headquarters of WWF. Now my Five favorite Stone Cold Steve Austin moments:

5. Stone Cold flips off Mike Tyson on Raw is War
4. Brian Pillman pulls a gun on Steve Austin after Austin shatters his ankle and breaks into his house to inflict more pain
3. Stone Cold drives Zamboni up to ring and pours beer EVERYWHERE
2. Stone Cold delivers a Stone Cold Stunner to Vince McMahon
1. Stone Cold heckles Booker T throughout a grocery store, beating him with food items and taunting him via the intercom



3) Hall & Oates – Rich Girl
So I’m really gonna stop with the whole rich people live in Connecticut thing soon but I just HAD to include this. Does anyone else get the impression that the titular “Rich Girl” is the same chick that later tries to hang out with Pulp? The similarities between the two are staggering.



4) The Beatles – Yellow Submarine
Do you love submarines? Who the hell don’t? I mean they go underwater and stay there for like… umm…. a long time. And ya know what? According to my Connecticut FUN FACTS website the FIRST nuclear submarine was based out of Connecticut and there’s still LOTS of submarine stuff going on there, except for this guy… he’s dead.



5) Guided by Voices – How’s My Drinking?
So I’ve been watching Boardwalk Empire and am really enjoying everything about it. There have been two potentially hazardous but actually totally safe side effects from this however:
1. Thanks to some fine detective work by some fellow Dawson’s Creek fans, I’ve welcomed Henry (Jen’s young QB boyfriend… sort of a proto-Matt Saracen) back into my life and in the process find myself experiencing an unrelenting urge to watch the Creek followed by three games of Madden ’05 in the basement of Jefferson Hall. Since that would be trespassing I’m thinking that the purveyor of the blog that's currently taking the blogosphere by storm should secretly arrange some underground viewing parties
2. It makes me want to drink WHISKEY ALL THE TIME
So why am I talking about Boardwalk Empire (Jersey), Dawson’s Creek (Massachussetts… but really North Carolina) and drinking (everywhere… besides Utah). Because Connecticut NEVER ratified prohibition…. I’m starting to like this state more.



6) T.I. – Big Shit Poppin
Okay… I love ESPN more than anything in the world. Watching ESPN has literally become instinct and muscle memory. I sit down, I turn on ESPN, I watch it… even when I’m not watching it. That having been said… the worldwide leader in sports… centered in what I hear is BEAUTIFUL Hartford, CT has had some of the most hilarious television missteps of the past decade. None of these is more notable and awesome than the increasingly HILARIOUS “Who’s More Now?” competition which only gets more ridiculous with age. If I’m not mistaken the final pitted Tiger Woods and Lebron James as Stuart Scott argued that Tiger was more NOW because of his wife. Really. This happened in real life. It’s theme song? A cleaned up version of this horrible T.I. song that is most definitely NOT “Now.”



7) Steely Dan – Peg
White people make up 80% of the population of Connecticut… that’s really really white. And what do white people love more than just about anything in the world? STEELY MOTHERFUCKIN DAN!!!!!!



8) 50 Cent – Wanksta
Speaking of things that only white people like, did you know that 50 Cent is from Connecticut? This makes his whole “hit with a few shells but I don’t walk with a limp” act far less impressive. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that 50’s hailing from Connecticut MIGHT make him the very Wanksta about which he complains. You didn’t know that this song was a work of existential self-hatred did you? Kierkegaard would be quite proud.



9) Dashboard Confessional – Screaming Infidelities
I’ve railed before about the concept of the “guilty pleasure” song and how we shouldn’t really make apologies for liking the things that we do. Should I really feel guilty about my unceasing love for Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream?” How about the fact that I point to my shoes when Miley Cyrus croons, “Who’s that chick that’s rockin kicks?” in “Party in the U.S.A” Well let me tell ya…. I don’t. Do I feel guilty for the fact that from 2001 to 2003 Screaming Infidelities made an appearance on about 94% of my mix CDs? Yes I do. If you ever liked this song, you should feel guilty too. It’s JUST. SO. BAD. My last memory of hearing this bad boy was at the Arp residence where I vaguely recall duetting on this with Kevin after doting over his Salem High School state championship ring in what is… to this point in my life… the single gayest moment. Also Chris Carraba was born in Connecticut… and is a WANKSTAAAAAA.



