#400 Nine Inch Nails - "Not So Pretty Now" from NINJA 2009 Tour Sampler - With the band's recent "break-up" the singles released on the Ninja Tour CD might be the last we hear from Nine Inch Nails. You know, until they re-unite in a couple of years.
#399 Cancel The Astronauts - "I Am The President Of Your Fanclub (And Last Night I Followed You Home)" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#398 Music Go Music - "Reach Out" from "Expressions"
#397 The Thermals - "How We Fade" from "Now We Can See"
#396 Dolores O'Riordan - "Apple Of My Eye" from "No Baggage"
#395 The Dave Matthews Band - "Funny The Way It Is" from "Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King" - "GrooGrux" is the best DMB album in a decade and this is one of the best songs on that album.
#394 Bear In Heaven - "Lovesick Teenagers" from "Beast Rest Forth Mouth"
#393 Marie Digby - "Feel" from "Breathing Underwater"
#392 Animal Collective - "Summertime Clothes" from "Merriweather Post Pavilion"
#391 White Lies - "The Price Of Love" from "To Lose My Life"
#390 Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - "Know Better Learn Faster" from "Know Better Learn Faster"
#389 Jay-Z - "Off That" from "The Blueprint 3"
#388 Alicia Keys - "Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" from "The Element Of Freedom" - The rap version of the song charts much higher on this list, but the soul version is outstanding as well.
#387 Green Day - "Horseshoes And Handgrenades" from "21st Century Breakdown"
#386 Kid Cudi - "Heart Of A Lion" from "Man On The Moon"
#385 Great Northern - "Houses" from "Remind Me Where The Light Is"
#384 Wintersleep - "Oblivion" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#383 Regina Spektor - "Human Of The Year" from "Far"
#382 Crystal Stilts - "Love Is A Wave" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#381 Mika - "Blame It On The Girls" from "The Boy Who Knew Too Much"
#380 La Roux - "As If By Magic" from "La Roux" - 2009 was a big year for the Blondie-esque band that not only released a great album, but put a song on the pop charts, the much higher-ranking "Bulletproof".
#379 The Roots - "How I Got Over" from "How I Got Over" - Technically, the album this song is on came out in 2010, but it's been frequently delayed and I first came across this song in 2009. It may show up on both lists at the end of the day, but it's a great tune.
#378 King Khan And The Shrines - "Welfare Bread" from "What Is"
#377 Lisa Mitchell - "Coin Laundry" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist - It's surprising to say this in a year that featured a Belle And Sebastian project (God Help The Girl), but this is definitely the best twee song of the year.
#376 30 Seconds To Mars - "Kings And Queens" from "This Is War"
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Top 500 Songs Of 2009 - #425-#401
#425 - Monsters Of Folk - "Baby Boomer" from "Monsters Of Folk"
#424 - Dear And The Headlights - "Cal Solomon Blues" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#423 - Drake - "Best I Ever Had" from "So Far Gone" - I haven't listened to his debut album yet, but his mixtape is sensational (of course Wale's was too, and his album let me down). Hard to believe this is the kid from Degrassi.
#422 - BrakesBrakesBrakes - "Oh! Forever" from "Touchdown"
#421 - Sunset Rubdown - "Silver Moons" from "Dragonslayer"
#420 - My Morning Jacket - "El Caporal" from "Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation)" - "Dark Was The Night" was an outstanding compilation album featuring original songs from many of the biggest bands in indie rock. There are several more songs on the countdown from this album.
#419 - White Lies - "From The Stars" from "To Lose My Life"
#418 - The Noisettes - "Never Forget You" from "Wild Young Hearts"
#417 - Japandroids - "Heart Sweats" from "Post-Nothing"
#416 - Jay Reatard - "Faking It" from "Watch Me Fall"
#415 - Metric - "Front Row" from "Fantasies"
#414 - Royce Da 5'9 - "Gun Harmonizing" from "Street Hop"
#413 - The Arcade Fire - "Lenin" from "Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation)"
#412 - Wale - "90210" from "Attention Deficit"
#411 - Hurt - "Pandora" from "Goodbye To The Machine"
#410 - Sean Paul - "Running Out Of Time" from "Imperial Blaze"
#409 - Ben Harper And The Relentless 7 - "The Word Suicide" from "White Lies For Dark Times"
#408 - Datarock - "Not Me" from "RED"
#407 - Fastball - "Little White Lies" from "Little White Lies"
#406 - Miike Snow - "Burial" from "Miike Snow"
#405 - Lady Sovereign - "Student Union" from "Jigsaw" - Easily the best female British rapper. Not that there's any competition or anything.
