“Confessions Pt 2” - BADBADNOTGOOD (Innovative Leisure, 2016)
Jazz is cool again. Maybe it always was cool, and that’s why Madlib made Shades of Blue in 2003. Canadian wunderkids, BBNG, are a jazz trio (and occasionally, a quartet) who also happen to love Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Slum Village. Known for their reimagining of hip hop tracks and work with rap behemoths such as Ghostface Killer, BBNG has swiftly taken up the mantle of go-to collaborator. “Confessions Pt 2” (not to be confused with Usher’s eponymous single) is the third single from their 2016 album IV. Colin Stetson and Leland Whitty’s saxophones are the equivalent of a dog foaming at the mouth, bursting forth with staccato fury as Chester Hansen’s steady bass builds a churning, turbulent climax. It’s a dense maze of jazz that culminates in a cliffhanger, an acidic fuck you ending where you can hear their tires screech as they drive away. - BN
“Cranes in the Sky” - Solange (Saint, 2016)
The way Solange described it on her 2017 episode of Song Exploder, meeting with the great Raphael Saadiq lead to her getting a series of instrumental stems from him, including a drum-and-strings track that she fell in love with. She kept asking him for the stems of those parts but months of Saadiq looking couldn't unearth those elements, so Solange just kept the drums-and-strings and added numerous new ideas over them, nearly all played by Solange herself. The "cranes" of the lyrics refer to construction cranes and how they dot and ruin some skyline views, adding a whisper of menace and regret to a song that, melodically, is one of the most gorgeous pop singles this decade has to offer. - ES
“Cruel” - St. Vincent (4AD, 2011)
St. Vincent was the guitar hero the 2010s deserved. There’s no prepositions that follow that statement. The annals of history will regard her among legends such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. A pioneer in blending jarring effects with crunchy, crackling chords, St. Vincent described her style to the New Yorker as “I don’t love it when the guitar sounds like a guitar.” Uninterested in shredding (too easy), St Vincent is more concerned with crafting infectious, ambitious pop that unnervingly stares back at you in the mirror.
“Cruel” was the first single off of St. Vincent’s third album, Strange Mercy. Opening with a fantastical orchestration, there’s a terror spreading underneath as St Vincent’s breathy voice tumbles into the open. Distorted guitars provide a chilling backdrop to cheerful drumming, as she croons the song’s chorus of cruel. The equivalent to someone taking a chainsaw to Donna Reed (see the excellent music video for more), St. Vincent sublimates hysteria for a statement on the pervasive horrors that society inflicts upon women. Relentlessly demented, utterly innovative, “Cruel” is a showcase for ground-breaking, undeniably feminist rock. - BN
“Dance Yrself Clean” - LCD Soundsystem (DFA, 2010)
It would have made more sense if it had come out in 2019; as an outpouring of a deeply emotional decade (it was nothing if not emotional) rising from mumbled depletion to sheer catharsis. But, no, this was the beginning of the 2010s, a next step for a band that definitely wasn’t going to breakup and reform and confuse the hell out of all of us. And yet, here was this banger careening out of the gate.
Starting with James Murphy’s trademark wallflower anxiety, “Dance Yrself Clean,” bounced awkwardly across two chords and a stumbling drum line, recalling every drink ever spilled that resulted in silence rather than laughter. The sort of apathetic tension that would have most of us edging toward the door. Not LCD Soundsystem. All the faux paus, flat jokes, misheard pick up lines and undercurrent of resentment just simmered, boiled, toiled and doubled until it--well a drop almost feels like false modesty.
