Re: Top 100 Songs of the Millennium (2000-2019) - #20-11
Posted: May 14th, 2020, 8:35 pm
#13
CHIEN
Gary Jules & Michael Andrews, Mad World (2002)
There’s been a trend lately, of quiet songs covering more energetic classics, and that trend can be tiring. That famous cover of the Tears for Fears classic from the 80’s appeared way before the trend killed that. It appeared in an era when songs from films could still break out, and that trend died a bit too, with a few exceptions obviously. There will only be one more song on my list that is very cinematographically influenced. Of course, I discovered this song through Donnie Darko, almost 19 years ago. As far as melancholic piano ballads go, you can’t do much better than this one.
GEEZER
Blink-182, Stay Together For the Kids (2001)
You didn't think you'd get through this whole list without the boys of Blink making at least one more appearance, did you? I actually prefer Blink's slow and more serious songs a little more than their poppy fun silly punk songs, though let's be real, I love them all. This is their best song of the scope of this list, and might be their best song period. Another sad one, that I'm sure won't be new to many of you, if anyone.
JOHNERLE
Iron & Wine, Naked As We Came (2004)
As much as I love individual songs from this album, it's a tough one for me to listen to because it doesn't offer the kind of variety I usually look for in an album. Play this song on the radio or put it on a playlist and it's a classic. (FYI, I wasn't planning to lump so many slow, sad songs together in my countdown, but it just kinda worked out that way. Good thing I have some more Sparks coming soon.)
Also: Free Until They Cut Me Down, About A Bruise
LEESTU
The Smith Street Band, Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams (2013)
There is an interesting story behind this song. At one of their shows there was a drunken yobbo being aggressive and causing trouble. The bass player from one of the support bands (King Jules from a pretty decent fun ska punk band The Bennies) tried to defuse the situation and was smashed over the head with a bottle and then stabbed with it, ending up in hospital with serious injuries. The local media used this incident to bash the punk rock scene and its fans.
This song is Will Wagner’s response to both the incident, and the media backlash: “I came so close to giving up, Why has my way of coping become a reason to spill blood?”
As a nice touch the backing vocals at the end of the song are from members of the support bands from that night. One thing you know you are always going to get from The Smith Street Band are real stories and honest emotions from his experiences, thoughts, and feelings. He is an incredibly open musical artist. We are hearing all about his life, both the ups and downs, throughout his entire discography. Like an autobiography in song format, and I’m sure there is still more to come.
NSPAN
The Dandy Warhols, You Were the Last High (2003)
This relatively low-key track from their fourth album always struck me as particularly melancholy... and I'm a sucker for melancholy.
RON B
Radiohead, Bodysnatchers (2008)
Great kick off.
SCREEN203
Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson, D.O.E. & Sebastian, The Way I Are (2007)
Love the vocals on this. The best pop songs are the ones that mix a great beat with actual vocals, and this has both.
SHRYKE
Joe Satriani, Dream Song (2010)
I, unlike many, love it when Joe S. shreds. What I love even more is when he takes his time, when his pure guitar talent merges with the other instruments in the band rather than overwhelming them. There’s a majestic quality to this song that I find spectacular, and I seem to find something new to appreciate every time I hear it. When putting my list together, this was much, MUCH further down. The fact that it finally lands at #13 is a testament to how Joe’s music has affected me over the last three-plus decades. The steady rhythm of the beat, which I liken in many ways to The Who classic “Eminence Front”, blends perfectly with Joe’s craftsmanship. The man is a freaking surgeon with a guitar, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.
SIX
Foals, Black Gold (2010)
I’ve broken up with Foals. For a while they were my favourite new band, releasing two amazing albums that I still return to and discover something new to appreciate. I guess it’s the layers of rhythms working together, which some call math-rock. As of late, they’ve ditched those intricacies to favour more straight-up rock, and become bland. But this song is something else. I love songs that chop and change (unless it’s metal – sorry Tranny) throughout, taking you in unexpected directions. This masterpiece is funky, the vocals almost soulful, surprisingly complimenting the slightly agitated rhythm until it all gets absorbed in a dreamy wall of drone.
SURFER
Interpol, Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down (2002)
Another band that has featured heavily during the countdown, but fully deserved as the debut album from Interpol is a 21st century classic already. You could pick almost any song from the record as the band navigate their influences and deploy them with a keen deft of hand and knack for melody at even the most unexpected moments. It was a debut wrought in melancholy and emotional disconnect, but unlike the chilling nature of Joy Division, they immersed these emotions in a grander, more theatrical atmosphere. The highlight of the record for me is this song, a song in which Paul Banks' vocals evoke the despair and pain of the lyrics so profoundly, while the music builds and builds around him. It's a powerful song and one that always demands my attention, even in the rich catalogue of their work.
TRANSFORMERS
Frank Ocean, Pyramids (2012)
See, Six, you and I do see eye to eye on things that aren't hip hop-related sometimes! "Pyramids" is a sprawling, ambitious epic that shows off Ocean's deep vocal range as well as his versatility as an artist.
