The best 250 songs of the noughties: 100-76

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

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

The best 250 songs of the noughties: 125-101

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

125. Between The Buried And Me - Ants Of The Sky
Snatching this song from the middle of ‘Colours’ is almost criminal, as with the album Between The Buried And Me have created their best yet. It’s complex and it’s fluid, and it’s also not afraid to try some daring moves in the middle of Metalcore that most would deem ‘suicide’. Just listen to 11:20 for a perfect example. Yes, eleven minutes and twenty seconds into the song, which itself is a mere thirteen minutes long. Don’t worry, not a second is wasted, and every one is brimming with fantastic love for the craft and intense musicianship. Well, guitar wanking. There’s that. Listen (in two parts!!)

124. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Rumours of The Avalanches split have been greatly exaggerated, and while they only have one album in their repertoire, what an album it is. As ‘Since I Left You’ demonstrates, it’s a wonderful thing that they have done. In this age of worry about our planets resources and looking for reusable resources, The Avalanches have already found one! Taking thousands (3,500 to be exact) of samples, they crafted this album with such love and care that you wouldn’t even know that it was recycled! It’s a lovely song, with a lovely tone, and it will lighten up anybody’s day. Lovely.


123. The Futureheads - Think Tonight
Whoa! Completely unexpectedly, The Futureheads decided to stop being a post-punk band for a song, three albums in, and decide that the way Andrew W.K. and Kiss do things is much better. It’s fast, it’s charging and it’s anthemic and it’s got an absolutely inspired guitar riff that leads the whole track into being brilliantly fantastic. Lead them in, boys. Listen

122. Slipknot - Before I Forget
Do you want to hear one of the best, award-winning Metal songs of the decade? Here you go then. A chaotic riff that thunders along taking no prisoners; an aggressive man shouting words like ‘I’; A drummer so good he’s… eh… great. Look what do you want? It’s the best song Slipknot has ever written and they’ve written some bloody good metal songs. No question about it! Video

121. Thrice – Firebreather
The first track from The Alchemy Index, and of the first of four disks, this one named ‘Fire’. It was a huge leap from where they were to what they became across these four disks, but as any fan of Thrice should, we had faith that they would prevail. Little did we know they’d release one of the best collections of songs for the entire decade. ‘Firebreather’ is Thrice at their most energetic and adrenaline-fuelled with one of the best, and most simplistic riffs ever. With a hint of Post-metal driving them forward, Thrice took their Hardcore sound to a new level of experimentation, an idea that continued throughout the 24 songs, albeit with varying genres. With this, Thrice show just how good a band they are. Listen

120. Killswitch Engage - My Last Serenade
Looking for more ridiculously good metal? Welcome back, traveller. It’s nice to see you. Not only was this one of the themes of my youth, it also features some brilliant riffage that just doesn’t give up. Even at that, and with it’s heaviest points, it still resolves back to an amazingly melodical chorus that has become Killswitch Engage’s signature sound. We see Killswitch Engage 1.0 at their best here, with vocalist of the time Jesse Leach giving the song his all, and it really pays off. The melodic vocals are the songs charm, but the heavy growling vocals are made his own, with the emotional tone coming through on every line. It’s superb. Video

119. The Fall Of Troy - F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.
Originally released, slower and much less fun, as ’F.C.P.S.I.T.S.G.E.P.G.E.P.G.E.P.’ on the bands first album, ‘F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.’ is a re-imagining of a song that is probably best forgotten. Not only is it faster, but the more complex parts of the song are handled with much more ability than that of the original, and even a more ferocious vocal is encouraged. The whole song is a wonderful exercise in ‘guitar wankery lesson one: Tapping!’ which in truth is part of the songs charm. It’s tapping is relentless, but so deftly pulled off that even if the song were terrible, it’s still an impressive feat. Luckily, that’s not the case. Video

118. Architects - You Don't Walk Away From Dismemberment
I’m sorry, you were looking for really heavy Metal? Oh! Here you are! As the title may suggest, this band are fucking brutal. The guitar work is brilliant (another lesson in tapping here), the bassist is even in on it, and the drummer is the sort of man you’d be jealous of even if you’d never wanted to be a drummer ever. Over the top of this, you have an incredible vocal talent by the name of Matt Johnson, who has since left the band toiling in the wake of their incredible first album, feeling much less inspired. The sound, altogether is much heavier than anything so far, but also includes guitar work that almost floats onto Post-Rock. It’s a lovely thing to hear in Metal, long may it continue. Listen

