The Top 100 Songs (20-1)

March 31, 2006

20. “The Watermark High” – Elliott
(If They Do, 2000)

Elliott was a decent band that wrote less than memorable music; that is, except for this song. “The Watermark High,” a song that starts off at a whisper until the band takes over moments after the first verse, was released on a 7” single – a single that our friend Cody bought and instructed us to fall in love with. We did.

“Feel this heaven pours over me/Carries me backwards as I await/And then I feel I’m going back again and I feel this way.”

19. “Guns and Cigarettes” – Atmosphere
(The Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP’s, 2000)

“Guns and Cigarettes” is the first Atmosphere song I heard, thanks to a mix-CD given to us by our friend Mary. It’s the first time I’d heard a self deprecating style of rap that didn’t relay solely on money, women, and guns – well, not guns in the way you’d expect. Instead, it’s just a few words on how Atmosphere is good, and why they’re good, and why if you don’t think so, you’re dumb.

“I’m suprised more of y’all don’t get hit by cars/Missing your surroundings, staring at the stars/I’m lonely without a woman that wants to spar/That’s why I spent so much time in these bars.”

18. “16 Military Wives” – The Decemberists
(Picaresque, 2005)

This is a newer Left of Center favorite. The Decemberists layer the words on, and so it’s literarily appealing to me. “16 Military Wives” rolls through its verses by counting, though it has enough of a political slant to it to make it worthwhile. It’s nerdy, but it’s not the kind of nerdy that, say, They Might Be Giants made famous.

“Fifteen celebrity minds/Leading their fifteen sordid, wretched, checkered lives/Will they find their solution in time?/Using fifteen pristine moderate liberal minds.”

17. “Trouble” – Ray LaMontagne
(Trouble, 2003)

LaMontagne’s voice is as soulful as a white guy can get, and his title track, “Trouble,” is about as good as singer/songwriters get (that is, aside from Damien Rice). LaMontagne’s got the ability to become more renowned than Rice, though; his style straddles more genres and his music is just original enough to leave a lasting impression on new listeners without completely leading them astray.

“I’ve been/Saved by a woman/She won’t let me go/She won’t let me go now.”

16. “You Had Time” – Ani DiFranco
(Out Of Range, 1994)

The first of two songs on the list that were included in Nick Hornby’s Songbook, “You Had Time” is one of the most heartfelt and beautiful songs in DiFranco’s repertoire. I preferred “Swandive” initially – a very “turgid” song, according to her and Greg Brown – but I appreciate DiFranco’s darker, more melodic songs much more.

“How can I go home with nothing to say/I know you’re going to look at me that way/And say what did you do out there/And what did you decide/You said you needed time/And you had time.”

15. “Napoleon Solo” – At The Drive-In
(In Casino Out, 1998)

At The Drive-In was a great live band. They were also one of the few bands that could capture that live spirit on their album tracks. “Napoleon Solo” takes the sullen recitation of Cedric Bixler’s lyrics and slams an exclamation point on each line with its screamo chorus. It also mentions New Orleans, so I like that too.

“March 23rd hushed the wind, the music died/If you can’t get the best of us now/It’s cause this is forever.”

14. “A Minor Incident” – Badly Drawn Boy
(About A Boy, 2002)

The first of the three soundtrack songs from Nick Hornby written movies in the top 20, this song was also included in Hornby’s book Songbook. I’m not sure why I like this song so much, I think it’s the idea of leaving the small things to the side, of not letting trivialities bother with your piece of mind – a mindset that I’ve tried to adopt, however successfully it has been, over the past few years.

“I’d be a better person on the other side I’m sure/You’d find a way to help yourself/Then find another door to shrug off minor incidents/Make us both feel proud/I’d just wish I be there to see you through.”

13. “Dry The Rain” – The Beta Band
(The Three E.P.’s, 1997)

An infectious song from High Fidelity, my favorite movie, “Dry The Rain” is the driving force behind one of the greatest scenes in modern movies – a cocky record store clerk bets he can sell the CD almost instantly after playing a few notes. “It’s good,” one man exclaims. “I know,” Rob Gordan replies. Well, it must have worked – I went out and bought it.

“This is the definition of my life/Lying in bed in the sunlight/Choking on the vitamin tablet/The doctor gave in the hope of saving me.”

12. “3rd Planet” – Modest Mouse
(The Moon And Antarctica, 2000)

This, the opening song from my favorite CD, is one of those songs that instantly bring happiness within hearing the opening notes. It’s as familiar as any song I know, and there are too many memories to go through – giving my only burned copy of the CD to Kerrie in England, listening to it nearly every day that summer, discovering it a year earlier before it had even been released and latching onto Modest Mouse like a drowning man to a lifesaver.

“Your heart felt good it was drippin’ pitch and made of wood/And your hands and knees felt cold and wet on the grass to me.”

11. “I’m A Loner Dottie, A Rebel…” – The Get Up Kids
(Post Marked Stamps, 1999)

The ultimate in emo-pop, “I’m A Loner Dottie, A Rebel…” (the title taken from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure) is a song about saying goodbye. It was part of the great Post Marked Stamps 7” collection, and said a lot in the way of long distance lovers. The remade version for Something To Write Home About is a far cry from the original – it seemed to have lost its edge when it was remade.

“One night doesn’t mean the rest of my life.”

10. “Delicate” – Damien Rice
(O, 2003)

Damien Rice’s debut came to me through our friend Sara – the same one who gave me Ray LaMontagne. Rice’s voice is full of sorrow at all times, and for that his music feels heartfelt. This song, the first on the CD, mixes some great wordplay with some beautiful guitar and, regardless of how new it is to me, has become one of my favorite songs – one that is redefining how I look at the singer/songwriter genre.

“And why do you sing Hallelujah/If it means nothing to you/Why do you sing with me at all?”