10) Sonic Youth – Superstar
Now that we’re done with people from Connecticut that suck (your HAAAAAIIIIIR is EVERYWHEEEEEERE, SCREAMING INFIDELITIES, TAKING ITS WEAAAAARRRR!!! Sorry, had to get that out of my system) let’s talk about two people from Connecticut who don’t. Thurston Moore and Karen Carpenter. I saw Sonic Youth in concert last summer and was absolutely blown away by how awesome Moore and his hot wife Kim Gordon looked on stage. These are people in their late 40s or early 50s who were absolutely bringing the heat on a level WAY beyond that of indie kids half their age. When you take Sonic Youth’s raw energy and fuzz and add it to a downright HEARTBREAKING love song in Superstar, you have one of those covers that reinvents the original in a way that is both reverent and completely novel. The plaintive “baby, baby, baby, baby, ohhhhhh baby” refrain tugs at the heartstrings.



11) Alan Jackson – Gone Country
I’ll be honest, I’m still experiencing the fatigue of crafting a fun, joyous, and epic Georgia mix so I just had to ride that country wave for one more week. This song works with any state because I think everyone, secretly sort of wishes that they could go country. Also, this video is ABSOLUTELY hilarious. As great as rap videos can be for unintentional comedy... they can't TOUCH country.



12) Bob Dylan – Positively Fourth Street
That’s right… Dylan’s back. This time his brilliant EFF you to people that say they’re your friends but then betray you. Dylan was calling out his elitist folk scene for their hypocrisy in criticizing him out for “going electric” while they espoused principles of love and openness for all. How does it fit here? It’s dedicated to one of the all-time most brutal backstabbings in political history, that of Joseph Lieberman as he evolved from Democratic VP nominee to sniveling, war-monging, opportunist. Man I hate that guy.



13) John Mayer - Your Body is a Wonderland
14) Sugar Ray – Every Morning
15) Moby – Natural Blues







What you see above is a veritable pu-pu platter of musical suckitude . Interestingly enough, these guys are all from Connecticut and they all suck for completely different reasons. They all suck so differently that each of them would probably agree that the other two sucked which is absolutely fascinating, because as I said, they all really suck. Hard. Mayer sucks like that guy who plays his guitar in the common room of your dorm just so girls can hear him play. Uggggghhhhhh that guy sucks. Mark McGrath sucks like that guy wearing the Ed Hardy shirt and hitting on your girlfriend by talking about how he’s training for his first MMA match sucks. Meanwhile, Moby sucks like that douchebag at Ellwood Thompson’s trying to figure out if that chicken is FREE RANGE ANNNNND LOCAL ANNNNND ORGANIC, all the while tugging at his ill-fitting $35 American Apparel t-shirt while simultaneously making fun of Mark McGrath’s $45 Ed Hardy t-shirt.

~ flexiPoll: free online web poll ~

That’s all for Connecticut folks next up is Massachusetts. Red Sox fan should just wait until I get to Maryland and then resume reading.

Georgia

As many (many probably isn’t a word I should use to describe my readership) of you know (hopefully all of you… I mean, watch baseball assholes) my beloved Atlanta Braves were dismissed from the MLB playoffs in one of the more painfully terrible performances in recent sports memory. Between a complete inability to hit and several late game collapses, Braves fans once again received a figurative savage beating from our favorite team on earth. That having been said, this mix proved to be downright cathartic for a couple reasons:

1. It gave me an excuse to recount some of my favorite Braves moments which you’ll see posted here

2. Georgia has really really great music. I think that if my iPod was matched to a state’s musical scene in terms of its content it would definitely be Georgia. There really are THREE distinct musical scenes in the state (Rap, Indie, Country/Traditional) that I tried to capture while generally listening to some really really great tunes.

