Dec 17 2008
Slant Magazine: Best Singles – M.I.A. and Madonna
It´s the time that everyone lists their favorite singles and albums of the year. MGMT and Santogold are high on the lists and I agree, L.E.S. Artistes is probably the best song of 2008 and Time To Pretend also reflects the year very well. But the list that I noticed the most is Slant Magazine´s best singles of the year. Slant puts two of my favorite artists, M.I.A. and Madonna, on top.
1. M.I.A. – Paper Planes
A song about immigration whose sound draws a provocative link between violence and capitalism, “Paper Planes” was the bomb way before that conundrum known as M.I.A. licensed it to Sony and Fox and Billboard and Grammy dutifully responded. This ubiquitous anthem is the singer’s least murky provocation to date, an ironic address of terrorism as a matter of moral and political judgment, but feel no guilt for stomping along to its driving beats. That’s just M.I.A.’s way of pulling up the people to her cause. Also, you know Noam Chomsky’s got it on his iPod. (Slant / Ed Gonzalez)
2. Madonna – Beat Goes On
No amount of fake scandal and misbehavior (A-Rod! McCain=Hitler!) can make up for the fact that Madonna’s bid for hip-hop relevance flopped. So it’s fitting that Hard Candy’s best song, “Beat Goes On” (a Pharrell-derived, note-perfect hybrid of “Ring My Bell” disco and darkwave tech-hop that also features Kanye West’s best rap of the year), hasn’t even been officially released as a single yet despite garnering substantial airplay on the nation’s biggest dance station. Three cheers for the counterintuitive! ( Slant / Dave Hughes)
Beat Goes On is so uplifting, it´s one of those songs that makes you believe everything is possible. Listen to Madonna – Beat Goes On below:
