The Top 50 Songs of 2012

        2012 was an eventful year in music, to say the least. Radio stations and Youtube channels became flooded with pop tracks and dance fads that seemed to destroy every record for cultural influence ever set in music. Dubstep fully entered the mainstream, announcing it was here to stay, and hipsters continued to be impressed by the endless innovations of indie rock bands, putting a stamp on modern culture that may never be forgotten. British rapper Plan B broke out in protest toward David Cameron’s “Broken Britain” policies and made his directorial debut in Ill Manors, and Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe, while not the official song, was a hit with Olympians and the Harvard rowing team. Muse destroyed all fears of a declining music industry with an album that could dethrone Coldplay, and Dylan, Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, and Van Halen made acclaimed comebacks. Most shocking of all was Korean sensation Psy, whose Gangnam Style influenced world leaders, high school homecomings and meme-makers everywhere before becoming the first video to reach a billion views on the fateful December 21^st. Music succeeded on all fronts, but in terms of quality, influence, and success, some towered above others. These are the 50 greatest songs released in 2012.

Note: “Somebody That I Used to Know”,” We Are Young”, and “No Church in the Wild” would have appeared on this list, but they were all technically released in 2011.

50. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Call Me Maybe”

Jepsen’s catchy hit never faltered on success, picking up multiple worldwide #1 spots and garnering over 300 million views, and it’s clear to see why. While it has gotten annoying after just a few listens, it’s obviously a success and deserves to make this list, even if it is in the novelty #50 spot. That’s higher than anything by Justin Bieber, One Direction, and Taylor Swift, so Jepsen clearly isn’t the worst we had this year.

49. Beach House – “Myth”

Beach House sing in high pitch about building myths and helping each other, but the lyrics aren’t what’s important. What is important is how good the melody in “Myth” is.

48. Bassnectar – “Vava Voom”

One of the most unique techno-rap songs of 2012, “Vava Voom” is memorable for its overpowered wubs and creatively pretentious lyrics. There’s also a drop.

47. Gorillaz – “Do Ya Thing”

This was the Gorillaz’ worst year in a while, but their newest single, “Do Ya Thing” is still listenable, not least because of Andre 3000’s verse, legendary as usual.

46. Kindness – “That’s Alright”

It sounds like a remixed 80s song. That’s because it is. But That’s Alright is original in that it takes everything that was good about the sampled song, “Still Smokin’” by Trouble Funk, and doubles it, creating the a funky, modernized masterpiece that can be listened to over and over. 

45. Reverend and the Makers – “Bassline”

No, it’s not dubstep, but it’s RATM’s answer to the modern techno music revolution. In their new album, @Reverend_Makers, RATM don’t do anything that will make them famous anytime soon, but they show their efforts and adaptability as an indie band that should, in all honesty, be much more famous than the boy band you’re listening to right now.

44. Muse – “Survival”

The official song of the Olympics, “Survival” impresses on the level of “We Are the Champions”. It’s not the best sports song out there, but it’s respectful to British rock history and modern popular culture alike. Solidified Muse as a top British band.

43. Passion Pit – “Take a Walk”

Rolling Stone praised “Take a Walk,” calling it the 3^rd best song of 2012. I obviously disagree- they probably only picked it for being liberal in its recession-themed lyricism, but I must admit it’s a fantastic modern rock song, if not a masterpiece.

42. Bruce Springsteen – “We Take Care of Our Own”

An Obama campaign song, this optimistic and wholeheartedly American song is moving even to a Brit like me.

41. R. Kelly – “Feelin’ Single”

R. Kelly returned to Trapped in the Closet this year and also released this smooth funk-soul ballad, typical of Kelly’s style but not drab in the slightest.

40. Japandroids – “The House That Heaven Built”

A fast, urging and brilliant guitar song, “THTHB” is top-notch adrenaline rock. The Japandroids have created here an epic ballad, with the awful and repetitive “oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!” its only detriment. The Japandroids obviously don’t care, however, telling everyone who tries to slow them down to “go to hell”.

39. Grizzly Bear – “Yet Again”

“Yet Again” instantly sounds like classic melancholia. It’s a joy to listen to- in its solemnity, beauty, and flow, the song makes you want to listen to Grizzly Bear yet again, and again, and again. Too bad the band isn’t mainstream yet.

38. Leonard Cohen – “Darkness”

With age comes wisdom, and “Darkness” shows Leonard Cohen’s unending musical wisdom. It’s a sad song, but it’s also, in a way, very fun to listen to. It has a simple, gruff rock flow that proves Cohen a master of the folk genre.