#404 - Lily Allen - "Not Fair" from "It's Not Me, It's You"
#403 - Throw Me The Statue - "Ancestors" from "Creaturesque"
#402 - The Black Hollies - "Gloomy Monday Morning" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist - A garage rock throwback, but I haven't found any more of their music yet.
#401 - Green Day - "Viva La Gloria" from "21st Century Breakdown"
#424 - Dear And The Headlights - "Cal Solomon Blues" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#423 - Drake - "Best I Ever Had" from "So Far Gone" - I haven't listened to his debut album yet, but his mixtape is sensational (of course Wale's was too, and his album let me down). Hard to believe this is the kid from Degrassi.
#422 - BrakesBrakesBrakes - "Oh! Forever" from "Touchdown"
#421 - Sunset Rubdown - "Silver Moons" from "Dragonslayer"
#420 - My Morning Jacket - "El Caporal" from "Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation)" - "Dark Was The Night" was an outstanding compilation album featuring original songs from many of the biggest bands in indie rock. There are several more songs on the countdown from this album.
#419 - White Lies - "From The Stars" from "To Lose My Life"
#418 - The Noisettes - "Never Forget You" from "Wild Young Hearts"
#417 - Japandroids - "Heart Sweats" from "Post-Nothing"
#416 - Jay Reatard - "Faking It" from "Watch Me Fall"
#415 - Metric - "Front Row" from "Fantasies"
#414 - Royce Da 5'9 - "Gun Harmonizing" from "Street Hop"
#413 - The Arcade Fire - "Lenin" from "Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation)"
#412 - Wale - "90210" from "Attention Deficit"
#411 - Hurt - "Pandora" from "Goodbye To The Machine"
#410 - Sean Paul - "Running Out Of Time" from "Imperial Blaze"
#409 - Ben Harper And The Relentless 7 - "The Word Suicide" from "White Lies For Dark Times"
#408 - Datarock - "Not Me" from "RED"
#407 - Fastball - "Little White Lies" from "Little White Lies"
#406 - Miike Snow - "Burial" from "Miike Snow"
#405 - Lady Sovereign - "Student Union" from "Jigsaw" - Easily the best female British rapper. Not that there's any competition or anything.
#404 - Lily Allen - "Not Fair" from "It's Not Me, It's You"
#403 - Throw Me The Statue - "Ancestors" from "Creaturesque"
#402 - The Black Hollies - "Gloomy Monday Morning" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist - A garage rock throwback, but I haven't found any more of their music yet.
#401 - Green Day - "Viva La Gloria" from "21st Century Breakdown"
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Top 500 Songs Of 2009 - #450-#426
#450 - M. Ward - "Never Had Nobody Like You" from "Hold Time" - M. Ward's only song as a solo artist (he has a few with his folk super-group Monsters Of Folk), though this song was the latest in his on-going collaboration with actress/singer Zoey Deschanel.
#449 - Echo And The Bunnymen - "Think I Need It Too" from "The Fountain"
#448 - Brandi Carlile - "Pride And Joy" from "Give Up The Ghost"
#447 - Adam Lambert - "Sure Fire Winners" from "For Your Entertainment" - It's weird to have songs by American Idol albums on my list, but while the viewership for the show has gone way down over the past few years, the quality has gone way up.
#446 - A.F.I. - "Okay, I Feel Better Now" from "Crash Love"
#445 - Miike Snow - "A Horse Is Not A Home" from "Miike Snow"
#444 - Phoenix - "Lasso" from "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"
#443 - Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait For The Others" from "Veckatimest"
#442 - Asher Roth - "Lark On A Go-Kart" from "Asleep In The Bread Aisle" - Roth had a huge hit with "I Love College", but I couldn't stand that song. In fact, it may be the worst song on an otherwise great album. "Lark" is a much better tune, propelled by a fantastic beat.
#441 - Chuck Prophet - "Barely Exist" from "Let Freedom Ring!"
#440 - Bruce Springsteen - "Life Itself" from "Working On A Dream"
#439 - Pearl Jam - "Unthought Known" from "Backspacer"
#438 - The Vivian Girls - "Where Do You Run To" from "The Vivian Girls"
#437 - Miranda Lambert - "White Liar" from "Revolution"
#436 - Rancid - "Last One To Die" from "Let The Dominoes Fall" - Rancid released yet another great album this year, even if only one song made it into the top 500.
#435 - Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros - "Home" from "Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros - It's not surprising that this song sounds nothing like their other song on the countdown ("40 Day Dream"), considering the band has something like 25 members in it.
#434 - Kasabian - "Underdog" from "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum"
#433 - Billy Talent - "Rusted From The Rain" from "Billy Talent III"
#432 - Graham Coxon - "Dead Bees" from "The Spinning Top"
#431 - Muse - "Unnatural Selection" from "The Resistance" - The first of six songs from "The Resistance", Muse's breakthrough album.
