Thursday, May 20, 2010

I Love the Noughties

First off, congrats to the Brits for not only (finally!) naming the past decade, but for actually finding a cooler name than “the Aughts,” to which I had previously pledged my undying allegiance and love. I was a bit surprised, when the Noughties ended, to find an overwhelming volume of music that was generated during that period that I actually loved. I admit to having a bit of Old Cootism, even if I try (poorly) to be hip and with it (generally by using terms like “hip” and “with it”). I fall quite easily into Sixties and Seventies comfort zones for months at a time. The Eighties were a bit of a black hole for me (which is odd since that’s my high school decade), but the Nineties…ahh, the Nineties…

The Nineties was a treasure trove for me. As people who know me — or, hell, acquaintances — can attest, I love Brit-flavored (sorry, flavoured), guitar-driven music. So the Nineties, with the resurgence of Britpop and bands like Oasis, Dodgy and The Boo Radleys, was heaven for me. But that scene was dying out by the end of the decade and, quite honestly, it didn’t look like America was willing to pick up the slack with the likes of Limp Bizkit and Creed topping the rock charts.

But indeed the Noughties were spectacular, if you were willing to seek out cool music that might not ever play over the increasingly irritating American airwaves, emanating from the most unlikely of places (Sweden, New Zealand, Nancy Sinatra!). I appreciate everyone who helped me open my ears over the last decade, especially Morgan Dontanville, Leon Avelino, Nachie Castro, Scott Booker and the other music traders I had the fortune of hanging out with during my New York decade.

Anyway, in the spirit of last week’s “Listomania” blog, here is my completely subjective, unapologetic Top 40 Songs of the Noughties:

1. “Do You Realize??” The Flaming Lips
2. “Whatever Happened to My Rock ‘N’ Roll (Punk Song)” Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
3. “Falling Down” Oasis
4. “Fat Children” Jarvis Cocker
5. “Sailor” The Brian Jonestown Massacre
6. “Part of the Queue” Oasis
7. “Somebody Told Me” The Killers
8. “Smoking Pot Makes Me Not Want to Kill Myself” Stardeath and White Dwarfs
9. “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down” Oasis
10. “Infra Riot” The Soundtrack of Our Lives
11. “I Woke up in Love This Morning” Doug Powell
12. “Feel Good Inc.” Gorillaz
13. “Turn up the Sun” Oasis
14. “Nevermore” The Soundtrack of Our Lives
15. “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” Kylie Minogue
16. “Hate to Say I Told You So” The Hives
17. “The Tears of a Clown” Bertrand Burgalat with A.S. Dragon
18. “Sister Surround” The Soundtrack of Our Lives
19. “Keep What Ya Got” Ian Brown
20. “I Predict a Riot” Kaiser Chiefs
21. “Love Burns” Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
22. “Spectral Mornings” Cornershop
23. “21st Century Man” Nigel Clark
24. “Borderline” The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs
25. “Wayfaring Stranger” Neko Case
26. “Eyeball Tickler” Oasis
27. “I Just Wanna Have Something to Do” Garbage
28. “DARE” Gorillaz
29. “Common People” William Shatner featuring Joe Jackson
30. “One Big Holiday” My Morning Jacket
31. “Burning Down the Spark” Nancy Sinatra
32. “Rehab” Amy Winehouse
33. “Hash Pipe” Weezer
34. “Hit the Heartbrakes” Black Kids
35. “I Heard Myself in You” January
36. “There There” Radiohead
37. “MF from Hell” The Datsuns
38. “Wake Up” The Arcade Fire
39. “Only Mama Knows” Paul McCartney
40. “Pompeii am Götterdämmerung” The Flaming Lips

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