X Gon' Give It To Ya is something I didn't expect to see in your top 200 of the decade but it is a fantastic rap anthem and one of his finest!

X Gon' Give It To Ya is something I didn't expect to see in your top 200 of the decade but it is a fantastic rap anthem and one of his finest!

It's funny because I often wonder if I give off the impression that I primarily listen to rap music just because I spend half of my time in the charts sub-forum defending it :heehee:

 

180. Spoon -

(2007)

 

There is a persistent joke around Spoon in that it's impossible to mention them without someone chiming in about how they're one of the most underrated bands because they're so consistent. There's some truth to this. They put out a new album every couple of years and there's almost always something worth digging from it. My introduction to them was with their memorably titled album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" which warmed me to them quickly because all the songs that got high rotation were really likable. Most of all was "The Underdog" which is just one of the most uplifting songs for me to listen to thanks to its brass arrangement and super catchy melody.

 

179. Placebo -

(2003)

 

A more well known Placebo track this time around. "The Bitter End" is always a thrilling listen as the guitars carry so much tension and end up quite high tempo. That's vintage Placebo really as it feels like endless layers upon layers of different guitar tracks.

 

178. Eels -

(2001)

 

I can't say I'm much into Eels. I know a good handful of their tracks but a lot of them don't really do much for me. Certainly they're not without memorable and catchy hooks with a very distinct frontman though. "Souljacker Part 1" is a bit different to the more well known tracks though because it really kicks into gear in a way that quite surprised me when I first heard it! Simply put, it's one hell of a riff in the chorus. I wouldn't say it's out of place either because the song sets up that frenetic pace with the verses as well, which are definitely memorable and I'm fairly certain allude to a school shooting without explicitly saying it, one of the classic cornerstones of popular music.

 

177. Soulwax -

(2004)

 

Before I discovered "E Talking", I'd discovered this song and been similarly confused that it was by Soulwax of all people. And even moreso than that song, this really does feel like conventional 2000s indie rock, complete with Strokes-like muffled megaphone lead vocals. As with the last two tracks, it's another which is just a relentless overload of guitars.

 

176. Gyroscope -

(2008)

 

Hey hey. As I was saying with "These Days", Gyroscope could just do no wrong for me at this stage. "All In On One" was the 3rd single from the album, and nowadays I see it as a more effective version of the single that came before it, "1981" (which I did love a lot at the time but will not be on this list). It's a delightful scream session.

 

175. Silverchair -

(2002)

 

I have no real perspective of just how well Silverchair are known overseas. I know they had some charting presence in the '90s but I'm not sure if they're not just seen as an also-ran grunge band who got signed in the wake of the genre's popularity, and not long after the also blonde figurehead of the genre had died. From what I understand they're seen as a bit of a joke in the US. Silverchair are absolutely worshipped over here. All 5 of their albums debuted at #1 (a first for an Australian band) and they have more ARIA Award wins than any other artist (largely because they shut out Powderfinger in 2007). In all honesty I'm not a huge fan of '90s Silverchair myself as I just don't think the songwriting chops are there, and I feel like they ride hard on nostalgia whenever their debut album is frequently seen as one of the best Australian albums of all time. But they sure did progress as they went along, to the increasingly frustrating success of a hyper-masculine fanbase. 2002's "Diorama" was probably the most drastic shift, as they moved far away from grunge and into some more symphonic material. It's at times quite ambitious with compositions. My favourite is the more straight-forward lead single "The Greatest View", which doesn't betray their old sound quite as much. It was the biggest song on the album probably because it was the easiest to wrap your head around, but that's not to take anything away from it because the song has always stood out for me with its monster of a hook.

 

174. Kanye West (feat Mr. Hudson) -

(2008)

 

I love me some Kanye but I was a bit more ambivalent in the mid to late '00s just because I didn't really instinctively listen to rap music much at all, hated a lot of it too. Kanye was always an interesting character though. His style was so unique that I never questioned the fact that this chart topping star was getting a lot of alternative radio airplay. At the same time he was also often a bit too ahead of the game for me to really get it, even 2010's fantastic "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" wasn't really on my radar until 2011. But even now "808s & Heartbreak", as influential as it is, is probably my least favourite Kanye album. It's been a while since I've heard it though so maybe that could change, but I tend to find the deep cuts a bit lacking compared to his other albums. Nonetheless it has some great singles, my favourite being "Paranoid", one of his most straightforward & catchy tracks. The production on this track is hypnotic, Mr. Hudson's hook is great, and Kanye has some really fascinating vocal manipulation at times.

 

173. Radiohead -

(2007)

 

I'm in no position to say this but I do sometimes think that people who obsess over music charts can be a bit silly. The specific subset I'm thinking of are people who define one hit wonders by artists having just one single that has reached a certain chart peak...it's often not just charting presumably because so many artists people want to give the tag to become disqualified once that happens. Radiohead's US chart success is a really funny thing because they have two top 40 hits, neither of which made the top 30. Those two hits are of course "Creep" and...this song. It's one of their most subtle singles, but at the time they had a remix competition which involved buying stems for this song on iTunes...all of which counted individually to the song's sales, so this is a US top 40 hit, and thus the only reason some people won't call Radiohead a one hit wonder in the US. Despite the subtlety, it's my favourite song on "In Rainbows", scratching a different itch to the rest for me.

 

172. Godspeed You! Black Emperor -

(2002)

 

If you know anything about this band, you know what you're in for with this. If you don't, GY!BE are a post-rock band who tend to write songs that are around the 20 minute mark. They don't have a lead singer, but rather they excel with songs that spend 5-10 minutes building to a menacing climax. When it clicks with you, these moments can be among the most enthralling that music has to offer, period. "rockets fall on Rocket Falls" is even a bit of a two-for-one special because it has two distinct peaks, both of which are pretty great.

 

171. Animal Collective -

(2009)

 

I'm not an Animal Collective obsessive but they write some really catchy songs that are so weird that it takes a while to click. After all, all he wants is four walls and adobe slabs for his girls...what? They're so esoteric that despite years and years of acclaim, they've never really caught on, still yet to have a top 50 peaking album here. This summer tune was the closest they ever got to widespread popularity. I was relatively quick to liking this song but it seems to keep growing on me over the years.

170. The Killers -

(2006)

 

I remember the big (perhaps not quite cold) fuss around this song at the time being that it was the first ever music video directed by Tim Burton. Unsurprisingly then it's full of skeletons. The song was a big favourite of mine instantly though, and for a long time I considered it my favourite Killers song. In general I have a lot of time for "Sam's Town" which is just filled to the brim with ridiculous pomp. After all the answer in this song always seems to be to just make it bigger and louder.

 

169. At The Drive-In -

(2000)

 

This song always felt pretty ambitious to me. Compared to the main song I knew At The Drive-In for which was more straightforward, this song felt like it was compromising typical structure because it really had something to say. And in fact it does, about Mexican civilians being murdered. Hooks were not something lost in the equation though, so there's still a bombastic chorus that gets the job done.

 

168. Franz Ferdinand -

(2004)

 

Even when I was very far away from understanding what post-punk revivalism was, this song was pretty engaging to me for all those components. The whole song is basically built around an angular two note riff that was really memorable. Well that and how fun it is to sing 'burn this city!' repeatedly.

 

167. Muse -

(2009)

 

This was my favourite song on "The Resistance" when it came out. I have good evidence to support that because it rocketed straight to #1 on my personal chart at the time and had a near-unprecedented 21 week run in my top 10. Knowing me at the time I probably just latched onto the fact that it was the longest song on the album and went from there, but looking back on things I would say it's still my favourite from the album. Once it kicks into gear, the guitar & drums are really relentless. Apparently though I have to now acknowledge that ABBA totally came up with that chorus melody first.

 

166. Coldplay -

(2002)

 

Speaking of Muse, Chris Martin is a big fan. So much so that after touring with them in the early 2000s, he wrote the song "Politik" as basically his attempt to write a Muse song. And so when I first heard it, I immediately made the connection and it immediately became my favourite Coldplay song by the kind of unfair notion that it didn't really sound like Coldplay. Nonetheless it's a great opening track to their best album.

