That Final LCD Soundsystem Show

The life of a scrambling, scrapping freelance writer did not afford me the opportunity to attend LCD Soundsystem's final show at MSG, but through the growing, infinite and singularity-grasping power of the internet I've been able to watch the entire show, as broadcast by Pitchfork.tv, over YouTube (though after watching the whole show I discovered that the video has now been removed). Since I wasn't there I can't offer a specific critique of the audience, the environment or the sound, but what I can say is that this is one of the most enjoyable 3+ hours of my life spent viewing live music. The concert in this form is more a film than a live show with James Murphy in near constant view on a packed super-ensemble stage. The production, with all these great musicians and artists and the State Street Singers, feels album perfect. And there's just enough variation in Murphy's voice to make it a valid, demanding and lovable live show.

They open with "Dance Yrself Clean" following a long lead-in of 10cc's classic "I'm Not In Love" twinkling through the speakers. And the show builds carefully, hitting energetic, vivid and boisterous points before tapering back down. Of course, "All My Friends" comes across perfectly with all the sadness it carries in its lyrics built upon wonderful live instrument energy. It's truly incredible just to see so many players coexisting with electronic and synthesized elements to create something so beautiful. From live steel drums to guitars to horns. And at about the 2 hour mark, the band takes recess, coming back out for a phase 2 encore level, super-power set. After one song, Arcade Fire shows up to sing on "North American Scum." The live version of my favorite, and I'm sure many others' favorite LCD song obliterates the crowd and stops the show in that traditional showstopping way. Arcade Fire spiritedly sings "North America" in call and response and the whole thing just fucking rocks.

The beauty of the internet is that this can happen. Imagine how many more girls would've screamed, swooned and fainted given the opportunity to see the Beatles live at Shea through the internet. It's not a perfect experience. Live music is meant to be felt and unless you have insanely powerful speakers this video will not give you the proper vibe, the rib-rattling madness that comes from heavy bass and the ear-piercing screech of horns and guitar strings will be tempered. Still, the option to see it, for all those people who could not get there, myself included, is exactly what the egalitarian, free-info internet is predicated upon. A new golden age of communication. Without it I'd never have been able to experience and discuss this show. And when the show closes with balloons dropping and the powerful guitar/drum combo through the end of "New York, I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down" after the song plays so solemnly, a true perfect close to the LCD Soundsystem's career, if it is truly ending, I teared up a little.

Here's are some tidbits, since the whole video is no longer available. Enjoy. And let's all pray that James Murphy hasn't quit the biz, just chosen to find a new moniker. Great music is a legacy, but to halt its production is a tragedy.


"North American Scum"


"All My Friends"


"New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down"

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Cut Copy - Zonoscope

I latched instantly onto Cut Copy through 2008's In Ghost Colours. That album was a revelation, combining the pop anthem with aggressively charming dance beats, and loaded with memorable track after memorable track. It wasn't until 2009 that I really jumped in, but Cut Copy successfully brought me fully into dance music, or at least, indie pop-dance, breaking my lifelong obsession with songs about heartbreak accompanied by rocky hooks or acoustic guitars. Cut Copy was a window for me into a larger music scene, and not to put too much on them, but this band gave me the impetus to listen to everything from hip-hop to experimental electronic music. Well, them and LCD Soundsystem. (Note: If you live in, or plan to travel to NYC and want to see LCD's farewell 3-hour FINAL SHOW ever, it's on April 2nd at MSG. Get tickets soon.) Knowing that Zonoscope was dropping this week, I was all aflutter. It was a chance to reacquaint with an old friend and hear new stories. Albums are that way. We feel like we know the artist, based on what they've told us before, the soul they've bore. But we have to spend a couple years apart every time. And then we get back together for a whole new round of sonic monologue.

