My Top Favorite Song of 2013

Every year I come out with my own top personal list of favorite songs.  Lately, this list has been comprised mainly of music released before the year in question, often by several years.  This year, I cannot think of a single song that came out in 2013 that I would consider to be a favorite.  Heck, I'm not even inclined to make a "favorites" list for 2013, although there is one song that I do regard as my clear favorite for last year: Kasabian's Switchblade Smiles.

Kasabian is a British alternative rock band that I have been following since 2005.  Their 2011 fourth album Velociraptor! contains several good tracks, and Switchblade Smiles is a buried treasure on it.  This song reminds me greatly of Led Zeppelin at their best...and I think the old Robert Plant could have made it into a monster.  There is a recurring catchy guitar riff that stands up alongside anything the great "Zep" has come  out with, and there are different melodic themes that circulate throughout.  But there really is no need for Robert Plant to cover this song since Kasabian's own lead singer Tom Meighan has his own special style and vocal talent which he uses well in this effort.

Often I'll hear a song that figuratively knocks me off my feet when I first hear it, but after a few listens I tire of it.  The reverse is true with Switchblade Smiles: at first, I didn't care too much for it but suddenly realized one day what a masterpiece it is.  And I've never tired of it since!

Back in 2007, near the start of this blog, I listed and described my (then) 25 all-time favorite songs.  Well, there's been a lot going on in the interaction between the musical world and my brain during the past seven years and I think a revision, "2014 edition", is called for.  Look for this in a few weeks...