best songs of 2008 (part 4)

10. the ting tings – that’s not my name (mp3)

how embarrassing is it to like the ting tings? very, but it’s even more embarrassing to be caught liking them without admitting to it, so i might as well settle for the lesser of the evils. this has got to be the year’s catchiest tune, even brinking on being the most annoying one as well in its petulance, saved only by its laudable lack of pretensions. “we started nothing”, the album title reads, reminding us to leave our prejudices, expectations and judgments at the door before we join in the party.

09. crystal castles vs. health – crimewave (mp3)

it’s funny i heard the remix before the original, but as it turns out, it doesn’t really matter considering how different the two are. in this crystal castles version, video games, along with disco, become sexy again (i feel even wearing my calculator watch out isn’t so nerdy anymore) with what was originally a nasty heap of filthy noise filtered through an atari 2600 and fed onto your screen in its full pixelated glory.

08. cut copy – hearts on fire (mp3)

everything producer tim goldsworthy touches turns to gold (how could it not, with a name like that?). what starts off like a straightforward new wave disco hit with a dash of 90’s euro (did i hear some technotronics whoops along the way?) ends up takes a different turn every time the chorus comes on, sometimes with a psychadelic bleep-fest, and on other occasions a seedy saxophone. whatever the formula, the result is gold.

07. thao nguyen and the get down stay down – feet asleep (mp3)

i first heard this song in its stripped down form on a krs sampler some years back, so when it finally came out on thao’s debut album this year, i was really keen to check it out. i didn’t take to it too well at first, but it had a swing so irresistible i was won over after a few listens. thao honed her songwriting skills through the many hours spent at her mom’s laundromat, so it’s most apt to have a song written about her.

06. hot chip – ready for the floor (mp3)

hop chip’s made in the dark has one of the brightest openings of this year’s releases, with three close to perfect songs. the most perfect of them all was the third, a single made for the dancefloor for every dj who’s run out of ideas for an opening song. beyond theme, however, hot chip has also perfected the dance pop genre, dishing out unhateable melodies at every possible opportunity with an impeccable sense of timing. it’s very fun too.