Music Album Review: Velociraptor! by Kasabian

Finally, Kasabian have made a great album - "Velociraptor!" is their finest work to date.

“Velociraptor!” is Kasabian's fourth album, and was released last October, just over five months ago. Kasabian have been around for a while now, they're an established British band who have found the respect of the British public and have tried to break out to the States, with unfortunately little success. For me and a lot of people I know, Kasabian have been one of those bands who produce quality singles but their album material never keep up. Does "Velociraptor!" follow the same pattern? Here's my take on the album. 

The album starts off with "Let's Roll Just Like We Used to", a great opener, it's catchy and full of the material that makes Kasabian one of the better indie bands in recent times. Tom Meighan's Leicester accent has always been the thing that make Kasabian stand out from the rest of the indie crowd, and it's prominent in this opening to the album. 

The first single off the album is the second track, "Days Are Forgotten", which is a pretty damn cool track. I love the howling in the beginning of the track and as the choruses fade out. The song was also used on WWE's Pay-Per-View "Tables Ladders and Chairs", which was cool, being a wrestling fan, and it was also great to see Kasabian get some exposure over in America. "Days Are Forgotten" is not as good as some of the other singles in Kasabian's library but it still holds its own amongst them. It's a very good track. 

Track three is also the third single off the album, "Goodbye Kiss", which, in my opinion, is easily one of Kasabian's weakest singles in their catalogue. Kasabian as I've said a few times produce fantastic singles, and they're usually very catchy. This song is different from most of their singles, as it's a slower, more bitter romantic track, something they don't do too often. This song was also used in the montage for Formula 1 at the end of the 2011 season. 

After track three are five brilliant tracks. The middle of this album is fantastic. Track four is "La Fee Verte", possibly my favourite song on the album. It's excellently similar to The Beatles, and it's sung by guitarist Sergio Pizzorno, and his vocals are surprisingly fantastic. I'm not going to pick favourites in terms of vocals on the album, Tom and Sergio both bring different styles to the album and they're both welcome in my opinion. That being said this song is just awesome. It's crafted beautifully and sung so well. I love it. Track five is the title track, "Velociraptor!", by some distance the shortest track on the album but it packs some excellent punch. It's similar to a lot of their singles actually, although it's a bit more fast paced. I'm surprised this hasn't been released as a single yet. It's catchy, a little funky and just sounds really cool in general. Nothing more really needs to be said about it really! 

The sixth track, "Acid Turkish Bath" is also sung by the guitarist Sergio and once again it's another well sung, well balanced track. But this time the vocals aren't what makes the song, it's the drums and the violin. This song for me shows the band expanding their horizons a little. Kasabian use an orchestra and this is the first track on the album where you can definitely here it. I really like this song and it's one of my favourites on the album again. Track seven is "I Hear Voices", which sounds good for the most part, but the one thing I really dislike about it is the frustrating new indie/modern new wave electronic music that they've decided to put in the song. It's a personal pet peeve, but I hate this new indie/electronica hybrid that's been around recently, like MGMT and Foster the People. That sound is a sound that I really hate, and to see Kasabian use it annoyed me slightly. But the song otherwise is really good, I like the chorus a lot. 

After that is the second single off the album "Re-wired", which is fine. All three singles on this album are quite good but they pale in comparison to some of the stuff they've released in the past 9 years. "Re-wired" sounds good on this album, but when you compare it to some of the great tracks Kasabian have released as singles in the past, like "Empire", "Club Foot" and "Fire", it just doesn't sound like it's on the same level. 

But the rest of the album keeps up with these singles very well. "Velociraptor!" the album, is great. I've already said that some of my favourite tracks on this album are the non-singles, and it's true. Because the singles aren't as good as the older material, yet the album quality is much better, the album is overall a very balanced piece of music. It's a strange situation, but the singles lacking in quality a little makes the rest of the album stand out, which is great. This album is critically Kasabian's best work. I'm not the only person who has said this, many critics have and it's true. "Velociraptor!" is their finest work to date. 

The rest of the album drops the quality down a little notch, but the best of the three end tracks is the penultimate track, "Switchblade Smiles", which has been used on the new FIFA 12 game (and also part of my "Best of FIFA Trax Mixtape, you can read that here), as well as on Match of the Day 2. This is the most electronic Kasabian have become, and it's not in an annoying indietronica/modern new wave way like in "I Hear Voices", it really kicks ass with the electronic guitars and the electronica music. It's almost Muse-esque, which is a compliment I swear. 

