THE POPULAR TEN, 140608,

the blog aggregator elbo.ws is close to my heart. when this blog started three short months ago, the site sent us our first guests, before we had any regular visitors. now that we're up and running with a good rhythm, i'm sure a lot of these early adopters are among our followers three months on.

here's a rundown of elbows' 10 hottest tracks as of today, the most popular if you will, and a mini review of each, with a score, to help you decide whether a track is worth the download.

#10. COMPUTER VS BANJO - GIVE UP ON GHOSTS


folky with distorted vocals. the chorus is excellent and after a couple of listens it'll grow on you to the point of adoration. sounds a bit like something out of "o brother where art thou?" with a new age edge. - 7/10



download: computer vs banjo - give up on ghosts


#9. JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN - TO BE LOVED


if you like cat power, you will probably like this. relaxed and listening to this on headphones, i could see it taking you to that "other place" but it doesn't make a lot of impact. definetely a chill out track if you like that sort of thing. - 6/10



download: joan as police woman - to be loved


#8. ALBERT HAMMOND, JR. - GfC


this one definetely suits the season, it has that eclectic summer festival vibe. hardly original though, and i personally find this kind of music incredibly dull, maybe give julian a call eh albert? won't be listening to this again. - 4/10



download: albert hammond, jr. - GfC


#7. RATATAT - MIRANDO


sounds like all of thos 8-bit engineers out there, fusing old school nintendo synth with beats. it gets your attention alright but there's not much progression, the track pretty much sounds the same throughout, with a few melodies chucked on top. their picture makes them look so interesting aswell. - 6/10



download: ratatat - mirando


#6. DR. DOG - THE OLD DAYS


s'alright, the music itself is actually brilliant but i don't care much for the vocal choices, a lot more could have been done with the backing track. in fact the singer's voice annoys me so much i can't listen to it, if they were to release an instrumental i'd call the download essential, in this form, i'd pass. - 5/10



download: dr. dog - the old days


#5. TILLY AND THE WALL - POT KETTLE BLACK


there's a repetitive guitar riff that plays almost all of the way through this track. it's brash, simple, and irritating. the lyrics are awful. this is really uninspired trash. the amount of talentless bands making a name for themselves through image alone is disgusting. the bridge is the only highlight, reminiscant of css. - 4/10



download: tilly and the wall - pot kettle black


#4. SHEARWATER - LEVIATHAN, BOUND


now we're talking. slow burning and mournful, building to an emotional climax. i can really see this working in a film soundtrack. from beginning to beautiful end, the track haunts. very much in the same vein as sigur rós' (also featured) earlier work. magnificent. - 8/10



download: shearwater - leviathan, bound


#3. SIGUR RÓS - GOBBLEDIGOOK


now for the aforementioned sigur rós' own entry. this was featured last month and it has kept people writing about it for weeks. not as simply overwhelming as previous tracks like "hoppipola" but extremely listenable. - 7/10



download: sigur rós - gobbledigook


#2. MGMT - ELECTRIC FEEL (JUSTICE REMIX)


justice are practically untouchable at the moment, despite some recent backlash from ignorant american bloggers that see the duo as "overrated". they add their trademark distorted funky bass and rapid hi hats to an MGMT track that i really didn't like in it's original form. it's a banger. - 7/10



download: mgmt - electric feel (justice remix)


#1. FLEET FOXES - WHITE WINTER HYMNAL


so we come full circle with another folky track in the number one spot. the track evokes images from spaghetti westerns, with an almost native american chant and strangely vocals that sound a little like a barber shop quartet. near the end the song introduces a gorgeous piano interlude which shoves the score up a couple of notches. - 8/10



download: fleet foxes - white winter hymnal


so, some dead wood in the pack with some stand outs. i'm surprised that some of these acts are being so heavily pushed, why some of tracks are among the most popular in the blogger circles escapes me.

hopefully this feature will become a regular with "alter electro", "the months" and the newly introduced "attack of the arbitrary track". due to the time it takes, it might end up being monthly instead of a fairly regular post. until the next time, stay safe.