MUSIC: The Top 10 Songs of 2011

Musically, 2011 was moderately good. It was a year of rises and returns, breakthroughs and breakups. My favorite band, Oasis, split apart and created two equally impressive bands- Liam Gallagher's raw Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's reserved High Flying Birds. Adele was most impressive, stunning with a phenomenal album and topping both of Rolling Stone's best of the year (albums and songs) lists. The Beastie Boys and The Red Hot Chili Peppers both made fantastic comebacks, with innovative yet faithful musical adventures, and the radically annoying yet interestingly moving Dub-step genre was processed. NicePeter successfully continued his Epic Rap Battles Series, bringing it to new comedic heights and prepping for  Season 2 coming soon, and The Lonely Island's "Turtle Neck and Chain" album was mightily entertaining. Without further ado, here are the 10 best songs of 2011 in my opinion.

Honorable Mentions:
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, "Everybody's on the Run"
Leslie David Baker, "2 Be Simple"
The Lonely Island, "Jack Sparrow"


10. Alex S. ft. Ghost, "Melting Pot of Alcohol"

The only dubstep song of the year that I liked was also the funniest, combining the atrocity of Friendship is Magic with the creativity of the internet  and the hilarity that is the Texas radio host Ghost, a racist "not-a-racist" whose trolling has been some of the funniest in internet history. Alex S' spectacular dub-step combine with the violent southern accent of Ghost to create a captivating ballad for the ages.

9. The Lonely Island, "Threw it on the Ground"

Andy Sandberg's outrageously funny yet surprisingly clean raging vocal fable melted together rants against "the system" and outbursts against the fundamental objects of life- objects to be thrown violently onto the ground. Unrefined, Sandberg goes on a devastating rampage, spanking the ground with cakes, phones, hotdogs, and a plethora of other objects. Eventually, however, the story is moralized- Sandberg is tazed by "Hollywood phonies" Ryan Reynolds and Elijah Wood- after rejecting an autograph they didn't even offer.

8. Beady Eye, "The Roller"

Liam Gallagher's solo endeavor was a nostalgic one, combining the feel-good effervescence of the Beatles with the somewhat youthful and punkish tone of Liam's side of Oasis. The Roller has the feel of a Lennon song (in fact the melody is from a Lennon song), with a beautifully old-fashioned music video with a hint of futurism. While Liam's songwriting is not in the same league as that of his brother Noel, "The Roller" proves his melodic intuition and his sheer lust for rock and roll.

7. Coldplay, "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall"

Coldplay had a sort of rebirth this year with the shockingly original Mylo Xyloto album. The album's main single, an uplifting tune of the grace of music screamed above a blissful guitar, is creative and effective, and will undoubtedly become an arena anthem for young people to scream for years to come.

6. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, "The Death of You and Me"

The second half of Oasis, Noel Gallagher presented an outstanding new album this year, my personal favorite album of the year, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. A promising start to the child band of Oasis, The High Flying Birds' album proves just how fundamentally different Noel and Liam were in Oasis. Calm, joyful, orchestral, and quietly loud, Noel's band is the superior of the two in both songwriting and sheer listenability. "The Death of You and Me" presents a somewhat familiar Noel song- but one that spearheads the superb album and brings out Noel's true inner ability.

5. SuperHeavy, "Miracle Worker"

The most pretentious and the most courageous song of the year, "Miracle Worker" is a spectacle of true brilliance. The outrageous Mick Jagger (the only man with moves like himself, by the way), the delighting David "Brother Gong" Marley and the powerful Joss Stone combine with the musical greats A.R. Rahman and Dave Stewart to produce a single of monumental soul. Jagger screams of how his "love laser" will "regenerate your heart" in this funky reggae hit that is certainly not just a gimmick.

4. Foster the People, "Pumped Up Kicks"

A pop anthem with a disturbing underlying message, "Pumped Up Kicks" is a seemingly happy song when listened to by those who don't realize its about youth violence. This should stay this way, as the nascent group Foster the People have created an ecstatic song that works auditory wonders with its innocent simplicity and brilliant tune.

3. Beastie Boys, "Make Some Noise"

Who'd have thought that old people could rap? Well, at least the Beastie Boys can. In their first vocal single for a while, the Beastie Boys spit out some intense rhymes over a star-studded music video of unmatched swag. The Beastie Boys yell at their followers to "party for the (...) right to fight" while practically listing reasons why they are the best rappers in town. And rightly so.

2. Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"




By far the strongest female singer on the scene today, Adele and her utterly fantastic "Rolling in the Deep" make all of the other female singles (Lady Gaga, etc.) look (and sound) like they are literally rolling in the derp. A beautiful voice screaming lyrics of nuclear anger and powerful perfection, "Rolling in the Deep" is a true ballad for our time. The Thornberry remix might just have it beat, though.

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie"

Overcoming the remarkable Adele, hilarious Beastie Boys, and both sides of Oasis, the Chili Peppers, minus the legendary guitarist John Fruciante and plus a new level of spirit, have released the best song of the year- a rockin' guitar anthem of meticulous funk and a moustachin' beat. By far the most entertaining song of the year.