100 Best Songs

[Jeff]

Six years ago, we made a list of the 100 best songs of the 1990s. I wish we still had this list because it was way cool. I remember that one of the problems we had when we made it was remembering the best songs from the first half of the decade. So, I thought that it might be worthwhile to list the best songs of the 00s thus far. If everyone made a list of their 10 favorite songs that were released between January 2000 and December 2005 I think we would have a nice list for our most serious deliberations at the New Years Eve party in 2009.

Jeff

PS I realize that I am a year late on this idea, but better late than later, right?

[Thanin]

First off, I'm wholly uninterested in what would be considered technically good. Everything I like is on that silly, whatever-makes-me-feel level. So if that disqualifies this list, cool.

Secondly I think this list will show how many superficial commonalities we don't share with each other anymore. I mean I seriously doubt any other list will much mirror my own... so maybe it's just me who'll be an outsider.

Thirdly this has been really freaking hard to do. I think in whole CDs rather than singles anymore. This mostly because I haven't listened to 'popular' radio more than twice in the past two years. Regardless, here's my list:

1. Skinny Puppy: Goneja
The Greater Wrong Of The Right, 2004

2. Mirah: Apples in the Trees
Advisory Committee, 2001

3. Rasputina: A Quitter
Cabin Fever! 2002

4. Cat Power: I Don’t Blame You
You Are Free, 2003

5. Mates of State: Ha Ha
Team Boo, 2003

TIE
6. Gustavo Santaolalla: The Wings
Brokeback Mountain Soundtrack, 2005

6. Dresden Dolls: Girl Anachronism
Dresden Dolls, 2004

7. KaitO: Driving Manual Auto
Band Red, 2003

8. Pearl Jam: Rival
Binaural, 2000

9. The Arcade Fire: In The Backseat
Funeral, 2004

10. Wolf Parade: I’ll Believe in Anything
Apologies to the Queen Mary, 2005


I'll admit that I really had to stop myself from just overwhelming it with nothing but Mirah songs, but I think keeping it to a one song per artist ratio provided a stronger list. Also I've always thought having a tie on a list like this is some pretty weak sauce, but I just wasn't able to lose any of these. D'oh.

[Jeff]

Wow this is hard. I had three Radiohead songs before I realized the wisdom of David’s rule: One song per band. Even then there was a lot I cut: Modest Mouse, The Shins, White Stripes, DM, etc… Still a fun exercise. I know we had a rule last time that the song had to have been on the radio or MTV to count, but the internet has really changed things in the last 6 years. I use the radio for talk--NPR and the like--and get my music on the net.

My list is less esoteric than David's I think. And I am not sure that this isn't an artifact of me trying to cling to the days when like-minded people could easily listen to the same stuff. There is so much more music available today if you care to track down acts that really interest you.


1. The Flaming Lips "Do You Realize??" (2002)
2. Radiohead “Scatterbrain” (2003)
3. The Arcade Fire “Neighborhood #2 (Laika)” (2004)
4. The Postal Service "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" (2003)
5. The Wrens “Ex-Girl Collection” (2003)
6. The Darkness "I Believe In a Thing Called Love" (2003)
7. Coldplay "Yellow" (2000)
6. M.I.A. "Galang" (2004)
9. Outkast "Hey Ya!" (2003)
10. Queens of the Stone Age "No One Knows" (2002)

[Thanin]

I was a coin-flip away from putting Neighborhood #2 (Laika) on my list. In the Backseat just happened to win.

[jtmx1]

It was just about the same for me, David. I didn't know which AF song I was going to choose before I typed the words The Arcade Fire... It was also very hard for me to pick the Radiohead song. Justin will hate this, but for me it was between Motion Picture Soundtrack, Scatterbrain, and You and Whose Army. (I don't know why I picked just these three and not any others.)

[Guest Justin]

I've been incredibly busy this week, so I haven't had any time to think about this stuff. But I have to admit that my initial temptation is to stick with released singles. The radio and/or MTV may not reflect the whole of modern popular music, nor should it ever. But the truth is, those media do reach lots and lots of folks, and I think the wideness of currency at least in this case helps us compare oranges to oranges.

So...

I don't know what all would be on my list, but I'm certain I'd include the following cuts:

Fell in Love with a Girl - The White Stripes
Float On - Modest Mouse
Frontin' - Pharrell
Hate to Say I Told You So - Hives
Hey Ya - Outkast
Roll Out - Ludakris

I'm sure there are others, but I don't know what off the top of my head.

[Thanin]

Gauging music using mainly traditional venues (officially released music) would be a mistake here. The music scene works differently now. Popular music has far less of an impact than it ever has before (and no I'm not forgetting the Slippery when Wet album), and we're set on a path that’s leading to obscure accessibility (the internet) replacing widespread accessibility in importance. To overlook that important change in the art form is too short sighted.