37. Grizzly Bear – “Sleeping Ute”

Grizzly Bear’s best musical contribution in 2012 has a fantastic guitar riff and comes to some brilliant crescendos. Not to the level of the Black Keys’ “Little Black Submarines”, but, then again, nothing will touch the awesomeness of that anytime soon.

36. The Hives – “Go Right Ahead”

Scandinavian music was abundant and awesome in 2012. This is not the Hives’ grandest achievement, but they proved their continued musical worth and this song was fun to listen to again and again, played at many different sporting events to boot.

35. Dr. John – “Revolution”

Bayou boss Dr. John  gives a swagarific, if a little pretentious, jive that is both political and danceable. Lyrically, it’s just a list of things the Doc hates about politics, but musically, its powerful.

34. Spiritualized – “Hey Jane”

“Hey Jane” is almost nine minutes long, and doesn’t do much changing along the way. It’s repetitive, almost the point of self-plagiarism, but that is no matter. The song masters optimism and storytelling, and is an indie-rock phenomenon.

33. Bobby Womack – “Please Forgive My Heart”

Womack first entered my eardrums when he owned his appearance on the Gorillaz’ “Stylo”, and here he returns with a surprisingly modernized ballad. The album cover is one of the weirdest things ever, but Womack asked for forgiveness and, if we base it on the quality of this song, he thoroughly deserves it.

32. Plan B – “Playing with Fire”

British rapper Plan B weaves a tale about Jake, a troubled council estate kid in Britain who gets into an unfortunate life of drugs, sex, and alcohol. He explains the pains of current British society with emotional nonchalance.

31. Donald Fagen – “Weather in My Head”

Sounds like it came right out of the 1970s, Fagen’s is the smoothest song of the year. I’m unfamiliar with his work, but he has a 100% success rate with me after I heard this. 

30. Gregory Porter – “Be Good (Lion’s Song)”

A beautiful jazz tale, this song follows all the rules and does it right. It’s mystical, comparable to Van Morrison’s “Moondance”. The metaphors this song employs are enjoyable to listen to as Porter tells the tale of the lion. Sadly, the rest of his album is weak.

29. The Gaslight Anthem – “45”

I used this for a robotics video, and always associate with it. It’s one of my current favorite songs, and the fact that I can name 27 better songs from 2012 proves the greatness of this musical year.

28. Reverend and the Makers – “The Wrestler”

The chorus of “The Wrestler” sounds like it came right out of one of those scenes in a Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie where Sherlock carries out a battle plan in a fight scene. It’s fast, fun, and the most entertaining song on @Reverend_Makers.

27. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake”

Hear me out on this one. Regardless of her other songs or her persona, the skill that went into “Wide Awake” is undeniable. It’s Perry’s best song yet, the only one that deserves to go down in any sort of history. It’s utterly moving.

26. Icona Pop – “I Love It”

A Swedish pop duo deliver a grotesque yet delightful punk-rock anthem that is more cheeseburger than lollipop. It’s a song that proves that Scandanavia is growing in talent influence and  will soon become a heavy player in modern music.

25. Public Enemy – “I Shall Not Be Moved”

Back when rap was good, yet still generally clean, Public Enemy ruled alongside Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. They don’t fail to impress in this song, which contains the best line of the year, “I work it- the senior circuit”. They were inducted in the Hall of Fame this year, and this rockin’ rhyme definitely shows they deserve it. It’s a perfect poem until the ending, when it unfortunately fails, as Chuck D spits out some nonsense about “Gaga” in annoying repetition.

24. Van Halen – “Stay Frosty”

Aerosmith tried and failed with “Legendary Child,” a blatant “Wanton Song” rip-off. Halen, however, succeeded with a fantastic ballad that transitions from folk to metal in what we should consider as a real “drop”. If this had come out last year, Skyrim would have had an even better theme song.

23. Menomena – “Heavy Is as Heavy Does”

The singer of this indie tune sounds like Damon Albarn of Blur and the Gorillaz, but, being an American, isn’t. That’s not really important, though. The main thing about this gloomy song about family is that it gets more and more awesome as it progresses through its six minutes of emotion. 

22. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”

A bit folky for me to consider a favorite, but “I Will Wait” is up there with the most sincere love songs of the year. It’s the only Mumford & Sons song I’ve ever listened, but I’m willing to listen to more if this is the quality they put into their music. 

