North Texas’ top five songs of 2011

by Jessica Harp, Brenna Rushing

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Add these to your local playlist.

We listen to thousands of songs a year. The best songs stick with us -- whether they leave a lingering message, a catchy tune, or a desire to hear more from that artist.

We picked our top five songs, many of them singles, from Dallas-Fort Worth musicians churned out this year. We hope you'll add them to your playlists.

5. "Goon" (single) -- RTB2: Heavy guitar licks combined with uncomplicated drumbeats make up the majority of this track, but when Ryan Thomas Becker sings the first line, you're in. The passion and intensity in his voice is unmatched by vocalists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and those elements add to the grittiness of his uncommon sound. After listening to “Goon,” you may find yourself humming it long after.

4. "Disco Queen" (single) -- Ishi: To call the beats of “Disco Queen” infectious is not enough. The track is downright contagious. You just gotta groove to the ‘70s inspired track. We'll call it an electronic-infused dance epidemic that gets better with each listen. Play this track when you are ready to get the party started.

3. "In Numbers We Survive" from Between The Two -- The O's: This song hits hard from the get-go, and the simple, heavy drumbeat walks listeners through the track, leading them from the verse to a chorus full of strength and heart, and back again. The combination of the harmonica, tambourine, organ, and banjo makes “In Numbers We Survive” sing, and it becomes all the more impressive when listeners realize it is just John Pedigo and Taylor Young doing all the handiwork.

2. "Floating Feather" from Floating Feather -- The Fox & The Bird: Beautiful in its simplicity, this track uses no electric guitars or overly distorted feedback. It's just just pure and simple melodies that harken back to a time when things weren’t so complicated. “Floating Feather” is easy to digest and appreciate.

1. "Shut it Down" from The Way Sound Leaves a Room -- Sarah Jaffe: Only avid Sarah Jaffe fans know she is a big hip-hop fan -- a far cry from her own style. Jaffe's cover of Drake and The Dream’s "Shut It Down" breaks the track down and proves that she can pull off other styles. Jaffe says she chose this song because "it was one of the few songs that, instead of degrading the lady, it was kind of like building her up and saying, 'you look good. Like, go out there and do what you want kind of thing.'" We like how she paints a sultry picture with her smoky voice.

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