117. City And Colour - Sometimes (I Wish)
Let’s bring the tone down a bit. I love this man. His words are lovely, his voice is lovely, his guitar sound is lovely, he writes incredibly powerful songs and he has a lovely beard. What more can you want from a man? This acoustic giant shows off his best emotional chops here as his song asks many questions, leaving without any answers being given, much in the way we all feel sometimes. Bloody Lost! But seriously. He’s a delight to listen to. Get on it, folks. Listen

116. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Setting Fire to Sleeping Giant
And now, back up to the insane metal folks! Hello! Nice to have you back! So, really heavy, really riffy, really melodic, none of that did it for you? Okay, how about Jazz? Come back! D.E.P. are almost indefinable. Their music is as pop and jazz as the rest of them, but they are undeniably a metal band. Their vocalist has one of the most interesting voices in music, which is always a great thing when you replace Mike Patton isn’t it? Even they know they’re close to pop, having covered ‘Like I Love You’ by Justin Timberlake like pros! This song is their best, and most interesting, and showcases everything they are good at. Boom.


115. Lostprophets - The Fake Sound of Progress
When I was a young’n, Lostprophets didn’t sound like some shiny new dickheads. They sounded like ambient fucking metal. It’s a huge difference, and even although their first step to their clean image (‘Start Something’) was their best album, this is a very close second. It’s heavy and poppy in equal measure, which is it main charm. It also features a bloody good wee beatdown section. You want more? Read pitchfork! Listen

114. Goldie Lookin Chain - Guns Don't Kill People Rappers Do
Can I even explain my affinity for this song? No, not really. It’s got a good beat, it’s lyrically tight and it’s fun. What do you expect from a comedy record? I expect this, and I got it. Listen

113. Reuben - Let's Stop Hanging Out
While ‘Stux’ may have been the first song I heard by Reuben, it’s fair to say that ‘Let’s Stop Hanging Out’ is when I got hooked on them. Reuben are a band that continually created interesting, fun, emotional and just plain brilliant music all throughout their career. It is highly evident here that Reuben were higher than their peers in terms of songwriting, leaving bands like Hell Is For Heroes and Hundred Reasons dead in their wake. It’s charged and it’s got a fucking incredible drummer behind the kit. Get on it. Video

112. Jenny Owen Youngs - If I Didn't Know
Ah, Jenny. I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled across your website, but when I did, you had only released a 4 track demo. I loved it so much that I sent off for your debut album as soon as it came out, and I instantly fell in love with that too. Now, while your second album may have lost a little of the charm of the first, there are still some fucking stellar tracks on there. Some of which I loved from the moment you finished playing them live at King Tuts. ‘If I didn’t know’ is one of those very songs, and the recorded version is everything I loved about the live version and more. What a brilliant song it is. Video

111. Pendulum - Propane Nightmares
Go on. Deny that this is a fucking choon. Do it. You can’t. You need no convincing. End. Video

110. The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love
I thought by this point that The Darkness’s first album may have fallen out of favour with me, but every time it comes on I just love it. It’s hard to deny that, while it had a very silly air, they weren’t great songs. I certainly can’t. I remember seeing them open the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury before they had even released ‘Permission To Land’ and just being utterly flabbergasted by everything. Firstly, the size of the crowd was immense, as big as it would be all day. Secondly, the performance was incredible and they were one of the best of the weekend. Thirdly, this joke band had come fucking great songs! ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ is a fucking great song, and while they may have fallen into obscurity and drug holes it remains as such forever more. Video

109. Fall Out Boy - Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
Fall Out Boy confused me. I never thought they were very good. Then I heard a couple of singles from their album ‘Infinity On High’ and ran out and bought it, because they were brilliant. Then I heard some songs from the follow up and immediately revoked my decision to like them, because they had went back to being not very good. However, ‘Infinity On High’ retains it’s worthy spot in my CD collection, as it is packed full of superb songs, ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’ being one of the best. It’s perfectly pop, with just the right amount of Punk and swing thrown in for the best effect. Genius! Video

108. Britney Spears – Toxic
This is probably one of those songs that I just had to admit to liking. Britney Spears singles career has been atrociously bad. Whether it’s over the top fluff like ‘…Baby One More Time’ or sentimental hogwash like ‘Lucky’ or ‘Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know’ it’s pretty much been awful. Okay, you could probably argue it’s not really directed at me, but I don’t care. If the general public can look at alternative music with a musing eye, I must be able to do the same here. When all’s said and done, the girl has had a small few stellar songs. ‘Toxic’ has it all. It’s perfect to dance to, it has incredible production value, a chorus to die for and most importantly of all, a brilliant hook. Listen