CHIEN
Gary Jules & Michael Andrews, Mad World (2002)
There’s been a trend lately, of quiet songs covering more energetic classics, and that trend can be tiring. That famous cover of the Tears for Fears classic from the 80’s appeared way before the trend killed that. It appeared in an era when songs from films could still break out, and that trend died a bit too, with a few exceptions obviously. There will only be one more song on my list that is very cinematographically influenced. Of course, I discovered this song through Donnie Darko, almost 19 years ago. As far as melancholic piano ballads go, you can’t do much better than this one.
GEEZER
Blink-182, Stay Together For the Kids (2001)
You didn't think you'd get through this whole list without the boys of Blink making at least one more appearance, did you? I actually prefer Blink's slow and more serious songs a little more than their poppy fun silly punk songs, though let's be real, I love them all. This is their best song of the scope of this list, and might be their best song period. Another sad one, that I'm sure won't be new to many of you, if anyone.
JOHNERLE
Iron & Wine, Naked As We Came (2004)
As much as I love individual songs from this album, it's a tough one for me to listen to because it doesn't offer the kind of variety I usually look for in an album. Play this song on the radio or put it on a playlist and it's a classic. (FYI, I wasn't planning to lump so many slow, sad songs together in my countdown, but it just kinda worked out that way. Good thing I have some more Sparks coming soon.)
Also: Free Until They Cut Me Down, About A Bruise
LEESTU
The Smith Street Band, Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams (2013)
There is an interesting story behind this song. At one of their shows there was a drunken yobbo being aggressive and causing trouble. The bass player from one of the support bands (King Jules from a pretty decent fun ska punk band The Bennies) tried to defuse the situation and was smashed over the head with a bottle and then stabbed with it, ending up in hospital with serious injuries. The local media used this incident to bash the punk rock scene and its fans.
This song is Will Wagner’s response to both the incident, and the media backlash: “I came so close to giving up, Why has my way of coping become a reason to spill blood?”
As a nice touch the backing vocals at the end of the song are from members of the support bands from that night. One thing you know you are always going to get from The Smith Street Band are real stories and honest emotions from his experiences, thoughts, and feelings. He is an incredibly open musical artist. We are hearing all about his life, both the ups and downs, throughout his entire discography. Like an autobiography in song format, and I’m sure there is still more to come.
NSPAN
The Dandy Warhols, You Were the Last High (2003)
This relatively low-key track from their fourth album always struck me as particularly melancholy... and I'm a sucker for melancholy.
RON B
Radiohead, Bodysnatchers (2008)
Great kick off.
SCREEN203
Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson, D.O.E. & Sebastian, The Way I Are (2007)
Love the vocals on this. The best pop songs are the ones that mix a great beat with actual vocals, and this has both.
SHRYKE
Joe Satriani, Dream Song (2010)
I, unlike many, love it when Joe S. shreds. What I love even more is when he takes his time, when his pure guitar talent merges with the other instruments in the band rather than overwhelming them. There’s a majestic quality to this song that I find spectacular, and I seem to find something new to appreciate every time I hear it. When putting my list together, this was much, MUCH further down. The fact that it finally lands at #13 is a testament to how Joe’s music has affected me over the last three-plus decades. The steady rhythm of the beat, which I liken in many ways to The Who classic “Eminence Front”, blends perfectly with Joe’s craftsmanship. The man is a freaking surgeon with a guitar, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.
SIX
Foals, Black Gold (2010)
I’ve broken up with Foals. For a while they were my favourite new band, releasing two amazing albums that I still return to and discover something new to appreciate. I guess it’s the layers of rhythms working together, which some call math-rock. As of late, they’ve ditched those intricacies to favour more straight-up rock, and become bland. But this song is something else. I love songs that chop and change (unless it’s metal – sorry Tranny) throughout, taking you in unexpected directions. This masterpiece is funky, the vocals almost soulful, surprisingly complimenting the slightly agitated rhythm until it all gets absorbed in a dreamy wall of drone.
SURFER
Interpol, Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down (2002)
Another band that has featured heavily during the countdown, but fully deserved as the debut album from Interpol is a 21st century classic already. You could pick almost any song from the record as the band navigate their influences and deploy them with a keen deft of hand and knack for melody at even the most unexpected moments. It was a debut wrought in melancholy and emotional disconnect, but unlike the chilling nature of Joy Division, they immersed these emotions in a grander, more theatrical atmosphere. The highlight of the record for me is this song, a song in which Paul Banks' vocals evoke the despair and pain of the lyrics so profoundly, while the music builds and builds around him. It's a powerful song and one that always demands my attention, even in the rich catalogue of their work.
TRANSFORMERS
Frank Ocean, Pyramids (2012)
See, Six, you and I do see eye to eye on things that aren't hip hop-related sometimes! "Pyramids" is a sprawling, ambitious epic that shows off Ocean's deep vocal range as well as his versatility as an artist.