Unlike their previous decade definer, “All My Friends,” “Dance Yrself Clean” allowed itself to burst into a thousand colors, forgetting the motortik drive for punching moments of euphoria. Murphy rips his vocal cords into oblivion, those two chords shudder into lumbering life and the drums bring in a damn cowbell. The disco ball has descended, the middle fingers are fired, and goddamn if we aren’t dancing our asses off. On New Years Eve 2019, there’s no doubt that thousands will have this at the ready, a song about struggling for one drop of rapture in a house of jealousy to wash away the weariness of the world and just give into the rhythm. It was a prediction in hindsight, hidden in the folds of the finest drop of the decade. - NS
“Danny Nedelko” - IDLES (Partisan, 2018)
Joy is a terrifying sight for any fascist. The evil men of the world feed off despair and anger. Bouts of freedom, of euphoria are as dangerous as a thousand tanks. And “Danny Nedelko” banished the dark beautifully, with a pumping fist, a mosh-pit and a pro-immigrant chorus that could be chanted at any football pitch. - NS
“Detroit Part 1” - Shigeto (Ghostly, 2010)
There’s the jazz, then the hip-hop, the juke (stolen from Chicago) and, of course, the mischievous vibe, all naturally spewing from the grinning, goofy yet ever determined Shigeto. And that’s the butter smooth, luxurious trip through Michigan “Detroit Part 1” in a nutshell. Like the drummer he is, and the rappers he produces, Shigeto finds a pocket and rides it to nocturnal glory. The opening rhythm is a stuttering beat that allows layers upon layers of silk synths to coalesce and fall before a thumb piano shimmers into view, making the formally sexy sound just a bit more haunting. For most, this would be too many elements to cram together, for a polymath like Shigeto, it was a second-nature flex. - NS
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“Doin’ it Right” - Daft Punk (Columbia, 2013)
"Doin' It Right" falls into that trap of "It's so simple that it shouldn't work but somehow it does" -- 'cos goodness it's amazing. Using an escalating vocoder'd vocal line that only artists like Eric Prydz could get away with, the hypnotic sway of this modern synth-pop classic, merged perfectly with Panda Bear's vocal tones, creates a late-night chill party vibe that few other tracks have been able to replicate. "If you lose your way tonight / That's how you know the magic's right." Preach. - ES
“Double Disco” - Loading Data (Deadlight, 2011)
Ever wanted Queens of the Stone Age fronted by Elvis and raging through a mushroom and cocaine bender? Loading Data has your oddly specific fetish covered. The sprawling, choppy 5/4 rhythm gives a woozy, impish feeling to the song as bandleader Patrón sleazes his way through the fuzz. He casually lists off his nocturnal ramblings: enough drugs to stone an elephant, uncountable detours into Strip Club VIP sections and the ever present hint of violence. Las Vegas didn’t need a new theme song, but “Double Disco” can’t be denied its gaudy throne. - NS
“Doug Stamper” - Open Mike Eagle (Mello Music, 2014)
In a world where many rappers take themselves too seriously, it’s a joy to listen to an Open Mike Eagle record. Even Mike himself likes to put some distance between him and his contemporaries: “Rappers belong to things… they got affiliations and shit and I do too.” It’s my humble opinion that Dark Comedy is peak Open Mike Eagle, right down to the title. The album consistently delivers that perfect balance of technical ability, social commentary, and absolute hilarity. It’s no surprise that Mike teamed up with deadpan comedian Hannibal Burress to deliver one of the funniest songs of the 2010s.
The two men meet each other in the middle, with Mike rapping in an almost stand-up like prose, and Hannibal setting his jokes to a beautifully casual flow. It’s a match made in heaven. Real tidbits of advice are thrown at the listener throughout the song, sometimes delivered with a healthy dose of profanity and feigned aggression. It’s very obviously two good friends having a laugh, which coats the track in an infectious energy. And of course, who could forget the image of LeBron James wearing a stack of 88 headbands due to overuse of human growth hormone? - BR
“Doused” - DIIV (Captured Tracks, 2012)
It's hard to imagine a band more committed to a singular style or sound than Zachary Cole's DIIV. Their songs have the impact of a shoegazing Beach Boys or The Cure drowning beneath leagues of reverb. This song's genius is the way its simple structure clears a path for Cole's beautiful lead guitar. Living up to its named, the lyrics are almost completely washed away by effects and echo, but that’s exactly the intent. - JD