21. Usher – “Climax”

This falsetto miracle is easily Usher’s best song, one that makes us wonder why he ever chose to create a monster out of Justin Bieber. “Climax” instantly sounds like a modern soul classic. While it’s not my preferred genre or style, it’s hard to deny Usher’s ability here. 

20. The Rolling Stones – “Doom and Gloom”

This song is fantastic. While Jagger seems to go off the vocal tangent at some points, “Doom and Gloom” is our final realization that lyricists like him and McCartney will probably not be around again for a while. It’s not a classic, but it’s a highlight in the career of a band that’s been rocking and having a ridiculously good time for over 50 years. Brilliance.

19. The Vaccines – “Teenage Icon”

You don’t have to be Frankie Avalon to love “Teenage Icon”. It’s fast, exciting, British rock badassery. Every segment of the song is great, and it’s overall been one of the most fun songs to listen to this year. 

18. Jack White – “Sixteen Saltines”

I don’t understand any of the lyrics, but that guitar really does make them seem important. 

17. Greenday – “Oh Love”

Despite Armstrong’s little incident this year when he was cut off for Usher at a concert, Greenday were able to bring out some solid material. “Oh Love” is the best song out of their new collection- it’s a colorful pop-rock chime that works on every level.

16. Beck – “I Just Started Hating Some People Today”

Beck’s song “Loser” is one of the best nihilist 90s rap-rock songs, a true classic. In “I Just Started,” it’s like we’re listening to a completely different person. It’s more a folk or country song. But “I Just Started” has the same humor, the same lyrical brilliance, that has made Beck a legend ever since he released “Loser”. He’s definitely not a loser as far as this song is concerned.

15. Kacey Musgraves – “Merry Go Round”

The best true country song of the year, “Merry Go Round” is a thumping, intrusive, courageous ballad about expectations in a traditional community. It’s an eye-opening start to a career that will hopefully be very good for Musgraves. Taylor Swift was plain annoying on “We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together,” but Kacey is awesome.

14. Skrillex – “Bangarang”

The dropship has landed. It took me a while to convert to Skrillex’s Bangarang, but it was going to happen eventually. It might not be the best dubstep out there, but it’s what I first listened to to introduce myself to the genre, and I couldn’t help from performing egregious muscle spasms. 

13. Adele – “Skyfall”

“Skyfall” was a great movie opened by a great song. Adele may have taken a break from major songwriting, but her Bond theme made up for the lack of a new album. It’s moving, thunderous, and exceptionally British.

12. Of Monster and Men – “Little Talks”

To think- this song was FREAKING FREE on iTunes at the beginning of the year. FREE. Now it’s a near- international sensation, and by far Scandinavia’s best contribution to music this year, and easily the best duet.  

11. Michael Kiwanuka – “Lasan”

This heart-wrenching ballad is the most tear-jerking since Johnny Cash covered “Hurt”. “When I’m gone, don’t you cry,” sings Kiwanuka, who deservedly won BBC’s “sound of 2012” poll, an award of Adele fame. It’s a glorious song, backed by Dan Auberbach of the Black Keys. 

10. Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”

Rolling Stone named this earth-shaker song of the year. It’s amazing, to say the least. I was more interested personally in some other songs, but this song is fully deserving of its acclaim. Deserves all salutations and multiple listens.

9. G.O.O.D. Music – “Clique”

It starts with a smooth vocal intro, and then descends into a snazzy verse by big Sean, a great verse by Jay-Z (Jay-Zed), and then descends into the pretentions of the so-called God-talker Kanye West. It all sounds good but would have ranked higher if Kanye had stayed lower.

8. Macklemore – “Thrift Shop”

The most creative rap song of the year, “Thrift Shop” uses a beat better than anything Kanye could ever think of. The saxophone is the stuff of legend, and the song is ridiculously entertaining. Macklemore is the best new rapper this year.

 

7. G.O.O.D. Music – “Mercy”

In the best collaboration of the year, Kanye West, Big Sean, and Pusha T introduce “Mercy” with some awesome verses, backed by a “cray” reggae beat that Snoop Lion would be jealous of. The lyrics are, as usual of modern rap, disgusting, nonsensical, and egomaniacal, but they are toned in the good fun of superiority rap and are entertaining to the point of laughter. Big Sean employs a good dozen ass puns  which are absolutely unrespectable but are positively riveting. Not to mention, 2 Chainz jumps in near the end, in a moment of bravado not rivaled since 2Pac entered “California Love”.

