Ready for the next installment of the 2013 Super Superlative Song List? Get ready as I reveal the next three winners…
BEST GUILTY PLEASURE OF 2013
We all have a song we are embarrassed to admit we enjoy; whether it’s because the artist is a ridiculous train wreck, the subject or lyrics are cheesy or because it works legions of preteen girls into a frenzy of screams and tears, we’ve all got one. Or more. This year’s guilty pleasure was “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus. Think what you will about our Miley, but that chick can release a catchy song. “Wrecking Ball” is about one of those heart-wrenching, crash-and-burn kinds of relationships, a modern-day power ballad of sorts. Was it about Liam? Who knows. I do know that I cranked the volume whenever that song came on; I sang along with Miley as loud as I could, and felt every bit of that heartache with her (and in all likelihood, so did those subjected to my rendition). I also will never again look at construction equipment the same way.
[Honorable Mention: “Story Of My Life” by One Direction. Mark my words, Harry Styles will be on his on one day, and he will succeed.]
BEST GARAGE ROCK SONG OF 2013
The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Black Keys…they all have that wonderfully fuzzy, gritty sound that makes you feel like you’re watching your big brother’s band practice in your parents’ garage. This summer, I really enjoyed “Best of Friends” by The Palma Violets, who won NME Magazine’s “Best New Band” this year. “Best of Friends” technically came out last year, but the whole album was released this year, so it made the cut.
BEST SONG THAT NEEDS SUBTITLES OF 2013
There are songs that you love and you just can’t seem to figure out what the lyrics are supposed to be; “The Wire” by Haim was just that song this year. Haim, a sister act from Los Angeles, exploded on the scene with their album Days Are Gone. I was listening to an interview the other day where the sisters recounted their early days; their parents started a cover band they called Rockinhaim (see what they did there?), and their father started teaching them how to play drums. This explains the percussive way they use their voices, which is pretty neat-o, but I find myself needing subtitles to figure out what exactly it is they are trying to tell us. Nonetheless, “The Wire,” Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles all in one song, is great. Plus, I always have respect for a band with a female bass player, and I can totally get down with her serious “bass face.”
To be continued….
