#20
Artist: Azure Ray
Song: “For No One”
Album: Azure Ray
Year: 2001

A unique aspect of Azure Ray’s music is the simplicity of the vocal performance.  Both women who sing in the group have very beautiful, melancholy voices but for the most part they just sing a straightforward melody.  There isn’t a need for showing off or pretentious belting.  Their style is quiet, but meaningful.  This song is even more barren then some of their other songs because there is a complete lack of harmonization.  It’s just a single melody sung by Maria Taylor and a really sweet and lovely acoustic guitar line.  When listening to this track I picture someone taking a lonely walk on a gray day boardwalk on the eastern seaboard.

#19
Artist: Simian Mobile Disco
Song: “I Got This Down”
Album: Attack Decay Sustain Release
Year: 2007

This entire album just slapped me across the face when it came out.  Every single one of the tracks is just completely awesome.  I feel that Simian Mobile Disco has as clear a point of view in the realm of electronic music that will put them alongside greats like Daft Punk or Soulwax.  Their aesthetic in their live performance is original, creative, and interactive as they program in-the-round with their equipment on a table in between them.  The lighting is futuristic and minimal, but still quite overwhelming.

Dance music has a special ability to connect the live experience to your memory in a way that seems to bring friendships closer together.  I will most likely speak of this at more length when we get to Daft Punk as Andy Khouri also writes about in his song list.  The atmosphere in an electronic show is completely and utterly about dancing and having a great time with your friends.  I got to do this with Simian Mobile Disco and my friends two years in a row for Halloween this decade, and I hope that I can continue to make memories at their concerts in the future.

#18
Artist: Beck
Song: “Lost Cause”
Album: Sea Change
Year: 2002

This album is, for me, the most important of Beck’s works.  Its beauty is astonishing really.  While I have almost all of Beck’s albums, I don’t know if I would classify myself as all that much of a fan.  Until this album came out I never really loved any of Beck’s music.

“Lost Cause” is pretty depressing, another theme that carries through most of my favorite songs.  I don’t necessarily think that I love to wallow in misery, but each of us can truly identify with emotional pain in one way or another (probably a lot more than other emotions), and I think this is why these types of songs can really get into your heart.

#17
Artist: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
Song: “The End”
Album: Jacksonville City Nights
Year: 2005

As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, 2005 was a renaissance for Ryan Adams.  The man wrote and recorded 3 full length albums that are clearly the best of his career so far.  It was also a time of incredible troubles of alcoholism and depression for him.  This album is probably my favorite country music album of all time.  In a live performance of this song that I’ve seen on youtube of this song, Ryan says, “This song’s about my asshole Dad…”  The song starts out:

I don’t know the sound of my father’s voice, I don’t even know how he says my name.  But it plays out like a song on a jukebox in a bar in the back of my head til its a worrying machine.

The rest of the song continues on to incorporate a lot of traditional, old timey country visuals that are complemented by some heavy pedal steel guitar, my absolute favorite instrument to listen to.  I love this song tremendously.

#16
Artist: The Knife
Song: “Pass This On”
Album: Deep Cuts
Year: 2003

Have you ever played air steel drums?  You will when you hear this song.

#15
Artist: Goldfrapp
Song: “Strict Machine”
Album: Black Cherry
Year: 2003

This song may be the sexiest song of all time.  And I’m not just saying that because I’ve seen many sexy ladies give lapdances to it.  The climbing beat that builds and builds in background while Allison Goldfrapp sings in her sultry upper register is like sonic foreplay.  The woman is the best live vocalist I have ever seen.  Her talent is just unparalleled.

#14
Artist: Daft Punk
Song: “Face to Face”
Album: Discovery
Year: 2001

And we’ve finally come to the most amazing electronic artist of all time.  Because I could have easily filled up my entire list with Daft Punk songs, I thought I would just pick my favorite one.  It may throw off the accuracy of my favorite songs of the decade that I didn’t include a this entire album, but I have so many other tracks I needed to include.

Because this exercise doesn’t really allow for remakes of old songs, I didn’t include Alive 2007 on this list but it is important to recognize that this album/show/experience was probably my favorite thing that has ever happened in my life.  Getting the opportunity to be part of the first group of people to see the Alive 2007 show at Coachella with some of my best friends, when absolutely NO ONE had any idea what was about to happen basically changed my life.  I honestly feel that 20 years from now, people will look back on that brilliant achievement of the technological advancement of the 21st century as being one of the most culturally significant experiments of our time.

The journey that my friends and I went on that year, being able to see Daft Punk again at the Los Angeles Sports Arena and the Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas for Halloween will easily exist as some of my favorite memories of my lifetime.

#13
Artist: The Arcade Fire
Song: “Ocean of Noise”
Album: Neon Bible
Year: 2007

I was really late to jump on The Arcade Fire train.  I had little to no interest in listening to their first album, partly because of the disgusting amount of hype that the band was receiving all over the fucking internet.  I think I honestly just avoided them altogether until this album came out.  I saw them opening for Björk at the Sasquatch Festival in Washington and they really put on a great show.  Now I’ve gone back and enjoyed the first album, but Neon Bible is clearly much more advanced.

“Ocean of Noise” is another melancholy song that begins to really soar towards the end.  The choir of horns, strings, and vocals that swell up to close the song out really does feel like a church experience.

#12
Artist: Fleet Foxes
Song: “Drops in the River”
Album: Sun Giant EP
Year: 2008

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the end of 2008 was dominated by the music of Fleet Foxes for me.  Forever intertwined into the aural landscape painted by the band is the schoolgirl butterflies in my stomach that I received when love knocked me off my feet.  It is because of this band that I met him.  It was getting colder in the pacific northwest, and I had been seeing Deric for a few months when I was to leave town to go home for the holidays.  We spent a day in the mountains enjoying the snow, and as an Xmas gift he made me this.

#11
Artist: Goldfrapp
Song: “Slide In”
Album: Supernature
Year: 2005

I think this album was basically on repeat in Andy Khouri’s apartment for at least 3 months and was played every single time us girls were getting ready to go out to a club in his makeup mirror area.  I love the beat in this song and again, it’s super sexy in true Goldfrapp fashion.

