Tracie's Top 10 of 2011

I'm taking a break from trip posts to wish everyone a happy new year and to give you my top 10 songs of 2011.  Now, to be clear:  these are my favorite songs that I discovered and downloaded in 2011.  They are not necessarily the most representative of 2011 or remind me the most of 2011.  In some cases, they might not have even been released in 2011 - there are a few that I think came out in 2010.  Anyway, I've been enjoying these songs this year, and I hope this list might turn you on to something new.

For those of you who know me, you know I don't really do "favorites," so coming up with this list was a challenge.  And, aside from the top three, these are in no particular order.  It took me weeks just to narrow down the 55 songs I acquired this year to 10; who knows how long it would have taken to put them in order!

A few observations:

1.  I really liked lyrics this year.  I'll mention some of my favorite ones.
2.  Overall, my favorite songs this year were not the most popular ones.
3.  I was given Mumford and Sons'  Sigh No More this year, and even though it was released in 2010, I really discovered them this year.  And, to be fair, their songs didn't peak in the US until February 2011.  Half of this list could've been Mumford and Sons, but I limited it for the sake of diversity.  Although it's probably my favorite, I excluded "Little Lion Man," as, according to iTunes, I purchased it in 2010.  If you haven't checked them out, you should.  Sort of Irish/folk rock with interesting rhythms and manic guitar with really intelligent, creative lyrics.  When the guitar gets going, it makes me want to turn up the volume and drive fast with the windows down.

So anyway, in no particular order:

10.  "Helplessness Blues," Fleet Foxes

I downloaded the whole album, Helplessness Blues, and it's great for work-listening, but this is really the standout.  Love these lyrics:

"If I know only one thing, it's that everything that I see
Of the world outside is so inconceivable often I barely can speak
Yeah I'm tongue-tied and dizzy and I can't keep it to myself
What good is it to sing helplessness blues, why should I wait for anyone else?"


9.  "Falling Slowly," The Swell Season

So, apparently this song came out in 2007 and appeared in the film Once; however, Pandora did not introduce me to it until this year.  Okay, I also did not start using Pandora until this year.  But anyway.  So there.

8. "Someone Else's Life," Joshua Radin 

Also from Pandora, also released in 2007.  I wonder if Pandora has made note that I "thumbs up" songs from 2007?  I also like another one of his songs "Only You" with Imogen Heap; the thing is, these two songs are almost identical, and that kind of annoys me.

7.  "Zorbing," Stornaway

What the heck is zorbing?  I don't know, but there are some nice harmonies in the song.

6.  "Sigh No More," Mumford and Sons

These are the lyrics I love from this song:

"Love; it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free.
Be more like the man you were made to be"

If I had heard this song before our wedding, I might have included these words as part of our ceremony, or at least on our program.

5.  "The Cave," Mumford and Sons

This is probably the second most-commonly heard Mumford and Sons song, so, why not make it the second Mumford and Sons song on my countdown?

4.  "Anna Sun," Walk the Moon

I don't know what it is about this song - maybe it's the hopefulness, the building, something.  Also, for awhile I thought the song was "Alison," so I thought it would be an awesome theme song for my friend Alison if her life turned into a romantic comedy.  So, sorry, Alison - maybe we can just use our imaginations.  It really does sound like "Alison."

Ok, now these top three are truly my top three, although I will admit that the order of the three might depend on what kind of mood I'm in. Today:

3.  "Gravity," Sara Bareilles

I can't get enough of this song.  Who hasn't felt this way?  And although it isn't obviously a jazz number, listen closely to the timing of the lyrics - they're a little unpredictable.  Just a beautiful, heart-wrenching song, and I love the build near the end.

2.  "Forget You," Cee Lo Green

Yes, yes, I know.  This is not the original version.  But it is the version I downloaded because I listen to iTunes at work and when parents come to visit, and I think it's just about as fun.  This is probably the most "popular" song on my list.   Who doesn't want to dance when they here this?

And if you haven't seen the girl who performs the original, uncensored version for her sign language final, you should check it out.  This girl has some guts!  Be aware, this is NOT safe for work, small children, and other folks with sensitive ears.

1.  "Shake It Out," Florence + the Machine

I think it starts a little 80s, like she's going start singing about nearly 100 balloons or something, but I love the way it builds up.  And it has the best advice of 2011:

"And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back,
So shake him off!"

So, in 2012:

• "Remember, what good is it to sing helplessness blues?"
• "Love; it will not betray you dismay or enslave you, it will set you free."
• Shake that devil off your back and DANCE!

What were YOUR favorite songs of 2011?

