Songs of the year pt.4

The final installment of my songs of the year. I've probably missed some great songs off here but I didn't actually write a list down as such, just picked the songs that came into my head as I was writing this.

The Black Keys - Tighten Up
These guys have been around for a while but somehow I only decided to give them a chance this year. Their album 'Brothers' is a great psychedelic rock record and 'Tighten up' shows just how good they can be. They sort of remind be a bit of a more radio friendly Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in places, and that can't be a bad thing can it?

Villagers - Becoming a Jackal
British folk has been making a great resurgence this year and this Mercury Prize nominated band deserve more recognition than they've so far had. This song sounds a bit like a modern take on Simon and Garfunkle and showcases just how great Villagers are. I saw them live a month or so ago and was blown away by how good they were and how well they managed to captivate the audience.

Laura Marling - Alpha Shallows
My other favourite nu-folk record of the year has to be Laura Marling. I can never fully grasp how young and talented she is, with a style of songwriting and a voice that are years ahead of her time. I think it's something about the opening guitar part of this song that really grabs me, combined with the delicateness, beauty and power of her voice. I went and saw her play on my birthday in Bristol this year, she was incredible.

The Naked and Famous - Young Blood
It's not often I hear a song through the poor speakers of a laptop on its death bed that grabs me as much as this did. When I first heard this I couldn't wait to hear that crushing dirty bass sound through my hi-fi and disappointed I was not. To me this sounds like a cross between Passion Pit, M83 and MGMT and if you haven't checked out this New Zealand band yet, please do.

Jonsi - Go Do
Right my final entry for my songs of the year is from the captivating voice of Sigur Ros' frontman Jonsi. His solo album this year, sung in English, is upbeat, quirky and stunning. Go Do is uplifting and Jonsi's grasp of melody is just incredible, using his voice more like an instrument in a way that nobody else can.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well there you have it, my songs of the year. Ok this may not be a comprehensive or perfectly thought out list but I think I've got most of the main ones down. If 2011 is anything like this year in terms of depth and quality of albums released we're in for a good one.