9. “Barnacles” – Ugly Casanova
(Sharpen Your Teeth, 2002)

A Isaac Brock side project named after some weird bum he’d met at a Modest Mouse show, Ugly Casanova picks up where The Moon and Antarctica left off, seeming more like the link between Moon and The Lonesome Crowded West than anything else. Because of that, “Barnacles” could very well be a Modest Mouse song – in fact, it sounds more like Modest Mouse than their new CD ever does.

“I don’t need to see/I don’t see how you see out of your window/I don’t need to see, I’ll paint mine black.”

8. “In My Life” – The Beatles
(Rubber Soul, 1965)

I like “In My Life” more than other Beatles songs because I like the idea of nostalgia – and this song pulls it all out with force. Basically, it’s a song about growing old and appreciating what life has been, and there’s really nothing more nostalgic than that. Johnny Cash reworked it on his final CD, and it’s equally as good.

“All these places have their moments/With lovers and friends I still can recall/Some are dead and some are living/In my life I’ve loved them all.”

7. “I Typed For Miles” – Jets To Brazil
(Orange Rhyming Dictionary, 1998)

“I Typed For Miles” is another in a long line of Blake Schwarzenbach misery-fests. This one is my favorite, though, because it includes some of his best lyrics. It’s followed, on Orange Rhyming Dictionary, by the first of Blake’s “finally I see a light at the end of the tunnel” songs – songs that are so philosophically different from his usual that it’s a rush of freshness.

“They’re playing love songs on your radio tonight/I don’t get those songs on mine/You keep fucking up my life.”

6. “I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)” – Stevie Wonder
(Talking Book, 1972)

I believe this to be the most romantic song ever written – and I discovered it by watching High Fidelity. Maybe that shows how media driven my life can be, but it’s true. Mr. Wonder pulls out all the stops in this song, a not as well known but just as brilliant song as his more widely-acclaimed works.

“The many sounds that meet our ears/The sights our eyes behold/Will open up our merging hearts/And feed our empty souls/I believe when I fall in love with you it will be forever.”

5. “A Jack With One Eye” – Texas Is The Reason
(Do You Know Who You Are?, 1996)

This was one of the first songs I ever learned to butcher on guitar, and for that I’ve always held it in high regard. It’s a perfect ending song – the best end to a CD that I know of – and it brings me back to high school without feeling too nostalgic every time. The song has spanned three eras of life, and I’ve never tired of it.

“Your place is still at the heart of my everything.”

4. “The Simple Life” – Split Lip
(Fate’s Got A Driver, 1995)

I overuse the word “haunting” when it comes to music, but “The Simple Life” is just that: haunting. It’s a mellow and emotional song that’s accentuated by the rest of the band coming in at full speed near the end. Seeing Chamberlain (what Split Lip became) play this song was a dream – singer David Moore sat alone, and as he worked his way to the crescendo, the band snuck in and fired away.

“Dark streets carry me home now/I’ve stayed too long.”

3. “Cursing Concrete” – Rumbleseat
(…Is Dead, 2005)

Whenever I hear this song (and I’m feeling a little morbid) I imagine it to be the song they play at my funeral – a song that sums up life while still staying true to some kind of rustic roots. My best memory of this song, however, isn’t of the actual track, but of my friends Eric and Andy singing it in Eric’s parents’ living room one late night.

“And I hope that I make a mark/And stand strong even when I’m gone/Before I’m done/Before I lay down/I’ll go off/But I’ll be on.”

2. “Sorry About That” – Alkaline Trio
(Goddamnit!, 1998)

The greatest sing along song of them all – a great drinking song, and a great “feel bad for me” song, but most of all, a great acoustic song that was designed to be belted out at the top of your lungs. As Kerrie said, it’s all about New Years Eve drunkenness with “Sorry About That.”

“And maybe I just set aside/The fact that you were broken hearted/In my own special selfish way/And if I hadn’t set aside/The fact that you were broken hearted/Hell knows where your heart would be today/Maybe with me.”

1. “Trailer Trash” – Modest Mouse
(The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)

My personal favorite song, obviously – I love the lyrics, and I love the rhythmic acoustic beginning, and I love the crazy jam-out at the end. It’s awesome live, and it’s long – so it gives me a little more enjoyment than the average song – and it’s witty and funny and kinda sad. It’s good – and really, that’s the only reason I need to like a song.

“Short love with a long divorce/And a couple of kids of course/They don’t mean anything.”

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The Top 100 Songs (40-21)

March 30, 2006

40. “Falling For You” – Weezer
(Pinkerton, 1996)

The other Pinkerton songs are better known, but I always liked the self-deprecation that Rivers Cuomo brought to this, the near-conclusion of his rendition of “Madame Butterfly.” Being an R.A. in St. Cloud gave me lots of time to sit in my room and listen to music, so I sat in my room and listened to Weezer quite often.

“Cos I’m a burning a candle you’re a gentle moth/Teaching me to lick a little bit kinder/And I do like you - you’re the lucky one/No, I’m the lucky one”

39. “Somewhere Only We Know” – Keane
(Hopes And Fears, 2004)

Coldplay without the guitars, and without the politics and posturing. I like Coldplay more at this point, but only because they’ve got more of a library to be familiar with – these songs by Keane are far and away better.

“Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?/I’m getting old and I need something to rely on.”

38. “Daylight” – Aesop Rock
(Labor Days, 2001)

Another newer hip-hop selection – the wordplay (spit out at about 130 miles per hour) is brilliant, and the fact that this song has an alter-ego, a darker and bizzaro version, makes it so much better.

“Life’s not a bitch/Life is a beautiful woman/You only call her a bitch because she won’t let you get that pussy/Maybe she didn’t feel y’all shared any similar interests/Or maybe you’re just an asshole who couldn’t sweet talk the princess.”

37. “Quality Control” – Jurassic 5
(Quality Control, 2000)

This was my theme music on Fire Pro Wrestling D – a great hip-hop song that was fun and cocky at the same time. I bought this that the CD Warehouse that was next door to FuncoLand in St. Cloud, and it was the first rap CD I had purchased since buying Midnight Marauders nearly four years prior.

