Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
40. Phoenix – Lisztomania
It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the French quartet are now a festival circuit band and one of the biggest groups in the world. Their jazz-fused, stream-of-consciousness take on upbeat pop is clearly expressed through this track, featuring an unconventional chorus that, like so many things Phoenix, works perfectly, even if it’s a bit outside the boundaries of what we normally hear on CHR.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
240. Menomena – Wet and Rusting
The finest track from Friend and Foe begins with Menomena’s trademark effects layered across an odd strumming pattern. By the time we reach the second chorus, the track turns into a cavalcade of rolling drums and scaling piano lines. And to top it all off, it’s simply beautiful.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
250. Rage Against the Machine – How I Could Just Kill a Man
For most of the decade, 3/4 of Rage were in shitty solo projects or the inevitably dreadful Audioslave. The other 1/4 released a new song every once in a while and lived off his earnings from the 90’s (that one is Zach). There were a few reunion shows – most of which sent people to the hospital – but overall the boys weren’t really raging much in the 2000’s. But at the turn of the century, before the nasty breakup, Rage put out their final studio album Renegades, a pretty kickass covers album. And although this Cypress Hill remake is a pretty straightforward take on the original, it still hits hard, the way these guys always knew how to.
Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
50. The Thermals – Liquid In, Liquid Out
The shortest song from the group’s poppiest album, and quite a singalong at that. It’s a shame they don’t play this live, but I suppose it was intended as a mere interlude for the middle of the disc. What might have been unintentional is the song’s surefire infectiousness.
After the jump are five TV shows you should be watching, whether on TV, Hulu, DVD, or by illegal means. Just watch them. These are not ranked, and they are not necessarily my all-time favorites (I’m leaving out many of my favorites, in fact) – they are just shows I am currently in love with. You will love them too.
Today I bought a ticket to watch Dwight Yoakam at the Nutty Brown Cafe on Saturday June 5th here in my new home of Austin, Texas. And I am stoked. I haven’t seen Dwight since his 1996 Gone Tour (I was 9 at the time). Besides the Beatles, I have been a fanboy of Mr. Yoakam longer than any other of my favorite bands/artists. And so, to celebrate my $50 purchase for what will be one of the best evenings of my life, I have compiled the most difficult list to compile ever – my favorite Dwight Yoakam songs.
Originally this was going to be a list of ten, but Dwight has too many classics to pick from. As with most best-ofs for DY, it is heavy on the 80’s and early 90’s, but there are a few tracks that are more recent. I invite you to browse his entire catalog – it is fascinating and almost perfect. For those who are fans of a more traditional country sound, preferably the honky-tonk styles of Buck Owens, Dwight is hands down the best you can get. In my opinion, he’s the best country music songwriter and performer to have ever lived. Enjoy.