6. The Afghan Whigs – “Lovecrimes”

A cover of a popular Frank Ocean R&B song, this masterpiece by the 90s rock group The Afghan Whigs brings a new significance to Ocean’s lyrics which seemed to clutter a messy song when he sung it. The Whigs add the best guitar solo of the year to the end of it just for effect.

5. Plan B – “Ill Manors”

Headlining his rap-soul musical, promptly named Ill Manors, this wondrous rap-orchestra is a true British protest song, one of Sex Pistols caliber. Trying to bring meaning to the London Riots, Plan B references the Olympics, council estates, and the hood. It brings lights to the problems of current Britain, problems I wouldn’t be aware of without it.

4. F.U.N. – “Some Nights”

Some Nights was probably the best album of 2012. F.U.N. walked in as the best-sounding new band this year, emulating classic Queen ballads of all. I expect nothing but the best from them in the future. 

3. Muse – “Madness”

Muse have finally solidified themselves as competition to Coldplay with this thriller. It combines pretty much every modern genre into one grandslam of a song, ending in a brilliant guitar interlude and always moving along at a pace of both grace and vengeance.

2. The Shins – “Simple Song”

For the longest time, I had ranked “Simple Song” as my favorite song of the year. It probably is, and you can probably guess what is ranked first and why it’s ranked as such. The Shins’ best song has a brilliant music video and is the epitome of musical optimism. It came out at the beginning of the year, and nothing was able to become higher in my favorites list than it until very late in the year. In all honesty, “Simple Song” is the best song of the year, it just didn’t garner enough attention for me to be able to recognize it as such.

1. Psy – “Gangnam Style”

I had to do it. Yes, it’s annoying as hell by now. Yes, it’s overplayed. But “Gangnam Style” is undeniably the most important song of the year. It doesn’t show the most musical talent- Psy is deviant of LMFAO and countless other popular American artists. But Psy, in the year’s most entertaining and widespread video, has created a phenomenon that has infected people from all across the world. It’s brought K-Pop into the American mainstream, made Psy an international sensation, and has even brought recognition from Amnesty International as an international agent of peace. Don’t be a Gangnam Scrooge this holiday season, simply respect the fact that Psy, a mid-thirties South Korean rapper, has gotten more attention than any other person in the history of the internet. It’s the biggest meme, the most popular video, and easily the most entertaining song. The dances performed to this at Homecoming dances and sports competitions has brought joy to people in higher density than any other song this year. “Gangnam” is not universally liked, it’s incredibly annoying, but it cannot sit anywhere else on this list. It’ll be a long while before we ever see another song as international influential as this. It’s truly the stuff of legend. 

 

My Political View: Why Obama Needs to Win Re-election

Since everyone and their dog on the internet is posting their biased pre-election political opinion, I thought that I might as well put in my own two cents.

This is my own opinion. Like most others writing political posts online, I did not look up any information and have based this editorial solely on the memories of what I've heard and read on the news, learned in AP Government and AP US History class, and talked about with fellow students and people in my debate league.

I'd consider myself mostly conservative. I support reducing gun control and welfare, and expanding business freedom and capitalism. I believe people should be free to succeed on their own and should not expect their governments to "build that" for them. I want a strong international prescience like the one America had under Reagan and Britain had under Thatcher at the same time. I support cracking down on illegal immigration as long as the immigrants aren't helping the American economy or are taking jobs from unemployed Americans, and, although I don't have religious values, I believe in protecting life and banning abortions except in the cases of rape, incest, or health issues, and I strongly support the death penalty and three-strikes laws.

But I can't agree with those who say that Mitt Romney is the right choice for president.

Yes, Mr. Romney balanced the budget in Massachusetts, and yes, he is a successful businessman. But an entire country is a much bigger responsibility than a state or a business. He'll have to deal with problems a lot bigger than the budget. He wants to drill for more oil and find cleaner coal, but that will only get us closer to an energy crisis. He won't have the diplomacy skills or the international admiration that Obama has, and he's barely elaborated on his plans more than giving us a basic idea and asking us to trust him.

 His want to privatize certain institutions is misled also. Government has certain responsibilities that they need to keep. You can't privatize social security. That defeats the entire purpose.  Rescue missions during storms also should be government-run as it is the government's first responsibility to provide safety for its people. I admire New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for putting people before politics and thanking Barack for his work during Sandy.