#10
Artist: Radiohead
Song: “Knives Out”
Album: Amnesiac
Year: 2001

This is another band that I must have been living under a rock and missed out on for basically their entire existence.  When Amnesiac came out, I had heard Radiohead’s singles but didn’t really own any of their albums.  A friend burned me this album and obviously the rest is history.  Radiohead is most definitely one of the most important musical influences in my life (considering that I have their lyrics tattooed on my ribcage, I should hope so).

“Knives Out” is beautifully creepy and haunting.  I think that Amnesiac is really under appreciated in the catalog of Radiohead’s albums.  It’s a really good blend of some of the avant garde work that they were exploring on Kid A and the melodic lineage that was created for OK Computer.  On this track I like how the guitar part, while structured, still has an element of free form playing to it as Thom croons over the top.

#9
Artist: Azure Ray
Song: “Nothing Like a Song”
Album: Hold on Love
Year: 2003

I fucking love the lyrics to this song.  As I’ve already mentioned, songs remind us of people we care about.  We tell them this and its oftentimes really touching to hear that someone is thinking of you when they’re listening to a song that they love.  The lyrics of this song remind us that people are complex and all that they are may really not completely fit into our own perceptions.  This desire that we all hold to categorize our experiences can also be detrimental to our ability to create close relationships as well.

When you wake up freezing, in a room, dark and empty well just keep singin’ along….I’m not what you write in your books and no, I’m nothing like a song…

#8
Artist: D’Angelo
Song: “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”
Album: Voodoo
Year: 2000

Did I say “Strict Machine” was the sexiest song of all time?  I lied.  This song is the sonic embodiment of sexy time.  D’Angelo wrote “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” as a tribute to the amazing art of Prince in getting people laid (which he has now retired from in order to help them find God, bummer).  Dude just fucking knocks the vocals on this song out of the park.  Voodoo has been critically acclaimed as one of the best albums of all time and its just a downright shame that D’Angelo has virtually dropped off the map.  I got to hear him live when he toured in support of this album from outside of the concert at San Diego State University because I couldn’t get a ticket and now I’m kicking myself for not sneaking in.  Maybe one day he’ll come back to us!

#7
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Song: “Fight Test”
Album: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Year: 2002

This is another album from which each track could be placed on my list of favorite songs of the decade.  I don’t really have all that many psychadelic, nerdy bands that I’m really into but The Flaming Lips are fucking great.  I absolutely love the wonky electronic noises that happen in the background of this song with Wayne Coyne singing a beautiful melody over the top.

#6
Artist: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
Song: “My Love for You is Real”
Album: Follow the Lights EP
Year: 2007

So apparently, according to my Last.fm, I’ve listened to this song more than any other song in my iTunes library at over 100 plays.  This fact is not really all that shocking to me except that the song isn’t my #1 song of the decade.  It’s pretty damn close though.  It is my favorite traditional style love song I think.  The song is pretty simple, but the feeling that you’re floating through the air, probably near a beach somewhere is unique.  My favorite part of the song is the in the very last chorus after each line he adds in “oh-ohhh” and then goes into this dreamy distorted guitar solo.

#5
Artist: Band of Horses
Song: “No One’s Gonna Love You”
Album: Cease to Begin
Year: 2007

Band of Horses is another band that really sounds like the pacific northwest to me.  Their music is meant to be played on rainy days with big trees nearby.  The vocal in this song is the star, but heavily supported by a melodic glassy guitar line echoing in the background.  Listening to this song now, trying to write about why I enjoy it so much really just makes me want to curl up in bed and dream.  This is how I know it’s what I need to hear.

#4
Artist: Radiohead
Song: “Where I End and You Begin”
Album: Hail to the Thief
Year: 2003

At this point in my list, you can pretty much just insert “God damn this song is so fucking good!” in front of every passage.  Sometimes you can’t even put into words how powerful a song is.  You have a guttural reaction when it comes on and you can’t go on in the same way you were before it came on.  I love everything about this song.  The lyrics, the drumming, the vocals, the guitars, the creepy effects.  Everything.

#3
Artist: Björk
Song: “Unison”
Album: Vespertine
Year: 2001

Vespertine is, in my opinion, the best album of all time.  This is a declarative sentence I have known from the moment I heard it.  Each of Björk’s albums has a theme and a character that is singing the stories.  On this album, she explores the themes of winter and being inside of the home.  The album has all winter sounding instruments like celestas, harp, music boxes, and an entire choir of Inuit women.  All of the beats were programmed in Björk’s apartment by recording sounds on her laptop around the house, layering tons of microbeats, and then remixed by Matmos.

You can ask me on any given day which song on this album is my favorite and I may give you a different answer.  Right now it’s “Unison,” the closing track to the record and probably the most romantic of all of them.  It’s just completely beautiful.

#2
Artist: Neko Case
Song: “I Wish I Was the Moon”
Album: Blacklisted
Year: 2002

If you are wondering how to convey loneliness in a vocal performance, just listen to this song.  Neko basically has a teardrop in the back of her throat for the entire performance.  She sings in a partnership with her best friend Kelly Hogan and you can feel their closeness in their harmonies when they perform together.  I’m pretty sure this song was written about her father, who she said was a really sad and lonely man for most of his life.  The pedal steel in this song is wicked and the vocal at the bridge is phenomenal.

#1
Artist: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
Song: “Meadowlake Street”
Album: Cold Roses
Year: 2005

Yep, here we have it.  Big surprise the number one spot is taken up by the one the only Ryan Adams.  While my Last.fm may not reflect this, I’m positive that I’ve listened to this song more times than any other song and will probably continue to listen to it over and over until I die.  I don’t know if I can adequately express how deeply the lyrics of this song touch me.  I honestly feel like its the most brilliantly written expression of what I could only hope that I could make someone feel about love.  Granted, that the song is written about a love lost, but the utilization of a maple tree as the witness to this love and how that tree is transformed through the song is really astounding.  There is a desire to push this love out of his mind, and just stop caring altogether but its power seeps into his dreams and refuses to let go.

