The 25 Best Singles of 2011 (5-1)

5. Elbow -- Lippy Kids

Youth, friendship, longing and just a hint of regret made up Elbow's stunning tale of wistful nostalgia, and when frontman Guy Garvey asked about kids, "Do they know those days are golden? Build a rocket, boys!" it brought a knowing smile to your face and warmed your heart.



4. Wye Oak -- Civilian

It started off simply enough, with a little guitar, a droning drum-line and Jenn Wasner's haunting vocals -- but as the song began its build to a ferocious, near-biblical crescendo, it grabbed you by the throat and would not let go.



3. Adele -- Someone Like You

There's just no denying the force of nature that is Adele -- and her ode to resignation in the aftermath of a painful break-up was the most emotionally devastating song of the year. We've all been there.



2. Manchester Orchestra -- Simple Math

The linchpin of a concept album about a young man questioning everything in his life, Simple Math as a single perfectly encapsulated the epic scope of what singer-songwriter Andy Hull was going for across ten songs. It was powerful, it was passionate, it was heartbreaking, and when Hull desperately belted out, "Believe me, everything is brilliant," you knew it was that too.



1. Bon Iver -- Holocene

Plaintive, lovely and moving in ways that can't be properly described in mere words -- at least ones not set to music -- the second single from Bon Iver's miraculous self-titled 2011 album was something more than special. It was a song you felt from start to finish, and the year's best musical creation.

The 25 Best Singles of 2011 (10-6)

10. The Beastie Boys w/Santigold -- Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win

They may be elder statesmen in hip-hop, but the Beastie Boys' decision to team up with Lower East Side alt-art idol Santigold proved to be a stroke of inspirational genius -- injecting funky life into a single that was one of many tracks on an album which proved the Beasties are doing anything but going gently into that good night.



9. TV on the Radio -- Will Do

They've been fierce and they've been wonderfully bewildering, but it was when TV on the Radio slowed their groove and added sensuality and just a hint of haunting melancholy that they produced their best song yet.



8. The Black Keys -- Lonely Boy

How good are the Black Keys? So good that they could release a song in late October that would push almost all the other great singles of the year aside. Lonely Boy didn't have the surprise or whimsy of Tighten Up, but what it had going for it was a driving beat and a kick-ass, bluesy guitar riff right out of a 70s road picture -- and that was more than enough.



7. Frank Ocean -- Novacane

Much like his role in one of the coolest songs of the year, Jay-Z and Kanye's lead-off track on Watch the Throne, No Church in the Wild, the mood on Frank Ocean's big single this year was pitch black. But unlike Church, Novacane found Frank not reveling in his imperial depravity but questioning it, and it's that "How the hell did I get here and is this really all there is?" humanity that made this song hit home. Plus, it's just damn sexy.



6. M83 -- Midnight City

Instantly memorable, slyly retro and flat-out great, French electronic maestro Anthony Gonzalez -- AKA M83 -- rode the chill-wave to something much more profound than many of his contemporaries, producing not just one of the best songs but one of the best full-length albums of the year.

Tomorrow: 5-1

The 25 Best Singles of 2011 (15-11)

15. Ryan Adams -- Lucky Now

Six years after the hopeless heartbreak of Love Is Hell, Ryan Adams found a fragile optimism -- and the result was beautiful.



14. Foo Fighters -- Walk

Grohl and Company's exhilarating anthem about finding your footing and moving on was everything we've come to expect from them. And even though many called Wasting Light their most cogent album in years, the reality is that it merely cemented what we already knew: that over the course of 17 years, the Foo Fighters have quite possibly become the best band in rock and roll.



13. Florence + The Machine -- What the Water Gave Me

Florence + The Machine are evolving at a nearly miraculous pace, and the lead-off single to their 2011 album, Ceremonials, proved it in spades. Dark, lovely and dripping with mystery, it signified Florence Welch and her band as no mere flash in the pan.



12. Chase & Status -- Hitz

Dubstep gods Chase & Status teamed with 2011 breakout rapper Tinie Tempah and the result was one of the most authoritative and aggressive British DJ concoctions since the Prodigy slammed the planet with Firestarter.



11. The Joy Formidable -- Whirring

Fronted by a tiny, blonde force-of-nature named Ritzy Bryan, the Joy Formidable cranked out the most surprising single of the year simply because it gave you catchy, irresistible pop for most of its length -- then degenerated into a raw sonic blast at the end. The Big Roar was probably the most apt title for an album you were likely to find in 2011, given that this band sounds like a tour bus crash between My Bloody Valentine and Pantera.

Tomorrow: 10-6

The 25 Best Singles of 2011 (20-16)

20. The Kills -- Satellite

A single that sounded like three-and-a-half minutes of pure, raw sex kicked off the best Kills album yet.



19. Friendly Fires -- Live Those Days Tonight

In a year in which the dance music scene was dominated by the ear-cleaning boom of dubstep, one of the best tracks of 2011 was an 80s-influenced dance floor anthem that you could not stop listening to.



18. Lykke Li -- Get Some

Swedish goddess Lykke Li's sensual, visceral declaration of authority provided us with the most memorable chorus of the year.



17. The Naked and Famous -- Young Blood

Remember what it felt like to be young, fearless and have the world at your fingertips? If you didn't, all you needed to do in 2011 was listen to this blast of pure audio exuberance.



16. Radiohead -- Lotus Flower

Codex was actually the better song that got worldwide airplay, but this was the closest Radiohead's come to releasing an actual single in years, and it was as mysterious and beautiful as anything they've ever done.

Tomorrow: 15-11

The 25 Best Singles of 2011

Thanks to my week on the road and the very big project still calling my name from the bowels of my laptop -- one that needs to be finished before deadline next Tuesday -- I have no choice but to keep the best singles list short this year. No, I'm not shrinking the countdown itself, just my commentary on the songs that made it into the top 25.

2011 was a damn fine year for music: We saw the popular rise of chill-wave and the domination in the states of dubstep, and the ethereal shoegaze sound that was so big in the 90s suddenly seemed to be reasserting itself everywhere. Also, interestingly, the very best singles of the year were down-tempo tracks -- some lush and lovely, some powerful and passionate, some just plain heartbreaking.

So let's begin our look back.



25. Beady Eye -- Bring the Light

Liam won the battle between the Gallagher brothers to see who could release the better post-Oasis record by being something Oasis hadn't been in years: fiery and a hell of a lot of fun.



24. Portugal. The Man -- Got It All

Big, irresistible hooks that would make ELO's Jeff Lynne proud, these guys were living proof that at least something good can come out of Wasilla, Alaska.



23. Cat's Eyes -- Face in the Crowd

From the Wall of Sound production, to the ominous horns, to the swinging 60s girl-group vocals, this song was like a goth Bond theme from the Connery era.



22. Yuck -- Get Away

Who knew there was a love for Dinosaur Jr. among Britain's indie underground? While we've heard this sound before, rarely have we heard a reboot/homage that's this catchy and refreshing.



21. Fucked Up -- Queen of Hearts

Honest to God, ferocious punk rock that was as audacious in scope as it was joyously blistering in its delivery.

Tomorrow: 20-16