Hammer Of The Gods: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

2011 Album Reviews - 6/30/2011

The Dears - "Degeneration Street" - A+

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Tao Of The Dead - An outstanding indie / prog album. Possibly a contender for album of the year. - A+

Cut Copy - Zonoscope - B+

The Streets - Computers And Blues - B

The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps - B

The Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots - A

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #420-#411

#420 The Weepies - "I Was Made For Sunny Days" from "Be My Thrill" - An upbeat song from the usually dour Weepies, "I Was Made For Sunny Days" is a great song in the band's usual twee indie pop style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0z71SWcG2o

#419 Iron Maiden - "Mother Of Mercy" from "The Final Frontier" - The old monsters of metal keep rolling through yet another decade. "Mother Of Mercy" isn't their highest charting song on this year's countdown, but it ranks among the top tier of Maiden classics nonetheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3jUfDPc60Y

#418 Los Campesinos! - "A Heat Rash In The Shape Of The Show Me State; Or, Letters From Me To Charlotte" from "Romance Is Boring" - "Romance Is Boring" is the latest in a series of great albums from Los Campesinos!, one of the most original bands in modern rock. "A Heat Rash" is the first of several peppy songs with dark undertones from the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDvf7Uq9DLs

#417 Lissie - "Stranger" from "Catching A Tiger" - Between covers and her own original work, 2010 was a fantastic breakthrough year for Lissie. This indie rock song is one of her best originals, with a great hook leading into the chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quqb-p3Ikbo

#416 Gogol Bordello - "Immigraniada" from "Trans-Continental Hustle" - Gypsy punk greats Gogol Bordello took a big step forward with "Trans-Continental Hustle", a more accessible rock album that previous albums. "Immigraniada" sounds like the kind of song that Serj Tankian might have written for System Of A Down if his ancestry was from the same part of Europe as Gogol Bordello's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oioNZSPqRM

#415 Les Savy Fav - "Clear Spirts" from "Root For Ruin" - Aggressive lyrics and swirling guitars highlight this track from indie rock favorites Les Savy Fav.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU_ndUXGY84

#414 The Joy Formidable - "Popinjay" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - Long hyped as the next big thing, the Joy Formidable might be one of the highlights of the 2011 countdown, but for now, "Popinjay" makes an early debut on the 2010 list with this song, which strikes me as a different take on the Silversun Pickups' hard rock style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9fvl88FyX4

#413 Swans - "My Birth" from "My Father Will Guide Me Up To A Rope In The Sky" - A blogger once declared Swans as the best band that no one has ever heard of. With songs like "My Birth", which sounds like a darker version of the best And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead song mixed with shoegaze elements, it's hard to argue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_p28PXG0Q

#412 Hole - "How Dirty Girls Get Clean" from "Nobody's Daughter" - Hole maintains their brilliantly out of control 90's alt rock style despite having a mostly new line-up. "How Dirty Girls Get Clean" is one of the best grunge songs of 2010. It's good to know that someone can still do that properly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9FA2MlT7n0

#411 Grinderman - "Bellringer Blues" from "Grinderman II" - Dark, twisted, crunchy and grinding, "Bellringer Blues" is vintage Nick Cave as the sequel to "Grinderman" surpasses the original. Nothing else in rock n roll sounds anything like this artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsUjo3P8FG8

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

2011 Album Reviews - 6/29/2011

Bright Eyes - "The People's Key" - A+
P.J. Harvey - "Let England Shake" - A+

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #430-#421

#430 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - "High In The Morning" from "Mojo" - Tom Petty's "Mojo" didn't get the same level of hype that his previous albums did, but it ranks among his best, adopting a more blues rock sound than previous records. "High In The Morning" is the first of many songs from "Mojo" to make the countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sme4z1Tjgw

#429 The Like - "Catch Me If You Can" from "Release Me" - The first I heard from the Like was when Elvis Costello picked them to do a cover of one of his songs (which I believe was actually a cover of an older song) for the "War Heroes" album last year. Since then, they've released "Release Me", a solid album of throwback music inspired by the girl groups of the Wall Of Sound era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-0gP4I-zNo

#428 Black Milk - "Distortion" from "Album Of The Year" - One of four Black Milk songs to make the countdown, "Distortion" is (fittingly) a heavily distorted hip hop song with great lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV4evbEoR6U