This song begins again with just Ryan and his guitar and continues to build as we go through the story.  The drumroll before the final chorus explodes into an incredible release of emotion and incredible harmonies.  I’ve seen Ryan Adams several times now and not once has he played this song.  Supposedly he has retired from music because he is going deaf and is terribly afflicted by Ménière’s disease.  Hopefully one day I will get to hear him perform my favorite song live, but if not I will still be undoubtedly thankful for these important musical moments he’s given me thus far.

Want to give them a listen for yourself?  Download 20-1 here.
Missed the previous 20?  Click here.

I had a lot of fun in the final weeks of 2009.  So much fun in fact that I totally ignored completing the last 20 songs of my favorite songs of the decade.  It seems kind of outdated now really.  I mean we ARE a full two weeks into 2010.  But what the hell, I’m going to finish writing my commentaries and the list will be posted later today.  Hope you enjoy!

#40
Artist: Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.
Song: “My Love”
Album: Futuresex/Lovesounds
Year: 2006

Don’t even bother trying to resist the awesomeness of this entire album.  There is nothing guilty about this pleasure.  It’s just really great hip hop influenced pop music with slammin beats and great vocals by a sexy, impeccably dressed white man.  This song makes me want to break it the fuck down on the dance floor.  Especially because the dancing in the video is some of the best choreography I’ve ever seen.

#39
Artist: Fever Ray
Song: “Triangle Walks”
Album: Fever Ray
Year: 2009

As I mentioned earlier in this series of postings, Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife fame is a serious bad ass.  She is easily one of my favorite vocalists that I’ve discovered this decade.  Her solo release under the name Fever Ray invokes the pagan sensibility present in the music of The Knife but takes it to a whole new level.  This track has some really exciting voice modulation on backup vocals and I really enjoy the celeste sounding bell parts that make up the melodic backbeat.

#38
Artist: Air
Song: “Cherry Blossom Girl”
Album: Talkie Walkie
Year: 2004

This song is another track that brings me to an exact place, time, and landscape in my life that I will never forget.  I saw Air at Coachella the year that Talkie Walkie came out and they played right as the sun was setting.  The combination of their transcendent electronic ethereal sound with the brightest pink, orange, and purple desert sky will forever be burned into my memory along with a feeling of overwhelming connectedness to the Earth and the people around me.  This was the closest thing to a religious experience that I had in this hippie, acid-taking Mecca.  “Cherry Blossom Girl” features vocals by Françoise Cactus of Stereo Total who were featured earlier on my list.

#37
Artist: Amy Winehouse
Song: “Tears Dry on Their Own”
Album: Back to Black
Year: 2006

I am still so pumped on this song.  It hearkens back to the best aspects of 50’s and 60’s girl groups, a sound I was desperately needing more of when this album was released.

#36
Artist: Radiohead
Song: “How to Disappear Completely”
Album: Kid A
Year: 2000

Look out, depression ahead.  This song is so incredibly melancholy that it almost sounds like Thom Yorke is ready to just give it all up and die after he’s done recording.  It’s also one of the most beautiful and emotion evoking songs ever written.  Kid A is a straight-up masterpiece.  This song especially stands out to me because of the haunting swelling of guitars that almost sound like crying and the seemingly improvised horn parts in the background.  Not to mention Thom Yorke is one of the best male vocalists of all time.

#35
Artist: M.I.A.
Song: “10 Dollar”
Album: Arular
Year: 2005

Hey, I have an idea.  Let’s just decide that we’re going to make everyone dance harder than they’ve ever danced before.  Oh wait, that’s exactly what happens at an M.I.A. concert.  The beats in this song are out of control.  I remember at one point during this song when I went to see M.I.A. in San Diego, looking over at $unny Katz and her double peace-ing so hard I thought her arms were going to fly off.

#34
Artist: Annie
Song: “Chewing Gum (Mylo Remix)”
Album: Chewing Gum UK Single
Year: 2004

I almost put both the original version of this song as well as the Mylo remix on my list.  This is another song that I think I’ve played upwards of 500 times.  Annie’s sweet vocals and super suggestive lyrics remain quite the same in both versions of the song, however the power in the beats and synths that Mylo adds in this remix take it to a place that makes it even more amazing than the original.

#33
Artist: Neko Case
Song: “Star Witness”
Album: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Year: 2006

What it comes down to is that I just really want to be Neko Case.  She is just so damn awesome.  Fox Confessor is one of my absolute favorite albums of all time.  Neko paints a picture with her lyrics that may be quite obscure, but no matter what, you absolutely understand exactly what she is talking about.  The other part that is amazing about her lyrics is they are often really morbid and dark, even though her voice is like a soulful country angel sent from the imaginary place called heaven.

#32
Artist: The Magnetic Fields
Song: “Drive On Driver”
Album: Distortion
Year: 2007

This entire album takes a new turn for The Magnetic Fields but still maintains their signature vocals.  All of the songs feature the distorted noisey guitar sounds you might hear from My Bloody Valentine or Mazzy Star.  I really like the harmonies in this song.  It’s a sad love song about a woman whose fiancee has left her and she needs to get out of town so she can forget about the woman she’s leaving behind.

#31
Artist: Midlake
Song: “In This Camp”
Album: The Trials of Van Occupanther
Year: 2006

I am waiting with baited breath for the next album from this band.  As you can probably tell by now I am pretty obsessed with harmonic vocals.  This band has perfected them.  They are from the same town in Texas where The Eagles were formed, another group that really knows how to blend their voices.  Midlake’s sound is definitely quite foresty in my mind.  I really like the lead-in to the chorus to this song and the dramatic swell of sound that comes with it.

#30
Artist: Ryan Adams
Song: “Wildflowers”
Album: Gold
Year: 2001

Surprise!  He’s back again.  On this song, we start out simply with Ryan Adams and an acoustic guitar. Oh, but then the chorus comes in with the powerful addition of piano, drums, and bells.  This song almost makes me want to cry its so freaking beautiful.

#29
Artist: Elliott Smith
Song: “Happiness”
Album: Figure 8
Year: 2000

Each one of Elliott Smith’s albums has a special place in my heart.  This song stands out among all of them for several reasons.  Being such a tortured man, you know that he really means it when he’s singing, “What I used to be will pass away and then you’ll see that all I want now is happiness for you and me.” This became even more clear after he decided he was going to take his own life.

