60. “Losing My Edge” by LCD Soundsystem (LCD Soundsystem, 2005)
For my take on “Losing My Edge” I’m going to borrow popmatter.com’s description of LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, as it pretty much sums up the whole song:
“He's like the much cooler version of us. He is the big white music nerd who actually went on to do something about it by co-founding DFA Records and producing the coolest music in the world: post-punk post-funk punk-funk, new wave that also sounds like no wave, tunes that make dancers confused as to whether they should pogo or do the pelvic thrust, music that incorporates all other musics.”
That, in a nutshell, is "Losing My Edge." It's not your typical electronic/dance song, as it is essentially James Murphy monologuing over scratchy computer beats and a throbbing bass line. What carries the track, however, is Murphy's deadpan delivery of some of the hippest lyrics imaginable.
59. “All Caps” by Madvillain (Madvillainy, 2004)
While “All Caps” is a mere two-minute snippet from MF Doom and Madlib’s 2004 comic book-themed opus, it is also the album's highpoint. The beat is incredibly varied, featuring a rattling piano trill and a riveting jazz sample that blends together nicely with Doom’s monotone rasp. This song is an example of when hip-hop can really, really work: that is, when you can hear the chemistry between producer and emcee.
58. “Such Great Heights” by the Postal Service (Give Up, 2003)
If I had any say in what songs became popular and what ones didn’t, the Postal Service would still be riding the coattails of this song’s success while Owl City would be wiping tables at Cheddar’s. “Such Great Heights” is the song that perhaps best epitomizes the Postal Service as it combines a dreamy atmosphere with slick synth beats and Ben Gibbard’s peppy vocals to create one of the best pop songs that never got quite the recognition it would have had they been signed to a major label…on the bright side, in UPS commercials the dude with the bad long hair uses the song as background music while he does those astonishingly good whiteboard drawings.
57. “Obstacle 1” by Interpol (Turn On the Bright Lights, 2002)
Emotional disconnection at its most loud and blatant; it’s a fierce song with callous eruptions of anger and unsettling imagery throughout. While Paul Banks' distinct, pained vocals are the song's highlight, the shrill guitars and muddied atmospherics certainly help. It's amazing to me that rock-drenched songs like "Obstacle 1" can still retain this immediate feeling of urgent vulnerability as the song's narrator attempts to nurse his emotional wounds. It's really, really powerful stuff. To be honest, I think this song affects me emotionally every time I listen to it, especially the lyric “She puts the weights into my little heart."
56. “Map of the Problematique” by Muse (Black Holes and Revelations, 2006)
The pulse/beat of “Problematique” sounds like something you'd hear played at LaserQuest or taken straight out of Depeche Mode's songbook—if Depeche Mode had guns-blazing arpeggio-rockin' guitars and Matthew Bellamy’s banshee falsetto, that is. Muse have always had a penchant for melodrama on their albums (not necessarily in the bad way either—please see “Knights of Cydonia” to see what I’m talking about), so when this rave-ready rocker hits about three or four tracks into Black Holes and Revelations, my gut reaction was “Oh schnapps, this is JAMMIN’!” The crazy part is, I still get that same reaction, four years later.
55. “And I Was a Boy from School” by Hot Chip (The Warning, 2006)
Hot Chip are masters of the mash-up, as corroborated on “Boy from School,” which couples a swerving disco-esque beat with smooth but melancholy vocals in what I’d argue is one of the finest pop songs ever written. It is a very poignant song centered around the nostalgia of youth and that unquenchable desire some of us feel to just go back in time to the good ol' days before we made the transition to adulthood. These aren't new themes in music and can come off as pretty cheesy when not done right, but thankfully Hot Chip nails it here.
54. “Flashing Lights” by Kanye West (Graduation, 2007)
“Flashing Lights” is a gorgeous, airy track with a gliding house beat, somber strings, and a silver-tongued flow from Kanye. Interestingly, it's not really a particularly buoyant song and even possesses a strange, unsound quality to it despite that catchy euro-club beat and the symphonics that accompany it.
53. “The Modern Age” by the Strokes (Is This It?, 2001)
Whenever I listen to “The Modern Age,” I envision a scene of Julian Casablancas n’ friends cruising down a desert highway with the top down on their convertible, bobbing their heads left and right while enjoying a nice healthy dose of God’s OJ. All while wearing leather jackets and being totally badass, of course. It starts off with some old-fashioned barn stompin’ kickdrums and a driving guitar riff before meeting Casablancas’ sunny (and awesome) kinda-singing-but-not-really vocals. It’s nothing groundbreaking, just tried and true awesome rock music.
52. “Knife” by Grizzly Bear (Yellow House, 2006)
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Yellow House when it came out, but boy, did this track blow me away. The vocals, which are probably the highlight of the song, are one part ethereal, one part mellifluous. It’s an almost entrancing melody that draws you into its swirling soundscape and doesn't let your ears off the hook until the final piano chord resounds in your headphones.
51. “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” by the Arcade Fire (Funeral, 2004)
Whenever I listen to this song I’m reminded of all the times friends and I have tried to sing along together to Arcade Fire. Every time “Tunnels” would come on we would attempt to emulate Win Butler’s raw, wavering vocals, especially when he belts out the heartfelt lyric “Then I’ll dig a tunnel, from my window to yours.” Gah, gets me every time. It’s those lyrics and the dense sheet of guitars, piano, and drums that propel this track to heights most bands only dream of. Nobody combines weighty subject matter with joyfully harmonious music like the Arcade Fire do.
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