250-226 | 225-201 | 200-176 | 175-151
150-126 | 125-101 | 100-76 | 75-51
50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11
10-4 | 3-1
150-126 | 125-101 | 100-76 | 75-51
50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11
10-4 | 3-1
Finally. It's taken a while to get here but I'm glad I stuck it out. So without further stalling, here are my top three songs of the Noughties.
3. Johnny Cash – Hurt


Trent Reznor admitted that he was initially "flattered" but worried that "the idea [of Cash covering "Hurt"] sounded a bit gimmicky," but when he heard the song and saw the video for the first time his feelings changed; “I pop the video in, and wow… Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps… Wow. [I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore… It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure.”
Reznor’s original is taken to be about struggling with a drug addiction and the numbness to pain that comes with it. Johnny Cash, took that original sentiment and turned it into a song about old age. At first, that may seem like a step backward, but the emotion and true hurt in his version of the song is felt with every word. Rubin accentuates every moment of the song incredibly, using the chorus as a build up to an eventual end. For me, the song is perfect, and it gets to me every single time. It is a truly magnificent song.
2. Arcade Fire - Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)


It’s incredible sound is definable to this album and no other, giving it a sense of identity unique, which I will always associate with my family home. As Ian Cohen wrote at pitchfork, "Will there ever be another album like Funeral?... something tells me that as music becomes even more readily available to us in the next decade, we'll still go through it all in the hopes we can find something with the unifying force and astounding emotional payload that only albums like Funeral can provide."What’s more, the incredible guitar sound, the lovely warm vocals, the perfect piano, the perfectly attuned bass, and the ghostly but lively chorus of vocals make it an entirely gorgeous song; One which always has a place in my, and many other music fans hearts, forever.
1. Reuben - A Short History Of Nearly Everything


I was flabbergasted at how good it was. I would again be flabbergasted a year later when their follow up was just as good. When their third album 'In Nothing We Trust' came out, I was shocked. Not because it was bad, but because it beat my idea of what it would be and what it could sound like by a million. It was their finest album, and as they say, you always save your best for your last. Not only was their final album their best, but the last song on this release was ‘A Short History Of Nearly Everything’, my number one song of the noughties.
Everything is perfect. It has probably the best lyrics that Jamie Lenman ever wrote, Jon Pearce’s bass-line is at it’s finest, and Guy Davis’ drums were at their peak. Not to mention that Sean Genockey is the finest producer the band ever worked with, as he made sure every moment was as crystal clear as a lucid dream, cementing the album’s effect on it’s fans. The build up is incredible, the break-down better and the finale is outstanding; something I think I captured better in my Definitive top 25 of Reuben “This one is my personal favourite. It starts with this huge lumbering bass riff, and slowly brings the other instruments in, ready to charge forward with the great intensity that Reuben fans can expect by the end of the third album. As Reuben do so well, they show great emotion and burgeoning passion for their music, especially in this song, with piano taking the lead for a while, before the song breaks down to complete silence, only to explode into a chasm of wonderful storytelling and sound. Essentially, the song is about a time when Jamie and a friend climbed a big hill, and had a great day doing it, but it feels like so much more. Even Barry Ronayne agrees stating, “It’s one of the best songs to close an album that I've heard.” He also states that on more than one occasion, the song gives him “chills”. I know that feeling.”

Everything is perfect. It has probably the best lyrics that Jamie Lenman ever wrote, Jon Pearce’s bass-line is at it’s finest, and Guy Davis’ drums were at their peak. Not to mention that Sean Genockey is the finest producer the band ever worked with, as he made sure every moment was as crystal clear as a lucid dream, cementing the album’s effect on it’s fans. The build up is incredible, the break-down better and the finale is outstanding; something I think I captured better in my Definitive top 25 of Reuben “This one is my personal favourite. It starts with this huge lumbering bass riff, and slowly brings the other instruments in, ready to charge forward with the great intensity that Reuben fans can expect by the end of the third album. As Reuben do so well, they show great emotion and burgeoning passion for their music, especially in this song, with piano taking the lead for a while, before the song breaks down to complete silence, only to explode into a chasm of wonderful storytelling and sound. Essentially, the song is about a time when Jamie and a friend climbed a big hill, and had a great day doing it, but it feels like so much more. Even Barry Ronayne agrees stating, “It’s one of the best songs to close an album that I've heard.” He also states that on more than one occasion, the song gives him “chills”. I know that feeling.”
Take note friends, I don’t think it gets better thank this.
Goodnight.
Carl.