“Pitchfork” Thinks LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” Is Something Great

jharv | December 17, 2007 9:45 am
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This summer I was already convinced that LCD Soundsystem would top Pitchfork’s list of the best singles of the year, even if I wasn’t sure if the spot would go to “All My Friends” or “Someone Great.” But my former colleagues solved the issue by putting both songs into the Top 10 of the site’s Top 100 singles of 2007, to which (in the interest of full blah de blah) I should note that I did not contribute my two cents. (Albums list neither.) The full 100 is after the jump, but first our thoughts on the list you’ve all been (admit it) patiently waiting to pick apart more than any other.

THE GOOD: The Top 10 belongs to what are by now the usual suspects (try to guess the precise order before clicking!), but this is probably the only year-end wrap-up where Sun City Girls guitar magus Sir Richard Bishop shares space with the handbag R&B of T2’s bassline house anthem “Heartbroken,” a soppy memory from the heyday of U.K. garage that grows on me with each listen. And unlike the bulk of 2007’s best-of lists, most every entry comes with an MP3 or audio stream (or at least a video clip) so that you can decide in real time just how much you disagree with it. THE BAD: Pretty light on dance/electronic music for a site with a monthly techno column by one of the best critics covering the beat and hip-hop’s been more or less whittled down to the handful of expected/accepted 2007 Inter-faves (Kanye, Jay-Z, Wayne, etc.) in favor of Pitchfork’s indie wheelhouse (which had a better-than-average year). Plus they didn’t even have the balls to rank the Black Kids higher than No. 68. THE WHAAAA? Pitchfork’s (institutional) embrace of the pop charts is still so odd. (That it was one of the weakest years for American pop in my living memory notwithstanding.) For instance, nothing by Lloyd, Ne-Yo, Amerie (who they favorably reviewed, even if she scored no American hits this year), Keyshia Cole, Timbaland, Bobby Valentino, Beyonce, Chris Brown, etc. makes the list, which would be fine if there was a blanket ban on non-“Umbrella” R&B. Except why did a negligible soundtrack inclusion from one-hit ex-model Cassie (a song the entry even acknowledges is initially “devoid of any distinctive qualities”) make it in?

100: Ost & Kjex “Milano Mugolian (A Thrilling Mungophony in Two Parts)” 99: Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew “Backed Out on the…” 98: Old Time Relijun “Indestructible Life!” 97: Sir Richard Bishop “Ecstasies in the Open Air” 96: Times New Viking “Teenage Lust!” 95: Groove Armada [ft. Mutya Buena] “Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)” 94: MGMT “Time to Pretend” 93: Antibalas “Beaten Metal” 92: Air “Mer du Japon (Kris Menace Remix)” 91: Menomena “The Pelican” 90: Miranda Lambert “Gunpowder & Lead” 89: Air France “Beach Party” 88: The New Pornographers “Myriad Harbour” 87: Sophie Ellis-Bextor “Me and My Imagination” 86: Rekid “Next Stop Chicago” 85: BARR “The Song Is the Single” 84: 50 Cent “I Get Money” 83: Sonic Youth “I’m Not There” 82: Tinariwen “Matadjem Yinmixan” 81: Modest Mouse “Dashboard” 80: Grizzly Bear “Little Brother (Electric)” 79: Magik Markers “Taste” 78: Amy Winehouse “Tears Dry on Their Own” 77: The National “Mistaken for Strangers” 76: Klaxons “Golden Skans” 75: Escort “All Through the Night” 74: Black Lips “Katrina” 73: The Twilight Sad “Cold Days From the Birdhouse” 72: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists “La Costa Brava” 71: The Shins “Turn on Me” 70: Cassie “Is It You?” 69: Roísín Murphy “Overpowered” 68: Black Kids “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You” 67: Devin the Dude [ft. Andre 3000 and Snoop Dogg] “What a Job” 66: King Khan & the Shrines “Welfare Bread” 65: DJ Khaled [ft. T.I., Akon, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman & Lil Wayne] “We Takin’ Over” 64: No Age “Neck Escaper” 63: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings “I’m Not Gonna Cry” 62: Cool Kids “I Rock” 61: !!! “Heart of Hearts” 60: The White Stripes “Rag and Bone” 59: Lil Wayne “Upgrade U” 58: Shellac “The End of Radio” 57: Electrelane “To the East” 56: Aesop Rock “None Shall Pass” 55: Studio “No Comply” 54: Joanna Newsom “Colleen” 53: Bat for Lashes “What’s a Girl to Do?” 52: The Clientele “Bookshop Casanova” 51: Kanye West [ft. T-Pain] “Good Life” 50: Dude ‘N Nem “Watch My Feet” 49: Yeasayer “2080” 48: Liars “Plaster Casts of Everything” 47: T2 “Heartbroken” 46: Deerhunter “Wash Off” 45: The Honeydrips “Fall From a Height” 44: Pantha du Prince “Saturn Strobe” 43: Deerhoof “The Perfect Me” 42: Spoon “Black Like Me” 41: Los Campesinos! “You! Me! Dancing!” 40: Beirut “Elephant Gun” 39: Sally Shapiro “He Keeps Me Alive” 38: Matthew Dear “Deserter” 37: Blonde Redhead “23” 36: Okkervil River “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe” 35: Dirty Projectors “Rise Above” 34: The Tough Alliance “Silly Crimes” 33: Dinosaur Jr. “Almost Ready” 32: R. Kelly [ft. T.I. and T-Pain] “I’m a Flirt (remix)” 31: Cortney Tidwell “Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan’s Objects in Space Remix)” 30: Dan Deacon “Wham City” 29: Arcade Fire “Keep the Car Running” 28: Dizzee Rascal “Pussy’ole (Old Skool)” 27: Lil Mama “Lip Gloss” 26: Jay-Z “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…)” 25: Kanye West “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” 24: Gui Boratto “Beautiful Life” 23: Simian Mobile Disco “I Believe” 22: Animal Collective “Peacebone” 21: M.I.A. “Boyz” 20: Radiohead “All I Need” 19: The Field “A Paw in My Face” 18: Chromatics “In the City” 17: Burial “Archangel” 16: Feist “1 2 3 4” 15: Jens Lekman “A Postcard to Nina” 14: Caribou “Melody Day” 13: Of Montreal “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal” 12: Spoon “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” 11: Grinderman “No Pussy Blues” 10: Jay-Z [ft. Beanie Sigel] “Ignorant Shit” 9: Animal Collective “Fireworks” 8: Justice “D.A.N.C.E.” 7: LCD Soundsystem “Someone Great” 6: UGK [ft. Outkast] “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)” 5: Rihanna [ft. Jay-Z] “Umbrella” 4: M.I.A. [ft. Bun B and Rich Boy] “Paper Planes (Remix)” 3: Panda Bear “Bros” 2: Battles “Atlas” 1: LCD Soundsystem “All My Friends”

Top 100 Tracks Of 2007 [Pitchfork]