#427 Herzog - "Paul Blart And The Death Of Art" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - Herzog doesn't pull any punches about their feelings about "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" on this alt rock attack on the decline of popular culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ytXK2n1kNk

#426 Two Door Cinema Club - "Come Back Home" from "Tourist History" - 2010 was a breakthrough year for Two Door Cinema Club. They have much bigger hits on the countdown, though this song comes through with a solid chorus and some quirky guitar work throughout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv--y03Wm6A

#425 Spoon - "Trouble Comes Running" from "Transference" - Another great song from "Transference" as Spoon continues to own the space between OK Go and Wilco with another hooky indie rock hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwxpJD8HTQo

#424 The Eels - "Unhinged" from "End Of Time" - In another year, this pulsing alt-rock song from The Eels might have charted much higher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHd9-ymWvxU

#423 Band Of Horses - "Life On Earth" from "Twilight: Eclipse Soundtrack" - Band of Horses had a big year with several songs from their own album making the list along with this sad, folksy tune from the latest "Twilight" soundtrack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XEk-uvb1c8

#422 Kylesa - "Tired Climb" from "Spiral Shadow" - 2010 wasn't a great year for metal, but Kylesa did help to provide some Maynard methodone with this crunchy prog metal song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgdqizS5wCA

#421 Johnny Cash - "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream" from "Ain't No Grave" - The latest (and last?) great song from the Johnny Cash / Rick Rubin recording sessions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os9LGbF8lbM

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #440-#431

#440 Of Montreal - "Hydra Fancies" from "False Priest" - "False Priest" was a big step forward for Of Montreal as they saw their fanbase expand and made one of their best albums yet. "Hydra Fancies" has a definite Prince vibe to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVoXb2xDVSc

#439 Ben Folds And Nick Hornby - "Levi Johnston's Blues" from "Lonely Avenue" - Ben Folds shared writing duties on "Lonely Avenue" with author Nick Hornby. The pair created an album of somewhat mixed results, but "Levi Johnston's Blues" is a quirky, clever song that ranks amongst Folds' best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZbUOCqdSuw

#438 Devo - "Sumthin'" from "Something For Everybody" - Devo was an unlikely candidate for comeback of the year in 2010, but track after track from "Something For Everybody" (including the title track here) kept showing that the brilliant art rockers from the late 70's and early 80's still had a lot of great music left in them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF532h0CxKk

#437 Jonsi - "Go Do" from "Go" - The lead singer for Sigur Ros released a solo album in 2010 and this unusual indie pop song was the best of the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5VgLOs0LwQ

#436 The Klaxons - "The Same Space" from "Surfing The Void" - 2010 was a great year for The Klaxons. "Surfing The Void" is easily their best album so far and "The Same Space" is a big part of that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlUWHGDdu50

#435 Eminem - "You're Never Over" from "Recovery" - "You're Never Over" is about as close to a real ballad as Eminem will ever (or should ever) get. The chorus isn't that great, but the rap verses are among Eminem's best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlsbRM1eZIo

#434 Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse - "Insane Lullaby" from "Dark Night Of The Soul" - Even though the Shins didn't release an album in 2010, lead singer James Mercer had a great year, combining his success with Broken Bells with his guest vocal on this song, the best song off of "Dark Night Of the Soul".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2amKYQ8EgA

#433 Kings Of Leon - "Pickup Truck" from "Come Around Sundown" - "Come Around Sundown" was a bit of a disappointment, but it did produce a few great songs, such as "Pickup Truck", which calls back to an earlier Kings sound than more recent efforts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af5A08OWPRE

#432 Wolf Parade - "Pobody's Nerfect" from "Expo 86" - Another brilliant album from Wolf Parade produces another great indie rock song for the 2010 countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqG4sj6H2vg

#431 The Thermals - "I Don't Believe You" from "Personal Life" - Considering how great their previous albums were, "Personal Life" has to be viewed as a letdown, but even a letdown by The Thermals standard is an excellent album that produces several great songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNhlR7v3LkA

Monday, June 27, 2011

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #450-#441

#450 Holy Fiction - "More Than Ever" from "Hours From It" - The only song from Holy Fiction to make the countdown, "More Than Ever" is a sweeping song with a great chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9TZMExzmEs

