Board 8 > CasanovaZelos's Top 250 Songs Project

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CasanovaZelos
06/17/21 12:53:14 PM
#152:


175. The Knife Silent Shout (2006)
from the album Silent Shout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWzZnxPAQhs

Key lyrics:
In a dream I lost my teeth again
Calling me woman and a half man
Yes in a dream all my teeth fell out
A cracked smile and a silent shout

House is a genre that I tend to associate with, if not warmth, at least relative frivolity. This is a genre made for clubs, places to escape from the stress of everyday life. Silent Shout feels like an intentional antithesis, featuring all the driving synthesizer you could want but cast from the darkest pits of human torment. This is not a song for raves but the horrid aftermath, like stumbling through the darkest woods from unknown assailants while coming down from a bad trip. Silent Shout is horror as music.

The percussion is demanding, forceful, its repetitive beat a haunting presence throughout the track. Karin Dreijer layers their voice atop itself, one a low register suggesting something demonic while the others retain a human quality. The lyrics are a trip themselves, a surrealist nightmare of finding oneself incapable of speaking. Through the dark sound, a sadder truth forms this is a song of the oppressed and forgotten, too unsightly to garner proper attention. More than an atmospheric piece alone, this is a house track at heart, and a glorious one at that. The synthesizer soars, finding new ways to build on top of itself. Where most other tracks I would describe as horror tend to be complex and intentionally off-putting, Silent Shout finds a perfect balance between outright creepiness and accessibility.

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ChainLTTP
06/17/21 2:21:57 PM
#153:


Such a dope video. I remember every bar in the LES and Williamsburg basically looked like the room with the TVs in it in the early 2010s lol.
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CasanovaZelos
06/17/21 4:33:53 PM
#154:


I hate that I keep skipping good music videos because they don't use the full version of the song...

174. Hot Chip Over and Over (2006)
from the album The Warning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6GDggWPMQk

Key lyrics:
Like a monkey with a miniature symbol
The joy of repetition really is in you

Hot Chips Over and Over is an ode to the repetition that makes most dance music work, first casting itself among them before carving its own chaotic path. Its not that Over and Over goes off the rails. Rather, it achieves a level of extravagance by using its basic structure as a launching point. The Kissing Sexing segment brings the song to a stomping halt, which explodes into a stunning guitar solo ramping the song up to an aggressive level. There are distinct segments, yet they flow so perfectly together.

Getting that chaotic breakdown to work first requires luring the listener in, and Over and Over starts as a bona fide mid-2000s indietronica jam. Hot Chip is essentially LCD Soundsystems more dance-oriented British cousin, similar but satisfying a different itch. The complexity is not in their lyrics but strewn across the instrumentation, stray details and small hooks making brief appearances to keep things exciting. The Kissing Sexing segment hits like a brick, Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddards typically beautiful vocals reduced to a robotic chant. More, each word they spell has one less letter, leaving an additional empty beat between each line that feels just off in the best way. This is a song that subverts itself over and over, an addictive experience simply asking you to have fun with it.

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CasanovaZelos
06/18/21 5:36:16 PM
#155:


This time I had to switch to a different Youtube video because the URL had 'a variation on fuck'

Why is this site like this?

173. Depeche Mode Never Let Me Down Again (1987)
from the album Music for the Masses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOt0bUAzqD4

Key lyrics:
Im taking a ride with my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again

Few synth-pop bands maintain such a brooding atmosphere as Depeche Mode, and their best songs rarely clue the listener in. This ambiguity creates an ominous atmosphere throughout Never Let Me Down Again, which could be about a flighty friend but might also focus on drug addiction. The lack of certainty is the point, the song contrasting the two experiences. Whatever the case, the music captures a sense of desperation.

Never Let Me Down Again catches my attention from its brief opening, an oscillating pair of notes growing fuller with every cycle. Duality is a key element to the song structure. The chorus is a subtle harmony, emphasizing the plural lyrics as one voice gets lost inside the other. A variation on the opening riff pops in between certain phrases, creating a subtly anxious rift. Despite this dense atmosphere, they maintain a firmly danceable beat.

The song reaches a heavenly high during the bridge, Dave Gahan begging to never be let down as the music carries him far above the earth. Its the perfect payoff for such a nervously confrontational song. The narrator is finally putting his trust in this friend while the other voice promises a beautiful night. The song ends there, letting us ponder whether the friend remains present on the way down.

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CasanovaZelos
06/19/21 12:58:59 PM
#156:


172. Slint Good Morning Captain (1991)
from the album Spiderland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J87vtrC_JBM

Key lyrics:
I miss you

Slints Spiderland is one of the original post-rock records, a poorly named genre which uses standard rock instruments in unusual ways. Though bands like Sigur Ros and Swans seem to have little in common on the surface, they are united by a borderline ambient usage of guitars. Whether being used for horror or serenity, the best post-rock songs are atmospheric slow-burners. Good Morning Captain captures the dark potential of the genre, guided by anxious strumming always teetering on the edge of relief. Slint deny us any easy payoff. Coming from a hardcore background, Slint play in a style that suggests an incoming burst of aggression. Instead, the familiar buildup cycles back on itself in a seemingly endless loop. Music is rarely this stress-inducing.

What I find so masterful about this song is that it occasionally roars, all while maintaining its ambience. As the guitars prepare to take off, the spoken word vocals pulls it back the words here matter less than the delivery, which borders on inaudible below the instruments. Good Morning Captain is an expertly mixed track, the quieter elements keeping everything else subdued. This is all in service of one of the greatest payoffs in rock, a blistering shout allowing the flood of tension to be released.

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Jesse_Custer
06/19/21 4:27:44 PM
#157:


Its bizarre that I was literally looking up what classifies as post-rock just before I saw that last post.
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CasanovaZelos
06/20/21 12:16:53 PM
#158:


171. The Velvet Underground Venus in Furs (1967)
from the album The Velvet Underground and Nico

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qQ0MG9OPzA

Key lyrics:
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart

The Velvet Underground was a transgressive act in its time, only avoiding genuine controversy due to its initial obscurity. On an album full of loving odes to hard drugs and those who deal them, Venus In Furs is a rare track that maintains its shock value so many artists have made drug ballads, but rarer are the tracks begging for masochistic ecstasy. Explicit sexual lyrics are no longer taboo, but Lou Reed manages to suggest something seedier than mere vulgarities. Even here, Lou Reed showcases his melancholy side. When not begging for the whip, he suggests a boredom and emptiness unlike anyone has experienced.

Though acting as obvious provocateurs, The Velvet Underground truly succeed here through the music itself. The beat is simple yet effective, plodding along to set a slow pace. The sound suggests something foreign, some secret sex den people travel continents to visit. The true standout is John Cales wailing electric viola The Velvet Underground may have influenced a thousand bands, but this remains one of their unique traits. Few bands would dare to even try imitating John Cales masterful skills. Due to all these unusual instrumental choices, Venus in Furs barely shows it age after 50 years.

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CasanovaZelos
06/20/21 12:51:10 PM
#159:


170. Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965)
from the album Bringing It All Back Home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGxjIBEZvx0

Key lyrics:
You dont need a weather man to know which way the wind blows

Many of my favorite Bob Dylan songs are sprawling epics. Subterranean Homesick Blues is very much the opposite, a short piece where Dylan seemingly shoots off a hundred syllables per second. That rapid fire delivery, of course, means he says just as much in this song as any of his longer works. This borders on feeling like a prototypical rap piece. The 1960s were a chaotic time, and few songs captured those overwhelming elements with a matching cadence. Drugs, civil rights, police brutality; this is a song trying to cover every inch in as little time as possible. Having listened to this at least a hundred times, I still struggle to keep up with Dylans delivery even before picking up an electric guitar, Dylan was already pushing the boundaries of folk music by causing sensory overload.

But even if you find yourself struggling to process one line as he hits you with two more, Dylans delivery is on point. His sing-song rhythm emphasizes his insane rhyme scheme. On first listen, you will likely pick up these stray words as slogans of unknown meaning. Yet its not like Bob Dylan is suggesting futility Subterranean Homesick Blues feels like hes having a lot of fun.

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Seanchan
06/20/21 6:41:17 PM
#160:


CasanovaZelos posted...
180. Todd Terje Inspector Norse (2012)
from the EP Its the Arps, later featured on the album Its Album Time

No surprise, I really liked this!

CasanovaZelos posted...
175. The Knife Silent Shout (2006)
from the album Silent Shout

This...was an interesting one. We'll be ranking it in a few weeks.

CasanovaZelos posted...
I hate that I keep skipping good music videos because they don't use the full version of the song...

174. Hot Chip Over and Over (2006)
from the album The Warning

I feel like I should like this more than I did on a first listen. But I think I might need to check out more of this artist.

CasanovaZelos posted...
This time I had to switch to a different Youtube video because the URL had 'a variation on fuck'

Why is this site like this?

173. Depeche Mode Never Let Me Down Again (1987)
from the album Music for the Masses

So damn 80s!

CasanovaZelos posted...
172. Slint Good Morning Captain (1991)
from the album Spiderland

I usually try to keep my comments positive, but I kinda hated this, lol. Although...it sounds like maybe the background music for a video game level where you're journeying through someone's mind.
CasanovaZelos posted...
170. Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965)
from the album Bringing It All Back Home

God, that's...a lot to try to take in. It's like Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire but 25 years earlier.

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"That was unnecessarily dramatic". - NY Mets motto (courtesy of InnerTubeHero)
Congratulations to azuarc, the guru of gurus and winner of GotD 2020!
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CasanovaZelos
06/22/21 1:30:57 PM
#161:


I picked the literal worst time possible to start this, lol

At least my delays have been for positive reasons. I've just been playing social catchup now that everyone in my personal life is vaccinated.

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Snake5555555555
06/22/21 1:42:53 PM
#162:


No qualms against enjoying life, the project might even turn out better for it.

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
https://imgur.com/a/du8zgsT - https://imgur.com/a/VTNzDEW
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Seanchan
06/22/21 1:59:12 PM
#163:


I get exhausted just trying to keep up and maybe write an occasional useless comment! Meanwhile, you're doing real analysis and introspection. Keep up the good work and take your time.

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"That was unnecessarily dramatic". - NY Mets motto (courtesy of InnerTubeHero)
Congratulations to azuarc, the guru of gurus and winner of GotD 2020!
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CasanovaZelos
06/22/21 5:32:11 PM
#164:


169. Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
from the albums Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! And At Folsom Prison

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeZRYhLDLeU

Key lyrics:
I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die

Johnny Cash excelled at myth building, and few songs established his image better than Folsom Prison Blues. His casual delivery really sells his outlaw persona. Taken alone, that famous line about shooting a man in Reno could be taken as over-the-top or trying too hard. But with his half-hearted intonation, its just another fact of his misguided life.

While originally recorded for his first album, Folsom Prison Blues really comes to life thirteen years later. Johnny Cash made a bold move by recording his first live album at the actual Folsom Prison, and this made an obvious opener. Theres something special about hearing those actually going through the Folsom Prison blues cheering along. Though Johnny Cash had been playing the outlaw from the start, this is where he proved the act.

The song itself is a staple of its era, a perfect mix of country and early rock and roll. The rhythm bounces with Cashs unique strumming style; slow, but with force. Beyond the iconic Reno line, Folsom Prison Blues is a desperate lament about a life wasted. Like Hank Williams before him, Johnny Cash plays with Western imagery as a source of isolation. But where Williams crooned in universal terms, Johnny Cash hit a sweet spot by playing the sympathetic villain.

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CasanovaZelos
06/24/21 3:30:51 PM
#165:


168. Nirvana Lithium (1991)
from the album Nevermind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkcJEvMcnEg

Key lyrics:
Im so ugly, thats okay, cause so are you

Nirvana were open about the influence of the Pixies on their music, and Lithium is a clear example. This is one of the ultimate quiet-loud tracks, remaining just subdued enough to stand out among many that exploded into outright fury. Though Smells Like Teen Spirit will always stand as the biggest track off Nevermind, Lithium feels the most refined. Its not because Lithium lacks their confrontational attitude, but that its channeled in a unique direction. The loud burst suggests mania instead of anger. As such, the chorus comes off as disconcertingly celebratory. Something feels just off, but its easy to get lost in the simple chanting of yeah, yeah!

Though the quiet-loud dynamic was key to the alternative rock movement, it is clear many bands put more emphasis on the loud half of the equation. After all, that burst of energy acted as an easy payoff. On Lithium, Nirvana made both halves equally enticing. The quieter verses are full of clever lines and contradictions, while the instrumentation is affecting enough that it could support a full song alone. Yet the thump of the bass drum adds a tinge of tension to set up the impending burst. In the excessiveness of the 90s rock scene, few bands had any reason to hold back. Lithium captures the best of its era, but its relative restraint granted it lasting distinction.

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CasanovaZelos
06/24/21 4:27:38 PM
#166:


I try to avoid music videos when they deviate from the recorded version, but I really adore this one and don't think it takes too much away from the song (there's a part where the video cuts to silence while the song has no breaks)

167. Aldous Harding The Barrel (2019)
from the album Designer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyZeJr5ppm8

Key lyrics:
Show the ferret to the egg

On its surface, The Barrel feels like the most unassuming song I am covering in this project. In 2019, it is hard to argue this quietly comforting folk song was breaking new ground. Though I have found myself returning to it over and over again these last couple years, expressing why I find it so alluring proves difficult. This is by design though her tracks tend to be less sonically aggressive, Aldous Harding writes with the same impenetrable lyricism that defined much of Becks career. But where Beck tended toward a playful nature, there is something quietly eerie about the contrast here.

Aldous Hardings voice is warm, the piano light as a feather. The baritone sax that accompanies her into the chorus matches that gentleness. A man joins her in harmony during the first chorus the second time around turns a bit off-putting as a third voice chimes in. Aldous sings with a childlike timbre; man, woman, and child sing as one. Though the lyrics are indecipherable, the imagery conveyed feels just telling enough. While singing with an incomparable serenity, Hardings words express deeper concern. With the lyrics seeming to float right outside my comprehension, I feel the urge to crack them open. And though I might never understand, I have been rewarded by recognizing how rare it is to stumble across such a tranquil song.

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CasanovaZelos
06/24/21 5:00:20 PM
#167:


166. David Bowie Young Americans (1975)
from the album Young Americans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScVi_L817ec

Key lyrics:
Aint there one damn song that can make me break down and cry?

David Bowie was never afraid to step outside his comfort zone. Young Americans found him stepping into the world of soul music. Though this essentially amounted to a one-off in that genre, Bowie pulled it off with unexpected skill, as though he had been making soul music his entire life. Young Americans is a track bubbling with unbridled energy as Bowie observes a young girl living too fast. This is a portrait of America by a very British man, and the velocity of his delivery suggests he wants to cover every inch. More than any other track, Young Americans explores Bowie as an ordinary human.

The song hooks from the opening note, a drum rolling into a piano rolling into a bouncy soundscape dominated by the sax. Though the instrumentation starts mellow, Bowies vocals push ever higher. By the fourth verse, Bowie explodes with so much energy that he sounds fearful of leaving out a single detail, only to end with the music going silent behind him as he belts out with a powerful falsetto. The backing vocals are ever present, suggesting a massive scale. Young Americans sounds as sweeping as its lyrics suggest. And though the lyrics lament wasted youth, I cannot help feeling energized by Bowies passionate delivery.

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CasanovaZelos
06/24/21 5:32:37 PM
#168:


165. Lou Reed Walk on the Wild Side (1972)
from the album Transformer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6fayQBm9w

Key lyrics:
Holly came from Miami, FLA
Hitchhiked her way across the USA
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs, and then he was a she

What a difference a few years make. Walk on the Wild Side feels pointedly taboo, yet Lou Reed found his breakthrough hit by singing about the beautifully strange people he met at Warhols Factory. This contains some of his most provocative lines, from the now mundane mention of transgender people to prostitution and drugs. For those immune to that sort of shock, Lou Reed hits from the other direction with an already archaic use of colored girls during the chorus. Lou Reed appeared on a quest to offend mainstream sensibilities and was rewarded with a fame he never desired.

So, what made Walk on the Wild Side click with mainstream audiences while The Velvet Underground failed to chart? It is largely thanks to the delivery. Where the best Velvet Underground songs matched their niche themes with experimental music, Lou Reed plays this song almost too casually. Nothing quite breaks taboos like a self-assured voice. Lou Reed isnt truly aiming to shock; these are simply the people who surrounded him. Theres nothing particularly extreme about any of these subjects from someone who experiences them daily. They are simply facts of life. Walk on the Wild Side is not a transgressive song, but rather a reassuring invitation to anyone who has ever felt unwelcomed in society.

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CasanovaZelos
06/27/21 11:28:53 AM
#169:


I don't think I'll have time today...

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CasanovaZelos
06/28/21 10:22:10 AM
#170:


164. Big Thief Shark Smile (2017)
from the album Capacity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1QlOfYxykI

Key lyrics:
She said woo
Baby, take me
And I said woo
Baby, take me too

Love is a complex, borderline indescribable emotion. Its not that there are no words, but a literal explanation fails to capture the true meaning. Most artists turn to metaphors to capture a better sense. Big Thief subtly exploit that expectation with Shark Smile. While sharing the structure of a love song, an entirely different form of heartbreak is waiting at the end of this road. Shark Smile operates like a deconstruction of a Bruce Springsteen classic two lovers flee a dead-end town with nothing but each other. As the song goes on, Adrianne Lenker captures the passion by referencing their increasing speed.

Taking after Springsteens Nebraska era, Shark Smile is a perfect homage to the Boss. The drums beat along with the same rolling energy, suggesting a steady sense of forward motion. But Lenkers voice is fragile in a way very unlike Springsteen. The relatively gentle song takes a harsh turn during its second chorus. The electric guitar wails, overwhelming Lenker. The wailing continues into the next verse as Lenkers voice grows more desperate. The illusion is shattered as the lyrics get a bit too visceral the song has been mixing metaphors and literal imagery all along, as there is no way to interpret this fatal verse in a purely metaphorical sense.

The truly heartbreaking moment comes in the final chorus. Though the lines are simple, with Lenker telling her lover to take me, too, the meaning has changed. What was first a plea to escape together transforms into Lenker begging to die alongside this lover. Having lost three friends in separate car accidents all in the same year, Lenker grieved by penning a moving tragedy about sudden loss.

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CasanovaZelos
06/28/21 6:15:50 PM
#171:


163. Burial Archangel (2007)
from the album Untrue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k_f2QK77ew

Burials Archangel exists at the intersection of so many sounds. Though an early dubstep hit, it blurs together elements of ambient to create an unsettling atmosphere. The frantic beat unnervingly collides against a glacial wall of electronic despair, a choir lost like ghosts in a machine. The result is something anxiety-inducing. Archangel evolves like a slow eruption, the ambient elements shifting ever upward. Little effects give a corrupted quality, as if the recording is on the verge of disintegrating as it plays. This track successfully covers the two extremes of electronic, its ambient architecture playing unpredictably against a steadfast beat.

Alongside the tense drum pattern, Archangel is held together by stunning yet simple R&B samples. The lines are generic feel-good phrases, but distorted into desperation. The result is something like a lover begging their partner not to go, the music capturing their growing dread. There are plenty of electronic tracks exploring similar unease, but Archangel features an emotional density few songs manage. Burial says so much with nothing more than a handful of stock phrases and pitch modulation. There are plenty of songs with a similar vibe, but the overall production on Archangel has placed it in a league of its own.

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ChainLTTP
06/28/21 7:42:38 PM
#172:


Hell yeah burial
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CasanovaZelos
06/29/21 3:09:55 PM
#173:


162. Fleet Foxes White Winter Hymnal (2008)
from the album Fleet Foxes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQRS40OKNE

Key lyrics:
And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime

After being an almost quintessential element of popular music during the rise of rock, the presence of harmonies faded over time. I am not certain of the cause, whether it be declining popularity or artists simply turning their attention elsewhere. Whatever the case, the late 2000s saw a minor explosion of bands prioritizing harmony, from the bizzaro world of Animal Collective to the straight-laced sound of Grizzly Bear. Fleet Foxes debut album remains the true standout of this era, fusing lovely harmonies with some of the densest folk music around. It was at once modern and archaic, lushly produced while suggesting Appalachian folk of a mythical variety.

White Winter Hymnal is a short burst which highlights all their best elements. The song begins with a truncated phrase repeated over and over, more voices piling in before the chorus is finally allowed to continue with perfect harmony. The lyrics consist of beautifully detailed imagery which prove difficult to decipher, creating an atmosphere both nostalgic and sad. Between the three repetitions of the chorus, the band erupts in non-lyrical harmonizing, a bombastic sound suggesting emotions too powerful to express with words. And then we reach the final chorus, the instrumentation fading away to let the voices alone carry us through the bittersweet ending. Despite its brief length, White Winter Hymnal suggests a majestic tale of love and loss.

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CasanovaZelos
06/29/21 4:03:41 PM
#174:


161. Townes Van Zandt Pancho and Lefty (1972)
from the album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zprRZ2wFQD4

Key lyrics:
Nobody heard his dying words
Thats the way it goes

Writing about popular music, there is an easy way out I typically try to avoid. Lacking the knowledge to properly discuss the instrumentation, it is tempting to shift focus to the lyrics and themes. The same gripe I have with amateur film critics treating movies like little more than narrative vessels tempts me in this other medium. Especially with my slight audio processing difficulties, I largely do not parse the lyrics until I already like the song even mentioning the lyrics thus feels disingenuous. I say all this to preface the fact that some songs simply are about the lyrical content. Certain musicians, such as Townes Van Zandt, take after the bardic tradition. This is a man, his guitar, and a tale of two notorious figures.

Pancho and Lefty is a quintessential western track, one that has been covered numerous times by more famous artists. Yet Townes Van Zandts sparse renditions stick with me more than any other. These are performances I can imagine around a campfire on a cold desert night. His southern drawl lends more authenticity - this could be a song swiped from the Wild West itself. The lyrics are evocative, from breath as hard as kerosene to the dust that Pancho bit down south ended up in Leftys mouth. Van Zandt has no need for additional bells and whistles his words pack a dense punch which would render a broader production redundant, too precise. The simplicity gives an air of truth.

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RyoCaliente
06/29/21 7:01:59 PM
#175:


Archangel is one of those songs that always creates this kind of visual image. Of some urban decor at night, not too cold but not warm either.

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How paralyzingly dull, boring and tedious!
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CasanovaZelos
06/30/21 11:55:24 AM
#176:


160. Chico Buarque Construo (1971)
from the album Construo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBfVsucRe1w

Construo is a song I was not immediately drawn to as someone who cannot speak Portuguese, a six minute epic focused around bitter political criticisms did not appear accessible. It was only when I was tackling my annual song list update that I returned, curious to see if something clicked. With a bad habit of sometimes treating music like background noise, my focus turned elsewhere quickly. But then that moment happened the horns came in with a horrifying blast, and I literally jumped in my seat.

I had sadly failed to give this song proper attention in my previous listens, the relatively quiet opening turning to a cacophony of warring voices and aggressive symphonic elements. Bossa nova rhythms keep it moving forward, not with the lightness typically associated with the genre but like a maddening spiral. The insistent patter of the lyrics steals my attention, even as someone incapable of understanding. Each line repeats the same twelve syllable structure, turning frantic, almost terrifying, when Buarques lone voice is joined by a crowd. Construo is far from a pleasurable experience, but it is a masterclass in disparate elements coming together to create an altogether singular soundscape. This is as turbulent as music come, easily breaking past the language barrier.

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CasanovaZelos
06/30/21 12:44:14 PM
#177:


159. The Beach Boys Good Vibrations (1966)
from the album Smiley Smile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eab_beh07HU

Key lyrics:
Close my eyes, shes somehow closer now
Softly smile, I know she must be kind

Leave it to The Beach Boys to make one of the most complex recordings of its era and coat it in such a summery and pleasant sound that the average listener could easily overlook its marvelous originality by being caught up in its pure sonic bliss. Good Vibrations is proof that experimental is not synonymous with inaccessible. Some truly successful experiments become so embedded in our culture that their avant-garde origins become lost to time. The whirring Electro-Theremin is perhaps the most iconic oddity, but the beating cello adds more subtle complexity. On a songwriting level, Good Vibrations is fragmentary, gliding through stray elements with ease. Though bright and bubbly throughout, this is an obvious precursor to more extreme rhapsodic hits like A Day in the Life and Bohemian Rhapsody.

The question, then, is what makes Good Vibrations such an easy listen similar works draw attention to their transitions, whereas Good Vibrations maintains an unlikely cohesiveness. In large part, this is due to the harmonizing The Beach Boys perfected over their long career. The sudden changes in tempo and volume allow the band to show off their vocal work. Quiet moments are an excuse to build back up to full force Good Vibrations is a song loaded with payoffs.

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CasanovaZelos
06/30/21 2:41:40 PM
#178:


158. Sonic Youth Teen Age Riot (1988)
from the album Daydream Nation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvDuATZCY8I

Key lyrics:
It takes a teenage riot to get me out of bed right now

Teen Age Riot exists in a weird space, the definitive track from a band who otherwise sound nothing like this. At the same time, its not exactly a typical alternative rock anthem thanks to its length and odd structure. The song begins with a hazy, sing-song intro, Kim Gordon throwing out vague yet demanding phrases. This stops after eighty seconds, only for a different sound to break through the silence. This second section carries the rest of the track the intro almost exists as a distinct entity, but the burst away from that section helps generate the sense of velocity that makes this so enticing.

What makes Teen Age Riot so distinctive is the sense of noise rock underpinning everything. This song is outright sunny in its presentation, but the frenetic energy comes straight out of a harder genre. Its as if Sonic Youth wrote one of their typically chaotic pieces and then redesigned it as a summer anthem. Most metal acts would never dare sound this cheery, while punk acts penning similar songs largely lack the technical drive to make something so complex. Sonic Youth redesigned their style for Teen Age Riot, showing even the most niche genre could be made accessible. As the intro track to one of the strongest and noisiest albums of the 1980s, Teen Age Riot was a perfect invitation welcoming, but just complex enough to prepare an unassuming audience.

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ChainLTTP
06/30/21 2:47:16 PM
#179:


Ooh boy, now you've verged into my Top 10.
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CasanovaZelos
06/30/21 3:56:57 PM
#180:


157. David Bowie Lazarus (2015)
from the album Blackstar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oad-EQyp6M

Key lyrics:
Look up here, Im in heaven

While there is a seemingly endless supply of songs about death, few are written by someone actually in the process of dying. Even among artists getting on in age, few are put in a position to recognize their final moments. Rarer are the artists who, in that fragile state, are still capable of writing a genuine hit, a song that reminds everyone why they were so beloved in the first place. Only days before his death, David Bowie did the impossible, a legacy act releasing a late career album one could easily argue as his finest work. Lazarus stands as the clearest acknowledgement of his impending fate.

David Bowie was a musical chameleon, and he dared to push new boundaries even on this final release. Lazarus shows shades of both jazz and gothic rock, starting as a gently brooding piece before Bowie works himself into an impassioned plea. He proudly declares he will be free, but there is enough tension there to show his fear. The song then winds down with an extended instrumental outro Bowie is gone, but his music will live on. And though there is a hint of fear in Bowies voice, the music itself suggests a meditative trance. Instead of spending his final months in terror, Bowie took the time to reflect and pen a fond farewell, not letting the curtain fall until it was truly over.

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CasanovaZelos
06/30/21 4:43:57 PM
#181:


156. The Knife Full of Fire (2013)
from the album Shaking the Habitual

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_bBZKiCJjM

Key lyrics:
Lets talk about gender, baby
Lets talk about you and me

With Silent Shout, The Knife were already teetering on the edge of abrasive. Shaking the Habitual found them diving headfirst into cacophony. Even the most accessible tracks spun out of control with unusual time signatures and piercing screeches. If Silent Shout is songs of oppression, Shaking the Habitual is a necessary act of rebellion. This is a band lashing out against tradition, both musically and toward larger cultural monoliths. Full of Fire finds just the right balance, a nightmare on first listen which becomes strangely transcendental as you cave to its wild demands.

Where earlier Knife tracks attempted to meet the audience halfway, Full of Fire is an auditory assault. Karin Dreijers vocals are more distorted than ever before, made worse by gasps for breath and wordless wailing. A relentless cascade of noise weaves through every second of this nine minute terror. Yet The Knife maintain perfect control throughout this is a danceable techno track. A techno track which seemed to emerge from the same liminal space as the boiler room in Nightmare on Elm Street, but a piece of electronic dance music nonetheless. Despite its intimidating nature, Full of Fire is ultimately an eye-opening experience. Just as the lyrics reflect upon the malleable nature of gender identity, the instrumentation suggests the only limits on music are self-imposed.

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CasanovaZelos
07/01/21 2:37:07 PM
#182:


Writing about jazz is challenging

155. Dave Brubeck Quartet Take Five (1959)
from the album Time Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs

Take Five is the definition of cool. Built around a 5/4 time signature, the song seems to slither through its elements. The beginning is soft, percussive elements played quietly while the piano comes in louder, yet with muted force. Then that signature sax comes in, again louder than the other instruments. It bobs up and down, weaving an unforgettable melody. None of these elements demand your attention but are compelling enough to capture the ear, the perfect sort of easy listening. After this quiet opening, the sax briefly disappears and the drums really begin to roll. The Dave Brubeck Quartet are playing with volume, and that quiet opening patter has evolved into an explosive drum solo. Yet even that never quite takes off Take Five maintains a subdued sound throughout, only teasing toward a grand finale.

This is a piece that, while saying nothing with words, paints a very specific image. Take Five is a song playing in a penthouse caf overlooking a city in the dead of night. The relative quiet combined with its growing volume creates an unusual effect, calm yet always evolving. Instead of building toward some grand release, the Dave Brubeck Quartet are emphasizing every individual note.

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CasanovaZelos
07/01/21 3:21:20 PM
#183:


154. The Cure Close to Me (1985)
from the album The Head on the Door

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb-rihW_SwU

Key lyrics:
But if I had your faith
Then I could make it safe and clean

Close to Me falls closer to the pop rock side of The Cures oeuvre, though something about it is just upsetting enough to fall in perfectly with their gothic imagery. The keyboards are peppy, the rhythm playful on an instrumental level, this might be their lightest song. But even before the vocals begin, quiet panting pervades the song. When Robert Smith actually starts singing, he sounds desperately out of breath. Its as though he has escaped a horrid nightmare, the music representing peace in his waking world as the terror persists. Whatever haunted his dreams still looms, and this waking peace is only a brief respite.

The unease is subtly reinforced by the music though it is light, it never quite escapes its repetitive loop. Taken with the lyrics, the peppiness could easily be taken as manic anxiety key to this working as both a pop hit and a slightly unnerving Cure song. As such, this works to reinforce my positive moods and also comfort me during stressful times. Through most of their career, The Cure only turned to pop when they could cleverly subvert it. Close to Me is minimal and catchy, yet the shadows linger just out of view.

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CasanovaZelos
07/01/21 4:41:18 PM
#184:


153. James Brown Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine (1970)
from the album Sex Machine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOD-M7WZkZQ

Key lyrics:
The way I like it, is the way it is
I got mine, dont worry about his

James Brown had been performing since the mid-50s, slowly but surely transforming his sound into the emerging funk genre. 1970 forced a new style when his backing band walked out, he had to find new members, and their skillset was not quite the same. The result was something minimal yet provocative. Compare this to the earlier funk hit Papas Got a Brand New Bag. Where that song was dominated by a horn section, Get Up is all about the bass. The earlier sound was bombastic, while the instruments here feel more mischievous and sly. This slick sound would come to define the funk genre at large.

James Brown was a phenomenal performer, and that shines on this recording. The vocals are structured as a call and response with Bobby Byrd, the lyrics short phrases allowing Brown to jump all over. Where his earlier funk hits found the horns warring with him over the spotlight, the instrumentation here works purely as backup. This is not to knock those earlier classics; rather, all the elements of Sex Machine are uniquely orchestrated to put James Brown right at the center. James Brown is a musical legend, and this song alone is enough to showcase his raw style.

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CasanovaZelos
07/01/21 5:15:13 PM
#185:


152. Funkadelic One Nation Under a Groove (1978)
from the album One Nation Under a Groove

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WOZwwRH6XU

Key lyrics:
Feet dont fail me now

Funkadelic(/Parliament) are a rare popular band that might be better described as a collective. With a dozen vocalists, their performances are a party in themselves. One Nation Under a Groove is all over the place in the best way possible. The song begins with several voices playing against each other, some singing in harmony while others dance in the spotlight. A lone voice leads much of the track, but it is the other voices warping around him that draw attention. The harmonies sometimes jump to the forefront to directly support the lead, other times serving purely as backing. A more jovial voice chimes in now and then, a rough contrast to the smooth lead. This defines the sense of unity at the heart of the song disparate voices working to create something larger than life.

For such chaotic vocals, the instrumentation has to tie everything together. Much like Sex Machine, the funky bass guides the song but remains firmly in the background. While wild synth lines pop in during the silence, many of the instruments simply work to reinforce the stray vocals. The magic of One Nation Under a Groove is how all these elements come together as a singular vision.

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CasanovaZelos
07/01/21 5:48:56 PM
#186:


151. !!! Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) (2003)
from the album Louden Up Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaqQYetCH8U

Key lyrics:
So if you got hips, shake em
And if you got fears, forsake em
Giulianis got his rules but we aint no fools
Lets break em

More than any hit by LCD Soundsystem or The Rapture, !!!s Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard captures the spirit of the original dance-punk era. It kicks off with a bouncy rhythm before adding one of the sexiest basslines known to man. Though its nine minute length might seem astronomical, it proves to be a worthy epic, shifting between several movements. While packed with plenty of vocals, !!! are not afraid to go off with several instrumental breaks. This is all about getting a crowd on the dancefloor and finding new ways to push those limits. Horns burst onto the scene at key moments, while a section near the two minute mark turns almost transcendental as rapid guitar strumming overwhelms everything but the drumbeat.

The punk elements are just as essential. The lyrics are a bratty attack on the politics of the time, though they somehow caught a lucky break with Giuliani growing into an increasingly absurd figure. Nothing here feels particularly complex on the technical side, and common descents into atonal scatting add to a DIY aesthetic. This is a jam with a whole lot of attitude. The only thing missing is the type of club that would actually play this type of music.

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CasanovaZelos
07/01/21 6:08:09 PM
#187:


5 more of my top 100 artists fell in the last batch. The next batch will actually take out both my #1 and #100 artist - I will also plan to include a breakdown of their score to show what it takes to enter my top 100 while also showing how much of a gulf there is between #1 and #100. In fact, in raw points, even my #10 act is closer to my #201 act than to my #1.

Though as I said before, my 'top' artist and my 'favorite' would be different. What I would probably consider my favorite artist only has 4 albums, but the scoring system I use rewards longevity. So, again, take my artist ranking below as a vague approximation - quite a few of these would be rearranged if I ever tried to consciously rank my favorite acts, especially in favor of bands like Nirvana who only had a few releases. Heck, even just reducing the albums and songs I consider to just my top 500/1000 respectively would bump Nirvana up to #21...looking it over, that might actually be a more accurate list...

The list so far:
250. The The - This is the Day
249. Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
248. Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
247. Cerrone - Supernature
246. Jessie Ware - Spotlight
245. SOPHIE - Bipp
244. Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
243. The Beatles - Yesterday
242. The Walkmen - The Rat
241. Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
240. Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck
239. Sigur Ros - Svefn-g-englar
238. The Clash - London Calling
237. Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
236. Fever Ray - If I Had a Heart
235. Bjork - Joga
234. Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
233. Stereolab - Cybele's Reverie
232. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio
231. Prince - When Doves Cry
230. New Order - True Faith
229. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
228. Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
227. Vashti Bunyan - Diamond Day
226. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
225. Elliott Smith - Waltz #2
224. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Mustt Mustt
223. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
222. Amy Winehouse - Rehab
221. Charles Mingus - Track C - Group Dancers
220. Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
219. Janelle Monae - Tightrope
218. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
217. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
216. Elliott Smith - Between the Bars
215. Tim Buckley - Song to the Siren
214. The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
213. M83 - Midnight City
212. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
211. Arcade Fire - Wake Up
210. Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line
209. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Theme de Yoyo
208. Missy Elliott - Work It
207. Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
206. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
205. 808 State - Pacific State
204. LCD Soundsystem - How Do You Sleep?
203. Bruce Springsteen - The River
202. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
201. Courtney Barnett - Avant Gardener
200. Kendrick Lamar - i
199. Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
198. Nick Drake - River Man
197. Lucy Dacus - Night Shift
196. The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
195. Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Peggy Sue
194. Bob Dylan - Hurricane
193. Lou Reed - Perfect Day
192. The National - Fake Empire
191. Nina Simone - Feeling Good
190. Roy Orbison - In Dreams
189. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better
188. Caribou - Can't Do Without You
187. The xx - Crystalised
186. Beck - Where It's At
185. Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
184. Pixies - Debaser
183. Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight
182. Solange - Cranes in the Sky
181. The Specials - Ghost Town
180. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse
179. Nick Cave - Into My Arms
178. Neil Young - Heart of Gold
177. Vampire Weekend - Hannah Hunt
176. Lorde - Royals
175. The Knife - Silent Shout
174. Hot Chip - Over and Over
173. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
172. Slint - Good Morning Captain
171. The Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs
170. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
169. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
168. Nirvana - Lithium
167. Aldous Harding - The Barrel
166. David Bowie - Young Americans
165. Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
164. Big Thief - Shark Smile
163. Burial - Archangel
162. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
161. Townes Van Zandt - Pancho and Lefty
160. Chico Buarque - Construcao
159. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
158. Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
157. David Bowie - Lazarus
156. The Knife - Full of Fire
155. Dave Brubeck - Take Five
154. The Cure - Close to Me
153. James Brown - Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine
152. Funkadelic/Parliament - One Nation Under a Groove
151. !!! - Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard

Top 100 artists (with no remaining songs; artists from the most recent batch bolded):
3. Nick Cave: "Into My Arms" (#179)
14. Neil Young: "Heart of Gold" (#178)
16. Kanye West: "Monster" (#309)
18. Tom Waits: "Time" (#790)
21. The Cure: "Close to Me" (#154)
25. Charles Mingus: "Track C - Group Dancer" (#221)
26. Leonard Cohen: "Suzanne" (#588)
28. Nirvana: "Lithium" (#168)
34. Arcade Fire: "Wake Up" (#211)
36. Fiona Apple: "Heavy Balloon" (#275)
38. Metallica: "Master of Puppets" (#348)
39. PJ Harvey: "Rid of Me" (#472)
40. Led Zeppelin: "Kashmir" (#619)
43. Animal Collective: "My Girls" (#307)
45. The National: "Fake Empire" (#192)
47. St. Vincent: "Digital Witness" (#334)
49. U2: "One" (#434)
50. Pink Floyd: "Wish You Were Here" (#514)
51. Vampire Weekend: "Hannah Hunt" (#177)
53. The Police: "Roxanne" (#285)
54. Beastie Boys: "Sabotage" (#261)
55. Portishead: "Sour Times" (#254)
56. The xx: "Crystalised" (#187)
58. The Chemical Brothers: "Hey Boy Hey Girl" (#271)
60. The Kinks: "Waterloo Sunset" (#355)
62. Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Fortunate Son" (#333)
63. Lou Reed: "Walk on the Wild Side" (#165)
64. Can: "Mother Sky" (#398)
65. Mogwai: "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong" (#399)
67. John Coltrane: "A Love Supreme, Part 1: Acknowledgement" (#661)
69. Bob Marley: "Redemption Song" (#506)
73. Depeche Mode: "Never Let Me Down Again" (#173)
75. Madonna: "Like a Prayer" (#336)
76. Simon and Garfunkel: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (#248)
77. The Clash: "London Calling" (#238)
80. Sigur Ros: "Svefn-g-englar" (#239)
81. M.I.A.: "Paper Planes" (#218)
82. Bon Iver: "Skinny Love" (#262)
85. Green Day: "Basket Case" (#371)
91. Elvis Presley: "Suspicious Minds" (#387)
92. Fever Ray: "If I Had a Heart" (#236)
93. Beyonce: "Countdown" (#615)
94. Funkadelic/Parliament: "One Nation Under a Groove" (#152)

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CasanovaZelos
07/02/21 12:57:40 PM
#188:


150. Lana Del Rey Video Games (2011)
from the album Born to Die

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE6wxDqdOV0

Key lyrics:
He holds me in his big arms,
Drunk and I am seeing stars
This is all I think of

A couple years before Lorde took melancholy pop mainstream, Lana Del Rey was already crooning from her preemptive deathbed. Its not that Video Games has particularly depressing subject matter, but rather that Lana Del Rey sings with a fatalistic edge. The mundane themes of ordinary love are cast against bombastic instrumentation there is no explicit acknowledgement that this relationship has ended, but everything about the production informs this perspective. Lana Del Rey successfully casts herself as a star, using Video Games as a melancholy nostalgia piece on the life she has given up to achieve that fame. And she found the perfect modern Rosebud, longing for something as simple as watching her lover play video games.

The production is mesmerizing and lush. A string section plays this up as something grandiose; such themes could have easily been taken as sentimental, but the song instead captures the wonders of ordinary life. A snare drum helps the song subtly rumble into and out from the chorus. The second chorus adds a louder pulse; these contrasting elements sell the sense of loss. Everything adds up to a perfect pop showstopper. Though Lana Del Rey had several fumbles in the immediate aftermath of this release, Video Games was so singularly impressive as to guarantee an attentive audience through every mistake.

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ChainLTTP
07/02/21 1:29:20 PM
#189:


Have you listened to Norman Rockwell yet? It's a masterpiece
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CasanovaZelos
07/02/21 1:45:35 PM
#190:


Yes, NFR was my second favorite album that year after Nick Cave's Ghosteen. To me, it felt like Lana proving herself a genuine all-timer after years of good but not exceptional albums. I think Tyler, the Creator is experiencing the same thing this year - I know people liked his last two albums, but his new album really fulfills the promise made by "Yonkers."

149. Nico These Days (1967)
from the album Chelsea Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_z_UEuEMAo

Key lyrics:
Please dont confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them

Underpinning the simple beauty of These Days is a complex mess of production issues; the success here feels like a fluke. Nicos career as a musician seems to have come about through Andy Warhols insistence, first forcing her into The Velvet Underground before this solo work. Her low voice and thick accent, while affecting in its own right, has a niche appeal that likely would have floundered without Warhol backing her every step. Even this song does not belong to her alone, being written by Jackson Browne at age 16 and having him play guitar on the recording. To add another complexity, the string arrangement that feels so essential was snuck onto the record by the producer, Tom Wilson.

Though credited alone, Nico was clearly denied creative control over this track. Nevertheless, everything comes together to emphasize her unique qualities. The intense melancholy of her voice is emphasized by the strings, while Brownes fingerpicking adds just enough air this is not a depressive track but a reflective one. That sense of reflection works wonders with her voice; though her work with The Velvet Underground only seemed to work due to the intentional messiness of their debut, These Days allowed Nico to play in her own element. This track proves that even a rough voice can be made beautiful with precise production.

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CasanovaZelos
07/02/21 3:55:49 PM
#191:


148. Justice D.A.N.C.E. (2007)
from the album Cross

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCnBrrnOefs

Following in the footsteps of Daft Punks Discovery album, Justice laid out a perfect house hit by openly paying homage to a childhood influence. D.A.N.C.E. is a giant, loving tribute to Michael Jackson, the lyrics quoting several lines from his songs. To channel the spirit of a young Michael Jackson, Justice brought in a childrens choir to do the vocals. The song shifts back and forth between chaotic pileups and solo lines but even those lone deliveries are made larger than life. Do the dance is repeated over and over, sometimes decaying into a stuttering echo. Few songs have made child singers sound so cool.

Throughout, D.A.N.C.E. is a production marvel. The song opens with static interference, and the shift to perfect clarity hits like a bomb. While D.A.N.C.E. consists of a lot of familiar, repetitive elements, Justice mixes them together into unique combinations throughout. The most stunning section comes just after the two and a half minute mark, most of the instruments dropping out aside from the piano. The groovy bassline then returns to pull the song back to its full force, only for the song to shift into a bubbly outro. D.A.N.C.E. is a rare house hit that refuses to settle into a comfortable groove.

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CasanovaZelos
07/03/21 11:35:16 AM
#192:


147. Daft Punk One More Time (2000)
from the album Discovery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGBhQbmPwH8

Key lyrics:
We dont stop
You cant stop

Daft Punks Discovery album is a celebration of the disco era, cheese and all, and One More Time is the track that sets everything into motion. And this particular track truly is a celebration, its central sound so bright and cheery it would be cloying if not for a sense of raw exuberance. The band makes great use of auto-tune, intentionally modulating guest vocalist Romanthonys part to find a perfect balance between man and machine. The crackle of his delivery add a funky quality most bands only achieve with multiple vocalists.

Just as the central loop risks wearing thin, the track shifts gear. Everything but the drums and vocals are seemingly dragged underwater and then the beat drops out, too. Romanthonys vocals turn downright soulful, emphasized by the minimal sonic backdrop. A tambourine arrives in the middle of this extended break, suggesting the party might soon return before being silenced twenty seconds later. Daft Punk are milking this bridge for all its worth. After nearly two minutes of muted instrumentation, the electronic horns slowly rise back up, a truly glorious transition back to the beginning. Through this arrangement, Daft Punk morph the familiar starting point into a spine-tingling payoff this party could go on forever.

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CasanovaZelos
07/03/21 1:09:52 PM
#193:


146. Underworld Born Slippy .NUXX (1995)
non-album single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTFrCbQGyvM

Key lyrics:
She smiled at you boy

Born Slippy .NUXX turns repetition into hypnosis. No matter the context, every short phrase Karl Hyde speaks in the first three minutes is punctuated by the word boy. This rambling performance suggests something like being commanded by a drunken stranger his meaning is hard to discern, but you are certain hes addressing you specifically. This uneasy, slimy feeling lingers across the full ten minutes, even as the vocals drop out and the song goes full trance. Born Slippy is a furious minimalist piece with the scale of a progressive epic. It is the sonic equivalent of meeting a new friend at a skeevy bar, only to have your arm unexpectedly stick to the leather as you reach up for a handshake.

The mesmerizing element is how stripped down this becomes while maintaining a distinct identity. By the time it reaches the back half, Born Slippy descends into extended segments consisting of nothing more than the beat. But like any techno great, the song dithers about with several stray elements, all made cohesive by their consistently disparate nature. This is a full musical odyssey, chained together by an insistent beat. Though little of it sounds pleasant in any traditional sense, the demanding opening and frenetic repetition always leave me hooked.

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CasanovaZelos
07/03/21 1:40:55 PM
#194:


145. Stardust Music Sounds Better With You (1998)
non-album single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf244LCkkLc

If we were to judge bands based on the average quality of their music, Stardust would probably take the top spot. Music Sounds Better With You was the only song recorded under this name, but it stands as an all-time great house track. Its place in the electronic music canon makes better sense once you look at the individual members, which includes one half of Daft Punk. This operates as a bridge between the first two Daft Punk albums, lightening the atmosphere from Homework while maintaining its insistent structure. The production veers close to pop territory, but steady vocal loops confirm the house roots.

More than anything, Music Sounds Better With You feels like a key step in electronic music shedding its sometimes cold exterior. There is nothing robotic about this track. Benjamin Diamonds vocals are sensual, while the central guitar hook is classic disco. This showcased what electronic music could do in the pop sphere, all while maintaining a singular focus on the dancefloor. While the song occasionally dips into distinct segments, it is happy to linger on its central hook. Simply put, Stardust stumbled across a perfect ten seconds of music and decided to let it soar. With something this strong, who needs more?

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ChainLTTP
07/03/21 2:48:41 PM
#195:


Dance cluster
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CasanovaZelos
07/03/21 2:51:12 PM
#196:


ChainLTTP posted...
Dance cluster

When I updated this list back in March, these all ended up in the same cluster and I figured I liked them all about the same so why not keep them together? It feels a bit awkward now, and also writing about these back to back was kinda hard. And there's still one more to go...

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CasanovaZelos
07/04/21 10:36:09 AM
#197:


144. The Orb Little Fluffy Clouds (1990)
from the album The Orbs Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHixChYgGRI

Key lyrics:
And the clouds would catch the colors everywhere
Thats neat, cause I used to look at them all the time when I was little
You dont see that

With Little Fluffy Clouds, The Orb found a unique method of creating a simple pleasure. The entire track is built around sampling a Rickie Lee Jones interview. She sounds blazed out of her mind while ranting about clouds, and The Orb go all in on simulating her apparent bliss. Much like actual clouds, Little Fluffy Clouds feels gigantic while lacking density. This is not a bad thing. As an ambient house track, Little Fluffy Clouds is built to return the energy you put in. The dance elements are just subtle enough that one can easily zone out and take it in without any effort.

The Orb achieve this by mixing spacey synthesizers with a simple yet effective beat. The persistence of the Rickie Lee Jones sampling assists both elements. As the synths bubble into the stratosphere, Jones feels right there with them, absolutely amazed by the experience. She is made an unwitting tour guide, almost sounding regal with this production. Simultaneously, The Orb chop her words up, reducing her to a skittering stutter which occasionally forms part of the beat. The whole track is an exercise in how non-musical samples can be recontextualized into something magnificent. Little Fluffy Clouds is a blast of silliness that lingers long after the novelty should have worn off, all thanks to its stellar production.

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CasanovaZelos
07/04/21 12:03:16 PM
#198:


143. Jefferson Airplane White Rabbit (1967)
from the album Surrealistic Pillow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUY2kJE0AZE

Key lyrics:
Go ask Alice

While plenty of songs from the 1960s toyed with drug references, few have felt as lasting as White Rabbit. With this song, Grace Slick forever linked Lewis Carrolls classic childrens novel with hippie culture. The lyrics are a loving homage from someone who manufactured an unintended message.

Yet the subject matter is only a minor part of what makes White Rabbit a true classic of psychedelic rock. The structure here is something few artists seem to even consider attempting. The song begins with a steady marching rhythm. There is no chorus or real hook. Each verse simply rises into the next, the drumbeat forever suggesting the song is only taking off. It is not until we reach the final lines that the song truly shifts gears, but then it is over. White Rabbit simply builds tension over its two and a half minutes, all towards one short burst. This moment is cathartic, but it can also leave one wanting for more. Taken as a whole, the song feels like an intro to a larger piece that does not exist. This could have been a frustrating experience, but this design makes White Rabbit feel like few others. The entire song operates as one gigantic crescendo.

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CasanovaZelos
07/04/21 12:38:40 PM
#199:


142. Marvin Gaye Whats Going On (1971)
from the album Whats Going On

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M

Key lyrics:
Dont punish me
With brutality

In an era defined by protest songs, Whats Going On stands out by turning more to weariness than anger. While plenty of others preached peace, love, and understanding, Marvin Gaye frames it with the right amount of introspection. He knows this will not be an easy path but it is also the only real path to a better tomorrow. The sound remains downcast as Marvin Gaye pleas for people to listen. He directly addresses the audience through familial term; mother, brother, sister, father begin the verses and punctuate the chorus. To truly achieve change, Gaye knew everyone needed to play a part.

The production on Whats Going On signaled a new direction for soul music. The song starts with a chattering crowd, immediately suggesting an inner city atmosphere. The slower, melancholy tone was densely packed the emphasis was no longer on vocals but a complex soundscape. But thats not to say Marvin Gaye failed to deliver an era-defining performance. Inspired by a studio accident, he decided to layer his vocals, allowing key moments to split in two beautiful directions. The combination of this with the chatter and backing vocals creates a truly communal experience to tackle all these issues in one breath, Gaye crafted an all-encompassing sound.

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CasanovaZelos
07/06/21 2:57:42 PM
#200:


141. Elbow One Day Like This (2008)
from the album The Seldom Seen Kid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCJ7keVBj6Y

Key lyrics:
Throw those curtains wide
One day like this a year would see me right

It is easy to trace the origins of One Day Like This. In many ways, Elbow come off as the less popular twin of Coldplay. Meaning, both bands clearly take after the lighter songs by Radiohead circa The Bends. With Radiohead quickly drifting toward the experimental, this is a rare case where shameless imitation is respectable. Elbow and Coldplay offer a window into what could have been if Radiohead stuck with this light alternative sound. One Day Like This is a rare example where I actually prefer the imitation Elbow spent years mastering this style, and this particular track carries an astronomical weight.

When someone refers to a rock song as epic, certain concepts come to mind. Almost certainly, there has to be a scene stealing guitar solo somewhere. One Day Like This is an epic in its own distinct way. It comes off almost like a progressive wedding song. The definitive element is a soaring string section, ebbing and flowing throughout the first half before erupting into that colossal finale. Guy Garveys voice captures a sense of elation as he remarks upon a most wondrous day. Though the lyrics threatens the obvious fact that such moments are rare, Elbow absolutely live in this serenity. The outro takes up the entire back half of the song, a dozen voices singing in harmony. Without a trace of sentimentality, One Day Like This manages to create an overwhelmingly joyful atmosphere.

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CasanovaZelos
07/06/21 3:25:52 PM
#201:


140. James Blake The Wilhelm Scream (2011)
from the album James Blake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isIABK-0ohQ

Key lyrics:
Im falling, falling, falling, falling
Might as well fall in

The impact of a song can change immensely depending on the context in which it is heard. I knew The Wilhelm Scream for several months before it fully clicked. I liked it just enough to put it at the end of a mix CD which I kept in my car for the rare trip. I was returning from visiting my first boyfriend when this song came on in the dark of night on an empty highway. Few experiences in my life have ever felt so revelatory. The dense, pulsing layers never came through properly on my tinny laptop speakers this experience was enough to push me towards investing in a better sound system.

The Wilhelm Scream is an isolating experience. James Blake frantically repeats the same phrases, modifying a key word here and there. The music keeps building, as if trying to drown him out. There is not much complexity to any individual element, but the way they intersect and override each other is mesmerizing. James Blake does his dense production justice, belting out his part with so much soul his impact not just on electronic music but contemporary R&B starts here. Like Archangel before it, The Wilhelm Scream fills a dense atmosphere with enough humanity to strike with unexpected resonance.

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