Welcome back to the countdown of the finest tracks of 2011.
15. In Colour - HUNTING GROUNDS
Jam-packed with juicy riffs and big, dumb shouty-bits, Hunting Grounds beat The Vines at their own game in 2011. No other song could match the cheap thrills on 'In Colour'. And few other songs were as catchy. Listen to it here
14. Go Outside - CULTS
Wide-eyed and fancy free, Cults burst onto the music scene this year with one of the weirdest, trippiest little pop tunes imaginable. 'Go Outside' is built around a slightly demented choir vocal and a cute little xylophone. The song is infused with naive delirium, like a children's music lesson after the entire class has drunk too much lurid-green cordial. Listen to it here
13. Candyfloss - JONNY
What do you get if you cross Scottish power pop and Welsh psych-pop? In 2011, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) and Euros Childs (Gorky's Zygotic Mynci) provided the answer by forming Jonny, with often bonkers - and occasionally sublime - results. 'Candyfloss' was unquestionably the highlight, gliding along on sugar-sweet harmonies and languid organ. It makes a convincing case for Jonny to become more than just a side-project in the future. Listen to it here
12. Moneygrabber - FITZ & THE TANTRUMS
Songwriter MIchael Fitzpatrick certainly wears his influences on his sleeve (The Four Tops, The Supremes, The Temptations). And his band, Fitz & The Tantrums, are so funky that they probably would have fitted right into the 1960s heyday of Motown. 'Moneygrabber' was one of several songs on their debut record that swung in all the right places, carrying a witty lyric about a gold digger getting her cumupence. Listen to it here
11. Dirty Rain - RYAN ADAMS
The newly healed, newly married, newly happy Ryan Adams is a curious specimen. His new record, Ashes & Fire, received some rave reviews but - for my money - it often veered too close to the middle of the road. However, even when he's not at the top of his game, Adams is still capable of producing a gem that few others can match. Album opener, 'Dirty Rain' was just such a song. Muscially there's nothing complex about it - acoustic guitar, piano and organ. The lyrics are simple too, telling a story of redemption. So what makes this track stand out? The vocal performance. Effortlessly wonderful. Listen to it here
...to be continued in the coming days...
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