The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #210

#210: "I'll Remember You Long" (2007) - Golden Animals

Okay, we've all sung a round (or dozen) of "Auld Lang Syne," and some of us are recovering from hangovers, and some of us are still partying. Well, for those to whom this does apply, then I give you this one. "I'll Remember You Long" is a closing time, hoist-your-beer-in-the-air singalong. The tune sounds as if it were written, oh, seventy-or-so years ago, perhaps an unearthed Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer tune. The song uses a Tin Pan Alley melodic structure, and Tommy Eisner's lead vocals hark back to that crooner style of pre-WWII. The production, though, is rooted in the reverb and echo of Sun studios and Gretsch guitars; but the drumming here is modern--loose and minimalist, similar to the playing of Mo Tucker and Meg White. This odd combination of epoch-spanning styles gives the record a unique feel, one that's both fresh and familiar, a sepia-tinted coctail, one part rock, one part blues, and one part jazz, with just a touch of sentiment. Have one on me, pahdner.

You can hear more of the Golden Animals' sonorous stylings at their MySpace page.