“Cause it’s survival of professional radio/Stop and comprehend and heed the words of my pen/Survival of professional poetical Highlanders.”

36. “Weak Warm” – Hot Rod Circuit
(If I Knew Now What I Knew Then, 1999)

Another sub-par pop-emo outfit that put out one great song and an entire library of forgettable ones. I first heard this at Ernie Novembers and decided to buy a used copy of it. I’m not sure that I’ve even listened to the rest of the CD more than once.

“All around the long island sound your scratchy voice is dragging me down.”

35. “A Fond Farewell” – Elliott Smith
(From A Basement On The Hill, 2004)

A nearly depressing song about giving up, “A Fond Farewell” was the first new Elliott Smith song I heard after his suicide. The fact that suicide is mentioned in the lyrics may have pushed its importance a bit puts the song in the top half of the countdown. Or maybe the fact that this was a Left of Center favorite for many months before I purchased the album.

“I see you’re leaving me and taking up with the enemy/The cold comfort of the in between/A little less than a human being/A little less than a happy high/A little less than a suicide/The only things that you really tried.”

34. “Paranoid Android” – Radiohead
(OK Computer, 1997)

I listened to emo and punk almost exclusively in my first year and half of college – at least, until I heard “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead. I went across the street to Marshall’s shopping mall and picked it up, and from there I started leaning towards the indie rock side of music, the side that says it’s okay to listen to mainstream music as long as it’s good.

“Ambition makes you look pretty ugly.”

33. “Sink To The Beat” – Cursive
(Burst and Bloom, 2002)

I love the fact that Cursive uses “Sink To The Beat” to talk about writing a hit song and the problems that come with being musicians that wear their heart (and all of their other organs) on their sleeves. They describe their sound, they give a shout-out to their label, and they talk about how fake being in a band can be – all on the same song.

“Some melodies are like disease/They can inflame your misery/They will infect your memories/They haunt me.”

32. “A Day in the Life” – The Beatles
(Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)

A true Lennon/McCartney song; both John and Paul had an equal hand in the composition of this song. “A Day In The Life” brings us all back to earth after the romp that is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and if Sgt. Pepper’s not their best album, at least we can say it’s got some of the best songs.

“He blew his mind out in a car/He didn’t notice that the lights had changed/A crowd of people stood and stared.”

31. “Cowboy Dan” – Modest Mouse
(The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)

One of two epic undertakings on The Lonesome Crowded West. “Cowboy Dan” has a true western sound to it at times – its sparse and barren, and it wouldn’t sound out of place during a rainy stretch on a Wyoming highway. It also has one of my favorite rebellious lines, below.

“He drove the desert, fired his rifle in the sky/And says, God if I have to die you will have to die.”

30. “Our Own Way” – Hot Water Music
(No Division, 1999)

Though other Hot Water Music songs are more fun to sing, “Our Own Way” means more to me: it’s a song about friends, about sticking by each other – all of that mushy stuff that leads to strong friendships and great nights of drinking. It’s about singing all of your favorite songs as loud as possible with all of your friends and never letting go.

“Who gives a fuck what anybody says/We’ll live and love until we’re dead/Holding on to what we’ve come to know.”

29. “Swandive” – Ani DiFranco
(Little Plastic Castle, 1998)

This was the first Ani song that I ever really liked, I think because it was long, well written, and incredibly moving. Come to think of it, that’s why I still like it. She didn’t play it the first time I saw her, but she’s played it the three times since, which I’m pretty happy about.

“’Cuz they can call me crazy if I fail/All the chance that I need/Is one-in-a-million and they can call me brilliant/If I succeed.”

28. “Trademark” – Hot Water Music
(Fuel For The Hate Game, 1996)

My brush with Hot Water Music fame came because of this song. One day in Marshall I was messing around on Yahoo Chat when I got into this conversation with a guy named MusicWaterHot. We got to talking about Hot Water Music when he revealed to me his identity – Jason Black, bass player. I told him he ruled, and that I really liked the bass part in the beginning. He said “thanks.” And that was it. Come to find out, they’re real people, not rock stars, so I really had no reason to be in awe – in fact, I gulped down half a cup of Chuck’s Jameson on my birthday a few years ago.

“Break free from the bullshit/Hold back for nothing/Cut loose assumption.”

27. “Find The River” – R.E.M.
(Automatic For The People, 1992)

This was a difficult choice – I had two songs from Automatic For The People (this and “Man On The Moon”) but really could only keep one. This is my favorite R.E.M. song, so I had to keep this one. So, I guess, it wasn’t really that difficult of a choice after all. It’s amazing to see how great this album is – if “Find The River” can be as good as the five radio hits, you’ve got a very full and rewarding set of music.

“Leave the road and memorize/This life that pass before my eyes/Nothing is going my way.”

26. “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong” – Against Me!
(The Acoustic EP, 2001)

I first heard Against Me! about four years ago, when this acoustic EP came out, but I never really followed them until recently. Still, I remembered this song as being great – hell, any song that sings liberally of “drinking Irish” has got to be good – and I was right when I rediscovered it; it is good.

“And just like James, I’ll be drinking Irish tonight/And the memory of his last work week will be gone forever/Evelyn I’m not coming home tonight!”

25. “Forget Me” – The Promise Ring
(Nothing Feels Good, 1997)

The best Promise Ring song – the one that doesn’t sound as dated as the rest. When Nothing Feels Good came out, it was like we’d never heard the band before in our lives – it was an awakening over their debut, and it ushered in many of the pop-emo bands that would over saturate the scene.

“Where forget-me-nots and marigolds and other things that don’t get old/Between one June and September you’re all I remember.”

24. “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” – The Arcade Fire
(Funeral, 2004)

I see this song becoming more and more of a force as time goes on – it’s probably the newest addition (aside from The Decemberists, later on) but it has the most potential to be “great song that I can’t live without.” The Arcade Fire are indie darlings at the moment, but they’ve earned every bit of praise by being a great band.

