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
100. Reuben - Shambles (Long Version)
I think I said it well enough on my Top 25 Reuben article… “When the Pilot EP came out back in 2001, the band named Angel had just decided to change their name to Reuben. On that EP, for the first 100 copies anyway, a two minute long song called Shambles graced the ears of fans, and they were intrigued. A rumour started to float around that the band were going to put a bigger, longer version of it on the EP, but the studio time ran out, and the short, two minute version was added instead. For years, Reuben fans cried out to hear the long version, and in 2008, they got their wish. The re-recorded song was much more in depth and showed Reuben’s progression as a band to the fullest extent, bursting with a kind of unrealised brilliance. Just before Reuben were laid to rest, their final song showed them at perhaps their most alive.” Listen
99. Alexisonfire - Young Cardinals
As soon as I heard this huge song shout ‘GO!’ I could not get it out of my head. It’s fucking furious and beltingly fast, but still has such a ridiculously brilliant melodic and anthemic chorus. Not to mention an incredible drum-line leading the whole song. It’s one of the best songs that Alexisonfire have ever delivered and in fact, every album they put out seems to beat the previous one, with their latest certainly being their greatest. This is a fine example of why, and if you haven’t heard them in a few years, it’d be a good idea to give this one a shot. It’s a superhero. Video
98. Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without The E
Gong way back in Taking Back Sundays history can be a very good idea. On their first album, there weren’t a lot of great songs, but this was one of them. So good, in fact, it remains one of their best 3 albums later. It’s fast and catchy, it’s got a brilliant string of vocals that can be brilliant to join in with. Everything that Taking Back Sunday do well, they do it best here. Video
97. The Holiday Plan – Stories
Nobody has heard of this band. If you have, you were probably one of the 20 people that tuned in to see MTV’s Breaking Point and saw The Holiday Plan go head to head with other bands to compete for Island to buy them up. Even if they didn’t win, it gave them a big launch as Island put out singles from each band. The double A-side single Stories/Sunshine was a stellar thing, both songs being awesome to the point of mind blowing. The Holiday Plan were just simply one of the best, most under-appreciated bands out there, and only their break-up and subsequent reformation hurt their career more than their small following. A brilliant band, a brilliant song. Just a shame they never released the recorded debut album. Sigh. Video
96. Million Dead - I Gave My Eyes To Stevie Wonder
As a one off single in-between albums one and two, you might expect ‘I Gave My Eyes To Stevie Wonder’ to be less than good. You’d be wrong, you nutter. To put it simply, Million Dead were one of the best bands of the noughties, and this is a perfect example of why. Frank Turner’s vocal prowess gave him command of a wonderful set of lyrics while some stellar guitar and bass harmony work gave the song it’s backbone and the drums gave it it’s legs. It’s a superb song and one which marries the thought of the song brilliantly with the video. Everything about it is just so darn good. It’s a wonderful song. Nobody puts baby in the corner.