#449 Rick Ross - "MC Hammer" from "Teflon Don" - Rick Ross put a couple songs on the countdown this year, with this song being a more straight-forward rap song than "Life Fast, Die Young".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4OGoIoOero

#448 Cypress Hill - "Rise Up" from "Rise Up" - 2010 was a surprisingly good year for Cypress Hill. Though they didn't experience much success from their album "Rise Up", it was their best work in years. This track features Rage / Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iatjMEp3bxw

#447 Travie McCoy - "Dr. Feel Good" from "Lazarus" - Cee Lo Green guests on this track, providing a great chorus to go with Travie's rap verses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFIYjEU_wc

#446 Athlete - "Superhuman Touch" from "Black Swan" - Athlete's style of music is very hit or miss. Their songs will either be stadium-filling pop hits or obtuse misses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5TTe2Gj2LM

#445 Bo Burnham - "Rant" from "Words, Words, Words" - Bo's comedic rant about religion. He's a great lyricist if you can get past his nasal singing voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hCQLEIWadk

#444 Elvis Costello - "Five Little Words" from "National Ransom" - Elvis seems to have a few songs on every year's list. "Five Little Words" ranks among the best songs he's produced in the past decade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThzOrkXBLD4

#443 UNKLE - "The Runaway - Lupe's Revenge" from "The Answer" - The Lupe in question is, of course, Lupe Fiasco, who provides the trippy, paranoid rap vocals on this track from UNKLE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCDeR6Z-1g

#442 Darker My Love - "Backseat" from "Alive As You Are" - This song has a distinct Grateful Dead vibe to it, with smooth verses bleeding into a hooky chorus and twangy guitars throughout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-GEKB43I5g

#441 Kate Nash - "Do Wah Doo" from "My Best Friend Is You" - 2010 wasn't quite as good a year for Kate Nash as 2008 was, but she did manage to put this song on the countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqV-embx_tA

Sunday, June 26, 2011

2011 Album Reviews - 6/24/2011

The Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours - A+

Motorhead - The World Is Yours - A+

Gang Of Four - Content - B-

Iron And Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean - A+

Saturday, June 25, 2011

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #460-#451

#460 Sex Bob-Omb - "Garbage Truck" from "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Soundtrack" - More Beck-supplied goodness for the fictional band from "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhGu2CDqQqo

#459 The Arcade Fire - "Deep Blue" from "The Suburbs" - Another piece of the brilliant concept album puzzle that is "The Suburbs" the second-best album of 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_-pm6DFmrA

#458 The Walkmen - "Angela Surf City" from "Lisbon" - Fuzzy surf rock from a band best-known for their aggressive hit "The Rat", which was sort of an indie rock version of "Positively 4th Street".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4BHHMhPMu0

#457 Weezer - "Trainwrecks" from "Hurley" - Another great modern rock track from Weezer with a cathartic chorus. Seems like they have 3 or 4 of these come out every single year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoYHOhqeyO8

#456 Cee Lo Green - "No One's Gonna Love You" from "The Lady Killer" - Cee Lo Green adds his haunting vocals to his cover of a forgotten classic by Band Of Horses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzAof7HjaxU

#455 The Street Dogs - "Bobby Powers" from "The Street Dogs" - The Street Dogs are one of the most under-rated punk bands around. "Bobby Powers" is the latest in a series of fantastic Bad Religion-esque pop / punk tunes from the band that's just an inch away from a major breakthrough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEuEwm3dnAo

#454 Bruno Mars - "Marry You" from "Doo Wops And Hooligans" - The first of four songs off of Bruno Mars' 2010 R&B pinnacle "Doo Wops And Hooligans".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xDZ_YI8I9Y

#453 The Radar Bros. - "Dear Headlights" from "The Illustrated Garden" - The second of three Radar Bros. songs to make the 2010 countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfiBYbCk8Uw

#452 Ozzy Osbourne - "Diggin' Me Down" from "Scream" - Ozzy made a major comeback in 2010 with the release of his best album in over a decade, "Scream" which featured this track. He also supplied guest vocals to a charting song on Slash's self-titled album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dHHZ6W2tsw