#430 - Roman Candle - "Why Modern Radio Is A-Ok" from "Oh Tall Tree In The Ear" - One of 2009's most interesting songs, "Modern Radio" is a song that focuses on the point that certain songs can break your heart and really make you feel something... and that bands like Fall Out Boy and blink 182 will never make that kind of song.
#429 - Lily Allen - "Him" from "It's Not Me, It's You"
#428 - Wolfmother - "Cosmonaut" from "Cosmic Egg"
#427 - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Dull Life" from "It's Blitz!"
#426 - Perry Farrell - "Nasty Little Perv" from "NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack" - I don't actually watch NCIS and the Perry Farrell song wasn't the reason I listened to this CD. There was a song by the Airborne Toxic Event I wanted to hear and while that song didn't make the countdown, Farrell's did.
#449 - Echo And The Bunnymen - "Think I Need It Too" from "The Fountain"
#448 - Brandi Carlile - "Pride And Joy" from "Give Up The Ghost"
#447 - Adam Lambert - "Sure Fire Winners" from "For Your Entertainment" - It's weird to have songs by American Idol albums on my list, but while the viewership for the show has gone way down over the past few years, the quality has gone way up.
#446 - A.F.I. - "Okay, I Feel Better Now" from "Crash Love"
#445 - Miike Snow - "A Horse Is Not A Home" from "Miike Snow"
#444 - Phoenix - "Lasso" from "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"
#443 - Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait For The Others" from "Veckatimest"
#442 - Asher Roth - "Lark On A Go-Kart" from "Asleep In The Bread Aisle" - Roth had a huge hit with "I Love College", but I couldn't stand that song. In fact, it may be the worst song on an otherwise great album. "Lark" is a much better tune, propelled by a fantastic beat.
#441 - Chuck Prophet - "Barely Exist" from "Let Freedom Ring!"
#440 - Bruce Springsteen - "Life Itself" from "Working On A Dream"
#439 - Pearl Jam - "Unthought Known" from "Backspacer"
#438 - The Vivian Girls - "Where Do You Run To" from "The Vivian Girls"
#437 - Miranda Lambert - "White Liar" from "Revolution"
#436 - Rancid - "Last One To Die" from "Let The Dominoes Fall" - Rancid released yet another great album this year, even if only one song made it into the top 500.
#435 - Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros - "Home" from "Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros - It's not surprising that this song sounds nothing like their other song on the countdown ("40 Day Dream"), considering the band has something like 25 members in it.
#434 - Kasabian - "Underdog" from "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum"
#433 - Billy Talent - "Rusted From The Rain" from "Billy Talent III"
#432 - Graham Coxon - "Dead Bees" from "The Spinning Top"
#431 - Muse - "Unnatural Selection" from "The Resistance" - The first of six songs from "The Resistance", Muse's breakthrough album.
#430 - Roman Candle - "Why Modern Radio Is A-Ok" from "Oh Tall Tree In The Ear" - One of 2009's most interesting songs, "Modern Radio" is a song that focuses on the point that certain songs can break your heart and really make you feel something... and that bands like Fall Out Boy and blink 182 will never make that kind of song.
#429 - Lily Allen - "Him" from "It's Not Me, It's You"
#428 - Wolfmother - "Cosmonaut" from "Cosmic Egg"
#427 - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Dull Life" from "It's Blitz!"
#426 - Perry Farrell - "Nasty Little Perv" from "NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack" - I don't actually watch NCIS and the Perry Farrell song wasn't the reason I listened to this CD. There was a song by the Airborne Toxic Event I wanted to hear and while that song didn't make the countdown, Farrell's did.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thoughts On VH1's new 100 Greatest Artists List
It is ridiculous to remove the following artists from the 1998 list:
Eric Clapton
The Eagles
Buddy Holly
Crosby, Stills And Nash
The Sex Pistols
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Roy Orbison
The Grateful Dead
Smokey Robinson
Frank Zappa
The Allman Brothers
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Rod Stewart
Simon And Garfunkel
Devo
T. Rex
Santana
Tom Waits
Diana Ross And The Supremes
The following artists are welcome new additions to the top 100:
AC/DC
Radiohead
Black Sabbath
Guns N Roses
Metallica
Jay-Z
Rage Against The Machine
Public Enemy
Genesis
Tupac Shakur
The Cure
Rush
Run DMC
NWA
Beastie Boys
Green Day
Pearl Jam
Outkast
Random thoughts:
Ray Charles and The Police drop more than 30 spots. Granted, it's crazy The Police were #10 on the original list, but what did Brother Ray do to fall out of favor?