95. Hundred Reasons - Casual Friday
Safe to say even if you have heard of Hundred Reasons, if you’re not a fan, you won’t know ‘Casual Friday’. As a B-side on their ‘Kill Your Own’ single, who really would? Me, that’s who. I went to all the fucking trouble of finding this, somehow, somewhere and making a playlist that led straight to it. Give it a go, eh? Listen
94. Beyonce - Crazy In Love (Feat Jay-Z)
Fuck sake, viewers, do I need to define everything for you? Here’s the 10-year old version of why it’s good. Eh… it’s got those good trumpet bits, and she sings dead good… I like the bits with the fire in the video too. That’s good. Here’s Rolling Stone: It “…roars out of the speakers on the strength of a propulsive horn sample and the charged presence of her pal, Jay-Z.” Good enough, you vultures?! Video
93. Misery Signals - Weight Of The World
If you don’t like your songs to be fucking loud, you won’t like this. Misery Signals are simply one of the best bands in their field right now. Their music is brutal, it’s got a lot of heart in it and it’s also a lot of fucking fun to listen. Somehow this man growling in your ear and the loud guitars and thundering bass and drums cheers me the hell up. Maybe it’s the melodic interludes that feature heavily in Misery Signals music that makes it work. Maybe it’s the sheer passion for the music that shoots out of the lads like lightening. Whatever it is, it works like a hellish little charm. Weight Of The World is the band at their most brutal, and is certainly a fine example of how to get it done. Listen
92. Rihanna - Umbrella (Feat Jay Z)
We’ve bounced from Hardcore to Pop to Metal and now were back at Pop again! I don’t think anyone can deny that this song is worthy of entry. It’s so perfect, yet so simple. You’ve got Drums and you’ve got Rihanna. And then a bit of synth for effect. And a bass hit here and there. But that’s about it. Add the unbeatable chorus line, and the lovely little sentiment and it’s perfect. It works wonders. Video
91. Funeral For A Friend - Recovery
This is officially the most danceable intro to ‘Emo’ music ever. Funeral For A Friend have had a good bunch of hits over the years, before becoming U2 anyway, so why did I pick this one as their best? Everything is here that you can find in their music; Brilliant chorus line, fantastic guitar work, superb song structure, a good dash of pop power thrown in for good measure. Listen
90. Brand New - Jude Law And A Semester Abroad
While Brand New are more concerned with writing ridiculously moody music (however fucking great it is) I still love the days when they were hateful little guys with pop brains. With lyrics perhaps on par with their hero of the time, Morrissey, Jude Law is perhaps one of their best songs from their debut album. Whether it’s “So here's a present to let you know I still exist; I hope the next boy that you kiss has something terribly contagious on his lips” or “And even if her plane crashes tonight she'll find some way to disappoint me, by not burning in the wreckage or drowning at the bottom of the sea,” it’s clear that he has a distinct dislike for a certain somebody. That dislike fuels the lyrics, clearly, but the music itself seems to oppose it, seemingly much more happy than the spit out words would have you believe. It’s a perfect combination; even if doesn’t sound like it here. Video
89. 65daysofstatic – Awaitrescue
65daysofstatic are an incredible band. This is an incredible song. It’s post-rock. But it’s more than that. It’s post-electro, if you will. Enjoy it; I think if I said any more I’d ruin it. Listen
88. Blakfish - Jeremy Kyle Is A Marked Man
A relatively young band compared to it’s companions here, Blakfish are hot off the press. This song was featured not long ago on Hear New Music 002, so since I’m having a hard time not saying ‘They have a Big Scary Monsters type sound’ I’ll see what I wrote back then. “This is the other headlining band from the Tubelord gig I was at. Boy, that was a night to remember. Their set was great and had an incredible ending too. The three members of tubelord ran on during the last song, stole to instruments from everyone but the drummer, and proceeded to play the end of the song, while Tubelord ran around the 13th note starting pits and jumping on tables. Great gig, and this song is great too. Their a little heavier live, but that is no bad thing!” Again, I avoided it there, but did I really say much about the song? Fuck did I. Oh well, It’s a great wee pop song. Get it in yer mind-grapes. Listen | Download Big Scary Monsters compilation
87. Queens Of The Stone Age - You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire
There is nobody who doesn’t love this song. If you say you don’t, you’re lying. It’s the intro to Queens Of The Stone Age’s best ever album ‘Songs For The Deaf’, and it might well be the best track one of the whole noughties. Coming straight out of your speakers like an off road 4x4, it’s blasts suckers left and right, before doing a fake ending and blasting more suckers after it. It’s a fucking beast of a riff, do it now. (Watch out, song doesn't start til two minutes in) Listen
86. Bayside - I And I
Am I the only person who likes Bayside? Answers on a postcard. Chiefly, Bayside may just be the best band signed to Victory Records. Admittedly, that wouldn’t be hard, but they are still a brilliant band. This song shows just exactly why that is. Listen
