Perfect.
D’Angelo – Me and Those Dreamin’ Eyes of Mine (J Dilla Remix)
The trip-hop duo remix the Black on Both Sides classic. From 2000. Banger.
Mos Def – Umi Says (Zero 7 Remix)
An Ode to Motown
Motown is feng shui music.
Haiku in its simplicity,
Zen in its transcendence.
So beautiful my ears have begun to bleed.
Motown is the alpha and omega of pop.
The marriage of lyric and melody.
The introduction of an eternal backbeat.
Our duty is to listen to these complete works.
Motown is three minute perfection.
The emotional nakedness
Lost to our technological revolution.
The new Library of Alexandria.
The Church of Holland-Dozier-Holland
Is these days little more than a pastiche
Of box-office soundtrack and Clear Channel radio.
I should’ve been born in a different age and time.
By Chris Gedos
Compiling a year end Best of Songs list is not exactly the easiest ask. There are SO MANY great songs. And ‘the line’ between making one’s list a true Best of list vs. a Favorite songs of the year list can be quite the thin one. Here’s our best go at it. Also, if you’ve yet to check out our Top 50 Albums of 2010 list then you can get familiar HERE. Happy Holidays, and thanks for reading! We’ll see y’all in 2011…
01. Adele – Rolling in the Deep (Buy It)
02. Kanye West -Power (Buy It)
03. Cee-Lo Green – Fuck You (Buy It)
04. Aloe Blacc – I Need a Dollar (Buy It)
05. Tinie Tempah – Pass Out (Buy It)
06. Alicia Keys – Unthinkable (I’m Ready) (Buy It)
07. The Black Keys – Tighten’ Up (Buy It)
08. Beach House – Norway (Buy It)
09. Janelle Monae – Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi) (Buy It)
10. James Blake – CMYK (Buy It)
11. Far East Movement – Like a G6 (Feat. The Cataracts & Dev) (Buy It)
12. Drake – Fireworks (Feat. Alicia Keys) (Buy It)
13. B.o.B. – Airplanes (Feat. Hayley Williams) (Buy It)
14. Arcade Fire – Ready to Start (Buy It)
15. M.I.A. – Born Free (Buy It)
16. Swedish House Mafia – One (Feat. Pharrell) (Buy It)
17. Jose James – Made for Love (Buy It)
18. Ski Beatz – Cream of the Planet (Feat. Mos Def) (Buy It)
19. The Fresh and Onlys – Waterfall (Buy It)
20. Rick Ross – Super High (Feat. Ne-Yo) (Buy It)
21. Cassius – I Love You So (Buy It)
22. Gil Scott-Heron – New York Is Killing Me (Buy It)
23. The National – Terrible Love (Buy It)
24. Deadmau5 – Right This Second (Buy It)
25. Phantogram – As Far As I Can See (Buy It)
26. Washed Out – You and I (Feat. Carolyn Polachek) (Buy It)
27. Deerhunter – Helicopter (Buy It)
28. Erykah Badu – Window Seat (Buy It)
29. Wiz Khalifa – Black & Yellow (Buy It)
30. Big Boi – Shutterbugg (Feat. Cutty) (Buy It)
31. Katy B – Katy On A Mission (Prod. by Benga) (Buy It)
32. Mount Kimbie – Field (Buy It)
33. LCD Soundsystem – Oh You (Christmas Blues) (Buy It)
34. Jesse Rose – You Know It (Original Mix) (Buy It)
35. Band of Horses – Laredo (Buy It)
36. Kelis – 4th of July (Fireworks) (Buy It)
37. Funeral Party – Just Because (Buy It)
38. The Soft Pack – More or Less (Buy It)
39. Jeremy Messersmith – Tatooine (Buy It)
40. Klaxons – Echoes (Buy It)
41. Chapel Club – O Maybe I (Buy It)
42. King Reign – Money (Feat. Saukrates and Kardinal Offishall) (FREE Download)
43. Grinderman- Worm Tamer (Buy It)
44. Mona – Listen To Your Love (Buy It)
45. The Sand Band – Set Me Free (Buy It)
46. The Vaccines – Blow It Up (Buy It)
47. Beady Eye – Bring the Light (Buy It)
48. Lykke Li – Get Some (Buy It)
49. Shad – Yaa I Get It (Buy It)
50. Professor Green – Just Be Good To Green (Feat. Lily Allen) (Buy It)
Honorable Mentions:
Corinne Bailey Rae – Are You Here
Fat Joe – Ha Ha (Feat. Young Jeezy)
Chris Turner – Liquid Love
Flying Lotus – And The World Laughs With You (Feat. Thom Yorke)
Lissie – Record Collector
Crookers – Cooler Couleur
Dale Earnhardt jr jr – Simple Girl
J. Cole – Premeditated Murder
Cee Lo Green – I Want You (Demo)
Small Black – Weird Machines
NERD – Hypnotize You
Eliza Doolittle – Skinny Genes
Usher – OMG (Feat. Will.i.am.)