#451 Robyn - "In My Eyes" from "Body Talk" - Another great song from Robyn, an artist on a run comprable to the much more well-known Lady Gaga.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoDIPobm24o

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #470-#461

#470 Brandon Flowers - "Was It Something I Said" from "Flamingo" - The first track off of The Killers lead singer Brandon Flowers' solo record. The record was good. Not "Killers" good, but still better than most indie rock efforts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0hby-rSmQ

#469 The Streets - "Where My Heart Has Been" from "Computers And Blues" - It does appear as though the "Computers and Blues" album will show up again in 2011, but for 2010 the album already has this representative, though many other songs on the album came close to making the countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_adTOvSb8xk

#468 Linkin Park - "When They Come For Me" from "A Thousand Suns" - Every Linkin Park album has one song on it that stands out in my mind. Usually this because the song focuses on the rapper (above average talent there) instead of the screecher, who irritates me greatly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNKv_nrTIeI

#467 B.O.B. - "The Kids" from "B.O.B. Presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray" - B.O.B. samples (or borrows rather) the chorus and beat from Vampire Weekend's "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" and gets guest vocals from Janelle Monae on this track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHeO-4Ad9IA

#466 RPA And The United Nations Of Sound - "Beatitudes" from "RPA And The United Nations Of Sound" - Apparantly they didn't get good reviews in their native England, but I enjoyed the bombast that RPA brought to the table, as it reminded me of the glory days of Oasis' stadium-filling 90's albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvf0_oBn5P4

#465 The National - "Little Faith" from "High Violet" - The National enjoyed something of a break-out in 2010, placing 5 songs on the countdown and gaining national attention for their acclaimed album "High Violet".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XGLwRn6jjw

#464 Les Savy Fav - "Appetites" from "Root For Ruin" - The first of two Les Savy Fav songs on the countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yse4ezWaY8w

#463 Alberta Cross - "City Walls" from "Broken Side Of Time" - Alberta Cross is an alt rock band with a bright future. "City Walls" is the second-highest charting song from their "Broken Side of Time" album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqr14sNwlLU

#462 Rick Ross - "Live Fast, Die Young" from "Teflon Don" - Kanye West (who was everywhere in 2010) provides a guest vocal on Rick Ross' most radio ready song of 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZocrHzjjwVU

#461 Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "Banned (By The Man)" from "Let It Sway" - SSLYBY finally cracks a year-end countdown after coming close a few years in the past with the catchy indie rock tune "Banned (By The Man)".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pXCM4Srpzk

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #480-#471

#480 My Chemical Romance - "Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back" from "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys" - The first of 7 songs on the countdown from MCR's latest emo / goth / punk concept album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXXP23rOgV8

#479 DJ Khaled - "Victory" from "Victory" - featuring Nas And John Legend - Nas handles the lyrics and John Legend handles the chorus on this solid hop hop song. I think DJ Khaled was involved somehow as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-K4812NZHo

#478 Of Montreal - "Coquet Coquette" from "False Priest" - The latest charting song from the quirky Canadian outfit Of Montreal, whose future seems brighter now that they're adopting a more radio-friendly sound than their previously obtuse style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx01UXtjuFg

#477 Galactic - "Heart Of Steel" from "Ya-Ka-May" - Irma Thomas provides the guest vocals on this track from the up-and-coming New Orleans act Galactic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmI-IejJl3U

#476 Ghostface Killah - "Troublemakers" from "Apollo Kids" - Raekwon, Method Man and Redman join Ghostface Killah for a mini Wu Tang Reunion on Ghost's latest hit off of "Apollo Kids".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_pMXFUDG0s

#475 I Blame Coco - "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" from "The Constant" - I Blame Coco is a rising pop singer who I expect to appear frequently on future countdowns. There were a couple songs off of "The Constant" that came close to making the list, but fell just short.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4yweON2N74

#474 Robyn - "Dancing On My Own" from "Body Talk" - Robyn continues to make brilliant pop music that doesn't get played in America. "Dancing On My Own" is the first of 4 Robyn songs on the countdown this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcNo07Xp8aQ

#473 The Dead Weather - "Blue Blood Blues" from "Sea Of Cowards" - While The Dead Weather is no The White Stripes, they improved dramatically from their debut album with "Sea Of Cowards". "Blue Blood Blues" is a crunchy blues rock monster of a song with some great lyrical turns between guitar burns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg8DMqFuip8

#472 Big Boi - "Be Still" from "Sir Lucious Left Foot… The Son Of Chico Dusty" - The first of 11 Big Boi songs on the countdown, "Be Still" is best-known for the female vocalist who sings the R&B-style chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxV5Y6UufU8

#471 The Radar Bros. - "Radio" from "The Illustrated Garden" - A roots rock style alt rock song with a sunny chorus.