85. Devil Sold His Soul - Like It's Your Last
This behemoth stands at seven minutes and thirty seconds. Every single second is filled with incredible music. It’s somewhere between ridiculously heavy Metalcore and Post-rock. It’s something that, if you had asked me about it years ago, I would have laughed it off as a terrible fucking idea. However, this is a perfect example of how stupid I am. It’s a brilliant song and looses no brilliance from either genre to create something new. It’s something that, in small parts, has been pulled off well by a number of bands; most notably Misery Signals and Architects, to varying degrees. It’s a very interesting challenge at first, but as seen here, it definitely pays off. Listen
84. Sikth - Bland Street Bloom
Sikth were an incredible band. They were ridiculously heavy, very techy and incredibly singular. If you heard a Sikth song, you knew it was a Sikth song. ‘Bland Street Bloom’ is one their best from their second and last album ‘Death Of A Dead Day’. Every single person in the band was an integral cog in a stupendously awesome machine; Foord’s drums were unbeatable, Pin and Weller’s guitars were crazed killer riffs, Leach’s bass was indefeasible, and Mikee and Justin’s double-teaming vocal chaos is what made the whole thing worthwhile. Live and on CD, Sikth were and are a force to be reckoned with, and any band contemplating a career in Metal should strive to be half as good as these giants of the genre. Video
83. Mastodon - Blood and Thunder
If someone had said to you “Oh yeah there’s an album that’s based on the book Moby Dick,” you’d back away slowly for fear that they’d play the entire prog-opus to you. Luckily for you, it’s by Mastodon, and while they may have moved into more Prog territory of late, ‘Leviathan’ is a bloody huge awesome metal album. The musicianship is, as always, fucking fantastic, and really helps you feel like you are on a big bloody ship. The lyrics too, have strong grounding in the book, and actually sound like the most Metal fucking lyrics ever. “Split your lungs with blood and thunder, When you see the white whale, Break your backs and crack your oars men, If you wish to prevail.” Mastodon pulled it off and with pure style. ‘Blood And Thunder’ stands out as their finest track not only on this album but of their whole collection.
82. The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
I really fell out of favour with the Killers. Not least because they only had about 3 good songs on their first album, and none on any follow up. However, doing this list made me re-think my decision to ostracize them from my ears, and while I can never forgive ‘Mr Brightside’ or ‘Somebody Told Me’ which I think I’ve heard enough of for 10 lifetimes, ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ shines like a diamond in the dirt. It’s a wonderful little song, and it still holds a little place in my heart. Video
81. Every Time I Die - Ebolarama
What a fucking beast of a song. It’s got a kind of swagger that I think only Every Time I Die can really pull off in hardcore music. It’s big, it’s shouty and most of all it’s fucking fun. What more, could you possibly, ever, want? Video
80. The Futureheads - A To B
This is the third and final Futureheads song to make the list, so it must be obvious by now that they are a fantastic little band. This much is true. This song is their best, too. Funny that. Listen
79. The Coral - Dreaming Of You
While I think that everything else this band has ever done has been a big pile of shite, it’s impossible to deny that ‘Dreaming Of You’ is worthy of inclusion here. It’s a brilliant little pop song that has a fantastically little dark edge to it. It’s got a great hook, and the band’s playing is never called into question. Not to mention the incredible vocals and lyrics. Working together they create a little heartfelt vision that perfectly pushed the song to be this damn good, and up to that point, their best performing single. Video
78. Justin Timberlake - My Love ft T.I & Timbaland
Christ almighty. You’d probably have been sitting there thinking “Where the fuck is JT?!” This is the first non-guest appearance of Justin on the list, and it’s well deserved to be this high. Everything about it is just perfect. It’s got a brilliant beat (Thank you Mr Timbaland), it’s Justin Timberlake singing at his very, very best and it has a slightly eerie appearance of a singing lady just in the distance. This combination gives us JT’s best single to date, and a fucking brilliant song to boot.
77. Queens Of The Stone Age - No One Knows
‘No One Knows’ is just brilliant. Dave Grohl’s drumming is a masterclass in brilliant drumming, innit? You know the song. You know the brilliance. Video
76. Saves The Day - At Your Funeral
This is a lovely little song. I always liked this song ever since I heard it, again, on Gonzo after a day of school. It took me ages to actually get into anything else by the band however, but this song has always remained a staple of my Mp3 player, and numerous mix CD’s. It’s brilliant every time I listen to it; it feels like a journey from beginning to end. From life to death, the song breathes and lives only to come to a final resting place at the end of the song. I absolutely love it. Video
Next part soon folks!