Zonoscope is every bit as strong and fun as In Ghost Colours, but it lacks some of the instant anthems. That's not a bad thing. It opens strong with the kind of slow-building track that feels like pieces falling back into place, a real welcome back to us moment. From drum-beats to tinkling notes to claps and then a break into a low-key vocals. I guess, really, the album is a little more sleepy. Structurally, Cut Copy remains what they have been, but they meander in and out of energy a lot over the course of Zonoscope. We receive great highlights, like the Aussie infused, nearly Men at Work-y "Take Me Over." I mean, listen to that riff. [Singing]: I come from a land down under. Great stuff. And the energy is higher, but never peaks to oh shit! high. Still, it's all catchy enough, and darts from time period and back. There's the '80s style I mentioned above, and the very '60s Beatles/Beach Boys influenced "Where I'm Going." So there's a lot of genre-study happening, but ultimately, this is an ideal Cut Copy album because it's mature and sonically interesting. They keep the sounds and samples and loops coming and every single one is well placed.

I have to give specific praise to "Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat," a song that hits all the ballad-y, delicate notes, even paring back to more traditional instrumentation for the verses. It's a sweet song that feels timeless. In total, Zonoscope (a play on sonoscope computer music) is a time-traveling capsule. It holds artifacts of music past inside, dressed in new technology. The heart is undeniable beneath the well-chosen digital bleating and driving beats. Cut Copy took pieces from so many musical traditions and put them in a new outfit, altering them, but all the while paying honest homage. That means that Zonoscope isn't the most consistent of experiences from front to back, but it is consistently enjoyable and damn it's nice to sit down one more time with an old friend to swap some stories.

You can listen to the album assembled on prettymuchamazing.com here.

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Top 25 Tracks of 2010

It's that time of year again. A time when every major pop culture site, blog, station, magazine, et al., produce lists that sum up the year in various media. Last year, I threw down a very personal three-parter that covered the previous decade, but this year, we're gonna try something new. This is my list of MY top 25 individual tracks of 2010, and I'll tell you up front that the order is a bit specious. On any other day, the bulk of the bottom, say, 20 (I know that's a lot!) could be reorder and reconsidered. I feel lucky to have so much great music from this year to have sorted through, but also slightly unprepared because there are several top albums of this year that I haven't yet got my grubby mitts on (Sorry, Kanye). There's also a serious shift in my musical tastes over this year to consider, how I trended toward dance and electronic stuff more than ever before, which informs this list and also skews my rankings ever so slightly. Ultimately, these tracks would comprise a stellar mixtape, so I compel you, even if you don't care why I like any of these, give each a shot and be blessed with the holiest of holiday traditions, the indie music orgasm. Now, here's the list:

Honorable Mentions: "Kiss On My List" - The Bird & The Bee, Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates; "Crash Years" - The New Pornographers, Together; "Rambling Man" - Laura Marling, I Speak Because I Can

And I'm already cheating a bit, throwing three extra songs on the list of 25. But, well, if you have a problem with it, continue reading and comment at the end. The Bird & The Bee's Hall & Oates cover album is one of the most fun listens of the year, and even though there is only one original on the disc, they needed a mention. "Kiss On My List" is my fave original, and their cover here is heartfelt and charming. "Crash Years" is a great, if too familiar song on the somewhat disappointing Together. Beautiful vocals by Neko Case, though. And Laura Marling gets props here for a great, sour, sad folk song, equipped with banjo and wonder. It's not catchy, per se, but it is exceptional musicianship and her vocals are haunting. But, serious, now let's do the list...

25. "Holiday" - Vampire Weekend, Contra
The main reason Vampire Weekend's catchy track falls to the bottom of the list involves a Honda commercial that is so ubiquitous right now I can barely stand the song anymore. The upside, it's a stellar song and is evidence that the band continues to churn out yelping, hook-laden, post-punk-pop.

24. "The Cave" - Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
Here's a tough spot. I couldn't figure out where to put Mumford & Sons, so they fit in with "The Cave" at 24. This is a phenomenal song, released as a single this year that combines the dreary self-awareness of The National with the pastoral sonic scenery of Fleet Foxes. It's just beautiful work, and should probably be higher on the list than it is.

