Top 100 Songs of the Millennium (2000-2019) - #70-61

[numbersix]

Really interesting set of songs today, and much, much harder than I anticipated to guess which one belongs to whom. Other than six obviously, he's such an Ariana Grande fanboy.

You'd be surprised. Dangerous Woman was a fine record but I prefer the newfound maturity of My Everything more. More on this in a few weeks.

[Shrykespeare]

For those I haven't already told, I think we'll do the next Mystery Round at #58. Plan your lists accordingly to mess with everyone else's heads.

[Shrykespeare]

Okay, I know you're all chomping at the bit to see who guessed the most correctly. Well, here are the results.

Nine people cast their votes (NSpan, sadly, could not find the time in his busy schedule, but promises he will try to make time next week when we do it again.)

Out of ten possible guess, here's how y'all did:

Six - 7
Surfer – 5
Tranny – 4
Chien - 4
Geezer - 4
Leestu – 4
Screen203 – 3
JohnErle - 3
Ron B – 1

[Shrykespeare]

I'm still "working", so I'll post these a little at a time.


I'll start with the ones NONE of y'all got right.


I KNEW that most of you would believe it was Screen who picked Ariana Grande. And why not? A recent pop hit by a female artist, right in his wheelhouse. Six people guessed Screen, with one vote going to Surfer and one to me.

Who'd have guess that our purveyor of raucous thrash metal was an Ariana Grande fan?

Congrats, Tranny. You stumped the panel. Well done.


TRANSFORMERS

Ariana Grande, Into You (2016)

"Into You" is a flawless modern pop song that showcases Ariana Grande's stunning vocal range and underrated ability to craft a earworm hook.





Since you were all at sea over Screen's pick, none of you guess which one was ACTUALLY his.

Four of you thought this was MY pick (a fair guess, since I love NIN and the movie this comes from, with one vote each going to John, Chien, Ron, and Tranny.


SCREEN203

Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross feat. Karen O, Immigrant Song (2011)

This haunting industrial-tinged cover from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo soundtrack is a cover that arguably surpasses the original. The song works as a standalone without the intro animation, showing the same intensity.

[Ron Burgundy]

Tranny you weirdo

#666
great round

CHIEN
Beirut, Postcards from Italy (2006) - FL. So i know Beirut because of another song. This was equally charming. 6/10

GEEZER
Jeff Rosenstock, Nausea (2015) - FL. Such a breath of fresh air for you Geez! Im looking forward to every non punk song you like! 6/10

JOHNERLE
Vampire Weekend, M79 (2008) - Oh, thiiis song...I like it . 6.5/10

LEESTU
Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Gentleman (2010) - Need to hear more of this band, ive heard so much about them. But damn, you listen to alot of music, dont you! This actually gets better as you listen to it. 7/10

NSPAN
Spoon, Everything Hits at Once (2001) - I kinda love Spoon, so yeah, nice pick! 7/10

SCREEN203
fun. feat. Janelle Monae, We Are Young (2011) - Either we heard this band before or the same song. Its ok at best, despite the grand sounds. 5/10

SHRYKE
Peter Gabriel, Growing Up (2003) - FL. When i saw the name i kinda just wanted to hear 'Sledgehammer', this was still decent though. 5.5/10

SIX
Solange, Losing You (2012) - FL. This is beyonce's younger sister? Count me in as well! That said, im sure the charm of this song is the production. 6/10

SURFER
The Mars Volta, Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus (2005) - FL. I got into the music, thats a good thing. But at 10 mins i was like, hey, is this still the same song?! 6/10

TRANSFORMERS
Lana Del Rey, California (2019) FL. Who are you and what have you done with Tranny!! 4/10

[Geezer]

Jeff Rosenstock is extremely punk rock, its just a different variation on the genre. But glad you enjoyed it, I have a couple more from him down the road.

[numbersix]

Totally floored by Tranny choosing Ariana Grande!

[Shrykespeare]

Continuing with the surprises:


Surfer and Six were the only ones to get this right. (NSpan figured Six would figure it out.) John, Chien, and Surfer each got one vote.


NSPAN

Life Without Buildings, The Leanover (2001)

Thank you ROUGH TRADE MUSIC SHOP for this gift.






