First Listen: New Releases for November 6

Let's dive right in!

Album of the Week:

Artist: Ellie Goulding
Album: Delirium
Quick Description: Third album by the British pop singer.
Why You Should Listen: This is allegedly her Big Pop Record, but it's better than that.
Overall Thoughts: I've been a fan since "Lights," and this album worried me a bit given some of the advance stuff on this. She's always straddled the EDM line a bit, and I was hoping that she wouldn't stray from that, and, mostly, she doesn't. She definitely brings a Big Pop Record feel to this, but it mostly just feels like an Ellie Goulding album, and one that brings the best parts of her previous work and improves on it. Well done.
Recommendation: Probably my favorite album of the week.

Artist: Darren Hayman
Album: Florence
Quick Description: Solo album from the former Hefner frontman, his second this year.
Why You Should Listen: Darren Hayman should be required listening for anyone at this stage.
Overall Thoughts: So this is being billed as Hayman's first true "solo" record, but he's been solo for a while now and this is just the first that he's done all the instrumentation for. The result is a sometimes stark, very folky affair that is good, but not great. If you're looking for recent Hayman solo work, Chants for Socialists is more interesting, but this is still a quality record from an artist who hasn't put out anything bad yet.
Recommendation: Should be in your rotation this week.

Artist: Sara Bareilles
Album: What's Inside: Songs From Waitress
Quick Description: In which pop-pianist Sara Bareilles goes Broadway.
Why You Should Listen: The quick description sounds intriguing.
Overall Thoughts: So I minored in theatre in college, so I'm always intrigued by this sort of thing. It's hard to hear songs from musicals out of context, but Bareilles makes it pretty easy here. This is an interesting listen, and one I'm glad I checked out even if the context is sometimes lacking. If you like piano pop and musicals, take a gander.
Recommendation: A good listen!

Artist: Grimes
Album: Art Angels
Quick Description: Latest album by the pop anti-star.
Why You Should Listen: You like interesting pop music; the aesthetic of Grimes is as interesting as the music for you.
Overall Thoughts: Grimes is probably the bearer of the most interested and buzzed-about album of the week. It's not an easy listen, but it's not a difficult one, either - it's just different. And even when she goes full-on pop (like with "Kill V. Maim"), it's not at all feeling like a mainstream song. Very strange, but that's what makes Grimes so appealing.
Recommendation: A must listen, was close to being album of the week for me.

Artist: Made of Oak
Album: Penumbra
Quick Description: Atmospheric EP from a Sylvan Esso side project.
Why You Should Listen: It's a short EP with an interesting sound.
Overall Thoughts: This won't be for everyone, and what's interesting is how it feels sort of like what Sylvan Esso is good at, but with a heavier, darker tone. I can't describe it much in any other way, but I really enjoyed this.
Recommendation: Worth a slot in your rotation this week.

Artist: Noun
Album: Throw Your Body On The Gears And Stop The Machine With Your Blood
Quick Description: New album from Noun, a(nother!) side project from the Screaming Females lead.
Why You Should Listen: Anything Marissa Paternoster is gold.
Overall Thoughts: I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it doesn't. Everything Paternoster has done up to this point has been gold, and this is no different. Some dark punk here that is a nice change from the Screaming Females stuff, and, overall, this is just a great, quick listen overall.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.

Artist: New Manners
Album: Give Me Your Bones
Quick Description: A quick hit of straightforward indie rock.
Why You Should Listen: Sometimes you just need a pleasant palate cleanser.
Overall Thoughts: This isn't going to end up on any best-of lists, but as a tight indie rock EP, this is certainly worth some time. I just wish it wasn't in such a good week overall.
Recommendation: Try to find some time for this.

Artist: Kate Boy
Album: One
Quick Description: Debut album from the electro artists.
Why You Should Listen: You wanted the Grimes to be more edgy.
Overall Thoughts: This was a Discover Weekly thing for me a while back, and I anticipated this album for a while. It's mostly good, often great, and the biggest flaw is also its greatest strength - with nothing to set it apart, it somewhat sits alone in what it's trying to do, and you just keep waiting for that extra oomph to push it forward. It's one I hope to keep in my rotation for a while, but this might not be for everyone.
Recommendation: In a crowded week, it's not essential, but still a good listen.