107. Frank Turner - The Real Damage
I heard this song, what seems like, decades ago. Of course, it wasn’t, but I feel like I’ve known it for a long, long time. It’s a brilliant song, one which shows Mr Turner’s strengths to a huge degree. It’s lyrically rhythmic, while keeping the story flow up but it also features a brilliant musical accompaniment. After Million Dead had split, I thought that Frank Turner’s days of putting pen to paper and writing intensely good songs had been halted. ‘The Real Damage’ shows just how wrong I was. Video

106. The Lost Patrol - Alright
Another song that I can’t remember never existing, ‘Alright’ is a lovely song. The love that has went into the song can be felt with every instruments involvement. In fact, coming from a similar background as Frank Turner, Dennis Lyxzén has a musical mythology steeped in hardcore, yet has used the break up of his hardcore band to focus on more acoustic, folk-driven music. However, in Lyxzén’s case, it’s rather more miss than hit. ‘Alright’ is the exception to the rule. Video

105. Eminem - Stan (Feat. Dido)
How could I possibly have a list of the best songs of the Noughties and not include Eminem? I could have, actually, but I’d have been lying to myself. Strip back the ego, strip back the video, strip back everything you know about it and just listen. The constant patter of rain on the ground is an eerie yet familiar sound, but it more than adequately fulfils its role of making the song real. Eminem’s flow here is a masterstroke, and the lyrics are astoundingly held back. He’s always had an acerbic tongue, and he could have used every spiteful, hateful phrase in his mind to get the story across. Instead, he paints a picture that is unmistakeably devouring. The simple bassline accompanied by simple drums is, simply perfect. Any more and the song would loose it’s point. Not to mention Dido’s sample, which holds the whole song together in the eyes of a third player in the story. Let’s face it; it’s almost a masterpiece. Discuss. Listen

104. The Streets - Lets push things forward
When this boy first hit the ground running, the mass media referred to him as the British Eminem. Idiots. Although, the same rules apply here as above. It’s a simple beat; simple drums and simple bass with a little hint of organ hits and a lovely muted trumpet. It never feels empty, but always feels spaced out, enough so that every instrument has an individual voice and Mike Skinner can use the remaining space to be exactly what he is on every track on ‘Original Pirate Material’. Masterful. And with the lick of his sharp tongue, and Kevin Mark Trail’s wonderful chorus the song is complete. And superb, too. Video

103. Michael Jackson - You Rock My World
Michael Jackson had many troubles throughout his life, especially in the noughties. One of those was that he was never able to make his newer music live up to the classics of his youth. While ‘You Rock My World’ is obviously nowhere near as good as those classics, it stands up in its own right, and is truly a brilliant pop song. Full length Video

102. Weezer - Hash Pipe
Hello Weezer! I remember when this first came out. It was way back in the early noughties, and I loved it. It was a giant of Rock then and still is to this day. It has a very powerful riff that’s so simple it hurts, yet wields it like a champion’s sword. Beast. Listen

101. Eagles Of Death Metal - I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
I’ve seen Eagles of Death Metal twice now, and they are one of the most fun bands I’ve ever seen live. The energy and ferocious rock n’ roll balls are just bursting out of every seam. It’s good then that it translates well on record, especially with this utter triumph of a hit. It’s an incredibly fun song, and it deserves to be played at every party held by anyone ever. The boy is, indeed, bad news.


Top 100 as soon as possible, folks!
Carl

The best 250 songs of the noughties: 150-126

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. Linkin Park – Faint
Although, that being said, there’s nothing wrong with the most poppy of ‘Metal’ I’ve heard. Linkin Part aptly mix hip-hop and metal in a way no-one else has been able to accomplish, and while their first album may have been a bit pubescent in retrospect, their second album was full of club thumpers that stood their own in a Metal environment. ‘Faint’ is probably the best example, with great big riffs, soaring stings, a superb drum beat, excellent sampling and a cracking rap section.

149. Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
Do you remember when, do you remember when, this single came out? I do. Top Of The Pops was on it’s last legs and Gnarls Barkley did a slow-down version of Crazy which was superb, and showed that this song is brilliant even if you strip it down to it’s basics. The single itself just caught fire when it came out though, and it was a smash hit for Cee-Lo and Dangermouse, apparently one which was unprecedented, due to it being one of the first online singles which had no physical release to back it up. If you didn’t know about the single the previous week, you definitely knew about it the next week, as it was number one for seven weeks in a row. It’s a delight that the first digital sales only number one was crafted with such superb songwriting. Listen

148. Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles
I like pop, when it’s good. Someone much smarter than I said, “There are two kinds of music; good, or bad.” This falls into the ‘good’ category, and sometimes I think I must be nuts to have it here, but one word explains it. Choon. It’s poppy, it’s sappy, but it also has a bloody masterstroke on keys, along with super string-work that I would love to hear anywhere else. It also has a brilliant sentiment that echoes the inspired hit by the Proclaimers ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)’ which is so damn good it was in the running to be the next Scottish national anthem! And for those reasons, I welcome it into the list. Listen

147. Jenny Owen Youngs - Keys Out, Lights On
You may not be familiar with the works of Ms. Young, but I’m telling you now, you should be. She has a lovely warming voice that keeps all her music incredibly toasty and enjoyable, yet her lyrics often trip into the dark, giving her music a deadly double edge. This is one of her lighter songs, and from the moment I heard the demo of the song, I was hooked. Whether it’s the simple arrangement, the lovely sound of Jenny Owen Young’s voice, the sparse yet varied instrumentation or the so-light-it’s-a-whisper drums or some combination of the above, the whole 5 minutes is worth soaking yourself in again and again. The icing on the cake, though? The superb trumpet solo, which is neither overbearing or cheap, but in fact warm and thick. [Can't find a listen link for this, just gonna need to take my word, or buy it.]

146. This Town Needs Guns – Baboon
I know I won’t need to convince Hear New Music readers of the incredible power that Big Scary Monsters has to find all the best damn bands in Britain and beyond, but for the others here is a fine example. This Town Needs Guns are a spectacular band who always seem to perform with energy without confusing it with noise (not that it’s a bad thing to do both, mind) in fact giving the music a sense of solemn emotion. It’s a tender mix and it would be very easy to blow with one note out of place, but with ‘Baboon’ as a perfect example, it’s clear that TTNG are incapable of doing so. What they are capable of, however, is creating brilliant music. Listen

145. Regina Spektor - On The Radio
I was never much of a fan of Regina Spektor’s music, and haven’t really been much interested in anything past this album either. But ‘Begin To Hope’ is a record with almost no faults, and ‘On The Radio’ is it’s biggest triumph. It’s a lovely little song that is brimming full of love for the craft of music and some great lyrics to go along with it too. And without sidestepping into comedy, it’s also a really fun and quirky little song. Video

144. System Of A Down - Boom!
It may have been discarded from the ‘Toxicity!’ album recording sessions, but it’s one of the many songs on ‘Steal This Album!’ that is entirely worthwhile in it’s own right. It’s energetic, it’s pointed, it’s big and it always has me second guessing System Of A Down’s decision to leave it off of ‘Toxicity!’. I’m definitely glad it got to see the light of day, along with the rest of the discarded record. Listen

143. The Ocean Fracture - Polaroid Intimacy
The Ocean Fracture have steadily degraded their sound over the years to be this incredible and rough sound we see here. They’re going to hate me for saying it, but they started as a post-rock band with some hardcore elements, most of which slowly took over their sound. Eventually progressing to become a post-hardcore band, The Ocean Fracture messed around with all three elements of the genres to create this unique and interesting band which ‘Polaroid Intimacy’ displays in full. It’s brash and discordant, but never without loosing a sense of melody and passion, with some small yet fantastically laid back sections keeping it all fresh. Listen

142. Hot Chip - Over And Over
Right, put your hands up if you would deny that this song is one of the best of the noughties. You didn’t put your hand up did you? So we’re agreed, you’re not a tit. It’s a perfect little dance track that keeps as interesting as it does odd. The whole songs has a gleam of dancibility, yet keeps an ambiguously dark tone behind it all giving the song many levels on which to impress you with. It works well in many situations where dancing is a factor; clubs, parties, loos. You know yourself, you can’t not tap a foot or dance along. It’s a wizard track. And I don’t mean ‘wizard’ as in ‘cool’ I mean ‘wizard’ as in ‘it has magical powers that will force you to dance whether you want to or not.’ Listen

141. Yourcodenameis:milo - All Roads To Fault
No matter how much I gloss over the majority of Yourcodenameis:milo’s back catalogue as ‘not bad’ I cannot deny this song has just such an immense power and ferocity that can’t be denied. While the whole song is pretty damn awesome, it’s all about the break down/build up at 1:40 that makes the whole thing worthwhile. Genius.


