THE ANTI-HIT LIST
AN ALTERNATIVE TOP 10
10. DIARRHEA PLANET “Born to Run”
Now that they have your attention . . . This Nashville punk band consists of six guys, and four of them play guitar. That might explain why the racket they make has been described as “The Ramones holding Van Halen hostage.” Judging by this utterly sincere, irony-free rip through the Springsteen anthem — led by guest star Patrick Stickles, the frontman for ambitious Jersey band Titus Andronicus — it also proves that punk’s ferocity and rock’s grandiosity can get along just fine. Thanks to the Cover Me Songs blog (www.covermesongs.com) for pointing the way. (bit.ly/15XtIL1)
9. STORY BOOKS “Simple Kids”
One of the newest acts signed by Communion, the co-op co-founded by Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett, this U.K. band is decidedly less folky than labelmates Michael Kiwanuka (bit.ly/ eYMNjl), Ben Howard (bit.ly/ hGea0l), and Nathanial Rateliff (bit.ly/dhpr7p). In fact, “Simple Kids” wouldn’t sound at all jarring if placed in proximity to, say, Coldplay’s “Fix You” (bit.ly/9ka8mZ) on a hypersensitive-pop mixtape. (From Too Much a
Hunter, bit.ly/189WYNB)
8. EV REE WUHN “Control”
For a song in which rhythm plays such a key role, it can be surprisingly hard to pin down the beat on this track, which is one of the things that makes it extraordinary. Though this Toronto trio is only now releasing it debut EP, its members — singer/ keyboardist Alex Grant, drummer Adrian Gagnon and jazz bassist Lawson Smith — will be familiar to some as three-fifths of Dora Alexander (doraalexander.bandcamp.com). While that indie band was largely guitar-based, Ev Ree Wuhn sounds like it was inspired by the warm synth textures employed to such great effect by L.A.’s Flying Lotus (bit.ly/buubBC). (soundcloud.com/evreewuhn/control)
7. TIGER BEAMS “Beat It”
Not the Michael Jackson song, but rather the work of a Brisbane duo that gets by with nothing more than voice, drums and guitar. Sonically, the result feels tightly coiled, an impression reinforced by the accompanying video, which riffs amusingly (and bloodily) off Jack Nicholson’s bugeyed “Here’s Johnny” scene (bit.ly/ neviKb) in The Shining. (whothehell.net/archives/19548) (bit.ly/17w2j0u)
6. PURITY RING VS. FRANK OCEAN “Pyramidspeak”
The latest entry in what has evolved into a highly anticipated, casually annual event, the seventh mixtape from the Chicago production duo known as The Hood Internet weaves together 25 mash-ups that pair hiphop artists with indie bands. The source material on this track from early this year: Purity Ring’s “Belispeak” (bit.ly/N0tEAl) and Ocean’s “Pyramids” (bit.ly/NyRnbJ). The result kicks in around the 57-minute mark and will, like everything else here, alter the way you listen to either genre. (From The Mixtape Volume
Seven, bit.ly/ZSQHlY)
5. STYLO G “Soundbwoy”
Contender for summer song of 2013, No. 1: Dancehall is not exactly a flourishing genre on this continent, but the variation practised by London’s Jason McDermott is a giddy mix of stark rhythms and cutting synth lines, paired with the kind of hooky chorus that would have made his late dad, Poison Chang (bit.ly/1033n6U), proud. Speaking of which, you can check out Stylo G’s tribute to his father on his cover of the latter’s bubbly “Press Up”: bit.ly/1033KOD. (bit.ly/10UQylg)
4. AA WALLACE “Offline”
Contender for summer song of 2013, No. 2: “I’m going offline all night/Off the phone/That LED light’s too bright/I’m going offline all night/ Leave me alone . . . ” Leveraging what sounds like a lingering affection for ‘80s synth acts broad enough to span The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” (bit.ly/R0Zx3) and Stevie Nicks’s “Stand Back” (bit.ly/x5DLsc), Halifax’s Alexandre Aaron has come up with the most insidiously catchy bedroom-pop we’ve heard all year. It’s also a solitary rallying cry for the age. (From (disambiguation), www.aawallace.xxx)
3. KENNY CHESNEY w. THE WAILERS & ELAN “Spread the Love”
Although Chesney has spent much of his career incorporating Caribbean sounds into his music (bit.ly/ gwrmEV), country and reggae remain sufficiently unlikely dance partners that any instance of their intermingling is still noteworthy. It’s unlikely that genre aficionados will be converted by this heartfelt incursion, even with the presence of Bob Marley’s backing band and its on/off/on again lead singer, Elan Atias, but this, along with the new lilting ballad “Marley” (bit.ly/15YbU25) — which references “Three Little Birds,” a longtime favourite at Chesney concerts — should buy him more than a little cred. (From Life on a Rock, bit.ly/11UszOH)
2. DAUGHTER “Get Lucky”
Here’s all you need to know about the nature of the swiftly mutating musical ecosystem: Covers of the new single by Daft Punk (bit.ly/XK2hit) began appearing even before the original was released. At least this London trio, built around the haunting voice of Elena Tonra, had the decency to wait 10 days. Although you could regard this simply as a pretty, nondance take on Daft Punk’s version, the strategy makes the song’s breezy hedonism sound like a futile pursuit. Whether that was their intent is beside the point.
(bit.ly/185psYV)
1. MR. LITTLE JEANS “Waterfalls”/”Back to the Start”
How can you not like someone who names her band after a character from Wes Anderson’s Rushmore? Of course, it helps that Norway’s Monica Birkenes has a crystal-clear vision of what she wants to do with this overlooked Paul McCartney gem (bit.ly/wlsUw). Through striking but subtle use of electronics, she turns what originally sounded like the musical equivalent of an inner monologue into a weary, dark-night-of-thesoul counselling session. Equally impressive is “Back to the Start” (bit.ly/ZUg0En), Birkenes’ brooding contribution to the Iron Man 3 soundtrack. (bit.ly/18bDbL5)