Carl
I think I said it well enough on my Top 25 Reuben article… “When the Pilot EP came out back in 2001, the band named Angel had just decided to change their name to Reuben. On that EP, for the first 100 copies anyway, a two minute long song called Shambles graced the ears of fans, and they were intrigued. A rumour started to float around that the band were going to put a bigger, longer version of it on the EP, but the studio time ran out, and the short, two minute version was added instead. For years, Reuben fans cried out to hear the long version, and in 2008, they got their wish. The re-recorded song was much more in depth and showed Reuben’s progression as a band to the fullest extent, bursting with a kind of unrealised brilliance. Just before Reuben were laid to rest, their final song showed them at perhaps their most alive.” Listen
99. Alexisonfire - Young Cardinals
As soon as I heard this huge song shout ‘GO!’ I could not get it out of my head. It’s fucking furious and beltingly fast, but still has such a ridiculously brilliant melodic and anthemic chorus. Not to mention an incredible drum-line leading the whole song. It’s one of the best songs that Alexisonfire have ever delivered and in fact, every album they put out seems to beat the previous one, with their latest certainly being their greatest. This is a fine example of why, and if you haven’t heard them in a few years, it’d be a good idea to give this one a shot. It’s a superhero. Video
98. Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without The E
Gong way back in Taking Back Sundays history can be a very good idea. On their first album, there weren’t a lot of great songs, but this was one of them. So good, in fact, it remains one of their best 3 albums later. It’s fast and catchy, it’s got a brilliant string of vocals that can be brilliant to join in with. Everything that Taking Back Sunday do well, they do it best here. Video
97. The Holiday Plan – Stories
Nobody has heard of this band. If you have, you were probably one of the 20 people that tuned in to see MTV’s Breaking Point and saw The Holiday Plan go head to head with other bands to compete for Island to buy them up. Even if they didn’t win, it gave them a big launch as Island put out singles from each band. The double A-side single Stories/Sunshine was a stellar thing, both songs being awesome to the point of mind blowing. The Holiday Plan were just simply one of the best, most under-appreciated bands out there, and only their break-up and subsequent reformation hurt their career more than their small following. A brilliant band, a brilliant song. Just a shame they never released the recorded debut album. Sigh. Video
96. Million Dead - I Gave My Eyes To Stevie Wonder
As a one off single in-between albums one and two, you might expect ‘I Gave My Eyes To Stevie Wonder’ to be less than good. You’d be wrong, you nutter. To put it simply, Million Dead were one of the best bands of the noughties, and this is a perfect example of why. Frank Turner’s vocal prowess gave him command of a wonderful set of lyrics while some stellar guitar and bass harmony work gave the song it’s backbone and the drums gave it it’s legs. It’s a superb song and one which marries the thought of the song brilliantly with the video. Everything about it is just so darn good. It’s a wonderful song. Nobody puts baby in the corner.
95. Hundred Reasons - Casual Friday
Safe to say even if you have heard of Hundred Reasons, if you’re not a fan, you won’t know ‘Casual Friday’. As a B-side on their ‘Kill Your Own’ single, who really would? Me, that’s who. I went to all the fucking trouble of finding this, somehow, somewhere and making a playlist that led straight to it. Give it a go, eh? Listen
94. Beyonce - Crazy In Love (Feat Jay-Z)
Fuck sake, viewers, do I need to define everything for you? Here’s the 10-year old version of why it’s good. Eh… it’s got those good trumpet bits, and she sings dead good… I like the bits with the fire in the video too. That’s good. Here’s Rolling Stone: It “…roars out of the speakers on the strength of a propulsive horn sample and the charged presence of her pal, Jay-Z.” Good enough, you vultures?! Video
93. Misery Signals - Weight Of The World
If you don’t like your songs to be fucking loud, you won’t like this. Misery Signals are simply one of the best bands in their field right now. Their music is brutal, it’s got a lot of heart in it and it’s also a lot of fucking fun to listen. Somehow this man growling in your ear and the loud guitars and thundering bass and drums cheers me the hell up. Maybe it’s the melodic interludes that feature heavily in Misery Signals music that makes it work. Maybe it’s the sheer passion for the music that shoots out of the lads like lightening. Whatever it is, it works like a hellish little charm. Weight Of The World is the band at their most brutal, and is certainly a fine example of how to get it done. Listen
