The last Franz Ferdinand album was a bit of a disappointment in my eyes. Not that it was bad of course, but just, not as good as their previous three. But this is a cracking single. It's just incredibly funky and simply, Franz Ferdinand at their quicky yet cool best. There's a certain oddity about the band that I can't put my hands on, and it's that strange side to them that always keeps me entertained. They're not like a lot of other indie bands, they go against the grain and never stray far from their unusual style. "Evil Eye" is all of this in a nutshell and it's just great.
Happy New Year. After a two week break from doing any DJ shows I've done another one. This one celebrates the year of 2013 in music. All the music in the show (apart from the intro) are from the year 2013. I also had a record amount of requests for the show. Thanks for all the support. The next six weeks I'll be revealing, both on this website, and on Mixcloud, the Mercyside 100. It will count down the 100 most played songs on my personal media player from Jan 1st to Dec 31st of 2013. It'll mix all sorts of music, not just rock and metal, because I have quite an ecclectic taste in music. It's a personal journey this time round but if you want to possibly hear new songs, or want to know what I listened to last year, keep following me on this site or on Mixcloud to find out. Also, if you haven't noticed, I'm doing a listing on this website again. I'm daily, one at a time, revealing my favourite 50 video game villains. click here for the beginning of the listing if you're interested. Anyway, here's the 2013 special show. Any feedback is appreciated if you listen to the show, the link is below!
2013 Special Show: 3/1/14 Track listing: Get Lucky - Daft Punk Suit and Tie - Justin Timberlake When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Come Walk With Me - M.I.A. Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo Black Skinhead - Kanye West Work - Iggy Azalea Go Kindergarten - The Lonely Island Bassline Junkie - Dizzee Rascal The Walking Dead Theme (Billy Van Mix) - Billy Van Ingenue - Atoms for Peace Let Her Go - Passenger King City - Swim Deep Evil Eye - Franz Ferdinand GoGoGo - Status Quo Still Into You - Paramore Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys Whiskey Saga - The Fratellis Kalopsia (with Trent Reznor) - The Queens of the Stone Age Cut Me Some Slack - Nirvana and Paul McCartney Quack Like a Duck - The Goat and Your Mom Sail - Devildriver Forgotten Arrows - Gorguts All Time Low - Nine Inch Nails It Gets Worse - Mindless Self Indulgence Rock and Roll (in a Black Hole) - Rob Zombie Total running time: 02:01:55 Other entries you might want to read: My Top 50 Favourite Video Game Villains - Listing The Rock and Metal Double Feature Show Christmas Special (20/12/13) - DJ Show Download Festival Special Show - DJ Show
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Hey there, welcome to my newest Mixtape. This one is paying homage to the music of the FIFA football games, something that has been a constant source of decent sound for some time. Now, if you know me personally or have been following my work on this site, you'll know that I love my metal. My interest in indie is nothing on metal, and don't get me started on dance music, electronic, RnB or ambience. These other genres for the most part don't interest me. But they are always evident in the FIFA games and quite often the songs that are chosen year upon year are great. So what I'm hoping you'll see in today's list is a different side to my musical tastes.
Not familiar with my Mixtapes? Here are the rules.
A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The
list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further
recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids,
downloading is wrong!
Okay, before I start, I'd like to say two things. Firstly, FIFA didn't really have long and productive soundtracks on their games until FIFA 2004 came out, and while certain games before it had one or two popular tracks, nothing was really substantial until then. Secondly, I haven't played every FIFA game. I've played most of them, so one or two games are missing from the list. But I cover most of the games, and I think you can appreciate the amount of games that are actually covered here. Enjoy!
And that's my playlist. If you like the genres mentioned above and haven't heard some of these songs give them a listen, the videos all link to Youtube where possible. I'm starting to run dry on ideas at the moment for future Mixtapes, so if you have any other ideas comment below, with some suggestions and I might cover them. That's it from me today, have a good night.