140. Thrice - Stare at the Sun
Thrice are pretty much me. When Thrice brought this out, I got really into them, and this was exactly the kind of music I liked the time. Anything Thrice had before this was kinda scrappy and only some of it was good, which is a bit like my taste in music before I got into this. Fast forward to Vheissu, they’re fourth album, which is more advanced and complex than before, and where my taste had grown to as well. Then, ‘The Alchemy Index’, which has big dollops of post-rock and electronica mixed in with hardcore and acoustic elements. Again, my taste exactly. It seems like Thrice have been looking at my last.fm account all these years and just catering to me. Back to the point, Stare at the Sun is a brilliant record, and probably the cream of my adolescent hardcore crop. Video

139. Sum 41 - We're All To Blame
I’ve always liked Sum 41, but when on their fourth album, they started to add elements of Metallica into their pop-punk style, and I was genuinely impressed. I mean, it wasn’t a progression by traditional standards, but in my book it was better, capturing a sense of anger and hardcore roots with some metal riffs. A better mix they never made, as they never kept it up, and the guitarist who was probably responsible for the change left the band, and they’ve become entirely boring since that time. So let’s raise a glass to a Pop-punk band on a major label coming out with a Metallica influenced fourth album (which obviously didn’t impress the execs) and naming it after a man who saved their lives, ‘Chuck’. Brilliant. Video

138. Lostprophets - Burn Burn
From moment one, I loved this bloody song. It came right out of left field that Lostprophets would drop their Metal edge for a more Hardcore-orientated sound that was a lot closer to Refused than Linkin Park. It’s safe to say that ‘Start Something’ means a hell of a lot to me, and it’s in no small part due to ‘Burn Burn’. Let’s give it some props; it’s energetic, it’s anthemic and it’s boisterous. Not to mention, it has a killer riff driving it, which is as simple as it is bangin'. Video

137. NOFX - Theme from a Nofx Album
I don’t think I can explain this one. You’ll just have to come up with a reason. Alright, I’ll give it a go. It’s punk rock, with an accordion… and it’s very silly. Good enough? Listen

136. Down I Go - Ivan The Terrible
I have no doubt in my mind that Down I Go are one of the most underrated bands on this list, and it remains a mystery to me why that is. Even the indie kids running the NME gave them a feature, but still nothing. If anything ‘Ivan The Terrible’ is a brilliant example of just how good this band are. They can drive their loud brash hardcore to the extreme one-minute and drop down to strings the next and never have it sound odd. They can do something that most bands seem to be inept at, which is writing a heavy song which is also slow. This is a perfect example of a band at the top of their game. Listen

135. Reuben - We're All Going Home In An Ambulance
This is the infinite Reuben. Their music will live on in my soul, even if the three boys have went their separate ways. This is one of their crowning achievements, and it’s perfectly plucked from their extensive back catalogue of wonderful, wonderful music. It’s vocals are perfectly aggressive for the subject matter dealt with in the vocals, and the musicianship as always, is in no doubt of being any better than incendiary. It’s always been a great wonder to me why Reuben was never more widely accepted. As this song demonstrates, they have the sheer power to write some of the heaviest rock, veering on post-hardcore, I’ve ever heard. But what’s also true is that the song never trails like most heavy rock bands seem incapable of not doing. I love this song. Listen

134. The Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone
Choon. It lights a fire under yer arse and has fun while doing it. It’s a great little song. True, the keyboard part sounds rudimentary at first, but that’s part of the charm. Give it a second, or third spin and you’ll hear the intelligent musicianship come out of it’s shell. Video

133. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Fuck off. An explanation? For this? You really need one? Right… hold on, and I’ll copy paste one from somewhere else. “Scottish pretend poshos swallow Funky America whole and spew out dancefloor classic...” NME.com Video

132. Cursive - Some Red Handed Slight of Hand
When it came right down to it, choosing a song from Cursive’s ‘The Ugly Organ’ was very hard. I knew I had to include at least one of the tracks off this incredible piece of work. Unfortunately, it’s hard to pick just one, as the whole album has not only a narrative flow, but also a musical one. Picking just one is a little like saying which one of your organs is your favourite, and saying you don’t need the rest. Well, this song is not only the cream of the crop, but it’s also one of the shortest at just 1:52. It’s packed full of punch and has an incredible sound that runs throughout the album, including intense string work and a superbly discordant guitar line that seems to swim in and around the other instruments. Altogether, it’s bloody beautiful. Video

