Highlighting the songs I've discovered, rediscovered, or repeatedly played each month. The order reflects an attempt to create a cohesive mixtape, not to rank the songs in any way.
- M83 - "Intro." I never listened to Zola Jesus before, but she's a guest vocalist here, and her vocals really make the song. Anthony Gonzalez shouts urgently to "carry on," while she sings with more equanimity. The atmosphere of "Intro" is incredible, almost intergalactic (now there's an adjective I've never used to describe music!): it sounds like the song is about to explode, take off into space, and once the mounting tension finally releases, keys rush by like shooting stars. It almost reminds me of the sounds you hear in Mario Kart when the balloon animal thing shoots out a trophy. I know it's a specific and silly example, but it's fitting for a group whose music focuses on nostalgia--capturing the glories of childhood without the bitterness of the present.
- M83 - "Midnight City." These songs have to be placed back to back; they work so well together and are two standouts from 2011. I can't just stop listening to this album after "Intro;" once I hear the MGMT-esque synths, I have to listen for the sax solo (which I would usually find cheesy, but here it just works), and then I can't turn this album off. It's a glorious song, one that reminds me, importantly, that great music doesn't have to be sad.
