Song, by Toad

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Song, by Toad Readers’ Top Five Songs 2011

Well here we are again, with lists this time generated by yourselves rather than me.  With one exception none of these songs would have been anywhere near my personal Festive Fifty, and the one which would have made it is forbidden due to an obvious clash of interests.

It’s weird, but it does at the very least go to show that the idea of the blogosphere being just a great big mutual back-slapping exercise, with everyone telling everyone else just how awesome they are most of the time, isn’t entirely accurate.  Still, just because I am an opinionated fucker doesn’t mean I don’t want to be disagreed with – just the opposite in fact, because it’s generally much more fun.

Honorable mentions must also go to FOUND and Adam Stafford, who managed an awful lot of votes as bands, but not consistently for the same song, resulting in them missing out on the top five, despite having a lot of votes in total.

So, without further ado, I hereby present the Song, by Toad Readers’ Top Five Songs of 2011:

=3: King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats in the Attic Despite being one of my favourite artists, and previous remix work by Jon Hopkins being some of my favourite KC stuff, this album didn’t personally grab me as much as it seems to have everyone else, but this is most certainly my favourite song on it.  I included votes for the ‘Unravelled’ version from their EP as well, partly because it only seemed fair, and partly because I too preferred it.

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats in the Attic

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=3: P.J. Harvey – The Words That Maketh Murder Alright, I’ll admit, I just don’t get P.J. Harvey.  She won the Mercury Prize though, she’s on every damn end of year list I’ve read, and some of my best friends and favourite musicians think she’s awesome.  So I guess I just have to shrug and let this one pass, and confess that I must just be missing something.

P.J. Harvey – The Words That Maketh Murder

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=3: The Twilight Sad – Sick This is a very good song, but I’ll admit it ain’t in my personal Festive Fifty.  They were fantastic at the Bongo Club a couple of months ago though, and I have really high hopes for the album.

The Twilight Sad – Sick

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2: Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat – The Copper Top The only song which came even close to giving the winner a run for its money. This is from another album which hasn’t really captured my imagination anything like as much as it seems to have with everyone else.  Nevertheless, of all the songs I heard on it I will agree that this was my favourite as well.

Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat – The Copper Top

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1: Rob St. John – Sargasso Sea Part of me thinks that this poll would look more genuine if one of our own acts hadn’t finished at the top, and part of me knows full well that if no-one had voted for any of our bands then I would have had a gigantic sulk to myself, so I guess there’s no winning, really.  And oddly enough, I might have picked Domino, Stainforth Force or maybe Vanishing Points ahead of this, if I were picking favourite songs from Weald. Nevertheless, this is a stunning record, and I am glad you voted for it, because I obviously can’t do so myself and it clearly deserves some sort of bloody recognition!

Rob St. John – Sargasso Sea

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20 witty ripostes to Song, by Toad Readers’ Top Five Songs 2011

  1. avatar

    Re: FOUND and Adam Stafford; what were the five most popular acts overall?

  2. avatar

    fix

  3. avatar

    Rob St. Con.

    I should really hear that RSJ album, been meaning to for ages. Your Phantom Limb is the only song I’ve really heard of it and that was awesome.

  4. avatar

    Ahhh now I get why I was confused by the twilight sad suck/sick thing! it’s two different songs. Suck is a cover of Tears for Fears(I think) that they had on the acoustic EP they did.
    I thought the new track was called summit entirely different..

    Personally that seems daft, having two releases that have such similar names.

  5. avatar
    Campfires & Battlefields

    I’m with you on Domino and Stainforth Force, but Sargasso Sea is a corker as well, so no complaints. I’ve only started listening to the King Creosote/Jon Hopkins album, but wow…just wow. For anyone with kids, “Your Young Voice” is near enough to bring a lump to the throat.

    It is sort of odd that you don’t “get” PJ Harvey. I know you revere Nick Cave, and I’ve always thought that she and Nick Cave occupy similar sonic terrain. You definitely are missing something because she’s a genius. She’s now up to about 20 straight years of nearly uninterrupted brilliance.

    Anyhoo, looking forward to your Festive 50.

  6. avatar

    Peenko, you know full well it’s not a fix because the votes are there in the comments for all to see, and you can actually count them yourself if you so choose. Pshaw!

    Dylan, the top overall vote-getters, in order, were Rob St. John, Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat, KC & Jon Hopkins, PJ Harvey, FOUND and Adam Stafford.

  7. avatar

    Suck was a Wedding Present song. The Wedding Present are much better than Tears For Fears. I can prove with this graphs if required.

    I like PJ Harvey, but didn’t much enjoy her last album.

  8. Shit yes so it is. Purely outta curiosity I wanna see these graphs! Go!

  9. avatar

    Suck is not just a Wedding Present song, it is up there with their best.

  10. avatar
    i are scientist

    Ooh yes, graphs please, yum!

  11. avatar

    [...] Song by Toad reader’s top 5 (he will have more lists soon) [...]

  12. avatar

    I think the Y axis will only need two points on it. Good and Very Shite

    In fact, a line diagram as above will probably cover it.

  13. avatar

    Shite, I’m going to have to make a graph now.

  14. Don’t offer graphs that your ass can’t cheque…….. or summit more intelligent

  15. avatar

    Here you go – http://picpaste.com/graph.jpg

  16. avatar

    Jim wins at EVERYTHING. That’s almost as good as Dylan’s ‘fuckingrockingness’ vs ‘Chutters’ approval’ graph!

  17. avatar

    *bows*

  18. avatar

    I salute you sir! :-)

  19. avatar
    i are scientist

    Ooh, that’s lovely!

  20. avatar

    I watched ‘Two Cousins’ played live in a church tonight..best live song I’ve seen this year.

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