Prince jumps to #7, ahead of James Brown and Elvis Presley. I doubt Prince would agree that he's more important to rock n roll than James Brown.
The Doors drop from #20 to #65. What, they should have kept releasing albums after Jim died? I don't get it.
Absence has been great for Freddie Mercury, as Queen jumps 20 spots with no output other than letting Paul Rodgers crap on Freddie's legacy.
Early rock artists sank like a stone this time around while R&B, Motown and Blues artists disappeared from the list entirely. I guess creating rock n roll isn't as important as it used to be.
Elvis Costello has released several great albums since 1998 and drops from #38 to #90. Why?
Nirvana shoots up from #42 to #14. Must be all that new content since '98.
Sorry, SRV. You're dead, but you're not Michael Jackson dead.
Current events have way too much influence on the people voting in this poll. In 1998, Michael Jackson came in #40, which was way too low, as voters probably felt icky about his legal problems at the time. This year he's somewhere in the top 5, which is a little bit too high. Had this poll taken place before Jackson's death, he'd be somewhere between 10 and 20, in all likelihood.
Madonna jumps from #86 to #16. Remarkable considering how little she's actually done creatively since 1998. She was recently voted into the Hall Of Fame though, so I'm guessing that is what's really behind her jump in the polls. This also could explain The Stooges 28 slot jump and the new inclusion of Genesis and ABBA.
Hard rock has a much larger presence in this list than in the previous one as horribly snubbed artists like AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Rush, Metallica and Guns N Roses finally get their due.
Several great 90's artists make their debut as well. In 98 it would have been way too soon for Pearl Jam, Radiohead or Rage Against The Machine, but now we have some perspective and can see how great they were and still are.
Hip Hop and Rap also make their first appearances on this list. I don't know if I would have picked Jay-Z as the top artist of the genre or included LL Cool J, but who can argue with Public Enemy, N.W.A., Tupac, Biggie or Outkast?
Sade at #50? Well, that came out of nowhere.
Beyonce at #52 ahead of Little Richard? Nope. No artist whose career is that fresh belongs in a retrospective list of this nature. That goes the same for Coldplay, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys as well.
Cheap Trick ahead of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? Absolutely not.
Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey? I'll buy that. Both are great singers with long track records. I do wish they had better written songs to sing, but I think the deserve the honor.
Justin Timberlake at #66 is the worst thing about this list by a mile. Two albums and less than ten years as a solo artist. Complete nonsense.
Coldplay doesn't deserve to be at #67, either, but they're probably worthy of the tail-end of the list.
Def Leppard at #70? Why? Are they supposed to be the token hair band or something?
Hall And Oates wouldn't be on this list if it weren't for "(500) Days Of Summer".
Overall, I think this list reflects the decline of VH1 as a rock n roll network. In the late 90's, VH1 was a network dedicated to the history of rock n roll and ever since has become more and more focused on reality television and pop culture, basically becoming a cheap MTV knockoff instead of a decent alternative. I'm still going to watch the presentation of the new list, but it's going to be hard to avoid throwing the remote at the TV when some of the more nonsensical rankings come up.
Eric Clapton
The Eagles
Buddy Holly
Crosby, Stills And Nash
The Sex Pistols
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Roy Orbison
The Grateful Dead
Smokey Robinson
Frank Zappa
The Allman Brothers
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Rod Stewart
Simon And Garfunkel
Devo
T. Rex
Santana
Tom Waits
Diana Ross And The Supremes
The following artists are welcome new additions to the top 100:
AC/DC
Radiohead
Black Sabbath
Guns N Roses
Metallica
Jay-Z
Rage Against The Machine
Public Enemy
Genesis
Tupac Shakur
The Cure
Rush
Run DMC
NWA
Beastie Boys
Green Day
Pearl Jam
Outkast
Random thoughts:
Ray Charles and The Police drop more than 30 spots. Granted, it's crazy The Police were #10 on the original list, but what did Brother Ray do to fall out of favor?
Prince jumps to #7, ahead of James Brown and Elvis Presley. I doubt Prince would agree that he's more important to rock n roll than James Brown.
The Doors drop from #20 to #65. What, they should have kept releasing albums after Jim died? I don't get it.
Absence has been great for Freddie Mercury, as Queen jumps 20 spots with no output other than letting Paul Rodgers crap on Freddie's legacy.
Early rock artists sank like a stone this time around while R&B, Motown and Blues artists disappeared from the list entirely. I guess creating rock n roll isn't as important as it used to be.
Elvis Costello has released several great albums since 1998 and drops from #38 to #90. Why?
Nirvana shoots up from #42 to #14. Must be all that new content since '98.
Sorry, SRV. You're dead, but you're not Michael Jackson dead.
