Top Tracks of 2007 - Part 1 of 3

50. Timbaland feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

Give it to Me

Timbaland was definitely running shit in 2006 and Give it to Me started 2007 gracefully for a man who lives perched on a keyboard-surrounded throne. Nelly Furtado starts things off; delivering a kung fu introduction as yet another head bopping, banana-eatable Timbaland beat grows. With JT and Furtado as his royal guard Timbaland thrives and this is certainly dancefloor bait. However like most of his efforts during the year with 50 Cent, Duran Duran and his solo album, the inspiration seems a little lacking and he did not reach the dizzy heights of 2006, nor higher than opening spot on this list.

49. Dinosaur Jr.

Almost Ready

All it takes is one low fidelity riff to take you back a decade. The early nineties was an era of grungy rock and it still exists in the output of Dinosaur Jr, in fact it feels like it’s never stopped. You will catch up quickly with the relentless, distorting guitar work, constant drums and a wall of bass working through this whole track. The singing I define as chorus because each verse is a new guitar solo. You can’t help but get the impression that multiple guitars are working together but it is in fact just J Mascis strumming his spiritually powered fingers beneath his locks of long hair. Rock and Roll will never die.

48. Mark Ronson feat. Santo Gold

Pretty Green

There’s no doubt that the music world is getting more danceable. Mark Ronson knew this when he set about reworking The Jam’s almost three decade old classic into a dance floor hit. Not that the song wasn’t danceable before, but the funky horns, diva voice of Santo Gold and the thick groove woven into this track turn it into irresistible Dance Dance Revolution fodder.

47. Oliver Koletzki

Get Wasted

Oliver Koletzki produces smooth house music, not down tempo, not Latin funk; just a quality German no-nonsense charm. This track is straight, strong and pure. It’s like drinking triple distilled vodka. It starts minimal, nothing but beeps dripping out from the speakers and into a glass. But as cymbals rattle louder and louder with anticipation you can bring the track to your ears, sniff, and then sip. There is bass that spreads warmly throughout your body, starting from the centre and working outwards.

The snare pumps now, like a beating heart spreading the elixir of the tune through every part of you. Suddenly you’re immersed in the rhythm; everything fades in and out of focus. Nothing seems important anymore, nothing but to keep drinking in that sound, tasting the new experiences. It’s European, sophisticated and modern, it can also be addictive.

46. Dan Deacon

Wham City

Wham City is a 12 minute introduction into the world of Dan Deacon – not a producer but a composer of electronic music - and I think it’s only coincidentally the same length as your average Merry Melodies cartoon. The song and cartoons share many similarities: vibrant colours; erratic effects and squeaky voiced characters. Every minute of this track is tweaked out cheeriness.

45. Boyfriendgirlfriend

Down In the Love

This song is filthy sex, full of pounding beats and rippling, muscular synthesisers. The first words are not sung but whispered, as if it the song itself has snuck up behind you to grasp your waist and breathe lyrics warmly into your ears. As the sound takes control of you there’s nothing to do but lean back against its brawny, solid melody.

Before you can say “No” you’re already disorientated and engaged in the rampant, sweaty funk. The words don’t matter now, just the steady hip-thrust bass. Never have computer made beats sounded so animal, and each pounding stab of rhythm escalates with intensity until finally the song reaches its... uh, climax.

44. Andrew Bird

Imitosis

Imitosis is a decidedly upbeat folk song that pops along intriguingly. This is despite the darker message carried in Andrew Bird’s run on sentence style lyrics. The simple, rattling drum beat and strings work well with the creepy mandolin that is plucked throughout. An introspective melody that’s still easy to feel connected to.

43. Patrick Wolf

The Magic Position

This is another extremely poppy folk rock song delivered by 2007. It’s begun by handclaps, strings and a joyous sounding glockenspiel before Patrick Wolf’s lounge singer style voice takes command. The Magic Position follows pop formula perfectly, the cello, violins and drums build in crescendo’s to choruses before Patrick Wolf’s voice takes off into the more passionate chorus. A very fun song.

42. Offcutts

Cold Morning Happiness

The Offcuts used to be an Australian electronic music duo before they did a reverse Simian Mobile Disco and dropped the synthesisers for guitars. But that history still comes through in their music, with the rhythm of Cold Morning Happiness being grungy, but definitely a “beat”. Make no mistake though, there are rock chords a plenty in this song and Tommy Spender has the typically successful Aussie rock voice to make you sing along to the chorus. The extra studio polish added makes for an outstanding track overall.

41. Kanye West

Can't Tell Me Nothing

Kanye may have an arrogant streak, but he can make a beat to kill from almost nothing. Someone else who can craft a murderous beat is DJ Toomp who before Can’t Tell Me Nothing produced T.I.’s What You Know in 2006. So combine them together you know you’re getting something quality, so good that when I saw Craze DJ last September he didn’t even need a request to do a rewind after he dropped it. Even the chick from Sneaky Sound System sounds impressive on this track.

40. Sunset Rubdown

The Courtesan Has Sung

Spencer Krug’s solo project has evolved into an outfit that knows how to turn many things into instruments and combine them creatively into outstanding, eclectic rock music. A prime example of this is Krug turning his own voice, yelping over a leashed guitar and limited percussion until it blends into its own echo and reaches new pitch. That’s the introduction to The Courtesan Has Sung. It’s a great build up to the distorted guitar and melodies that follow, and would be a spectacular preview of a soon to be released new Wolf Parade album (please).

39. The Fratellis

Flathead

The Fratellis’ play bar music. Flathead is no exception, full of frantic, screaming choruses (which I associated with being pissed and having a great time) and an equal number of quieter, down tempo moments (which I associate with standing in lines at bars waiting to get to get more piss). It’s a song about gossip, girls and drinking with helpfully easy to sing phonetic choruses. Everything about this song makes me think about crowded bars, chugging down beers and getting crunk Scottish pub rock style.

38. Chemical Brothers

All Rights Reversed

The Chemical Brothers psychedelic new album has been accused of being lackadaisical. But in reality it's just another barrage of sound sailing under the radar waiting to blow up deep inside your defences. After all, these guys have been on the pulse of music for years now. They showed it with Keke on Believe back in 2004 when Helicopter was first being played on the radio and they do it again recording with the Klaxons before they went on to be poster boys for the nu-electro carnival of 2007. All Rights Reversed, with its stalking organs and whirlpool of synths, won't be letting you swim to its surface any time soon. The Chemical Brothers never stop from trying something fresh... with the possible exception of Lily Allen.

37. Queens of the Stone Age

3's & 7's

Josh Homme may pretend to be the lead singer of Queens of the Stone Age, but he's not. His vocals may be on this track but it's the guitar that does the singing throughout most of Era Vulgaris. On 3s and 7s it has a story to tell, first spitting then screaming over the backing vocals of the four stringed bass. There's a reason this was the first song confirmed for 2007's epic Guitar Hero 3. The same reason that when you sing along to chorus in your car it's not to the words but to the riff. But also worth noting: the drumming is spectacular.

36. Modest Mouse

Spitting Venom

Modest Mouse is a band that has done some serious evolving over the past decade. While We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank served to further alienate some of its original, pessimistic, small-town USA fan base, the now more cheery group still shows a connection to its roots. Spitting Venom is an epic rock track that times a cascade of riffs after a tension building introduction spectacularly. A song of separation, there is still the message that things will be OK. An excellent summation of the optimistic change that Isaac Brock has gone through and why their music now sounds like they actually had fun making it.