I’m not going to throw the word “best” around – when Rolling Stone declares that Radiohead’s electrosomnolent “Kid A” to be the best album of the decade, it’s time to retire the idea of telling people your favorite things are objectively better than things that you don’t like. The point of this list is that my taste is a bit different than most, and so many people haven’t heard many of these songs, and I’d like to share them with you. I’m also throwing out all the enumeration – that’s just made up nonsense to quantify subjective feelings that change frequently.
Infinity – by Merrick (2001)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR6ysmGa1ps[/youtube]
“We are all like astronauts, discovering infinity / Take my empty body and discover me, infinity”
Ears Ring – by Rainer Maria (2003)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkUfcrDeETY[/youtube]
“Strange how the ears ring / After a night of wrongdoing”
You! Me! Dancing! – by Los Campesinos! (2007)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj6SO_yKMe8[/youtube]
“And it’s sad that you think that we’re all just scenesters / And even if we were, it’s not the scene you’re thinking of”
Saline the Salt Lake Queen – by Rasputina (2004)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbRusHpUviM[/youtube]
“Oh Saline / Only seventeen / Swollen up with pride”
Apocalypse Please – by Muse (2004)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P3RZdMe75c[/youtube]
“Declare this an emergency / Come on and spread a sense of urgency”
Date With the Night- by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT1dlU2_Ub0[/youtube]
“Both thighs squeeze tight / CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE…”
Bury The Tooth Of The Hydra And A Skeleton Army Will Arise – by Schoolyard Heroes
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwO0DIrckFw[/youtube]
“These underhanded gestures I make / Do they help you sleep at night?”
Words – Kate Miller-Heidke (2007)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVxWtzYxIbw[/youtube]
“Do you think my personality is written in stone? / Are you positively certain that you know what you’ve been shown”
Gardenia – Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (2008)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-64FTeOZvk[/youtube]
“So you got some curb appeal / But can you cook a 3 course meal / Or are you just a present waiting to be opened up and parceled out again”
Extraordinary Machine – Fiona Apple (2005)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MicrInh1_E[/youtube]
“Be kind to me, or treat me mean / I’ll make the most of it, I’m an extraordinary machine”
I Should’ve Known Better – by Nickel Creek (2002)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCQxD4zBICg[/youtube]
“Your love meant trouble from the day we met / You won every hand, I lost every bet”
I’m Impressed – by They Might Be Giants (2001)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CccPPDe2JU[/youtube]
“I admit, I’m impressed / When the tornado from the West crushes buildings, I’m impressed”
Grounds for Divorce – by Elbow (2008)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdmwHljfN4Q[/youtube]
“Mondays is for drinking to the seldom seen kid / I’ve been working on a cocktail called Grounds for Divorce”