Top 10 Songs of November

Just a Guy’s monthly music article includes the hottest songs of November 2013. The restrictions are simple, the album or the song must have been released during the month in review and to encourage diversification, we only select one song per album per artist. With all the rules out of the way, let’s get started with the best songs from November!

Eminem – Bad Guy

Eminem returns full force with the Marshall Mathers LP 2 on the first track entitled “Bad Guy”. This song could be called Stan Pt. 2 as it plays off the original Marshall Mathers LP “Stan”. “Bad Guy” is a reference to Marshall and how it was him who forced Stan to kill himself and is told from the perspective of Stan’s little brother, Matthew Mitchell. The song comes in at over 7 minutes long and is worth every second, as it is one of Em’s greatest songs and probably the best on the album.  The last verse brings chills to the spine and echoes back to Marshall’s “glory days”.

Jake Bugg – Slumville Sunrise

Jake Bugg probably sounds like an artist you’ve heard of (cough, Bob Dylan, cough) but he’s made quite a name for himself in his own right. Bugg released Shangri La in November as the follow up to his great self-titled debut.  Shangri La is bluesy and simple and “Slumville Sunrise” embodies it. An up-tempo song that features a thumping drum beat and some nice guitar riffs with Bugg’s distinctive voice keeping up rapid fire with the music. The kid is already big in the UK, and should start to get some more love Stateside after his headlining tour this winter and some expected summer festival stops.

M.I.A. – Bring The Noize

M.I.A. always has unique sounds, “Bring The Noize” is no exception. Influenced by world music as much as it is by hip hop the song is rapid fire that is going to have your head spinning. M.I.A. isn’t the best lyricist ever, but I love the production on Matangi and “Bring The Noise” is one of the standout tracks for me.

Polar Bear Club – WLWYCD

“WLWYCD” is a solid pop-punk track from New York’s Polar Bear Club. The band sounds different than they used too, more pop than post-hardcore now, and vocalist Jimmy Stadt’s newfound vocal range contributes greatly to that. If you’ve heard them before, you may be shocked, and if you haven’t, you’ll be surprised at how raspy Stadt’s voice used to sound. Still, fans should be able to embrace the new sound.

Hopsin – Rip Your Heart Out

“Rip Your Heart Out” is a single from Hopsin’s third studio album Knock Madness and first since his “Ill Mind” fame. “Ill Mind of Hopsin 4” and it’s follow up “Ill Mind of Hopsin 5” have combined for over 50 million views on Youtube and will undoubtedly contribute to a significant increase in exposure resulting in growth for album sales. “Rip Your Heart Out” is a loud, fast paced track that features Tech N9ne and comes at you hard. Only time will tell if Hopsin has staying power, but if this song and album are sign of things to come, the future looks bright for this up and coming artist.

Cut Copy – Free Your Mind

The title track of their album, Cut Copy is back with the follow up to 2011’s magnificent Zonoscope. “Free Your Mind” is a single in that same, Zonoscope, vein (even if the album isn’t). It sounds a little 80’s and that’s not a bad thing. You can almost picture it playing over the credits of a John Hughes movie and that’s awesome. Do yourself a favor and listen to Cut Copy if you haven’t already.

Billie Joe + Norah – Long Time Gone

My attitude towards country music must be thawing, because I had no reason to listen to Foreverly, a Everly Brothers tribute by Billie Joe Armstrong (yes, of Green Day) and Norah Jones (yes, that Norah Jones). But, Billie Joe’s voice actually works on an album like this and Norah Jones sounds great like always. If you like the Everly Brothers or just want to hear an aging punk rocker take another step out of his comfort zone then “Long Time Gone” is right up your alley.

Daughtry – Waiting for Superman

Daughtry’s latest single, “Waiting for Superman” is exactly what you’d expect. Not to be confused with the Flaming Lips songs or the film by the same name, “Waiting for Superman” is a song about good deeds that go unrecognized. The music video portrays a man who helps out a few individuals, who see his interference as harmful and not helpful. This is disheartening, but is reconciled in the end when his rescuee shows her gratefulness with a hug. Nothing new here from Daughtry in a kind of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” formula, but fans will enjoy this new tune.

Tinie Tempah – Trampoline

“Trampoline” is a funky uptempo song from Tinie Tempah’s second studio album, Demonstration. It’s track that makes you want to get up and move, that would fit in perfectly at a dance club. With a feature from 2 Chainz and a bubbly synth with a recurring bass line matched to the lyrics “shake, shake, shake” this song has a nice rhythm and is certain to draw attention.

Yellowcard – Christmas Lights

The newest addition to the Punk Goes album sets is the Punk Goes Christmas album, which was released at the beginning of November. Yellowcard’s “Christmas Lights” is one of the featured songs and if you find Christmas to be an exciting, enjoyable time then this song is not for you. A depressingly romantic track lyrically, it paints a picture of sadness gazing out of a window at Christmas lights with a mind that is thoughtlessly lost in the moment of despair. Not your typical Christmas song, but a good one nonetheless.

Honorable Mention

The Killers – Shot at the Night

Did your favorite artist, album, or song not make the cut? Let us know in the comments below. Got a song that you think deserves to make in next month’s list? Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ and let us know.

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