Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
140. Primus – Pilcher’s Squad
Sgt. Norman “Nobby” Pilcher was the infamous British police officer best known for planting drugs to frame rock stars and hippies in the 60’s. Up until getting caught for doing so in 1973, Pilcher managed to collect quite a resume of celebrities in handcuffs, including two Beatles, George Harrison and John Lennon, as well as Mick Jagger and Donovan. He is the subject of this two-minute ditty found on Primus’ 2003 reunion EP Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People. The song is wild and weird, all while frontman Les Claypool delivers a fine tale of a corrupt man of the law, breaking only for a two-second solo from guitar virtuoso Larry “Ler” Lalonde (“Go Ler!…..Thanks Ler!”).
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
150. Kanye West – Stronger
The Daft Punk-sampling first single from Graduation not only showed a compelling progression in West’s production, but it showcased his always-improving lyrical prowess. Kanye’s known for his incessant bragging and unfathomable ego, but with beats and words this precise, this banging, this funny, he continued the consistency of delivering on his Cassius Clay-channeling talk.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
160. Jimmy Eat World – Authority Song
The band’s breakthrough was in the form of a pretty spectacular power pop album, and while their new sounds reveal the group to have eased into generic territory, this self-titled disc (originally called Bleed American, but changed due to the post-9/11 attack on media and music) was a welcome escape from the over-saturation of bland hip-hop and post nu-metal radio dreck. “Authority Song” is a forgotten album track that has more hooks than the uplifting, cheesy lead single “The Middle.”
