Top 10 Songs

Yeah, so I've been out all summer in LA with limited time for blogging, but I thought I'd jump on this bandwagon. Of course, it's really hard to pick a favorite song, and it's always fluid and you always hear new songs. So these really are the subjective list of my top 10 right now, right?

10. Mos Def (feat. Talib Kweli) - Know That

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN-xwf9mKr8

It has all the good aspects of 90s hip hop without the cheesy parts. From the Star Wars references, to his call to "stay black." It's just a real cool song and a hip hop staple for me.

9. Melissa Polinar - Try

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HbALCVhYSM

It's really easy for me to obsess over this song. I'm sure I've accounted for quite a number of the plays of this song on youtube. It's just really pretty, has wide vocal range, and is fun to sing along with. And it's such a pretty song.

8. Westbound Train - Travel On

I have a thing for longer than average songs (but not necessarily epically long songs like "Cassandra Gemini" by the Mars Volta, though that's still a great song). It's just everything really good about the ska/reggae genre. It's relaxing, but melodic, with a nice little blues feel.

7. Further Seems Forever - A New Desert Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqs26-ApgQ

First off this song only really sounds good with Chris Carrabba singing it. This album and band basically one day introduced me to emo and Tooth & Nail records back when they had bands that mattered. It's just really cool song, technically and musically. The album version has my favorite thing that Chris Carrabba does - singing over himself, one high voice, one low voice. His Dashboard song "A Plain Morning" does that as well.

6. Thrice - Daedalus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhgbOUVJbNA

I think the ironic thing about this song for me is that, although it's on their album Air, listening to it I feel like it represents more of an absence of wind musically. Clearly not lyrically, heh. The entire song is just really artistic and emotional and seriously different from anything on Identity Crisis.

5. Streetlight Manifesto - Forty Days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JWdlU7bWxU

First off Ska bands are always amazing live. I've seen these guys three times, and everything that goes on is just crazy. Kalnoky is treated like some sort of idol, the pits are freaking wild, and and the horn solos are always crazier. The album is filled with references to Heaven and Hell (but mostly Hell), but this song just kind of really cool musically for me.

4. Tupac - Changes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nShlKGU78rU

The more I listen to his music, the more I realize how Tupac was so far ahead of his time when it came to hip hop. And of course his poeticism was much better than anything out there. I don't understand why he decided to become a recluse.

3. Elliott Smith - King's Crossing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX6etUAIbRU

"Give me one good reason not to do it." If this wasn't Elliott Smith screaming for help, I don't know what was. This was actually the first song I ever heard by Elliott Smith, and it remains my favorite of his because of all the messed up stuff in it.

2. Pedro the Lion - Secret of the Easy Yoke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFnYyFgrflw

I like all the musical aspects of this song. The refusal to be dictated by 4/4 all the time. The syncopation. The unique guitar riff that defines the song. But that's not why I love the song. I mean, it's a really a sad song about the struggle to keep Faith. And anyone who knows the story of David Bazan knows the result of that struggle.

1. Brand New - Jaws Theme Swimming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdJPaGKJkmo

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite Brand New song of all time, those "Fork & Knife" comes pretty close. It's I think the pinnacle of the band dropping their pop punk of Your Favorite Weapon into whatever their more edgier sound is without going into the weirder stuff of Daisy. But it's really just a really good song.