Next, the answers.
#50
CHIEN
Get Lucky, Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams, Get Lucky (2013)
I usually introduce the French artists I list here, but do I really need to introduce Daft Punk ? Probably the biggest French musicians on the planet those last two decades. Is “Get lucky” their most popular hit ? It may be, it’s just so damn funky and cool on the ear. The kind of song you can listen to again and again without ever getting bored.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkeIwhKIi84
GEEZER
The Killers, Mr. Brightside (2004)
I don't think it is going out on a limb to say that this song should be new to none of you. Its almost unequivocally the biggest hit on my whole countdown. I loved this song thoroughly, and the album it was on, when it came on. Haven't listened to a ton of Killers since, but I will still listen to this all the way through. There's a reason this one was so massive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE
JOHNERLE
... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Relative Ways (2001)
Yeah, I know, the band name sounds like one of Tranny's and the music could be one of Geezer's, and critics raved about the album so it could belong to Six, Surfer or Leestu, and the album is so heavily compressed I should probably hate it. Mystery Round, here we come!
Also: All Saints Day, Baudelaire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkW9w4LQZuo
LEESTU
M.I.A., Paper Planes (2008)
Fun and catchy. Great use of samples (not just the gun sounds, and the cash register, but I love the way they have used Straight To Hell, one of my favourite The Clash songs). A song that has stood the test of time. At the time, hearing it everywhere, I was sure I would tire of hearing it eventually, but now, I appreciate it even more than I did back then.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRjZoRtu0Y
NSPAN
Rapture, Don Gon Do It (2006)
Another killer track from the Rapture. Not my first track track from them, nor my last.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqskmZexVBA
RON B
Eminem, Lose Yourself (2002)
I stopped listening to new Eminem stuff a long time ago, but there is no denying when he was good, he was pretty good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s
SCREEN203
Modest Mouse, Float On (2004)
I'm not familiar with Modest Mouse beyond this song, so I can't criticize or praise them as a band. This is a classic on its own merits though. One of the only songs in recent memory that manages to actually be uplifting and emotional at the same time. Important message nowadays, especially.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88XhEqgmRhM
SHRYKE
Jason Derulo, Cheyenne (2015)
I can’t quite remember when or how I heard this song for the first time, but for something so far outside my usual box, it grabbed me instantly. Jason’s got a killer range, and when he hit that falsetto high note, that was it. I love the dancy groove that permeates the song, as well as the rather dark, sinister vibe that underscores the beat. I don’t usually like videos that look like they took a thousand people and millions of dollars to produce, but this one was cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNi0gyO41VQ
SIX
FKA Twigs, Two Weeks (2014)
Around the turn of the last decade, pop music started to get really interesting. People raised on contemporary American R&B of the 90s and 00s started to bring other influences into a genre I had no interest in. And they made it very, very interesting. I’ve another example coming up in a few days, but FKA Twigs hit the ground running with a promising EP and this single from her debut album. It’s a song that manages to combine hurt and horniness, the lyrics full of longing while the synths swirl and overwhelm. Miserable masturbation has never sounded so good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yDP9MKVhZc
SURFER
Queens Of The Stone Age, Feel Good Hit Of The Summer (2000)
I think Geezer posted a couple of weeks back in regards to a track that he thinks is a perfect song about getting high, despite never actually being on drugs. While I have also refrained from such contraband, for me, this is the song I could probably most imagine to be the perfect song for such an occasion! Those opening thumps of the bass, the squealing guitars and the mix of Nick Olivieri's vocals with Josh Homme's hammering down those lines, it's a perfect few minutes of sludge, psych rock. It's an intoxicating song and one that is best played at 11.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAXPUN2z2CE
TRANSFORMERS
OutKast, Ms. Jackson (2000)
Considering the extremes of my tastes, the prospect of having no crossover picks seemed very likely to me. When this lovely track from Outkast's masterful Stankonia LP appeared on Leestu's list, it was a welcome surprise and nice reminder that common ground can sometimes be found when or where you least expect it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSD2J8yaMmM