Overall "Velociraptor!" is a great album. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's by far Kasabian's best effort and the album songs are good tracks and support the singles well. It's a balanced album, that tries new things while keeps the elements that make Kasabian stand out a little from all the other indie bands. "Velociraptor!" is Kasabian's finest work to date and well worth a listen if you enjoy Kasabian's singles by norm, and want to get one of their albums. Kasabian usually fail to deliver the goods on their albums, but they've proved me and a lot of other critics wrong. "Velociraptor!" is a cracker of an album, and well worth the risk if you're thinking of purchasing their album.

Rating: ****1/4 stars

Stand out tracks: "La Fee Verte", "Velociraptor!", "Acid Turkish Bath"

Here's the music video for the first single, "Days Are Forgotten":

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Noughtie: Facts and Stats from the 100 Important Songs Listing

Overall Favourite Artists | Best of 2000 | Overall Least Favourite Artists | Best of 2001

Where Are They Now? | Best of 2002 | Best New Artists | Best of 2003 | My Guilty Pleasures
Best of 2004 | My Favourite Riffs | Best of 2005 | Underrated Artists | Best of 2006
 My Favourite Albums | Best of 2007 | Best Videos | Best of 2008 | Most Important Artists
Best of 2009 | 100 Favourite Songs of the Decade | 100 Most Important Songs of the Decade

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.
To view part 9, click here.
To view part 10, click here.
To view the winner, click here.
To view my methods and explanations, click here.


Just as a for your information, this is the 100th official post on this blog. Here's to one hundred more!

We're finally here. The last post to do with this listing. This is just a page full of interesting facts and stats to do with the 100 Most Important Songs of the Decade listing, what media had multiple songs appear in its soundtrack and/or background music. Also, the awards and other reputable listings that had multiple songs in it appear too. Also, it shows what artists and albums had multiple entries. There's probably more but let's just get into it. Enjoy. 

Here’s a list of movies with multiple listing entries:

Movies


American Pie 2 - #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
Clockstoppers - #78 - Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182
Daredevil - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool (trailer), #42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
The One - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach


Here’s a list of TV shows with multiple listing entries:


TV


90210 - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT, #59 - That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings, #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay
The Andy Milonakis Show - #58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz, #1 - American Idiot - Green Day
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - #78 - Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182
Cold Case - #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach, #31 - Run - Snow Patrol, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Doctor Who/Doctor Who Confrontational - #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole - Muse, #31 - Run - Snow Patrol
Entourage - #81 - Time is Running Out - Muse, #51 - Dance Wiv Me - Dizzee Rascal
ER - #25 - Clocks - Coldplay, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Generation Kill - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus
Gossip Girl - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
Hollyoaks/Hollyoaks Later - #97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars, #81 - Time is Running Out - Muse, #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #6 - One Day Like This - Elbow
House MD - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
One Tree Hill - #31 - Run - Snow Patrol, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Rescue Me - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #31 - Run - Snow Patrol
The Simpsons - #74 - Danger! High Voltage - Electric Six, #69 - Cochise - Audioslave, #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay
Skins - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT
Smallville - #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz, #8 - Last Resort - Papa Roach

Top Gear - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #85 - Empire - Kasabian, #75 - The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis
Torchwood/Torchwood Declassified - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z, #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #88 - Filthy/Gorgeous - Scissor Sisters, #81 - Time is Running Out - Muse, #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #6 - One Day Like This - Elbow


Here’s a list of video games with multiple listing entries:


Video Games



Band Hero - #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #67 - Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
Dance Dance Revolution Series - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
DiRT 2 - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #89 - Warriors Dance - The Prodigy
DJ Hero Series - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #71 - Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal, #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers
FIFA Series - #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
Guitar Hero - #69 - Cochise - Audioslave, #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41 , #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - #91 - Slither - Velvet Revolver, #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole - Muse, #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers
Guitar Hero World Tour -  #97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #23 - Human - The Killers
Guitar Hero 5 - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #52 - Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #87 - Uprising - Muse, #26 - I'm Not Okay (I Promise) - My Chemical Romance, #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades - #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm, #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Other Guitar Hero Titles - #84 - Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182
Karaoke Revolution - #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
Other Karaoke Revolution Titles - #67 - Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy, #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Lego Rock Band - #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
Lips - #67 - Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore
Madden NFL Series - #79 - Duality - Slipknot, #68 - Feeling This - Blink-182, #1 - American Idiot - Green Day
NHL Series - #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #7 - Rollin' - Limp Bizkit
Rock Band - #97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars, #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #79 - Duality - Slipknot, #72 - Tribute - Tenacious D, #63 - Gay Bar - Electric Six, #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters, #39 - Fell in Love With a Girl - The White Stripes, #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach, #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm, #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182
Rock Band 3 -  #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #21 - In the End - Linkin Park
Other Rock Band Titles - #46 - Chop Suey! - System of a Down, #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters
SingStar Pop - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Other SingStar Titles - #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness

Tap Tap Revenge 2 (iPhone game) -  #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach
Tony Hawk Series - #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #88 - Filthy/Gorgeous - Scissor Sisters

Here’s a list of other parts of the Noughtie Series with multiple listing entries:

Johnny Mercyside Listings


Best Riffs - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
Best Video - #99 - Shut Me Up - Mindless Self Indulgence, #63 - Gay Bar - Electric Six, #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182
Top 100 Favourite Songs of the Decade - #99 - Shut Me Up - Mindless Self Indulgence, #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #82 - B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down, #70 - Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet, #54 - Paper Planes - MIA, #46 - Chop Suey! - System of a Down, #45 - Fire - Kasabian, #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes


Other Listings

Here’s a list of other sourced lists with multiple listing entries. To avoid confusion, the number with the '#' sign is where it got to on my listing, and the number in the (bracket) is where it got to in the listing specified. The golden font are songs that got to #1 on their respective lists.

Absolute Radio's Best Songs of the Decade - #23 - Human - The Killers (25), #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers (60)
Blender's Top 144 Songs of 2008 - #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (2), #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay (5)
Blender's Top 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born - #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne (197), #21 - In the End - Linkin Park (121), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (493), #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast (15)
CMT's Songs of the Decade - #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash (2), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (1)
MTV's Best Songs of 2009 - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (4), #28 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z (8)
NME's Best of the 2000's - #100 - Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire (9), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (1), #75 - The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis (96), #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (2), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (5), #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers (41)
NME's Greatest Indie Anthems Ever - #100 - Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire (29), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (9), #60 - Standing in the Way of Control - The Gossip (23), #40 - I Predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs (36), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (16), #8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys (10)
Pitchfork's Top 100 Singles from 2000-04 - #25 - Clocks - Coldplay (68), #5 - Hey Ya!    OutKast (2)
Pitchfork's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000's - #100 - Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire (69), #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z (14), #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz (308), #74 - Danger! High Voltage - Electric Six (234), #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (11), #25 - Clocks - Coldplay (155), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (44), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (30), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (276)
Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks - #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (66), #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters (94), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (41), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (8), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (47)
Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2006 - #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (1), #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance (17)
Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2008 - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (3), #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings (27), #23 - Human - The Killers (1), #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay (9), #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon (40)
Rolling Stone's Top 100 Songs of the 2000's - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z (2), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (16), #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (12), #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (5), #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (1), #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day (65), #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash (15), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (6), #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast (4), #1 - American Idiot - Green Day (13)
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z (172), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (478), #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (493), #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (236), #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (100), #25 - Clocks - Coldplay (490), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (327), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (286), #1 - American Idiot - Green Day (432)
Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004 - #77 - Dry Your Eyes - The Streets (19), #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers (4), #1 - American Idiot - Green Day (12)
Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2007 - #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (17), #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs (13), #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters (6)
Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2008 - #51 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (4), #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon (1)
Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time - #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash (60), #18 - Take Me Out = Franz Ferdinand (100), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (20)
VH1's Best Hard Rock Songs of All Time - #91 - Slither - Velvet Revolver (85), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (75), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (94)
Village Voice's Top 40 Singles of 2008 - #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (1), #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay (8)
XFM's 100 Greatest Songs of All Time - #23 - Human - The Killers (77), #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers (37)
Y2KROQ's Top 200 Songs of the Century - #82 - B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down (134), #21 - In the End - Linkin Park (1)


Awards

Here’s a list of award ceremonies with multiple listing entries. The golden font are the winners, the standard text are nominations.

