top 10 songs of 2011.

this list is probably the one i changed the most over the last few weeks. first i included songs which could mainly be found on the records in my top 10 album ranking. as i’ve mentioned those records already, i figured it’d be quite boring to just repeat them here. that’s why i tried to focus more on singles from other albums or even songs which either have already been released years before or will be released next year. obviously i still had to include some songs which are on records i’ve mentioned before, simply because they had such an immense impact on me this year, that i can’t possibly ignore them. all songs on this list have been played many many times this year, either on record, cd or ipod, and they all are incredibly amazing. 

1. bombay bicycle club – 'lights out, words gone'
    (from the album 'a different kind of fix')

i don’t think there’s anything to say. just watch the excellent video for 'lights out, words gone' and you’ll just know why this song is my number one song of 2011. pure brilliance.

bombay bicycle club - 'lights out, words gone'

2. ben howard – 'the fear'

    (from the album 'every kingdom')

this one’s the first song that has a special meaning to me. considering all the things that happened this year, moving around so much that i never thought i’d find a place i could ever call home, having to say goodbye to lots of great people - 'the fear' basically sums up all those feelings, but still manages to create a positive atmosphere through an uplifting beat. ben howard sure knows how to ‘keep your head up’ (no pun intended…).

 ben howard - 'the fear'

3. the gramotones – 'little river'

the lads from the gramotones definitely deserve a special mention here. if you think about the fact that i came across them only about a month ago, it’s quite amazing how much i’ve played their tunes since then. 'little river' is already one of the most played songs on my ipod, because it’s just not possible to get sick or bored of it. this song will still be brilliant in twenty years.

the gramotones - 'little river'

4. stornoway – 'i saw you blink'

    (from the album 'beachcomber's windowsill')

what would this year have been without stornoway? they got the stone rolling. 'i saw you blink' was the first stornoway song that caught my attention and it’s still amazing almost a year later. this song will never get old.

stornoway - 'i saw you blink'

5. ahab – 'lucy'

picking my favourite ahab song was definitely not the easiest thing to do, and i’m not quite sure if 'lucy' actually is my favourite. but i associate so many things with this song that i thought it might be the best pick for this list. i really like the original upbeat version, but i absolutely love the quiet acoustic version ahab (minus callum) did for the crypt sessions, so that’s what you can listen to in the video below.

ahab - 'lucy' live

6. the travelling band – 'sundial'

    (from the album 'screaming is something')

the great thing about the travelling band is that their music mostly does not need any explanation. their music speaks for itself and it somehow works in 99 out of 100 cases. 'sundial' was the number one song on my summer soundtrack and one of the highlights of every the travelling band gig i’ve been to this year. 

the travelling band - 'sundial'

7. nigel wright – 'solid muse'

this one’s another song that doesn’t need many words. just let nigel’s vocals take you to another place. sit back, relax and just focus on the song. i cannot wait to hear more from him. 'solid muse' is simply breathtaking. 

 nigel wright - 'solid muse'

8. joe mcadam – 'going to new york'

he might be THE manchester discovery for me this year. joe’s vocals are beyond heart melting and as soon as he enters the stage, you just can’t help but smile as his stage presence is simply mesmerizing.

unfortunately there's no video, not even a live performance, that i could show you here. so please make sure to check out joe's facebook page or soundcloud account and have a listen to 'going to new york'. i promise, you won't regret it. 

9. dry the river – 'the chambers & the vales'

    (from the yet to be released album 'shallow bed')

this song brings back some amazing memories. thanks to youtube and other social networks, i came across 'the chambers & the vales' a couple of months ago. turns out this song will actually be released as dry the river’s next single. not sure yet if i like that or not, since songs that get released as singles usually tend to get boring after a while. and that’s why this song is in the 2011 list and probably won’t reappear in next year’s list. since there's no proper video yet, here's a live version from last year.

 dry the river - 'the chambers & the vales' live

10. julia marcell – 'matrioszka'

      (from the album 'june')

i admit it, i was wrong about julia marcell. her album 'june' definitely showed me to be patient with new music and not to judge too quickly. i’ve had 'matrioszka' on repeat for weeks, among other songs from her record, and i’m very much looking forward to seeing her live again at next year’s haldern pop festival.

julia marcell - 'matrioszka'

again, that's it for now. the very last ranking - top 10 gigs of 2011 - will be up tomorrow.