First Aid Kit – Ghost Town
Foals – Spanish Sahara
Nicos Gun – Dirty Girl
Flying Lotus – And the World Laughs With You (Feat. Thom Yorke)
Sia – Clap Your Hands
Taio Cruz – Dynamite
Flight Facilities – Crave You (Feat. Giselle)
Ciara – Ride the Beat (Feat. Ludacris)
Tinchy Stryder – Game Over (Feat. Giggs, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah, Example, Devlin, Chipmunk)
Crystal Castles – Celestica
Gayngs – The Gaudy Side of Town
Big K.R.I.T. – Country Shit
Two Door Cinema Club – What You Know
Everest – Let Go
E-Train – Never Love You
Breton – The Well
Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Badio – Kiss the Sky
Dylan LeBlanc – If Time Was for Wasting
Flux Pavilion – I Can’t Stop
Freddie Joachim – Transistors
Great Lake Swimmers – Gonna Make It Through This Year
Gorillaz – Empire Ants (Feat. Little Dragon)
Groove Armada – Paper Romance (Feat. Fenech-Soler)
Karen Elson – The Ghost Who Walks
Manic Street Preachers – I’m Leaving You For Solitude
Mark Ronson & The Business Int’l – Somebody to Love
PS I Love You – Facelove
Menomena – TAOS
Sleigh Bells – Kids
STS – Fuck A Hook (Prod. By Don Cannon)
In fine b3sci tradition… Noel Gallagher covers Slade’s ’73 classic “Merry Xmas Everybody”. This track was recorded exclusively for the 2002 War Child NME charity compilation, 1 Love, which echoed a 1995 War Child benefit album Help. Both albums feature covers from the likes of Oasis, Blur, Suede, Radiohead, Elbow, Muse, Stereophonics, Sinead O’Connor, Portishead and more. They are great collections and you should treat yourself to them Here. If this track doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, then you must not be fond of holidays… and that’s just a pity.
rating: 10
Eliza Doolittle caught our ears in February with the irresistible UK hit, “Skinny Genes”. Her self-titled debut LP has found itself in heavy rotation here at b3sci HQ and Eliza is currently prepping a US debut and mega year in 2011. We recently caught up to get the 411 on her live cover of Cee Lo Green’s smash “Fuck You“, her Jamie XX collaboration, favorite recipes, Shakespeare and more!
b3sci: When will fans in the States get their next chance to experience Eliza Doolittle in a live setting?
ELIZA: Oooo! Well I’m going to be playing some festivals like SXSW and some others in 2011. And hopefully not long after that I’ll be doing some touring!
b3sci: Your live cover of Cee-Lo Green’s “Fuck You” display’s some incredible musical instincts. How do you do it… what’s your inspiration?
ELIZA: I love performing live so I hope my enjoyment translates and infects everybody watching. I love creating music and when me and my band perform live we try and take the recordings to the next level.
b3sci: On a related note, your voice just seems to find “the pocket” of a great pop melody, has Pop music always been your major vocal influence, or is there a particular style of music that you like to claim the foundation of your soulful delivery?
ELIZA: I loved a lot of different music…growing up, I sang and practiced along to Lauryn Hill, Mariah and Beyonce, really soulful pop vocalists so maybe that’s rubbed off on me but I also love sweet songs like Burt Bacharach music and Beach Boys. And rock like Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers…I don’t know what has directly influenced me.
b3sci: Is there a particular track from your self-titled debut album that you feel especially connected to or proud of as an artist? If so, which and why?
ELIZA: I really love all the tracks …when writing the album I had about 25 finished songs to choose to go on the album and I really loved a lot of them so the ones I put on the album, I really, really love! I think if I had to pick one song I would pick “Rollerblades” as that was the first song I wrote where I really found my own sound for the first time and the rest of the album was based on that sound …so I owe the song a lot!
Eliza Doolittle – Rollerbladesb3sci:Can you shed some light on the happenings behind your connection with Jamie from The XX, and the “Money Box” remix?
ELIZA: I had met The XX a couple of times and am a big fan of their music. I just asked Jamie if he wanted to do a remix and he said yes… so I sent him the parts!
Eliza Doolittle – Money Box (Jamie XX Remix)b3sci: If you could collaborate with anyone past present or future, who would it be with and why? Keep in mind they wouldn’t need to be a musician, and any sort of artistic collaboration counts.
ELIZA: Hmm, Shakespeare! He is the artistic genius of the entire time we’ve been on this earth!
b3sci: We need to ask you a favorite question of ours… Hypothetical situation, you’re stranded on an island and you can only chose between having with you either 30 songs OR 10 albums! Do you chose to have the albums or songs, and why?
ELIZA: 10 albums definitely because they are pieces of art as a whole album, and I would feel empty without the other songs. Also, an album has 10 songs average on it so that would mean 100 songs!
b3sci: Haha you found the loophole! So what are a few of the albums that you would bring along?
ELIZA: Oooo… Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life, Steely Dan – Aja, Destiny’s Child – The Writings on the Wall, Beach Boys – Pet Sounds. Just to name a few…
b3sci: What’s your take on the internet and your development as an artist? How would you ideally like to see both your career and your fans affected by the internet and your message moving forward?
ELIZA: Well the internet is a blessing and a curse. Through Twitter etc, I can promote my music and shows but through illegal downloads, I can’t make very much money out of my record. I would love for people to respect the hard work that’s put into making a record and not steal the music but I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen.
b3sci: So what’s your take on the blogosphere? Do you participate?
ELIZA: I have my own blog and I love making it. I love documenting my journey and it’s a great way to interact with my listeners and show them some of my interests other than just music. So you should check it out… http://blog.elizadoolittle.com
b3sci: Is there something killer that you’re listening to and influenced by at the current moment?
ELIZA: I’m loving Cee Lo Green’s new album The Lady Killer. It’s superb! Love Janelle Monae and The Drums too!
b3sci: What are your general observations about the reception of emerging artists from the UK in the states, and the same vice-versa?
ELIZA: I’m not sure really, I hope people will listen to my music regardless of where I’m from. I hope people will like it!
b3sci: What in your eyes are some of the popular misnomers about pop stars and the music industry among the public?
ELIZA: I think people take being in the public eye way too seriously. People judge very quickly for the smallest things. Sometimes I make a spelling mistake on Twitter and have a bombardment of tweets picking me up on it and making a massive unnecessary fuss. I would love it if people just listened to my music and took me in for that rather than my grammar skills etc! Haha! And I’m sure other singers get the same jip.
b3sci: We LOVE to cook! Give us one of your favorite recipes to try out.
ELIZA: Baked beans on toast is my specialty!
b3sci: Well that’s interesting, might need to try that. We’ve got to ask you, happiness… what in this world of ours does it for you?
ELIZA:Great music, great friends and family! And lots of laughter …That’s all you need.
We got that hot shit. We got that Thug Life Pac shit, that B.I.G. Ready to Die shit.
Lil’ Flip – Game Over (Diplo Radiohead Remix)
Summer Fiction are one of our favorite surprises of 2010. b3sci recently had the chance to catch up with frontman, and singer/songwriter, Bill Ricchini to ask him a few questions about music and life. Check it out:
b3sci: Where can fans expect to see Summer Fiction perform in 2011?
Bill: We mostly play on the east coast, in NY and Philly, but yes, we’re coming to a town near you, hopefully. We’re planning some touring and speaking to some possible booking agents. We also just booked PopFest in NYC for the spring. Possibly SXSW…
b3sci: When people experience Summer Fiction for the first time, is there a particular message that you’re hoping translates?
Bill: I like to leave it pretty open ended and hope the audience or listener brings their own thing to the songs and performances. I will say the music is coming from a place of sincerity and hopefully that comes across on an emotional level.
b3sci: Just listening to the album, you can tell songwriting seems to just resonate in your bones. While your songs seem basic at the core they are complemented by fairly intricate arrangements and counter melodies. What has inspired you to be a songwriter, and what sort of education, experience, or vision leads you down your path of record production?
Bill: Thanks! I’m pretty obsessed with songwriting and arrangement. While I never studied music formally, I think I studied all of my favorite records growing up and somehow that is all in my DNA. I also enjoy producing, I feel it would be hard to give that up to someone, although maybe I will try it if Jon Brion calls.
b3sci: What’s your dream collaboration?
Bill: I’d love to write an album for a female singer and produce it. There are lots of gorgeous pop and torch songs I have ready to go but just need to find my muse… I’d also love to meet Brian Wilson. A while ago, one of the guys from Wondermints passed him one of my demos.. and I heard he liked it! That was kind of surreal… Music for film also excites me. I think Wes Anderson would like this record for some reason. Maybe it is the font choice.
b3sci: Is there a particular track from the album that you feel especially connected to or proud of?