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Hey there. Here's another one of my Mixtapes. This one celebrates the art of the B-Side. The B-Side is an underrated tool in music. Always initially considered inferior to its A-Side, it has to hope that some people like the A-Side enough for it to be listened, and then hope that its greatness some how outshines the song it's actually supporting. It's a bit like a support act for a gig really. There have been some fantastic B-Sides in music and I'm here to celebrate my favourites. I have a few from all sorts of different eras here so there's a decent selection. Not familiar with my Mixtapes? Here are the rules.
A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The
list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further
recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids,
downloading is wrong!
Before I get into the Mixtape, I have to set some caps. First and foremost, the B-Sides in this list were not released as singles, not before, not afterwards. They are not to appear on an album before or after either, unless it was a bonus track or on a bonus CD, or released on the album as part of a re-issue at a later date. EPs don't count either, but it can however, appear on an album full of B-sides, rarities, a mixture with live tracks and compilations. It can also appear on soundtracks. Another rule, is that Double A-Sides don't count. I know there's a stringent criteria here but it gets messy easily if you let lose all these criterias.
Anyway, let's get to it! My favourite B-Sides!
I Am the Walrus - The Beatles (A-Side: Hello, Goodbye) [Also appears on: Magical Mystery Tour (Soundtrack)]
And that's it! If you like some of the artists above but have never heard these great B-Sides give them a whirl. Do you have any ideas about what other Mixtapes I can make? Have you got any other B-Sides you want to mention? Comment below if you do. That's it from me today to take care and spike your hair. Have a good night.
To view part 1, click here. To view part 2, click here. To view part 3, click here. To view part 4, click here. To view part 5, click here. To view part 6, click here. To view part 7, click here. To view part 8, click here.
20 songs to go. Here are what I consider are the 20 most important songs of the decade, from #20 to #11. Enjoy.
#20. "When You Were Young" - The Killers Released: 18/09/06 Album: Sam's Town Accolades: Nominated for Best Rock Song at the Grammys, #4 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2006, #37 in XFM's 100 Greatest Songs of All Time, Nominated for Best Track at the Shockwaves NME Awards Appearances: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (video game), SingStar Amped (video game), Rock Band (video game) Chart Positions: UK - #2, US - #14 (#1 in Modern Rock Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Australia and New Zealand - #10 After the amazing success of "Hot Fuss", The Killers surely knew that the next album had to have an impact for them to maintain their major success in the UK, and further stamp their feet in their homeland of the US. "When You Were Young", the lead single off the second album, did exactly that. Sure it's not as catchy and dancy as "Somebody Told Me", and it's not as indie rock as "Mr. Brightside", but there was something nice and fresh about "When You Were Young". The band mention a huge Bruce Springsteen inspiration going into the studio for "Sam's Town" and you can definitely feel it in this track. It was remarkably successful, it's still their highest charting song here in the UK, despite there being just one more song by the band that I think tops it. You'll see that song further into the Top 20.
#19. "The Scientist" - Coldplay Released: 4/11/02 Album: A Rush of Blood to the Head Chart Positions: UK - #10, US - #18 (in Modern Rock Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Poland - #1 No accolades, no appearances. In fact at the time, it wasn't that huge in sales either. Yet I don't think that many songs by Coldplay have had the long term impact this song has. "The Scientist" has longevity that emphasises what this list is about. This list is about many things, it's about chart successs and sales, it's about accolades. It's about how often the song appears in other media. But most importantly, these are the songs that I'm predicting will still be played in 10, 20, 30 years time from now. And I'm telling you, this song will be played for many years to come. "The Scientist" isn't an energetic song, it isn't a foot tapper. But the melody, the piano, the memorable chorus, the video, everything about it is iconic. This is arguably THE Coldplay song of the decade. I say arguably, as I think there is one more song by the band that has more importance. You'll see that song soon.
