Top 100 Songs of the Millennium (2000-2019) - #20-11

[Shrykespeare]

#19

Lots of really good stuff this round!


Leestu - No Halo - Loved this, Leestu. The guitars reminded me of classic Cure, so thank you for that. The vocals were reminiscent many of 80's/90s bands that I used to love, so... yeah. This one's a winner. 8/10

Ron B - Island in the Sun - Always down for some Weezer. Leslie Jones may disagree with me, but I like post-2000 Weezer as much as the 90's stuff. Matt Damon feels me on this one. 7.5/10

NSpan - Too Young - Hadn't heard this before... how could I not be listening to a band with the same name as the place where I was born?? Really good stuff! 7.5/10

Surfer - She Will - Those, THOSE are the guitars that, in the early 90's, lured me away from Top 40 pop radio and into alternative music. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. 7.5/10

JohnErle - Lake Fever - Never realized just how huge TTH were north of the border. This was quite good, eh. 7/10

Six - Fell In Love With a Girl - It's good, but I think I've just heard this song too many times. 6.5/10

Chien - Our Mutual Friend - Not bad at all. Very sweeping and majestic, almost Bowie-esque. Didn't quite hit the bull's-eye, but I enjoyed my one and only listen. 6.5/10

Geezer - I Still Believe - Love the message. The song was just slightly above average for me. 6.5/10

Screen - 2 On - Most of this genre's lyrics is vapid and misogynistic, but much of it is so overproduced that I can't understand what the singers are singing anyway. That just leaves the beat, which is palatable enough. 6/10

Tranny - Halo - Guitars were okay, and the vocals kind of reminded me of Metallica, and had this been 60% shorter, this would be listed higher. But it wasn't, and it isn't. 6/10


Yeah, I know the poetry of having "No Halo" as my favorite song of the round and "Halo" as my least favorite.

[Shrykespeare]

#18


CHIEN

Les Innocents, Danny Wilde (2000)

Les Innocents has long been one of my favourite French bands. Their music is pure craft, as is their lyrics. Each sound, each word is always so carefully chosen and placed. “Danny Wilde” is a perfect example of this. The song is about a love lost, and the remembrance of the moments spent together. The title of course refers to the TV series “The Pretenders”, which is kind of cult here in France, probably more than elsewhere, and that opening credit of the show is vividly anchored here, and the photos of Brett Sinclair and Danny Wilde tracing the life of each one til they meet and associate. The song refers to that.

“I’ve lost your voice for a long time, inevitably. I’ve dreamt of having you when times were hard. Time twists the shadows, slowly, so that all is left is a buzz of useless words. Is it my hand, shaking, or my heart, beating ? I can see us back then, together, when I was following your footsteps. Like those pictures passing by, of Sinclair and Danny Wilde.”





GEEZER

Red City Radio, 50th and Western (2011)

I mean, an excuse to scream "The system it wasn't designed for us!" at the top of my lungs? Could anything be more "me"? You get the picture with Red City Radio by now, love em', hate em', whatever. Obviously, I feel they are one of the absolute best bands in the world right now.





JOHNERLE

My Morning Jacket, Honest Man (2001)

This is hardly a typical MMJ song, but I love its swagger and live, off-the-floor sound. I can't say for certain that this song was recorded in one take, warts and all, but it sounds like it was, and that's a rare treat in an era full of slick, over-produced rock.

Also: Mahgeetha, One Big Holiday





LEESTU

The Smith Street Band, Passiona (2017)

From their best album, More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me, produced by Jeff Rosenstock. Will’s honest, open, heart on a sleeve storytelling is evident throughout the album, and although this song is not as specific as some of the others, it still has some great lines. To cut a long story short before I even start it - yeah it seems like he went through some shit before this album but the resultant art created from it is incredible.





NSPAN

The Moldy Peaches, NYC's Like a Graveyard (2001)

My favorite Moldy Peaches track. (Though Kimya Dawson makes one more appearance on my countdown!)





RON B

M83, Midnight City (2011)

Instant classic.





SCREEN203

Big Data feat. Joywave, Dangerous (2014)

Love the ominous but danceable guitars that match the lyrics. The video is kind of misogynistic and... strange- it most likely is satire - but the song works very well on its own as a creepy alternative jam.





SHRYKE

MGMT, Time To Pretend (2008)

Is it a thing when you age that you tend to gravitate toward songs that are specifically about being young and living life to the fullest, or songs that are about looking back on misspent youth? Well, maybe that would explain the handful of songs on my list that fit that description – Royal Teeth’s “Wild”, PSB’s “The Way It Used to Be”, and this one. I think it was in a movie called “21” that I heard this song for the first time, and it stuck to me like glue ever since. Ron B had this on his list at #98, so I know at least one of you will like it. Who’d have thought that a song with a line about choking on vomit would be so darn catchy?