Artist: Billy Gibbons and the BFGs
Album: Perfectamundo
Quick Description: First solo album from the lead singer of ZZ Top. Yup.
Why You Should Listen: I mean, ZZ Top has earned your time.
Overall Thoughts: What's interesting about this album isn't so much that it's from the lead singer of ZZ Top, or that it's a really well-done slice of classic rock, but just that it exists at all. It's a good listen, although it's probably not going to knock your socks off at all, but I don't think we need to pretend that this is essential listening, either. It fills a nice little niche, but perhaps that's it.
Recommendation: Maybe a fans only affair in a week like this.

Artist: Moonsocket
Album: Eurydice
Quick Description: A solo album from a Canadian artist with a long resume.
Why You Should Listen: There's not really enough quiet (for the most part) singer-songwritery stuff out this week.
Overall Thoughts: Another album that might get lost in the shuffle when it shouldn't, this (with one exception toward the end) is a quiet affair that is really pretty and contemplative, but might not offer much in the way of anything new compared to other albums like it. If this week is too poppy and electronic for your liking, give this a spin, but it might just disappear into the noise.
Recommendation: A solid listen, but not essential.

Artist: Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder
Album: Indie 500
Quick Description: Collaborative album from the hip-hop legend and well-regarded producer.
Why You Should Listen: Talib Kweli is basically a must-listen.
Overall Thoughts: I've spoken about how I like old style rap music a lot here, and this has that feel while keeping a modern flair to it. Like always, those with a better perspective on hip hop that existed prior to, say, 2007, might have different feelings on this, but Indie 500 scratched an itch for me.
Recommendation: A good listen!

Artist: Philosophical Zombie
Album: Loneliness is Blue and Not Blue
Quick Description: Introspective independent rock music.
Why You Should Listen: It's a sort of lo-fi project that has a tendency to grab you and make you pay attention.
Overall Thoughts: Since this was recorded in the Boston area, I suppose this is "local," but the information about this release is scant. What I can say is that it's brash at times, difficult at others, and is surely the weirdest release of the week. We love most things Vanyaland here, so this is at least worth a look.
Recommendation: A solid, if different, listen.

GOSH! - GOSH!

GOSH!'s debut album, GOSH!, is a truly intriguing first listen. It's totally an 80s/90s throwback, but with all these bizarre little elements that make it unique. Hailing from Rock Island, IL, GOSH! make minimalist noise rock, combining pieces of sparse sound of Beat Happening with melody of Violent Femmes and the noise of Archers of Loaf. "Hangin' Out" has these wonderfully melodic, harmonized vocals over a staccato drum beat and just the fuzziest guitar you can imagine. "Beach Fuzz" is exactly what you are imagining: Dick Dale style surf rock that just never stops what is virtually the same blast of feedback throughout the entire song. It's as if The Moldy Peaches were more interested in the music than being clever or strange.

GOSH!'s debut album, GOSH!, is available now vi Guilt Ridden Pop. You can purchase the album on Bandcamp in digital, cd, or cassette. Watch the video for "Hangin' Out" below, and below that are the band's upcoming tour dates.

MON NOV 9TH- WICHITA KS @ KIRBY’S BEER STORE

TUES NOV 10TH- FAYETTEVILLE AR @ BACKSPACE

WED NOV 11TH= DENTON TX @ MOONSHINE SHACK

THURS NOV 12TH- AUSTIN TX EARLY SHOW @ SAHARA LOUNGE// LATE SHOW @ CHEER UP CHARLIE'S

FRI NOV 13TH- HOUSTON TX @ SUPER HAPPY FUN LAND

SAT NOV 14TH- NEW ORLEANS LA @ HELTER SHELTER

SUN NOV 15TH- BIRMINGHAM AL @ SOUTHSIDE LOUNGE

MON NOV 16TH- ATHENS GA @GO BAR

WED NOV 18TH- NASHVILLE TN @ FOOBAR

THURS NOV 19TH- ST LOUIS @ FOAM

FRI NOV 20TH- COLUMBIA MO @ CAFE BERLIN

SAT NOV 21ST- MUSCATINE IA @ THE BEETH OVEN

Friday Freebie: The Suffers and Submarine Lights

This week, First Listen features some free music that we missed earlier this year. Released back in January, The Suffers slipped right by us. I only first noticed them when they were announced for the 2015 Newport Folk Festival, and immediately became a fan. Their debut EP, Make Some Room, is part of the new soul revival that is going on right now. Basically, if you're into Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Leon Bridges, or Alabama Shakes, this is for you. Their debut full length is due next year. If these four songs are any indication, they're do for a breakout year in 2016. You can get Make Some Room via NoiseTrade. be sure to check out their website while you're at it.


