200 BEST SONGS OF THE 2000'S: 160-151
Look at this, it's Friday, and it's another installment! Now that's pretty great. I think. There are a lot of throwbacks to my youth in this one. So get ready for a lot of stories about when I was a punk. This time, we have 160-151.
This is a cute little rock song that will always remind me of the trip to New York to play in a broomstick tournament, and after we went and saw Letterman, and these guys played as his musical guest. Their sound is simple, and really appealing. They fall in the same genre as Rooney, but have better melodies and concepts.
This song slaps. The bass is infectious, the guitar riff is catchy, and Howlin' Pelle Almqvist's vocals are clean, fun, and well delivered. It is also worth noting that their bassist's name is Dr. Matt Destruction. The Swedish band, known for one of the best live shows, is a high energy garage rock band. This song is a funky piece of art that keeps giving something different after each listen.
What an absolute classic of a song. Daylight put Matt and Kim on the map, and propelled the two piece synth pop genre to popularity in the 2000's. It's simple. The keyboard part is simple, repetitive, but is like an ear worm. You can't seem to get it out of your head after you hear it.
Another lighthearted jam by the psychedelic pop band, Of Montreal. This upbeat gem features beautiful harmonization, catchy horn hooks, and joyous melodies. There is a lot to like about Skeletal Lamping as a whole. It was hard to find songs to add to this list, because this album bends from one song to the next mid song, as you can see at the end of this song, so there will be sections of songs I love, that are followed up by sections I wouldn't consider to be top 200 worthy. That being said, the midsong style switch seems to work for this song. It works as almost like coming out of a nice phase, or coming down from a high.
"Where Have You Been" is a required listen for any ska fan. From the harmonization of Aaron Barrett and Scott Klopfenstein, the distorted guitar solo, to the concept of the song, there is so much to love about this song. Reel Big Fish is often pigeonholed into "Sell Out" or "Take On Me", but they have some amazing emotion driven songs with "Where Have You Been" being one of their strongest.
If you ever get the chance to see STRFKR live, I'd highly suggest it. I had the pleasure of seeing them in a small garage in Salt Lake, and it blew my mind. Their smooth vocals, funky bass, and the easy going nature of this song make it an instant classic, and ups its relisten value.
Get out your eye-liner and meet me in the local cemetery. "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" was a modern revelation for the emo rock music scene that featured songs about loss, betrayal, not fitting in, and anything else the non-popular kids ate up back in Jr. High. "The Ghost of You" toted an eery, echoey guitar melody that plays throughout the verses making you feel like you are being haunted by the song that is partnered with an abrupt shift to heavy, sad guitar throughout the chorus. All this topped with Gerard Way's vocals that convey so much pain about the loss of his loved ones and being haunted by the memory make this song an instant emo classic.
One of the defining parts of this song that take it from good to great is the absolutely perfect utilization of the organ. Paired with Brock's vocals, it produces this old school vibe, something that you can kick back to and just soak in. On top of all this, the lyricism is top notch. Brock does a great job with existential lyrics such as "For your sake, I hope that Heaven and Hell are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath." followed directly by the scathing line "You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?" You'll see a lot more of this on the other Modest Mouse songs coming up in this list.
___
160
The Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way
The Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way
This is a cute little rock song that will always remind me of the trip to New York to play in a broomstick tournament, and after we went and saw Letterman, and these guys played as his musical guest. Their sound is simple, and really appealing. They fall in the same genre as Rooney, but have better melodies and concepts.
___
159
The Hives - T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.
The Hives - T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.
This song slaps. The bass is infectious, the guitar riff is catchy, and Howlin' Pelle Almqvist's vocals are clean, fun, and well delivered. It is also worth noting that their bassist's name is Dr. Matt Destruction. The Swedish band, known for one of the best live shows, is a high energy garage rock band. This song is a funky piece of art that keeps giving something different after each listen.
___
158
Matt and Kim - Daylight
158
Matt and Kim - Daylight
What an absolute classic of a song. Daylight put Matt and Kim on the map, and propelled the two piece synth pop genre to popularity in the 2000's. It's simple. The keyboard part is simple, repetitive, but is like an ear worm. You can't seem to get it out of your head after you hear it.