BRIT Awards - #11 - Valerie - The Zutons/Mark Ronson - Best British Single, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol - Best Single
Grammy Awards - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z - Best Rap Performance, #91 - Slither - Velvet Revolver - Best Hard Rock Performance, #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz - Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals; Record of the Year, #82 - B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down - Best Hard Rock Performance, #54 - Paper Planes - MIA - Record of the Year, #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley - Best Urban/Alternative Performance, #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne - Song of the Year, #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day - Record of the Year, #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters - Best Hard Rock Performance, #42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence - Best Hard Rock Performance, #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters - Best Rock Song; Record of the Year, #34 - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon - Record of the Year; Best Rock Performance by a Group with Vocals; Best Rock Song; Song of the Year, #29 - Best of You - Foo Fighters - Best Rock Song, #28 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z - Record of the Year, #25 - Clocks - Coldplay - Record of the Year, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers - Best Rock Song, #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay - Song of the Year; Record of the Year, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes - Best Rock Song, #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers - Best Rock Song, #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast - Best Urban/Alternative Performance; Record of the Year, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol - Best Rock Song, #3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback - Record of the Year, #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon - Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Group; Best Rock Song
Ivor Novello Award - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow - Best Contemporary Song, #55 - For Lovers - Wolfman feat. Pete Doherty - Songwriting, #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne - International Hit of the Year, #6 - One Day Like This - Elbow - Best Song
NME Awards - #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers - Best Track, #8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys - Best Track
UK Record of the Year Award - #56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus, #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley, #10 - Rockstar - Nickelback


Artists with Multiple Entries



Two Songs


30 Seconds to Mars - #97 - The Kill, #65 - Kings and Queens
Electric Six - #74 - Danger! High Voltage, #63 - Gay Bar
Dizzee Rascal - #71 - Bonkers, #51 - Dance Wiv Me
System of a Down - #82 - B.Y.O.B., #46 - Chop Suey!
Kasabian - #85 - Empire, #45 - Fire
The Ting-Tings - #59 - That's Not My Name, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go
Jay-Z - #93 - 99 Problems, #28 - Empire State of Mind
The White Stripes - #39 - Fell in Love With a Girl, #16 - Seven Nation Army
Blink-182 - #68 - Feeling This, #13 - All the Small Things
Mark Ronson - #33 - Oh My God - #11 - Valerie
Florence and the Machine - #95 - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up), #9 - You've Got the Love
Arctic Monkeys - #52 - Brianstorm, #8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Limp Bizkit - #73 - Break Stuff, #7 - Rollin'
Elbow - #98 - Grounds for Divorce, #6 - One Day Like This
Snow Patrol - #31 - Run, #4 - Chasing Cars
Nickelback - #10 - Rockstar, #3 - How You Remind Me
Kings of Leon - #34 - Use Somebody, #2 - Sex on Fire



Three Songs (maximum cap on songs in the listing) 

Kaiser Chiefs - #80 - Everyday I Love You Less and Less, #49 - Ruby, #40 - I Predict a Riot
Gorillaz - #90 - Feel Good Inc., #58 - Clint Eastwood, #37 - Dare
Muse - #87 - Uprising, #81 - Time is Running Out, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole
Foo Fighters - #43 - All My Life, #35 - The Pretender, #29 - Best of You
My Chemical Romance - #84 - Famous Last Words, #26 - I'm Not Okay (I Promise), #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade
Coldplay - #25 - Clocks, #19 - The Scientist, #17 - Viva la Vida
The Killers - #23 - Human, #20 - When You Were Young, #12 - Somebody Told Me
Green Day - #50 - Wake Me Up When September Ends, #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams, #1 - American Idiot


Albums with Multiple Entries

Two Songs 

Fire - Electric Six - #74 - Danger! High Voltage, #63 - Gay Bar
Tongue 'n' Cheek - Dizzee Rascal - #71 - Bonkers, #51 - Dance Wiv Me
We Started Nothing - The Ting Tings -  #59 - That's Not My Name, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go
Employment - Kaiser Chiefs -  #80 - Everyday I Love You Less and Less, #40 - I Predict a Riot
Demon Days - Gorillaz -  #90 - Feel Good Inc., #37 - Dare
The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance -  #84 - Famous Last Words, #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade
A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay -  #25 - Clocks, #19 - The Scientist
Version - Mark Ronson -  #33 - Oh My God - #11 - Valerie
Lungs - Florence and the Machine -  #95 - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up), #9 - You've Got the Love
The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow -  #98 - Grounds for Divorce, #6 - One Day Like This
Only by the Night - Kings of Leon -  #34 - Use Somebody, #2 - Sex on Fire

The only artist with three songs by the same artist on the same album is Green Day. Their album, American Idiot, featured the songs at #50 - Wake Me Up When September Ends, #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams and #1 - American Idiot.

