Poll Results: Your Favorite Song Of The Decade

In this week's poll, I asked you to name your favorite song of the decade. Obviously, this is an arduous task, seeing as there were a lot of great songs released this decade. But I asked you to choose one, nonetheless. I gave some choices of "popular" (it's in quotes because they're popular to folks like you and me, but not everyone) songs that I like and are generally considered to be great songs. You voted, and I'm actually a little surprised at the winner.

That winner was "Wolf Like Me" by TV On The Radio, which garnered 37.5% of the votes. "Wolf Like Me" is indeed a great song, and it will surely find its way into my own top 20 (if not higher). As far as the other choices went: "All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem came in second place with 25% of the votes, and Modest Mouse's "Float On", Outkast's "B.O.B.", and Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc." all tied for third with 12.5%. I like all these songs, especially the ones that aren't "Feel Good Inc.". I also really like the two songs that didn't get any votes: "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and "Blind" by Hercules & Love Affair.

As far as I'm concerned, I've exhausted the "favorite [blank] of the decade" polls. I've asked for your favorite artists, bands, labels, and songs of the '00s, and it's now time to switch gears.

And, seeing as it is now December 6, and Best of '09 lists are starting to pop up, I'm going to ask you about your favorite music of 2009. I'll start with asking your favorite new group or artist or band or whatever.

My Own Grammy's

Recently, the nominations for the 2010 Grammy's were announced. Now, I don't like the Grammy's at all, and I don't listen to or like a majority of the music that gets awarded. That said, I watch the show every year. And I always think, "How are the Dixie Chicks getting Album Of The Year while Animal Collective sits at home?" It doesn't seem fair. So I decided to make my own nominations. The rules are that the music in question has to have come out between October 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009, so that limits some of my favorites from '09. But that's okay. (Also, the distinctions between some of the awards are pretty hazy. Record Of The Year seems to be more of a producer-oriented award, and Song Of The Year seems to be more about songwriting. So I nominated songs accordingly. Also, basically none of my current music is actually "rock" music, so I used the term loosely. For me, rock means that the music was made with guitars. Also, I will be picking winners when the real winners are announced sometime in 2010. That is, of course, if I remember.) Oh. And the real nominations are here.

Evan suggested I let you folks vote. I think that's a good idea. So comment below with your winners for each category, and we'll see who the Grammy's should really go to.

Record Of The Year

Joy Orbison--Hyph Mngo

Gold Panda--Quitters Raga

Dirty Projectors--Stillness Is The Move

DJ Kaos--Love The Night Away (Tiedye Mix)

Dan Deacon--Snookered

Album Of The Year

Deerhunter--Microcastle

Animal Collective--Merriweather Post Pavilion

Fever Ray--Fever Ray

Dirty Projectors--Bitte Orca

Dan Deacon--Bromst

Song Of The Year

Arthur Russell--I Couldn't Say It To Your Face

Deerhunter--Nothing Ever Happened

Antony & The Johnsons--Aeon

Dirty Projectors--Two Doves

Animal Collective--My Girls

Best New Artist

Gold Panda

Joy Orbison

Micachu

Girls

Sun Araw

Best Dance Recording

The Juan Maclean--Happy House

Joy Orbison--Hyph Mngo

Dan Deacon--Snookered

Gold Panda--Quitters Raga

DJ Kaos--Love The Night Away (Tiedye Mix)

Best Electronic/Dance Album

DJ/rupture--Uproot

Fever Ray--Fever Ray

Bat For Lashes--Two Planets

Dan Deacon--Bromst

Bibio--Ambivalence Avenue

Best Rock Song

Deerhunter--Nothing Ever Happened

Grizzly Bear--Two Weeks

Animal Collective--My Girls

Antony & The Johnsons--Aeon

Dirty Projectors--Two Doves

Best Rock Album/Best Alternative Music Album

Deerhunter--Microcastle

Fucked Up--The Chemistry Of Common Life

Dirty Projectors--Bitte Orca

Sun Araw--Heavy Deeds

Animal Collective--Merriweather Post Pavilion

Best Rap Song

Big Boi feat. Gucci Mane--Shine Blockas

Raekwon feat. Cappadonna and Ghostface Killah--10 Bricks

Rakwon feat. Inspectah Deck, Method Man, GZA, and Ghostface Killah--House Of Flying Daggers

Das Racist--Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell (Wallpaper. Remix)

Dil Jackson--Player Has Butterflies

Best Rap Album

Raekwon--Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2

(It's the only rap album I've heard this year. But it's a good one.)