Romney is too radical and a transition to him would be volatile. And, though Obama hasn't done a great job, he hasn't really had the time or ability to do everything he set out to do. He had a difficult task to overcome, and the Republicans using the fact that he didn't fix their mistake shouldn't be their argument for election. In fact, it should be an even bigger sign that their plans do not work. I don't believe in socialism, but unrestrained capitalism without the government bailing out (ex. auto) industries and taxing all levels equally (same percent for all levels) is just as bad. We need an economic system that compromises in the middle, like the one Obama has put into action and like the one that got us a surplus in the 90's. Obama's plan won't fix our recession immediately, and perhaps not even within another term, but it'll probably do a whole lot better than Romney's plan, an overused Republican economic plan which has caused multiple recessions and has only benefitted the highest few when implemented. If Republicans were less radical about their economic policies, and were a bit more considerate about the environment and foreign policy, they'd be the perfect party for me. But since they can't get off their high horse, I think it'd be beneficial if Obama won re-election tomorrow.

Obama is not just good for America, but he's good for the world. He's likable, charismatic, and promotes peace while making sure America's enemies are brought to justice. I wish he would be a bit more aggressive, but his conciliatory ways are a lot better than what I'm sure Romney would be. He doesn't have the trustworthiness of Obama and you can't be sure he'll try to keep his promises. Obama has at least tried, and his multiple failures are surely partly due to the Republicans in congress holding him back. And, don't get me wrong, they are doing their job in rejecting his proposals- but they're not exactly "reaching across the aisle", which Romney has claimed he'll do.

Many Romney supporters claim that we're in the same position as we were 4 years ago when the recession started. They're not completely wrong. Unemployment is still a problem and the deficit is still terrible. But it hasn't really gotten worse. It's been a two steps back, one step forward process, but at least we're on our feet. The auto industry has kept rolling, albeit set back, and we're making environmental improvements. Osama Bin Laden's dead, we're making at least some progress in the Middle East, and we're still a big international presence. And, for the record, I'd much rather be living here in America than in my homeland of Britain.

In four years time, when the economy has improved and international relations have progressed, a Republican administration will be a wiser choice. They're the conservatives, whose job is to keep things the same- when things are good. During times like we're in now, when we are the aggressors in the Middle East and our economy is in shambles, a liberal government, one that can make changes, however slow they may be, is what is necessary. I won't like all of the changes an Obama administration will make. It will give out more welfare payments than necessary and will make restrictions on guns tighter and on abortions looser. But it will tighten America's grip on its fluctuating economy. Obama has shown strengths and weaknesses, and it's his strengths that matter the most. He must be re-elected.

Although I'm a  moderate conservative, my hopes are that Obama will win re-election tomorrow and will keep this country, and the world, on the right track. Only after another 4 years of economic recovery will America's economy be safe enough for a Republican government to take the reigns.

Photo Credit: zazzle.com

My Top 100 Songs of the 2000's

My own version of rolling stone's list of the best songs from 2000-2009. Contains more British songs, and more midstream songs (not hipster, not mainstream). It seems to me that most songs on the RS lists are either completely mainstream (Milkshake at #40, Kelly Clarkson, Amy Winehouse, too many Beyonce and JayZ songs), or supremely hipster. Anyway, here are what I thought were the best songs of the decade. I know them from CDs my parents have, playing rock band, reading rolling stones' list, listening on the radio, watching on youtube, and dancing at robotics competitions. Note: This is my favorite, not yours.