[jtmx1]

I am with you on this one, David. In fact, I think I read something about this recently. Let me see...

1. How to Make Music Radio More Appealing to the Next Generation

www.bridgeratings.com/press_120105-12-24%20Listening.htm

"85% of the total sample would choose their MP3 player over traditional radio as their preferred option for music."

"54% of the total sample says there is NOT a radio station in their area that plays their favorite music."


2. Duh of the day: Youth prefers iPods to radio

playlistmag.com/weblogs/ipodblog/2005/12/radioduh/index.php

3. Slept-On in 2005: The overlooked albums of last year.
www.slate.com/id/2133762/

"Given the sheer volume of music available these days—and the profusion of genres, subgenres, and sub-subgenres—critical consensus of any kind is a small miracle, and every fan is destined to greet the top-10s with a counterlist of the egregiously overlooked. (What, no Gogol Bordello? And where in God's name is the Danger Doom record?!)"

[Guest Justin]

Yeah, I hear you both and agree fully. But I'm still going to stick with radio releases. You know, despite the statistics, there are still legions of folks who haven't fully given up on the radio, even for all its disgustingly commercial tastes and its desparately out-of-touch principles. I'm one of those people. Yes, radio has missed the boat in just about every way possible. Yes, I still GREATLY prefer my own music collection to the radio. Yes, I can assure you that no station around here plays anything like unto what I want to hear. But the truth of the matter is that they do play songs I like, at least every now and again. And since this was a stipulation of the last big list, at least for my contribution, I'm going to stick with released singles.

With all that in mind, a few more singles to be found on my doomed list may be:

Beautiful Day - U2
Last Night - The Strokes

Still not sure about the rest...

[lonniemarie]

Okay...These are just songs I really really really like...and I tried to look each one of them up to find out year they were released and apologize in advance if the date is wrong...and I didn't know if "country" or "alt country" was to be left out...but I put them anyway!!!

1. Somebody Told Me-The Killers (2004)
2. NYC Weather Report-Five For Fighting (2004)
3. Delicate-Damien Rice (2003)
4. Trouble-Ray Lamontagne (2004)
5. Mad World-Gary Jules (2002)
6. La Cienega Just Smiled-Ryan Adams (2001)
7. Do You Realize??-The Flaming Lips (2002)
8. ?
9. Are You Gonna Be My Girl-Jet (2003)
10. Hurt-Johnny Cash (2003)

[Tyler]

I have no problem with any kind of song being recommended, but could we put some sort of disclaimer or notification before recommendations of country songs? You know, just so I can make sure the kids don't see it.
: )

[Thanin]

Tyler, I don't think I've ever seen you use an emoticon before. What's up with that

[Tyler]

I don't know Lonnie so well, so I was hoping to seem more "hee-hee" and less "grrrrr".

[lonniemarie]

LOL...I might be able to remove "Three Days" from the list, Tyler...but "The Man Comes Around" seems to cross the lines for me...and Johnny's cover of "Hurt" was one of the most haunting songs so far of the 2000's...Hmmm, compromise...remove "The Man..." for "Hurt"...And I will edit "Three Days" out...*grin*.

[Betterout]

Okay, I've added the last two. So below is my alphabetically ordered list of top radio releases of the 00s so far.

1 Beautiful Day - U2
2 Fell in Love with a Girl - The White Stripes
3 Float On - Modest Mouse
4 Frontin' - Pharrell
5 Hate to Say I Told You So - Hives
6 Hey Ya - Outkast
7 Last Night - The Strokes
8 Man of Constant Sorrow - Soggy Bottom Boys
9 Roll Out - Ludakris
A Yellow - Coldplay

I debated the last one a lot. To be honest, I really liked that song, and its strength made me rush out and buy the album. But it's not as good as the eponymous single from their "Rush of Blood to the Head" album. That's a much better song, but I really couldn't have sworn it was released. Also, I don't think it was nearly as good as Rage Against the Machine's "Sleep Now in the Fire." But I couldn't remember if that was released in late 1999 or early 2000. If it came out in 2000, then it should probably be on the list instead of "Yellow." That, or Beck's "Girl," which came out last summer. But I only caught it once as a video during a then/now segment on VH1 Classic, so it might not have been widely trafficked.

[chris]

I can only think of a few songs... I'm really an ignoramus when it comes to music sometimes. And I'm sure my list isn't very inspired. (I'll stop the self-flagellation now.)

In no particular order

U2: Elevation
Nellie McKay: David
Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out
Beck: Girl
Outkast: Hey Ya
R.E.M.: Ascent of Man

I'm sure I'll have more as I think of them.

By the way, I'm really curious to see the now defunct list of the '90s... any chance of reconstituting that?

[chris]

Sorry, Justin... missed it by two months:

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002MZ2C/qid=1138465302/