131. Frou Frou - Let Go
Saying that this song frames one of my favourite films of all time is putting it lightly. It’s also a completely wonderfully put together piece of music, which incorporates Imogen Heap’s ear-catching indelible voice magnificently while also bringing in a slew of other key factors. It never makes any one instrument more important than another, with Heap’s voice becoming another instrument in the Orchestra of Frou Frou. It creates some unforgettable sounds with synths that warm the whole track up like a champ, while keeping an upbeat tempo that offsets the song’s solemn tones. It’s a wonderful track. Listen

130. Maybeshewill - He Films The Clouds Pt. 2
Maybeshewill are a band I got into when their Debut album had already been out for a while, and I was apparently late to the party. But what a party it is. Maybeshewill have the power to write anthemic epic songs with Post-Rock elements overlapping the Post-Electronica that 65daysofstatic have made their own in a beautiful way. It helps immensely to have a choir singing your tracks rallying cry however. “Now we’re apart, though not through choice, do we stay mute, or raise our voice?” Not only is it a superb question, it’s also simplistic, which I feel is a brilliant reason in itself to love this song. Not to mention the brilliant guitar’s towards the end of the song. Listen

129. The Streets - Don't mug yourself
Don’t be a prat! Listen to that! The Streets released one of the best albums of the decade with ‘Original Pirate Material’ so you’d have to have expected a second cut from the record! It’s lyrical gold, with a beat that kills kittens nationwide. Need I say more?


128. N.E.R.D. - She Wants To Move
It’s all about the Bass. And the rythym. And the handclaps. And the guitar. Fuck it, it’s the whole damn package. Who among you can deny that this song is worthy of a dance? Who among you can deny that this song is a fucking champ? Nane a ye’s. Listen

127. Kings Of Leon - The Bucket
See most people? They liked Kings Of Leon either now (Albums three and four) or they liked them for their debut. At least, that’s how it is in my experience. In my opinion, Kings Of Leon were never, and will never be as good as their second album ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’. ‘The Bucket’ is a perfect example. It’s quaint, it’s rhythmic, it’s fun and it’s uplifting. It’s everything that I want from KoL, and it’s everything that they rarely are. As this song proves however, it’s when they are at their best. It’s just a shame they’re too busy contracting STD’s these days to realise it. Listen

126. Weezer - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
Weezer are something of an anomaly to me. They always write solid music, but their albums are never fleshed out very well. Five great songs, and five naff to average ones does not make for brilliant albums. However, it does make for five great songs, and that can never be denied. This is part of their best half. TGMTEL is a superb song that charts many different genres but never feels like it isn’t Weezer at the helm. They aptly take control of grunge, glam rock, surf rock, 80’s electro and hard rock without breaking a sweat. It’s a brilliant experiment with music that most are, quite rightly, scared to touch as it rarely pays off as well as this wonderful song has. Admittedly, the crowning achievement of the entire song can only be attributed to one band. Well done Beach Boys, another hit! Listen

It might take a while but I'll get there!
Carl

The best 250 songs of the noughties: 175-151

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

175. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. - Call Me Ishmael
While I may have disliked Get Cape’s later material, I cannot fault his first album, as it is full of some great songs, of which this is the best. It’s got a lovely lazy rhythm, and it literally feels like a summer sun when the trumpet shines in through the window, aptly describing how rubbish it is being in work when the weather is lovely. And then, all of a sudden, the tempo lifts and you’re outside running about in the park. This song lifts you up and holds you up in the sky, and it’s a stunner. Video

174. Red Sparowes - Alone And Unaware, The Landscape Was Transformed In Front Of Our Eyes
This absolute behemoth of a song clocks in at eight and a half minutes and is the opening to the superb album ‘At the Soundless Dawn’. It’s a brilliant example of what Red Sparowes do best; take one brilliant riff and change it a lot of different ways, seeing which changes work best, and then recording them. Not all of their experiments work as well as this, but this shows that the experiment must work, even in some small way, as this song is sublime. Listen

173. Missy Elliott - Work It
I defy you not to work it to ‘Work It’. It’s stripped back and it’s big at the same time, and it has the golden hand of Timbaland on it. I can barely fault the man, maybe he’s the second coming? That is all. Video

