I have some hope that I’ll finish out my Pazz & Jop series on a high note. I’ve heard of the artist at #18 on the list before, and in a promising context.
My younger daughter and I are at Moe’s Southwest Grill recently and were helped by a young woman we decided resembles Vanessa Hudgens. We returned a week or two later with my older daughter, who said no, she looks like Alessia Cara. “Who’s that?” I asked. A singer, my daughter told me, and a good one.
We’re in the home stretch of my look at the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll, and I will say that week two has proven far better than week one so far.
Will Kurt Vile, at #17 on the list of 2015’s best songs, buck that trend or extend it? I’d never heard of Vile, a Pennsylvania-born singer-songwriter who has released six studio albums since 2008. But I like the lyrics to this track before hearing a note of it.
‘Coffee’ from Miguel might sound like an order at a Cuban restaurant, but it’s actually the 16th best song of 2015, according to Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop poll.
I’ve featured one other Miguel song on the blog, back in 2013 when counting down the 2012 Pazz & Jop poll. Guess he’s a favorite. I didn’t like him then… let’s see if anything has changed three years later.
Ties for #14 on the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll is Tame Impala with ‘Let It Happen.’ I’ve read the name Tame Impala a lot lately but I have no idea what kind of music they play.
According to Wikipedia, they are an Australian rock band who have released three studio albums and a couple of EPs since 2008. Their latest album, Currents, was released last year.
There’s a certain thrill that comes with having no idea what to expect before firing up a song. Everything on the Pazz & Jop poll so far has been a known quantity, even if I’d never heard the song. I can pretty much guess what a Missy Elliott song is going to sound like before hitting play.
But tied for #14 on the 2015 poll (following Jack U and Justin Bieber, who fall at #13 with ‘Where Are U Now’) is a song called ‘Sunday Candy’ by a band called Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment.
Meet Me In Montauk 