Hits of the Year

The 10 Best Songs of 2007
This one goes to 11...

1. "Scythian Empires," Andrew Bird, off Armchair Apocrypha. A sad and relevant song about impermance and war, featuring the long-gone horseback archers of the Russian steppes. Their Halliburton attaché cases are useless, while scotch guard Macintoshes shall be carbonized.
   
2. "Minuet," by Ernest Ranglin and Baba Maal, a 1998 composition found on the soundtrack to The Future is Unwritten. A nine minute vacation in the sun by the Jamaican guitarist and the Senagalese singer -- carefree and lilting.
   
3. "The Trouble with River Cities," Pela, from Anytown Graffiti. I ran into this song by accident on the internet, and was intrigued by its title. It reminds me (vocally) of the Fine Young Cannibals. Float like a sparrow, T-top Camaro. Is the wind done blowing you down?


4. "Almost Everything is Boinga," The Backyardigans featuring Alicia Keys, as heard on the "Mission to Mars" episode of The Backyardigans (and a forthcoming 2008 record). Do your birds say boinga? No, our birds say tweet. Do you sit on your boinga? No, we sit on our seat.
   
5. "1 2 3 4" as performed by Feist on the Late Show with David Letterman back in August. Every summer needs a song like this one. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 or 10: money can't buy you back the love that you had then.


6. "Myriad Harbour," The New Pornographers, off Challengers.


7. "Racing Day," The Backyardigans, from the episode "Racing Day" (and the record mentioned above). Racing Day, it's Racing Day. It's not self-effacing day, today is the day we race.


8. "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," as performed by Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Calexico on the soundtrack to I'm Not There. Dylan's lyrics, Calexico's slide guitar and excelent instrumentation, and the shuffling lyrical style of the Brooklyn Cowboy. Sweet Melinda, the peasants call her the goddess of gloom. She speaks good English and she invites you up into her room.


9. "Killing The Blues," as performed by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, Raising Sand. A great John Prine song, and a strange but remarkable pairing of voices. Leaves were falling just like embers. In colors red and gold, they set us on fire...


10. "It's Only Divine Right," a New Pornographers song recast in the yacht rock stylings of Michael McDonald.