#1 Hits by Country


United Kingdom 

#77 - Dry Your Eyes - The Streets
#71 - Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal
#59 - That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings
#53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
#51 - Dance Wiv Me - Dizzee Rascal
#49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
#42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
#37 - Dare - Gorillaz
#22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
#17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay
#15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock
#8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
#7 - Rollin' - Limp Bizkit
#2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon

Australia 

#56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus
#47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne
#42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
#27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
#15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock
#5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast
#2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon

Canada 

#97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars
#53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
#50 - Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
#47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne
#10 - Rockstar - Nickelback
#5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast
#1 - American Idiot - Green Day

Ireland 

#77 - Dry Your Eyes - The Streets
#53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
#49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
#15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock
#7 - Rollin' - Limp Bizkit
#3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback
#2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon

Norway 

#58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town
#47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne
#23 - Human - The Killers
#5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast

United States 

#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town
#29 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z
#17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay
#5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast
#3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback

Austria 

#56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus
#53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
#15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock
#3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback

Czech Republic 

#49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
#29 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z
#17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay

Italy 

#58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
#47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne
#42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence

Poland 

#87 - Uprising - Muse
#19 - The Scientist - Coldplay
#12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers

Spain 

#90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
#58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
#23 - Human - The Killers

Switzerland 

#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town
#53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
#15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock

Denmark 

#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town
#3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback

Germany 

#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town
#15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock

Mexico 

#47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne
#41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings


New Zealand 

#53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
#47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne

Countries with one #1 Hit 

Argentina - #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
Belgium - #34 - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
Finland - #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Holland - #11 - Valerie - Mark Ronson
Hungary - #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Israel - #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Slovakia - #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay
Sweden - #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast

Here’s all the songs filtered by what year the single was released, with the number in the bracket the total amount of songs from that year on the listing:

2000 (7)

#78 – Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols
#73 – Break Stuff – Limp Bizkit
t#57 – Butterfly – Crazy Town
#56 – Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus
#38 – Last Resort – Papa Roach
#13 – All the Small Things – Blink-182
#7 - Rollin’ – Limp Bizkit

2001 (9)

#96 – Bodies – Drowning Pool
#94 – Sing - Travis
#86 – Last Nite – The Strokes
#62 – Fat Lip – Sum 41
#58 – Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
#46 – Chop Suey! – System of a Down
#27 – Smooth Criminal – Alien Ant Farm
#21 – In the End – Linkin Park
#3 – How You Remind Me - Nickelback

2002 (9)

#72 – Tribute – Tenacious D
#69 – Cochise – Audioslave
#64 – We’re All Made of Stars - Moby
#47 – Complicated – Avril Lavigne
#43 – All My Life – Foo Fighters
#39 – Fell in Love With a Girl – The White Stripes
#30 – By the Way – Red Hot Chili Peppers
#25 – Clocks - Coldplay
#19 – The Scientist - Coldplay

2003 (10)

#81 – Time is Running Out - Muse
#74 – Danger! High Voltage – Electric Six
#70 – Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
#68 – Feeling This – Blink-182
#63 – Gay Bar – Electrix Six
#42 – Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
#32 – Hurt – Johnny Cash
#16 – Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
#14 – I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
#5 – Hey Ya! - OutKast

2004 (12)

#93 – 99 Problems – Jay-Z
#91 – Slither – Velvet Revolver
#79 – Duality – Slipknot
#77 – Dry Your Eyes – The Streets
#55 – For Lovers – Wolfman feat. Pete Doherty
#44 – Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day
#40 – I Predict a Riot – Kaiser Chiefs
#31 – Run – Snow Patrol
#26 – I’m Not Okay (I Promise) – My Chemical Romance
#18 – Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
#12 – Somebody Told Me – The Killers
#1 – American Idiot – Green Day

2005 (10)

#100 – Rebellion (Lies) – Arcade Fire
#92 – Wires - Athlete
#90 – Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz
#88 – Filthy Gorgeous – Scissor Sisters
#82 – B.Y.O.B. – System of a Down
#67 – Sugar, We’re Going Down – Fall Out Boy
#50 – Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
#37 – Dare - Gorillaz
#29 – Best of You – Foo Fighters
#8 – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys

2006 (11)

#99 – Shut Me Up – Mindless Self Indulgence
#97 – The Kill – 30 Seconds to Mars
#85 – Empire - Kasabian
#76 – Monster – The Automatic
#60 – Standing in the Way of Control – The Gossip
#53 – Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
#36 – Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
#22 – Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
#20 – When You Were Young – The Killers
#10 – Rockstar – Nickelback
#4 – Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

2007 (8)

