Top 20 Songs of 2007, Part 4

The final installment, my Top 5 Songs of 2007. Enjoy. My Top 10 Albums list will be coming...eventually.

5. Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
After the schizophrenia of the previous 9 tracks, the final song from the Dirty Projectors album Rise Above is the most startling for its straightforwardness. On top of your basic “Rock Beat 1,” they lay down little else than frontman Dave Longstreth’s vocal acrobatics, cooing harmonies, and light guitar and bass. The result is extremely effecting and sweet. Most of all, Greg Ginn’s words shine through in the treatment. In the hand’s of Longsteth, they are pleading but hopeful, enticing you “Rise Above” as well.
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4. Animal Collective - Safer
A staple of post-Feels live sets, recorded for but left off Strawberry Jam, Safer was destined to be the B-Side to the Peacebone single. Not that it really matters much. Safer’s 9 minutes are heavy. It’d be hard to put a song like this on your album, as it commands so much attention. The first two minutes spin on the heels of a piano a sample as Avey Tare sings about feeling deranged over eerie growling and ghostly voices before insisting with screams that he’s “alright if you’re alright.” Then the song picks up, ditching the the creepy in favor of sending you into a psychedelic swirling shuffle, before slowly taking it out from under you. Animal Collective crafted something very serious here, something that can give you shivers if you pay close enough attention. I’ll take it, on the album or not.
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3. No Age - Everybody’s Down
L.A. guitar/drums art-punk duo No Age make a hell of a lot of noise out of a little. Case in point - the majority of Weirdo Rippers jam “Everybody’s Down” is two chords after a brief intro of feedback and backwards cymbals. Just two distorted chords churned out over and over like clockwork. And on top of those two chords is little else, some more strange cymbal noise and the great shout-along vocals. It’s not until after the great “ooh-wah-ooh” breakdown, with less than 45 seconds left in the song, that the drums crash in over the chords and send the song flying. For everybody apparently being down, this song sure makes you feel pretty up. Oh, and I guess they do throw two more chords in near the end for like, a second.
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2. UGK - International Players Anthem (ft. Outkast)
It’s highly regretful to be talking about this song after the passing of UGK member Pimp C, but you can’t help but think about what kind of legacy he left with this jam. Right from the get go, Andre 3000 steps up, makes you forget that Idlewild ever existed, and shows you that he is still in high contention for Best Rapper Alive. But in fact, each verse in this song is delivered so well it’s hard to pick one over the other. The pairing of these two acts, as well as the delivery, is perfect. Outkast provide that hip counterpart to UGK’s swagger. Andre makes with the cool, UGK throw down like they know how to throw down, and Big Boi steps in at the end to funk things up vintage “So Fresh, So Clean” style. However, for how good the song is vocally, its the beat that truly shines. The triumphant horns and soulful singing of Willie Hutch are paired with crisp, modern hip-hop drums to create the perfect palate for these guys to work with. And the moment when the beat drops and Pimp C unleashes at the end of Andre’s verse is purely incredible, going way beyond great rap to just great music.
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1. Panda Bear - Bros
I can only begin by saying a song as expansive as this is difficult to describe. And expansive is a bit of an understatement. Over its 12 minutes, “Bros,” the centerpiece to Panda Bear’s brilliant album Person Pitch, takes you on a journey - mentally, physically, even spiritually. Simply put, this song is an experience. The first lonely owl hoot makes the onslaught of sound a few seconds later so unexpected and powerful, and from there the song devours you. Everything, especially the vocals, have been dunked in a tub of industrial strength reverb, and the effect is ethereal. Sparkling guitars mix with plodding bass as Panda’s childlike vocals float over it all. Each and every sound in the mix seems perfectly placed, from each touch of shaker to the various sound effects dispersed throughout. The sound effects in particular are fascinating. From children laughing and yelling, to a man and woman crying, to wordless sounds of a baby, to all the other unplaceable sounds, each plays a specific role in the song. Listening, you begin to identify with these sounds like they were characters in a book or movie. Who are these people? Why are they crying? The questions linger as the song crossfades from one brilliant set of samples to another halfway, the second half anchored by insistent guitar strumming. Panda’s vocals continue to shine, and function just as well as any sample in setting the mood of the song. By the time the whistling and fireworks come over the top of the mix, the song is lifting you high into the air, over the clouds and far away from anything else you’ve ever heard, and perhaps will ever hear.
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