Friday, November 12, 2010

#936 Chicks On Speed - "Turn Of The Century"

Now another song most of you probably haven't heard. Have no idea where i did either. Disco-pop, loud distorted fast girl rock. I love it. I dont even know if this band exists anymore. But this song is worth having in your collection. I cant find a video but heres some link ...you may be able to play / download the tune.

#937 Duran Duran - "Wild Boys"

Ok so this song should perhaps be a bit higher than 935. Came out in 1983 and while i was only 6 years old, it fast became my favourite song. Yes, even better than that Chaka Khan song. ...Perhaps it was the awesome drums...a bit techno-ish perhaps?

Well either way, i had the 45 and i must have played it tons every damn day. Wild Boys, despite never closing their eyes, will always have a special place in my heart!The video is cool too, costing 1 million dollars. which was a shit ton for those days..though i didnt have MTV in 1983 so i dont think i've ever even seen this video!

#938 The White Stripes - "The Denial Twist"

Here's Jack White again!!! The man is everywhere! His band the White Stripes are by far his most popular, though no word on any new material from them.The Denial Twist comes from the Get Behind Me Satan album in 2005. The video below, directed by Michel Gondry is quite an interes...ting one, watch for Conan O Brien!

#939 The Raconteurs - "Steady, As She Goes"

Well most of you know Jack White from the White Stripes, but he's quite the busy man. Amassing side projects at an alarming rate. The Raconteurs is his second band and here he collaborates with Brendan Benson and others. The first single came out in 2006 and this song, was th...e number one song of the year according to me!! So you see how good the rest of these songs are gonna have to be!

#940 Sugar Ray - "Falls Apart"

You all remember that wicked awesome band Sugar Ray right? The band that sang that song "iiiii just wanna fly!". right? Well maybe you dont. Maybe you just remember that spikey hair guy from that Pussycat Dolls show.

But either way, Sugar Ray had a few hits in the 90s. This was not rea...lly one of them, but i love it and wish more of their songs were like this and not the pappy crap most of their stuff is. Also, look for Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath to be hosting another TV show, "Don't Forget the Lyrics" next month.

Watch this video....not only do they not seem to really need "DJ Homicide" but really? DJ Homicide???

#941 TV On The Radio - "Dancing Choose"

Brooklyn's TV on the Radio is really not your average indie rock band. Firstly, they are mostly african american and secondly they have a kinda of experimental industrial rock, punk, hip hop sound to them. This song is one of my favourites by them....fast paced and rapid fire lyrics to go with a nice beat....theres even a small part that sounds like he's about to bust into "Its the end of the world as we know it" (which is also on this countdown!)

more from TVOTR to be had on this list!

Friday, November 5, 2010

#942 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs arent but 10 years old but they rose to quick indie fame and went from playing a midnight show at the 930 club in 2003 to replacing the Beastie Boys as festival headliners just a few years later. Frontwoman Karen O has all the charisma of a Debbie Harry and their dance...able style of punk rock has gained them much deserved international success.

Interesting side note, in 2002 Karen O and and guitarist Nick Zinner shared a NYC loft with future members of the band Metric. What a creative space that must have been!

This song, from 2003, was written about Karen O's relationship with Liars singer Angus Andrews. Reportedly, the title "Maps" is an acronym for My Angus Please Stay.

#943 Aerosmith - "Janie's Got A Gun"

Well i am a little too young to remember the Aerosmith's "Dream On" and "Sweet Emotion" days and the excitement for "Walk This Way" was more for Run DMC than it was for Aerosmith, but they did have a few years of excellence in my book. Both Permanent Vacation and this album Pump, w...ere that era.

After Pump, they made friends with Alicia Silverstone and they lost me!!!But this ones a good one and i love the songs/videos with a bit of a plot!

#944 Mos Def - "Sex, Love & Money"

Out of all of the hip-hop/rap songs on the countdown most of them are older...say 90s or 80s. Mos Def isnt your typical rapper though so his 2004 single breaks the mold. Not only does Mos Def make conscious rap with fantastic beats, he's a great actor, which also breaks the mold of bad... rapper/actors. :)

Its the only Mos Def entry on the chart so i suppose it would make this my favourite Mos Def song...whats yours???

#945 Way Out West - "The Gift"

So one of the many dance songs on the countdown...Way Out West is a duo out of England, mainly involving popular Dj Nick Warren. They have been pumping dancefloors for over 10 years, but this was their breakout hit.

From 1997, this song could be heard at parties across the globe, on mixtap...es everywhere, and most famously to me, as the closing song on one of Scott Henry's Fever: Time to Get Ill tapes. A soft beat....some happy lyrics...perfect for when the sun was coming up and you could barely stand anymore!

#946 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "In Like The Rose"

BRMC is a 3-piece from San Fransisco that plays more like a 5-piece band! Their fuzzy wall of sound and their raw bluesy rock is immediately quite reminiscent of Jesus and Mary Chain, which is why i was immediately drawn to them. They are pure rockstars too, not just... in their name Black Rebel Motorcycle Club but in their all black, all leather jacket stage get up. A great live show if you've never seen it.

BRMC is part of a series of concerts i've attended that i dub "i saw these guys way back when" shows. BRMC was the middle band between Manchester Orchestra and headliner Kings Of Leon back a few years ago at tiny Rams Head Live. 2 years later, the Kings nearly sold out Merriweather Post Pavilion. Its good to be in the know ;)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

#947 - Beth Orton - "I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine"

Perhaps some of you know my love for female singer / songwriters. I loved Fiona Apple for a while, Jewel for a bit, but perhaps my favourite is Beth Orton. She's also the most British and with her touching lyrics and sometimes eerie techno beat, she sets herself apart.... She also remains on my short list of artists i've never seen live.

She's also good friends with my boys Tom and Ed from the Chemical Brothers!cries. She has a couple songs on this chart....this, a sad one about not wanting something so great because it makes it that much worse when its gone.

#948 - Falco "Rock me Amadeus"

Oh the late Falco. This song was a number one hit in 1986 and despite having a second small hit, Falco was dubbed a one hit wonder....that is if you dont count the bus that hit him in 1998!!! Either way, everyone knows this one and it couldnt be left out. Even if most references to this so...ng, and Falco, are a bit on the humorous side. Its also the only song on the chart that has German in it. (Sorry, Nena!).

#949 David Gray - 'Be Mine'

Known for Babylon and Please Forgive Me, Gray has many awesome songs about love, loss and hope. He may seem a little adult contemporary for some of you but check him out, you wont be at all disappointed.

Jumpin Jesus, Holy Cow!

#950 Guns N' Roses - "Estranged"

So you can argue the merits of Guns N Roses with me all day. Sure, maybe they are and were a joke, but look people...if you dont like or never liked them, you are too old or too young, all there is too it!

Though short lived, they were one of my favourites, and it shows from the TWELVE so...ngs they have in my top 1000. Estranged is a nine minute long track, suppposedly written by Axl about his failed marriage and the video was the third part to a video trilogy that included Don't Cry and November Rain as the first 2 parts.

I especially like this song for the last couple verses and how Axl seems to go off track and just belting out the last few lines...I knew the storm was getting closerAnd all my friends said I was highBut everything we've ever known's hereI never wanted it to die

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

#951 Donna Lewis - "I Love You Always Forever"

Yes, well, not sure where this song came from or anything, but it was on one of my good friend Anthony's DJ Mixes and i said, damn !!!!!!!

this is one of 10 Donna Lewis songs on the countdown......just kidding!

#952 The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Halfway to Crazy"

Ok Well one of my all time favourite groups ever is Jesus and Mary Chain. Not only do they kill but they are Scottish and my affinity for Scottish rock knows no end! ...Out in the late 1980s and putting out powerful shoegaze til the mid 1990s and some beyond. My favourite album and what got me into them was Honey's Dead but Automatic is probably their most beloved. There are seven JAMC songs on the chart and this will be the first.

Best memory of JAMC: Seeing them at Bohagers in, what 1998 and Jim Reid apparently being way too drugged up and falling asleep on the drum riser? Well, maybe not my favourite memory but the second of only two shows i have seen from them (Lollapalooza 1992 being the first).

#953 Ted Leo / Pharmacists - "Under the Hedge"

I am not sure what i can say about Ted Leo other than that i love him. and he's not gay, i am sure of it. his most recent band, who sing this song are often mistaken for Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, but the correct spelling is with the / making them the first band since Guns ...N Roses to have a slash in it!!! har har.

#954 Housemartins - "The World's On Fire"

Well, i cannot find any video or even audio for this song on the web! So i must be alone in liking it so much. :)

The Housemartins are not a band to be overlooked though.
They were around in the 1980s and were probably a bit ahead of their time, thus, not garnering much success... in the states. However, one time Housemartins member Normal Cook did eventually make some success over here as DJ Fatboy Slim, who you'll here later in the countdown. I know you cant hear it , but rest assured, its a good song!