23. "In The Sun" - She & Him, Volume Two
On a somewhat disappointing follow up to the great Volume One, "In The Sun" is a tightly plotted and fun song with a rousing, but not too rousing chorus. Zooey Deschanel's voice is perfect and M. Ward's musicianship excellent, but the song never challenges the listener enough to be "great."


22. "Daisy" - Fang Island, Fang Island
Beautiful Beach Boys-esque harmonies converge with flying, speedy guitars and an anthemic closing loaded with raucous chants, claps and heart-moving drums.

21. "Rachel" - Sleigh Bells, Treats
With Sleigh Bells, you get a lot of different tastes, and "Rachel" is the slower burning, fuzzier type of song, filled with lots of "oohs." It's one of their most accessible tracks on the album, and while not as fun as the others, it feels full, and grown up.

20. "Romance Is Boring" - Los Campesinos!, Romance Is Boring
As a title track, this one grinds out Los Campesinos! punk rock-ish frustration perfectly. The build within the song to a powerful and catchy chorus basically give the finger to romance, siding with the more pure lust, aggression and passion.

19. "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)" - Wolf Parade, Expo 86
I loved Wolf Parade's return this year that felt like a "back-to-roots" project to wash the terrible taste of At Mount Zoomer out of our collective mouths. Really I would've picked the whole album, but this track has some of the best lyrics and the best licks on the album.

18. "Pap Smear" - Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles (II)
As I said in my review earlier this year, this song with its lamentable title may well be the best on the album. Crystal Castles keeps things disjointed with pace changes and jangling mixes, and the vocals are distant, but beautiful throughout.

17. "Night By Night" - Chromeo, Business Casual
With it's Rocky-esque guitar riff and beat, this is a seriously catchy dance-rock track. Chromeo shows hints of reaching toward LCD Soundsystem heights, with an extra injection of fun and less self-awareness. A great, catchy song on a surprisingly fresh, full album.

16. "Superfast Jellyfish" - Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach is overloaded, but since day one, I've been all about "Superfast Jellyfish" because it is the most unapologetically charming, poppy song on the album. Where much of the greatness with the album comes from maturity and careful songwriting, this track is a boost that keeps you listening.

15. "Got Nuffin'" - Spoon, Transference
The only good song on the whole goddamn album. But it's a really good song and it means that Spoon can get back to writing the music that seems to come so easy to them. Next album... hopefully...

14. "Fixed" - Stars, The Five Ghosts
Exhibit A: Amy Millan's beautiful vocals and lots of synthed out guitars and keys. Exhibit B: Catchy, but sad, as is Stars wont. Case closed.

13. "Real Love" - Delorean, Subiza
Delorean is one of my favorite finds of the year, and "Real Love" is just one of a litany of phenomenal songs. It's long, slow-burning, and has just the right amount of natural sound mixed in with the electronic to hold onto its humanity. And it drops to a hush and breathtaking bridge when the love drops out of the lyrics.

12. "Odessa" - Caribou, Swim
It's the opener, and the top track on the disc. So sonically interesting, despite its repetition. And the lyrics offer just enough to keep you thinking about the sort of machinations that keep us going every day in spite of the odds against us.

11. "Walk in the Park" - Beach House, Teen Dream
On such a wonderful album, it was hard to pick just one song, but I settled on "Walk in the Park" because it is full and cinematic. The opening lyric "We go for a walk in the park because you don't need anything" is exceptional, and captures the whole idea of Teen Dream, looking at music through the eyes of naivety dressed as experience.

10. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" - The National, High Violet
Another case of "fuck I have to pick one," I went with "Bloodbuzz Ohio" because it is endemic of The National's catalog. A song about home, artistic goals, and life with bills, it's just a slice of being a dreamer in a world where dreaming is associated so often with the laziness of sleep and the time wasting of daydreaming.

9. "Heaven's On Fire" - The Radio Dept., Clinging To A Scheme
The Radio Dept.'s album is a must own. I mean that. You, whoever you are reading this right now, MUST OWN this album. "Heaven's On Fire" is the second track, and it's an energizing masterpiece that opens with a touch of politicized interviewing.

