GibsonGirl said:
No-one would like my 30. 
But maybe I'll post it later anyway. 
Your 30 are awesome!!
Here's my list, with some real inspiration from a few GibsonGirl regulars that she was kind enough to share with me a while ago. R-AD also shared some incredible live stuff from Radiohead I’d never heard before—performances that fully convinced me of their greatness.
Hope this is not too long!
1. Radiohead – The National Anthem
To me, this is the sound of arriving on another planet. It’s got a droning bass line that carries the weird vocals—and even weirder horn section at the end. It
all works for me. It also amazes me how they can pull this off live.
2. Radiohead - Optimistic
I love the arrangement of this song, how it ratchets up and falls back on Thom Yorke’s vocal—a vocal which reminds me of Chris Martin’s at points, with its “oooos” acting as a hook. But the lyrics and sheer weight of the song eclipse
all imitation.
3. Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely
I like GibsonGirl’s take on this song. It just takes me away to somewhere dark. When Thom Yorke starts hitting the high notes in his vocal at the end, it’s like hearing an angel getting stuck in the heavy traffic of despair.
4. Radiohead - Airbag
“In an interstellar burst, I am back to save the universe.” I like the full-on attack feel of this song. It’s like the band are returning home from a space mission, full of purpose and determination as they break through the atmosphere.
5. Radiohead - 2 + 2 = 5
This song could have been called ‘George Bush.’ I love the lyrics, the slow, plodding haze at the start, and the frantic breakdown at the close. It’s like the character in the song has been injected with a sense of reality—and there’s no turning back.
6. Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes
The rhythm and pacing to this song are brilliant. I think it’s about finding honesty in someone, and having them bring out the best in you. (Or hell, it could be about contact lenses, for all I know!) It’s got a great tribal feel to it, with kick-ass keyboards.
7. Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill
“My heart going boom boom boom ‘Son, he said ‘Grab your things,
I've come to take you home.’” Great lyric, euphoric, tribal, all those kinds of things.
8. Inxs – Not Enough Time
I love the piano-based structure of the song, the thoughtful lyrics, and how it builds and builds into something
really beautiful.
9. Inxs – What You Need
This was the first Inxs song that I recall hearing. It’s got the essentials of a great rock song: heavy bass, heavier drums, guitars…but then it has something else: Michael Hutchence’s psychedelic vocals, which give the song a freshness. The saxophone even works here.
10. Pearl Jam – In My Tree
The drums are what really move this song and make it special. And you really do get the sense that Eddie Vedder is reaching for something. Lyrically, there’s a distance created between what he thought was reality, and where he’s heading.
10. Pearl Jam – Sad
It’s got a weird pacing to it, but one that’s interesting and works really well with the heartfelt vocal.
11. Pearl Jam – Last Exit
As the lead-in to
Vitalogy, Pearl Jam’s third album, it starts out like a quiet jam (no pun intended) and ramps up to be a very powerful thing. It’s a pure, confident, rock song that begs to be turned up loud.
12. Pearl Jam – Nothing Man
A very raw and sad song. It’s the quiet vocal that gets to me—it’s a perfect example of Vedder’s strength and vulnerability, all in the same breath. Ultimately, I think it’s about Kurt Cobain.
13. The Arcade Fire – Neighbourhood # 3 (Power Out)
Frantic and fresh. There’s so much going on here, but it works wonderfully, and comes across as something truly special and original.
14. The Arcade Fire – Neighbourhood # 1 (Tunnels)
I love how it starts off a little slow, with a cool vocal, and then gets very magical at the end.
15. The Arcade Fire – No Cars Go
It’s a simple song, but the sound of it reminds me of something that happened in my own life: the time the government put a four-lane highway through a beautiful field that my cousins and I used to play in. When I hear this song, I visualize us as the band, filming the video right in the middle of traffic.
16. REM – Binky the Doormat
From
New Adventures in Hi-Fi, this song is a standout with its reverb and pure weirdness.
17. REM -- Orange Crush
The mad dash of military drumming kicks it off, and it never lets up. “We are agents of the free, I've had my fun and now it's time…to serve your conscience overseas, coming in fast, over me.” It’s a commentary on the Vietnam war, and a
very powerful one.
18. David Bowie – Life on Mars?
It’s one of those songs that creep into your subconscious when you first hear it, while the emotions conveyed seem so familiar. It's like opera from another planet. I really love the version Bowie does with The Arcade Fire.
19. David Bowie – Space Oddity
See above, minus The Arcade Fire!
20. Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch
Just a great song—an anthem for humanity! I first saw Springsteen with my dad. At the end of the show,
I was the one jumping up and down and clapping. He’s the real deal, and this song just embodies his talent.
21. Pink Floyd – Learning to Fly
From what I’ve read, many of the band’s purists don’t like this song, but it’s stayed with me ever since I first heard it. I remember seeing the video years ago—it was just an image of a gliding bird over mountain tops—and thinking how
different the song was. It’s funny because at the end of the song, there’s an effect that sounds just like a transport truck backing up. (Maybe it’s the sound of David Gilmour running over Roger Waters.) It’s a sound that fools me
every time I hear it while walking.
22. Pink Floyd – The Hero’s Return
Speaking of purists, this song arrived with me, thanks to one of them
It’s from
The Final Cut, a stark and beautiful album that could be the official soundtrack to the heartache and madness of war. We often hear today how kids have lost the sense of connection with war vets, and how history is so forgetful about the ingredients that lead to evil acts. This album packs more punch into 45 minutes than
every Remembrance Day assembly I’ve ever attended.
23. Echo and The Bunnymen – Over the Wall
It reminds me of something from U2’s
Boy, only more desolate. It’s atmospheric, in a slightly chilly way, but
highly addictive.
24. Echo and The Bunnymen – The Killing Moon
A really solid performance from a great band. Like other songs that I love, I find myself imagining the videos for them. This one is like that.
25. Juff Buckley – Vanilla Sky
This guy was a real talent. It’s such a shame he’s no longer here. I can almost picture Radiohead doing this song, with its sway and rhythm.
26. Modest Mouse – Float On
There’s something very relatable about Modest Mouse. They’re an unpolished ramble of ideas and sounds that hit me like a conversation from a close friend.
27. Sarah McLachlan - Drawn to the Rhythm
Very evocative description of the sea, and what it’s like being next to it.
28. Duran Duran – Come Undone
I love the echo effects on this song. The background vocals are intoxicating. Great song from a great pop band that is deeper than people give them credit for.
29. Aimee Mann – Wise Up
From the
Magnolia soundtrack, this song tells a story that’s as close to the heart and honest as you can find. It perfectly mirrors the storyline of one of the best, and quirkiest, movies I’ve seen.
30. Crowded House – Distant Sun
I like the yearning in this song. It’s a little starker sounding than the “big hit” Don’t Dream It’s Over, and it has more of an emotional curve.
I will obey, I will obey...must have Tim Horton's coffee in Canada with Roger Waters...
I actually had a dream about seeing Waters and Ian McCulloch (of Echo & The Bunnymen) at a Tim Horton's. They both gave me the finger so Jim Carrey (I met him at MUN) did an Ace Ventura bat-flap against their table. Seriously! The poor souls who read my online journal will be familiar with this.
You didn't have a dream about Edge extolling the virtues of a high protein diet by any chance? 
As Indra says, people are probably making lists from this stuff. I know that I am...I'll probably request a few on the weekend, when I can actually think about what I'd like. And, hey, you did mention New Adventures in Hi-Fi...that's genius right there! 