#84 – Famous Last Words – My Chemical Romance
#66 – Foundations – Kate Nash
#42 – Brianstorm – Arctic Monkeys
#49 – Ruby – Kaiser Chiefs
#35 – The Pretender – Foo Fighters
#33 – Oh My God – Mark Ronson
#24 – Misery Business - Paramore
#11 – Valerie – Mark Ronson

2008 (15)

#98 – Grounds for Divorce - Elbow
#83 – Gives You Hell – The All-American Rejects
#80 – Everyday I Love You Less and Less – Kaiser Chiefs
#75 – The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis
#61 – Time to Pretend - MGMT
#59 – That’s Not My Name – The Ting-Tings
#54 – Paper Planes – MIA
#51 – Dance Wiv Me – Dizzee Rascal
#41 – Shut Up and Let Me Go – The Ting-Tings
#34 – Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
#23 – Human – The Killers
#17 – Viva la Vida – Coldplay
#15 – All Summer Long – Kid Rock
#6 – One Day Like This – Elbow
#2 – Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon

2009 (9)

#95 – Rabbit Heart  (Raise it Up) – Florence and the Machine
#89 – Warriors Dance – The Prodigy
#87 – Uprising - Muse
#71 – Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal
#65 – Kings and Queens – 30 Seconds to Mars
#48 – Don’t Upset the Rhythm – The Noisettes
#45 – Fire - Kasabian
#28 – Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z
#9 – You’ve Got the Love - Florence and the Machine

Noughtie: The Most Important Songs of the Decade Mixtape

(The caps for this Mixtape are one song per artist, and at least one song from each year will be chosen. If you're not familiar with my Mixtapes, look at the bottom of this website and click on the 'mixtape' tab to see the more Mixtapes, and to get a feel of what they're about.)

1. One Day Like This - Elbow
2. Viva la Vida - Coldplay
3. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
4. You've Got the Love - Florence and the Machine
5. How You Remind Me - Nickelback
6. By the Way - Red Hot Chili Peppers
7. I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
8. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
9. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
10. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
11. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
12. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
13. All Summer Long - Kid Rock
14. Valerie - Mark Ronson
15. Hey Ya! - OutKast
16. In the End - Linkin Park
17. Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
18. Rollin' - Limp Bizkit
19. All the Small Things - Blink-182
20. American Idiot - Green Day

And the five alternative songs will be:

1. Misery Business - Paramore
2. Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
3. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z
4. Best of You - Foo Fighters
5. Hurt - Johnny Cash

*collapses on the floor in exhaustion*

*...one hour later, gets up*

...and that's the end! Of the Noughtie Series! Officially! Finally! Thank you so much for taking part in this, regardless of how you got here, and how much you've actually read. One more stat before we go, the total Noughtie listing - from the first post on Wednesday, 26th January to today, 23rd July, the Noughtie Series is a grand total of 72, 041 words long. I've dedicated 6 months to put it all down on the internet, and around 18 months of getting the idea into my head, juggling ideas, doing research, and then actually creating everything. That's a very long time. I think it was worth it. I hope you agree. I'll be back in a few days when everything will be back to normal on this site, and I may keep away from discussing music for a little while anyway! Thanks again for your time and take care.

Noughtie: The 100 Most Important Songs of the Decade (Part 4)

Overall Favourite Artists | Best of 2000 | Overall Least Favourite Artists | Best of 2001

Where Are They Now? | Best of 2002 | Best New Artists | Best of 2003 | My Guilty Pleasures
Best of 2004 | My Favourite Riffs | Best of 2005 | Underrated Artists | Best of 2006
 My Favourite Albums | Best of 2007 | Best Videos | Best of 2008 | Most Important Artists
Best of 2009 | 100 Favourite Songs of the Decade | 100 Most Important Songs of the Decade

Let's continue this daily listing, from #70 to #61!

To view part 1, click here.
To view part 2, click here.
To view part 3, click here.

#70. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" - Jet
Released: 25/8/03
Album: Get Born
Accolades: APRA's Most Performed Australian Work Overseas Award
Listings: Top 100 Favourite Songs of the Decade
Chart Positions: UK - #16, US - #29 (#3 in Alternative Songs), Best Elsewhere - Australia - #20

What happened to Jet recently? Doing a little research brings me to the conclusion that they're striving as a band in Australia but overseas, they haven't really been relevant since their first album. Which of course, this was the debut single from. This song was a sleeper hit here, where as it strived in America. Jet re-released the song and it then climbed the charts better on its rerun. But you can't deny the catchiness of the track. You can't deny the Motown beat resurrected into an indie track, wasn't a successful merge. This song was fucking awesome when it was released. It's still played sometimes now, especially in clubs as it's just a proper toe-tapper. Jet really paid homage to 60s and 70s rock 'n' roll with this track and it was brilliant. It was a good highlight in the decade.