1) Skip Caray – 1992 NLCS, Game 7, Bottom 9
My favorite sports moment of all time. This game was played in the fall of my fourth grade year and when it came time for me to go to bed it was 2-0 Pirates in the 7th. One thing to keep in mind about this Pirates team, is that they had some of the all-time GREAT baseball villains. At this point, the world was beginning to see that Bonds was a complete and utter douche bag while Bobby Bonilla was still being Bobby Bonilla. Plus Doug Drabek’s mustache made him look like the bad guy in a Western. So here’s the background… as the game entered the bottom of the 9th with the Pirates still leading 2-0, my mom came into my room and woke me up so that I could see the end of the game (per my request to make sure I saw the last out of our season). Our 3B and 1991 NL MVP Terry Pendleton led off the inning with a double, advanced to third on a BRUTAL Jose Lind error off of a David Justice grounder and after a Sid Bream walk was driven in on a Ron Gant sacrifice fly. 2-1. Stan Belinda, the Pirates closer then entered the game, walking catcher Damon Berryhill to load the bases with Justice at 3rd and the slow as molasses Bream at 2nd . The next Brave batter, pinch hitter Brian Hunter flew out to shortstop leaving one bench player left for the Braves… little used 3rd catcher Francisco Cabrera. Keep in mind that as this is happening I am realizing that I love this team more than anything in the world… and am bargaining with God for a win. I specifically remember a prayer offering up my Nintendo as a sacrifice if God would be so gracious as to allow us to win the game. So what happened next? Fast forward to the 2:20 mark and just watch…



2) Gladys Knight and the Pips – Midnight Train to Georgia
So how are we getting from New Jersey to Georgia? On a midnight train of course! HEYYYY-OHHHHH! In the canon of songs about not feeling at home (“New York’s Not my Home” by Jim Croce, “Edmonton” by the Rural Alberta Advantage are two more favorites) this one has to be the most empowering because the protagonist not only makes it home but gets the girl too. Thinking about these songs does make me wonder though if these songs are ever written about big cities. Does anyone ever talk about how they HAVE to get back to NYC or L.A. from the country? I don’t think so. Maybe people just don’t fall in love with cities in the same way that they fall in love with the country. Does growing up somewhere rural create some special imprint on your DNA that makes your hometown something MORE than just a hometown?



3)Big Boi ft. Gucci Mane – Shine Blockas
Georgia has given us not only the likes of Francisco Cabrera and Sid Bream but also the rapper who is easily the most underrated in the WHOLE game. Big Boi isn’t even the most respected member of his own duo but is, in my estimation, the REAL best rapper alive. This track off his new and perfect and absurdly named “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” is absolute, indisputable, MAGMA and is on my shortlist for song of the year. This track, as do many of his efforts, gives shoutouts not only to his homebase in Atlanta but also to Savannah where I our mix is beginning.



4) Allman Brothers Band – Whipping Post
Ever been to Savannah? If so then you’ve experienced the kind of sweat that makes a liberal dosage of Gold Bond powder an absolute necessity. Regardless of its LEVEL ORANGE chaffing threat potential, Savannah is SUCH a cool city. It’s quirky and traditional at the same time and it’s heat and humidity give it almost a haunted aura that follows you throughout the city. “Whipping Post” with the guitar work of Dicky Betts and Duane Allman has that sticky, slick feel that you get no matter where you go in Savannah and combines it with the best blues vocals by a white guy in the history of white guys singing the blues.



5) Alan Jackson – Chatahoochee
Georgia native Alan Jackson is probably one of my favorite solo vocalists and I’m saying this in a totally non-ironic way. On a recent trip from Pulaski to Northern VA, a friend and I listened to Jackson’s greatest hits and were blown away at the sheer number of great songs he has recorded. The guy has been the second coming of George Jones and continues to churn out great country songs. This song is probably the ONLY thing that could make me want to visit the Chatahoochee River region of Georgia. Also according to the video the river apparently allows you to waterski while wearing a Cowboys jersey and cowboy boots… an outfit… which if you ever see me recreating ought to be your cue to cut me off and NOT allow me to get that fresh beer that I will inevitably claim to be totally necessary.



6) Vicki Lawrence – The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
A poll question: which of the following country story songs from this era do you prefer?
1. This one
2. Bobby Gentry – Ode to Billy Joe
3. Jeannie C. Riley – Harper Valley PTA
They’re very similar in terms of format but I gotta think that the twists and turns of Vickie Lawrence’s opus are enough to COMPETELY blow the others out of the water. I seriously want to adapt this song into a movie featuring Burt Reynolds playing each of the roles like Tyler Perry in Big Momma’s House. Tell me you wouldn’t pay to see it.