Six tried to throw us off by poo-pooing Tranny's Kendrick Lamar song at #52. Six people figured Tranny was going back-to-back on Mr. Lamar. Tranny, of course, knew better. Chien, the wily French guy, also saw through the deception.


SIX

Kendrick Lamar, “HUMBLE” (2017)

I’m not big into hip-hop, as I probably said before, but I’ll be damned if K-Dot isn’t a complete genius. His last album to date is an incredible journey, a rumination of the contradictions in being African American. In this song, the superficial veneer of stereotypical aggression is actually reversed: Kendrick is telling himself to be humble in the chorus, while also bragging in the verses. The Photoshop section is immense.

[Shrykespeare]

Only a trio of called this one correctly - Six, Leestu, and Chien. Two picked this as a Leestu song, while NSpan, John, and Six also got picked as its owner.


RON B

The Avalanches, Frontier Psychiatrist (2000)

Do yourself a favor and watch the video clip if you haven't already. Its whack, but it’s pretty cool.






Likewise, only three got this one right - Six (very impressive), Surfer, and Chien. Three thought it was NSpan's song (and who could blame them?), while Six and Ron B each got one vote.


JOHNERLE

Bat For Lashes - What's A Girl To Do? (2006)

I have nothing clever to say about this one, and it sounds like something a lot of you might have picked, so I asked Shryke to use this as my mystery pick. Steve Earle would have been a dead giveaway.

Also: Sleep Alone, Horse And I

[Shrykespeare]

I was sure most of you would get this one right, but I ended up fooling over half of you!

This is one of the very few Six got wrong. Two actually thought it belonged to Geezer (snickering). Well done Geez, Screen, Leestu and John for picking one of the very few radio hits and attaching it to me.


SHRYKE

Paramore, Misery Business (2007)

Time for some gurrl power! I don’t remember when I heard this song the first time, but the blistering-fast guitar riffs had me hooked from the get-go. Hayley Williams badass voice toes the line between sultry and screamy, and while the video doesn’t exactly break any new ground (the story of a HS queen bee getting her comeuppance), it’s a fitting accompaniment.






Five people nailed this one down - Six, Geez, Tranny, Surfer, and John. Two thought it was John's song, which is a fair assumption.


CHIEN

Editors, Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors (2007)

It’s been years since I’ve properly listened to the Editors, but a decade ago I was really into them, and that song has stuck with me ever since. I remember I had been drawn by the title of the song, and I fell for the changes of pace of the song, that sudden bass line, those drums roaring in the back. I’ve never considered it a classic, but I have so much fun listening to this song.





Wouldn't have picked this as Leestu's if I had been playing, but good on the five who are smarter than me - Geez, Screen, Surfer, Chien, and of course Six.


LEESTU

Cage The Elephant, Rubber Ball (2011)

I loved the album this came from. It was probably one of my most listened to albums of that year at the time. A lot of variety, and different songs from it have been my favourite at different times. This is the one that has outlasted the others as my favourite. I get that most people will find this a boring song, especially on first listen, but I love the simplicity of a beautiful waltz, the subtle Beatlesesque, neo-psychedelia, the realness of his vocals, and singing along to the falsetto oohs and aahs.

[Shrykespeare]

The first few people to turn in their guesses all got this one right, so I wondered if it was going to be a clean sweep. Turned out Six, Geez, Leestu, Tranny, and Ron B were the only ones to get it right (the only one Ron DID get right... )


SURFER

Screaming Females, Electric Pilgrim (2006)

Screaming Females have made a living from their raucous life shows and Marissa Paternoster's ability to do quite stunning things with her guitar. This is where is all started though. From their debut record 'Baby Teeth', Electric Pilgrim is a fantastic slice of what the band do best. Taking influence from all the corners of rock n roll (marrying classic rock with blues, punk and garage rock) it is awash with catchy melodies, heroic guitar solos and riffs aplenty, I'm sure you can only imagine how fun this is to witness in a live setting. Until then though, this is as close as you are going to get to it!






The one that fooled the fewest of you... still fooled two of you. I might have thought this was Tranny's pick, but surprisingly, Leestu (by Ron B) and Screen (by Chien) were the ones who were picked ahead of him. Everyone else got it right.