SIX

Sun Kil Moon, Duk Koo Kim (2003)

From 2 minutes of The White Stripes, to fourteen-and-a-half of Sun Kil Moon. Red House Painters, purveyors of the sadcore movement of the 90s, sadly broke up, but that didn’t stop lead singer Mark Kozelek who landed on his feet with his first album under this new name. The album is a cross between country and RHP’s dreamy indie sound, his voice arguably stronger than ever. Duk Koo Kim is the epic centrepiece, in which Kozelek watches an old boxing match which makes him ponder about his mortality, while the 3-part song beams with warmth and wonder.





SURFER

Pile, The Jones (2012)

I introduced Pile to a few of you earlier on in the countdown, and this is my favourite song of theirs, again from their best album, Dripping. This was their third full release and found Rick Maguire backed by a full band, a bigger sound and more intensity than the singer songwriter sound of their earlier records. However, while the sound is more aggressive, the album is still focused very much on songwriting and melody, as revealed here on this sublime song, in which Maguire begins with an almost folk song before exploding with manic vocals and expressions at the song develops through waves upon waves of chord shifts and side steps. It makes for an exciting listen, and one that reveals more nuances to each on each listen.





TRANSFORMERS

letlive., Homeless Jazz (2010)

Another infectiously energetic and subtly soulful cut from letlive.'s 2010 post-hardcore masterpiece Fake History. Getting to see a particularly incendiary version of this (their vocalist Jason Butler is the type of madman that treats venue stages like they're jungle gyms) performed on what ended up being letlive.'s final full headlining tour in July 2016 is one of my favorite concert memories to-date.

[Shrykespeare]

#18


Screen - Dangerous - Sorry, the male voice threw me for a second, that's like a Bigfoot sighting... I LOVE this song. I discovered Big Data through this song on my five-month music blitz, and I was saddened to discover their body of work is rather small. Same with Joywave, though they are still fairly new. Definitely one of your best picks, and easily one of the ten best songs on all lists (that aren't on my own). 9/10

Ron B - Midnight City - I don't know about "classic", but it is a pretty friggin' great song. I'm not wild about the sequence of pounding notes that accompany most of the song, but that's really my only complaint. 8/10

Chien - Danny Wilde - Really cool song, Chien. Obvi, I connected more with the music than the vocals, and there's a lot to love there. Very smooth going into my ears, which is always a welcome thing. 7/10

Geezer - 50th and Western - No, Geez, a song couldn't get more "you", though why a song that's so "you" is at #18 makes me ponder what's coming up... 7/10

Six - Duk Koo Kim - I listened to this one first, just to get it out of the way. It kept my attention all the way through, unlike some of the depressathons you've had before. You call this "sadcore", but I actually found glimmers of hope in the music. Maybe it's just me. 6.5/10

Leestu - Passiona - This felt very stream of consciousness. Interesting way to write a song. Had a lot of cool moments. 6.5/10

Tranny - Homeless Jazz - Actually, this wasn't too bad. Huh. 6/10

JohnErle - Honest Man - I like the beginning, but it wore thin by the four-minute mark. 5/10

NSpan - NYC's Like a Graveyard - How prophetic this song's title is. The song itself... didn't care for it. 4.5/10

Surfer - The Jones - Not a fan of Pile. At all. I'll leave it at that. 4/10

[Leestu]

This was a great round, one of the best so far, so many songs I really enjoyed.

The Awesome

My Morning Jacket, Honest Man - first listen...Wow! I have only heard a little bit of MMJ and this is not how I remember them sounding....this was fantastic...at one stage I thought the song was going to finish and I wanted it to keep going, but it did and we were rewarded with that awesome finish to the song...I've added this to my playlists...this is my favourite find that I hadn't heard before from your selections John.

