Listomania: Favorite Songs of the 00's (70-61)

Annnnnnnd we're BACK with more of my personal faves from the previous decade.

70. “Ready for the Floor” by Hot Chip (Made in the Dark, 2008)

How about that—the name itself pretty much screams “catchy dance tune!” And it certainly is. I’d argue that this song is probably their most accessible pop hit, which is saying a lot for the same guys that wrote “Over and Over.” Yet, for a dance tune, the song has a lot of charm to it that mainly stems from Alexis Taylor’s soft vocals and the (d'awww) sugar-sweet lyrics. Hot Chip have also somehow managed to cram enough catchy hooks in just one tune to take up your standard pop singer’s entire catalog. Seriously, you think you’ve heard the best, catchiest part of the song and then BOOM, “You’re my number one guy!” comes in.

69. “7/4 (Shoreline)” by Broken Social Scene (Broken Social Scene, 2005)

Welp, some of you already know that I’m a huge Broken Social Scene addict. I’ve eaten up everything they’ve put out, just about, and get this immense, incomparable feeling of satisfaction from listening to their music that I don’t really get from listening to anyone else. For some reason I tie a series of images and experiences (some real and others imagined) to every song of theirs. I don’t experience this with any other artist. I’m not really sure why. For example, “Lover’s Spit” always involves breakup imagery of sorts, something I thankfully haven’t had to experience...yet :-O. jk lolz.

Anyhow, that’s the big BSS fanatic spiel that I had to get out of the way. As far as “7/4” goes, it’s the song that perhaps best typifies Broken Social Scene’s sound—if it can be typified, that is. Someone once described their music as an "expansive flea market: a few gems in plain view, then a vast pile of odds and ends in which each piece shines a little brighter every time you rummage through the junk." That's a darn good description of BSS (hence why I stole it without giving credit). If I were to use one word to describe “7/4” (or heck, any of their songs or albums), it would be alive: the drumbeat skips at a quick, prancing pace; the guitars clutter a multitude of sounds; the soulful vocals of Leslie Feist. Their impeccable delivery of this song is one of excitement, of joy. I’ve seen them play this song live twice and both times they maintained the same sort of energy and delight in the music they were making that by the time the herald of horns and trombones came in to close the song, I was right there with them, feeding off of the same raw energy and vivacity.

68. “Postcards from Italy” by Beirut (Gulag Orkestar, 2006)

Despite being American, Beirut’s songs have always effectively captured the European aesthetic. It might be the themes (many of which detail a life abroad), it might be the instrumentation that comes out of the Romani folk handbook; whatever it is, it’s working. They’re a very unique outfit that utilize a cornucopia of unusual instrumentation (violin, ukulele, accordion, etc…) as a backdrop to Zach Condon’s breezy yet tremulous croon, which all compliment the themes of longing and love/death quite nicely in this song.

67. “Sodom, South Georgia” by Iron & Wine (Our Endless Numbered Days, 2004)

I think it was Sam Cooke (one of my all-time favorite male vocalists) who remarked upon hearing Bob Dylan for the first time that music was no longer about how pretty it sounded but whether or not the singer could “tell it how is." That’s kind of how it is for me and Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, especially on this particular song. His soothing vocals and delicate delivery have the intimacy of an old friend sitting down in my living room and telling me how it is. Despite the sad imagery, there is a sort of soothingness in "Sodom." Things don't seem quite right, but it doesn't matter. You've got Sam Beam's voice to keep you company.

66. “Cold Days from the Birdhouse” by the Twilight Sad (Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, 2007)

“Cold Days” combines brumal sonics with vivid lyrics to create something that’s at once personal, immediate, and raw. While the song builds and ends slowly with the thudding of a solitary, cheerless piano key, it’s the middle sections that really stand out. At 2:30 the guitars emphatically announce themselves with the sort of heaviness that evokes open spaces and mountains. Yet, astoundingly, the louder the band gets the more emotionally affecting the song becomes.

65. “Touch the Sky” by Kanye West (Late Registration, 2005)

Sampling Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” is always a good idea, even if you’re slowing it down. The horns are immensely rich and Kanye’s verses are as triumphant as they are cheerful—definitely one of my favorite feel-good songs. Lupe Fiasco guests on the track and delivers a steady, metaphor-filled flow. I know we all like to hate on the guy for his jackassery and egotism, but when he churns out hits like this, it becomes a lot harder to do so.

64. “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” by the Arctic Monkeys (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, 2006)

The Arctic Monkeys somehow managed to live up the hype, despite most of them not even being over the age of 20 when their first album was released in 2006. What worked were the ruff-and-tumble guitar riffs and Alex Turner’s straightforward, wryly clever lyrics, as demonstrated on “Dancefloor.” The song moves at a very fast, very loud pace and is one of the standouttiest tracks on album of standouts.

63. “Lay Low” by My Morning Jacket (Z, 2005)

While most of the album was all over the place stylistically, “Lay Low” was a return to the ol’ stuff on MMJ’s 2005 masterwork, Z. While some songs veered towards Pink Floydism and others towards alt-rock, “Law Low” is a Southern stomper that would have made the Allman Brothers proud. Jim James’ angelic country drawl and the booming snare drums drive the song all the way to its impressive Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque dual guitar solo, which is one of my favorite solos from the past decade.

62. “Reckoner” by Radiohead (In Rainbows, 2007)

Radiohead have a very wide palette when it comes to making music. I don’t think anyone balances the whole “I’m gonna rock your face off on this one but then slow it down for the ladies on the next track but still keep things kind of weird and spacey but in the good way” better than these guys. “Reckoner” is one of those slowed down jams that highlights Thom Yorke’s siren-like falsetto over clanging percussion and somber strings. Agh, that description does the song no justice. To put things more succinctly: it’s maybe the most beautiful song they’ve ever done.

61. “Fell in Love With a Girl” by the White Stripes (White Blood Cells, 2001)

One of the many beauties of the White Stripes is Meg White's minimalistic drumming coupled with Jack White's innovative approach to guitar-playing, as demonstrated on this track (but not to the same extent as some of their other work). Another thing I can appreciate about the White Stripes is that they don’t really beat around the bush. “Fell in Love With a Girl” is a straight up rocker that is almost Guided by Voices-esque in its brevity: Jack hashes out one monstrous, quick riff while spitting out lyrics about love and lust and by the time you've gotten acquainted the song is already fading from your speakers. Also, if you haven't seen the music video for this song, you should definitely look into doing so.