Still Great in 2008: Part III

Still Great in 2008: 25 Songs We Missed on the First Rundown
Part I
Part II


19. Hot Chip – Ready For the Floor

Hot Chip is a perfect example of a band that I’ve hated for the longest time without knowing a thing about their music. Their entire image (Amy Winehouse remixes, ‘zany’ glasses, Heath Ledger, etc.) just really rubbed me the wrong way. Didn’t really help their case that dudes have almost as many remixes on hypey as they do songs. H8 that. Anyway, imagine my surprise when I actually heard their music!! “Ready for the Floor” is decidedly not the refried electro banger I was expecting, having both an actual melody (this is key), and a real bonafide hook. What’s cool about this song is that despite the fact that it was clearly intended for the dance floors, the chorus is smooth enough to make it completely tolerable (dare I say even catchy) outside of that context. Plus, I gotta admit, I’m kinda partial to whatshisface’s dancing in the video. Shit.



18. Beyoncé – Diva

There are rare instances in which the beat for a song can completely overcome any other imperfections associated with the track itself.
The beat for “Diva” is one of those beats.

Things that make the beat to Diva good:
1. BASS BASS BASS BASS. Unrelenting heart thumping license plate rattling bass
2. Those horror movie violin jabs. V. scary
3. The claps. I don’t know. The claps just seem to hold everything together for me. Go figure.

Things that almost ruin Diva:
1. Beyoncé (because let’s be honest – Beyoncé is just not capable of delivering a convincing rap about sticking someone up for their “paper”)
2. That annoying troll sample

Also the video to this song is one of my favorites ever. Beyonce’s “glasses” (this term is used very loosely) are some of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen, and the dancing in it makes me want to become a choreographer.



17. Kardinal Offishall feat. Akon – Dangerous

Heard this song over the summer and fell in love. The chorus pretty much makes the song, esp. the “Watch out I’ve seen her type before/That girl is so dangerous/Dangerous” part where the synths kick in and Akon really starts to belt it out. Also Kardinal’s delivery is really weird but it'll grow on you if you listen to the track 5 times a day for 3 weeks (trust me).