7) Bob Dylan – With God on Our Side
So guess what? Bob Dylan’s on this mix, this time ranting about American arrogance and our assumption that every action we take as a nation gets a rubber stamp from the morality department simply because it’s what we’ve decided to do. On here, we get all historical with a reminder of what Andrew Jackson did to the Cherokee nation. If you read about some of the impassioned pleas by members of the Cherokee nation to remain in their homes in the mountains of Georgia in the face of Jackson’s assault is absolutely heartbreaking. It’s easy to look back on this and think to yourself about how glad you are that we don’t live in a nation where such treatment still happens but to do so would not only be shortsighted but also fallacious. Unfortunately, now the oppression is different, more subtle, and all too often accepted as patriotism.



8) Burial – Archangel
This is really the first mix so far where I’ve given thought to the idea of driving at night. I would argue that musically, night driving music and day driving music could not be more dissimilar. At night, we’re not necessarily driving happy… you’re either leaving somewhere fun for the long trip home, coming home after a long day of work, or locked into the doldrums of an extended road trip where, even if you have travelling companions, no one is in the mood to pump their fist and sing along. When I chose this instrumental dub step CLASSIC by Burial I tried to think of what I’d want to hear driving through the sticky night time heat that is Georgia. This is it.



9) R.E.M – Catapult
10) B-52s – Dance this Mess Around
It’s remarkable how much incredible music has come out of Athens, GA. Not only is it almost universally really good, but typically it’s music that is innovative and in the case of R.E.M and the B-52s pretty groundbreaking.
R.E.M is sort of forgotten about now but it needs to be mentioned that at one point, not only was this band on par with U2 in terms of its level of acclaim but prior to that they pretty much invented the entire idea of “college rock” with the indie success of songs like the jangly, “Catapult” which, if I ever heard at a place where it was even mildly socially acceptable would cause me to dance like the twin girls in the purple:



The B-52s should get much more credit than the novelty points they get for "Love Shack" as their southern fried new wave sound was not only totally unique but very influential. The deeper you dig into their catalog (check out "Hot Pants Explosion"), the more you come to appreciate just how cool they really were.





11) Of Montreal - Gronlandic Edit
12) Apples in Stereo - King of Carrot Flowers pt. 3 (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)

As if the last two songs weren't convincing enough, here are two more Athens bands throwing 98 on the black. The bands share little in terms of their sound with R.E.M. and the B-52s, but that slightly off-kilter spirit is still unabashedly there. Both bands featured make up part of the so-called "Elephant 6" musical collective that included Neutral Milk Hotel and Elf Power. First off, in "Gronlandic Edit," Of Montreal lead singer Kevin Barnes plays vocal aerobics in the funkiest indictment of organized religion in the history of music. Also, this video is both funny and mildly terrifying, I just can't decide which.



Why choose a cover here? Well first of all, I love the original Neutral Milk Hotel version so much that I'm incapable of writing about it... really (yes, I understand that that's not a particularly healthy relationship to have with your music collection) Second of all, on the Apples in Stereo version, you get to hear one Athens band from one style covering another from a totally different and unique genre. The results really capture the talents of both. Here's the Neutral Milk Hotel version at a hometown show in Athens.



13) Jermaine Dupri ft. Ludacris - Welcome to Atlanta
Where the players play apparently? This song is some really.... really dumb fun. It does however include one of the most absurd lines in hip hop history (an enormous achievement) as Dupri claims "I'm the MBP, most ballingest player." This opens up - for me - a lot of questions that need to be answered. First of all, how do I win this award? Can I be Richmond's Most Ballingest Player if I accumulate points through:
1. Horrible dancing on the stage at Cha Chas
2. Wearing a t-shirt to Deluxe that is so tight as to provide strong hints as to the construction of my nipples
3. Crack the tough outer core of local private school douches at Weezie's and Phil's
4. Let a girl waiting in line for the bathroom at Curbside to cut in front of me and go to the guys' bathroom (oh WAIT, THERE'S NEVER A LINE FOR THE GIRLS BATHROOM AT CURBSIDE!!! JUUUUUST the guys')



14) Outkast - Elevators
Couldn't leave here without an Outkast song and for my money, this one is the absolute best. The song was released in 1996 and still sounds far more original than any rap being released today. The beat is thick like molasses. The echo effect on the wood block makes this song sound more like my idea of Georgia than anything else.



