jasons fine fifty pt. 4

well we're nearing the end of this thing aren't we. you'll start to notice the same artists making multiple appearances at the top of this list. unavoidable i guess given the caliber of some of this years releases. let's press on shall we...

20) "Miss You" - the Concretes an interesting cover song pulled from a collection of b-sides and older singles. it sort of has the swagger of older Stones, which is amusing if you recall this was actually one of the Rolling Stones tackier songs.

19) "the Price & Style" - Robbers on High Street as Spoon have become increasingly polished, Robbers sound like the Spoon of old. the eeewww'ing of frontman ben trokan on this track over the declaration of not being able to have want he wants so bad made this a standout.

18) "Doing Something Wrong" - Magnolia Electric Co. as a twenty-something year old i gotta love songs about self-doubt and contemplative musings of your place in the world. added bonus, jason molina making poetry out of cussing. he really does sound more and more like cheep beer and harley tee shirts with each new album and i never thought i'd love it this much.

17) "the Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah i wasn't one of those people completely blown over by this band. despite the comparisons i read, david byrnes remains a far superior vocalist voiding that suggestion. regardless, really dug this tune.

16) "Paul Simon" - the Russian Futurists already raved earlier this year on A4D about this bedroom orchestrated fusion of pop, horns and laptop beats.

15) "the Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine" - Spoon at times this reminds me of a Tom Petty tune.

14) "the Mariner's Revenge Song" - the Decemberists more like a short story. not a wholly original one, but an enjoyable one nonetheless. revenge might come right after love and heartbreak in regards to what song topics people can easily relate to.

13) "It's the Nighttime" - Josh Rouse struck me an accurate theme to another year of letting another love get away

12) "Chicago" - Sufjan Stevens just wonderfully written, "i made a lot of mistakes in my mind"

11) "Call to Love" - Crooked Fingers Eric Bachman is probably my most favorite musician to go see live these days. he'll be back in denver next weds. this song really stuck out from his previous post-Archers work (i.e. upbeat even if it's about missing the mark on love) and yet strangely it more than works.