1
Gui Boratto, “A Beautiful Life.” Disarmingly simplistic and bracingly repetitive eight minutes-plus house track from São Paulo, Brazil. With its army of synthesizers and a vocalist repeating the title like an incantation, the utopianism promised in the title is delivered in the end by a startling interjection of New Order-ish guitar. From the critically acclaimed Chromophobia (on Kompakt). (Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0)
2
Burial, “Archangel.” Anonymous U.K. knob-twiddler, leader of the new-school craze known as “dubstep,” the music of which seems to be characterized primarily by its unwillingness to communicate more than vague sound gestures: an indecisive (and indecipherable) low-end throb, consonants and vowels filling in for actual words. Crank this one up really loud and it’s still hard to hear. Fascinating, creepy and weirdly kind of beautiful. (3.5)
3
Siobhan Donaghy, “Don’t Give Up.” Misty mountain pop from a former member of Britain’s Sugababes. Extravagant and preposterous in the best way possible, and further proof that Enya makes more sense as a genre than as an artist. (3.5)
4
The Killers, “Read My Mind [Pet Shop Boys’ Stars Are Blazing mix].” The Pet Shop Boys are doing some of their best work these days on other people’s records. Elsewhere this year they made two wonderful appearances on Robbie Williams’ Rudebox, one on a song about Madonna, the other on a song about themselves. Here, they take the best pop track from Sam’s Town and don’t so much transform it as simply push it further in the direction it was already headed—straight to the dance floor. (4.0)
5
Los Campesinos!, “Death to Los Campesinos.” These ambitious indie Brit kids hit the bull’s-eye early in the year with a ridiculously catchy single (reviewed in this space) about not knowing how to dance. Here they advocate packing it in while their loony-bin guitarist declares his unabashed love for ... The Allman Brothers? Lucky for us they remain ridiculously—and gratifyingly—you know, catchy. (3.5)
6
Rich Boy, “Throw Some D’s.” There’s an almost indescribable sweetness—a wisp of a melody you can’t quite grasp—lurking beneath the surface noise and male bravado of this Atlanta-bred rap smash. Produced by Polow da Don, whose recent work (cf. Fergie, Ciara, et al.) has matched if not outflanked recent Timbaland. (4.0)
7
Britney Spears, “Piece of Me.” As a pitfalls-of-fame tour de force by a celeb mutation who sounds half-woman, half-machine, this should, by definition, be the most self-serving thing she’s ever done. In fact, it’s the first Britney song I’ve unapologetically gone nuts for. Through this perverse thicket of multi-layered vocal trickery a real person finally emerges out the other end, pissed, confused, fierce and funny. (4.5)
8
Marnie Stern, “Absorb Those Numbers. “A female indie-rock Yngwie Malmsteen,” noted one reviewer disapprovingly, but whether it’s the “indie” or the “Yngwie” (or maybe it’s the “female”?) that freaked them out, the truth is, such unalloyed guitar virtuosity is absent in any genre these days—save perhaps the darkest throes of metal—and anyway, you’d have to go back to Hendrix or Van Halen to hear a version that sounded this much fun. Disjointed, childlike noise that doesn’t shun the pretty. (3.5)
9
Keith Urban, “Stupid Boy.” Australian country crooner who, generally speaking, is best when he keeps it slow. This stately ballad is a welcome rejoinder to decades worth of “stupid girl” songs, and it’s sung by a guy smart enough to know that the audience he’s addressing includes himself. (3.5)
10
Kelly Willis, “Success.” A convincingly rowdy Tex-mex cover of a classic Iggy Pop tune by a so-called country “traditionalist” from Austin, Texas. Originally released at the height of the punk era, Iggy’s version was ironic, confrontational, a bit spiteful. Willis, aware of what a cruel joke the song is, tears into it with an approach that blurs self-mockery and unhinged glee until you can’t tell which is which; in her shout of “HooRAY success!” I hear a little of both. (4.0)