#69. "Cochise" - Audioslave
Released: 14/10/02
Album: Audioslave
Appearances: Guitar Hero (video game), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (movie), The Simpsons (TV series), Super Bowl XLII (American football game montage), Iron Man (movie trailer)
Chart Positions: UK - #29, US - #69 (#2 in Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart)
In terms of successful supergroups of the Naughties, two bands really stand out, the first was Velvet Revolver, but Audioslave were incrimentally more successful. They were a better supergroup as well, in my opinion. "Cochise" was their debut track, and it was their biggest hit in the UK (although they had better success with other singles in the US). "Cochise" had the great innovative riff by Tom Morello, and combined with Chris Cornell's easily recognisable vocals, we had a hit on our hands. This was another hard rock great from the decade, and on a personal note, it's a great song to play on the original Guitar Hero!

#68. "Feeling This" - Blink-182
Released: 2/10/03
Album: Blink-182
Appearances: Madden NFL 2004 (video game)
Chart Positions: UK - #15, US - #102 (#2 in Alternative Songs Chart), Best Elsewhere - Australia - #20 
 
Wow, a song about sex getting high up in the charts? Who would have thought! Of course I'm being sarcastic but you can't deny that this song was catchy, and it was a successful transition for the band, who had clocked that there was a transition in music preferences (from the poppy punk songs of the early decade, to the alternative emo sound that was rising around this time) and changed their style slightly. The change was a success, as this charted very well. "I Miss You" charted higher mind, but this song has had more airplay since of the two tracks. "Feeling This" was a soft punk track that appealed to both old and new Blink audiences, and that's why it appears at #68.

#67. "Sugar, We're Going Down" - Fall Out Boy
Released: 26/8/05
Album: From Under the Cork Tree
Accolades: #4 in Blender's "The Top 100 Songs of 2005", #3 in About.com's "Top 100 Pop Songs of 2005
Appearances: Lips (video game), Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol (video game), Band Hero (video game)
Chart Positions: UK - #8, US - #8 (#1 in Hot Digital Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Ireland - #33

"Sugar, We're Goin Down", like many songs in this list, is important because it was the song that raised the profile of Fall Out Boy, for better or worse. With its poppy emo sound, many teenagers loved listening to this track and the video was inventive enough to get it good airplay. The song went up and down the American charts for many weeks, but the constant promotion and the online community raised the song and the bands status to new heights, heights that would stay at a similar level for many a year with "Dance, Dance" and "This 'aint a Scene..." and the horrifically titled "Thnks fr th Mmrs". Fall Out Boy were here to stay.

#66. "Foundations" - Kate Nash
Released: 18/6/07
Album: Made of Bricks
Accolades: #17 in Slant Magazine's Top 25 Singles to be Released in the US,
Chart Positions: UK - #2, US - #16 (in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Charts), Best Elsewhere - Canada - #7

Kate Nash's 2007 hit "Foundations" hasn't actually been topped by the Lily Allen-esque indie pop chapess. It was a surprisingly big hit in a lot of countries, more so critically than commercially, everyone loved this song when it came out. I have no idea what's happened to Nash since, she has gone off the rader. But there was no denying that this song was popular upon its release. It's light hearted and easy to relate to lyrics to romance and breaking up was definitely a factor that many people considered. It's not my cup of tea, but this listing isn't bout my cup of tea, it's about what I perceive to be the big and important songs of the decade.

#65. "King and Queens" - 30 Seconds to Mars
Released: 13/10/09
Album: This is War
Accolades: #7 on AOL's Top Alternative Songs of 2009, #1 in Virgin Radio Italia's Top Songs of 2009, Rock Sound's Top in Rock Award, Best Single of 2009 according to Rock Sound, #30 in Alternative Addiction's Top 50 Songs of 2009,
Chart Positions: UK - #28, US - #82 (#1 in Alternative Songs Chart), Best Elsewhere - Portugal - #9

After a four year break, 30 Seconds to Mars returned stronger than ever in 2009 with their hit album "This is War" and the even bigger hit single "Kings and Queens". The songs almost stadium rock approach, howling and inventive video gave it critical and commercial acclaim worldwide. It got very high in the charts in many countries, as you can see Portugal and Italy love it, but also New Zealand, Belgium, Austria, Holland, Germany and Norway found the song entering their Top 40's. If Jared Leto was under any illusions his aspirations for being a singer and an actor was failing, then looking at the success this song had should change his mind.  The video got many awards too, but I'm not going through those as it's the songs I'm reviewing here. But yeah, the video is worth checking out below if you haven't before.