Also free through NoiseTrade, you can get The Dangerous Pleasures of Uncommon Curiosity, the debut album from Submarine Lights. We also missed this one back in September, somehow. Submarine Lights are comprised of
members of St. Vincent and The Polyphonic Spree. To compare them to their previous bands, they're more symphonic than St. Vincent and less bombastic than The Polyphonic Spree. It's not quite twee, but fans of The Magnetic Fields and Belle & Sebastian will be happy. It's all pretty trippy with a wide variety of non-rock instruments, so there are of course shades of The Beatles, The Flaming Lips, and Pet Sounds. It appears that NoiseTrade is only offering 7 of 9 songs on the album, cutting off the 1 minute opener and the 7 minute closer (and reordering the songs on the album), but hey... free is free. You can download your own copy of most of The Dangerous Pleasures of Uncommon Curiosity here. Submarine Lights' website can be found here.

Forgotten Fridays: Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project

With Sceptre out in the United States today (hooray!), I thought it might be fun to revisit this little piece of nostalgia from 1997, David Arnold's Bond theme cover project, Shaken and Stirred.

Remember, 1997 was the height of the electronica boom, and David Arnold had scored a number of films in the past and was a big Bond fan. So he reworked some of the Bond themes and songs electronically, added some interesting vocalists to the mix, and released this compilation. The album itself became a hit, especially in the United Kingdom, and led to David Arnold being tapped to score a number of Bond movies following this release.

This wasn't on Spotify back when Skyfall came out, so I'm glad that it's finally been posted. The whole thing might feel a tad bit dated nearly 20 years later, but I'll say this much: Aimee Mann's take on "Nobody Does it Better" rivals the original, Leftfield's contribution to "Space March" still holds up today, Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders) has the perfect voice for "Live and Let Die," and The Propellerheads taking on "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" remains an all-time favorite interpretation of any song period, never mind in the Bond canon.

So let this get you a little hyped up. It's definitely a fun Friday piece to mix into the day's new releases.

Deleter - "Seclusion"

Photo by Deleter

I didn't know how much I needed a band like Minneapolis' Deleter before I heard them. I also have no idea how I have never heard a band with this sound before. It seems like a pretty obvious pairing. They start off with a backbone of Gang of Four minimalist but danceable post punk and then throw the noise crescendo of Sonic Youth behind it. "Seclusion" basically combines "Damaged Goods" with "Teenage Riot." Somehow they cram all that into 2 minutes and 13 seconds, making it one of the few songs I wish went on much longer. 

Deleter's debut album, Oblique Seasons, is due out December 7 on Land Ski Records. You can listen to "Seclusion" below. For the time being, be sure to check out Deleter on Bandcamp, Facebook, and Twitter.

Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys - "Where's Your Ghost"

Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys are set to release their third proper album in late winter/early spring, and have just released a video for a track, "Where's Your Ghost." "Where's Your Ghost" isn't one of the Army of Toys' most bombastic songs, and is pretty quiet, at least at the beginning. It very slowly builds into a slightly more raucous song, but still, by Army of Toys' standards, pretty mellow. "Where's Your Ghost" seems more about atmosphere, and the result is this creepy, desperate sounding track that might end up haunting you as an earworm.

You can download "Where's Your Ghost" right now from Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys' Bandcamp. For their third album, Come Black Magic, the band has started a Kickstarter to help with funding and promotion. You can find the usual things, such as digital and physical copies of the album and your choice of a cover song, but since it's Walter Sickert, there are some more unique offerings. You can play a song with the band, get an illustration of yourself done by Walter Sickert, nude photos, etc. To check out their Kickstarter, go here. Also, keep in mind that this is a band that usually releases an album for free each year, so they really deserve some crowdfunding help.

First Listen: New Releases for October 30

This is a real feast or famine week, let me tell you.