Current events have way too much influence on the people voting in this poll. In 1998, Michael Jackson came in #40, which was way too low, as voters probably felt icky about his legal problems at the time. This year he's somewhere in the top 5, which is a little bit too high. Had this poll taken place before Jackson's death, he'd be somewhere between 10 and 20, in all likelihood.
Madonna jumps from #86 to #16. Remarkable considering how little she's actually done creatively since 1998. She was recently voted into the Hall Of Fame though, so I'm guessing that is what's really behind her jump in the polls. This also could explain The Stooges 28 slot jump and the new inclusion of Genesis and ABBA.
Hard rock has a much larger presence in this list than in the previous one as horribly snubbed artists like AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Rush, Metallica and Guns N Roses finally get their due.
Several great 90's artists make their debut as well. In 98 it would have been way too soon for Pearl Jam, Radiohead or Rage Against The Machine, but now we have some perspective and can see how great they were and still are.
Hip Hop and Rap also make their first appearances on this list. I don't know if I would have picked Jay-Z as the top artist of the genre or included LL Cool J, but who can argue with Public Enemy, N.W.A., Tupac, Biggie or Outkast?
Sade at #50? Well, that came out of nowhere.
Beyonce at #52 ahead of Little Richard? Nope. No artist whose career is that fresh belongs in a retrospective list of this nature. That goes the same for Coldplay, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys as well.
Cheap Trick ahead of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? Absolutely not.
Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey? I'll buy that. Both are great singers with long track records. I do wish they had better written songs to sing, but I think the deserve the honor.
Justin Timberlake at #66 is the worst thing about this list by a mile. Two albums and less than ten years as a solo artist. Complete nonsense.
Coldplay doesn't deserve to be at #67, either, but they're probably worthy of the tail-end of the list.
Def Leppard at #70? Why? Are they supposed to be the token hair band or something?
Hall And Oates wouldn't be on this list if it weren't for "(500) Days Of Summer".
Overall, I think this list reflects the decline of VH1 as a rock n roll network. In the late 90's, VH1 was a network dedicated to the history of rock n roll and ever since has become more and more focused on reality television and pop culture, basically becoming a cheap MTV knockoff instead of a decent alternative. I'm still going to watch the presentation of the new list, but it's going to be hard to avoid throwing the remote at the TV when some of the more nonsensical rankings come up.
Top 500 Songs Of 2009 - #475-#451
#475 - Bruce Springsteen - "Working On A Dream" from "Working On A Dream"
#474 - Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band - "Worldwide" from "Outer South"
#473 - Wilco - "Bull Black Nova" from "Wilco (The Album)"
#472 - Favours For Sailors - "I Dreamt That You Loved Me In Your Dreams" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#471 - Death Cab For Cutie - "My Mirror Speaks" from "The Open Door"
#470 - Jay Reatard - "Wounded" from "Watch Me Fall" - One of the saddest stories in rock history, Reatard built up a reputation over a number of years, releasing several singles and EPs, put together an excellent debut album... and then died shortly after it's release. R.I.P. Jay.
#469 - And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - "Insatiable (Two)" from "The Century Of Self"
#468 - Neil Young - "Just Singing A Song" from "Fork In The Road"
#467 - The Handsome Furs - "Radio Kalininbrad" from "Face Control"
#466 - Mika - "Touches You" from "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" - If you think Muse is over the top and bites frequently from the Queen apple on their last album, you clearly haven't heard of Mika before.
#465 - Basement Jaxx - "Raindrops" from "Scars"
#464 - Them Crooked Vultures - "Scumbag Blues" from "Them Crooked Vultures"
#463 - Shirock - "New Solution" from "Everything Burns" - Do you like U2 but hate Bono? Shirock is the band for you. You know how sometimes generic cereal tastes exactly like the name brand product? That's Shirock. So if you love the taste of U2...
#462 - Ben Harper And The Relentless 7 - "Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)" from "White Lies For Dark Times"
#461 - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "Contender" from "The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart" - Mmmmm.... that's good shoegaze!
#460 - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - "Lady Jesus" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#459 - Discovery - "Swing Tree" from "LP"
#458 - Fastball - "She's Got The Rain" from "Little White Lies" - Fastball is one of the most under-rated pop rock bands of the past twenty years and their latest album is no exception, putting three songs on the countdown.