8. "Hand Me Down Your Love" - Hot Chip, One Life Stand
Hot Chip simply knocked this album out of the park, but "Hand Me Down Your Love" is as thumping a track as they've ever produced, with heavy snare drum and smashing piano. It's catchy, powerful and ornately arranged to the point that it's hyper-eclectic.

7. "Subliminal Message" - Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Another surprise album for me, Happy Birthday produces a great throwback-y single with "Subliminal Message" that has a nostalgia for '80s sound, a nostalgia for love and simplicity in life, and a great chorus.

6. "The Game Gets Old" - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, I Learned The Hard Way
I'm a sucker for the opening brass line on "The Game Gets Old." In fact, I get chills every time I hear the song, and that's before Sharon Jones' powerful pipes take control of the scene. This is a song that remakes and retouches Motown's past and tells significant truths about love and what "the game" can do to those who lose out. It's brilliant.

5. "Bottled Up In Cork" - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Brutalist Bricks
I wanted to throw in "One Polaroid A Day" and others from Ted Leo's The Brutalist Bricks, but I couldn't bring myself to include those at the expense of other great songs (but see how I got the one in here anyway... sneaky mother). "Bottled Up In Cork" is classic Ted Leo, with a powerful guitar riff, bouncing drums and a compelling story. It's political, personal and epic all at once, and has a great repeating verse/chorus about travel, growing up, and loneliness. The song is built on hooks and a great solo, just like any great Ted Leo song is, and it's intimate and opinionated.

4. "The High Road" - Broken Bells, Broken Bells
As a collaboration, Broken Bells couldn't have worked out better. Danger Mouse and James Mercer combine to create songs that mix the Shins with the unnatural feeling of electronics, and Mercer uses it to evoke even more distance within some of his lyrics. "The High Road" is the best song on the album, if at this point, somewhat overplayed, and even tired. It's got that chanting, rousing "Hey Jude" quality about it.

3. "Ready To Start" - Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
On a seriously wonderful and essential Arcade Fire album, "Ready To Start" stands out for me because of the dark opening that breaks out into a jostling bouncy rock track, and for the lyrical excellence in it. For a song to be fun and also bring up all the artistic and love-related fears inherent to us; that business will destroy us, and that love will be lost, it ultimately becomes a song about hope and being ready to fight on. The strength is in us all to stand up and fight, even when we're in the throes of depression. That's the key. This is your vehicle. This song is your anthem.

2. "Dance Yrself Clean" - LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening
If this is the last LCD Soundsystem album, then "Dance Yrself Clean" is the perfect, dominating, self-aware track to start it off. It feels the burden of fame, and creation, and questionable friendships, and wants a sort of baptism by motion to wash away its fear and sadness. In that typical James Murphy fashion, it feels distant and sturdy, but fragile, and that makes the song, for its minimalist first three-plus minutes, extremely accessible. And then it rips open, breaking out of its shell and the dance begins. I hope, really and truly, that this isn't the last for LCD Soundsystem, but if so, it is a hell of a great way to go out.

1. "Cold War" - Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid
The best song on the most comprehensively eclectic album of the year takes my top rank. For everything that Janelle Monae does live and recorded she deserves high marks, and "Cold War" is song that touches on her overall story arc as well tapping into the self-doubt and humanism that drives any great. "You think I'm alone, well being alone is the only way to be" is a line carries sorrow and empowerment. And the song's powerful beat and melody keep it on the top of your memory no matter how many times you hear it. That's my reasoning to make it number one, and the reason why Janelle Monae deserves as many awards as she can carry.

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Matthew Dear - Black City

Matthew Dear's Black City is one of those special albums that captures darkness and dispenses with just enough menacing restraint to hold your attention and never go over the top. This is an art album of sorts, not one that, for all of its electronic-influence and motivating beats, that tries to get you moving or make you dance. Though track 3 "Little People (Black City)" shades toward an LCD Soundsystem-like deliberation. Dear creates a lot of mood throughout the album, and buries the lyrics under one type of droning tone or another, which free the vocals up to enact some A Cappella instrumental value. And yet, even when the electronic aspects of the music evaporate or fade out, Dear leaves us with well thought out and strong-finishing tracks that all feel a little lonely or contemplative, but nonetheless human and alive. The scratching and primarily instrumental "Soil To Seed" illustrates this idea well, by first beginning with just a guitar, then garbled words and finishing on the human growl of the vocal.