92. Rihanna - Umbrella (Feat Jay Z)
We’ve bounced from Hardcore to Pop to Metal and now were back at Pop again! I don’t think anyone can deny that this song is worthy of entry. It’s so perfect, yet so simple. You’ve got Drums and you’ve got Rihanna. And then a bit of synth for effect. And a bass hit here and there. But that’s about it. Add the unbeatable chorus line, and the lovely little sentiment and it’s perfect. It works wonders. Video
91. Funeral For A Friend - Recovery
This is officially the most danceable intro to ‘Emo’ music ever. Funeral For A Friend have had a good bunch of hits over the years, before becoming U2 anyway, so why did I pick this one as their best? Everything is here that you can find in their music; Brilliant chorus line, fantastic guitar work, superb song structure, a good dash of pop power thrown in for good measure. Listen
90. Brand New - Jude Law And A Semester Abroad
While Brand New are more concerned with writing ridiculously moody music (however fucking great it is) I still love the days when they were hateful little guys with pop brains. With lyrics perhaps on par with their hero of the time, Morrissey, Jude Law is perhaps one of their best songs from their debut album. Whether it’s “So here's a present to let you know I still exist; I hope the next boy that you kiss has something terribly contagious on his lips” or “And even if her plane crashes tonight she'll find some way to disappoint me, by not burning in the wreckage or drowning at the bottom of the sea,” it’s clear that he has a distinct dislike for a certain somebody. That dislike fuels the lyrics, clearly, but the music itself seems to oppose it, seemingly much more happy than the spit out words would have you believe. It’s a perfect combination; even if doesn’t sound like it here. Video
89. 65daysofstatic – Awaitrescue
65daysofstatic are an incredible band. This is an incredible song. It’s post-rock. But it’s more than that. It’s post-electro, if you will. Enjoy it; I think if I said any more I’d ruin it. Listen
88. Blakfish - Jeremy Kyle Is A Marked Man
A relatively young band compared to it’s companions here, Blakfish are hot off the press. This song was featured not long ago on Hear New Music 002, so since I’m having a hard time not saying ‘They have a Big Scary Monsters type sound’ I’ll see what I wrote back then. “This is the other headlining band from the Tubelord gig I was at. Boy, that was a night to remember. Their set was great and had an incredible ending too. The three members of tubelord ran on during the last song, stole to instruments from everyone but the drummer, and proceeded to play the end of the song, while Tubelord ran around the 13th note starting pits and jumping on tables. Great gig, and this song is great too. Their a little heavier live, but that is no bad thing!” Again, I avoided it there, but did I really say much about the song? Fuck did I. Oh well, It’s a great wee pop song. Get it in yer mind-grapes. Listen | Download Big Scary Monsters compilation
87. Queens Of The Stone Age - You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire
There is nobody who doesn’t love this song. If you say you don’t, you’re lying. It’s the intro to Queens Of The Stone Age’s best ever album ‘Songs For The Deaf’, and it might well be the best track one of the whole noughties. Coming straight out of your speakers like an off road 4x4, it’s blasts suckers left and right, before doing a fake ending and blasting more suckers after it. It’s a fucking beast of a riff, do it now. (Watch out, song doesn't start til two minutes in) Listen
86. Bayside - I And I
Am I the only person who likes Bayside? Answers on a postcard. Chiefly, Bayside may just be the best band signed to Victory Records. Admittedly, that wouldn’t be hard, but they are still a brilliant band. This song shows just exactly why that is. Listen
85. Devil Sold His Soul - Like It's Your Last
This behemoth stands at seven minutes and thirty seconds. Every single second is filled with incredible music. It’s somewhere between ridiculously heavy Metalcore and Post-rock. It’s something that, if you had asked me about it years ago, I would have laughed it off as a terrible fucking idea. However, this is a perfect example of how stupid I am. It’s a brilliant song and looses no brilliance from either genre to create something new. It’s something that, in small parts, has been pulled off well by a number of bands; most notably Misery Signals and Architects, to varying degrees. It’s a very interesting challenge at first, but as seen here, it definitely pays off. Listen