#457 - The Yes Pleases - "70%" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#456 - Asher Roth - "La Di Da" from "Asleep In The Bread Aisle"
#455 - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "103" from "The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart"
#454 - Animal Collective - "Brother Sport" from "Merriweather Post Pavilion"
#453 - A.F.I. - "End Transmission" from "Crash Love"
#452 - Billy Talent - "White Sparrows" from "Billy Talent III"
#451 - The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - "Flipside" from "Communion"
#474 - Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band - "Worldwide" from "Outer South"
#473 - Wilco - "Bull Black Nova" from "Wilco (The Album)"
#472 - Favours For Sailors - "I Dreamt That You Loved Me In Your Dreams" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#471 - Death Cab For Cutie - "My Mirror Speaks" from "The Open Door"
#470 - Jay Reatard - "Wounded" from "Watch Me Fall" - One of the saddest stories in rock history, Reatard built up a reputation over a number of years, releasing several singles and EPs, put together an excellent debut album... and then died shortly after it's release. R.I.P. Jay.
#469 - And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - "Insatiable (Two)" from "The Century Of Self"
#468 - Neil Young - "Just Singing A Song" from "Fork In The Road"
#467 - The Handsome Furs - "Radio Kalininbrad" from "Face Control"
#466 - Mika - "Touches You" from "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" - If you think Muse is over the top and bites frequently from the Queen apple on their last album, you clearly haven't heard of Mika before.
#465 - Basement Jaxx - "Raindrops" from "Scars"
#464 - Them Crooked Vultures - "Scumbag Blues" from "Them Crooked Vultures"
#463 - Shirock - "New Solution" from "Everything Burns" - Do you like U2 but hate Bono? Shirock is the band for you. You know how sometimes generic cereal tastes exactly like the name brand product? That's Shirock. So if you love the taste of U2...
#462 - Ben Harper And The Relentless 7 - "Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)" from "White Lies For Dark Times"
#461 - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "Contender" from "The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart" - Mmmmm.... that's good shoegaze!
#460 - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - "Lady Jesus" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#459 - Discovery - "Swing Tree" from "LP"
#458 - Fastball - "She's Got The Rain" from "Little White Lies" - Fastball is one of the most under-rated pop rock bands of the past twenty years and their latest album is no exception, putting three songs on the countdown.
#457 - The Yes Pleases - "70%" from Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist
#456 - Asher Roth - "La Di Da" from "Asleep In The Bread Aisle"
#455 - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "103" from "The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart"
#454 - Animal Collective - "Brother Sport" from "Merriweather Post Pavilion"
#453 - A.F.I. - "End Transmission" from "Crash Love"
#452 - Billy Talent - "White Sparrows" from "Billy Talent III"
#451 - The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - "Flipside" from "Communion"
Random Thoughts For The Day
Chronologically Lost wrapped up recently. If you're not familiar with it, check it out here . I really enjoyed watching the episodes in this format, especially since I haven't received my Complete Series box set in the mail yet.
I'm finally going to get to see "Dinner For Schmucks" tomorrow. Even living in Pierre I've managed to see every summer movie I've been interested in this year except for "Schmucks" and "Cyrus", which will have to wait for DVD.
Best movies of the summer so far? "Inception", "Toy Story 3", "Despicable Me" and "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World".
Can't wait for the Valhalla fantasy football draft party on Saturday. Three or four league members can't make it, but considering we're spread to all corners of South Dakota (and one in Florida), 6 or 7 out of 10 ain't bad.
VH1 is updating their 100 Greatest Artists of Rock N Roll list starting on September 6th. Click here for most of the list. More on this later.
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth has a new biography on the shelves. I can't help but expect Metallica to release a biography in a few months that is better and more popular.
TV Update: Burn Notice and Royal Pains have their season finales tonight. Both shows are alright, but not particularly notable. I think the problem with the USA and TNT shows are that once you've seen one episode, you've seen every episode. Sure, it's like that for all procedural shows, but it seems like the cable networks are better at creating interesting characters and building solid pilots around them. After that though? Wheels spinning in mud. Maybe they should stop making TV shows and start making movies.
I'm finally going to get to see "Dinner For Schmucks" tomorrow. Even living in Pierre I've managed to see every summer movie I've been interested in this year except for "Schmucks" and "Cyrus", which will have to wait for DVD.
Best movies of the summer so far? "Inception", "Toy Story 3", "Despicable Me" and "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World".
Can't wait for the Valhalla fantasy football draft party on Saturday. Three or four league members can't make it, but considering we're spread to all corners of South Dakota (and one in Florida), 6 or 7 out of 10 ain't bad.
VH1 is updating their 100 Greatest Artists of Rock N Roll list starting on September 6th. Click here for most of the list. More on this later.
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth has a new biography on the shelves. I can't help but expect Metallica to release a biography in a few months that is better and more popular.
TV Update: Burn Notice and Royal Pains have their season finales tonight. Both shows are alright, but not particularly notable. I think the problem with the USA and TNT shows are that once you've seen one episode, you've seen every episode. Sure, it's like that for all procedural shows, but it seems like the cable networks are better at creating interesting characters and building solid pilots around them. After that though? Wheels spinning in mud. Maybe they should stop making TV shows and start making movies.