#18. "Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand Released: 12/1/04 Album: Franz Ferdinand Accolades:
#1 in Village Voice Pazz and Jop's Best of 2004, #1 Triple J's Hottest
100 of 2004, #100 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time, #41 in Q
Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks, #34 in Q Magazine's Best Songs by
British Bands, #6 in Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Indie Anthems, #16 in
NME's 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever, #7 in MTV2's Greatest Indie
Anthems Ever, #44 in Pitchfork Media's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s, #327
in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Appearances:
Sony PSP (handheld consone advertisement), NHL 2005 (video game),
Madden NFL 2005 (video game), Sports Tonight (sports TV show), Guitar
Hero (video game), Guitar Hero Smash Hits (video game), SingStar Party
(video game), SingStar Pop (video game), Just Dance 2 (video game),
Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 (video game), Rock Band (video game),
Hancock (movie trailer), PBS Kids GO! (childrens education
advertisment), Meet the Fockers (movie trailer) Chart Positions: UK - #3, US - #6 (#3 in Modern Rock Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Canada - #7 Finally!
A song with LOADS of accolades and appearances! I haven't had a song
with this many entries in both sections for a while, I was starting to
lose faith! Seriously though, it's hard to deny how much of an impact
this song made. An arguement can be made that this song started the Art
Rock revival (Radiohead aside of course), with bands like Art Brut, Bloc
Party and Athlete rising afterwards. And the song was so damn catchy as
well. Franz Ferdinand won't beat this track in terms of impact,
although on a personal level I prefer other tracks. The best thing about
"Take Me Out" was that it pretty much at the time came out of nowhere.
It got a small amount of airplay before it gor released, and then all of
a sudden it just got more and more popular as the week went on. It
ended up getting to #3, but I reckon it would have gone straight to #1
if they promoted it earlier. Regardless, this song is a classic now I'd
say.
#17. "Viva la Vida" - Coldplay Released: 25/5/08 Album: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Accolades:
Winner of the Song of the Year at the Grammys, Nominated for Record of
the Year at the Grammys, #9 in Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2008,
#2 in Rolling Stone's Readers Best Songs of 2008, #5 in Blender's Top
144 Songs of 2008, #8 in Village Voice Pazz and Jop's Best of 2008 Appearances:
iPod (portable media advertisment), iTunes (digital media
advertisment), Medium (TV series), 90210 (TV series), Moving in America
(radio show), A Favorita (TV series), The Simpsons (TV series), Chart Positions: UK - #1, US - #1 (#3 in Modern Rock Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Czech Republic and Slovakia - #1 This
song got to #1 in America. It's the first British song that got to #1
in America since 1996, when the Spice Girls got there with "Wannabe".
That on its own is a remarkable achievement, and Coldplay should be damn
proud of that. I touched on this on my Most Important Artists of the Decade
listing, where I said Coldplay got closer and closer to the #1 spot in
the UK and the US, but they kept failing. When this song came out, I
don't know why, but it just felt right. Man, I don't really like this
band but I can see why this song was so successful. It just sounds so
pure, it's the buildup of all the Coldplay songs built into one track.
The classical music, Chris Martin's vocals, the chanting, the song
manages to be beautiful and catchy at the same time, and it's hard for a
song to do that. So all in all, I'm happy we got another band to break
America officially, regardless if I like them or not.
#16. "Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes Released: 7/3/03 Album: Elephant Accolades:
Winner of the Best Rock Song at the Grammys, #6 in Rolling Stone's 50
Best Songs of the Decade, #8 in Q Magazine's 100 Best Guitar Tracks, #5
in NME's 50 Greatest Tracks of the Decade, #75 in VH1's Greatest Hard
Rock Songs, #21 in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All
Time, #20 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time, #30 in Pitchfork
Media's Top 500 Songs of the 2000s, #2 in Observer Music Monthly's 75
Songs of the Decade, #2 in Channel V Australia's Top 1000 Songs of the
2000s, #1 in Consequence of Sound's Top Rock Tracks of the 2000s, #1 in
WFNX Radio's Top Rock Tracks of the 2000s, #286 in Rolling Stone's Top
500 Greatest Songs of All Time, #1 in Rhapsody's Top 100 Tracks of the
Decade Appearances: Democracy Now! (news program) Listings: Best Riffs, Best Videos, Top 100 Songs of the Decade Chart Positions: UK - #7, US - #76 (#1 in Alternative Songs Chart), Best Elsewhere - Germany - #4 Wow.
So far in this listing no song has got THAT many accolades. Even though
I've only put one appearance down, it's important to note that this
song was a HUGE anthem in the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Loads of different
fans from many different countries world wide sung the tune to this in
the crouds, it was amazing. It's also important to note that on a
personal note, this song has featured in FOUR of my categories now,
which are my favourite riffs, my favourite music videos, my personal top
100, and now, the unbiased top 100. No other song has done that on this
website. In fact, just in case you wanted to know, this song is the
last song that is featured both on the biased and unbiased listings. So
why is this song so well received? It's just a simple guitar riff that
is played over and over again. The truth is that I have no idea really,
it's just so fricking catchy, the lyrics are quite smart, that guitar
riff is just beautiful despite it being so simple, and while I try not
to use music videos as reason for each entry, the music video is just as
simple a concept as the guitar riff, but equally as effective. It's
just quite simply, a piece of genius this song. I honestly don't think
The White Stripes will top this effort popularity wise. It's just
perfect.
#15. "All Summer Long" - Kid Rock Released: 5/4/08 Album: Rock 'n' Roll Jesus Appearances: WWE Backlash 2008 (wrestling pay-per-view) Chart Positions: UK
- #1, US - #23 (#4 in Hot Country Songs Chart), Best Elsewhere
- Australia, Austria, Europe, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland - #1 Getting
to #1 in 6 different countries is impressive on any scale and Kid Rock
did just that with this huge summer hit. If you listened to music much
in the summer of 2008 then you simply couldn't get rid of this song, if
you like it or not. With it's riff that was borrowed from "Sweet Home
Alabama", and its general warm lyrics about having a good time in the
summer (Kid Rock manages not to be so crude in this track) it was just
universally popular with a lot of people. It wasn't musically his finest
piece, hell I don't think he even put much effort into the track but
that's probably the key, Kid Rock just got everything right with this
song, he didn't need to overload it. It's just a nice summer song.
#14. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" - The Darkness Released: 17/3/03 Album: Permission to Land Accolades:
#47 in Q Magazine's 101 Greatest Guitar Tracks, #493 in Blenders
Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, #276 in Pitchfork's
500 Top Tracks of the 2000s, #94 in VH1's Best Hard Rock Songs Appearances:
Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 (video game), Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades
(video game), The Bill (TV series), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
(movie), SingStar (video game) Chart Positions: UK - #2, US - #35 (in Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Ireland - #5 Regardless
of how badly The Darkness fell from their hill back halfway through the
decade, this song was a huge hit. It was the pinnacle of success, it
was the song that if you would choose if you had to describe the band
with a single track. The ridiculous falsetto, the awfully cheesy video,
the leotards, the Queen-esque guitar solos, the lyrics about cheesy
love, everything. It's what The Darkness was. And it was only denied the
#1 spot by the huge RnB hit "Where is the Love?" by the Black Eyed
Peas. The Darkness really set the bar with this track, unfortunately for
them it was a bar they were never able to reach again (unless an
amazing comeback proves me otherwise). Either way, the song is still
definitely well thought of by many people.
#13. "All the Small Things" - Blink-182 Released: 18/1/00 Album: Enema of the State Appearances:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series), Charlie's Angels (movie),
Clockstoppers (movie), Rock Band (video game), Guitar Hero 5 (video
game), Guitar Hero: On Tour (video game), Rock Revolution (video game) Listings: Best Videos Chart Positions: UK - #2, US - #6 (#1 in Alternative Songs Chart), Best Elsewhere - Austria - #4 Well
this song is a classic. It really is. The reason why it's not higher is
because I need to spread 10 years evenly. This song is just oozing of
pop punk. It'll forever be known for its video, where the band take the
piss out of boybands to fantastic comical effect. But the song itself,
in its simplicity, is just a charming teenage boy's track. And there's
nothing wrong with that. When I think about how I made this listing, I
thought about predicting what songs will be played from the decade in
10, 20, 30 years time. And this song fits into that category. No
dispute. This song is a classic, it will never go away. And kudos to
Blink-182 for that.
#12. "Somebody Told Me" - The Killers Released: 15/3/04 Album: Hot Fuss Accolades:
#9 in XFM's Top 100 Songs of the Decade, #4 in Triple J's Hottest 100
of 2004, #60 in Absolute Radio's 100 Best Songs of the Decade, #41 in
NME's 100 Greatest Tracks of the Decade, Nominated for Best Rock Track
at the Grammys, Nominated for Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track at the
International Dance Music Awards Appearances: Rocky Balboa (movie), Rock Revolution (video game), DJ Hero (video game) Chart Positions: UK - #3, US - #51 (#3 in Hot Modern Rracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Poland - #1 Another
song that you pretty much call a classic now. The Killers started their
very successful career with this indie belter. "Somebody Told Me" got
very high for a debut rock song, and it still pretty much remains the
song to beat for the band in terms of impact. They've had hit after hit
after hit, yet they've not shook this song away as being THE song to
represent The Killers. "Human", "When You Were Young" and "Mr
Brightside", all great tracks, but in my eyes are inferior in importance
in comparison to this song. Look at those accolades, this song is rated
highly by the NME, Triple J, Absolute Radio and XFM, four highly
reputable music critics.
#11. "Valerie" - The Zutons / Mark Ronson Released: 19/6/06 / 15/10/07 Album: Tired of Hanging Around / Version Accolades: Nominated for Best British Single at the BRIT Awards Appearances: 2006 FIFA World Cup (football coverage), 27 Dreses (movie) Chart Positions: UK - #9, Best Elsewhere - Ireland - #32 / UK - #2, Best Elsewhere - Holland - #1 Yeah
this song only got to #1 in one country, but what you may not have
known is that this song got to #1 in Holland, then they released an
acoustic version, and they both versions the iTunes #1 and #2 spots.
That was the Mark Ronson version by the way. But
before that, The Zutons released the original version. Now the original
was a surprise hit, it was the second single off the album and it more
than matched the first single ("Why Don't You Give Me Your Love". It's
by far their biggest hit.
But... let's
be honest, it's the Mark Ronson version that made this song just
marginally miss a place in my Top 10. It was just huge. He really made
the song his own. Amy Winehouse's vocals were perfect for the song, and
the chirpy music was just splendid. I bet The Zutons love AND hate Mark
Ronson for completely picking their song to pieces and remodelling it in
his image. But it was an incredible cover version, and the amazing this
is that it was only released ay ear later. It wasn't an old track
rehashed, it was a recent song that got reworked, and the quality
between the two is ridiculously obvious. Mark Ronson solidified his
reputation immensely after this song.
Top
10 time tomorrow. We're almost there. It may have took a long time for
us to get here, but I've enjoyed it and I hope you have. What song will
be in the Top 10? Make your predictions in the comment section below.
Have a good night.
To view part 10, click here. To view the winner, click here. To view my methods and explanations, click here. To view a full archived stats index of the songs listed, click here.
Welcome to Part 8 of 10, we are entering the section of the listing that if I were to rate songs based on how much I like them, they’d all probably be ****3/4 or ***** star tracks. But I’m not going to rate songs, it seems a bit too forward for my liking, I’d rather rate albums as full pieces of work than individual songs. Anyway, let’s get under way.
