[Over these last few days of 2010, we'll be
presenting our
favorite local songs of the year, counting down from No. 25 to No. 1,
one track a day. Today, we take an in-depth look at song No. 4 on the
list -- and, please, feel free to click after the jump for a stream of the track. Also
after the jump, check out songs Nos. 50-5 in the Top 50 list that will
update as it grows...]
"Window Seat" is more than a controversial video. It's more than a statement about groupthink. And it's more than just a chance to watch Erykah Badu strip down to nothing (although you can watch her do just that after the jump!).
More than anything, it's just a great song -- one that reverts back to her Baduizm days.
From the song's first drum hits, it's clear: Badu has moved past the spaced-out dalliance offered up on 2008's New Amerykah Part I: 4th World War. Instead, the lead single from Badu's New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh, along with the rest of the album, finds Badu returning to her comfort zone of neo-soul.
And quite the return it is for that subgenre's queen -- even if it's a title she'd rather not claim.
Nonetheless, "Window Seat" is like comfort food -- a breezy, jazzy take on R&B from the person who handles this material best. And Badu handles it admirably here, too, her vocals fluttering atop the track with a striking confidence that contrasts the self-conscious subject matter of the song.
And it's an interesting subject matter at play, too, finding Badu juggling the pros and cons of being loved and finding comfort her own.
By returning to her more earthy roots with this beautifully restrained track, though, it's safe to say that she's going to remain adored, if not outright loved, by the masses for the foreseeable future.
The Top 50 Local Songs of 2010 (Links to music videos and free song downloads available where applicable; links to streams where neither a download nor video exists.)
50. Dear Human - "Waiting"
49. Nervous Curtains - "All Yesterday's Parties"
48. Spector 45 - "Try Try Try"
47. Smile Smile - "Beg You To Stay"
46. Robert Gomez - "A Natural State"
45. Florene - "Parc Bitch"
44. Mount Righteous - "Eat Your Wife and Kiss The Barbecue"
43. The Strange Boys - "Be Brave"
42. Soft Environmental Collapse - "A Horse & Buggy Complex"
41. Deepspace5 - "Killing With Kindness"
40. Sextape -- "Lubricated Intimacy"
39. Museum Creatures - "Song ABC"
38. Ocelot - "Beating Hears"
37. Sir Silky - "The Squeeze (The Answer)"
36. Bone - "Homegurl"
35. Ishi - "Come Closer"
34. Hoyotoho - "Born Black"
33. Dorrough - "Get Big"
32. Katie Carroll - "Paper Girl"
31. Final Club - "Ruded"
30. Treal Lee & Prince Rick - "Throwed Off (Fuck Errbody)"
29. South San Gabriel - "All Night Long"
28. The Rocket Summer - "Walls"
27. Darktown Strutters - "Lucifer Rising"
26. School of Seven Bells - "Windstorm"
25. Damaged Good$ - "WEHATEDAMAGEDGOOD$TOO"
24. The Burning Hotels - "Austin's Birthday"
23. Doug Burr - "At The Public Dance"
22. The Flowers of God
feat. Sarah Jaffe
feat. Sarah Jaffe
feat. Sarah Jaffe
feat. Sarah Jaffe
21. Dondria -- "You're The One"
20. Sundress - "Locust"
19. Blixaboy - "Lion Eyes (featuring Emil Rapstine)"
18. A.Dd+ feat. Brown of Sore Losers - "Likeamug"
17. The Secret Handshake - "Every Single Time"
16. Lalagray - "The Hard Part"
15. Sore Losers - "Free Loaders"
14. Leg Sweeper - "Sexy Weekend"
13. Midlake - "Rulers, Ruling All Things"
12. Ryan Thomas Becker - "So Speak"
11. Analog Rebellion - "You've Been Had (Machine)"
10. Mind Spiders - "Worlds Destroyed"
9. Kimberly - "Sociopath"
8. Old 97's - "The Magician"
7. The Beaten Sea - "Doctor's Not Gonna Cure Our Ills"
6. The Orbans - "Like a Liar"
5. Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights - "Devil's Basement"
4. Erykah Badu - "Window Seat"
3. ????????
2. ????????
1. ????????