100. The Scientist - Coldplay
99. Fell in Love With a Girl - The White Stripes
98. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
97. Welcome to Jamrock - Damien Marley
96. Jerk it Out - Caesars
95. Monster - The Automatic Automatic
94. Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
93. What Gods are These - My Federation
92. Never Miss a Beat - The Kaiser Chiefs
91. Where is the Love? - Black Eyed Peas
90. Run - Gnarls Barkley
89. Born to be a Dancer - Kaiser Chiefs
88. Fade Together - Franz Ferdinand
87. Talk - Coldplay
86. Whistle for the Choir - The Fratellis
85. Family Affair - Mary J. Blige
84. Fix You - Coldplay
83. Sandstorm - Derude
82. Gold Digger - Kanye West
81. Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
80. Use Somebody- Kings of Leon
79. Nine in the Afternoon - Panic! at the Disco
78. Here it Goes Again - OK Go
77. Misery Business - Paramore
76. Empire State of Mind - Jay Z ft. Alicia Keys
75. Crazy in Love - Beyonce ft. Jay Z
74. Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
73. American Idiot - Greenday
72. Ignition (Remix) - R Kelly
71. DOA - Foo Fighters
70. Woman - Wolfmother
69. Go Let it Out - Oasis
68. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
67. What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake
66. Rhinestone Eyes - Gorillaz
65. Henrietta - The Fratellis
64. No Tomorrow - Orson
63. Something Beautiful - Robbie Williams
62. Tribute - Tenacious D
61. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
60. Modern Way - Kaiser Chiefs
59. Kids - Robbie Williams ft. Kylie Minogue
58. The Hardest Button to Button - The White Stripes
57. Float On - Modest Mouse
56. No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age
55. Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet
54. Walk Away - Franz Ferdinand
53. Vertigo - U2
52. Cry Me a River - Justin Timberlake
51. Fat Lip - Sum 41
50. Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
49. Moment of Surrender - U2
48. Less Talk More Rokk - Freezepop
47. Oh My God - Kaiser Chiefs
46. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Greenday
45. The Seed (2.0) - The Roots
44. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
43. America - Razorlight
42. Mississipi - Bob Dylan
41. In Da Club - 50 Cent
40. Reptillia - The Strokes
39. Alcohol - Brad Paisley
38. Jesus etc. - Wilco
37. Big Pimpin' - Jay Z
36. Daft Punk is Playing at My House - LCD Soundsystem
35. You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
34. A Few Words in Defense of Our Country - Randy Newman
33. Rehab - Amy Winehouse
32. Hey Ya! - Outkast
31. Kids - MGMT
30. Jesus Walks - Kanye West
29. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
28. Dirty Harry - Gorillaz
27. Gasoline - Airborne Toxic Event
26. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
25. Lose Yourself - Eminem
24. Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys
23. Beautiful Day - U2
22. 99 Problems - Jay Z
21. Help Me (She's Out of Her Mind) - Stereophonics
20. Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis
19. Hurt - Johnny Cash
18. Dakota - Stereophonics
17. Clocks - Coldplay
16. I'm Outta Time - Oasis
15. Sing - Travis
14. Chelsea Dagger - Fratellis
13. Open Your Window - Reverend and the Makers

12. Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz 

11. One More Time - Daft Punk
10. Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
9. The Importance of Being Idle - Oasis
8. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
7. Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys
6. Stan - Eminem ft. Dido
5. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
4. Last Nite - The Strokes
3. Heavyweight Champion of the World - Reverend and the Makers
2. Origin of Species - MC Frontalot
1. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz 

2011 RROROFL Awards

Internet Rap Battles #1- Ghost vs. Henry David Thoreau

In the first in our series of internet rap battles, we pit Henry David Thoreau, master of nonconformity and poetic idealist, against Ghost, the curmudgeonly host of True Capitalist Radio, self proclaimed "not-a-racist", and True Capitalist. I (rocknrollrocksout) play Thoreau, while Nick plays ghost. The audio is not perfect but this is just a test run, a "pilot" if you will, so keep that in mind when attempting to shower the comments section with endless invective. Leave any request for future internet rap battles below. We prefer internet meme characters, and people who are easy to costume as. We will pick the next battle of off your requests if you have good ones, although we have 5 pre-written battles that I am organizing the costumes for. Coming soon also is the end of 2011 RROROFL awards, hosted byMe, Joey, Nick, Ricky, and Mike. Thanks to Yuyang and Joey for camerawork in this video, subscribe to Joey at JoeWithTheGlasses.

Lyrics:

HDT
Welcome to Walden, I'll let your lazy self take a seat
It's time for this fat racist to at last smell defeat
You gotta believe in Nature, It's the meaning of life
So join the nonconformity and put down that knife
I ain't afraid of no ghost
I'm the poet with the most
I'll call Emerson and Hawthorne to join this roast
Of the man they call Ghost

Ghost
I'm not a racist, I kid you not!
It's baller Friday and you're missing the plot
Keep your nature and your ponies right out of my face
While I melt yours off on behalf of the American race
You condescending, hypocritical, lazy, crazy fool
Man you got fired teaching elementary school!
If you speak once more I'll slam your face to the floor
And then we'll both be happy since you can kiss the ground more

HDT
How you gonna hurt me with your 17 views?
I'm the 1800s Shakespeare, you've got less yays than boos
Imma spot the majority that is your annoyance
And amaze all my readers with my lyrical flamboyance
Man, I'm surprised you've let me speak for more than 2 seconds
Better look over that Horizon while your liver failure beckons.

Ghost
God, is this what our country has come to?
It'd take less than Rebecca Black to defeat you
Why don't you start loving your ambitions more than ferrets
And why don't you go conform and live with your parents
Oh wait, you already have
You're freaking making me laugh
I'll throw you into a woodchipper in this pearl-shooting fest
And make your ears bleed like a true capitalist!

GAME REVIEW: Battlefield 3

Not a bad game. 

MUSIC: The Top 10 Beatles Songs

Due to the Beatles being one of (if not the) greatest music artists of all time, I have decided to make a list of my ten favorite Beatles songs. These songs, requested by some of my friends, are the Beatles songs that I believe are the most artistic, well-made, and great to listen to Beatles songs. I will be making many of these top 10 (sometimes top 25 or top 50) lists, so stay tuned.

10. "Strawberry Fields Forever"

Lennon sings about how "living is easy with eyes closed" in this lyrical wonder-wall. While it's nothing to get hung about, Strawberry Fields is a musical wonder and a joy to listen to, psychedelically classical and epically colorful.

9. "Something"

Ringo gives the performance of his life in a music video accompanying a fountain of romance and doubt with a smooth melody and wonderful Harrison guitar solo.

8. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"

A song so influential Shatner covered it and they named a caveman after it, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds is a perfectly confusing and mind-blowingly creative song with underlying messages of all sorts that don't even need to be analyzed to know that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is a roller-coaster of an emotional masterpiece.

7. "I've Got a Feeling"

A feeling deep inside told me to put this on the list. Better than the Black Eyed Peas' average party hit, I've Got a Feeling is awesome, plain and simple. Everybody had a bad year, but everybody had a good time, according to Lennon, and McCartney "has a feeling". None of this really matters, however, because the song is so brilliant in it's simplicity and its excellent guitar playing.

6. "Revolution"

An anthem so rocking, so rolling, and so communist-trolling that it couldn't be left out of the list, Revolution was the choice for my 8th grade music video project, and I have no regrets. Everything is always gonna be alright in rock-and-roll as long as Revolution is there to guide musicians with it's pristine guitar solos and sheer capacity for multimedia productions.

5. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"

The Beatles' heaviest song is also their most simplistic- the same 14 words repeated over practically the same (save the odd solo) guitar work for almost seven minutes. The song fundamentally should fail due to its banality, but it succeeds because what little it gives it gives so fruitfully. It is long and winding, tumultuous and addictive, a song that proves the musical integrity of the Beatles with no want of color.

4. "Come Together"

The perfect accompaniment to a "shoot of coca-cola", Come Together is funky, political, crazy, calming, angering, delighting, enlightening, meaningful, meaningless, and brilliant before it even starts playing. A gigantically fantastic song, Come Together is the most head-bangable of all of the Beatles' songs, and a true example of just how well the Beatles worked together, even under pressure (although that list is for another time).

3. "Hey Jude"

A lengthy ballad about love and optimism, Hey Jude is one of the most well-remembered Beatles songs and is the one of the most hackneyed due to being overplayed. Still, Hey Jude continues to be a classic, a thoroughly enjoyable song with the greatest tangent in music history.

2. "A Day in the Life"

A lyrical giant, musical dragon, and a conveyor belt of amazement, A Day in the Life is the greatest Lennon-McCartney coalition- it is soothing, moving, grooving, and, most importantly, great to listen to. Lennon sings softly of his aloof live experiences, and half way through McCartney bursts in with a spectacle of upbeat psychedelia, only to be replaced again by Lennon. The exuberant song ends with a lengthy musical tornado and a combination of a dozen booming pianos.

1. "I am the Walrus"

I am the Walrus is sheer brilliance. It is musically entertaining, with roaring violin and Ringo's thumping drums. It doesn't need a message to bring across it's musical euphoria- in fact Lennon wrote the song to confuse song analysts (including his old music teacher). This song of the upmost trollery is my favorite because it is simple and complicated, random and robust, angry and happy. It is sheer quality, a song that never gets old listening to. This song's case for being my #1 is definitely not unassisted by the fact that my favorite band, Oasis, made a superb cover of the song. I am the Egg-man, they are the Egg-men, I am the Walrus!

GAME REVIEW: The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

        Spearheading a year of evolution, revolution, and profound gaming excellence, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a pristine role-playing game that gets almost everything right. What Skyrim doesn't do right, it does it in the rightest way possible, allowing for an experience beyond anything ever before expressed in the gaming world.
        As a gamer, I have tended to go for more casual, easy-going, multiplayer centric games in recent times, playing games like LittleBgPlanet, Fifa, and Rock Band (although I have played Infamous and Uncharted). For this reason, Skyrim was a completely new experience for me. Having never touched an Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim made me feel somewhat left out from a long-running tale of lore, myth, and fantasy. Luckily, this game is idiosyncratic enough to allow gamers to jump in and play, as it refers to ancient lore from previous games while containing a Lord-of-the-Rings-esque story if it's own. Skyrim's graphics are solid, it's music flawless, and it's gameplay astounding. But what makes Skyrim stand out is not it's production value or it's thrilling combat, it's Skyrim's awe-inspiring amount of missions, allowing hundreds of hours to be drafted into the game- each of of them more exciting than the last.
   