Another reason this song means a lot to me is that only 2 weeks after his death I had tickets to see Elliott play at the ATP festival in Long Beach.  His band decided that they would come together for a tribute to him and play his songs for the fans that were to excited to see him.  “Happiness” was the final song of the performance in which his family and friends were invited on stage to sing the back up vocals.  I don’t think anyone who witnessed this event and loved Elliott’s music will ever forget it.

#28
Artist: Annie
Song: “My Heartbeat”
Album: Anniemal
Year: 2004

The scene that I imagine when hearing this song is a rainy night in Los Angeles, heading home after a late night out, the lights reflecting on the wet streets.

#27
Artist: Gnarls Barkley
Song: “Smiley Faces”
Album: St. Elsewhere
Year: 2006

I remember vividly saying about 6 months before this album came out that I desperately needed someone to come forward to start a mainstream soul revival.  Thank fucking god for Gnarls Barkley.  Cee Lo’s voice is gospel, soul and funk all in one.  I mean, yes it’s irritating that “Crazy” was played to death on the radio and bro’s all over the world rejoiced.  However, this album is still really great.  “Smiley Faces” is CHURCH.

#26
Artist: Boys Noize
Song: “Oh!”
Album: Oi Oi Oi
Year: 2007

Such a good rave track.

#25
Artist: Interpol
Song: “Leif Erikson”
Album: Turn on the Bright Lights
Year: 2002

Damn this song is sexy.  I don’t really think the lyrics are sexy or anything, it just sounds sexy.  It’s strange that this album is called Turn on the Bright Lights because I think this is definitely music that needs to be listened to with the lights off.  

#24
Artist: First Aid Kit
Song: “Our Own Pretty Ways”
Album: Drunken Trees
Year: 2008

I discovered this duo of sisters after Lauren Clyne sent me a video of them doing a cover of a Fleet Foxes song.  I quickly became obsessed with their adorableness and fantastic voices.  They’ve only released this short EP so far but this is the stand out track of all their songs.  The song highlights their harmonies and uses lots of “la la la’s” which I love of course.  They are incredibly mature songwriters for their teenage years and I really can’t wait until they release a full-length.

#23
Artist: Goldfrapp
Song: “Crystalline Green”
Album: Black Cherry
Year: 2003

If you are able to listen to this song without becoming aroused you are probably a robot.

#22
Artist: The Chemical Brothers
Song: “The Salmon Dance (Crookers WOW Remix)”
Album: The Salmon Dance US Single
Year: 2007

This song really shouldn’t be listed as a Chemical Brothers song.  Especially since the original version is so god damn awful.  Crookers are two of my favorite favorite FAVORITE dj’s around.  They are really great at the fidget style and this song was basically transformed because of them.  I think if you say the word “Wow!” to anyone who has been even slightly involved with the house music/dance club culture in the last 2 years they will automatically hear this song in their head.  This track is out of control hyphy.

#21
Artist: Fleet Foxes
Song: “Your Protector”
Album: Fleet Foxes
Year: 2008

The best album of last year by a landslide.  Another album that conjures up a clear vision of a landscape in my mind’s eye.  This time it is where I live in the pacific northwest.  Fleet Foxes’ music was made to be listened near the rivers of the redwood forest.  This song has a bit of influence from indigenous music groups, but just knocks it out of the park with the amazing harmonies.  This album also helped me to meet the love of my life, so high five to Fleet Foxes.

Want to give them a listen for yourself?  Download 40-21 here.
Missed the previous 20?  Click here.

#60
Artist: TV on the Radio
Song: “Staring at the Sun”
Album: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Year: 2004

This band has such a unique sound and a truly electrifying stage presence.  Both of the singers have very distinct, soulful vocals and the noisey rocking guitars are great.  The recorded version of this song is slightly eerie.  The video is pretty awesome too.

#59
Artist: Underworld
Song: “Crocodile”
Album: Oblivion With Bells
Year: 2007

This decade was largely about the music of Underworld for me.  From the time that I met Andy Khouri, he had been talking about this group as one of his most important musical inspirations.  Several years into our relationship, I finally began exploring the albums of Underworld and was getting really into them.  Then, as a birthday gift, Andy bought me a ticket to see them at the Hollywood Bowl.

Little did he know he was creating a monster.  We have now seen Underworld many more times together with our friends in LA, New York, and Oakland.  He has traveled many other places as well to see them.  I love at their shows we all dance together, and the feeling of excitement that comes over us as we recognize the next track coming in and how they’ve remixed it.  This song has a really awesome bassy sound and harmonic vocals that is one of my absolute favorites.

#58
Artist: Soulwax
Song: “NY Lipps”
Album: Nite Versions
Year: 2005

This is another dance floor annihilator.  The song is practically perfect in every way, like Mary Poppins.  Sampling “Funkytown” has the propensity to be extremely cheesy and obnoxious however Soulwax are now the rightful owners of that song as far as I’m concerned.  They’re also just one of the most creative electronic acts I’ve ever seen perform live as they somehow are able to remix things in a way that still sounds like dance music but incorporates live instruments.  So rad.

#57
Artist: Amy Winehouse
Song: “Back to Black”
Album: Back to Black
Year: 2006

I know that Amy Winehouse is simply a soul revivalist and there are many important singers from whom she has developed a sound.  I also know that she has The Dap Kings as her backup band and Sharon Jones is really fucking great and deserves just as much recognition as Amy Winehouse.  Knowing all of this doesn’t lead me away from this album.  This song specifically demonstrates the sorrow in her voice and the teardrop in the back of the throat that really moves me.  It’s really a shame that she is such a hot tranny mess because she’s an amazing singer.

#56
Artist: Neko Case
Song: “Middle Cyclone”
Album: Middle Cyclone
Year: 2009

Finally we’ve come to some Neko Case, one of the most important female vocalists of this decade!  This song is just so damn good.  Neko recorded this album in an old barn with a big collection of old pianos brought in and the sounds of birds chirping, frogs croaking, and crickets singing kept in the background of the final tracks.  I especially like this song because of its simplicity.  It’s just a really pretty lady singing with her really pretty voice, an acoustic guitar, and a music box.