I couldn't find a youtube link.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

2011 Album Reviews - 6/23/2011

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead - Another brilliant indie pop / prog / folk concept album from the Decemberists with great songs from start to finish. - A+

Social Distortion - Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes - Another excellent front to back album from Social Distortion, who can probably do this in their sleep at this point. - A+

White Lies - Ritual - B+

The Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde - B-

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #490-#481

#490 Film School - "Heart Full Of Pentagons" from "Fission" - The first of 2 songs on this year's countdown from the obscure indie pop band Film School.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=favcj3w-R_U

#489 Vampire Weekend - "Run" from "Contra" - The first of 11 Vampire Weekend songs to appear on the countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKLlNLwVqWE

#488 Jenny And Johnny - "Committed" from "I'm Having Fun Now" - Jenny Lewis takes on a lot of side projects between Rilo Kiley albums and her latest collaboration produced a pair of songs on the the countdown, starting with "Committed".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWYUr_8bx08

#487 Los Lobos - "Burn It Down" from "Tin Can Trust" - Best known for their cover of "La Bamba", Los Lobos is an enduring roots rock band, as evidenced by this cut off of their latest album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3a40GoZtb0

#486 Anais Mitchell - "Why We Build The Wall" from "Hadestown" - Anais Mitchell is one of the strangest artists to appear on this year's countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAgiK07Py9M

#485 School Of Seven Bells - "Windstorm" from "Disconnect From Desire" - 2010 wasn't as good a year for School of Seven Bells as 2009 was, but they still placed this song on the countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWtXttiKBzs

#484 Infant Sorrow - "Yeah Yeah Oi Oi" from "Get Him To The Greek" - Infant Sorrow barely edged out Sex Bob-Omb 5-4 to win the "fake band invented for a movie" award for 2010. It's not impossible to tell that this band is a Spinal Tap-esque fake, but you do have to listen closely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi83C2DFcQI

#483 Iron Maiden - "The Talisman" from "The Final Frontier" - Still awesome after all these years, Iron Maiden continues to make 80's style heavy metal sound more modern and viable than any metal bands born long after the end of Maiden's prime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maj2NuQfwOY

#482 Sex Bob-Omb - "We Are Sex Bob-Omb" from "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Soundtrack" - Allison Pill (as Kim Pine) provides the legendary introduction (and title of the song) and Beck provides the funky backbeat and lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoS7b0u79mw

#481 Justin Currie - "Everyone I Love" from "The Great War" - A dark, brooding tune with a singer-songwriter vibe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yyxsB8txr4

2011 Album Reviews - 6/22/2011

Cage The Elephant - "Thank You Happy Birthday" - None of the songs stand out quite as well as the three big hits off of their previous album, but this follow-up album is an excellent piece of alt rock. - A+

Tapes N Tapes - "Outside" - A+

Cake - Showroom Of Compassion - A+

British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall - A-

2010 Song Project - Countdown - #501-#491

Every year dating back to 2008 I compile a list of the 500 best songs I've heard from the preceding year. It's a long process that's detailed in other posts on this blog. I'll now be presenting the countdown of the top 500 songs in increments of 10. Hopefully I'll post 10 a day, but I'm sure there will be days when I don't get around to it, so bear with me if this takes awhile.

