The Weeknd’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ takes the #3 spot in Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop poll. No argument there. I had it at #4 on my own list.
At #4 is another track from Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. This one is ‘Alright,’ a song that became an unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement, as it touches on the issue of police shooting black men.
The song has a Do the Right Thing vibe, both because of its subject matter and the use of horns juxtaposed with hip-hop beats.
I know it’s the first day of February, but I’m still looking back at 2015. I ran down my own favorite songs of last year, so now I’ll give the critics their say.
Each year, the Village Voice asks nearly 500 music critics to list their ten favorite albums and singles and all of that data is crunched to arrive at a consensus master list, known as the Pazz & Jop poll.
I’ve covered the top vote-getters for a few years now, and for the next two weeks I’ll once again feature the singles that topped the poll.
Grease is primarily about the unlikely romance between greaser Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Olsson, but I always found more emotional resonance in the sub-plot concerning the rebellious Rizzo, played by Stockard Channing.
Rizzo provides comic relief but also has a pregnancy scare that complicates her relationship with Kenickie, and in one of the film’s most touching scenes (embedded below) she gives us a rare glimpse of her vulnerability.
Today’s Random iTunes Selection comes courtesy of a Josh Rouse live CD distributed for free by Noise Trade.
Noise Trade is a site that connects musicians with fans through the free distribution of music. The idea is that the audience an artist can reach through the site’s large network is worth a lot in potential future sales.
Josh Rouse can win new fans through the release of a live sampling of his earlier work, and existing fans (like me) get to download a nice little treat.
Best Songs of 2015 – #1
‘Play For Today’ – Belle & Sebastian
I had more Top 40 hits in this year’s top twenty countdown than I ever have before, so I guess I’ve earned the right to go full indie geek and give my #1 spot to an epic Belle & Sebastian song about battling depression.
What did you expect, ‘Hotline Bling?’
Meet Me In Montauk 