“I went out into the night/I went out to find some light/Kids are swingin’ from the power lines/Nobody’s home, so nobody minds.”

23. “Sluttering (May 4th)” – Jawbreaker
(Dear You, 1995)

Dear You is, in my opinion, the second greatest album ever composed – unfortunately, I like the album as a whole and, while every song is good, there is no one song that jumps out at me as a top 20 song. That’s not to say they aren’t great – they are, but they’re all so connected in my mind that I never think of listening to just one song. It’s always Dear You all at once or nothing at all. Still, I had to have a representative from the album, and so it was between this, “Jet Black,” “Bad Scene, Nobody’s Fault,” and “Million.” “Sluttering” won.

“You are your worst revenge/Your very means, they have no ends/This is a story you won’t tell the kids we’ll never have/If you hear this song a hundred times it still won’t be enough.”

22. “Born To Run” – Bruce Springsteen
(Born To Run, 1975)

The greatest karaoke song ever. If you don’t believe me, just ask me to sing it.

“I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight/In an everlasting kiss.”

21. “Buckingham Green” – Ween
(The Mollusk, 1997)

I’m not sure if it’s the overlying English icons or the blistering guitar solo, but Buckingham Green created the Ween fan that Doug always tried to form. This is really the centerpiece that The Mollusk was built on, as far as I’m concerned.

“The children saw the eye as a sign from God/Descending from the sky/It was alright to dream of Buckingham Green.”

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The Top 100 Songs (60-41)

March 29, 2006

60. “Once Upon A Time” – Robert Bradley
(Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise, 1996)

While it’s cool to rail on about MTV, we all have to take a minute and thank them for the invention of M2 – Music Television the way it’s supposed to be. If it wasn’t for M2, I’d never have discovered Robert Bradley, and then I would never have bought the CD, and then I’d have never seen them play at the Red Carpet in St. Cloud just hours after returning to town from Seattle, and I’d have missed one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

“I remember Marvin Gaye, singin’/Let’s Get It On.”

59. “Baby Bitch” – Ween
(Chocolate And Cheese, 1994)

It was hard to pick Ween songs for this list because they’re all so different, so perfect for one specific mood. Instead, I had to figure out which ones I could listen to anytime, and “Baby Bitch” is one of them – a somewhat tongue in cheek (or is it?) view on a guy being led on and dropped by an ex-girlfriend. Painful, yet empowering, at least as far as Ween gets in both areas.

“Got fat, got angry, started hating myself/Wrote birthday boy for you babe/Now I’m skinny and sick and paranoid/Without a cent to my name.”

58. “New Noise” – Refused
(The Shape Of Punk To Come: A Chimerical Bombation In 12 Bursts, 1998)

Hardcore punk was left by the wayside when I moved on to college, but it was rediscovered in Seattle when Kerrie purchased this Refused album. It’s smart hardcore – not screamy, but very intelligent, with hooks that keep the songs stuck in the unconscious for days.

“We dance to all the wrong songs/We enjoy all the wrong moves.”

57. “Philosophy – Ben Folds Five
(Ben Folds Five, 1995)

Sara summed this one up pretty well – the final piano section, where Ben Folds goes completely crazy with improvising, is great. I’m also a big fan of the line below.

“But it’s really not that you can’t see the forest for the trees/You never been out in the woods alone.”

56. “The Radiator Hums” – Cursive
(Domestica, 2000)

“The Radiator Hums” is a much welcomed break on Domestica – a fun and bouncy romp that still carries the weight of the albums’ theme but manages to relax the listener enough to get ready for the finale.

“When you’re selfless you’re so hard not to adore/When you’re selfish, I just love you even more.”

55. “Shorty” – The Get Up Kids
(Four Minute Mile, 1997)

The best Get Up Kids song, by far; you’ve got the stereotypical whiney emo voice, you’ve got the pain brought by a friend “doing you wrong,” and you’ve got a poppy chorus that sticks in your head for weeks.

“I’ll bet you never find another friend like me.”

54. “The Stars Are Projectors” – Modest Mouse
(The Moon And Antarctica, 2000)

The epic “song about life and creation” from The Moon and Antarctica. Filled with euphemism and philosophy, it’s about as heavy as Modest Mouse can get, and it’s nearly spooky at times. If I could, I’d have put every song from the album on here, but alas, I can’t.

“In the last second of life, they’re gonna show you how/How they run this show.”

53. “Radio” – Alkaline Trio
(Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, 2000)

Alkaline Trio has put out some great sing-along songs, but they’ve never been as good as the ones on their first two albums. The second best one was “Radio,” a song that dropped the F-bomb in just the right places – who needs angst, when you’ve got despair and swearing?

“I wish you would take my radio to bathe with you/Plugged in and ready to fall”

52. “Antique” – Texas Is The Reason
(Texas Is The Reason, 1995)

I got this album from Eric for Christmas as a junior in high school. Compared to their full length album, the self titled EP seems more real – more of what the genre needed at the time. Of course, their full length managed to build upon that feel and ended up being even better. “Antique” was the only song that had lyrics, so I always had reason to sing along.

“I’m asking you to smile because that’s what I like best.”

51. “Eulogy” – Tool
(Ænima, 1996)

The best metal album of the past ten years happens to also have the best metal song: a sprawling song that continuously swings back into a driving and catchy hook. I always love Maynard’s voice, enough to actually have ventured into side project A Perfect Circle, and he’s on top of his game here.

“He had alot to say/He had alot of nothing to say/We’ll miss him.”

50. “No, Not Now” – Hot Hot Heat
(Make Up The Breakdown, 2002)

Another KAUR discovery – I guess it’s the second dance/rock song I like. I lied before.

“Oh no, she’s not a secret now/But, nobody cares.”

49. “Award Tour” – A Tribe Called Quest
(Midnight Marauders, 1999)

The first hip-hop song I embraced after the gangster rap phenomenon. Tribe sounds very dated, especially next to the more modern indie-rap sounds of Jurassic Five, but it’s a classic sound that is always welcome.