15) Beck - Loser
16) Georgia Satellite - Keep Your Hands to Yourself
These two songs are dedicated to Brooks Conrad... and his hands. ugh.



For those of you that don't follow baseball, skip this entry. For those that do, I don't need to dig up some video to describe exactly what happened. Brooks cost us the NLDS against the Giants, a team that is now only 4 wins away from the thing I want the Braves to have more than anything in the world, a World Series victory. Seeing him commit those errors was agonizing and is one of those things that makes me question why I follow sports in the first place if it's just going to make me miserable almost all the time...

17) Here's why:



Okay, so Connecticut is up next... I will promise you that some very, very odd selections will be made for this one as I don't think anyone has ever attempted to capture the "Connecticut Aesthetic" in song.

New Jersey... Volume 1, Volume 2

So for New Jersey, a state that Ben Franklin called "a keg tapped at both ends," one mix simply wasn't good enough. This is not to mention of course the fact that every one I've ever known from south Jersey has amended their first mention of being from New Jersey with the fact south Jersey is VERY different. Those people would be very very mad at me if I didn't honor that caveat here. Let's cruise through the Jerz (promise this will be 100% free of Jersey Shore references... the car battery connected to my nipples will send hundreds of volts into my torso if I do make one). The lists are presented track by track for each mix... The south Jersey track comes first, the north Jersey track comes second. To add to the level of difficulty here, each corresponding track comes from the canon of the same artist... yeah I know, it is awesome.

1 South Jersey)Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
1 North Jersey)Animal Collective - We Tigers

For our trip through south Jersey, we're starting in what I'm sure is LOVELY Cape May and driving up the shore. Summertime Clothes, if it's possible to do so, just SOUNDS humid. The lyrics about the squeaky AC evokes strong images of a shabby beach house used only for sleeping, showering, pre-gaming, and listening to awesome music (NO JACK JOHNSON... FUCK THAT GUY).

We Tigers is maybe the weirdest song from an already weird band. Starting at the NY/NJ border, We Tigers provides the perfect compliment to the traffic, horns, and bustle of the freeway. The song is jarring and borderline unpleasant but still satisfying and ingratiating in its weirdness.



2 South Jersey) Arcade Fire - Haiti
2 North Jersey) Arcade Fire - Neighborhoods #2



Each generation of music listeners has a band that speaks to the zeitgeist of that generation while at the same time maintaining enough artistic integrity and sophistication to criticize when necessary but also praise when necessary. While some would argue that U2 or.. God forbid, Lady GaGa occupy this role for our generation, these people are out of touch. Ours isn't the generation looking for enlightenment and freedom as Bono suggests in his increasingly unlistenable output, nor is it the celebrity and sex obsessed generation to which Lady Gaga's success seems to hint.

The Arcade Fire is that band for us because they acknowledge that our society today is all about fear and the way it manifests itself in our lives. Be it in the relative monotony of our day-to-day lives, in religion, or in the suburban safety zones we create for ourselves, the things we do and say are done and said with an air of hesitancy created by our fears. We are a generation that has been taught to fear... rationally and irrationally. Winn Butler and Co. not only recognize that but are along for the ride.

Haiti is perfect for South Jersey because of the light keyboard melodies that lend a lightness to the song that stands out on an otherwise dreary album. While Neighborhood #2's slow build and mourning for love hints at the kind of isolation that can only come in the suburbs.

3 South Jersey)Beirut - Postcards from Italy
3 North Jersey)Beirut - Brandenburg

I grew up in a place, where for the most part, ethnic diversity meant the white kids that had spurned their fandom of ICP... MAGIC EVERYWHERE IN THIS BITCH!!!



for Eminem. These two Beirut songs speak to the southern and eastern European immigrants that make the mid-Atlantic so cool. The Italian American community in south Jersey goes far beyond film fueled mafia references and also, did you know that 45.5% of the northern New Jersey town of Wallington is of Polish ancestry? Now you do. And yesss, I KNOW that Brandenburg is a state in Germany but it borders Poland and this is hard.... BACK OFF.

