My Top 300 Songs of the 2000s – 110-101
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
110. Queens of the Stone Age – No One Knows
This band has always been awesome. Go back in time and take a listen to the self-titled debut or Rated R if you don’t believe. But I suppose it was this song (and video, and album Songs For the Deaf) that put Josh Homme’s brilliant stoner/stripper rock concoction on everybody’s map. Probably because everybody recognized the temporary drummer (isn’t he in Foo Fighters?!). But still, these guys bring the rock.
109. Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like It’s Hot
Spray paint cans, the “Snoooooop” whistle slide, the tongue clicking percussion, hardly any melody, Pharrel’s slick-as-sex production, what’s not to like? Not to mention the instantly memorable verses from the Doggfather and Skateboard P. And that chorus….six years later, the entire club will drop everything to dance to this one. Think about it….take a second…..ding!
108. Modest Mouse – Bury Me With It
Issac Brock and Co. hit the big time with Good News For People Who Love Bad News with songs like “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty,” but one of my favorite less-mentioned album tracks is the one after those that harkens back to the group’s angrier glory days. “Bury Me With It” is a furious black sheep in a mostly low-key album – Brock’s signature screeching and random profanity beautifully contrasts to the mellow approach the band adopted for their more popular transformation.
107. Hot Chip – Over and Over
Warning set the standard for how indie dance would perform in the 2000s; Hot Chip gave everyone something to shoot for in terms of quality, production, and just the right amount of pizazz to get all the hipsters shaking. “Over and Over” was the intro for many, a send-up to the beauty and joy of repeating the same thing again and again and again. The song itself does exactly that, pausing only for a nonsensical speak-and-spell breakdown, and it never gets old.
106. Interpol – Evil
Antics, Interpol’s sophomore release, continued the New York group’s trademark sound, but “Evil” shaped it into something more for the masses. From the opening bass line to the one-two-three snare hit and a simple croon of “Rosemary….” we get a new Interpol, a band who might have discovered the major keys while recording a follow-up to the immensely gloomy and brilliant Turn Off the Bright Lights.
105. The Darkness – Love Is Only a Feeling
The Darkness always channeled the souls of the thunderous 70’s guitar flourishes and 80’s hair metal gods, tackling the standard topics of sex and the consequences of having it casually and unprotected. But the most memorable tracks are the upbeat rockers; “Love Is Only a Feeling” is the exception, a bombastic, overdone, and glorious homage to the power ballad, acoustic guitar fill and all. Much like the rest of Permission to Land, it’s pure cheesiness is hard not to love. Our generation’s slightly more sincere Spinal Tap outdid themselves here.
104. Bloc Party – Helicopter
Silent Alarm, Bloc Party’s only really good album, is….well, it’s really, really good. Like awesome. And “Helicopter,” while not the main promotional single, is the finest track. It completely gives us a glimpse of what Bloc Party were all about – Kele’s undeniable yelp, the band’s dueling guitars, that punk-channeling backbeat, the singalong, hopalong refrains. Say what you will about how they’ve progressed, this one’s an indie classic.
103. Phoenix – 1901
Pheonix has been one of the most fun bands to watch over the years; from the new-jazz influence of Alphabetical to the more dance-focused It’s Never Been Like That…..to what is arguably their pop masterpiece, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, this French group has always challenged themselves while simultaneously becoming more likable. “1901” is one of the finest pop songs to have graced our ears in the past decade. The synth build-up to the chorus’ “fallin,…fallin’….fallin'” is timeless. Just try not to tap your toe, or even dance around your room.
102. TV On the Radio – Satellite
I jumped on the TV On the Radio bandwagon a little late. I bought Return to Cookie Mountain in late 2006, right when it was being proclaimed Album of the Year by everyone, but after I found out with mine own ears it was indeed totally awesome, I quickly educated myself with past releases. “Satellite” is an early TVOTR track that embodies the spirit of the band’s sound – a strange, mystifying layering of howls, hisses, and humming. I adore it, obviously.
101. Tegan and Sara – Walking With a Ghost
At first, I was afraid to admit to my hipster friends I was completely in love with this song. It seemed a little twee to be okay to like…..I was pretty self-conscious, I suppose. I’m not sure exactly who pulled me out of my hole (someone else liked it unabashedly, I don’t remember who), but it was only a matter of time. This song is so infectious I probably drunkenly revealed my secret one evening when it came on the radio or something….and I probably discovered everyone else knew all the words too. Nowadays, I find it incredulous that one could NOT like this song……seriously? Give it another listen.
