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Though we're not even to the midway point of '05, my record-geekin' mind has already begun thinkin' 'bout best-of lists...though I know it's WAY too early for these things, I can't help myself...I have no self-control...

Anyway, I blame the following two songs:

The Raveonettes - "Ode to LA"
Feist - "Inside and Out"

I know that the Raveonettes track, at least, has been posted quite a few times on a number of mp3 blogs. So shoot me. This song rules the effin' planet! Without a doubt the drivin'-with-the-top-down song of the summer, this is one of those songs that you can sing along to the first time you hear it, and by the end of the first spin it's already an old friend. Much has been made of the fact that Ronnie Spector lends her mighty vocals to this number, and for good reason. She'll always be a goddess in my book, and her "whoa oh oh oh"'s will never grow old.

As for the Feist track, I picked up her much-ballyhooed record, Let it Die, not too long ago and promptly fell--HARD--for this song in particular. The rest of the album has some sparkling moments, but to my ears everything comes together right here. This song has an eighties AM radio feel to it and ultimately comes across like a Sade hit updated for the indie rock '00s...that's right--Sade--you heard me right. You'll know what I mean when you kick this tune over. Seriously, this has the sweetest chorus I've heard in quite some time. Can't get enough!

***THIS JUST IN***
Well don't I feel like an idiot. The Feist song is a cover of a goddamned Bee Gees tune! Obviously I need to fire my research staff and get a new fact-checker!!! =) Thanks to T-Bon for enlightening me. Looks like I got a Bee Gees record to pick up! Gulp...

Both the Raveonettes' and the Feist records receive my high recommendations, yet neither album as a whole can sustain the brilliance of these two standout tracks. That's why, even though these two songs may very well end up at the top of my '05 singles chart, their respective albums will chart well below that. As for full-length releases, I'm still hooked on the Black Mountain and Antony & the Johnsons records--those would probably be at the top of my list so far--with some serious competition from the new Springsteen and the new Spoon (another band I finally "get"...).

N/P Sandy Denny - Twentieth Century Masters