 

165. Sarah Blasko -

(2004)

 

To a similar degree to another Australian singer I will be writing about very shortly after this, Sarah Blasko is another long standing favourite of mine. It actually goes back to the day my passion for music was re-ignited through discovering alternative music in 2006. It was via triple j's JTV Saturday top 20 music video countdown which was entirely filled with bands and artists I'd never heard of. One of which was Sarah whose entirely animated video for her song "[explain]" had me captivated, except it was falling down the chart so I'd have to wake up progressively earlier in the morning to catch it. It was so strange to be drawn in by the singing of a woman who I had no idea of what they looked like. That was long ago but my love for her music has endured, so much so that she's even released one of my favourite albums of this year. Here we're going back to her first album which really garnered a lot of widespread success. It's her most conventional pop-rock sounding album, especially noted by the first big single "Don't U Eva", where the high tension and gravitas of the music is matched by the intensity with which she sings it.

 

164. D'Angelo -

(2000)

 

From what I understand, this song was released on January 1st, 2000, and that's a hell of a way to bring in the 2000s. I did not know anything about D'Angelo until his surprise comeback album "Black Messiah" in 2014 which I loved and still do. He has a very long incubation period between albums though so that was his first new album since this one nearly a decade and a half prior...which makes sense now why I hadn't heard of him. That album, "Voodoo" is not quite as ambitious as "Black Messiah" but it was also more attuned to radio friendly R&B, this was amazingly a Billboard top 40 hit after all. That's especially weird when you consider that this is a 7 minute song that doesn't reach the climax until after the 6 minute mark which it spends most of the time prior building to.

 

163. Émilie Simon -

(2006)

 

Because I can never have enough of French songs I don't know a word of. Well that's not true, I can read the very easy to interpret title. Either way I have to guess that this song was just trendy enough to get away with the language barrier. I even have an odd memory of it being played once on a commercial TV music program, with the banner that it was #1 in France...which is blatantly untrue but I might believe it was the biggest French language song over here at the time...a truly competitive field. I kind of saw it as pop moreso than rock at the time but it actually shreds a fair bit. The chorus takes a bit of a while to arrive as there's a fake out after the first verse, but it's really satisfying when it gets there.

 

162. Elbow -

(2005)

 

My favourite Elbow song is probably not your favourite. They're a bit of a mixed bag for me and not a band I've paid a heap of attention to as they only were sparingly pushed over here compared to the UK where I understand them to be a fair bit of a big deal. This song inherits a not particularly fondly remembered aspect of Britpop where certain bands, particularly those that rhyme with Low Basis had a tendency to make their songs never end. Incidentally I've always had a soft spot for "All Around The World" so maybe that's why Elbow find their way here with their 6 minute song of mostly looped refrains.

 

161. Sia -

(2004)

 

This is one of the back catalogue Sia songs I'm most familiar with, it seems to be the one that I catch on the radio most often. So with that unfair advantage I'd say it's my favourite on Sia's "Colour The Small One" (I also like "Breathe Me" a lot but it would probably just scrape the top 500 on this list). As it is back catalogue Sia, it's a very moody song, but the chorus provides a bit of optimism in that department.

160. Coldplay -

(2002)

 

Nowadays I would say this is my favourite Coldplay song. Like "Politik", it's a little different from their usual style. I'd say it dabbles into '60s psych rock, at least with the main guitar line. The chorus is however pretty typical Coldplay with its sweeping arrangement that fits in pretty neatly with the rest of the song. The persistent instrumentation makes for a surprisingly intense listen even if it's not remotely heavy or loud.

 

159. Scissor Sisters -

(2003)

 

I have a weird soft spot for circus-sounding music. I couldn't tell you exactly what it comes from but it just taps into something for me. Case in point, the rather silly kazoo that drives this track. It's already a pretty jaunty track with its percussion but that really pushes it up as my favourite Scissor Sisters song. They're definitely a band with a knack for a catchy tune, but it's not just that, every part of this song just works wonders.

 

158. The Strokes -

(2001)

 

Something I often wonder to myself is whether or not The Strokes debut album "Is This It" could be considered overrated. I definitely like The Strokes a lot and I like the album a lot, but I wonder if I'd get behind it more if I could experience it when it was fresh. The benefit of hindsight can tell us that The Strokes never quite garnered that same level of hype again (though they didn't score a #1 album here until the 2010s) so I can only assume the potential seemed limitless at the time. Either way though, "Hard To Explain" is a perfect encapsulation of their debut album. It's so simple really but it's a rush of adrenaline that never gets old.

 

157. Arcade Fire -

(2004)

 

This is one of the first songs I got to knowing on "Funeral" though without saying too much it's not my favourite. It's a song I enjoy much more hearing than thinking about, because the first thing that comes to mind is the hook in isolation which doesn't quite do it justice I think. Arcade Fire are a band that love a good crescendo after all, and it's only really through all the slight deviations and iterations that the hook truly gets its effectiveness.

 

156. Antony & The Johnsons -

(2005)

 

I feel as though I listened to this many years ago and it didn't particularly stick out for me. I remember it getting quite a bit of fanfare in the Record Of The Decade threads but it wasn't until it became ineligible there that the song truly connected for me. If you know the song, you probably know why. There aren't many people who can carry emotion quite like AHNONI does on this track. It builds to quite a haunting finish but it doesn't even need to. I'm sold on the first few lines.

 

155. The Shins -

(2007)

 

I don't know how many Run The Jewels fans there are here but there's a really obvious connection with them for this song. It's just surface level however, although when I first heard their song that is also called "Sea Legs" it immediately made me think of this. Because for both artists, "Sea Legs" is a song that sonically sticks out a bit, with the music swamped in layers of reverb. It's one of the most effortlessly alluring hooks The Shins have ever had. Aside from that, the song always reminds me of summer holidays 2007/2008. I listened to the triple j a lot then (although that was postponed when I went interstate and I mostly heard commercial radio) and I was kind of fascinated by the way that all (well most) the major albums had dropped months ago. Rather than big singles, the radio playlist was filled with 3rd and 4th cuts, a lot of which bring me an intense feeling of nostalgia to that time, especially this one.

 

154. Kings of Leon -

(2007)

 

This song was my introduction to Kings Of Leon. It gave me a weird feeling of superiority that wasn't really justified when they became considerably more well known 18 months later. Nonetheless, "Because Of The Times" was that starting point that made me really inclined to root for them when they did hit the big time. This song had a certain imposing aura about it with the brooding instrumentation (although it is very easy to sing Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn" over it as they have similar bass lines) and the occasionally yelled hook.

 

153. My Chemical Romance -

(2006)

 

So much love for this album going back to when it first came out. However due to the reputation of the band that I can't quite articulate, I often strayed away from a fair few deep cuts and mostly just listened to about half of the album for a while. The funniest version of that was me thinking "Teenagers" was a dreary, depressing ballad (I may have been thinking of "Cancer") but then when it was made a single I realised I was wrong and it became my favourite song for a while. "Dead!" is right at the start of the album so it was harder to avoid, I also have a distinct memory of a time around mid-late 2007 when it was on the radio before school started nearly every day of the week, something that is very uncommon compared to how commercial radio is. I did get a bit worn out on this track sadly but when I came back to it for these lists I was astounded at how fresh it was again. It's a barrel of fun.

 

152. Arctic Monkeys -

(2009)

 

I feel like this song gets a bit of a mixed reception and I can understand why. At the time it was probably a bit weird for Arctic Monkeys to release a lead off single and not have it being a high tempo banger, the sort of style that permeates those first two albums. Josh Homme was very involved in the production of the 3rd album and it shows. This song was pretty unfortunate not to top my personal chart at the time because judging by the dates, I must have just not heard it for the first month of release, because it didn't debut until August and then spent quite a while trapped behind a fresher Muse track at #2. Though my favourite Arctic Monkeys songs at the time were those high tempo tracks, I didn't even see anything amiss about this song because it was equally catchy.

 

151. Radiohead -

(2001)

 

"Amnesiac" is rather good by the standards of it just being a bit of a mish mash of tracks that didn't make it onto "Kid A". And it really feels like a mish mash with some of the very distinct ideas that often sound like no other Radiohead song recorded before or after. One of my favourites is "Life In A Glasshouse" which often single-handedly gets this entire album associated with jazz. Of course it still sounds exactly as moody and depressing as Radiohead's reputation proceeds it to be. Nonetheless it's a very emotive track with the musical & vocal cues playing off each other quite well. There's a very obscure Australian hit by Cordrazine called "Crazy" that's a few years older than this and sounds very similar.

Ah I missed yesterday's update but it's nice to see Unnatural Selection has indeed made it there, I loved that song equally as much at the time!

 

Rebellion (Lies) is great and The Black Parade was an iconic album! The only disagreement here is Daylight being your favourite Coldplay song. They have done so many incredible songs over the years, particularly their 2000s stuff, but I wouldn't even put that in my top three from A Rush of Blood to the Head!

150. Garbage -

(2001)

 

This song was my introduction to Garbage. It might be a matter of timing although in saying that, it was their only top 10 hit in Australia, a level of success that I associate with Muse's "Undisclosed Desires" which is not one of their more fondly remembered hits but because it was the single out when they were touring, it wound up their highest charting single. To return to Garbage, I specifically remember seeing this song during a flight, as I was watching a music videos program. The video to this song was memorable to say the least. While this is pretty pop-leaning by Garbage standards, there's a fair amount of punch to it as well, Shirley sells it remarkably well as is to be expected.

 

149. Arctic Monkeys -

(2005)

 

It is fair to say that this song was a bit of a big deal except that I have no memory of hearing it when it was big, even though my mum owned the album. Nonetheless it kicked off a big career for what have thus far been one of the defining bands of the 21st century. And of course this is the song to do that, to make an extremely Australian comparison, it's a bit like The Living End's "Prisoner Of Society" with how quickly the adrenaline picks up into a perpetually catchy riot. And just like that, it's the song that always pays well to go back to, no matter how many more hits they add to their catalogue.

 

148. Sons And Daughters -

(2008)

 

Somehow, Garbage do not provide the most outrageously Scottish accent of this set. Also coincidentally Sons and Daughters were on the same label as Arctic Monkeys. The main thing I didn't mention when Sons and Daughters appeared about 100 places lower in this list is that they're something of a two hit wonder band from my perspective. "Gilt Complex" and "Darling" are the two songs I remember hearing a lot at the time and really loving, and then I couldn't tell you the name of any of their other songs. In any case it's not a bad legacy to have. This song is pretty similar to "Gilt Complex" with its guitar tone, though it does have a more clear chorus. Instrumentally the song rarely lets up its head-bobbing rhythm.

 

147. The Strokes -

(2006)

 

Though if we want to talk about relentless rhythm sections, we've got one of the hardest hitting songs The Strokes have ever recorded. This song borders on cacophony with Julian only barely coming clearly above the mix. Those guitar lines are what I love the most about the song though, especially that solo that comes in after any of the verses.

 

146. Godspeed You! Black Emperor -

(2000)

 

While the last Godspeed track was pretty obscure, it is a bit more likely you'd know this one because it comes from their most famous album "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven". It's also memorable as I find it's one of their most intense and downright menacing tracks. The first thing you'll get from it is a speech from a religious prophet that honestly really goes well with the haunting atmosphere that the song has thus far presented. Then things go close to noise territory as things really ramp up. It's not quite noise as it's melodically sound, but there is what sounds like screaming towards the apex of the crescendo.

 

145. Portishead -

(2008)

 

This has to be one of the weirdest songs to ever make the ARIA Chart. It's kind of surprising that it did, which I imagine was from a decade of anticipation for Portishead's "Third" but it's peculiar because this is far less accessible than their bigger '90s tracks. I find it utterly captivating because it sounds nothing like anything else I've heard. I suppose the persistent drum beat has a bit of a "Blue Monday" feel to it, but it's so heavily packed with reverb that it doesn't really resemble it. In addition to that, later in the song the echo effects are sprung up making that main instrumental loop even crazier.

 

144. Radiohead -

(2003)

 

I don't know if Thom intended to make it sound like he was saying 'penetration' over and over again but I have a childish mind so there's a bit of enjoyment to be had from it. Just like a certain other song on "Hail To The Thief", this song is all about that pay off in the second half where the band just lets everything rip.

 

143. MGMT -

(2008)

 

I was pretty well acquainted with MGMT when their first album was getting attention. It felt like they had an endless string of hits, and I have to note a lot of love for songs like "Weekend Wars", "The Youth" and "Of Moons, Birds & Monsters" which will not be appearing in this list. Oddly enough though, "Time To Pretend" didn't quite phase me the same way at the time. It definitely left an impression, I mean, that instrumental hook after all, but I wasn't drawn to it. Now that the dust has settled, I go back to "Time To Pretend" and realise just how special it really was. There aren't many songs that can release quite as much uplifting joy as this song does when it rolls around to the chorus.

 

142. The Knife -

(2006)

 

I've been fascinated with The Knife for quite a long time. Ever since seeing the video for "Like A Pen" and then gradually coming into contact with more and more of their work. One of my longest standing favourites is "Marble House" which feels like a logical progression from their previous album "Deep Cuts". That album was filled with enough marimba to make Jonas Blue blush. So while you could see that as a sunny side of The Knife, "Marble House" feels like midnight ambiance. One of the most distinct musical features in the song sounds a bit like a cricket chirping.

 

141. The Dirty Secrets -

(2007)

 

I think this is the most obscure song in the list so far. There have been deep cuts from Australian artists before, but all of those were artists that had at least a certain level of notoriety to draw people to find those ones. Although I remember hearing a fair few of their songs on the radio, including this one, I would be very surprised if anyone's even heard of The Dirty Secrets. Nonetheless, if you're in the mood for high energy rock (not unlike "Heart In A Cage"), this could serve a treat. It makes a quick impression as soon as it kicks in with the main guitar riff, which if I knew more about the instrument I would be able to describe better, but to me it's a bit like a coiling effect of about 4 different notes at once. It fits well with the intensity that the lead singer is providing.

140. System Of A Down -

(2005)

 

The last two System Of A Down albums are quite contentious among a lot of fans. A major reason for this is because it was on these albums that Daron seemingly decided to go from providing backing vocals on a lot of songs, to completely swallowing the vocal contribution to the point that he's on a lot of these songs just as much, if not more than Serj. I never minded too much because I've always liked his strained, distinct delivery. It helps "Hypnotize" be a strong favourite of mine because there's a good back & forth here. It's a bit of a curious song too, System Of A Down have always had politically charged lyrics, even in this song, and the hook is just 'I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl'. They get good mileage out of that car though, it sounds terrific at the climax of the song.

 

139. N*E*R*D -

(2004)

 

Loose connection game continues because N*E*R*D have a song called "Hypnotize U". I've often had a bit of a mixed experience with the group, which is a shame because there is no way I could deny that The Neptunes have always been a positive force in the world of pop, so often years ahead of their peers. For as long as I can remember, "Maybe" has been my favourite of theirs though. I even used to listen to it on my own accord for a fair while, only to later realise that it was this remix that I was most accustomed to. It's not incredibly different in structure like remixes can be. Instead it swaps out the rock-production on the song for dance. It effectively gives the song a new hook via a 3 note instrumental riff. It also gets a lot more out of the chorus with just how hard hitting it is at that stage.

 

138. Deltron 3030 -

(2000)

 

As you are obviously aware, "Deltron 3030" is a concept album set in a post-apocalyptic 3030...in 2 years time it will be exactly as close to Zager and Evans as they are to present. The song is relatively slow with a sort of dystopian beat that reminds me quite a bit of that other song Del is most famous for rapping on. Just like with that one, his flow is immensely fun.

 

137. Röyksopp -

(2005)

 

Some more from The Knife kind of as it's Karin on vocals with this. It's the Röyksopp song I've been familiar with the longest, and has always felt like a big deal to me even though it wasn't really a hit single or anything. It's an interesting sort of dance song that uses a lot of organic instrumentation which fleshes it out.

 

136. Kings Of Leon - Holy Roller Novocaine (2003)

 

I have a lot of fun with the early Kings of Leon albums, I'm very skeptical they'll ever come close to topping their debut which is just hit after hit after hit for me. The best of the bunch is "Holy Roller Novocaine", which in typical Kings of Leon fashion, features a hook that you'd be lucky to decipher more than two words of. Nonetheless they were called the southern Strokes with good reason, there's so much reckless energy in here.

 

135. Arcade Fire -

(2004)

 

It was after Arcade Fire won their Album Of The Year Grammy Award for "The Suburbs" that I decided to look more intently into a band I had grown rather fond of in the years prior. The first thing I did was listen to "Funeral" in full which was quite an experience in learning that all these songs I was sort of familiar with...were from the same album! "Wake Up" is possibly the most well known of the bunch thanks to being in movie trailers and also inspiring so many indie bands in their wake. Admittedly it's quite a sluggish song, but there's so much glorious cathartic release when that hook arrives.

 

134. Jay-Z -

(2003)

 

One of the most fascinating things for me about Anne-Marie's "2002" is the slight revisionism. Escape the fact that this song was not even released in that year and just that it's mentioned at all is quite a feat. "99 Problems" is of course one of those songs whose reputation far proceeds its initial chart success. It might even be banking on fake nostalgia from listeners too, because everyone will think 'oh yeah I remember listening to those songs' but really if they were listening to pop at the time, they were probably more likely listening to Gareth Gates or Daniel Bedingfield, which I suspect doesn't get you brownie points for referencing. That aside, what a track. The sheer swagger impresses me every time.

 

133. Muse -

(2001)

 

It's quite peculiar that one of the biggest singles from Muse's 2nd album was a song that goes for 6 minutes. Nonetheless, when I first went about exploring their back catalogue, this was an immediate favourite thanks to how effectively it builds up. The same verse is played through 3 times and each time there's more intensity packed into it. Absolute riot of a track.

 

132. Placebo -

(2000)

 

I think this is my favourite Placebo song. Though it is very much not what the song is about, the title makes me think of the cereal and more importantly, that joke with it in The Simpsons. What I like most about this song is how it manages to pack in two different choruses, and each time the transition is a little different so there's a new level of excitement the second time in. That second hook is also peculiar because it is so remarkably easy to sing along with the hook to a certain very popular Killers song that I can't help but think that it's accidental plagiarism.

 

131. Midnight Juggernauts -

(2007)

 

I mentioned post-peak Midnight Juggernauts last time but this is them at the height of popularity with so many big singles like "45 and Rising", "Shadows", "Tombstone", "Road To Recovery", but most notably this one right here. The song always had a feeling of grandeur that felt unique...although I'm sure it was just very much on the Klaxons-wave of the time. Nonetheless though, Midnight Juggernauts came up with one hell of an ascending instrumental riff. The whole thing is very lush.

138. Deltron 3030 -

(2000)

 

As you are obviously aware, "Deltron 3030" is a concept album set in a post-apocalyptic 3030...in 2 years time it will be exactly as close to Zager and Evans as they are to present.

OH MY WORD WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!

 

Also fantastic to see Into The Galaxy in here as well as the incredible New Born, the first track on the superb album Origin of Symmetry!

Also fantastic to see Into The Galaxy in here as well as the incredible New Born, the first track on the superb album Origin of Symmetry!

I think at the time Origin Of Symmetry was my favourite Muse album (maybe album period, knowing me) because of just how big those hits at the front were, nowadays I think I prefer Absolution's consistency.

 

130. Birds Of Tokyo -

(2008)

 

This song has significance as being the first ever #1 on my personal chart, which I created at the time because I was feeling a bit disillusioned with new music and wanted a way to assure myself there was still great stuff out there. This was a very quick return for one of my favourite new artists of 2007, and the lead off single to what I still believe is their best album "Universes". It's their biggest out and out rock anthem, which made for quite a thrilling moment when I saw them live a year ago. It was at a free show meaning there was no expectation for the audience to even be familiar with the songs that aren't called "Lanterns" or "Plans", so colour me impressed when pretty much the entire crowd sings the hook to this 10 year old song that never made the ARIA Chart.

 

129. System Of A Down - Forest (2001)

 

Not a single, but one of the more conventional and fully formed tracks on "Toxicity". Always been a big favourite of mine. Obviously though it taps into the same primal sense as the rest of the album, it's loud and angry, it's provocative, it gets the people going, you know.

 

128. Civil Twilight -

(2009)

 

Let's talk about murder mysteries involving groups of people trapped on an island. It's an appropriate time for this, as an avid fan of visual novels would note today as the 32 year anniversary of the main events of Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Also unrelated to that but last week I finally got around to reading Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" which I would absolutely recommend except for the fact that it's like the 6th highest selling novel of all time and doesn't even need me to do that. My interest in that harks back to 2009 as I was hooked on the very short lived TV show "Harper's Island" which was very blatantly influenced by that book. While it had an exciting premise, it dragged its feet for a while and had an underwhelming conclusion which means that I have a sort of unexplainable fondness for it even though it wasn't exactly stellar. It did have its tense and impactful moments though, one being at the end of an episode towards the end of the series which was punctuated with this song playing. I don't know how much I would gravitate to this song if not for the association. It's very Keane crossed with The National, with a particularly explosive finish, but it is a pleasant nostalgia trip that I fall for every single time.

 

127. Arctic Monkeys -

(2006)

 

Has to be one of the most rambunctuous #1 singles in UK Chart history. I can't help but wonder if they were partly inspired by peers Franz Ferdinand on the 30 second fake out intro. Either way I've been successfully couxed by it yet again, it's such a riveting transition. I'm not sure how I felt about it at the time but nowadays it's definitely my favourite track on that debut album.

 

126. Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place (2000)

 

To steal an observation from this site, one of the most fascinating things about Radiohead's "Kid A" is how misleading the press around it is. People were so outraged at the time that the band who made "OK Computer" ditched guitars and made weird electronic songs. To me that's telling of how much the arrangement of the album matters because if you took out the first 3 tracks and "Idioteque", you're left with an EP that is not really that far removed from the Radiohead of old. It's so difficult however to not associate "Kid A" with the distinct intro on this, its first track. A song I myself was also a bit unsure of for quite a while but have come aroudn to really loving.

 

125. Immortal Technique -

(2001)

 

I kind of have to preface this by saying that I absolutely know the reputation of this song, which is probably how I found out about it anyway. It has become a meme of sorts for the fact that people love to share it with the preface that it's the most fked up song ever. What is indeed a rather confronting listen has become a normie song in the process. If you can look past that as I have, the reason it has its reputation speaks for itself. It's a twisted tale that can have you hanging on every word. Like Kanye West's social media presence in 2018, it manages to keep diving further into the deep end, swimming pool, swimming pool, swimming pool, swimming pool. Nonetheless, it's not often you hear a song with a plot twist quite as jarring as this, and it's also mildly amusing to me that a song released so long ago refers to Kevin Spacy as 'usually suspect'.

 

124. Kaiser Chiefs -

(2005)

 

On a lighter note, the first two Kaiser Chiefs albums are filled with some very catchy tunes, my favourite of which is "Everyday I Love You Less And Less". It kicks off almost immediately with its bouncing beat and ragged guitar riff. I especially like the pre-chorus which manages to sound more intense even though the tempo hasn't even changed.

 

123. The Dissociatives -

(2004)

 

I said my favourite Silverchair song was "The Greatest View" but that's only half true. While I'm not sure how well known overseas they are, I can certainly say that not many people outside of this country will have heard of The Dissociatives, the once off colloborative album between Daniel Johns of Silverchair, and Paul Mac of many guises in the past 25 years. Notably in 1996 upon winning an ARIA Award for Best Dance Release, he thanked Sydney's ecstasy dealers. Anyway, this collaboration is far away from those two worlds, instead leaning more towards sunny '60s pop. Understandably a lot of Silverchair fans hate it but I had the benefit of not having much of a relationship with Silverchair, and also coming to know this song a long time before I knew who it was by.

 

122. The Shins -

(2006)

 

Just edging out "Sea Legs" as my favourite Shins song is the actual lead single to that album. I didn't really latch onto this song when it first came out because I was still pretty new to music of its sort and also didn't really catch on with anything that didn't get music video airplay. When it belatedly did, I thought 'OH this song' and I've loved The Shins ever since. They're a band that get a lot of stick for being pretty samey, but I've always found the melodic range of this song to be pretty ambitious.

 

121. Girls Aloud -

(2002)

 

Ever since joining this site I've had a growing affinity for Girls Aloud. I mainly just didn't know them very well because they only had about 3 hits here. While the others took a while to warm on me, I've always liked this song at least a bit. It's amazing that this is what a reality TV coronation single can sound like because it is not the bland safety that such a thing is associated with at all. Instead it's a melding of genres that doesn't really fit in with the times at all, winning the public over rightly because it was excellent.

120. Arcade Fire -

(2007)

 

Truly, we live in a society (note: I've never seen the show). While "Neon Bible" isn't quite as strong as "Funeral" (not much is), it's a cracking good follow up album with plenty of highlights such as this. There's a definitive shift in general style that I can't describe other than saying to listen to this song as a good example of it. It's a song that constantly teases a big explosion with its ascending riff, and then it comes and you get one of those rare cases of French Arcade Fire lyrics that I can barely pronounce, let alone decipher. Just that it sounds huge is all that matters.

 

119. Hercules and Love Affair -

(2008)

 

AHNONI has a distinct feat of being the only person to have topped Pitchfork's Best Singles of the Year list twice. It's been done with two drastically different songs too, the crushingly sad "Hope There's Someone", and then "Blind" which is closer to a party jam. I don't remember entirely when I first heard it but I remember not taking to it. At some point however it just clicked as a delightful array of things going on.

 

118. The Temper Trap -

(2009)

 

The Temper Trap are one of many in a long line of Australian artists that are seen as one hit wonders around the world (and maybe even here to an extent) but when given the chance had a lot more to offer. "Science Of Fear" was a big one for me at the time as it was the start of 2009, and much like 2008 when I'd started making my personal chart, the new music process was going a bit slow. This however spearheaded a big shift for that when after about 2 months of 1 debut per week on my top 20, it was one of 5 songs to debut in a single week, quickly asserting itself ahead of that pack and going to #1, after which, 2009 in music started feeling a lot more exciting. That excitement is appropriate because it's one of the band's most urgent sounding songs. "Sweet Disposition" was a radio hit in late 2008 that I didn't take a whole lot to at the time (though I didn't know it by name until a few years ago, I quite liked their early single "My Sun"), but this follow up was a big improvement for me that helped the earlier song grow on me and I was really invested in the band for their first two albums.

 

117. The Living End -

(2003)

 

Speaking of big Australian bands that aren't nearly as well known overseas, The Living End were absolutely one of the biggest from my perspective. I won a copy of their 4th album through a radio competition and even with that I was floored at how many big songs there were on it. They were of course far bigger a decade earlier before I was old enough to know about it with their one song that is relatively well known overseas "Prisoner Of Society", which might also have some lingering recognition due to its inclusion in a Guitar Hero game. What seems to be their 2nd most well known song overseas is from what I understand, not even a single from not even a very successful album of theirs, but like "Prisoner Of Society", I suspect this song is more well known than it should seem just because it was in a Tony Hawk video game. Heck, that's the only reason I know it. Nonetheless, it's a great association for me because this is my favourite track of theirs from the 2000s. It has a manic, rollicking pace but without being afraid to play around a bit. There are constant tempo shifts & solos that I imagine would go down a treat live.

 

116. Johnny Cash - Hurt (2002)

 

This cover is ridiculously overplayed but with good reason. It's really hard to write about it just because I don't have anything to add to the conversation about it. It's a beautiful cover that does well to transform the original version into a new context. Coupled with the music video and things just don't get much sadder.

 

115. Beach House -

(2008)

 

I adore Beach House and all of their albums. If I were to do this list for the current decade then they'd dominate more so, but for this time frame, "Heart Of Chambers" is my favourite. It's a case of me siding with general concensus as /r/indieheads recently did a poll for favourite Beach House songs and this was right at the top for this album. It's a clear standout though. One of the first examples of them absolutely nailing it with a soaring hook.

 

114. The Killers -

(2003)

 

Check this song out if you get the chance, it's pretty good.

 

113. Something For Kate -

(2003)

 

This was effectively Something For Kate's biggest chart hit which is probably because it was the lead single following their most successful album. Along with that, if does a very good job of giving out the same sort of emotional swell people were probably expecting. The chorus delivers it in spades.

 

112. Liam Finn -

(2007)

 

Nepotism alert! Liam Finn is the son of Neil Finn who is of course (or maybe not, again, international audiences unclear) famous via Split Enz & Crowded House. The two actually released an album together about a month ago. I feel like this song was very forgotten/never known but it made a big impression on me the first time I heard it. The instrumentation in this song is very evocative along with his voice.

 

111. The Decemberists -

(2005)

 

This is one of those dumb & catchy songs that I remember seeing on TV and having the hook lodged in my brain for years. OK I'm lying about the dumb part because there's a whole lot of sociopolitical commentary, but at the same time the main thing I remembered was the intentionally nonsensical hook. I really like Colin's voice though, it's a weird sort of extreme diction that accentuates every line.

Mr Brightside :wub: Lovely discovery here thanks for the recommendation!

Mr Brightside :wub: Lovely discovery here thanks for the recommendation!

:heehee:

 

110. Goldfrapp -

(2000)

 

There is something to be said of when bands just get it so right from the very beginning. "Lovely Head" is the first track on Goldfrapp's debut album, and is also the first single they released. While the title could look a bit lewd, the artwork shows it to be rather literal. But given the era of Goldfrapp this is, it's all quite wistful.

 

109. Birds of Tokyo -

(2008)

 

Another song I associate with a specific time, specifically being driven to school in those late 2008 months. Part of me wants to run through the online radio playlist databases to see if there's some merit to this observation or it was just one instance that stuck with me. The one thing that's making me question it is that it apparently didn't enter my own personal chart until mid-December. Nonetheless, this was another winning single on an album full of them. There's so much density in the drums and a killer guitar riff to go with it.

 

108. Sufjan Stevens -

(2005)

 

This feels like two different songs in one. It makes for one of those few times when you can go 'oh it's THAT song' twice in a single listen. The song starts so modestly only to reveal grand ambitions once it picks up. It's such an uplifting song to listen to, which is quite a contrast from the other Sufjan Stevens song I absolutely love, "Should Have Known Better", which is deeply depressing.

 

107. My Chemical Romance -

(2004)

 

Part of how I got to like My Chemical Romance so much at the time is that a family friend happened to allow us to acquiesce the box set for "The Black Parade" which allowed for some unprecedented listening beyond the one song that was on the radio at the time. I seem to recall that box set having some stuff relating to the previous album but I can't prove it so maybe that family friend just happened to slip in that other album as well. In any case I don't remember hearing anything from their 2004 album (at the time that is, I love it now) except for this song and it was an instant favourite. All the theatrics of that very popular song of theirs but sounding just a tad more menacing.

 

106. Billy Talent - Fallen Leaves (2006)

 

I honestly only ever remember Billy Talent's name being brought up by people who don't like them. It was a bit strange because I didn't really get why that would be the case, based on what I'd heard from them at least. Maybe I missed the boat by just a bit and never caught some omnipresent stinker of theirs, or maybe this is the stinker? :thinking: This song slaps though. The opening riff has such a distinct crunch to it, and while I guess I can see how the singer could be annoying to people, I think he has a good amount of strength to his delivery.

 

105. Harlequin League -

(2008)

 

New contender for most obscure song on this list. It's not even on Spotify and it only has slightly over 9,000 views on YouTube. In saying that, this song did get a decent amount of airplay but this band's biggest connection is that their bass player went on to play for the band Sugar Army who are only moderately more well known. Either way, this song came out at exactly the right time for me to adore it. The fast paced riff is an absolute monster.

 

104. Muse - Citizen Erased (2001)

 

Until a few years ago, this was the longest song Muse ever recorded. It's also a big fan favourite, as about a decade ago, Muse forums rallied together to download it for one week and got it into the top 200 of the UK Singles Chart. Nowadays they struggle to chart with their actual singles. Anyway if there is some debate to say that "Butterflies & Hurricanes" is the centrepiece of "Absolution", there should be no question that this bears that title for "Origin Of Symmetry". It's the sound of a young band going absolutely mental and throwing everything at the wall until it makes such an impression that it just sticks.

 

103. The Music - The People (2002)

 

I first caught wind of The Music when their 3rd album singles started getting airplay. Their songs didn't make a huge impression on me, but the utter pretention of their name I found fascinating. This of course means that they are another band whose best days were behind them by the time I'd even heard of them. This modest entry point meant that it was quite a shock for me to learn that they were once a very big deal in the music press, particularly with this first album and its hits. Sure enough, they bring the hits here. This song is most noteworthy for me because of the chorus hook, which is indecipherable and to me sounds most closely to the opening theme to Survivor.

 

102. Interpol -

(2004)

 

It is a very rockist thing to do the whole 'hey, that song title doesn't belong to you', but I must admit that it is a little disappointing to me that Niall Horan's song that has the most crummy sounding guitar and is a bit of a low point on an otherwise quite good album, happens to share its title with that of an Interpol song. When it comes to crisp, engaging guitar riffs, those early Interpol albums are nearly untouchable. In saying that though, "Slow Hands" is an interesting one because as much as that guitar is prominent here, once you get to the chorus, it's a bit caught in the back of the mix behind what feels like their most blatant bid to write a hook. Not that it doesn't work for me, Paul Banks' voice is always distinct but here there's a heightened power to it.

 

101. Little Birdy - Relapse (2003)

 

It's been a heavy set tonight for Western Australian bands, between Birds of Tokyo, Harlequin League & Little Birdy. Little Birdy were very popular during the 2000s, maybe they still are but they haven't released an album in nearly 10 years though they also haven't disbanded. Also for some notoriety, lead singer Katy Steele's brother Luke is quite well known as the singer in both The Sleepy Jackson and Empire Of The Sun. I'm also having my mind blown right now by learning that Katy had only just turned 18 when the EP that this song was on, was released. "Relapse" I would say is probably the song that helped push them to the big time. The song lulls you in softly with a cute xylophone medley before really packing the emotional heave. So much of what makes it effective is through Katy's delivery, which every now and then accentuates a syllable just enough to make me shiver.

Citizen Erased would be in my top ten of the 2000s, truly superb and probably my favourite Muse song if I had to choose just one. It’s so good!

100. Paul Dempsey -

(2009)

 

Paul Dempsey is well known for being the tallest man in Australian music but also as the lead singer of Something For Kate who have appeared a couple of times in this list prior. In 2009 as the band was taking a break, he released his first solo album which had quite a few popular singles on it. My favourite cut is this also-ran radio single that I admittedly didn't take much notice of at the time but had a tremendous re-discovery years down the track. While this track is admittedly just a few degrees away from a lot of stuff I'd say is quite naff, Paul is just the king with how much gravitas he gets out of his voice on this one.

 

99. Life Without Buildings -

(2000)

 

One of the most unusual songs in this list. While there have been cases of songs I was understandably not ready for at a young age for not conforming enough to expectations. I can say that about this song when I first heard it...earlier this year. I wasn't paying much attention to what I was hearing until this came on and I was quite taken aback at this absolute nonsense. The song & band were so ridiculously lauded over though so I thought I should give it another chance and that was what it took for me to quite quickly grow in love with it. I liken it a bit to Kate Tempest as it's close to spoken word that just happens to have music along with it. Another song I could compare it to is the first half of Underworld's "Born Slippy .NUXX" for how much it feels like total freeform expression that manages to stick out with an endless series of quotables.

 

98. Muse -

(2003)

 

This song has a long standing connection with me. I learnt piano for just about all of my schooling years, though I was never particularly good (partly because our own piano at home was quite cheap and a bit out of tune, so I never enjoyed practise as it sounded a bit unpleasant). When I was in high school, issues with schedules and transport meant that I had to change over to learning piano at my own school. At one point it came time for me to pick out a new song to learn, and I saw in my teacher's collection the book "Play Piano With Keane, Coldplay, Muse and Other Great Artists", this was in 2009 so one name jumped out immediately, and incidentally there was just one Muse song in that book, "Sing For Absolution". It was already one of my favourites but the extensive time I spent with the song, learning it across the span of close to a year, culminating in me playing it at a piano seminar in front of like 500-1000 people has always given this song a special place in my heart. It's quite interesting too as I always associate the song with its slow burning intro but they really do start to belt it out towards the end.

 

97. Blonde Redhead -

(2007)

 

This song was in a way my gateway into shoegaze & dream pop. This song and also theredsunband who I quite liked at the time with their hazy mix of guitars that was quite different for me. As it turns out, this song has ended up with quite a bit of staying power for me. It does one of my favourite things where the verse & chorus are less about how they sound on their own, but the slight differentiation when the transition kicks in. In saying that, the vocalist does make the chorus stand out a bit with their high pitched lines. Much like "Loveless", this is music to just get lost in.

 

96. Yeah Yeah Yeahs -

(2003)

 

My entry into Yeah Yeah Yeahs was in 2006 with singles like "Gold Lion", "Cheated Hearts" & "Phenomena". I didn't really know much about the band or their origins, just that they had some pretty catchy tunes. Eventually I came across this song because of course I did, but it didn't really leave an impression on me as it's fairly repetitive and doesn't really pop out with its chorus in a way that was to my interest. That was a long time ago though and now I totally get why this song is so enamoured. It's actually quite funny because I recently saw a list of the Billboard Hot 100 entries that have the most repetitive lyrics, which includes some pretty obvious candidates that are largely dance hits, but this sticks out like a sore thumb as what feels like a conventional song in that list. Of course though, the hook in this song is hammered in quite a bit, and rightly so, because it's one of the most simple but powerful statements in popular music. Along with that, the musical arrangement is just incredible and a surprisingly effective gateway for post-punk revivalism in a mainstream context.

 

95. Gorillaz (feat Del The Funky Homosapien) -

(2001)

 

I am freely ready to admit that some of the stuff I thought was the coolest thing ever actually was not quite all that. I can distinctly remember some of the songs that I thought were my favourite song at one point being "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)", "Blue (Da Ba Dee)", "B-Boys & Flygirls", "Teenage Dirtbag", "All The Small Things". I don't necessarily dislike these songs now (ok Eiffel 65 are pretty shit) but I would never go out of my way to hear them any more. There is of course one distinct exception to all of this and it's one of the few things I share in common with my 8 year old self. I absolutely love Gorillaz. It was a long time before I made the connection that it was a project of Damon Albarn, as at the time I just thought 'oh, they're a cartoon band, that rules'. I got my parents to get me a So Fresh! (Australia's NOW! you might say) purely for the fact that "19-2000" was on it, and when I got it that was the first thing I played. Suffice to say I also loved "Clint Eastwood" but didn't have it as readily available to listen to. I do have a very specific memory growing up though that in music class, we had to have a vote to decide what song for our class to sing, and the song that got the most votes was in fact "Clint Eastwood", but we didn't get to because the teacher couldn't get a copy of it on disc (I believe that this was a lie and it was really because the song has a big MF bomb (my favourite rapper) in the lyrics. So instead the song we got to sing was Daphne & Celeste's "U.G.L.Y." which is just a little bit disappointing. This song still rules so hard though. I hadn't yet heard "Ghost Town" by The Specials so this sounded like nothing else. I was just always hooked by Del's distinct flow and the monotone of 2D's chorus. Entering high school and seeing Gorillaz back in vogue was one of the weirdest things for me at the time.

 

94. Eminem (feat Dido) -

(2000)

 

Back to back childhood trips here. This is another one of those things that I was absolutely not old enough to comprehend the gravitas of. "Stan" was of course a huge #1 hit, the first of many for Eminem in Australia, but it's crazy to think just how much airplay a song this dark got. I even rememeber seeing the video on TV a lot, complete with the sound of a car driving off of a bridge. I don't know if I completely understood the story of the song but I could at least piece together that it didn't have a good ending. Nevertheless, such a weird entity in popular music stood out to me a lot and it's been my favourite Eminem song ever since. Heck, at one point around adulthood I would have considered it my favourite rap song ever. There's a lot of high quality stuff on "The Marshall Mathers LP" that is unfortunately a product of its time and doesn't hold up quite as well, but this song is timeless.