GEEZER

System of a Down, Toxicity (2001)

Another one of the hit songs from the album of the same name, and with great reason. It kicks major ass. I love the slow/fast dichotomy that no one can quite pull off as well as System of A Down. Here's hoping for a 20th anniversary tour of the States next year. Fingers crossed.

[Shrykespeare]

Tranny, you can do the thread-end recap now.

Next Mystery Round will be at #58.

Surfer, I need your next batch.

Ron B and Screen, I only have yours through #60.

Everyone else, I'm good for a few songs.

[transformers2]

Totally floored by Tranny choosing Ariana Grande!

That seems to be the consensus I need a breather from all the screaming once in a while and bubbly shit with massive hooks and polished production is a perfect reprieve.

Ariana Grande has played a seminal role in the appreciation I've developed for pop music in the last 6-7 years. "Problem" was stuck in my head from hearing it on the radio so much that I decided to give My Everything a shot when it was released and while I didn't love it, there was enough flashes on there ("Love Me Harder" remains a top 3-5 song in her catalog) to get me excited about her potential and the genre as a whole. In fact, 2 of her last 3 records (Dangerous Woman and thank u, next) were in my top 15 albums of their respective years.

And Shryke, I'll have the recap up in the morning.

[Shrykespeare]

#61


Screen - Immigrant Song - Love Trent, love the movie, and while I might not agree that this outshines the LZ version, it's really good. 7.5/10

Tranny - Into You - Not an AG fan (granted, I tend to avoid pop radio now like the plague), but this was pretty cool. 7/10

Geezer - Toxicity - S.O.A.D.'s signature song. Great stuff. 7/10

JohnErle - What's a Girl To Do - This was quite nice. Love her voice. Very cool pick. 6.5/10

Surfer - Electric Pilgrim - Dig the cool vibe. I can imagine they're great live. 6/10

Cbien - Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors - Really dug the sound. Vocals weren't bad either. 6/10

Leestu - Rubber Ball - Yup, you called it. Yawn. 5/10

Six, HUMBLE - Pretty good, but I don't want to hear it a second time. 5/10

NSpan - The Leanover - Not for me. 4.5/10

Ron B - Frontier Psychiatrist - Weird can work, but this was just "shrug and scratch my head" weird. 4/10

[numbersix]

Yay, I guess I know y'all better than you know each other.

Or maybe I spent too much time thinking about it.

Chien: It's a nice song. I've always seen Editors to Interpol as what Donovan was to Bob Dylan. An okay attempt at capturing the style but nothing in comparison. Its mood and tone made me think it was one of your songs. I was pretty sure about this one.

John E: Wasn't 100% on this. At first I thought maybe Surf went for Bat. But then I remmebered your penchant for pretty girls with indie looks and tastes, and this fit well. It's one of her best songs. I considered a few from Two Suns, like Moon and Moon, but had to cut them from the list.

Leetsu: This was an easy one because I remember you introduced me to Cage the Elephant. And it sounds like a Leetsu song (and possibly an NSpan tune too). It was decent if not a tad unassuming.

Geez: I know you like SOAD so it wasn't too surprising. Although initially I had you down for Paramore. This is kinda silly and fun.

NSpan: Yeah, an easy one for me because I recall you mentioning them ages ago when I recommended that Rough Trade Shops Post-Punk compilation. Although for a moment I wondered if it was a JohnE pick. It's a superb song. i've yet to listen to the rest of this album but I will someday.

Ron B: This was one of the few initial guess I didn't change my mind on. I guess because of your previous songs I thought this trippy track seemed like one of yours. Doesn't do much for me (which of you thought I woudl like this?!?!).

Screen: I was so fooled. I was convinced only you would be into Ariana. I wondered if Chien picked this for its movie connections, but once I realised it was a cover of the Zep song, I thought otherwise. Anyway, I like Trent and Atticus's movie music, although this doesn't do much for me. I'd rather listen to the original.

Shryke: Didn't see this coming, although since you're able to shuffle between hard rock and pop, I shouldn't have been surprised. Not a big fan of the band.

Surf: This was a hard one. Normally I would have put Screaming Females in Geez's world, but I recall you loving their last album (which I liked but felt got a bit repetitive). I like this quite a lot, actually.

Tranny: I thought Paramore for you as a sort of nostalgia trip. Was not expecting Ariana. I'm a bit shocked. The song did very little for me.