___
157
Streetlight Manifesto - We Will Fall Together
157
Streetlight Manifesto - We Will Fall Together
Heavy horns, heavy guitar licks, blazing fast bass riffs, and patented Kalnoky vocals. This song was the original single from the long awaited "Somewhere in the Between" album. The wait between "Keasby Nights" and "Somewhere in the Between" was well worth it, though. They increased production value, deeper lyrics, and quality song after quality song. While not my top on the album, this song holds it's own with most music, and this album solidified Streetlight Manifesto as the kings of Ska music.
___
156
Of Montreal - An Eluardian Instance
156
Of Montreal - An Eluardian Instance
Another lighthearted jam by the psychedelic pop band, Of Montreal. This upbeat gem features beautiful harmonization, catchy horn hooks, and joyous melodies. There is a lot to like about Skeletal Lamping as a whole. It was hard to find songs to add to this list, because this album bends from one song to the next mid song, as you can see at the end of this song, so there will be sections of songs I love, that are followed up by sections I wouldn't consider to be top 200 worthy. That being said, the midsong style switch seems to work for this song. It works as almost like coming out of a nice phase, or coming down from a high.
___
155
Reel Big Fish - Where Have You Been?
155
Reel Big Fish - Where Have You Been?
"Where Have You Been" is a required listen for any ska fan. From the harmonization of Aaron Barrett and Scott Klopfenstein, the distorted guitar solo, to the concept of the song, there is so much to love about this song. Reel Big Fish is often pigeonholed into "Sell Out" or "Take On Me", but they have some amazing emotion driven songs with "Where Have You Been" being one of their strongest.
___
154
STRFKR - Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second
154
STRFKR - Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second
If you ever get the chance to see STRFKR live, I'd highly suggest it. I had the pleasure of seeing them in a small garage in Salt Lake, and it blew my mind. Their smooth vocals, funky bass, and the easy going nature of this song make it an instant classic, and ups its relisten value.
___
153
Sum 41 - Fat Lip
Sum 41 - Fat Lip
The Anthem of the misfits that hated the man, and didn't feel like they were understood by their parents. Sum 41 struck gold with "Fat Lip". Lighthearted lyrics about not conforming with society paired with classic guitar riffs. I remember listening to this song with my dad to and from bike races, and rocking out while he laughed at my attempts to headbang. The only downside with Sum 41 is that they didn't ever really branch out from one sound, albeit a good sound.
___
152
My Chemical Romance - The Ghost of You
___
152
My Chemical Romance - The Ghost of You
Get out your eye-liner and meet me in the local cemetery. "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" was a modern revelation for the emo rock music scene that featured songs about loss, betrayal, not fitting in, and anything else the non-popular kids ate up back in Jr. High. "The Ghost of You" toted an eery, echoey guitar melody that plays throughout the verses making you feel like you are being haunted by the song that is partnered with an abrupt shift to heavy, sad guitar throughout the chorus. All this topped with Gerard Way's vocals that convey so much pain about the loss of his loved ones and being haunted by the memory make this song an instant emo classic.
___
151
Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty
Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty
One of the defining parts of this song that take it from good to great is the absolutely perfect utilization of the organ. Paired with Brock's vocals, it produces this old school vibe, something that you can kick back to and just soak in. On top of all this, the lyricism is top notch. Brock does a great job with existential lyrics such as "For your sake, I hope that Heaven and Hell are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath." followed directly by the scathing line "You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?" You'll see a lot more of this on the other Modest Mouse songs coming up in this list.
___
Hope you enjoyed this installation. It was fun to listen to some of these songs again and relive the memories associated with them. I hope you have some memories with some of these songs. As always, check out the updated spotify playlist below. See you next week.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3qwfyA6gSUlSlVcYG5fdht?si=3iWQlfVRTNa_PI0Zd8dLDw
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3qwfyA6gSUlSlVcYG5fdht?si=3iWQlfVRTNa_PI0Zd8dLDw
ocean breathes SALTY
ReplyDelete