Best Songs by 21st Century Women+

[Phoebe]

Hi, I haven't yet listened to all of them but I am BIG excited about Dayme Arocena and Christina Pato!
Also loving Amara La Negra!

This is a really challenging week to rate because you have such huge genre leaps. I do not know how to square my love of Kelis against the obvious good of the whole Frozen soundtrack, you know? Not to mention Tweet. It must be an Atlanta thing, I don't know. It's not clear why I should like this but...
No - it IS clear, it's the whole Timbaland/Missy sound.

[Phoebe]

Can I also say regarding Milkshake: genius use of the Triangle.

[poorpete]

[Phoebe]

Just wanted to let you know I saw this and I'm almost done with the week from hell.

[Phoebe]

Ok: Christina Pato and Dayme Arocena. you already picked my two other favorites and I would like to keep Sara Bareilles Love Song and Kelis Milkshake in the mix.
Am I doing this right?
I think that gives us the top six of the group?

[poorpete]

I suggested picking three alternates and I pick one, but I'm fine picking Milkshake to move on.

Idina Menzel - Let It Go
Jorja Smith - Blue Lights
Cristina Pato - Muiñeira for Cristina
Daymé Arocena - Mambo Na' Má
Kelis - Milkshake

Updated the list for Round 5
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list ... vtPPdCQQAN

but it's missing
DJ Sprinkles - House Music Is Controllable Desire You Can Own
If I find it I'll send it along (update: found a 90 sec snippit: https://www.juno.co.uk/miniflashplayer/ ... -01-02.mp3 )
Looks like it's out-of-print not available legally anywhere nor illegally on youtube. I think what's best is take a listen to the snippet a few times and we'll keep it at #152 as a non-judgement

[poorpete]

Whenever you're ready, you get to pick 2 songs to move on. If you don't pick Lily Allen's Smile, I will.

[poorpete]

Here's how my listens have been going so far. As we are paused here, I've been trying to get familiar with the rest of the list. Still a 0 for DJ Sprinkles "House Music Is Controllable Desire You Can Own" which is not on streaming and out-of-print elsewhere, though I could get it $91.94 used on Amazon.



(chart note: any "old listen" that I estimated I listened to over 10 times, I rounded down to 10. I mean "Let it Go" is probably up to 90 now)

[Phoebe]

Oooh, I'm sorry I have abandoned the project lately! I need to get back to listening!

[poorpete]

No worries. I really enjoy this list. I think the top 50 is packed full of gems (almost like they knew how to rank those) but still surprised, even with Khia in there, how out-of-nowhere #179 to #186 is. All of these songs would fit fine in the top 100.

Laura Mvula - Father Father
Sara Bareilles - Love Song
St. Vincent - Digital Witness
Idina Menzel - Let It Go
Jorja Smith - Blue Lights
Khia My Neck, My Back (Lick It)
Ms. Dynamite - Dy-Na-Mi-Tee
TORRES - Sprinter

[poorpete]

Putting these all into a double-elimination, although lets many gems filter ahead, also means some get hit up against all-stars and is over too soon.

https://challonge.com/ldpm241q

Right now there's 64 artists with 0 losses and 128 artists with 1, but now the next two rounds will narrow the 128 to 32 and thus cut it down to 96 remaining.

Here's the first 10 gone:

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Perfectly fine, although sometimes the New Radicals You-Get-What-You-Give-like vocals irritate me (and they show up on hundreds of songs, crazy that song might be the most influential song of the 90s)
Grouper - Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping
I love twee lofi songs, I love listening to them, I love writing and recording them, but at the same time, many times they don't stand out, and we're talking best songs here. But I will probably check out this band, because they sound great.
TORRES - Sprinter - bummed this is out so early. It's a super-solid song. As I noted above, probably a Top 100 finalist but came up against some superstars.
Arooj Aftab - Lullaby Sweet harmless little song

Others gone that are fine and also I'm fine they are gone:
International Contemporary Ensemble - In the Light of Air: I. Luminance
KING - The Greatest
Emel Mathlouthi - Kelmti Horra (My Word Is Free)
La Insuperable - Damelo (feat. Chimbala)
Lori McKenna - Humble & Kind
Matana Roberts - All Is Written

[Phoebe]

Agreed with your assessment of these; not bad songs but not standing out for me either. Katy Perry song is, as befits smash pop single, very catchy, but it annoys me and I loathe the lyrics.

[poorpete]

Almost done with Losers Round 2, which will end with 74 out of the 200 songs eliminated.

Here are a few competitions I'm having trouble deciding...

[poorpete]

209: Shakira - Hips Don't Lie (feat. Wyclef Jean) vs. Hop Along - Tibetan Pop Stars

I'm a fan of Shakira, something I really wasn't until last year, when I listened to her Donde Estan Los Landrones album, which was great. Hips Don't Lie is a solid song featuring solid raps, and I admire it's influence on bringing a latin flavor to rap and pop. But, as 21st century artists, Shakira and her producer/costar Wyclef debuted in the 90s and recorded multiple albums in that decade.

210: EMA - California vs. Jill Scott - Golden

EMA is a grungy epic but Golden is well made and makes me feel good too. A keeper.