Album Reviews - 8/26/2010
Portugal The Man - "American Ghetto" - Sensational. A big step forward for them.
Band Of Horses - "Infinite Arms" - Solid, but not spectacular. A lot of good songs, but nothing on par with "The Funeral".
Album Review: The Black Keys - "Brothers" - Another solid blues rock album. Not quite as good as their last album, but close.
Band Of Horses - "Infinite Arms" - Solid, but not spectacular. A lot of good songs, but nothing on par with "The Funeral".
Album Review: The Black Keys - "Brothers" - Another solid blues rock album. Not quite as good as their last album, but close.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Top 500 Songs Of 2009 - #501-#476
#501 - Depeche Mode - "Wrong" from "Sounds Of The Universe" - Technically, "Wrong" comes in at #501, but I like to take note of the one song that just barely misses out on the list. Overall, I liked Depeche Mode's 2009 album "Sounds Of The Universe", but they didn't put any songs into the top 500 this year.
#500 - Regina Spektor - "Folding Chair" from "Far"
#499 - Kris Kristofferson - "Closer To The Bone" from "Closer To The Bone"
#498 - The Dirty Projectors - "Remade Horizon" from "Bitte Orca"
#497 - Karen O And The Kids - "All Is Love" from "Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack"
#496 - The Micragirls - "Summer's Gone" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - Quite a few songs on my list are from playlists and compilations. Blalock's playlist (I don't know if they are still being produced as I haven't seen one for August 2010 yet) is a great source of obscure indie rock songs and artists.
#495 - Cam'ron - "I Hate My Job" from "Crime Pays" - I missed this song the first time I listened to "Crime Pays". "I Hate My Job" got a second evaluation when it made Pitchfork's Top 100 Songs of 2009.
#494 - Jemina Pearl - "I Hate People" from "Break It Up" - The former lead singer of Be Your Own Pet (who broke up right after releasing their best song, "Becky") put five songs on my top 500 including this one with guest vocals from Iggy Pop.
#493 - The Soulsavers - "All The Way Down" from "Broken" - The Soulsavers features lead vocals from former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan.
#492 - Jemina Pearl - "No Good" from "Break It Up"
#491 - Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)" from "Why There Are Mountains"
#490 - Green Day - "Christian's Inferno" from "21st Century Breakdown" - "21st Century Breakdown" was my 2nd favorite album of 2009 behind "Them Crooked Vultures", but it did put the most songs in the top 500 with 11.
#489 - Morrissey - "Children In Pieces" from "Swords"
#488 - Maino - "All The Above" from "If Tomorrow Comes" - Technically it's a Maino track, but really this is T-Pain's song.
#487 - Crash Kings - "Mountain Man" from "Crash Kings"
#486 - Juliette Lewis - "Suicide Dive Bombers" from "Terra Incognito" - Yes, it is Juliette Lewis the actress, and yes, her latest album is really good. "Suicide Dive Bombers" reminds me of the Bowie song "Diamond Dogs" for some reason.
#485 - Slayer - "Public Display Of Dismemberment" from "World Painted Blood" - It wasn't a great year for heavy metal, but Slayer's album was a highlight.
#484 - Stellastarr - "Tokyo Sky" from "Civilized"
#483 - YACHT - "Psychic City" from "See Mystery Lights"
#482 - Snoop Dogg - "Pronto" from "Malice N Wonderland" - Again, it's a Snoop Dogg track, but this is a Soulja Boy Tell 'Em song.
#481 - Music Go Music - "Explorers Of The Heart" from "Expressions" - If you like ABBA, check out Music Go Music.
#480 - Wilco - "Everlasting Everything" from "Wilco (The Album)"
#479 - Flo Rida - "Rewind" from "R.O.O.T.S."
#478 - Califone - "Funeral Singers" from "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers"
#477 - The Decemberists - "Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)" from "Hazards Of Love" - In most years, "Hazards Of Love" would have easily been the best concept album of the year. Unfortunately, it was released the same year as one of Green Day's two brilliant concept albums, "21st Century Breakdown".
#476 - The New York Dolls - "My World" from "Cause I Sez So" - Of all the bands from the early days of punk and alternative, who would have thought that the Dolls would still be making great music 40 years later?
#500 - Regina Spektor - "Folding Chair" from "Far"
#499 - Kris Kristofferson - "Closer To The Bone" from "Closer To The Bone"
#498 - The Dirty Projectors - "Remade Horizon" from "Bitte Orca"
#497 - Karen O And The Kids - "All Is Love" from "Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack"
#496 - The Micragirls - "Summer's Gone" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - Quite a few songs on my list are from playlists and compilations. Blalock's playlist (I don't know if they are still being produced as I haven't seen one for August 2010 yet) is a great source of obscure indie rock songs and artists.