The Excellent

Pile, The Jones - Pile are always an interesting listen and this is an excellent song

The Great

MGMT, Time To Pretend - a classic song from a top 10 album of the year for me

M83, Midnight City - a great part of a great album

Red City Radio, 50th and Western - first listen...oh yeah, this has that passion and spirit I want from music like this...great song

The Moldy Peaches, NYC's Like a Graveyard - first listen...I love how this sounds like watching your mates band at a house party. I find that endearing, and it gives me good vibes from fond memories...plus they sound like they are having fun and I was too

letlive., Homeless Jazz...first listen...this made me smile...really got into this

The Very Good

Les Innocents, Danny Wilde - first listen...this was cool, when those drums finally came in was a very enjoyable moment

Sun Kil Moon, Duk Koo Kim...I really like his albums from Benji onwards, his stories of both the mundane and the unusual fascinate me, his earlier work I tend to find a bit hit and miss, but I enjoyed this one, although mainly for the music, unusually for him I struggle to get the lyrics here

The Meh

Big Data feat. Joywave, Dangerous - first listen...it was interesting at first but I grew tired of it pretty quickly

[numbersix]

#18

Chien: This had a very pleasant sound. Never heard of The Pretenders TV show - what's that?
Geez: Music didn't interest me
John: Liked the raw production, that's for sure, but it's very reliant on a very typical blues sound so it dragged a little.
Leetsu: I liked some of the guitar work here which almost feels math-rocky.
NSpan: I always thought of the Moldy Peaches as (freak) folky, but this was thrashy punk. Their pals The Strokes obviously had an influence. Good tune!
Ron: Surprised not to see this more in the countdown. It was overplayed for a while but I still enjoy its epic 80s vibe.
Screen: The bass is pretty good here.
Shryke: Never a huge fan of the song but never disliked it either.
Surf: Loved this track, and the previous Pile. Major Pixies vibe here, which I'm more than happy to listen to
Tranny: I prefer stuff like this to the more overtly aggressive metal, though still a little too much for my delicate sensibilities!

[silversurfer19]

#18 playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7G4wh ... UxZK__6WIg

[Chienfantome]

The persuaders ! The TV series The Persuaders, not The Pretenders

[Leestu]

Lol...I made the playlist and forgot to post it.
Thanks Surfer!

[silversurfer19]

Lol...I made the playlist and forgot to post it.
Thanks Surfer!

Ha! No problem, it's my preferred way to listen to the songs each round and you have, alongside Shryke done an excellent job thus far.

[Geezer]

I do think that maybe the biggest issue of doing a countdown like this is that as we approach the top, where these songs are the cream of everyone's crop, they already sound way too familiar, in that they tend to epitomize the taste of each of us. At least for me, it makes it even harder to see why these songs are so well regarded, and I am certain others feel the same about mine. To me, it's almost as if we should start at the top, because at least it wouldn't seem so redundant by the time we got to the end. We've got a really nice cross-section of musical taste here and we cover a wide array of the musical spectrum of the last 20 years, but by now, it's almost as if we've heard it all before from other songs on the list. I guess what I'm trying to say is that as we've accumulated these hundreds of songs, the problems identified in conversation at the beginning of the list become only more apparent. It's been pretty hard to add anything to my love list that isn't either right up my alley, because my initial reaction tends to be "well that sounds like "insert name of person posting it" here, not "well that sounds like something new that I need to explore further." Just my two cents.


20

Like It
Badly Drawn Boy, The Shining (2000) (I honestly liked this a lot. Had a lot of Beatles vibe to it. Nice)
Steve Earle, Ashes To Ashes (2002) (Plenty to like here for sure)
Bloc Party, Helicopter (2004) (Definitely a great guitar song. I miss playing guitar hero. One of Bloc Party's best)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Whatever Happened To My Rock And Roll (2001) (Its not bad, but nothing I'd seek out. Very Surfer)
Run the Jewels feat. Travis Barker, All Due Respect (2014) (I do like the beat but it's just a little too quick for my ears to grasp at times. But among hip hop, its pretty good. Actually think it got better as the song went on)

Love It


Meh
Tropical Fuck Storm, Rubber Bullies (2018) (It just sounds like rambling)
The Rapture, Get Myself Into It (2006) (I know what you mean about not being able to pick a favorite. My top 5 or 6 Against Me! songs could be my favorite on any given day)
Kungs vs. Cookin’ On 3 Burners, This Girl (2015) (not bad, but I doubt I'll remember it)
Club Des Belugas, Straight to Memphis (2012) (well yes, that was certainly different)

Loathe It
LCD Soundsystem, On Repeat (2005) (grotesque)

[Geezer]

19

Like It
The Tragically Hip, Lake Fever (2000) (My diatribe at the top of number 20 doesn't really apply to you, John. I feel you have the most broad taste of any of us, and I never really know what to expect. That may come from the way you limited your list to not feature many songs from the same artist. But I have always found your songs to be the hardest to place in mystery rounds and definitely the most varied along this voyage. I never listen to one and say yup, that screams John” This wasn't bad at all.)
Phoenix, Too Young (2000)