211: Joanna Newsom - Peach Plum Pear vs. Jamila Woods - Blk Girl Soldier

Newsom is a singular voice and style and energy, one of the best artists of our century, and I love harpichord and lofi vocals, but I don't think this her best song, or at least, a song that should advance too much farther on this list. A tough, 50/50 decision.

212: Jenny Lewis - Just One Of The Guys vs. Estelle - American Boy (feat. Kanye West)

These are two great songs. And I have been a fan of Jenny Lewis from when Rilo Kiley's Take Off And Landings showed up at my college radio station in 2001. That this song appeared 13 years after and her songwriting and voice have only improved, it's amazing to watch. And I'm always a fan of Beck's production, backing vocals, and glockenspiel. But holy moley American Boy is tons of fun too. Dagh.



213: Santigold - L.E.S. Artistes vs. Mon Laferte - Pa’ Dónde Se Fue

Santigold -- I need to hear more from her, because this sounds like the stuff I liked when I was in NYC around the time she was making it big. She takes down faux hipsters which is all well and good.

214: FKA twigs - Two Weeks vs. Laura Mvula - Father Father

Father Father is sweet and simple and I'm always happy to hear it, except when I'm anxious about fatherhood. If I image me singing it, I'm fine, if I imagine one of my kids singing it, my heart races.

215: Jazmine Sullivan - Bust Your Windows vs. Ana Tijoux - 1977

Another solid modern soul and R&B song but 1977 is something special.

[poorpete]

I'm down to 32 songs and 47 games left. I'm going to try to post my thoughts on each competition. I think this i a fun list of who is left:

[poorpete]

Let it Go vs. Dancing on My Own

A top-notch sweedish pop song about being a joyful wallflower vs. the song on this list people will most likely know 100 years from now. But before I let it go, here's the pure joy of Dancing on My Own on a NYC subway earlier this year...

[poorpete]

My Silver Lining vs. Umbrella

Umbrella ran out of steam. I love its pop, its positive lyrics, and most of all it's chorus and the iconic pronunciation of "um-ber-el-la". But I've avoided how imperfect Jay-Zs opening rap is. How, I mean, it's a great song, there's not a lot mediocre about it, but I dunno, My Silver Lining, new to me this year, continuously surprises me.



It's amazing how both iconic and embarrassing this video is. Shots of her in the rain, close-up shots of her face: iconic. The use of CGI water is embarrassing, and again proof of how amazing a film like Moana comes around 8 years later and the water is no longer this weird oily substance.

[poorpete]

Video Games vs. Back to Black

Both songs are depressing looks at their lives and a bad relationship. I ended up really liking "Video Games", obviously, it's made it this far. I like how Kate Bush it feels, how it finds joy in the terribleness, how it finds positivity (sorta?) in watching her lover play video games. It's what makes her happy -- or at least at first. We're in love, so life is supposed to be perfect, and she kinda thinks it is, even with all the red flags everywhere.

Speaking of red flags, all of Amy Winehouse's songs. At least, as opposed to ever-problematic "Rehab" (which got kicked out in the previous round), she seems to at least understand that her situation sucks. It moves on...

[poorpete]

Don't Know Why vs. Call Me Maybe
A tough one. Call Me Maybe is not for all occasions. I don't always want to hear it. But when I do, it's near perfect.

Don't Know Why is a beautifully sweet and twee song. It's been 19 years, and is still soothing. It sounded special when I first heard it back then, and it's still sounds special today. That's amazing. It's amazing. But being simple and twee means that sometimes the bombastic, super-produced, ultra-catchy pop song pushes it out of the way. And that's the case here.



Tweeeeeeeee!

[poorpete]

Hands of Time vs. Cruel

Cruel is a mood. It plays like a dream ebbs and flows from sweet to a fricken nightmare. As always, her guitar work is inspiring. Though I still like Massseduction more, it has quickly found itself among my favorites of her. Winner: Hands.



Countdown vs. Bad Romance

I've decided to let Countdown go, even though as songs, I may personally like it a tiny bit more than Bad Romance. What the deal? Well there's still 2 Beyonce songs left, so she's fine. Also Bad Romance is very good. But anyways back to Countdown, a song like many of Beyonce's where I learn to love every little nook and crannie of it. Like, randomly, how she says "lip locking!" Givingn a mix of gravitas and sillyness to every little thing. "Formation" might be the best version of this overload-of-hooks, but Countdown will always be the more fun one. And, as with many of the pre-Lemonade songs, you can note a bit of warning-signs, like "if you leave me you're outta your mind." Winner: LaGaGa



I Love it vs. 1234
1234, another classic twee song, beautifully made, and, probably best known to have been the song that launched a million iPods. Winner: I Love it!

Follow Your Arrow vs. Praying
Love the song, the lyrics, the playfulness, the message. Thing is, just after the list came out, Kacey released an album full of better songs. I kinda want to see NPR add to these lists. Like every year, nominate 10 new songs of the 21st century and 5 more albums. Treat their list like a cannon. So it can go back and pick songs they missed out, but also pre-crown future hits. Anyways,I will follow my arrow here. Winner: Praying