“Do dat, do dat, do do dat dat dat”

48. “The Boxer” – Simon and Garfunkle
(Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1970)

A powerful song by an oft-ridiculed duo. I had a great Simon and Garfunkle box set, given to me as a gift from Kerrie, which I borrowed to someone in Marshall and then lost when he moved away. Lame, eh?

“And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him/’Til he cried out in his anger and his shame/I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.”

47. “The Frequency” – Jets To Brazil
(Perfecting Loneliness, 2002)

It took me a few years to get into the non-Orange Rhyming Dictionary stuff that Jets to Brazil released, but once I did I realized how great of a song “The Frequency” was – a song that at times celebrates the success that JTB was experiencing while ridiculing the hipsters that wrote off their music.

“You can’t afford to miss a day/Call in sick/You better stay that way.”

46. “I Would Hurt A Fly – Built To Spill
(Perfect From Now On, 1997)

In college, when I really took Modest Mouse on as a favorite band, I searched out more of the Northwest indie sound that was coming out of Seattle – the music that was a far cry from the angst-riddled grunge of the early ‘90s. Perfect From Now On was their complex “jam-band”-esque album, filled with long rambling songs, and “I Would Hurt A Fly” is the best of the bunch.

“I can’t get that sound you make out of my head/I can’t even figure out what’s making it/it feels like fingernails across the moon/Or do you rub your wings together”

45. “The Decline” – NoFX
(The Decline, 1999)

Everything I ever liked about NoFX, and the “EpiFat” punk movement, was wrapped up in this 18-minute political opus. It’s long, and it’s inaccessible as a hit, but it’s the greatest punk song ever, as far as I’m concerned; more is said in the first 15 minutes than was ever said in all of the rest of NoFX’s library.

“I wish I had a schilling/For every senseless killing/I’d buy a government”

44. “Rodeo Jones” – Sunny Day Real Estate
(LP2, 1995)

A song that would have ranked much higher had this list been compiled in 1997, or even 2000. It includes some of the great quiet/loud combinations that made Sunny Day Real Estate the front runner of the emo movement (before the term was ever coined) and kept it’s inclusion on SubPop records from seeming out of place.

“Shakespeare sang air on air/So I sung/Shakespeare turned dust to dust/
So to my life.”

43. “Get It Together” – Beastie Boys/Q-Tip
(Ill Communication, 1994)

I liked A Tribe Called Quest, and so I loved this Beastie Boys collaboration – it’s funny to hear Q-Tip swear as much as he does here, but it doesn’t seem out of place. It almost sounds completely freestyle, as if they just got together, got drunk, and threw together some great lyrics.

“I’m Like Ma Bell, I’ve Got The Ill Communications”

42. “Grace Kelly With Wings” – Piebald
(If It Weren’t for Venetian Blinds It Would Be Curtains For Us All, 1999)

Quirky is one of the few ways that Piebald can be described in relation to the rest of the genre. This song, one of their longer ones, also played upon the quiet/loud dynamics, though they used a great deal of off-center guitar licks and odd arrangements. It’s easy to get into, but difficult to understand.

“That’s more than a dress that’s a Grace Kelly movie/Dressed up to the nodes’ we’ll make our grand entrance.”

41. “Lukewarm” – New End Original
(Thriller, 2001)

Proof that a great band (Texas is the Reason) can spawn a very sub-par band. Norm Arenas and some wacko singer got together to write an album that sounds just like every other pop-emo album of the early 2000’s, but they got one song right – very right. I love “Lukewarm,” but the rest of Thriller can be forgotten. Apparently, though, they were really fun to see live.

“I never wanna say my best days are behind me.”

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The Top 100 Songs (80-61)

March 28, 2006

80. “Fall On Me” — R.E.M.
(Life’s Rich Pageant, 1986)

Thanks to a girlfriend’s brother, I was introduced to the entire R.E.M. collection at once – from Murmur to Automatic for the People – through a skillfully crafted mix tape. Now, years later, I still turn to “Fall On Me” when I’m in need of an R.E.M. fix but don’t care to listen to Automatic For The People.

“Well I could keep it above/But then it wouldn’t be sky anymore/So if I send it to you you’ve got to promise to keep it whole”

79. “American Jesus” — Bad Religion
(Recipe For Hate, 1993)

My old band covered it. And since my Bad Religion era happened before this list was relevant, the fact that it’s ranked is a testament to how good of a song it is – regardless of where the rest of Bad Religion ranked post high school.

“I feel sorry for the earth’s population/’Cuz so few live in the U.S.A./At least the foreigners can copy our morality/They can visit but they cannot stay.”

78. “Hey Ya!” – Outkast
(Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, 2003)

Wanna dance? Do it to “Hey Ya!”, the one song that refocused my view on popular rap music.

“Shake it, shake it like a Polaroid Picture, shake it, shake it.”

77. “Non Photo-Blue” – Pinback
(Summer In Abaddon, 2004)

Thank you Sirius 26, Left of Center, for reacquainting me with the indie rock that I’d been missing since leaving the world of college-radio-jockey. This song, when I first heard it, reminded me so much of Modest Mouse that I went and bought their CD – the first purchased because of satellite radio. Turns out the rest of it doesn’t sound like Modest Mouse, but this song is awesome.

“She just ignores the time that the boards came down/It’s a numbed out feeling/He just accepts that pain/A hate mantra/A spiritual killing.”

76. “Mind The Gap” — The Soundtrack Of Our Lives
(Behind The Music, 2001)

I first listened to the song at KAUR because the title reminded me of the London Underground. I’ve kept with the song because it’s a wonderful piece of music by a band that most people don’t know about, but should.

“Mind the gap/Mind your head turning back/Mind your future mind your past/If you think you’re gonna last.”

75. “Life on Mars” – David Bowie
(Hunky Dory, 1971)

The best non-instrumental song from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou also happens to be my favorite David Bowie song. The fact that this song was left off of the single disc Best of Bowie CD is a crime.

