jasons fine fifty pt. 1

the top fifty singles has more than a bit part in the genesis of why audio for drinking exists. several years back i found myself bored with the generic top ten albums of the year lists and so i penned a real music fans opus on my journal...50 defining tunes. last year i noticed many of the top tracks where compiled from music blogs and it was about this time that josh and i decided to start our own blog. i do have a tendency to be singles minded despite the countless albums i buy each year. i think it's a part of me that long for the years i worked as a music director, choosing all the songs that would get played. anyway, here is my list, presented ten a day for you this week. many tracks will be familiar if you've been keeping up with A4D, while i suspect you'll find some new goodies as well.

50) "Bloodline" - Orenda Fink she could sing about anything and sound sexy i think, but it's the "if i catch you breathing" line from this song that makes me just melt.

49) "Venus in Cancer" - Amusement Parks on Fire one of the very first tunes posted on A4D. as much as i love the distortion that reminds me of the nineties, i think the sincerity i sense in the vocals is what won me over.

48) "the Other Shoe" - eels there's a certain predictability to a good eels song. it starts off all quiet and then just sorta explodes towards the end.

47) "Good Weekend" - Art Brut the album is just chock full of great songs. i gather it's the optimism in this one that attracted me.

46) "the Chapter in Your Life Entitled San Francisco" - the Lucksmiths one of the more underlooked great songwriters probably because they're "just an indiepop band"

45) "History of Lovers" - Iron & Wine and Calexico i've actually avoided most of the Iron & Wine hoopla. then someone put this on a mix for me and i found myself going back to this song again and again once the mix had run its course.

44) "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" - Sufjan Stevens i've actually been to metropolis, il and have fond memories of it. i also like comic books. basically the song was stacked in my favor for many reasons.

43) "Island of the Honest Man" - Hot Hot Heat guilty pleasure. i really have no idea what he's singing about, but i still sing along.

42) "Alternative to Love" - Brendan Benson i went to a concert to hear this song and after he played this song, i left. true story.

41) "That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart" - Aimee Mann i had been waiting for a proper album since the magnolia soundtrack and lost in space just wasn't it for me. then i heard this song and it just struck me having all the emotions found in a full length filmatic drama. worth the wait.