4 South Jersey) Beulah - What Will You do When Your Suntan Fades
4 North Jersey) Beulah - Popular Mechanics for Lovers

The bounce and frolic of Beulah works oh so well for south Jersey. This song reminds me not necessarily of the beach, but those days where you've just returned from the beach and the sunBURN you bemoaned while on vacation has become a sweet sunTAN. All of the three greatest trips of my life led to this effect. The past three summers I've gone with some of my best friends on earth to Key West, Belize, and VA Beach respectively and as I tried to shake off the malaise that comes with returning from a great trip, I could look in the mirror and be reminded, at least in small part, of the days I had spent slowly pickling myself through sun and alcohol. Your suntan becomes a literal tan and a figurative glow. That feeling is great. I've been told a time or two that growing up in the kind of place where that suntan (both literal and figurative) never really fades is pretty perfect.



5 South Jersey) Bob Dylan - Desolation Row
5 North Jersey) Bob Dylan - Hurricane

I can't resist adding Bob Dylan to a mix under normal circumstances but when he's actually singing about a town in New Jersey I become a truly shameless Dylan homer. Hurricane fits for obvious reasons, although according to a public service minded street vendor I met at 3 a.m. in Atlantic City who grew up in Patterson, NJ and SWORE UP AND DOWN that he was on the scene the night the crime portrayed in the song happened, Rubin Patterson absolutely did it.

Desolation Row however refers to Camden, NJ. One of the moments when I began to become certain that I wanted to teach was while reading about the Camden, NJ public schools in Jonathan Kozol's book Savage Inequalities. The level of desperation (and desolation) that it seemed the students there were facing was shocking and the portrait it helped to paint of Camden was off an almost post-apocalyptically bleak city. "Desolation Row," because it's a Dylan song, captures that in a subtle and perfect way.



6 South Jersey) Brian Eno - On Some Far Away Beach
6 North Jersey) Brian Eno - Dead Finks Don't Talk

I'm going to use these two Eno songs that provide perfect atmospheric accompaniment to any drive (especially while alone... this album, Here Come the Warm Jets, is one of those that allows you to create your own musical fugue state and become either totally in tune with the world or completely dead to the world) because they need to be here. The best I can do is just say LISTEN (really listen) to these songs and you'll know why they fit so well.



7 South Jersey) Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City
7 North Jersey) Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

So... three things that I think would be exceedingly cool: 1. Having a song written about you. Not just by that douche you met in the drum circle in the quad but by a legit musician. 2. Being mentioned in the liner notes of an album. This is something that is becoming increasingly irrelevant as liner notes have almost ceased to be of value or import. 3. Having a song written about your hometown.

I know that NONE of these things will be happening to me which makes the song Atlantic City even more awe-inspiring. I don't really have the words to describe why this song is so amazing and I know everyone reading this knew that it would appear the moment they thought about New Jersey songs, so I'll only share this anecdote: I went to Atlantic City this summer and while I was able to show a degree of restraint and avoid singing this song constantly (those who were there with me MIGHT disagree... I don't think so though) it was in my head the ENTIRE time. I couldn't stop thinking about the D.A., the Chicken Man, and whoever that guy was for whome Bruce's protagonist was doing a favor. Because the story in the song is so incredibly well stated, it provided this totally different perspective for visiting the city... it was almost as if I was visiting a place that I'd read about for years in a work of fiction. Not to over-do it and nerd it up even more than I already have but it was like visiting Middle Earth or Shermer, Illinois. Damn!! What a great song.

And Born to Run? There's really nothing that I can say other than just to mention that the sound Bruce makes after saying "together Wendy we can live with the sadness, I'll love you with all the madness in my soul" is my favorite non-verbal noise in music history (others: Zach De La Rocha's "huhhhhh" in Freedom, that noise that Alan Jackson makes that sounds like, "Heeeeyyyy-eeeeee").



8 South Jersey)Red House Painters - New Jersey (acoustic)
8 North Jersey)Red House Painters - New Jersey (electric)

Two different albums, two different versions, identical lyrics. Maybe Mark Kozelek (aka Sun Kil Moon) had also heard a thousand times how different the two "Jerseys" were and decided to do a version for each.