“Take a look at the Lawman/Beating up the wrong guy/Oh man! Wonder if he’ll ever know/He’s in the best selling show”

74. “Tribute” – Tenacious D
(Tenacious D, 2001)

The live version incorporates more of “the greatest song in the world,” “Stairway to Heaven,” but this version, from their full length debut, sounds a hundred times better. I remember how excited I was to hear this song, a mainstay of the D’s shows and the centerpiece of their greatest HBO episode, when it was released – it was a far cry from versions I had that used the hissy television show as a source.

“He asked us: ‘(snort) Be you angels?’/And we said, ‘Nay. We are but men.’/Rock!”

73. “Rich Kid Shakedown” – Jazz June
(They Love Those Who Make The Music, 1996)

The best “little known” emo band of the late ‘90s. The Jazz June did a great job energizing a listener with the brute force of catchy riffs and their three guitar front. This is still one of the best morning songs around.

“She said, she said/They can go wandering/Which way and always/Under main street lights.”

72. “Stupidity Tries” – Elliott Smith
(Figure 8, 2000)

Elliott Smith took on an entire band to record Figure 8, and while it pushed the intimacy of his songwriting to the side, it also contributed to better individual songs. I always liked this song for the nearly inaudible “chug-chug” right before the chorus, as if the song was trying to get its engine started on cold day, only to have to try again.

“And so I go from floor to floor/Looking for a port of call/Another drunk conquistador/Conquering the governor’s ball.”

71. “Section 12 (Hold Me Now)” – The Polyphonic Spree
(Together We’re Heavy, 2004)

With vocals that remind me of Wayne Coyne, The Polyphonic Spree caught my ear during a stint of attempted ticket-collecting for a Modest Mouse show at First Ave. I eventually drove up for the show without tickets (and ended up singing karaoke all night instead) but I continued to listen to The Spree from then on.

“Hold me now/Don’t start shakin’/You keep me safe you’ll never think/You’re the only one when times are tough.”

70. “A Praise Chorus” – Jimmy Eat World
(Bleed American, 2001)

I’m not sure if this song made me feel old or if it made me feel young. Yes, Jimmy Eat World has certainly lost its allure. But this song, featuring The Promise Ring’s Davey VonBohlen on vocals, harkens back to the days when I’d go watch punk rock shows. It brings to mind the gentle bobbing of my head near the back of the crowd, and how some of us, unfortunately, grow apart from the scene and are left uncomfortable at shows.

“I’m on my feet, I’m on the floor, I’m good to go/So come on Davey, sing me somethin’ that I know/I wanna always feel like part of this was mine.”

69. “Proceed with Caution” – The New Amsterdams
(Never You Mind, 2000)

I like acoustic, and I loved The Get Up Kids, so naturally The New Amsterdams (The Get Up Kids’ Matt Prior’s side project) appealed to me greatly. Currently, I’d rather listen to this stuff than the original Get Up Kids, so it would rank a lot higher on a non-historical list.

“You’re lucky to be alive/So I wouldn’t count on anything.”

68. “Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset” – Modest Mouse
(This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About, 1996)

One of the best Modest Mouse lines comes in this song. “Talking Shit” is a song that took me a few years to really appreciate – I always preferred “Dramamine” or “Tundra/Desert” and never really paid much attention to this one. When I did, however, I realized that it’s one of my favorites.

“Looking kind of anxious in your cross armed stance/Like a bad tempered prom queen at a homecoming dance.”

67. “There Goes The Fear” – Doves
(The Last Broadcast, 2002)

I first heard the Doves’ music in St. Cloud, but never really latched on to them until I moved back to Sioux Falls. Now, I’d say that this sprawling song – one that builds and builds until it nearly explodes at its finish – is one of the best that the U.K. has ever given us.

“You turn around and life’s passed you by/You look to ones you love to ask them why.”

66. “Trusty Chords” — Hot Water Music
(Caution, 2002)

The best song I know of with Jameson whisky in the lyrics.

“And the pain this morning/It filled my head/It’s Jameson/It means that I’m not dead.”

65. “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” — The Postal Service
(Give Up, 2002)

I started liking this song a lot while working at KAUR, and only recently considered it one of my favorites after realizing that Ben Giddard’s full-time band, Death Cab for Cutie, has gotten much wankier as they’ve progressed. When compared to Death Cab, especially the new stuff, The Postal Service is great – Gibbard’s voice paired with techno loops.

“I’m staring at the asphalt wondering/What’s buried underneath where I am?”

64. “Fight Test” — The Flaming Lips
(Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, 2002)

The Flaming Lips are one of the great live bands – they bring a show to pair with the music. Men in bunny suits, fake blood, and their own psychedelic/indie rock fuel the experience. This is the first song from their “soundtrack” to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, a Japanese movie that was, for the most part, shown only during their shows.

“I thought it better not to fight/I thought there was a virtue, in always being cool.”

63. “First Day Back” – Braid
(Frame And Canvas, 1998)

A fast and fun song by the best math-rock band ever. “First Day Back” is a great kick off to any mix tape or Monday morning – it’s fast, it’s got clever lyrics, and it’s over soon enough to get on with the rest of the day.

“On my first day back/And already I’m treading on unsteady ground/So strike me down or check me out.”

62. “One” — Johnny Cash
(American III: Solitary Man, 2000)

In Seattle, we were treated to this version of the U2 song – it was the first time we’d heard it, but it had never sounded better (not even when sung by Michael Stipe on a widely circulated but somehow hard to get bootleg). I went home and secured a copy of it for my own collection and now consider it a more beautiful song when sung without Bono’s self-importance.

“You ask me to enter/But then you make me crawl/And I can’t be holding on to what you got/When all you got is hurt.”

61. “Slower” – Mineral
(The Power Of Failing, 1995)

A depressing but poignant song in the vein of Sunny Day Real Estate, “Slower” has some of the greatest in heart-wrenching emo lines, lyrics that conjure up sad, sorry, emo boys standing in the pouring rain and crying out to their lost love.

