200

Enligt blogger är det här inlägg nummer 200. Vi firar genom att ge priset "dagens citat" till Sepp "jag fuskar till mig ordförandeposten i FIFA" Blatter som beskriver FIFA på följande sätt "vi är som FN, fast mäktigare". Tydligen vill han sparka ut Spanien från EM i fotboll, storhetsvansinne har en ovanligt flintskallig ton idag.

Vår Amsterdamkorre har äntligen vaknat ur sin dvala, greppat tag i sin second hand krage och slutligen gjort klart listan över 2007års 10 bästa låtar. Under veckan kommer plats 1-5 att presenteras här, i nordeuropas internationella spjutspetsblogg. Paper Planes med M.I.A är dagens låt, så att vi får med lite Afrika också.

David, take it away!

Sup noobs, mr. Pancake here. You may have started to wonder what has been taking me so long to finish my top ten list of the greatest songs of, as it is now, last year. Well, you ought to realise that making up such a list is a tough job, and a pinnacle of self-sacrifice. Indeed, I have so far more or less completely missed out on all stupendous lack of change 2008 has brought us so far, in spite of Barack Obama’s attempts: there’s still no such thing as actual winter anymore, the Chinese government is still filled with assholes, and every new band with even an ounce of talent is still hailing from Brooklyn. Luckily, this meant I could take the whole first month to be a total recluse to meditate, doubt, self-persuade, remove and add songs to the holiest of holy top fives: the second half of my Top Ten Songs of the Year 2007 list. If that’s what I called it in the first place.

5. The Arcade Fire – No Cars Go
About one year ago, before even hearing The Arcade Fire’s sophomore album Neon Bible, I read reviews of it being the best album since OK Computer. Granted, although Kid A is actually better than its predecessor if you ask me – you might as well – I must say that is quite a statement, one issued way too often and equally often completely untrue. And yes, in the case of this steadily increasing number of multi-instrumental Canucks, this is also the case.

Don’t get me wrong: Neon Bible is still a good album, at times incredible even, doing very well to make the band’s immeasurable ambition not sound like a grandiose joke. It does tend into a bit of a slur in the middle section, stagnantly sticking to the same tempo for a few songs – I like to call it the Wincing the Night Away-syndrome. What saves this album from being a slight disappointment is the ending salvo of epic closer My Body is a Cage, and even more significantly, No Cars Go.

When it comes to climaxing a song in slam-dunk fashion, this lot really takes the Mogwai crown (whatever happened to those guys?). This song may be the zenith of their output so far, or at least, the highlight of their second album. Starting out reasonably energetic to begin with, including staccato shouts, escapist lyrics and immense orchestration, the song really slams its way into this chart with the breakdown after three minutes, and the climactic accordion based finale that follows: little babies, women and children, old folks – let’s go, even if only god knows where. And hey, let’s chant some more after that, and why not bring on the flutes and army-marching drums? Thanks, guys. Let’s start a cult, shall we?