#55
Artist: Kylie Minogue
Song: “I Believe in You”
Album: Ultimate Kylie
Year: 2005

Kylie.  Co-written and produced by the Scissor Sisters.  What more could you ask for?  As Andy mentioned when this song appeared on his list of favorite songs of the decade, we both love the breakdown part that goes “I….believe….in….you….I….believe….in….”

#54
Artist: Justice
Song: “Phantom Pt. II”
Album: †
Year: 2007

The hard hitting beats in this song are almost like a rock n roll version of an electronic dance song.  I think that was the goal of this album by Justice and was mirrored in their live performance upon a mountain of amps and playing “Master of Puppets” by Metallica at the end of the set.  Honestly, there was a ton of hype around Justice when they first exploded and I hopped on the bandwagon but after the newness wore off I see them as just so-so.  However, this song is still very enjoyable and at least as you listen to it you can tell it is a sound that is distinctly Justice.

#53
Artist: MSTRKRFT
Song: “Street Justice”
Album: The Looks
Year: 2006

Another group that quickly became the token of the new wave of House music during this time was MSTRKRFT.  However, unlike Justice, they are really fucking great live.  This song is another song to get you seriously pumped in an almost confrontational way.  I feel a dance battle coming on.

#52
Artist: Mylo
Song: “Drop the Pressure”
Album: Destroy Rock & Roll
Year: 2004

Mothafuckaz Mothafuckaz Mothafuckaz Mothafuckaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaz Gonna Drop the Presh-aaaaaaaaaaaaah

#51
Artist: Bat For Lashes
Song: “Daniel”
Album: Two Suns
Year: 2009

The strange thing about this song is the combination of a slightly 80’s sounding electric drumbeat with some mysterious pagan vocals and other percussive sounds.  I really love the sound of her voice and the longing that she inputs on each line in this song.

#50
Artist: Hot Chip
Song: “We’re Looking For a Lot of Love”
Album: Made in the Dark
Year: 2008

This song is kind of like a little melodic sexy love song mixed in with Hot Chip’s awesome and innovative dance tracks on this album.  The landscape I picture when I listen to this song is a dark and stormy long walk home in a crowded city where no one else really sees you as you pass.

#49
Artist: M.I.A.
Song: “Bird Flu”
Album: Kala
Year: 2007

I love the tribal drumming in this song.  I also especially love how M.I.A. puts Roc-a-wear on blast on the song for asking her to be part of an ad campaign and then asking her to lose wait to do it.  She refused and then told everyone about it in this song making them her bitch.  So awesome.  M.I.A. is one of the most creative and politically revolutionary women in music and I <3 her for it.

#48
Artist: The Breeders
Song: “Istanbul”
Album: Mountain Battles
Year: 2008

Thank freaking god that The Breeders decided to make another album.  Last Splash is easily one of my favorite albums of all time and I just couldn’t wait to hear Mountain Battles.  It didn’t disappoint!  This song gives you the chance to hear Kim and Kelly’s sweet yet suspicious harmonies with some spooky guitar and bass sounds.  As kooky as these ladies seem, they are some of my heroes.

#47
Artist: Fischerspooner
Song: “Emerge”
Album: #1
Year: 2003

If you’re reading this, then I probably don’t need to explain to you why this song is on here.  It’s basically one of the most played club anthems of this decade.  If you want to see one of the most incredible/ridiculous/decadent/insane performances ever in the history of music watch this.

#46
Artist: The Chemical Brothers feat. Q-Tip
Song: “Galvanize”
Album: Push the Button
Year: 2005

This song filled my ears on the dance floor, in the car, at house parties, pre-parties, everywhere for a good 2 months.  We wore that shit OUT.  But come on, it’s the Chemical Brothers with freaking Q-Tip.  It’s just great.  Plus, the video had krumping.

#45
Artist: The Faint
Song: “Your Retro Career Melted”
Album: Danse Macabre
Year: 2001

Discovering this band in high school was one of my first forays into “electroclash” music along with Le Tigre.  I only had their album for a few weeks before I found out they would be playing in town on the Danse Macabre tour and so I went to check out the show.  They played at a small location but there were a ton of people there trying to get in.  I met a guy in line who was wearing a completely gold outfit including a gold purse with David Bowie on it who we would later come to be know as Raul, the famous dancer at every Locust show.  This album is very nostalgic for me but this song still stands forward as a great dance rock song.

#44
Artist: From Monument to Masses
Song: “Sharpshooter”
Album: The Impossible Leap in One Hundred Simple Steps
Year: 2003

If you do not own this album, drop everything you’re doing and go get it.  Right now.  This band is one of the most amazing live bands I have ever seen.  There are only 3 of them but they utilize loop pedals to create a sound that is much larger and rather than use traditional vocals they play important sound clips from throughout history highlighting social justice struggles around the world.  They are AMAZING.

#43
Artist: Queens of the Stone Age
Song: “Monsters in the Parasol”
Album: Rated R
Year: 2000

Rock and Roll.  Simple.  No need for difficult, cerebral pretensions.  Just a sexy man singing a rock n roll song about an acid trip.  Great.

#42
Artist: Interpol
Song: “The New”
Album: Turn on the Bright Lights
Year: 2002

The singer of Interpol desperately wants to be Ian Curtis.  We all know this.  In spite of this, or maybe because of this (probably not), I love this album.  This song is so terribly miserable but still feels so sexy and romantic at the same time.  It’s another song to listen to in the rain.

#41
Artist: Junior Senior
Song: “Move Your Feet”
Album: D-Don’t Stop the Beat
Year: 2002

JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Want to give them a listen for yourself?  Download 60-41 here.
Missed the previous 20?  Click here.

#80
Artist: Ratatat
Song: “Lex”
Album: Classics
Year: 2006

With their second original album, Ratatat clearly incorporated more and more of a hip hop style in respect to their beats.  They put out an album of remixes before and after this album that featured the big names in hip hop and you can hear on Classics the influence the genre has had on their music.  This song is super powerful and has this feeling of being revved up before they blast you with some serious guitar power.