“It’s just not the same when you’re staring into a perfect golden sunset/And thinking about how you sold your soul to send the rain away.”

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The Top 100 Songs (100-81)

March 27, 2006

Today the Top-100 begins.

It’s not easy to pick 100 songs – and 100 songs only – to represent your favorites. Do you choose more than one song from each band? Is it okay to leave a great Modest Mouse song off because I have to somehow represent The Polyphonic Spree? Should the picks be evened out – is it fair to have so many of the same artist in the top twenty?

There’s a fine line between the 10 best songs and my 10 favorite songs. My picks are not the best, but they are the songs that mean the most to me – they’ve helped shape my life, my tastes, my musical knowledge.

You’ll find a few themes throughout. Nick Hornby holds a huge influence: four songs come from movies based on his books (High Fidelity has three, while About A Boy brings one), and two more of my songs were reviewed as his favorites for his book Songbook. There’s a lot of “emo” songs – the genre I listened to nearly exclusively for the first three years of college – and they’re dispersed throughout the list. Many of them reside in the top twenty for purely sentimental reasons. Most of the rap songs are more recent, but they’ve made enough of an impact that they deserve to be included.

What was more surprising to me was what I left off. Many of my older favorite songs simply did not age well – they no longer hold the importance they did seven years ago. Less Than Jake, Sense Field, and Sunny Day Real Estate all dominated some portion of my musical library, but only two songs total from the three bands made it. Most of them ended up on the “almost” list, the songs that would have ranked 101-120.

Faith No More’s “Midlife Crisis” still gets a rise out of me, but all of its effectiveness is from the fact that my old band used to cover it – all feelings I have are left over and slowly fading. Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” is a classic song, but unfortunately it doesn’t mean as much to me as it did during my first year away from the dorms. “Three Summers Strong,” by Hot Water Music, is a great song, but with three other HWM songs it got bumped from the list.

Jejune’s “Fixed on the One” could have easily been swapped for another song: Rainer Maria’s “Tinfoil” (which made the list) and “Song About an Angel,” my favorite song for a long time, didn’t even make the list. Tastes change, it’s apparent, and even nostalgia can wane.

A person’s top ten list just goes to shows how a great artist can be influential, but also how an average one can create one quintessential piece of music that can be more memorable than anything that influential group ever wrote. Sometimes the magic strikes for one song only, and that one song is so good that you’d swear it was written by someone else.

So with that, here’s the list – or at least songs 100-81.

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100. – “Killed For Less” — Sense Field
(Killed For Less, 1994)

Surprisingly, Sense Field was one of my favorites for a while, though their songs didn’t stick with me long after high school. Still, “KFL” was one of the less spiritual sounding, harder rocking Sense Field songs in their collection, and it was always more accessible to me during my “post-punk” period.

“Carry me across the burning bridge/Somehow I’ll help you to carry the weight of the world/Carry you.”

99. – “Sunday Morning Coming Down” — Johnny Cash
(The Johnny Cash Show, 1970)

Kris Kristopherson wrote it, but Cash made if famous. If there was any Cash song I would play from a bar jukebox, it would be this one – early drinking, lonesome heart, self-medication. This was the first song we listened to for Ryan’s birthday party: 10:00 am, over Bloody Marys and a bathtub full of cheap beer.

“On a Sunday morning sidewalk/I’m wishing, Lord, that I was stoned/’Cause there’s something in a Sunday/That makes a body feel alone.”

98. – “Headache” — Frank Black
(Teenager Of The Year, 1994)

Ah, a call back to my old CMJ subscribing days. Black gets a song on the list instead of The Pixies because, well, I heard him first — I bought the entire disc because the CMJ Sampler CD that month included his ode to old video games: “Whatever Happened to Pong.” However, “Headache” turned out to be the centerpiece of the album.

“Got me so down, I got me a headache/My heart is crammed in my cranium and it still knows how to pound.”

97. “City Of New Orleans” — Willie Nelson
(City of New Orleans, 1984)

I’ve never heard the Johnny Cash version, but this Willie Nelson song – a true patriotic favorite — is one of those rare “America Rules” pieces that doesn’t manage to choke on its own self-importance. Instead, it’s about the road, the hard life, and a little rustic pride.

“Good morning America how are you?/Don’t you know me I’m your native son/I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans/I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.”

96. “Always Coming Back Home To You/Shhh” – Atmosphere
(Seven’s Travels, 2003)

A newer addition, “Always…” pays homage to the safe and comfortable streets of the Midwest. Not everyone would be proud to say they’ve come from Minnesota, but Slug is and he’s not afraid to tell everyone. I especially like the “hidden” track at the end; not every rap song has the balls to list the two towns I’ve spent most of my life in: Sioux Falls, SD, and St. Cloud, MN.

“This is for everyone around the planet/That wishes they were from somewhere other than where they standin’/Don’t take it for granted, instead take a look around/Quit complaining and build something on that ground/Plant something on that ground, dance and sleep on that ground.”

95. “The D in Detroit” — The Anniversary
(Designing a Nervous Breakdown, 2000)

The Anniversary presents a safe way to use the Moog synthesizer without sounding too out of date. Really, though, they’re just the Get Up Kids with a female voice. “D” was a song of great importance for a few months – I sure missed Kerrie a lot, with her being in England and everything, and so I identified with the idea of reuniting somewhere weird. Like Traitors Gate at the Tower of London, for example.

“I kept your picture just behind the eye/Those weeks when our distance grew/Drove north where I found you waiting in Des Moines/Thank God I’m not losing you.”

94. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” — The Who
(Who’s Next, 1971)

While many high school teens latched onto The Doors and Led Zeppelin, I (for whatever reason) chose The Who as my ‘60s/’70s band of choice. To be honest, though, the first time I heard “Won’t Get Fooled Again” was on Van Halen’s live Right Here, Right Now.

“And the world looks just the same/And history ain’t changed/’Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war.”