Decades Later: Still Hangin' Tough and Larger than Life

Two weekends ago, my friend Jessica and I went to the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys (NKOTBSB) concert at First Mariner Arena in Baltimore.  Last winter, we had talked about going to see the show in DC, but were flabbergasted that the tickets cost over $100 each.  Who did they think they were?  Elton John and Billy Joel?  So, when CBS Local offered $35 tickets to the show in Baltimore, we were in, understanding that if we were going to go to this concert, we needed to do it right.  Meaning:  We had to approach this concert as though we were flashing back to 1989.  Two eBay transactions and a trip to Goodwill later, we were ready to go:

The best thing about being in your 30's and going to and going to a New Kids on the Block concert (because that's how we were really thinking of it) instead of being 11? Is being able to enjoy a frosty cold beverage ahead of time.  And also being able to drive yourself home.

I have to admit, back in the late 80's/early 90's, I was not a tremendous NKOTB fan.  I didn't dislike them, but I had a tendency at the time (and maybe even now) to recoil a little bit from pop-culture phenomenon that others lost their minds over.  I did feel a little uncool that I wasn't gaga over New Kids (among other reasons), so, of course I selected a favorite (Jordan) that I later traded in as I read 16 Magazine a little more (Joey).  So, I think that I am actually a bigger fan now than I was then - more for nostalgic reasons.

Speaking of Joey and nostalgia, check this out:

Funny, though - Jessica and I were walking past the arena to get dinner at a restaurant before the show, and a number of people (girls) were hanging out near the busses to catch a glimpse of one of the guys.

Like this

 As we walked past, everyone started screaming, so Jessica and I were naturally curious.  Now, these guys age, like the rest of us, so we were like, "Who is that?  Is that a Backstreet Boy?" "Eh, a Backstreet Boy? Who cares?"

"NO! It's Joey!"

"WHAT WHAT WHAT??? AIEEEE!!!!"

So excited for my first (yes, first) NKOTB concert!

Despite a respectable number of painted fan shirts, we were the only people I saw that went all out 80's-style.  Then, I got a little self-conscious.  I bet people like us really get on the New Kid's nerves.  They would probably love to shed the 80's/90's pop-boy-band image.  Sorry, New Kids!  I know you grew up, but maybe we didn't! 

Interestingly, there were a number of adolescent girls at the concert, young enough to possibly be conceived to the Backstreet Boys.  I can only imagine 30-something moms dragging their reluctant pre-teens the same way I was trapped into listening to oldies music for the first ten years of my life (for you youngin's, oldies to me is 50's and 60's music.  If you suggest that 80's music might be oldies, I will throw a pie in your face).  The most unusual, however, was a woman with a mullet that was nearly old enough to be our mother.  She must have been in her 20's or 30's when New Kids came out...not their target demographic...and she wasn't there with anyone, like a currently 20-30- something daughter.  And, as you might imagine, men were few and far between.

Waiting for the show to start

The concert opened with both groups singing "Vida la Vida" by Coldplay.  I just kept exclaiming, "What!  What!"   Not only do I not love Coldplay, I was like, I did not come here for a cover concert.  Kind of an odd choice for an opening, I thought.  From there, the groups pretty much alternated each song.  We presumed this was partially so they could catch their breath and preserve their aging joints (just kidding, guys!  We know we're as old as you are!).  Kidding aside, there were only four Kids on stage; apparently Jon had twisted his knee and wasn't able to perform.  He did wobble out for a cameo during Tonight.  Remembering his former disdain for the whole boy-band thing, I did wonder how genuine this injury was.

Both groups were heavy on pyrotechnics, schmaltzy canned lines, and schmoozing the audience.  Backstreet Boys invited a young lady up to the stage for a serenade, and NKOTB ventured into the crowd. 

While I thoroughly enjoyed the concert, I couldn't help but feel that there was a little more style than substance.  And although they played some more recent releases, I do feel that they played up the nostalgia factor to engage the crowd.  But what else would you expect?  I didn't go to hear stellar musicians and intriguing new music; I went to relive my junior high and college days, when things were both simpler and more complicated at the same time, but always...interesting.  I went to sing and dance, and act like a silly teenager with a bunch of other 20/30-somethings, and that's what we did!  As the opening notes of The Right Stuff blasted across the arena, I screamed and jumped up and down like a little girl.  

Jessica's got the Right Stuff!

If you're really excited, or have some time to waste, I put a little highlight video together for you.  You can't see the guys at all, but you can get an idea of the sound and light show.  And that person you might hear singing?  Is not me.  I swear.

Fun fact: I once performed as Jordan with a pared-down version of NKOTB in a college drag show.  We "sang" Hangin' Tough.