Dave Keifer of Cagey House writes in with his top tracks of the year. (You still have time to register to win a free, customized Cagey House ringtone, we should add.) Also file this one under “top 15 heard in 2010.”
10. “Sligo River Blues,” by John Fahey. There’s a phantom French horn in this exquisite, almost childishly simple track.
9. “Any Old Iron,” by Harry Champion. My favorite vocal performance of all time.
8. “Finishing the Hat,” by Stephan Sondheim. I don’t care what anybody says, I hum this guy’s stuff all the time.
7. “Hey Garland I Dig Your Tweed Coat,” by Captain Beefheart. Imagine an America in which this guy is Springsteen.
6. “Kanonen Song” by Brecht/Weill. An ultra-cynical show stopper about the allure of the violent life. (Forever relevant.)
5. “I am Sitting in a Room,” by Alvin Lucier. A mystical science experiment, and one of the most perfect works of 20th century art.
4. “Suzanne,” by Roberta Flack. Just plain bliss.
3. “Flight Reaction,” by Calico Wall. Repeated listenings have offered evidence that this track is kind of a joke. But the first time I heard it I thought it sounded like something that might have been submitted as evidence at a competency hearing. Unbelievable.
2. “Trip on Out,” by Haymarket Riot. A track that’s in serious contention for greatest rock song of all time.
1. “Group Dancers,” from The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, by Charles Mingus. Almost unbearably intense, with an alto solo at the end that’s like a deserted street corner at 3am.
Man, we really need to do this every year. Thank you, Dave. (Who probably thinks that we haven’t noticed the release of June Through the Window, but that’s not it at all. We’re just desperately behind on our RSS feeds. Do stay tuned.)
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