And throughout its ten songs Black City feels like a place as much as an album. It feels oppressive and alive, as if the black sky were suddenly roused from its sleep to bellow menacingly down upon the people below. There are definitely a couple, perhaps a few, songs that could be considered traditional electronic and dance-ready, but for the most part this is the type of music one listens to while staring at the ceiling after eating mushrooms. It is creatures and melancholy, madness and passion, all grown together. And all of it is passionate. The greatest thing Dear does on the album, though, is close out the album on a sweet, choral and freeing note. "Gem" starts with a brief glitch, and then turns to pianos and a looped track of laughter, all set up by rushing waves of static. It is a song that feels like the beach, it feels like solemn moments spent out by the water, questioning ones choices as the sun sets, knowing that the light is leaving and that time is passing rapidly. "No reward for calling out your name, as I have done time and time again," starts the second verse of haunting lyrics. And for all its sadness, this captivating song closes on soft piano and cresting waves. And the distant cry of a single voice before fading to black.

Black City is every bit the masterpiece it has been reviewed to be. Matthew Dear has captured a litany of emotions and crafted them into mood and sound. It is shoe-gazey, and electronic, and dark, but there's a place for music like that in all our libraries, just as there is a place for those feelings in all of our lives.

Score: 9/10

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Chromeo - Business Casual

Chromeo returns with a delectable '80s-driven collection of songs that could have easily come from dance montage and strutting scenes in a pseudo-John Hughes movie. Business Casual rides a heavy dose of synthesizers and Casio-keyboard style electronic beats to create uniquely (if homage-heavy) textured dance tracks. And several times, an original song has just enough in common with an at least somewhat recognizable '80s staple that it's impossible not to latch on purely out of nostalgia. At their best moments they capture the musical eloquence of LCD Soundsystem without the vulnerability and honesty, and at their worst the music is simply fun, unadorned by any life-changing lyrics or mind-blowing electronic work. They do take chances, don't mistake that, but some of the chances seem like variations on a chance previously taken. Business Casual is a great album, loaded with catchy hooks, and delightful music. It puts Chromeo on par with a personal favorite of mine, Cut Copy, and this band succeeds through a consistent and well-paced collection. And Chromeo willfully calls back to electronic music's past, reaching out to Daft Punk and to a lesser extent the sweet beginnings of Erasure.

The track opens with the soundtrack-y "Hot Mess," which effectively blends a Bravo/internet meme and turns into a song you could see Molly Ringwald putting on 11 bracelets and a veil to. "I'm Not Contagious" brings in more vocal manipulation, giving it the vibe that robots are on the way, and they want to dance. The lyrics are fairly cliche, but it's a love song built around getting the girl through the charmingly touch-in-cheek titular claim. "Night by Night" is maybe the most solid track on the album, leading with a slightly altered "Eye Of The Tiger"-like riff, and building into a delightful dance refrain that grows progressively more electronic. The same praise can be foisted up on "Don't Turn The Lights On," which has the best and most original lyrics on the album, with a sweet Junior Boys'-esque vulnerability and delicacy. "You Make It Rough" is central opus, invoking growling vocals and numerous changes over 7 minutes. It also features a breakdown that occurs about 5 minutes in is both entrancing and disorienting. On "When The Night Falls" they tread back into the Junior Boys territory, decorating a smooth, faux-R&B track with fast-talking calm lyrics and climbing xylophonic garnishes. "Don't Walk Away" is a bit bland, but it leads to "J'ai Claque La Porte" and the French track's soft, rhythmic lyrics that seem here to use the vocals, more than anywhere on the album, as an instrument in and of themselves. The album closes relatively strong, but also relatively uninspired. "The Right Type" feels like an '80s television show theme that plays over the expository title and cast-credit screens (think: Perfect Strangers). And "Grow Up" is sort of a bland closer that feels simply like Chromeo ran out of gas after 7 and half great tracks.