172. Jamie T - Sticks 'N' Stones
It’s new, and I loved it from the first time I heard it. It’s got a brilliant childish element to it, as it tries to achieve and succeeds in sounding youthful. It’s key to the song’s success and is incredibly well pulled off. Jamie T once again shows his incredible songwriting skills this time with the full band behind him to bring out the best elements of his live show to full potential. Listen

171. The Mad Capsule Markets - MIDI Surf
The MIDI surfers come back again. I only got to see this band twice before they all decided they’d be better at running clothing lines, but those two live shows were some of the best I have ever witnessed. An incredible band, live and on record, MCM created some brilliant music, released in the UK in the noughties and definitely helped me see other genres beyond the limited potential which I had previously been fencing myself into. ‘MIDI Surf’ is a fast, throttling song which takes you on a huge fucking trip of epic proportions covering metal, hardcore (punk and dance) and pop music. Incredible band.


170. The Steal - World Wide World
These guys. Fucking hell these guys. They made the best soundtrack to me mowing my back garden ever. I must have pissed off all of my neighbours that day by playing this album 3 times in a row that day. This song is one of the best, fastest hardcore songs I have ever heard, only bettered by other The Steal songs. No further comment… well, until more turn up. Listen

169. Spitalfield - Gold Dust Vs. State Of Illinois
What can I say? It’s one of Pop-punk’s forgotten gems and while the majority of this bands back catalogue is worth ignoring, this song is definitely un-ignorable. It’s a superb song, and has an absolutely stunning chorus, and what more can you ask from pop? Video

168. Million Dead - I Am The Party
One of my bands of the decade, Million Dead has a lot of incredible songs. The culmination of Frank Turner’s incredible lyrical and vocal style mixed with Ben Dawson’s relentlessly thundering drumming, Julia Ruzicka’s incredible fuzz drenched bass and Cameron Dean’s sublime work on guitar created a whole album of pure genius called ‘A Song To Ruin’ of which ‘I Am The Party’ is the best of the best. Everything is represented so well here and nothing ever sounds less than incredible. What’s better is that everything sounds so fantastic, but then somehow gets even better, in the last 25 seconds is a testament to the power of the band. Video

167. Weezer - Island In The Sun
What would the noughties be without Weezer? That’s right, the same… but without incredible pop songs like ‘Island In The Sun’. I’m not sure I’d like to live in that alternate reality, that’s how much I love this song. Listen

166. Strapping Young Lad - You Suck
What’s better than telling your fans that you love them dearly? Telling them that they “fucking suck”. It’s brilliant, inspired even. And it’s at no point egotistical, saying that they themselves also “fucking suck”. The only thing that doesn’t “fucking suck” is this song. Everything is incredible; the guitars, the bass, the vocals, and best of all, the drums. Oh, the drums, how you slay me! Listen

165. Flight Of The Conchords – Bowie
What start’s out as a comedy duo somehow churns out this incredible spoof/homage to the man, the myth, the legend ‘Bowie’. It’s superb and works on both levels, just as with The Lonely Island; incredible songwriting, production and inspired comedy too. It’s too cool. Video

164. Muse - Plug in Baby
At the time, this was Muse at their finest, little did we know they had even better stuff to come. This captures everything that Muse were then; talented songwriters, incredible musicians, a fucking great rock band. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was the best they could deliver. Video

163. The Mars Volta - Inertiatic Esp
The Mars Volta, for me, never delivered as good as they did on their first album, with this song setting my high standards obviously too damn high for them to reach. It’s fast, it’s interesting, it’s a rock-beast and it’s got an incredible vocal melody throughout. Not to mention, the bass sounds fucking sublime too. Listen

162. Textures – Drive
I saw textures live once and they were brilliant. As brilliant as this song would have you believe. It’s all odd time signatures and fucking beastly riffs and thunderous vocals, and this is a perfect 2-minute show off of their perfect live song. Listen

161. The Bled - You Know Who’s Seatbelt
It’s energetic, it’s aggressive, it gets right down to the hardcore heart of me and makes me go fucking nuts. It’s a shame that when I saw them live in Belgium they probably weren’t at their best, with a guitarist out sick, however, even at that they put on a hell of a show. Superb and chunky riff-tastic song this. Video

160. Jetplane Landing - Brave Gravity
I have loved this song from the moment it came on Gonzo. This is when Gonzo was good, on 5 times a week and for two hours from 5pm, not like now when they barely play any music. It’s was a golden egg in a mess of indie and it was perfectly poppy and heavy in all the right quantities, not to mention having a bloody brilliant video that riffed off the success of Feeder’s ‘Just A Day’ to a decidedly geeky degree.