#495 - Cam'ron - "I Hate My Job" from "Crime Pays" - I missed this song the first time I listened to "Crime Pays". "I Hate My Job" got a second evaluation when it made Pitchfork's Top 100 Songs of 2009.
#494 - Jemina Pearl - "I Hate People" from "Break It Up" - The former lead singer of Be Your Own Pet (who broke up right after releasing their best song, "Becky") put five songs on my top 500 including this one with guest vocals from Iggy Pop.
#493 - The Soulsavers - "All The Way Down" from "Broken" - The Soulsavers features lead vocals from former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan.
#492 - Jemina Pearl - "No Good" from "Break It Up"
#491 - Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)" from "Why There Are Mountains"
#490 - Green Day - "Christian's Inferno" from "21st Century Breakdown" - "21st Century Breakdown" was my 2nd favorite album of 2009 behind "Them Crooked Vultures", but it did put the most songs in the top 500 with 11.
#489 - Morrissey - "Children In Pieces" from "Swords"
#488 - Maino - "All The Above" from "If Tomorrow Comes" - Technically it's a Maino track, but really this is T-Pain's song.
#487 - Crash Kings - "Mountain Man" from "Crash Kings"
#486 - Juliette Lewis - "Suicide Dive Bombers" from "Terra Incognito" - Yes, it is Juliette Lewis the actress, and yes, her latest album is really good. "Suicide Dive Bombers" reminds me of the Bowie song "Diamond Dogs" for some reason.
#485 - Slayer - "Public Display Of Dismemberment" from "World Painted Blood" - It wasn't a great year for heavy metal, but Slayer's album was a highlight.
#484 - Stellastarr - "Tokyo Sky" from "Civilized"
#483 - YACHT - "Psychic City" from "See Mystery Lights"
#482 - Snoop Dogg - "Pronto" from "Malice N Wonderland" - Again, it's a Snoop Dogg track, but this is a Soulja Boy Tell 'Em song.
#481 - Music Go Music - "Explorers Of The Heart" from "Expressions" - If you like ABBA, check out Music Go Music.
#480 - Wilco - "Everlasting Everything" from "Wilco (The Album)"
#479 - Flo Rida - "Rewind" from "R.O.O.T.S."
#478 - Califone - "Funeral Singers" from "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers"
#477 - The Decemberists - "Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)" from "Hazards Of Love" - In most years, "Hazards Of Love" would have easily been the best concept album of the year. Unfortunately, it was released the same year as one of Green Day's two brilliant concept albums, "21st Century Breakdown".
#476 - The New York Dolls - "My World" from "Cause I Sez So" - Of all the bands from the early days of punk and alternative, who would have thought that the Dolls would still be making great music 40 years later?
Top 500 Songs Of 2009 - Introduction
For the past two years, I've compiled lists of my 500 favorite songs released that year. This will be the first year that I'm posting the list online and I hope to post future lists online. If you're interested in the 2008 list, feel free to email me at hinesy24@yahoo.com and I can send it to you.
While I realize that the end of August 2010 isn't really the freshest point in time to post the 500 best songs of 2009, there is a pretty good reason to wait until now. That reason? I didn't finish the damned list until a few weeks ago...
Putting this list together is a pretty complicated task. In 2009, I reviewed 852 albums (Best: Them Crooked Vultures; Worst: Lita Ford) and singled out over 5000 songs for consideration. Since I don't have a magazine staff worth of people pitching in to help, it takes awhile.
Since countdowns are more fun than top to bottom lists, I'll be starting at 500 and counting down to #1. I hope to post an update every day. Each update will have between 10-25 songs, depending on how much time I have for any given post. I'll include song title, artist, album / play list information for every song and comments on some songs.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or by sending me an email at hinesy24@yahoo.com
While I realize that the end of August 2010 isn't really the freshest point in time to post the 500 best songs of 2009, there is a pretty good reason to wait until now. That reason? I didn't finish the damned list until a few weeks ago...
Putting this list together is a pretty complicated task. In 2009, I reviewed 852 albums (Best: Them Crooked Vultures; Worst: Lita Ford) and singled out over 5000 songs for consideration. Since I don't have a magazine staff worth of people pitching in to help, it takes awhile.
Since countdowns are more fun than top to bottom lists, I'll be starting at 500 and counting down to #1. I hope to post an update every day. Each update will have between 10-25 songs, depending on how much time I have for any given post. I'll include song title, artist, album / play list information for every song and comments on some songs.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or by sending me an email at hinesy24@yahoo.com
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