alright, here's my list. i really tried to keep it to 30, but it was just too hard. if you're interested in hearing anything, email me at:
U2Chick [at] gmail [dot] com. let me know if m4a is ok for you, or if you prefer mp3's.
____________________________________________________
50. longview – further
cd – mercury
a lovely pop number complete with a bunch of little build ups and a messy-sounding guitar. i don’t know why i’m such a sucker for songs like this.
49. something corporate – konstantine
cd – songs for silent movies EP
because sometimes, when i’m feeling all emo, this song just hits the spot.
48. the delays – wanderlust
cd – faded seaside glamour
see #23 on yertle’s list - dude definitely sounds like a lady.
this would be the perfect song for lying on the beach in a bikini, and sipping a fruity drunk with an umbrella straw.
47. refused – the new noise
cd – the shape of punk to come
this song just kicks ass all over the place.
46. nine inch nails – starfuckers, inc.
cd – the fragile
so was this song written for courtney love or marilyn manson? either way: BUUURRRRRNN!
seriously, trent makes great use of the carly simon lyric, and then with a minute and a half left to go, everything kicks in hard and it all goes to hell, in a good way.
45. the distillers – hall of mirrors
cd - the coral fang
this is my angrygrrl-bitchout song. and who does that better than brody dalle? i don’t know how she manages to make her voice sing and scream and sound so sexy all at the same time, but fuck yeah! it works!
44. depeche mode – never let me down again
cd – music for the masses
trust issues anyone? the grandiose ending when martin gore sings the
see the stars, they're shining bright… bit is excellent.
43. new order – confusion (pump panel reconstruction mix)
cd – the rest of new order
get out your furry pants and sucker soothers, kids! it’s raver time! seriously, this remix is absolutely relentless – it’ll kick your ass up and down the block.
42. doves – pounding
cd – the last broadcast
the title matches this song perfectly.
41. radiohead – a reminder
cd – airbag/how am i driving? EP
if you listen closely, this whole track is underpinned by what sounds like noise from a train station or an airport or something. combined with the lyrics, it really gives reinforces the feeling that he’s looking back over his life.
40. björk – hyperballad
cd – post
a cute little dance number about being self-destructive that only björk could pull off.
39. the cure – pictures of you (extended dub mix)
cd – mixed up
i love this remix so much more than the original. something about that echoey effect makes robert smith’s voice sound more sad and lonely than usual. and the chimes are oh-so pretty.
38. front line assembly – provision
cd – caustic grip
the slaughter starts now, without a warning
a classic from one of, if not
the masters of the genre.
37. the sundays – wild horses
cd – blind
one of the best covers of anything i’ve ever heard. if you make it to heaven and get to hear an angel sing, that’ll be harriet wheeler’s voice you hear. i’m sure of it.
36. the stone roses – i wanna be adored
cd – the stone roses
the best of britpop – before it was actually britpop.
35. the smiths – how soon is now?
cd – meat is murder
when you say it's gonna happen now
well, when exactly do you mean ?
see i've already waited too long
and all my hope is gone
i know the feeling, moz. why don’t you punch me in the stomach while you’re at it?
34. radiohead – optimistic
cd – kid a
i think this song is about animals. ok, i dunno what it’s about. it’s just awesome.
33. mazzy star – fade into you
cd – so tonight that i might see
oh wait. it’s hope sandoval’s voice you’ll hear if you get to heaven.
32. stars – on peak hill
cd – nightsongs
their music is just so damn pretty. a great song from their debut album.
’i need some time,’ you said to me. that’s when i knew you were gonna make me lonely…
31. vnv nation – forsaken
cd – praise the fallen
an ebm instrumental with a few samples taken from a couple of movies (‘1984’ and ‘jacob’s ladder’, i believe), as the genre is wont to do. they later recorded a version with vocals, but i find the singing really interferes with the mood of the whole piece. it’s beautifully sad and haunting. just immerse yourself in its darkness.
30. interpol – public pervert
cd – antics
a song with a questionable title and paul banks’ sexy deadpan voice singing some totally romantic lyrics.
i like to imagine he’s really singing them to me. *swoon*
29. ministry – just one fix
cd – psalm 69
never trust a junkie
this song makes me want to pick up a drug habit in the worst way.
one of the few songs in existence that actually deserve this: :rockout:
28. radiohead – true love waits
cd – i might be wrong live EP
i’m not living… i’m just killing time
thom and an acoustic guitar. it’s really all anyone needs.
27. depeche mode – enjoy the silence
cd – violator
does anyone else see the irony of writing a song that tells us to ‘enjoy the SILENCE’? or how about the irony that the song is so damn good that you want to listen to it over and over again, and thus, NOT enjoy the silence? anyone??
26. the smiths – there is a light that never goes out
cd – the queen is dead
to die by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege is mine.
what else can i say? fantastic track.
25. nine inch nails – ruiner
cd – the downward spiral
when i’m feeling like i’ve been hard done by, this is the song i go to.
i suppose any trent reznor song would do, but this is the one that stands out.
24. broken social scene – backyards
cd – beehives
it’s a hard parade just be courageous
you know a band is great when their throwaway b-sides are this good. the last 3 minutes of this song are absolutely gorgeous.
23. radiohead – how can you be sure?
cd – fake plastic trees single
speaking of throwaway b-sides… the stuff that radiohead considers unfit for release on a regular album should put any band out there to shame. seriously.