     GRAPHICS
     Bethesda's games are not usually noted for their graphical intensity, but they have always been solid. Everything in Skyrim is polished and the world looks amazing in it's full wonder. Some parts if the game are prone to glitches, with the odd frame-rate stumble now and again that becomes more frequent as the game progresses and the save file enlarges. With this easily patchable flaw aside, however, Skyrim is graphically impressive- it's presentable, atmospheric, and well-toned.

     SOUND & MUSIC
     It is impressive how Bethesda had the time to put in over 100 locations, 1000 missions, dozens of dragon boss fights and thousands of NPCs into a game and still produce an astounding soundtrack. One of my friends actually mistook the sounds of my brother playing Skyrim for the music from the Lord of the Rings- revealing the power of the music, the epic symphonies that are instrumental to the behemoth that is Skyrim. This titanic soundtrack is boosted by good weapon sounds, great ambient effects, and fitting (yet increasingly repetitive) voiceovers.

     STORY
     In Skyrim you get to create your own character. You choose the looks and race and name, and then begin life as an adventurer. The story takes place in the titular realm, Skyrim, where a bloody civil war is raging, only made worse by the revival of the long dead dragon race. You, the last of the almighty "dragon borns" must use your power of the "voice"- the language of dragons, to use "shouts"- dragon powers, to defeat the dragons and put an end to the madness. On the way you can help out many of the local Jarls (akin to mayors or governors) of towns, become Thanes (nobles) of towns, help out civilians, join guilds (The Thieves Guild, the Companions Warrior Guild, The Dark Brotherhood, and many more). Along the way you'll do missions in a plethora of locations, buy horses, houses, weapons, items, armor, food and animals, and tone your skills in fighting, magic, lock-picking, and many other areas. You can even get married, become a student, and fight villains from trolls to vampires, You'll meet witches, mammoths, pilgrims, salesmen, and priests, and you'll go to and escape jail, bribe guards, and hire guards of your own. Skyrim is something else- a game that could only be gotten if you went to an alchemy lab and mixed Fallout, The Sims, Grand Theft Auto, Lord of the Rings, and Final Fantasy into one game and multiplied it by ten. Skyrim is 9000 times better than Duke Nukem Forever and it spent half the time to create. It's incredible.

     GAMEPLAY
     Control-wise, Skyrim is nothing new- L1 and R1 are the attack buttons (each hand respectively), and each can be equipped to combat weapons or magic powers (however there are powerful but slow two-handed weapons). Players can use first or third person, and have the ability to pick up items, talk with people, jump, run (a stamina bar checks this), wait, sleep, move items, sneak, lock-pick, attack, travel to locations, shoot arrows in first person, train in skills, absorb dragon souls, do magic, climb mountains, swim, aim, steal, cheat, lie, help, and heal all with the use of a fathomable control system. The combat is fun- although I think the melee combat is superior to the bow and arrow combat. You can explore catacombs, castles, dungeons, shops, houses, fortresses, lakes, rivers, mountains, barrows, farms, mills, mines and villages, on the way killing bandits, hunting deer, rampaging as a were-wolf (you read that right), doing good deeds for the king, and, of course, dragon-slaying. The game has an autosave feature and a manual save one, the manual one working to the players' advantage the majority of the time, and players can travel on foot, in carriage, on horse, or through teleportation depending on the location or the availability of transport. Weapons vary- axes, swords, daggers, bows, war hammers, and shovels among others, and destruction magic, dragon shouts, and good ol' fight-fightin' are also always avilable. Magic powers are upgraded and discovered as the game progresses, and range from healing to creating light to summoning the ghosts of animals (akin to Potter's patronuses). As missions continue, new options become available, and your inventory largens. Watch out as there is a weight limit (a good reason to buy a house to store stuff in). To talk of the gameplay in full would be to write a 900-page novel, but you get the picture.

     REPLAY VALUE
     Overall, Skyrim is devastating to the chances of a better RPG to be made anytime soon, but I know nothing of RPGS and I've heard a lot of hype about Mass Effect 3. With a millennium of gameplay available here, gamers really couldn't do better.

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.