#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.