#30. “The Fight Song” – Marilyn Manson
Released: 2/2/01
Album: Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Marilyn Manson had a shite decade overall. But the few sparks in a declining career were and are evident. Holy Wood was a decent album but the best thing about it was the fantastic singles released off it. The same apply to The Golden Age of Grotesque. So the two albums combined, the singles off it, actually make Marilyn Manson reach the three single cap in this listing, starting off with this metal anthem. And it is just that, a metal anthem. The Fight Song was a huge metal hit in the underground metal scene and is still (albeit a lot more rarely now) played in clubs today. The “Fight! Fight!” chant in the chorus is too catchy for it not to be. The lyrics are also brilliant too, with the stand out line being “The death of one is a tragedy/the death of a million is just a statistic”. The Fight Song was easily one Marilyn Manson’s best songs, not just in this decade but his entire music career. It’s a cracker of a song.
#29. “Grounds for Divorce” – Elbow
Released: 10/3/08
Album: The Seldom Seen Kid
Listings: Best Riffs
Elbow are a band that I’ll admit, seemed to have drifted past me somehow. They’ve been active for some time, but I hadn’t heard their music until the past few years. But it seems I’m not the only one, Elbow just blew up in recent years in terms of popularity. I’m sure there are a billion Elbow fans that will insist they heard their music back in the start of the decade and I’m sure most of them didn’t. It happens all the time. Anyway, “Grounds for Divorce” is definitely the highlight track for me. “One Day Like This” will get all the plaudits, all the attention, all the requests for it to be used on all programs, but for me, “Grounds for Divorce” is the Elbow sound I want to hear more. Guy Garvey’s soft and poetic voice works well for both styles of song, but that guitar… the build up to that guitar… it’s just magical. It’s just an amazing sound when you hear that guitar go, I want more songs like this. “Grounds for Divorce” is a track that I want to hear played as often as “One Day Like This” actually IS played. It’s a shame it won’t be.
#28. “How I Could Just Kill a Man” – Rage Against the Machine
Released: 20/2/01
Album: Renegades
It’s odd to think of Rage Against the Machine actually releasing material in this decade but it’s true. They released two singles from their cover versions album, “Renegades” with both of them being fantastic renditions of the original songs, so good that they both make the list. The first is their version of “How I Could Just Kill a Man”; the original by was by Cypress Hill (which is also quite good, as someone who isn’t a big fan), in which Rage add more metal to the already hard edged hip hop group from California. The blend of rap and metal, a combination in which Zach de la Rocha is pretty much a king of now, plays perfectly in this track. The lyrics are also very interesting, although they have caused controversy for obvious reasons. “How I Could Just Kill a Man” was an awesome song, it’s just weird to think of Rage releasing songs in this decade, but it did happen.
#27. “Blue Orchid” – The White Stripes
Released: 30/5/05
Album: Get Behind Me Satan
I love “Blue Orchid”. I put in “Seven Nation Army” into the Best Riffs listing but this was very close to replacing it. I love that bass-rich guitar riff, it sounds fantastic. I don’t know what it is about a strong bass, or at least a strong bass-rich riff, it just sounds so gorgeous. Jack White’s brilliant guitars and Meg’s vintage simple yet effective drumming makes this song just simply ooze greatness. There’s nothing more to be said really, apart from that I think this is The White Stripes’ best effort to date.
#26. “Hurt” – Johnny Cash
Released: 8/3/03
Album: American IV: The Man Comes Around
Listings: Best Videos
I’m telling you straight now, this is the hardest song to place in this list. It’s also featured in the unbiased list, and it was featured in the “Best Videos” list too. It’s so fucking hard to place this song in any listing of any type. The reason is very straightforward. It’s too good to rank. It’s too good to place. It’s too heart wrenching to think about placing it in something as trivial in comparison, like a music listing. But I’ve placed it here at #26.
I can’t always listen to this song. Sometimes I’d rather not, and skip it. The same rule does apply to the Nine Inch Nails original, but more emphatic in this version. It’s hard, really hard, listening to this song, without feeling the goosebumps, without feeling an urge to shed a tear. The man passed away and this was his goodbye gift. He still sung as beautifully in this song as he did 40 years before. He is just quite simply one of the most important men in the history of music, no, in the history of the twentieth century.