#64. "We Are All Made of Stars" - Moby
Released: 29/4/02
Album: 18
Chart Positions: UK - #11, US - #13 (in the Hot Dance Club Play Charts), Best Elsewhere - Italy - #4

It's funny, this song hasn't won any major accolades, or been featured in anything worthwhile. It also wasn't that big a hit in the states. Yet this song is one of those songs that you tend to forget about, and then like a lightbulb, you remember it and feel ashamed to have forgotten about it in the first place! It's arguably Moby's finest moment, the lyrics, the video (which did win some awards), and just the general feeling about it was all good. Critics and European sales were fantastic, I still can't believe this got to #4 in Italy! It's good though, it's frustrating that it's not recognised more often, but when people play it they have that "who sung this again" moment. Good stuff.

#63. "Gay Bar" - Electric Six
Released: 2/6/03
Album: Fire
Appearances: Rock Band (video game)
Listings: Best Videos
Chart Positions: UK - #5

Gay Bar is one of those songs that will be played for a long time as it's just too simple, too silly to forget. The good thing about modern day life is the fact that we are open to homosexuality and that we frown on homophobes. So this song being played today, so openly is fantastic. And it's just taking the piss from start to finish. It's a catchy track, with a hilarious (yet slightly hard to watch video) that just plays on homosexuality. Kudos have to go to the appropriately named (at least for this song) lead singer Dick Valentine for the fact that he's more than open to doing this silly stuff for our entertainment.

#62. "Fat Lip" - Sum 41
Released: 3/7/01
Album: All Killer No Filler
Appearances: NHL 2002 (video game), American Pie 2 (movie), Guitar Hero (video game), GuitarFreaks V4 (video game), DrumMania V4 (video game), Guitar Hero 5 (video game), Smallville (TV series),
Chart Positions: UK - #8, US - #66 (#1 in the Alternative Songs Chart), Best Elsewhere - Austria - #21

Fat Lip has always been Sum 41's most popular song. It's also arguably their best. They mix a good level of modern punk with modern rap to make a song that sounds really cool. It's also got lyrics that really appeal to a general teenage audience, just about hanging out, having fun, getting drunk and maybe causing a bit of trouble. The video is very lively as well, it's a very popular video. My favourite part definitely has to be the "Pain for Pleasure" segment featuring fake metal band Satan's Sluts (a mock of Iron Maiden), it's really good stuff.

#61. "Time to Pretend" - MGMT
Released: 3/3/08
Album: Oracular Spectacular
Accolades: #8 in Time's Songs of 2008, #3 in Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2008, #4 in NME's Best Singles of 2008, #18 in Triple J's Hottest 100 in 2008, #3 in Bringgoodstuffbout's Best Songs of the 2000s, #12 in Rolling Stone's Best Songs of the 2000s, #493 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, #2 in NME's Best Songs of the 2000s
Appearances: Pacquiao-Hatton 24/7 (boxing programme), Gossip Girl (TV series), Skins (TV series), 90210 (TV series), Sex Drive (movie), How to Lose Friends and Alienative People (movie), 21 (movie), Eagle Eye (movie), Alice in Wonderland (movie trailer), Warrior (movie), Exitosos Pells (TV series), Total Football (radio show theme), Ferrero SpA (chocolate advertisement), Shaun White Snowboarding (video game), NHL 2K10 (video game), LittleBigPlanet (video game), Champions League (live football coverage)
Chart Positions: UK - #35, US - #109 (#23 in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Latvia - #17

Wow it's been a long time since we've had a song produce so many accolades and appearances on this listing. Just in case you didn't know I made this listing before I saw any accolades or appearances on the songs, they're there to justify why they appear on this list. But man, totals like the above do make me contemplate jigging the listing around. But sometimes I wonder why, I mean "Time to Pretend" is a decent track, I like it, and it has a unique sound to it, like many MGMT songs, but I just sometimes think... will this song be remembered in 10 years time? That's what drives this list. The songs at the top are songs I'm convinced will be. But this song might, it's unique electronic sounds are memorable, and it's used on TV very very often. It's definitely a possibility, and I think with that being said, it's going to stay at #62 for the time being. Agree or disagree? Let me know!

To view part 5, click here. 
To view part 6, click here. 
To view part 7, click here. 
To view part 8, click here.
To view part 9, click here.
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.