#79
Artist: Stereo Total
Song: L’ Amour À 3
Album: Musique Automatique
Year: 2002

When it comes down to it, how can you not enjoy french electro pop?  This album was given to me by my friend Meghan Lake in my second year of college and became the soundtrack to some incredible summers in the sun of Long Beach.  The song is basically about a threesome but its sung in French and there’s lots of “ooohs” in it so it sounds very sweet and innocent.  Stereo Total also recorded an English version of the song for the record but its not nearly as good.

#78
Artist: The Mars Volta
Song: Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt
Album: De-loused in the Comatorium
Year: 2003

I remember the exact day that this album came out.  I went to purchase the album at Off-the-Record in Hillcrest and then walked across the street to get my very first tattoo.  I had been a pretty huge fan of The Mars Volta ever since their EP had come out and getting to see them at Coachella earlier that year.  But I was not ready for what was in store for me on this album.  I mean, its just seriously genius.

From wiki: The album is an hour-long tale of Cerpin Taxt, a man who tries to kill himself by overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison. The attempt lands him in a week-long coma during which he experiences visions of humanity and his own psyche. Upon waking, he is dissatisfied with the real world and jumps to his death. The story of Cerpin Taxt is based on the death of El Paso, Texas artist - and Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s friend - Julio Venegas.

The imagery in the lyrics of the record coupled with Cedric’s death-defying vocal runs blew my mind.  It’s really a bummer that the two main members of this band are so pretentious and have their heads so far up the ass of prog rock that they now refuse to apply ANY structure to their music.  So I just like to pretend that nothing else happened after this.

#77
Artist: Songs: Ohia
Song: “Being in Love”
Album: The Lioness
Year: 2000

This is one of my favorite love songs because it seems like one of the most realistic representations of what love feels like.  The leanings toward a romantic ideal in music of what love means has never really been all that appealing to me.  The lyrics are simple and somber not dreamy or flowery.  “However I have gotten here I have plans to be with you and for the first time it is working…”

#76
Artist: The Prodigy
Song: “Invaders Must Die”
Album: Invaders Must Die
Year: 2009

The beats in this song will blow your brains out.  It is a great opening track to the record, especially because of the robot voice at the beginning stating, “We are….THE PRODIGY.”  You’ve been introduced to who your are listening to right before they murder you on the dance floor.

#75
Artist: Pet Shop Boys
Song: Minimal
Album: Fundamental
Year: 2006

Why is it that I love songs that people spell things in?  PSB do a great version of this song on their live Cubism album in which they do a mashup of this and another spelling song “Shopping.”  It’s great.  I love the diva backup vocals at the end of the song.  The video is also amazing, but it seems like its been taken off the interwebs.

#74
Artist: The Icarus Line
Song: “Spike Island”
Album: Penance Soirée
Year: 2004

I really don’t want to like this band anymore.  Knowing some personal experiences that friends have had with some of the band members involving drug addiction and violence makes me upset that I like this album so much.  I’m pretty sure they don’t exist anymore so I guess its not like I’m still supporting them, I’d never go to their shows anymore anyway.  So rather than give them too much attention, I’ll just say I like this song.

#73
Artist: Kylie Minogue
Song: “Fever”
Album: Fever
Year: 2002

Kylie Minogue is the ultimate living pop star.  She is so much more talented, performs better quality music, and has better stage shows than virtually every American pop star that has been her competitor in her career.  She is also extremely hot.

#72
Artist: Julieta Venegas
Song: “Eres Para Mí”
Album: Limón Y Sal
Year: 2006

This album is a bittersweet reminder of the amazing times I had with a very close friend that I was forced to break ties with.  It’s hard to look back on now, and sometimes I wonder if what I did was right, but I felt I had no other choice.  I’ve hoped that we could become friends again and tried to reestablish contact but my efforts haven’t been reciprocated.  I can’t listen to this record without thinking of my friend, and I hope that maybe sometimes when she listens to it she thinks of me as well.  Julieta Venegas is a great Mexican pop singer and this is my favorite of her songs.

#71
Artist: Yelle
Song: “Je Veux Te Voir”
Album: Pop Up
Year: 2007

I discovered this song on the dance floor thanks to my friend BipJeffington.  It’s just a really great song to get a dance party going.

#70
Artist: Morrissey
Song: “I’m Not Sorry”
Album: You Are the Quarry
Year: 2004

Oh, Morrissey…How do I love thee?  Your despair and lonliness has brought me much sonic enjoyment.  In this song, I particularly like the part where he sings, “I’m…..slipping below the waterline.”

#69
Artist: Björk
Song: “Sonnets/Unrealities XI”
Album: Medúlla
Year: 2004

I know what you’re thinking.  Björk has gone terribly astray in this last decade.  You’re right, but there are some great songs on Medúlla.  This is one of them.  In this song, we get a real feeling of what Björk’s voice sounds like a capella.  All of this album is comprised only of vocal parts, many of which have modulated effects or become the missing instruments themselves.  This is the one song in which the glaring scarcity of technology demonstrates the quality of vocals extremely powerfully.

#68
Artist: Chromeo
Song: “Needy Girl”
Album: She’s in Control
Year: 2004

One thing I definitely share with Andy Khouri in our love of pop music is the kind of artists that don’t take themselves seriously.  I think that value also can be said for who I would much rather associate with in real life.  Chromeo is a band that is almost a parody of itself.  The funky bassline in this song with the vocoder on the chorus is like the perfect 70’s porn music.

#67
Artist: Missy Elliot feat. Ciara and Fat Man Scoop
Song: “Lose Control”
Album: The Cookbook
Year: 2005

If this song doesn’t make you want to go dumb I don’t know what android factory you were created in.  This song is the perfect song for my friend Ashley to demonstrate her ability to freak dance any and everyone she sees.  It is also a song I enjoy ::whispering:: “Step, Step….Keep on Steppin” with Sam Humphries.

#66
Artist: Beck
Song: “Hell Yes”
Album: Guero
Year: 2005

Just a funky fresh track with backup vocals by Winona Ryder.

#65
Artist: Modest Mouse
Song: “We Missed the Boat”
Album: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Year: 2007

I’ve honestly never really followed Modest Mouse all that much (minus 15 hipster points).  But when I heard that Johnny Marr of The Smiths would be joining them on this album, I had to give it a shot.  The album is just OK, but this song is really great.  It’s pretty reminiscent of a Smiths song in the dreamy guitar stylings and I like the harmonization with the lead singer of The Shins on backup vocals.