Album of the Week:

Artist: Laura Stevenson
Album: Cocksure
Quick Description: Fourth album from a favorite here at the blog.
Why You Should Listen: Just outright saying it, this is one of the best indie rock singer-songwriter albums of the year.
Overall Thoughts: This shouldn't be happening. Laura Stevenson's first album was okay. Second album solid with two incredible songs. Her third album was great from start to finish, and there was no way, I thought, that Cocksure could get even better. Yet it does. The lead singles ("Torch Song" in particular) were solid, but the album as a cohesive whole ends up being truly outstanding. In the last few albums I feel like she's found her footing, and the album title is just as much a truism as it is a double-entendre.
Recommendation: Album of the week, will certainly feature on my end of year list.

Artist: Gems
Album: Kill the One You Love
Quick Description: Debut album from the electronically-tinged indie group.
Why You Should Listen: You've enjoyed some of the similar stuff I've posted; you like a retro feel to your songwriting structure.
Overall Thoughts: A lot of bands try to do the 1980s thing by playing it straight. A lot of the songs on this album feel like they have the sort of melodic structure we've come to expect from 80s music, but with a definite modern theme. Bass-heavy electronics, some glitchy stuff. "Soak" and "w/o u" really won me over the moment I heard them, and the whole album is a really solid listen that I look forward to spending more time with.
Recommendation: Definitely should be near the top of your list this week.

Artist: British Sea Power
Album: Sea of Brass
Quick Description: Latest album by the British art rock group.
Why You Should Listen: British Sea Power isn't always great, but they are always interesting.
Overall Thoughts: I've enjoyed British Sea Power on and off since their debut. A band I never saw live, I've found their albums to be interesting and different. Sea of Brass has a very cinematic scope and thus mostly works for what it is as a cohesive whole, even if it may be a little overlong. Do you like film scores? Shoot this to the top of your list, for sure.
Recommendation: A good listen, but not for all.

Artist: Beach Slang
Album: The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us
Quick Description: Buzzworthy debut indie rock album.
Why You Should Listen: You want to be on the cutting edge of what the kids are listening to.
Overall Thoughts: Honestly, I would have skipped this if it weren't for every blog I read for music raving about this. Overall? It's okay. Nothing special, perhaps a little more lo-fi than I'm into these days. I would have loved this 12 years ago, but today? It's just okay.
Recommendation: Give it a shot, but be wary.

Artist: Seth MacFarlane
Album: No One Ever Tells You
Quick Description: Latest album of standards and standards-style singing from the Family Guy guy.
Why You Should Listen: You wish Frank Sinatra was still alive.
Overall Thoughts: I guess when you have Family Guy money, it all works out where you can indulge in passion projects and everyone's okay with it. I slag on this a bit (mostly because I live in a world of books where celebrities think they can moonlight and it just doesn't work), but MacFarlane does have the voice for this. It works really well, the songs are pleasant and it's a good enough thing to throw on in the background of your dinner party and have a bit of a conversation starter. Another solid surprise overall.
Recommendation: A good listen as long as you can move past the novelty.

Artist: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
Album: So Familiar
Quick Description: Follow-up to their well-regarded album from a couple years ago.
Why You Should Listen: Steve Martin is an auto-listen anyway, and their first album was so good that this needs to be heard too.
Overall Thoughts: I mean, listen. You've already made up your mind on this. Either you know this will be just as good as their first effort, or you didn't like their first try and you're wrong and failing as a human being. It's that simple.
Recommendation: If this isn't the album of the week, it's a definite #2. A must hear.

Artist: G Love and Special Sauce
Album: Love Saves the Day
Quick Description: Tenth album from the blues rock favorites.
Why You Should Listen: G. Love and Special Sauce should be automatic...
Overall Thoughts: ...but not generally for me, actually. I've never really gotten into them even though I have a friend who really liked them. This is a good album, but it's nothing that will blow your mind and probably isn't a good introduction to the band on a whole.
Recommendation: Worth a listen if you're into it.

Artist: Car Seat Headrest
Album: Teens of Style
Quick Description: Debut release from a new artist on Matador.
Why You Should Listen: You enjoy lo-fi indie rock that borrows from a variety of sources.
Overall Thoughts: This is a compilation of old re-recorded songs, which may explain why I felt like this felt disjointed and exhausting. I am more interested to see what comes next, but this really won't be for everyone.
Recommendation: If you have the time.