#501 Dada Trash Collage - "Worlds Fair 1964" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - As usual the IRP provided me with around 20 songs in my top 500 that wouldn't have been heard otherwise. It's a free and legal monthly playlist that's available to download on a blog of the same name. If you like indie rock such as this quirky Animal Collective-esque track, check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBq39OrLW4Q

#500 Morcheeba - "Crimson" from "Blood Like Lemonade" - The best comparison for this song would be to trip hop legends such as Massive Attack or Tricky. The song has a slow tempo and an eerie vocal track. It's unique sound was what led me to name it as the last song in the official countdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgNFaRMpLM

#499 Portugal The Man - "The Dead Dog" from "American Ghetto" - Portugal The Man had a breakthrough hit in 2011 with "People Say" off of their 2010 album. "The Dead Dog" is an excellent follow-up track off of their 2010 album, "American Ghetto".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcqB3_MUXlc

#498 John Legend And The Roots - "Hard Times" from "Wake Up" - 2011 was a big year for The Roots, as several songs from their own album made the countdown along with some from their team-up with John Legend including this track, which features a rap verse from Black Thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOgkRniSNTs

#497 Athlete - "The Getaway" from "Black Swan" - A sweeping slow-build song from Athelete, a solid band that specializes in that sort of thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB0RYMSNgLg

#496 Against Me! - "One By One" from "White Crosses" - Against Me! is a great band because they take the style, content and attitude of punk bands like Fugazi or Anti-Flag and combine with the kind of near-pop hooks to create the kind of anthems with complex social and political messages that you can sing along with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNMddbK3uWw

#495 The Arcade Fire - "Wasted Hours" from "The Suburbs" - The first of a year-leading 11 songs on the countdown (tied with Big Boi, Kanye West and Vampire Weekend) for The Arcade Fire this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cuT8tSaxQc

#494 Bad Religion - "Ad Hominem" from "The Dissent Of Man" - Every Bad Religion album has about a half dozen songs the boil just under the top 500 level. "Ad Hominem" just beat out "Avalon" to make the list as this album's representative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgRLG1tl9DE

#493 Fefe Dobson - "Stuttering" from "Joy" - Fefe Dobson is a pop artist (from Canada?) that I had never heard of before listening to here 2010 album "Joy". Maybe it's because I haven't heard her music a million times before, but it always seems like the pop music that doesn't make it big turns out to be much better than what does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmb8_KsrNSQ

#492 Waka Flocka Flame - "Hard In Da Paint" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - Waka Flocka Flame is one of the hottest up-and-coming rappers in the game right now and this was his biggest track of 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkkC9cK8Hz0

#491 Stone Temple Pilots - "Hazy Daze" from "Stone Temple Pilots" - STP continue to keep the glam rock flame alive with their self-titled comeback album and "Hazy Daze" is one of the best examples of STP's take on the genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRCYEsGjnKo

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

2010 Song Project - 6/21/2011

Date: Tuesday 6/21/2011
Songs Cleared Today: 17
Songs Remaining To Be Cleared: 0
Last Song Cleared (Ranking): #500

With that, the song project is complete. I'll begin writing up the countdown from #500 to #1 tomorrow and posting tomorrow night, hopefully.

Monday, June 20, 2011

2010 Song Project - 6/20/2011

Date: Monday 6/20/2011
Songs Cleared Today: 25
Songs Remaining To Be Cleared: 17
Estimated Phase Completion Date: June 21
Last Song Cleared (Ranking): #483

Saturday, June 18, 2011

2010 Song Project - 6/17/2011

Date: Friday 6/17/2011
Songs Cleared Today: 27
Songs Remaining To Be Cleared: 42
Estimated Phase Completion Date: June 21
Last Song Cleared (Ranking): #458

2010 Song Project - 6/16/2011

Date: Thursday 6/16/2011
Songs Cleared Today: 18
Songs Remaining To Be Cleared: 69
Estimated Phase Completion Date: June 21
Last Song Cleared (Ranking): #431

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

2010 Song Project - 6/7/2011

Date: Tuesday 6/7/2011
Songs Cleared Today: 26
Songs Remaining To Be Cleared: 146
Estimated Phase Completion Date: June 16
Last Song Cleared (Ranking): #354

Friday, June 3, 2011

2010 Song Project - 6/3/2011

Date: Friday 6/3/2011
Songs Cleared Today: 15
Songs Remaining To Be Cleared: 172
Estimated Phase Completion Date: June 16
Last Song Cleared (Ranking): #328

Thursday, June 2, 2011

2010 Song Project - 6/2/2011

Date: Thursday 6/2/2011
Songs Cleared Today: 27
Songs Remaining To Be Cleared: 187
Estimated Phase Completion Date: June 15
Last Song Cleared (Ranking): #313