#25. “Lucid Dreams” – Franz Ferdinand
Released: 18/8/08
Album: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand’s third and final entry into my Top 100 is one of the most odd entries. It’s one minute, forty-nine seconds longer than the second longest track in the listing (which is #9 in this entire listing. For your information, the shortest song is actually “Pin” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which is ranked #38, which clocks in at exactly two minutes) which I suppose is some form of record any way. This eight-minute masterpiece isn’t as well received, as I believe it should be, it’s one of Franz Ferdinand’s rare variances from their comfort zone, deciding to mix their sound with that of the early 1980’s new wave/electronica genres. I just love the song from start to finish, I love the music, I love the lyrics, I love the fact that it takes eight minutes of your time to listen to it. I love listening to it too, every note, every beat, everything. It’s a musical mastepiece. I truly believe that. It’s a shame not many other people, even other Franz Ferdinand fans, like it as much as I do.
#24. “Rock Star” – N.E.R.D.
Released: 8/10/02
Album: In Search Of… (Reissue)
I’d like to make it clear that this is the single version of the song because if you didn’t know, there are two version of this song. The first release of “In Search Of…” was pretty much an RnB album, but the Reissue had real instruments and man, naturally, it made things so much better. No more than this track, man the simple yet effective drums and bass make this song so much better. There’s nothing fancy about the instruments but it does make a fantastic racket, a great great sound that works so well with Pharell’s vocals. I just absolutely love this song and am not afraid to admit that.
#23. “Right Now” – KoRn
Released: 7/10/03
Album: Take a Look in the Mirror
"That's a song about waking up and wanting to kill everybody." – Jonathan Davis
Thanks Jonathan, it’s one of my favourite themes too. The subject of the song, and also, the music video aside, this song is brilliant. KoRn know how to work those guitars, and this is one of the best songs that brings that crunching industrial guitar to the fore. And regardless of the subject matter, the “Shut up, shut up, shut up or I’ll fuck you up” hook is just so good, it just makes you want to trash your house (and NOT kill people, stay safe kids) and shout at the top of your lungs. KoRn just have that ability to make great sounding industrial metal in a unique and particular way, it’s just a shame Jonathan’s lyrics are quite silly sometimes.
#22. “Sonne” – Rammstein
Released: 12/2/01
Album: Mutter
Another great metal anthem from the decade. Those industrial guitars, a common theme you will see in the buildup to the #1 spot as it’s my favourite genre, are just iconic now. Rammstein know how to make those guitars make a damn good noise, and Sonne is just a phenomenal track from a brilliant album. Of course a lot of people remember the video, loosely based on the Snow White story (but warped of course) but I prefer to remember this song for its great opening riff and a certain dance called the Menheneott dance. I’d post the video but I’m not sure if certain people would be too pleased… we’ll see!
#21. “Fever for the Flava” – Hot Action Cop
Released: 4/3/03
Album: Hot Action Cop
Mmmmmmm. If you’ve never heard this track before and like yourself a bit of the funk/rap hybrid of say the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bloodhound Gang then listen to this. It’s a fantastic song, and the lyrics and video are just full to the brim of innuendo it’s funnily stupid. I heard this song way back in 2003 whilst watching MTV2 and in honesty; I hadn’t seen the song on television since. Yet when I saw it that once I did my research on the band and got their album. Thankfully I did because if I didn’t I probably would have forgotten about this band (that being said my good friend Michele does also like them). Just give it a listen; if you like your funk/rap and like or tolerate the lyrics then you’ll like this song.
That’s it for today; we’re about to hit the Top 20. A lot of these songs are in the metal genre because on the whole I prefer my metal to my alternative rock. It’s just that it’s getting very difficult to find decent metal bands nowadays. Fuck knows why. Anyway, I hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. Take care.
To view part 9, click here. To view part 10, click here.
