THE 52 BEST SONGS OF 2011 Our favourite examples of the pop song from the last 12 months.
You can take your Sistine Chapel and shove it: the pop song is the highest achievement of human civilisation, and this year has seen some wonderful refinements of the form. These are 52 songs that made up our year, one for each week, each a drop-your-jaw moment. Endless and instant, these are the jams we love when we hear them in shops and wish played out of every radio in the land. Pop is about that vital moment of impossible connection and totally Now-ness for the four minutes it plays, that What the hell? second when music shifts. These are our favourite examples, of varying genre and fame, which were released in 2011.
Pop culture has always existed in a state of fracture; though this year more than ever, for unspeakably obvious reasons. But still, some sweeping statements are possible. In many ways, this year has seen musicians work with and on memory, and previous musics. Our favourite song of the year, Beyonces 1+1 is a terrific example of this it surveys the past of black music with imperial majesty, referencing more-than-explicitly Sam Cookes Wonderful World and Princes Purple Reign, re-imagining both as a sumptuous love-until-the-end-of-days ballad. And many others below are similarly cross-referencing, mis-translating pop tongues, from southern screwed rap to folk rock to gospel to Detroit techno to dubstep. The odd thing about referencial music, however, is not that it exists. Instead, what is surprising about the below list is the new shapes we have managed to pull the pop song into. If we are, as some fervently believe, reaching some state of terminal velocity, at least the tunes will be great.
The below is our list, in as exact an order of quality as we could
52. VOMIT GIRLS [TRUE PANTHER SOUNDS / TURNSTILE]
51. ALOTHEA ZOMBY [4AD]
50. BREAK4LOVE HYPE WILLIAMS [HIPPOS IN TANKS]
49. JUST A LITTLE POLLUTION FRKWYS 7 ENSEMBLE [RVNG]
48. ANOTHER GIRL JACQUES GREENE [LUCKYME]
47. JOEY ROGERS FORD & LOPATIN [SOFTWARE]
46. PHOENIX HYETAL [BLACK ACRE]
45. RUNNER UPS KURT VILE [MATADOR]
44. BTSTU JAI PAUL [XL]
43. SURFACE PURE X [ACEPHALE]
42. ROMANTIC STREAMS SLEEP ∞ OVER [HIPPOS IN TANKS]
41. NOVACAINE FRANK OCEAN
40. SHAKE IT OUT FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE [ISLAND]
39. MARVINS ROOM DRAKE [YOUNG MONEY]
38. STRANGER JHENE AIKO [SELF-RELEASE]
37. THE PARTY AND THE AFTER PARTY THE WEEKND [SELF-RELEASE]
36. SWEAR INC. [4AD]
35. THUNDER BAY HUDSON MOHAWKE [WARP]
34. WE BROS WU LYF [LYF RECORDINGS]
33. CONSTANT INDEX (ACTRESS VIOLET REMIX) LAUREL HALO
32. WINE BLONDES [RVNG]
31. 212 AZEALIA BANKS [SELF-RELEASE]
30. MOTIVATION CLAMS CASINO [SELF-RELEASE]
29. PLAYTHING WILD BEASTS [DOMINO]
28. FAR NEARER JAMIE XX [NMBRS]
27. ENDLESS BLUE THE HORRORS [XL]
26. SPEED OF RAIN LAUREL HALO [HIPPOS IN TANKS]
25. SPACE IS ONLY NOISE IF YOU CAN SEE NICOLAS JAAR [CIRCUS COMPANY]
24. SUPER BASS NICKI MINAJ [YOUNG MONEY]
23. GLOBAL LUNCH JAMES FERRARO [HIPPOS IN TANKS]
22. IM ON ONE DRAKE, RICK ROSS & LIL WAYNE
21. SALT LAKE CUTS KUEDO
20. THE NOOSE OF JAH CITY ZOO KID [TRUE PANTHER SOUNDS]
19. ON BATTLESHIP HILL PJ HARVEY
18. R E A L L O V E FACTORY FLOOR [OPTIMO MUSIC]
17. FLASH BACK RUSTIE [WARP]
16. COMES IN WAVES PSYCHOLOGIST [NOT EVEN]
15. WHITE RUNE ICEAGE [ABEANO / ESCHO]
14. GLASS JAR GANG GANG DANCE [4AD]
13. GODDESS EYES JULIA HOLTER
12. HOLOSCENE BON IVER [4AD]
11. WEDDING CRASHER TERIUS NASH [SELF-RELEASED]
10. HOLD ON SBTRKT & SAMPHA [YOUNG TURKS]
09. OTIS KANYE WEST & JAY Z [DEF JAM]
08. HERES YOUR TRANCE NOW DANCE OMAR S [FXHE]
07. SOMEONE LIKE YOU ADELE [XL]
06. REPLICA ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER [SOFTWARE]
05. VANESSA GRIMES [HIPPOS IN TANKS]
04. MEASUREMENTS JAMES BLAKE [ATLAS / A&M]
03. PESO A$AP ROCKY [SELF-RELEASE]
02. TOUCH HOLY OTHER [TRI ANGLE]
01. 1+1 BEYONCΙ
its hilarious considering half the songs on the list arent even known to most people loooool anyways congrats beyonce, much better songs from 4 that could have been the number 1 slot but congrats