#64
Artist: Gwen Stefani
Song: “What Are You Waiting For”
Album: Love Angel Music Baby
Year: 2004

I seriously hate this bitch.  She is the worst cultural appropriator and her songs are SO DUMB.  I think she knows this but would rather just cash the check.  I can’t deny though that this song brings the pain to the dance floor.

#63
Artist: Peaches
Song: “AA XXX”
Album: The Teaches of Peaches
Year: 2000

Hardcore feminist audio porn.

#62
Artist: Kylie Minogue
Song: “In My Arms”
Album: X
Year: 2007

This song is more proof that at 41 years old that Kylie Minogue is hotter, more talented, and just generally more awesome than basically everyone else.  I love the harpsichord sounding deal it has going on.

#61
Artist: Yeasayer
Song: “2080”
Album: All Hour Cymbals
Year: 2007

There is an incorporation of indigenous, tribal sounding musicality into this record that compliments the harmonies in the vocals.  I really like this performance of the song in which the band travels to the apartment of some of the people that attended their show and they gather around the piano to sing with the people in the party.

Want to give them a listen for yourself?  Download 80-61 here.
Missed the previous 20?  Click here.

#100
Artist: The Big Pink
Song: “Velvet”
Album: A Brief History of Love
Year: 2009

This band was recommended to me by my friend Joe Suitor only about a month ago. He consistently listens to Shoegazey Brit Pop and this band didn’t disappoint. I particularly like the beats and the Suede reminiscent vocals.

#99
Artist: The Raveonettes
Song: “Bang!”
Album: In and Out of Control
Year: 2009

This is one of those albums that was really difficult to choose which song(s) to include because the whole thing is just freaking great. The music of The Raveonettes is pretty simple and repetitive, which I can easily concede. However, the virginal 60’s pop happiness mixed with heavy distortion and sweet vocal harmonies reels me in. The other thing I like about this song is something that my friend Priscilla absolutely hates. The repetition of a consonant sound. In this song its “Fa-fa-fun all summer long!”

#98
Artist: Junior Boys
Song: “In the Morning”
Album: So This is Goodbye
Year: 2006

I have a vivid memory of listening to this song in the back of Lauren Behrle’s van driving down Vine St. in Los Angeles. I have no idea where we all were headed but I know I was fearing for my life as she drove with this song blaring out the windows. I like the sexy fresh vocals.

#97
Artist: Gossip
Song: “Standing in the Way of Control”
Album: Standing in the Way of Control
Year: 2005

Beth Ditto is just a bad ass. Her vocals on this song are so fucking tough. I have heard they put a pretty great live show, though I’ve never seen them. This is a good one to put on your dancing shoes to.

#96
Artist: Nickel Creek
Song: “Reasons Why”
Album: Nickel Creek
Year: 2000

This song is kind of uncharacteristic for the rest of my list as the band could totally fit and be played on an Adult Contemporary station. ::sings:: KYXY, ninety six point fiiiiiive. That was for all the LOTPQ reading this. Anyway, although this band may be kind of “uncool”, they’re really good. And honestly, I feel like maybe now they are considered cool but I’m so out of touch that I don’t really know. Basically, they play great Bluegrass folk and this song has some really beautiful harmonies so I really like it.

#95
Artist: Ryan Adams
Song: “Carolina Rain”
Album: 29
Year: 2005

I bet you’re shocked that it took me five songs to get to Ryan Adams. If you know anything about me you’re probably expecting a lot more where this came from. You’re right.  Now get over it. This song is a great traditional country music murder mystery. The lyrics are crafted in such a way that it feels like you’re listening to someone in the south telling you a story, and as you go along you learn about more and more suspicious deaths happening at the hands of a dangerous woman. Very heavy on the pedal steel and twangy vocals.

The year that Ryan Adams released this album he also released two others and they are all my favorites of his whole discography. This has always amazed me that he could write so much meaningful music in such a short period of time. I think I also connect with it because these songs were written at a very drunk and lonesome time in his life where he was definitely struggling with addiction and mental illness. You can hear some genuine emotions coming through in these songs, not just pretty melodies.

#94
Artist: The Knife
Song: “We Share Our Mother’s Health”
Album: Silent Shout
Year: 2006

I really enjoy The Knife.  This song is particularly hyphy.  The crazy voice modulation seems like it should just be really weird and obnoxious but it totally makes sense with this group.

#93
Artist: The Shins
Song: “Girl on the Wing”
Album: Oh, Inverted World
Year: 2001

I saw The Shins for the first time at the All Tomorrow’s Parties music festival when Matt Groening curated it in Long Beach.  This was prior to their blow up and I really hadn’t heard anything by them before.  The friends I was with assured me that they were the band to see that weekend, and they were most definitely right.  Very recognizable Sub-pop sound with those reverberating vocals on the recordings.  I like the keyboards on this song.

#92
Artist: The Valley Arena
Song: “1000 lbs of Light”
Album: We Died
Year: 2009

Not only are these guys some of my best friends but they’re also really talented musicians.  This is one of only two songs on my list from independent bands that may be lesser known to the general public.  Which is a shame really because this album is just really good.  Plus I just love them and their big ol goofy selves.

#91
Artist: The Prodigy
Song: “Warrior’s Dance”
Album: Invaders Must Die
Year: 2009

This song gets me seriously PUMPED.  One of my favorites to listen to when I’m at the gym.  What a triumphant return for The Prodigy.  Maybe I should listen to Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, but I wasn’t immediately drawn into it the way I was with this album and obviously Fat of the Land.

#90
Artist: The Black Angels
Song: “You on the Run”
Album: Directions to See a Ghost
Year: 2008

Some music is just SEXY.  That’s plain and simple.  For me, this band’s stoney psychadelic rock with dark overtones is seriously sexy.  I discovered them with Lauren Clyne at a music festival in NYC and was immediately into it.