9 South Jersey) Bruce Springsteen - Jersey Girl
9 North Jersey) Tom Waits - Jersey Girl

First off, I've officially exceeded my Springsteen word limit here... restraining order papers are being filed against me as you read this. Bruce... we will be together eventually... it's inevitable... I know you love me. In all seriousness, the sincerity of Bruce's voice has the listener really hoping to fall in love with this fictional Jersey girl. This version makes the "Jersey Girl" in question feel like one of those summer rental romances that you see in movies but never actually come close to experiencing yourself.

Sooooooo.... Tom Waits. There aren't any original ways to describe Waits' voice left, but listening to this song makes you feel like you've encountered something mechanical, something inhuman. Like North Jersey, you can ALMOST hear New York in his voice. This "Jersey Girl" is not the perfect specimen that Springsteen hypes her up to be. Waits' "Sha la la las" seem the product of pain not jubilance.



10 South Jersey) Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus
10 North Jersey) Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union

I think one of the traits in a song that can elevate it to perfection for me is whether or not it could be classified as anthemic. Both of these songs, along with countless other Titus Andronicus songs fit that bill perfectly. To me, because of its musical history, Jersey is a state that just works for anthems, Moreover, the final 0:45 of Titus Andronicus is the kind of dumb fun that's just MADE to scream out the window of your car on a summer day.

"A More Perfect Union" achieves higher heights though by, in my estimation, making a song that is quintessentially and perfectly North Jersey, from shouting out the Garden State Parkway and the Newark Bears to throwing out Jersey zip codes, this is a must play any time you're there. Not to mention the video is fan-freaking-tastic.



11 South Jersey)Frank Sinatra - Cheek to Cheek
11 North Jersey)Frank Sinatra - Witchcraft

Obviously any New Jersey mix without Sinatra has some serious problems and when he ends up on one, little explanation is needed for his presence. The man originates from Hoboken, NJ and spent a good bit of his time tooling around Atlantic City having what I can only imagine must have been an absolutely incredible time. Cheek to Cheek sounds a little more fun than Witchcraft and frankly for some reason or another just sounds a little more like Atlantic City to me.

By the way... remember THIS FREAK??? My favorite moment of this video is about 10 seconds in when he states his goal for the week as "letting America know that I really can sing"



12 South Jersey) Crosby, Stills, and Nash - Southern Cross
12 North Jersey) Crosby, Stills, and Nash - Teach Your Children

Speaking of teaching your children, did you know that New Jersey spends over $13,000 per pupil per year on education? Not sure how much that is? My employer, the great state of VA spends $8,725... Clearly NJ is all about teaching their children well.



13 South Jersey) Coheed and Cambria - The Running Free
13 North Jersey) Coheed and Cambria - Devil in Jersey City

I defy anyone to hear Devil in Jersey City and not play at least a little bit of air guitar. If you've never heard me drunkenly scream-sing this song at the top of my lungs then you didn't know me in college.



As for the Running Free, it's dedicated to Willingboro, NJ resident Carl Lewis. Ya see he's a runner... and the song has running in the title.

14 South Jersey)Patti Smith - Because the Night
14 North Jersey)Patti Smith - Gloria

She's the female Springsteen and Because the Night is one of those anthems that I mentioned when writing about Titus Andronicus. It's one of those songs that makes the night feel like it has about 1000 different possibilities and should be played loudly as you get ready for a summer night out.

Gloria on the other hand has that classic Smith rawness that makes her music shocking to this day. A woman... a hot woman... sneering and snarling her way through a song like Gloria has to be empowering and unbelievably cool to hear if you're a female listener and is mind bogglingly alluring to a male listener. Patti Smith (grew up in New Jersey) sounds almost like New York and that's totally appropriate in this context.



15 South Jersey)Girl Talk - Play your Part pt. 1
15 North Jersey)Girl Talk - Play your Part pt. 2

Because no matter which direction you're headed.... you just can't leave Jersey without some fist pumping club bangers.




Annnd just like clockwork, next up is the great state of Georgia. Keep in mind that it's likely that I could be writing this post within HOURS of the Braves either winning their NLDS series against the Giants or losing and breaking my heart..... the results could have an ENORMOUS effect on the content of the mix. Stay tuned.