93. “Tinfoil” — Rainer Maria
(Past Worn Searching, 1997)

In an effort to make the greatest “emo” mix-tape ever, I sought out CDs from some of the less well known, but critically acclaimed, “emo” acts of the late ‘90s. Of the group, Jejune and Rainer Maria stood out, and this song – the first song on Rainer Maria’s first full album – set the tone for my mix tape by screaming “God damn it!” and thus erasing any assumptions I had for female singers.

“God damn it/I’m not talking about my heart/Like it’s a tinfoil valentine.”

92. “Heavy Metal Drummer” — Wilco
(Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2002)

The album as a whole is too good to split apart, but Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s best individual song is “Heavy Metal Drummer,” an ode to summers past. We all remember going to shows at the park, hanging out with friends and (later on) drinking a little too much while you watch someone fawn over the band members that somehow wandered back to the party house. Don’t we?

“Shiny, shiny pants and bleach-blond hair/A double kick drum by the river in the summer/She fell in love with the drummer/Another and another/She fell in love.”

91. “Tie Up My Hands” — Starsailor
(Love Is Here, 2001)

This haunting song came at a time when I was testing the waters of Brit pop – when I had exhausted my Radiohead records and had moved on to Travis, Blur, and Pulp. While those three bands are better, none of them filled a song with such anguish and sorrow than Starsailor did, and “Tie Up My Hands” became a dirge upon which I would meditate.

“Take the disaffected life/Men who ran the company ran your life/You could have been his wife.”

90. “Let’s Get It On” — Jack Black
(High Fidelity Soundtrack, 2000)

Yes, Jack Black’s version. Not Marvin Gaye’s. Why? Because I don’t have a copy of the original and because I grew to love the song (and the irony of such a goofy guy singing it so smoothly) through watching High Fidelity. I also really enjoy the subtle mention of masturbation.

“I aint gonna worry, I aint gonna push/So come on, come on, come on, come on baby/Stop beatin round the bush.”

89. “The Mountain” — Mason Jennings
(Birds Flying Away, 2000)

I have to agree with Kerrie on this one: I like it because it was the best song Mason Jennings played when he opened for Modest Mouse. Even after hearing a couple of his albums I still have to hold it as my favorite.

“I was waken late the other night/There was a bird trapped in my heart/I tried to open up and let it out/Before it tore my chest apart.”

88. “Times They Are A-Changin’” — Bob Dylan
(Times They Are A-Changin’, 1964)

I decided that, since I was in college and considered myself a music fan, I’d better start liking Bob Dylan. I asked the clerk at Electric Fetus which disc was better – Times or some mid-70’s stink fest, and he rightfully pointed me to the older and wiser Times.

“If your time to you is worth savin’/Then you better start swimmin’/Or you’ll sink like a stone/For the times they are a-changin’.”

87. “Hurricane” — Ani DiFranco
(Swing Set, 2000)

Ryan will be so disappointed, but oh well – I truly like the Ani DiFranco version of “Hurricane” a lot more. It’s more tense, more turgid – it’s overflowing with angst and it caused my mind to scream “injustice!” more than Dylan’s more soothing, yet just as important, original.

“No one doubted that he pulled the trigger/And though they could not produce the gun/The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed/And the all-white jury agreed.”

86. “Bag” — Christie Front Drive
(Bread: The Edible Napkin, 1997)

When I bought this comp, I discovered Christie Front Drive. I loved the song – it sounded great, like the type of “emo” I’d grown to love – and I soon found that it was the best song Christie Front Drive ever wrote. Aside from this, the rest of their stuff was boring and sleepy.

“Climbed up a tree without a way to get down/On your own/Don’t stand too long/Wait for a way down.”

85. “Silver Anniversary” — Farside
(Rigged, 1994)

Farside had a few great songs and a few average songs. This was the greatest, a song of infidelity and lost trust. The thing that really got me about “Silver Anniversary” the apparent pain in K Murphy’s voice – a voice that becomes nearly raw with emotion as he’s screaming the last lines of the song. Awesome.

Does a vow means nothing more/Than the promise to stay with you?/’Cuz when the ship springs a leak/There’s nothing much you can do.”

84. “Writing To Reach You” — Travis
(The Man Who, 1999)

Travis is really nothing more than a nostalgic ride through London’s streets. During my short stay, Travis was riding the wave of popularity that came with it’s uber popular “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” and, because of this, I heard it nearly everywhere I went, record stores, grocery stores, etc. “Writing” is the best song on The Man Who – and it’s the first song, so I never have to go far into the disc.

“Because my inside is outside/My right side’s on the left side/’Cos I’m writing to reach you/But I might never reach you.”

83. “Trouble” — Coldplay
(Parachutes, 2000)

I used to be huge into Coldplay, a love that’s waned a little over the past year, but I still respect what they did on Parachutes. “Trouble” was a little less overplayed than “Yellow”; though I like both songs, I can listen to “Trouble” whenever I want, regardless of mood.

“Oh no, what’s this?/A spiderweb and I’m caught in the middle/So I turned to run/And thought of all the stupid things I’d done.”

82. “From A Balance Beam” — Bright Eyes
(Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground, 2003)

Some of the best written lyrics – a nearly Eggers-esque ramble of images that ultimately fuel a larger image of sorrow. Or pain. Or relationships. Whatever Conor decides to write about that day, really. I discovered this through my short stint as a radio jockey at oen of our local college stations – I don’t know why it took so long, to tell you the truth.

“It was in a foreign hotel’s bathtub I baptized myself in change/And one by one I drowned all of the people I had been/I emerged to find the parallels were fewer. I was cleansed. I looked in the mirror/And someone new was there.”

81. “Take Me Out” — Franz Ferdinand
(Franz Ferdinand, 2004)

I grew to love this song thanks to Madden 2005. I went out and bought the CD for this one song. It’s the best rock/dance song you could choose – well, really, it’s one of the only rock/dance songs I even know.

“I know I won’t be leaving here (with you)”

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