 

93. Arcade Fire -

(2004)

 

It's somewhat amusing when you think about it that perhaps the loudest, most rambunctious song on "Funeral" is held together by a twinkly xylophone melody. Nonetheless it ends up sounding quite distinct from Arcade Fire as one of the many highlights on "Funeral" that distinguish themselves enough to earn that reputation.

 

92. Karnivool -

(2007)

 

Clicking on the link will tell you this but what might not be apparent from this name is that this track is a cover of a Gotye song. After the big success of his 2nd album "Like Drawing Blood" in 2006, he released a remix/covers version of the album titled "Mixed Blood" the year after, which actually netted his first ever ARIA Award, some years before he went on to win many, many more with his next album. Karnivool are a progressive metal band and you don't need to know much about Gotye to know that it's a bit different from his material. I really like the original of this song too, but this brings out the intensity that the song's main riff really called for. I loved the isolated riff so much that when we were making Flash projects for IT class in school, I went well overboard what was supposed to just be utilising on screen links for interactive menus, and created a secret mini-game inside my project which involved escaping from a rampaging dinosaur, while the riff to this song played on loop.

 

91. End Of Fashion -

(2005)

 

I've talked about a lot of bands I love here, but my feelings around End Of Fashion are a bit more mixed. They were definitely a young band with a lot of potential when they started up. Their breakout hit on alternative radio, "Rough Diamonds" is a great piece of indie rock balladry. It's not what they're known for though, which instead is their song "O Yeah" which became a moderate chart hit that is still pretty well known now. The thing about "O Yeah" is that it is part of the mighty tradition of mid 2000s Australian rock and essentially blatantly ripping off hits of the past. We had Wolfmother who were to Led Zeppelin what Greta Van Fleet are to Led Zeppelin, we had Jet whose biggest hits were soundalikes to Iggy Pop & Oasis, and we had End Of Fashion, whose biggest hit so blatantly copies the riff to "Where Is My Mind" by the Pixies that so much of the discourse around the band is now just giving them shit for that fact. A peculiarity though is that it wasn't their highest charting single in Australia. If we go just by peak chart position, that honour goes to "The Game", which debuted at #13 because it was 2006 and the charts were kind of meaningless with digital downloads not yet included, and it also dropped out of the top 50 never to be seen again after that. End Of Fashion also get a pretty bad rep because earlier this decade, their lead singer went on a massive whinge about the fact that the band's 3rd album in 2008 flopped, pinning the blame on triple j for not playing them anymore, and so now in addition to the Pixies thing, everyone gets to rag on him for being an entitled twat. But with all this baggage included, I won't deny that this song absolutely shreds. It's riff city.

Really pleased to see Stan in here, really well written and worthy of its place in this top 100! Probably another one that would overlap if I did a top 250 of the 2000s.

Really pleased to see Stan in here, really well written and worthy of its place in this top 100! Probably another one that would overlap if I did a top 250 of the 2000s.

Yes! I was rushing the write up a bit because it was taking too long but I really love the way the story unfolds in the song (and for that matter, the way the sample is transformed with its context). The 3rd verse in particular with its intensity really left an impression on me even as a kid.

Sing For Absolution and Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out) are both in my top 1000 and Stan was close to being included.

90. Brand New -

(2006)

 

I'm fairly sure this is Brand New's most popular song. That in itself is rather surprising as it's a pretty sparse song compared to their other big songs. On the other hand, it's a rather direct song. The opening line distracts a bit from the true intentions with a title used on a throw-away line, only for it to come back in a second verse with more direct intent and a rather fearful outlook towards the afterlife. Like a few of their songs, it's been making an impression on me since long before I found out who it was by.

 

89. Portishead -

(2008)

 

In contrast to "Machine Gun", I would say that "The Rip" is at least a bit more in line with what you'd expect from Portishead. It was actually the first song of theirs I heard. I took a liking to it, not having any idea of just how much their reputation preceded them, "Dummy" is a huge favourite of mine now. "The Rip" is rather calm for the most part but it feels like the stakes are high, particularly when the tempo & percussion pick up in the second half. It pretty much goes without saying that Beth Gibbons can just emote like crazy.

 

88. The Red Paintings - Destroy The Robots (2006)

 

On the topic of high stakes, this song on the other hand is completely on display with its intensity. Driven by a sinister string section, which I understand to be The Red Paintings' modus operandi, "Destroy The Robots" hits hard and fast. The big moment comes about 50 seconds into the song, punctuated by one drum beat and it feels like the rest of the song comes in like a roaring freight train. If it makes anyone think of a certain Flight of the Conchords song, there's even a binary solo for good measure.

 

87. Radiohead -

(2000)

 

This song turns me into an absolute wreck. I guess you could compare it to "The Rip" in how it makes such an emotional impact even when the instrumentation is at its most stripped back. It's a song I've listened to so many times that I know pretty much every instrumental cue just before it hits and yet they still just work so effortlessly.

 

86. Bear In Heaven -

(2009)

 

I overlooked this song when it came out. I know I heard it, but it wasn't until some years down the track I saw it mentioned again and it was like a concise, bottled-up nostalgia for something that wasn't even very old. I find it hard to draw proper comparisons for this song but it does seem like a bit of a precursor to a lot of the sort of hazy, hard-hitting, '80s-biting electro-pop that I tend to lean into in the current decade.

 

85. Missy Elliott -

(2001)

 

Australia is often so dreadfully dull so this wasn't even a top 40 hit here, but I certainly was aware of it. Missy in general for that matter even if I only knew about 2 of her songs. I certainly can recall a lot of intrigue in "Work It" for its rather unique idea for a hook, but I never gave this song the time of day it deserved for being one of the most batshit crazy pop hits that doesn't have 'Bat' in its title. If you ever needed proof that Missy is an absolute force of personality it's here. Even the ad libs are so good as to justify cutting out the music, and how can I not talk about beat. Timbaland's choice with the bhangra instrumentation is inspired, with 6 notes being pretty much all that's needed to provoke and subsequently get the people going.

 

84. Brand New -

(2003)

 

I am not rushing to push people onto Brand New in the wake of certain incidents but I will say that if you were after an entry point for the band, this is probably a good place to start...you might even know it without realising. It feels like someone had a lot of fun mixing the audio channels here, because Jesse does several different vocal lines that run over each other, but feel like a conversation with how it crossfades. There's even a 3rd vocal line coming through for the pre-chorus to make for even more of a cacophany. Apart from that though, it's an absolute thumper of a sing along. Unless I'm mis-remembering, I can recall hurting my jaw doing so because it feels like a perpetual cycle of going up to 10, only to realise 11 is around the corner.

 

83. Rise Against -

(2008)

 

Speaking of rather well known pop-punk-alt-rock...whatever you call it, this song was a big turning point for my love of Rise Against. Their album "Appeal To Reason" came out rather quickly after the previous one so in my still budding interest in new music of the time they were one of the first bands I got to experience two album cycles from. While admittedly a bit of a more radio friendly turn again, I never minded because this was all I wanted. Not only is this song riffs for days, it's also hooks for days, with a chorus that just keeps piling more onto it. I also gained a further appreciation for its intricasies because this song was very soon after included on Guitar Hero: World Tour, which was the first game in the series I owned, and it was with the admittedly ill-advised choice of this song that I transitioned from medium, to hard, to expert.

 

82. Daft Punk -

(2001)

 

One of my most normie opinions is that for all I love Daft Punk, my favourite song of theirs might well be "Get Lucky". At the very least it's very close between that and this track, a song I cannot accurately remember my history with except that maybe I remember seeing the music video a bit. In that sense, I can't exactly remember when I truly fell for this song. If I was to pin-point an exact moment in the song though, it'd probably be right when the beat has an unexpectedly heightened level of tension with the guitar really kicking in. Failing that, there's also the ultra-cheesy guitar that's solo-ing towards the end, I love that bit too.