Artist: El Vy
Album: Return to the Moon
Quick Description: Debut album from a side project of The National and Menomena.
Why You Should Listen: If you like these two bands and enjoy well-crafted rock music...
Overall Thoughts: I'm not a huge National guy, and Menomena are all well and good but have never truly grabbed me outside of their live show. This, however, is a rock-solid album with a lot going for it. The songs are memorable at times, the music really enjoyable. This was a great palate cleanser for me after a few listens this week, so it's worth your time.
Recommendation: A good listen!

Artist: Consuela's Revenge
Album: Mercy
Quick Description: A debut mishmah of roots-ish genres from a Providence-area band.
Why You Should Listen: They have one of the more interesting sounds of the new music of the moment.
Overall Thoughts: Ken sent this one over, and I was skeptical based on the name alone. The female lead, however, has a very familiar-sounding voice, and the band is sort of like a weird cross between David Wax Museum and Black Prairie that works surprisingly well. The first song really grabbed me and I stuck with it the whole way through, and I look forward to hearing more.
Recommendation: Definitely should make your cut this week.

Artist: The Neighbourhood
Album: Wiped Out!
Quick Description: Second album from the buzzed-about rock band.
Why You Should Listen: I... I don't know.
Overall Thoughts: Here's the thing. This band has a couple good songs (one is on this album, "R.I.P. 2 My Youth," and the other is "Sweater Weather" from their debut), but on a whole, I don't know who they're trying to appeal to. Too dark for traditional alt-rock, too weird for pop. And I'm not even sure any of it works. Maybe someone can explain it to me.
Recommendation: Skip it this week.

Artist: Puscifer
Album: Money Shot
Quick Description: Latest album from the Tool frontman's side-project.
Why You Should Listen: It's the closest thing to a new Tool album we're going to get for a while, it appears.
Overall Thoughts: For a long time, I took part in a Tool discussion list that really went in deep for a lot of philosophy stuff, a lot of musical discussion, and so on. I remember when Puscifer actually became a thing, and it was juvenile and weird and I think I wrote it off. I don't know if this will bring me back into the fold a bit, but this actually feels like a good album with a lot going for it as opposed to, well, whatever it started out as. I'm not saying this is for everyone at all, but if you, up to this point, are missing Tool and/or want to try something different, you should take a flier on this.
Recommendation: Worth a look. I enjoyed it!

Also out this week:

* We Love Disney

Donna Bummer - "Washout"

Adding to the list of band names taken from celebrities, Donna Bummer are a brand new band hailing from Burlington, MA. They appear to only have one song out, "Washout." Being a grumpy old man, I wouldn't exactly call "Washout" punk, although I'll allow for popular opinion since I know most people will. It's super, super catchy, reminding me a lot of 90s emo like The Promise Ring or Sunny Day Real Estate. The song also has guitars that are a bit too crunchy for traditional emo. That brings a touch of an Archers of Loaf vibe.

You can listen to "Washout" below. For more information on Donna Bummer, check them out on Bandcamp and Facebook.

The I Don't Cares - "1/2 2 P"

I doubt I would be this excited about a song that's apparently about having to urinate during a romantic interlude, but when the song is a collaboration between Paul Westerbeg and Juliana Hatfield, exceptions can be made. I mean, I had no idea this was in the works, and it's PAUL WESTERBERG AND JULIANA HATFIELD. "1/2 2 P" starts off with just a guitar and Westerberg and Hatfield harmonizing perfectly. It's both not what I expected from them and exactly what I want from a Westerberg/Hatfield pairing. I never would have picked them as dream collaborators, but holy shit was I wrong. Apparently there is also a forthcoming album. No word on when, but it certainly won't be soon enough.

You can listen to The I Don't Cares first song, "1/2 2 P," below. Maybe if you check out the respective websites of Paul Westerberg and Juliana Hatfield, you'll catch some breaking news on The I Don't Cares.

Monday Mix: James Bond Themes, Ranked

I am super excited about the new James Bond movie coming out on Friday. I've been a fan of the series for as long as I can remember, Daniel Craig is probably my favorite Bond at this point, and Sceptre is basically something I am heavily looking forward to seeing as soon as I can.

What else is great about the Bond movies are the theme songs. Yeah, some are pretty rough, but others are actually really solid. So what better way to present an often-rare Monday Mix than via a completely subjective ranking of the Bond themes. The countdown, as well as the Spotify playlist, is worst to first. Enjoy!


23) Gladys Knight - "License to Kill": One of the few Bond themes not on Spotify (thus the tribute in the playlist and the YouTube link here), the fault of this one is how uninspired it sounds as well as how poorly it holds up over time. Gladys Knight deserved better.

