#90 Kendi, "Connected"

We may seem connected but the lines are shut now
This may seem electric but the power's been cut down
Still seems there's something between us,
We're not connected, the connection's between us

Finnish duo Kendi have yet to do anything to rival their debut single, a revving dance song in the '90's style except for one thing: instead of a deep-voiced man talking his way through the verses and a woman coming in to sing the chorus hook, the woman talk-raps the verses here and the man sings the chorus. Catchy and with verses that never let up, "Connected" pulses with energy and life as well as some attitude, in no small part due to those female-performed verses. It's great music to dance or mime mindlessly to, and that's no insult.

Find it on: Loudspeaker

#91 Koda Kumi, "Taboo"

I know it's our secret
Gotta keep it to yourself tonight

The first Asian song in two years to make my year end countdown. It won't be the last, but my knowledge of and appreciation for Asian music remains at embarrassingly low levels--I fully expect that once I find a few "gateway" songs and artists, I'll grow to appreciate others, much like what happened with, say, schlager. Still, an entire continent, one full of artists of all different types--I really should be paying more attention to and loving more music that comes out of Asia. What I need, I think, is a great blog focused on Asian music, something that can still appeal to beginners like me.

On to this song: "Taboo" is a dance-pop song from popular Japanese singer Koda Kumi. I can't understand a bit of Japanese, but the instrumental and lyrical parts are catchy enough to make that not matter (and, as with many J-pop songs, there are random English phrases and words scattered throughout). Catchy enough that, on nothing but sounds alone, it makes it onto the list.

Find it on: Trick (due out January 28)

#92 Lulu Lewe, "Crush On You"

(Crush crush)
I feel so dizzy
(Crush)
Oh boy, ever time you're near me

You really can't go wrong with a Giorgio Moroder sample in a modern song. Not that I'm very knowledgeable about Moroder, but I think I'd have adored his work if I was alive and aware in the '70's and '80's and welcome it in any modern context or any vehicle that will get me to appreciate it. The younger sister of Sarah Connor, Lulu Lewe did the latter with her teen pop song "Crush On You." With its revving electro beat, it didn't have to be hugely innovative to be enjoyable--catchy and crunchy was enough. "Crush On You" never wore out its welcome for me; it's a fun, even exciting listen all the way up to today.

Find it on: Crush On You (Single)

#93 Ryan Cabrera, "Enemies"

Don't say that we're something we're not
We think too much, then we're gonna get caught
Don't say that we're something we're not
The truth is maybe I wanna get caught

Betrayal and revenge are the subject of Ryan Cabrera's first musical hook-up with the '80's. "Enemies" isn't fully synth-pop-rock but it's a step in that direction, which is a surprising but also surprisingly welcome one for Ryan. Originally a member of the teen-pop brigade--on of the artists launched in the early '00's to take advantage of it but with his acoustic guitar always emphasized as part of both his image and his still fully produced and fleshed out musical sound--Ryan struggled to get his second major label album to sell and consequently disappeared for a while. He randomly popped up on So You Think You Can Dance sporting a radically changed hairstyle--gone was his trademark spikey blonde hair and in its place was long curly black hair and a hat. Apparently deciding that wasn't enough to distance himself from his clean-cut past and repaint himself as both part of a scenester-style movement and a "serious artist," when he emerged again, he'd ditched the hat but added a frankly ridiculous black goatee and mustache. Oh, yeah, and also brought some new music with him.

His songwriting skills were apparently uninjured by all the black dye, even if most of America paid no attention. The Mood Under Water is not a brilliant album, but it does have some great songs on it. "Enemies" was one of them. Half confession and half pop-rock blowout, it's the moment where Ryan's still unconvincing altered image comes through and is channeled most successfully. It's the sort of thing that will probably never be cool enough for those dark clubs Ryan is courting but that would do a fantastic job of soundtracking all the goings-on in the darkened corners of those clubs.

Addendum: since Ryan's management apparently seems to see his hair as a Samson-like source of power for him, I feel I must mention that apparently he is now facial hair-free and sporting a spikey brown poofball of hair on his head now. A compromise?

Find it on: The Moon Under Water

#94 The Script, "The Man Who Can't Be Moved"

I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do,
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you?

Kind of like a modern day "Every Breath You Take" (though doesn't it seem like it gets claimed that there's a new one every year?), "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" is radio-ready pop with guitars approaching its ballad best, the sort of song that feels like it's meant to be hugely popular. With a percussion part that refuses to give the song a moment to rest its weary feet, the song's key is nothing other than a strong melody. The lyrics probably helped the song in its quest for popularity in Ireland and the UK--they feel designed to make you take the song to your chest and treasure it, make it the sort of song that means something to you--but the best lines of all are some of the simplest, the ones that feel the most natural. "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" isn't quite as deserving of universal appeal and ubiquity as it wants to be, but it's darn close.

Find it on: The Script

#95 New Kids On The Block, "Dirty Dancing"

Ooo, it's so crazy
She's like Baby
I'm like Swayze

Even a cheap, movie-promoting video can't disguise a catchy if completely dorky mid-tempo pop song from the reformed New Kids. Well, maybe it can a little bit, but hey, at least the last thing to happen is mildly amusing.

Based mainly on a cute piano riff, a one-syllable chanting sort of backing beat, lots of electronic backing effects, and some chorus vocal processing that could make you think you're listening to a Sean Kingston song, "Dirty Dancing" is the cute side of RedOne songwriting. I love good ridiculous lyrics, especially when put over a good beat, and the title-producing lines of "Dirty Dancing" are a doozy; the fact that the song doesn't just use the Dirty Dancing metaphor as a one-off reference but instead makes it the basis of the song only endears it to me even more. For me, the NKOTB album was one of the most refreshing surprises of the year; there's still no way I'd claim it's a good album all the way through, but to miss out on songs like "Twisted," Timbaland's best song of quite some time, and "Full Service" is a sacrifice you all really shouldn't be making.

Find it on: The Block

#96 Magnus Carlsson, "Crazy Summer Nights"

(I accidentally forget to publish this post originally. Oops!)



(No one on YouTube has uploaded this song, so all I can do is post this live performance, but it's a very different arrangement of the song, which has far fewer horns and is far bouncier and more electronic and disco--basically, the proper version is much better.)

Ex-pec-tations
We're just havin' fun

I've long maintained that this song, taken from the ex-Barbados and Alcazar singer's 2007 album released in the aftermath of "Live Forever," should have been been the second single from that era; in both timing and quality, it's a much better fit than "Waves Of Love" was (though "Waves Of Love" did have a much better single cover). Pure disco-pop joy meant for summer, "Crazy Summer Nights" is Swede-pop at its best; to be honest, the song would have probably ranked much higher in my 2007 countdown that it does here, and that's with 2008 probably having been a better year for singles. A little bit of the exciting shine of novelty might have been rubbed from the song in that time, but it's still just as fun to listen to, just as smile-inducing and dance-inducing as you'd hope a song from an artist with Magnus's pop potential would be.

Incidentally, in addition to "Live Forever," which is "Take On Me" crossed with Bosson, I still strongly recommend "What About Love" and "Don't You Worry" from the same album.

Find it on: Live Forever - The Album