84. Sikth - Bland Street Bloom
Sikth were an incredible band. They were ridiculously heavy, very techy and incredibly singular. If you heard a Sikth song, you knew it was a Sikth song. ‘Bland Street Bloom’ is one their best from their second and last album ‘Death Of A Dead Day’. Every single person in the band was an integral cog in a stupendously awesome machine; Foord’s drums were unbeatable, Pin and Weller’s guitars were crazed killer riffs, Leach’s bass was indefeasible, and Mikee and Justin’s double-teaming vocal chaos is what made the whole thing worthwhile. Live and on CD, Sikth were and are a force to be reckoned with, and any band contemplating a career in Metal should strive to be half as good as these giants of the genre. Video
83. Mastodon - Blood and Thunder
If someone had said to you “Oh yeah there’s an album that’s based on the book Moby Dick,” you’d back away slowly for fear that they’d play the entire prog-opus to you. Luckily for you, it’s by Mastodon, and while they may have moved into more Prog territory of late, ‘Leviathan’ is a bloody huge awesome metal album. The musicianship is, as always, fucking fantastic, and really helps you feel like you are on a big bloody ship. The lyrics too, have strong grounding in the book, and actually sound like the most Metal fucking lyrics ever. “Split your lungs with blood and thunder, When you see the white whale, Break your backs and crack your oars men, If you wish to prevail.” Mastodon pulled it off and with pure style. ‘Blood And Thunder’ stands out as their finest track not only on this album but of their whole collection.
82. The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
I really fell out of favour with the Killers. Not least because they only had about 3 good songs on their first album, and none on any follow up. However, doing this list made me re-think my decision to ostracize them from my ears, and while I can never forgive ‘Mr Brightside’ or ‘Somebody Told Me’ which I think I’ve heard enough of for 10 lifetimes, ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ shines like a diamond in the dirt. It’s a wonderful little song, and it still holds a little place in my heart. Video
81. Every Time I Die - Ebolarama
What a fucking beast of a song. It’s got a kind of swagger that I think only Every Time I Die can really pull off in hardcore music. It’s big, it’s shouty and most of all it’s fucking fun. What more, could you possibly, ever, want? Video
80. The Futureheads - A To B
This is the third and final Futureheads song to make the list, so it must be obvious by now that they are a fantastic little band. This much is true. This song is their best, too. Funny that. Listen
79. The Coral - Dreaming Of You
While I think that everything else this band has ever done has been a big pile of shite, it’s impossible to deny that ‘Dreaming Of You’ is worthy of inclusion here. It’s a brilliant little pop song that has a fantastically little dark edge to it. It’s got a great hook, and the band’s playing is never called into question. Not to mention the incredible vocals and lyrics. Working together they create a little heartfelt vision that perfectly pushed the song to be this damn good, and up to that point, their best performing single. Video
78. Justin Timberlake - My Love ft T.I & Timbaland
Christ almighty. You’d probably have been sitting there thinking “Where the fuck is JT?!” This is the first non-guest appearance of Justin on the list, and it’s well deserved to be this high. Everything about it is just perfect. It’s got a brilliant beat (Thank you Mr Timbaland), it’s Justin Timberlake singing at his very, very best and it has a slightly eerie appearance of a singing lady just in the distance. This combination gives us JT’s best single to date, and a fucking brilliant song to boot.
77. Queens Of The Stone Age - No One Knows
‘No One Knows’ is just brilliant. Dave Grohl’s drumming is a masterclass in brilliant drumming, innit? You know the song. You know the brilliance. Video
76. Saves The Day - At Your Funeral
This is a lovely little song. I always liked this song ever since I heard it, again, on Gonzo after a day of school. It took me ages to actually get into anything else by the band however, but this song has always remained a staple of my Mp3 player, and numerous mix CD’s. It’s brilliant every time I listen to it; it feels like a journey from beginning to end. From life to death, the song breathes and lives only to come to a final resting place at the end of the song. I absolutely love it. Video
Next part soon folks!
Carl
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