#89
Artist: Katie the Pest
Song: “Baton Rouge”
Album: Other Cities
Year: Unknown (Recorded several times)

My friend Talia has been writing songs and recording them under the band name Katie the Pest for several years now, and the songs are great.  Katie the Pest in many different configurations has played around Long Beach and when I lived there they were probably my favorite band to see live.  This song particularly showcases Talia’s pretty pretty voice.

#88
Artist: Ryan Adams
Song: “Night Birds”
Album: 29
Year: 2005

A simple yet beautiful ballad that is mainly just Ryan’s voice and the piano.  The soft drums in the background have a little bit of a jazz feel to them.  The echo on his voice in the second chorus is a favorite part as it creates this dreamland misty feeling that makes me float away.

#87
Artist: Ratatat
Song: “El Pico”
Album: Ratatat
Year: 2004

I honestly don’t listen to all that much instrumental music.  Maybe I’m some distant cousin of Rick Rubin because I have a big emphasis on the vocal track for music when I’m listening.  However, Ratatat created a really amazing new take on guitar music by incorporating slightly hip-hop beats.  Plus, they’re just fucking great live.

#86
Artist: At The Drive-In
Song: “Pattern Against User”
Album: Relationship of Command
Year: 2000

Man, I was just all about this album in high school.  I think its still a really important addition to the landscape of rock music.  In this song, I most like the drumbeat intro and outro with the unexpected yelp of “Hey!” in time.

#85
Artist: The Raveonettes
Song: “Dead Sound”
Album: Lust Lust Lust
Year: 2007

As I mentioned earlier, The Raveonettes are pretty simple and repetitive, so basically all the reasons I listed earlier for liking “Bang!” also apply here.

#84
Artist: Röyksopp
Song: “What Else is There?”
Album: The Understanding
Year: 2005

This song features a vocal performance by Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife.  It may be her most pop-friendly vocal performance that she has ever recorded but it is still pretty incredible.  Röyksopp lays out some mysterious beats and a really great guitar line following the chorus.

Something I haven’t mentioned yet is that when I listen to music I often see landscapes in my mind.  I don’t know if its some sort of pagan sensibility that ties my mind to nature but music sparks this part of my imagination very vividly.  I picture this song as the top of some really green mountain that has a dark storm coming towards it.

#83
Artist: Simian Mobile Disco feat. Beth Ditto
Song: “Cruel Intentions”
Album: Temporary Pleasure
Year: 2009

FRESH, FRESH, FRESH, FRESH.

#82
Artist: Ryan Adams
Song: “Why Do They Leave?”
Album: Heartbreaker
Year: 2000

This song is basically your typical blues heartbreak song.  This is from Ryan’s first solo album after leaving the band Whiskeytown.  I like the sound of his voice in combination with a female backup singer.

#81
Artist: Roisin Murphy
Song: “Let Me Know”
Album: Overpowered
Year: 2007

The interest in this song came after the near-bludgeoning I endured at the hands of Nick Locking for having never heard of Roisin Murphy, his imaginary girlfriend.  When I told him that this song would be on my list he scolded me for “the upbeat dance-floor filler.”  Luckily, my favorite pastime is being on the dance floor so this is the song for me apparently.

Want to give them a listen for yourself?  Download 100-81 here.

Again it has been months since I have updated in this blog.  However, my return brings great substance, as I have accepted the music challenge of Andy Khouri to determine my 100 most favorite songs of the 2000’s.

Quite a lofty task that I have been working on for about a month now.  Honestly, when Andy told me about this challenge, I was able to create a playlist within a matter of hours that basically had everything in it that will be included in my list.  I put the playlist on my iPod and listened to it all the way through several times.  It was with me on my travels to Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Mississippi, helping me to unwind on the planes after experiencing a tremendous amount of stress and anguish from witnessing incredible poverty throughout the country.

While the songs vary drastically in genre, mood, and depth, this exercise has helped to me remember and recognize the centrality of music to who I am as a person.  That’s the special thing about music, it gets inside of you.  And its personal.  What sounds good to your ears may not sound good to the next person.  But oh well, at least it’s making you feel good as the sound waves reverberate across your ear drums.  That is unless you’re listening to this and in that case, STOP.  STOP NOW.

So in the coming weeks, I’ll be posting my list in increments of 20.  At the end of the year I am going to try and figure out a way to make a zip file of all the songs in numerical order so that anyone who wants to listen to my list can download it.  Let’s begin!

So I haven’t posted in ages but I thought I would put up the abstract that I have constructed so far for the thesis project I am working on with the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign so that my friends can know what I’ve been up to and what’s to come in the fall.

A Participatory Action Research Project Examining Structural Poverty With The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign

With a current national unemployment rate of 9.4% and nearly 350,000 homes lost to foreclosure in the month of April 2009 alone, the harsh impacts of a failing economy are being experienced by a tremendous number of Americans.  The myth of upward mobility helps to maintain the American capitalist economic system.   The idea that we are capable of pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps to achieve the American Dream obscures the reality that the majority of working class individuals are structurally entrapped into poverty for their entire lifetime.  However, it is critical to recognize that some groups are disproportionately affected by poverty because of interlocking systems of power, privilege, and oppression that American society operates within.  The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) is the largest multiracial movement of poor people in the United States working to abolish poverty through the guarantee of basic human rights to health care, housing, living wage jobs, and access to quality primary, secondary, and higher education.  This research project seeks to explore possible linkages between PPEHRC and other poor people’s movements throughout the world using standpoint epistemology as well as intersectional feminism as tools of analysis.  Participatory action research and in-depth interviews will be conducted in cooperation with the PPEHRC, which will allow me to engage closely with strategies of resistance employed by the movement.  Because this project is grounded in practices of horizontal knowledge creation, it is important that research foci are determined in direct consultation with the needs of the PPEHRC.   These foci will become more apparent upon my attendance of the movement’s national conference in July.  I will continue participating in grounded research in the fall of 2009 with the organization’s Minneapolis chapter.  Research implications will be used to organize a chapter of the PPEHRC in Humboldt County along with local community members using the skills I acquire working in Minneapolis.  I intend to also produce a formal thesis paper that could be utilized for consciousness-raising purposes within the local community as well as in the University.

Keywords:  Participatory Action Research, Poverty, Intersectional Feminism, Social Movements, Social Justice, Horizontal Research, Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign