1. Everyone went (Lady) gaga over Panda Bear‘s “Person Pitch,” which also came out in 2007, but we actually greatly prefer Animal Collective’s “Strawberry Jam,” which somehow pulled off the trick of making eight-minute-long songs sound like they were performed in three. “Peacebone” is also awesome on the album, but for our money, “Fireworks” is the classic here.
2. Dan Deacon sounds like he shouldn’t be popular. Barring a few weirder archetypes from the late-’60s (Silver Apples is sorta close, Bruce Haack is closer) and a couple of avant-garde artists only Deacon himself could probably name, there’s really no context for his sound. But Deacon is, and “The Crystal Cat” truly shows why he matters. He synthesizes weirdness into pop but does it without being dull or unlistenable.
3. The great thing about Radiohead’s “In Rainbows“ is that, pulled far away from the context of the pay-your-own-price scheme that brought the record attention, it holds up as the band’s best record this decade – still experimental, but far more focused than “Kid A” – and perhaps their best overall. Our fave from the record? “Bodysnatchers.”
4. Spoon was consistent throughout the decade, but “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” found them still being hugely listenable while bringing a more experimental bent to their sound. The extra touches on “Finer Feelings” – from the odd lyrics about finding true love in the Memphis Commercial Appeal to the odd musical interlude near the end – only make the pop-candy center stand out even more.
5. Best song of the decade. If you’ve ever heard LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends,” you know why. No contest.