That's what I think. I'm only talking about these categories because I'm not qualified to give my opinions on the others.

NME's Best Songs Of The Decade

So I already said the few things I know and think about NME in this post, so I'm not really going to say much else. As far as the selections go: they're clearly a British magazine. But they put the right Arcade Fire song ("Wake Up") on the list, and I've remembered my love for The Hives' "Hate To Say I Told You So." (The top 15 is posted below, and the rest is here.)

15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs--Bang

I actually hadn't heard this. It's pretty good.

14. The White Stripes--Seven Nation Army

I'm a-ok with this choice.

13. The Walkmen--The Rat

This song really isn't anything special.

12. The Streets--Dry Your Eyes

I would've chosen a different Streets song.

11. The Libertines--Can't Stand Me Now

I'm not completely sold.

10. Arctic Monkeys--A Certain Romance

I'm not at all sold.

9. The Arcade Fire--Rebellion (Lies)

It is quite a good song. This is a little much, though.

8. Blur--Out Of Time

We get it. You like Blur.

7. Klaxons--Golden Skans

I like this song enough.

6. The Rapture--House Of Jealous Lovers

A great song, but a tad overrated.

5. Outkast--Hey Ya!

Nothing wrong with this selection.

4. M.I.A.--Paper Planes

I'm okay enough with this.

3. The Strokes--Hard To Explain

See #4.

2. MGMT--Time To Pretend

This is the only song I really like by them. But it's not this good.

1. Beyonce--Crazy In Love

Bold choice for a British rock magazine. A good song nonetheless.

Poll Results: Your Favorite Labels Of The Decade

Asking for your favorite label isn't as obvious as asking for, say, your favorite artist. A lot of times, people don't even notice what label an album was released by. And it's harder to keep track of everything a label releases than to keep track of everything an artist releases. But, just like some artists are better than others, some labels are simply better than others. They release better music, more music, more interesting music, they have great packaging, etc.

For this poll, I gave options of some of the bigger independent labels because, well, they release the kind of stuff you all listen to. The winner was (again) a tie. This time, it was between DFA and Domino, with each getting 28% of the vote. Both labels are pretty awesome, I think. DFA is run by James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem) and Tim Goldsworthy and has released a good chunk of the best dance tracks and albums this decade. It has a pretty defined punky-disco aesthetic that I and many other folks enjoy. Domino has less of a defined aesthetic, but it's still a great label. They release a lot of better known indie music, and I think they do a good job. Plus, they did both Merriweather Post Pavilion and Bitte Orca. Talk about a good year.

Sub Pop, Warp, and Arts and Crafts each got 14% of the vote. I like those first two a lot, and the third is good enough. Matador got no votes, which is funny because that's my least favorite of all these, too.

Okay. Now it's time to tell me your favorite song of the decade. I asked you for favorite pop song a while back, but now it's just your favorite song period that was released somewhere from 2000 to 2009. (Remember to comment if you click "other".)

Overlooked Artists #1

There's plenty of hype to go around, but, still, some great bands get overlooked. In "Overlooked Artists," I'll write a bit about artists and bands that don't seem to get the attention they deserve. They may have a cult following or something. Some may have been one-hit wonders and then were cast aside. Regardless, none of these artists get much attention from music publications--I'm talkin' anything from Rolling Stone to Pitchfork to whatever--or the general public. And they all should. Because they're awesome.