22. wolf parade – i’ll believe in anything
cd – apologies to the queen mary
i’ll take you where nobody knows you and nobody gives a damn either way
about your blood. your bones. your voice. and your ghost.
sounds like a video game or something at the beginning and then sounds kind of tribal for a bit there. but the lyrics and the build-up make this song totally worth it.
21. iron & wine – the trapeze swinger
cd – in good company soundtrack
this song is a little repetitive at 9 and a half minutes long, but each verse is still a bit prettier than the one before. and there’s something about the rhythm and sam beam’s voice that is so soothing. the perfect song for a lazy sunday morning in bed.
20. radiohead – talk show host
cd – street spirit single
radiohead doing the triphop thing. the lyrics and music have this angry, nothing-left-to-lose quality that i really like.
i’ll be waiting with a gun and a pack of sandwiches…
and nothing.
19. the arcade fire – rebellion (lies)
cd – funeral
if you don’t have funeral by now, what the hell are you waiting for???!?!
no really. just get it or i’ll never talk to you again.
18. radiohead – where i end and you begin
cd – hail to the thief
i love how thom’s voice kind of just glides over the rumbling bass and the staccato drumming. that is, until he joins them in the end with the
i will eat you alive… there'll be no more lies bit. good stuff.
17. stars – set yourself on fire
cd – set yourself on fire
this song bops along happily until about 2 minutes from the end, when it turns into sheer bliss.
twenty years asleep before we sleep. forever.
16. interpol – pda
cd – turn on the bright lights
another – ANOTHER – one where the switch up at the end totally makes the song.
15. radiohead – street spirit (fade out)
cd – the bends
i think it’s impossible for me to listen to this song with my eyes open, it’s just that beautiful. unless, of course, i’m watching the video, which is one of my favourites.
14. tori amos – silent all these years/winter/precious things/tear in your hand
cd – little earthquakes
ok. i know i kinda cheated here. when i first heard this cd so many years ago, i thought, ‘this needs to be MANDATORY listening for every woman, everywhere.’ i still do.
13. stars – elevator love letter
cd – heart
the most gorgeous song about being lonely that you’ll ever hear. i dare you not to fall in love with it.
12. broken social scene – anthems for a seventeen year-old girl
cd - you forgot it in people
much like ‘backyards’ this song has emily haines. and a banjo. and one of the prettiest string arrangements ever – pitter patter goes my heart.
.
park that car. drop that phone. sleep on the floor. dream about me.
11. depeche mode – stripped
cd – black celebration
probably my favourite dm song ever. extremely sexy.
i should have posted it in helloangel’s striptease thread a while back.
10. tori amos – hey jupiter (dakota version)
cd – hey jupiter EP
i wasn’t a huge fan of the album version, but this one is just spectacular. the extra lyrics in the bridge are what do it for me:
i know he isn’t you… never you. and the last fifteen seconds where it’s just the piano with tori’s voice echoing in the background. :happysigh:
9. interpol - not even jail
cd – antics
i love how this song starts out with the guitar like a laser beam coming at you, then it goes all slow motion, like in the matrix when neo gets all bendy when he’s dodging the bullets. i also love how it ends all dark and atmospheric with the sparkly, jangly guitar. and i love everything in between. definitely my favourite interpol song.
8. broken social scene – it’s all gonna break
cd – broken social scene
a beautiful, epic, sprawling mess of a song. it could have been 4 separate songs - they’re really all over the map with this one. but i love, love, love every single minute of it.
7. sigur rós – glósóli
cd – takk
how can i describe this song without sounding morbid? this is the song i want to be playing at the very moment of my death. it plods along sweetly until the 3 and 1/2 minute mark, and then begins building into a heart-pounding, heart-wrenching climax. beautifully tragic… glorious martyrdom… life flashing before your eyes.
an excellent video too.
6. the walkmen – the rat
cd – bows + arrows
incendiary is the only word i can think of to describe this song. it’s seething with frustration and indignation.
it makes me want to spit in someone’s face.
5. new order – regret
cd – republic
just wait ‘til tomorrow. i guess that’s what they all say…
just before they fall apart.
no one does melancholy pop quite like new order.
4. stars – ageless beauty
cd – set yourself on fire
a fantastic pop song that is absolutely carried by amy millan’s wispy, breathy vocals. and even i, who can wallow in self-pity with the best of them, manage to get buoyed by the lyric,
underestimated, undefeated in this life. the video almost makes me cry. you can see it here
http://www.spyentertainment.com/main.html (click on ‘directors’ near the top of the page. then choose ‘chris grismer’, and click on ‘view reel’. under contents, click on ‘chris grismer videos’ and a list will come up. stars is the 3rd one.)
3. radiohead – black star
cd - the bends
thom yorke writes a song detailing the demise of my most significant relationship - 3 years BEFORE i even meet the guy in question. listen to thom, guys. he’s always right.
i love how this song kinda starts
in media res, like they’ve been playing it the whole time and i just happened to walk in on them.
2. broken social scene – lover’s spit
cd – you forgot it in people/beehives
regardless of who sings it, lover’s spit is a gorgeous song about growing old and doing some shit with the person you love.
should i ever find a guy out there who’s crazy enough to want to spend the rest of his life with me, this song will be played. count on it.
1. radiohead – let down
cd – ok computer
i don’t know if i can even explain what this song does to me. it’s so sad and beautiful. then, just when i think my heart can’t ache anymore, thom just lets go and it breaks completely. every. single. time.