Bill: I think “Kids in Catalina” has been really popping live. I like the construction of that song, the vocal choir and the vibraphone.
Summer Fiction – Kids in Catalinab3sci: How would you say the music scene in Philadelphia has or hasn’t helped Summer Fiction along?
Bill: Philly has been 100% supportive. Bands, journalists, fans all came out for this record and many good friends from other bands contributed.
b3sci: Here’s a question we love to ask people… hypothetical situation, you’re stranded on an island and you can chose between having with you either 30 songs OR 10 albums? Which take the space?
Bill: 10 albums; no question. I like the thematic element of my favorite records, call me old fashioned but I like the way songs brush up against one another and form a complete thought. That’s what I went for with Summer Fiction. One of my choices would be It’s a Shame About Ray which is a perfect record.
b3sci: What are five things you can’t live without?
Bill:
1) Guitar
2) Digital voice recorder
3) Marble notebook
4) Good food
5) Books
b3sci: What are five things that you could totally be cool living without?
Bill:
1) Rent
2) TV
3) East coast winters
4) Hangovers
5) Traffic
b3sci: Has the internet played a role in the development of you as an artist?
Bill: Uh not sure. I tend to focus more on the message than the media, but the fact that the web is a great tool to share my art is gratifying.
b3sci: How do you discover new music?
Bill: Online, jukeboxes, shows, SXSW, radio, my friend Mike…
b3sci: What are you listening to at the moment? Anything influential?
Bill: The last Beach House record kills me. Arcade Fire and Deerhunter are really on their game… Kurt Vile is great too.
b3sci:In your opinion, what are some of the popular misnomers about being an independent and emerging artist/songwriter in today’s music industry, and with the general, casual listening public?
Bill: Maybe just how much discipline and focus it takes to make a good record.
more Summer Fiction on b3science HERE
Summer Fiction – Throw Your Arms Around Me Summer Fiction – To: Alone
B3SCI TICKET GIVEAWAY! Hip-Hop icon, Nas, and Reggae royalty, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley have announced three UK live dates that are surely to be among the most anticipated events in Spring 2011. Experience Nas and Damian perform choice material from their own solo catalogues as well as tracks from their recent collaborative effort Distant Relatives. A definite highlight from 2010, Distant Relatives explores the musical and ethnic roots of both artists and the connections between them and features tracks with Lil Wayne, K’NAAN, and more. Get it here!
blahblahblahscience is giving away a pair of tickets to their April 2nd performance at the O2 Apollo in Manchester! Just drop us a line here and let us know you want them… simple as that. Also, if you dont win the tickets from us, don’t fret, you can still get your hands on some here. For more performance dates and information check out www.distantrelatives.com.
LIVE DATES
London – 31st March – Wembley Arena
Glasgow – 1st April – O2 Academy Glasgow
Manchester – 2nd April – O2 Apollo Manchester
Written in 1967 by one of the greatest songwriters ever, Smokey Robinson, for his wife Claudette.
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – More Love
The Chief and the boys pay homage to the David Bowie and Brian Eno penned classic. Circa ’97, “Heroes” is a b-side to the Be Here Now 7:22 long debut single “D’You Know What I Mean”. A song, by the way, which should win an award as one of the greatest debut singles, to a post global phenomenon album, of all time.
Really, how ballsy is “D’You Know What I Mean”? Other than the fact it’s basically “Wonderwall” a half step down, just listen to it let alone the entire Be Here Now LP. It’s coked out, it’s Liam Gallagher hurling in between vocal takes, it’s infinite layers of consonant genius.. it’s getting kicked out of Abbey Road Studio’s ballsy. Be Here Now radiates the sort of ambitious irony that only a band that believes they are the greatest band in the world can create. And for that reason it is genuine, and for that reason it is great. Noel claims to hate Be Here Now par a few tunes. Liam… us… and select Oasis fans around the world rather claim it’s one of the best Rock and Roll albums of all time. Either way look at it, it’s “Coming in a mess, going out in style”.
“Heroes” finds a nice home as part of the Oasis B-side legacy. Part of an infamous B-side collection that would be a worthy A-list collection to a majority of artists. Example, dude’s performed their ’95 b-side “Acquiesce” on Saturday Night Live in 1998. How good was it? Good enough for Saturday Night Live to include it on their SNL Celebrates 25 Years of Music 2 CD collection. And they’ve got LOTS of music to chose from. Get it here!
Oasis – Heroes (David Bowie Cover)
Classic shit from ’96 from Ms. Braxton.
Toni Braxton – You’re Makin’ Me High (Remix) (Feat. Foxy Brown)