If you are a fan of any of the bands to which I compared Chromeo's Business Casual then this is a must-have. The album holds its own and feels fresh, and while it doesn't specifically reward re-listening, it is definitely built to hear over and over without becoming tired. This won't change your life, but it will make a for a solid party, and maybe some good psyche up music as you approach the work day. And it's all catchy enough that you're sure to get a few of these tracks stuck up in your brain zone.

Score: 7.5/10

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LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (pre-release stream)

It's sad to think that there may be an end to LCD Soundsystem's exceptional dance-punk style on horizon. I have a special attachment to Sound of Silver, mostly cultivated through extensive listening at work that planted a seed, finally blossoming into an unfaltering love. LCD Soundsystem excels at blending digital, multi-track music with words that are so real and readily applicable to life. Songs like "All My Friends" and "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down" have a sort of eternal resonance that makes them not only interesting to listen to, but also builds a sort of kinship. We've all been in the mental/emotional places that these songs highlight. Distance, sadness, confusion, incompleteness, and nostalgia comprise a large portion of life. The whole exercise of growing up is predicated upon failure, retries, ego-boosts and ego-breaks. And we'd all be so lucky to have our individual experiences soundtracked by such dynamic, motivating music. LCD Soundsystem's newest This Is Happening will release here in the States on May 18th, but at present it is streaming for free via the band's website at lcdsoundsystem.com/thisishappening/. I have listened through the album twice, and I can't imagine a better way for the band to cap off this project (if this is, in fact, their final collaboration).

James Murphy has always had a grasp of those qualities that make up great music. While the music LCD Soundsystem has shown some signs of repetition, the mood, style and tone of each song has been carefully honed. This Is Happening starts with a slow burner, "Dance Yrslf Clean," which plays up a certain level of drama in the whispered, paced lyrics that builds up and finally overflows in an explosion of dance beats and raucousness. Really, it's the perfect "welcome back" track because it doesn't force its way into your ear so much as (like a great salesman) endear itself to you before showing its true colors. If you know LCD Soundsystem at all, you will instantly recognize this track, like a mother knowing its baby's cry. The powerful opener fades down into "Drunk Girls," a track that is chanting and anthemic. And then "One Touch," which calls interaction and connection as its primary topics. Really, there's not a bad song on the album. The confessional, intimate style (something rare for dance music) permeates this album, as it does other LCD Soundsystem albums, but here even more so. "All I Want," "I Can Change," "You Wanted A Hit," and "Pow Pow" all fulfill the upbeat requirements, creating an air of happy dance-pop that drives the core of the album. But, it's the closers that really pluck at the heartstrings. "Somebody's Calling Me" is a quiet, austere track that settles the mood for "Home." "Home" is the last song on the album. It's all about leaving something and moving on, and reconciling that change. In a lyrical gem we're given: "You might forget the sound of a voice/Still you should not forget the things we laughed about." It seems that we're always confronting this idea, moving on, leaving, changing relationships. Life is transition, or rather, living is transition. When we're stationary (in mind, heart, body, or any combination) is when we begin to die. Sometimes, as in this closing track "home" is actually just transition, rather than some arbitrary stationary object. Ultimately, "home" lies in love and memories; it's always there, but the way we perceive it always changes too. So, LCD Soundsystem leaves us with some philosophical thoughts, as they've done before. If this album is a goodbye, a parting gift, then it's a truly sincere one. And if LCD Soundsystem returns for a fourth helping, then it's just an incredibly apt closing to the album. Pick up a real copy on May 18th, and listen through the catalog because every song in the LCD Soundsystem project is precise, caring and exceptional.