 

81. Annie - Heartbeat (2004)

 

I have a distinct memory of checking this song out some time ago because Pitchfork lauded it so highly, and given its minimalistic pop approach in a time when I only wanted big dumb riffs, it didn't stick with me. I always knew Annie for her song "Chewing Gum" which I saw on TV quite a bit and remembered well, so it was quite a surprise for me to find out it was the same artist, and for that matter, the same album. It charted here in 2006 and "The Greatest Hit" off the same album was first released in 1999, so it's a bit of a wide berth for 1 album. Anyway, at least a few years ago, "Heartbeat" finally clicked with me and it's a big time favourite. I kind of like the idiosyncratic approach to melody, where about 5 syllables are squeezed in what probably should only fit 2 during the chorus. The production too, is agelessly slick, it feels like aural warmth.

How To Disappear Completely :wub:

 

Just superb!

80. The Dø -

(2007)

 

"On My Shoulders" is another one of those songs that didn't exactly make a huge splash but really left an impression on me. Maybe the band's distinctive name helped too, but it didn't take long for me to return to the song after I started buying music for myself. It was by sheer coincidence that I wound up a big fan of The Dø beyond just this song. In 2014 I was listening to this and it had me wondering what they'd been up to. It turned out that they'd just released a new album. Not very long after, I just so happened to hear a song on the radio which I thought sounded oddly reminiscent of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and amazingly it just happened to be The Dø's current single "Trustful Hands" which I now absolutely adore, even more than this one. But on the topic of what makes this song so special, I find a lot of it lies in the idiosyncrasies, those little things that distinguish artists from one another when they stumble upon a similar melodic or musical foundation. Olivia is already a distinctive personality as a vocalist which really sells the anguish in this song, but I really love the little stutter that comes up in this song. I can think of exactly two songs that succeed with this and now I'm trying to read the phrase 'why do I have to go and cut my hair?" to the tune of this song.

 

79. The Music -

(2002)

 

What I eluded alluding to when I previously mentioned The Music is how their debut album had another secret weapon in the form of the other absolute killer of a single in "Getaway". The main difference with these two songs is how much more prominent the instrumentation is in the mix here. When the song kicks up a gear with it, it really makes for something special.

 

78. Melody Club -

(2002)

 

This song feels like a lost hit that never was. Maybe it was too ahead of its time because it reminds me a bit of The Killers, but also more specifically WALK THE MOON's "Shut Up And Dance". Admittedly not a favourite of mine but I get the appeal. This song distills it for me though. The chorus is prefaced with a massive drum fill and then it turns into an absolute jam. Just like "The People", it's a little lengthy and also has a chorus that is a little hard to decipher.

 

77. Muse -

(2003)

 

Continuing this run of guitar driven jams, we have the song I'd actually say is most noted for one of Chris's best bass lines on record. It's no mean feat to show up so prominently here too because "Hysteria" also has one hell of a good lead guitar riff alongside it. It's one of the band's altogether best collaborative efforts because in addition to that, the drumming goes a long way in steering and balancing out the track.

 

76. Kanye West -

(2004)

 

I'm not sure anything better sums up Kanye West than when he quotes both The Bible and Happy Gilmore in the same verse. Going past that silliness though, "Jesus Walks" is a profoundly engaging effort. For a song that spends so much time on its topic of taboo, it's also filled to the brim with unique hooks so that you don't even have to pay attention to the lyrics to remember the song. Something that often gets lost when people discuss Kanye West in the present is what he represented in hip hop to begin with. In an era of luxury, bling, what have you, here comes this random producer guy rapping about dropping out of college, being broke, and being so blatantly separate from what would be considered cool. The defiance in "Jesus Walks" helped make him stand out too. It feels as much a retort against the questionable limitations of radio programming as it does the questionable limitations of his peers. It's one of the many times in his career that he single-handedly changed the rap game.

 

75. Vaudeville - Running On Empty (2009)

 

I think I can go out on a limb and say that this is the most obscure song in the entire list. It was played exactly once and never again on national radio almost 10 years ago and is one of just 3 songs that this band ever released, which is naturally not on iTunes, YouTube or Spotify. I came across it because I was looking to beef up my personal chart with new music, so I went to the home of unsigned Australian music, triple j unearthed. triple j's music director Richard Kingsmill had given a glowing recommendation for this song and I checked it out and fell in love. Amusingly there's also one other review for the song on there which is panning it hard. What the hell is this you ask? Well it's high tempo rock with many '80s sounding synth riffs (specifically I'd compare it to Split Enz if that comparison helps anyone). The vocalist delivers it with a great intense passion. Now, I am not a person who is shy to admit that things I liked in the past weren't all that great, in particular, a lot of rather forgotten things that understandably never made an impression, but 9 years on, I still love this song a whole heap. Probably too frenetic to catch on with a wider audience even if this band did have more of a backing, but it really fires on all cylinders for me.

 

74. Nobuo Uematsu - Someday The Dream Will End (2001)

 

Returning one last time to the Final Fantasy X soundtrack. For a completely random song to mention, I know that I'm supposed to hate Charlie Puth's "We Don't Talk Anymore". Actually I'm supposed to hate a lot more of his songs than I do, but to just focus on that one in particular, I can't bring myself to because I have ingrained in me, a love of a particular melody which the back end of the chorus in that song reminds me of. That melody comes from this song. While "To Zanarkand" is the fan favourite, I have a greater resonance with this song. Possibly because the arrangement is more filled out but also because it's just such an evocative melody. It's a fitting tune for a game whose story is filled with breezy, light moments punctuated with terror looming throughout.

 

73. Sia -

(2008)

 

This is a really weird starting point, but pretty much by sheer timing of my love of music, this song was the first proper Sia song I ever got to know. Much more so than the prior collaboration I mentioned way back in this list, this song allowed me to really get to know Sia's approach to things. As it turns out and you will surely be shocked to hear this, she was very difficult to understand at times. I distinctly recall hearing the very wordy hook in the chorus ('there is nothing that I can do...') as starting with 'hey London, hey London', let's blame my only passable radio reception for everything. Nonetheless her singing really left an impression on me and I've been a big fan ever since. The album that this is from is called "Some People Have REAL Problems", which I always saw as an extension of her quirky personality, before later learning that she was going through serious depression and arguments with her label, going so far as to attempt suicide. Part of the issue was that due to the success of "Breathe Me", her label really wanted her to stick to that down-tempo lane with this album. Fortunately reason prevailed and we have this song from it, while Sia I can only imagine is in a much better state of mind right now.

 

72. Sugababes -

(2000)

 

I often tune out of a lot of the girl group warring that goes on with this site. It's probably my fault for being such a fence sitter who can't confidently say I have a favourite. Sugababes could make a good bid for it with their earlier material though. They have such an interesting blend of styles that so often comes together really well for a cohesive track, where the strong hooks overpower any sort of genre dissonance. "Overload" is a fine example of this as a song I remember from my childhood for its chorus, and not for the wild range of directions that the song goes in. It's a bit like with Girls Aloud's debut single actually, only without quite the same level of fanfare. Rather than simmering on the initial vibe, the song only gets more creative towards the end, and makes for one of the most satisfying returns to a chorus when they start to fill out the empty space with distinct ad libs.

 

71. Birds of Tokyo -

(2006)

 

A great foundation for loving a band is hearing a tiny bit of their song and embarking upon a mighty quest to uncover what it is. I love Wolf Alice now but for a while, all I had on my mind was a vague recollection to the chorus of "She", which was far too vague for me to have any luck on Google so I had to wait until they released a newer single before I could start to piece things together. My story with "Off Kilter" by Birds of Tokyo is a little similar, but it's back in the days before Spotify and all that, and my internet was very limited at the time. Truth be told I'd forgotten all about this song until there was a promo on the radio for an upcoming live set from the band which briefly played a clip of this song. I was in shock and awe because 'I know this song, what is this song'. Time stood still as I waited and waited for the live set to be played so I could look up the set list and finally put a name to this song, lo and behold, it still stands as my favourite from the band. It's probably a bit unfair to say this as it very much sounds like an early career song from a band who have had far loftier ambitions since. Their Greatest Hits set on Spotify had a track by track commentary and I got the impression from this one that it was a song they hadn't thought about in a long time, they also didn't play it (or pretty much anything from this album) when I saw them live last year. This song just packs so much youthful energy that can't be re-created. It carries the spirit of bands like Spiderbait & The Vines with how much mileage they get out of a short runtime.

Edited October 24, 20186 yr by Dircadaver