Love It
Sorority Noise, No Halo (2017) (I love when I get to introduce someone to a new band or artist. I love it even more when they then go on to love that band more than I do. That's what happened here with Sorority Noise. I remember your reaction to them when I included their prior album in my best of 2015 top 10. I'm so happy to see the joy they've been able to give you, even exceeding my own. I don't think I've even listened to this album, but I've been admittedly lax in discovering new music the last few years. I'm trying to work on that and this was great. I'll definitely give it a full spin soon.)
Weezer, Island in the Sun (2001) (This was on my short list, along with several other Weezer songs of the new millennium, but the only one that ended up landing in my top 150 was Dope Nose. Still great though.)
The White Stripes, Fell in Love with a Girl (2001) (This one did make my list of 150, landing at number 132, so obviously I love this brief bit of brilliance. See, you're not ALL bad, Six)

Meh
The Divine Comedy, Our Mutual Friend (2004) (not bad, very chien, I won't remember it)
Tinashe feat, SchoolBoy Q, 2 On (2014) (What, no music video?)
Rammstein, Feuer Frei (2002) (I dunno, I just can never take Rammstein seriously. I feel like they are more something to get hammered drunk and put on to laugh at how over the top they are. But that's just me)
Savages, She Will (2013)
Machine Head, Halo (2007)

Loathe It

[Geezer]

18

Like It
M83, Midnight City (2011) (That's a fair assessment. That hook INSTANTLY gets in your head and you never forget it)
MGMT, Time To Pretend (2008) (I like it, great hook)

Love It
The Smith Street Band, Passiona (2017) (Fuck man, it's like an Australian Modern Baseball! I love it love it love it!)

Meh
Les Innocents, Danny Wilde (2000)
My Morning Jacket, Honest Man (2001)
The Moldy Peaches, NYC's Like a Graveyard (2001)
Big Data feat. Joywave, Dangerous (2014)
Sun Kil Moon, Duk Koo Kim (2003) (At least it's music. Overlong and over-whiney music, but music nonetheless)
Pile, The Jones (2012)

Loathe It
letlive., Homeless Jazz (2010)

[Chienfantome]

I do think that maybe the biggest issue of doing a countdown like this is that as we approach the top, where these songs are the cream of everyone's crop, they already sound way too familiar, in that they tend to epitomize the taste of each of us. At least for me, it makes it even harder to see why these songs are so well regarded, and I am certain others feel the same about mine. To me, it's almost as if we should start at the top, because at least it wouldn't seem so redundant by the time we got to the end. We've got a really nice cross-section of musical taste here and we cover a wide array of the musical spectrum of the last 20 years, but by now, it's almost as if we've heard it all before from other songs on the list. I guess what I'm trying to say is that as we've accumulated these hundreds of songs, the problems identified in conversation at the beginning of the list become only more apparent. It's been pretty hard to add anything to my love list that isn't either right up my alley, because my initial reaction tends to be "well that sounds like "insert name of person posting it" here, not "well that sounds like something new that I need to explore further." Just my two cents.

I don't know, I keep being surprised by some choices, and like stuff from people I didn't like the choices last month, or now dislike the choices of people I liked the choices of last month, so it's really not a problem for me.

[Chienfantome]

#18

Geezer, Red City Radio, 50th and Western
I was so scared when I heard the first few seconds of the songs, I found it horrible. But as it progresses, I found it much more listenable than first thought.Definitely not something I'd revisit, but in its own genre it's alright.

John, My Morning Jacket, Honest Man
Hmmm. It' strange mix of feelings towards this, there's something I like about, a mood. But t the same time, I feel kind of bored listening to it. Don't really know what to make of it.

Leestu, The Smith Street Band, Passiona
I like that. There's a delicacy in it, but also a real energy.

NSpan, The Moldy Peaches, NYC's Like a Graveyard
Meh. There are a couple of songs from The Moldy Peaches I like. I didn't know this one,R nor will I listen to it again.

Ron, M83, Midnight City
French electro keeps being well liked here then. M83 has done some amazing stuff, and I was close to including this song myself to be honest. That's a great one.

Screen, Big Data feat. Joywave, Dangerous
Never heard of that, but it's actually pretty cool.

Shryke, MGMT, Time To Pretend
I've had my MGMT period when I listened to that album a lot. It's a pretty good song, I ended up growing tired of it, but it's still good.

Six, Sun Kil Moon, Duk Koo Kim
I've always been intrigued by this band, mostly because they chose their name en hommage to a Korean boxer, and this song too. It's a nice song, a bit too long, yes, but a good song.

Surfer, Pile, The Jones
Meh, I didn't get into it.

Tranny, letlive., Homeless Jazz
Strangely listenable for a title you choose. I'm not into it, but that's still a feat

[Geezer]

Its entirely possible that it's just me, Chien