Modern English

Known for their awesome 1982 hit, "I Melt With You", and not much else, Modern English actually started as a great experimental post-punk band. They were one of 4AD's flagship artists at the beginning of the '80s, and their debut album, Mesh & Lace, is a crazy and experimental record. It sounds more like Joy Division than New Order, to put it simply. But it drones and breaks down into noise far more than any Joy Division record. The songs are long and disjointed, but in a good way. Ambience might turn into percussive post-punk which may turn into a catchy, bass-driven pop song which might turn back into harsh noise. Though their post-punk roots can certainly be heard in "I Melt With You," it's nothing like the stuff on Mesh & Lace. Modern English was a great band who had not only a great hit, but also made some original post-punk. But they're only known now for the hit.

"I Melt With You"

"16 Days"

Dexy's Midnight Runners

Like Modern English, Dexy's Midnight Runners are one-hit wonders. Like Modern English, their one hit ("Come On Eileen") is one of the better pop songs of the '80s. Like Modern English, their other music is very good, too. That's about it as far as similarities go. (Well, they're both British.) Anyways, Dexy's Midnight Runners got huge for their Celtic-y folk-y "Come On Eileen", but they had been putting out consistently great soul/ska/mod rock for a few years before that. Their album, Searching For The Young Soul Rebels, especially, is a really great punky soul album. Horn-filled, jaunty soul blares beneath Kevin Rowland's snotty British singing. It's blue-eyed soul the way it should be. Aggressive and sarcastic, but completely devoted to making real soul music. Dexy's music is fun and exuberant, and it's unfortunate that they are known for just one song--and a song that's not really indicative of their style.

"Come On Eileen"

"Geno"

That's what I think. If you don't already like these people, I recommend that you do.

Q's Best Albums of 2009

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. Anyways, I stumbled upon this list from Q Magazine. It recounts their favorite albums of 2009. The list is a little silly in two ways: first, there is over a month left in 2009, and second, many of the albums on the list are quite bad. I haven't minded Q too much when I've read it, but this list is certainly questionable. Arctic Monkeys, Muse, and Kasabian are in the top 10. But, hey, they're British, and they're proud of it. (The top 10 is below, and the rest is here. I guess this means we'll start seeing a lot of best of '09 lists soon. Mine will come around the last week of December probably.)

10. Phoenix--Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

I'm not a fan, but it could be worse.

9. U2--No Line On The Horizon

I don't like U2 regardless, but even people who love them didn't like this album.

8. Lily Allen--It's Not Me, It's You

It's not Alright, Still, it's bad.

7. Muse--The Resistance

Hmm. Interesting.

6. Arctic Monkeys--Humbug

Again: interesting.

5. Manic Street Preachers--Journal For Plague Lovers

I haven't heard it. Seems decent enough.

4. Animal Collective--Merriweather Post Pavilion

This feels oddly out of place. Nonetheless, it's a great album.

3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs--It's Blitz!

It's okay. Nothing special.

2. Florence And The Machine--Lungs

Never heard of this.

1. Kasabian--West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Really?

Go enjoy your turkey.

Teenage Dreams, So Hard To Beat

Since I'm feeling full of teenage angst right now (and by "full", I mean like "10% full"), I thought it'd be nice to look at the best songs about being a teenager--namely songs with the words "teen" or "teenage" or "teenager" in the title. So here are my favorite songs about adolescence. (Choosing between the top 3 was next to impossible, by the way.) (And I recommend watching the videos. Some of them are very cool.)

1. The Undertones--Teenage Kicks

2. Sonic Youth--Teenage Riot

3. Nirvana--Smells Like Teen Spirit

4. The Ramones--Teenage Lobotomy

5. Eddie Cochran--Teenage Heaven

6. No Age--Teen Creeps

7. Iggy Pop--Sixteen

8. David Bowie--Teenage Wildlife

9. DNA--Young Teenagers Talk Sex (no video)

10. Times New Viking--Teen Drama

I also feel it's necessary to mention the artists listed below, because they are all quite excellent at voicing the feelings that come with being a teenager, but they didn't have a song on the songs list.

The Modern Lovers

Weezer (first two albums, obviously)

Violent Femmes

The Replacements

That's what I think. This was a very emo post. Don't worry: I don't actually feel like most of these artists. I'm quite stable.