22) Madonna - "Die Another Day": I typically look fondly upon Madonna's full dive into electronica at the turn of the century. There is nothing iconic or interesting or even worthwhile about this theme, though, and feels woefully out of place both for the era and the series.

21) Rita Coolidge - "All Time High": A lot of people look fondly on this song, but as for me? Dull, dull, dull.

20) Sheena Easton - "For Your Eyes Only": Another song not on Spotify, but I think we're all a little better off because of it. Just bad dated 80s stuff.

19) a-ha - "The Living Daylights"
18) Sheryl Crow - "Tomorrow Never Dies"
17) Garbage - "The World is Not Enough: In all three of these cases, it's the wrong group doing the wrong song. Sheryl Crow was pretty solid at times, especially in this era, as was Garbage, and yet these songs overall just failed to connect.

16) Sam Smith - "Writing's On the Wall": This is the Sceptre theme, and it's a tough act to follow after Adele's theme. Sam Smith doesn't really have the right voice for a Bond theme, I think, even though I understand why he was chosen and what the point of it all was. This is more disappointing than unfortunate.

15) Chris Cornell - "You Know My Name": The Casino Royale theme, it works in context given how much the Craig Bond is a reboot of sorts, but it's overall a thematic error and, frankly, not a great song by any means.

14) Tina Turner - "Goldeneye"
13) Shirley Bassey - "Moonraker": Tina Turner teamed up with U2 to try and do her best Shirley Bassey, and her best Shirley Bassey is not nearly as good as Shirley Bassey's worst of her three themes. That should tell us something.

12) Nancy Sinatra - "You Only Live Twice"
11) Carly Simon - "Nobody Does it Better"
10) Lulu - "The Man With the Golden Gun": We're quickly moving into the better Bond themes, and both Carly Simon and Lulu do great ones that have a lot of iconic moments in them, but don't quite hit the heights you'd expect. Nancy Sinatra has possibly a better song, but I don't know if it's the better Bond theme.

9) Paul McCartney - "Live and Let Die": Sir Paul's theme is much higher energy than you might expect from a Bond theme, and it largely works. A lot of my personal perspective on this comes from the Guns N' Roses version, but the fact that it holds up this long after the original recording is a testament to how good it is.

8) Matt Monro - "From Russia With Love"
7) Shirley Bassey - "Goldfinger": These are both two of the more iconic takes on the Bond themes, and "Goldfinger" in particular is often the type of song you think of when you think of Bond themes. I very easily could have ranked this one higher.

6) Duran Duran - "A View to a Kill": While so many of the lower-tier songs are dated and exist solely within the era they were performed, "A View to a Kill" succeeds by keeping up with the era as well as retaining some of the iconic flair (most notably the Bond horns). I love this song. Fun fact: this is the only Bond theme to hit #1 on the United States Billboard charts.

5) Alicia Keys and Jack White - "Another Way to Die": The theme for Quantum of Solace, I love this take on the theme. It's different while still retaining a lot of the same ideas and themes throughout, and the mix of Keys and White is one that shouldn't work and does. This is absolutely a more divisive theme in the canon, but I firmly fall on the "this is brilliant" camp.

4) Adele - "Skyfall": Adele is absolutely going retro on this one, and it works. Easily the best modern theme, and it's not even close.

3) Shirley Bassey - "Diamonds Are Forever": Shirley Bassey is the iconic voice of the Bond themes, and I fully and completely see this as the theme I think of when I think Shirley Bassey Bond themes. The brass section is perfect, melody right on target, and the pacing just works. Definitely a top theme.

2) Tom Jones - "Thunderball": Is there any doubt? This has everything going for it, plus the right male voice for a Bond theme, plus it's actually still pretty funny in a few ways. It's hard to not see this as one of the great sung themes of the time.

1) John Barry - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service": Sometimes, when you have to find out what the best Bond themes are, you have to cheat a little. "Majesty's" is more the action theme to the film of the same name than the theme itself, which could either be considered the main Bond theme that begins this playlist or the Louis Armstrong love theme, but I absolutely think this needs to be considered as the top theme. It works too well, is too iconic, and, as we'll learn later this week, has been reinterpreted very well as well. When I think Bond? This is what I think of.

Disagree? Thoughts? Share in the comments!