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Santa's Sad Song Sack

What if Santa brought a sack of songs down the chimney instead of toys? What if all those songs were of the sad sack variety? What if he brought twelve because he knows about a certain song associated with his time of year and he's into drawing parallels between that and other parts of his life? What if Santa was meta? What if I decided this was a valid concept for today's post?

He 'ho ho ho'd' into my apartment, despite the lack of a chimney. I assumed he'd climbed through the old milk delivery door in my kitchen, but he could have come through the old radiator just as easily. A man of myth, he has the skeletal structure of a mouse. No doorway he can't pass under, no passage he cannot traverse. He combines the elasticity of Mr. Fantastic with the giant form of Kingpin. Santa left a red velvet bag on my hardwood floor. It held the full shape of a pomegranate despite appearing airy. And so, after a moment of consideration, and 3 rumtastic eggnogs, I broke into that yuletide duffel... Inside were 12 excellent indie songs, sad, excellent indie songs with a note that read in elegant script: Santa's Sad Song Sack. (Warning: All of these songs are sad sack, or depressing to some degree... but all of them are also amazing and brilliantly composed)

1. Leslie Anne Levine - The Decemberists from Castaways And Cutouts:
A haunting, beautiful and melancholy song about the ghost of a baby girl wandering the afterlife purposelessly forever.
Best Line: "Fifteen years gone now I still wander this parapet and shake my rattle bone"



2. I Don't Blame You - Cat Power from You Are Free:
Artistic/emotional/personal sacrifice, loss of control, and wispy, sorrowful vocals by Chan Marshall.
Best Line: "Then you would recall the deadly houses you grew up in just because they knew your name"







3. Black Cab - Jens Lekman from Oh You're So Silent Jens:
A song about missing the last train after the party, wanting desperately to get home, and questioning the safety of London's most iconic Hackney carriages. Heavier tonally than lyrically.
Best Line: "They might be psycho killers, but tonight I really don't care. So I say turn up the music, take me home or take me anywhere"

4. New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem from Sounds Of Silver:
Brilliantly captures the feeling of having outgrown the city you live in, wanting to love it, but having fallen out of love.
Best Line: "New York you're safer and you're wasting my time"

5. Val Jester - The National from Alligator:
Possibly about romantic love, but I prefer to think of it as the lament of a father for letting his daughter run away... or losing her. It's a song of parental loss.
Best Line: "All the most important people in New York are nineteen"

6. Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe - Okkervil River from The Stage Names:
Poignantly states that life lacks the happy contrivances in movies.
Best Line: "No fade in, film begins on a kid in the big city"


7. How To Be A Perfect Man - Songs:Ohia from Axxess & Ace:
Jason Molina pins down the feeling of being the placeholder in a relationship, when your lover will leave you for the right person, and you know it.
Best Line: "Be mine till you're reminded of something better"




8. Shoot Doris Day - Super Furry Animals from Rings Around The World:
Mostly the ambiance, tone and minor-chord echoes carry it's sadness, but it's also about loss and change.
Best Line: "People never stay the same, it's a fight between the wild and tame"

9. This Boy Is Exhausted - The Wrens from Meadowlands:
Captures the feeling of not knowing what to do with your life, working hard because you have to and believing that it's far too late to do anything better.
Best Line: "Tied to work, splitting rock, cutting diamonds, 100 days with no pay, not anymore"



10. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs from Fever To Tell:
This song isn't entirely sad, but it's a soft spot on a predominantly post-punk, heavy guitar album, and it's beautiful!
Best Line: "Wait, they don't love you like I love you"






11. Pink Bullets - The Shins from Chutes Too Narrow:
The way an important relationship alters the course of your life and takes the wind out of your sails when it ends.
Best Line: "When our kite lines first crossed we tied them into knots, and to fly apart we had to cut them off"

12. The Death Of Ferdinand DeSaussure - The Magnetic Fields from 69 Love Songs:
Love is something we can't understand with words, with science, with observation. It's a complex organism beyond the bounds of great thinking. Not a sad song, but a great one.
Best Line: "You can't use a bulldozer to study orchids"

Santa compels you to find these songs, hear them, love them, and try not to let them get you down.

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