159. Bon Iver - Skinny Love
Thanks to my ex-band’s drummer breathing an extra set of lungs into ‘Flume’ I got really into Bon Iver. It was only when I found this MP3 floating around the net for Hear New Music however, that I truly fell head over heals for it. A truly brilliant songwriter with a really interesting way of bringing songs to life, Bon Iver is a great thing to discover. Listen

158. New Found Glory - Failure's Not Flattering
This is pop as fuck. No matter how you go about it, it is. Even if it’s really riffy and has some beastly drums in it, the overall feeling is pop. It’s got the brilliant chorus line and even some synth-y majesty bringing the whole song a step further to 80s pop. Truly though, the heart of the song is the little breakdown at 2:40. Love it. Listen

157. Atreyu - Right Side Of The Bed
I may be alone here… but I count this song as pop too. Sure it’s dark and possibly about vampires (What Atreyu song isn’t?) but fuck it. It swings with the best of them and brings a sense of Bon Jovi into a metalcore, which I never would have thought worked. But here we are and here it is! Video

156. Lostprophets - Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja
A lot of fans of Lostprophets have a right, a right to say that they sold out. By the third album pretty much everything they brought out was glossy and hitting the charts, while they looked like even more ‘pretty boy’ than usual. This is where they began and where I have a huge fondness for. They were rough around the edges and you could describe them as nu-metal if you really wanted to, but what they did was write accessible metal to the “skate” generation. This song showed all their talents; writing ridiculously good riffs that just didn’t give up, being really tight musically, bringing turntables into the mix without ruining the song and creating some damn fine choruses. Video

155. Funeral For A Friend - She Drove Me To Daytime Television
Another welsh force, Funeral For A Friend were somewhere between emo and metalcore in their early days, and this was all of those things with a lift of pop thrown in too. It’s perfectly catchy, has some great guitar work and has drums to die for. The drums especially, drive the song forward and the tempo changes are what keep the song radically interesting and fun. It’s a shame they turned into U2 cast-off’s for their third album though. Video

154. Arcade Fire – Wake Up
Wow. There is not enough words in the English language to describe this band well enough. I’ll stick with one rather pretentious one for now: Transcendent. Video

153. From Monument To Masses - Checksum
I only got into this band recently, but this is definitely one of the best most interesting bands I heard in 2009. Here are the ingredients; a high dose of 65daysofstatic with a healthy dose of Post-Rock majesty, and a dollop of the stuff that makes Maybeshewill work so well, genius. It’s a sample-filled song that plays heavily on a brilliant little guitar sound that survives the whole song and is joined by a brilliantly sparse bassline, with a super drum beat coming in at just the right times. Add a superb singing section accompanied by piano and strings and you have this little piece of heaven, and I haven’t even touched on the incredible double-time section which brings this excellent song up to an even higher calibre. Listen

152. The Knife – Heartbeats
Who can really say why this song works so well? I don’t feel I’m up to that task, as I think that no-one can deny this song it’s rightful place in your heart. It has lovely little sounds cropping up everywhere and it’s a surprisingly heartfelt song that’s easy to sing along too. If you don’t know it, you’ll silly, get on it. Listen

151. Trivium - Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr
Of course, I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for a good bit of Metal. It’s fast, it’s energetic, it’s anthemic and it’s riotous. What more can you ask for? Oh, you can ask for fucking brilliant riffs, a fucking excellent sing-along chorus, superb fucking drumming and a man tearing out his vocal fucking chords for our entertainment. Sorted, it’s all in there. Anything else? Oh, a solo? How did they leave you out? They fucking didn’t, get in there you slag! Video

Sorry it took so long to get this one out.
Next part as soon as possible.

The best 250 songs of the noughties: 200-176

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

200. Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
A forgotten gem, perhaps? It’s got such a swampy feel too it, and it drags you into the perfect listening position wherever you may be. It was a great launch pad for Gorillaz, and luckily, it’s such a brilliant song it holds up strong now, even if the cartoon band may have become tired.


199. Green Day - St. Jimmy
Green Day shot from big to massive in the noughties, and with ‘American Idiot’ as their anthem, rightly so. It’s a pretty good album, when you strip back the gloss, and this is the best song on it. It’s just a fast punk number, with no grandiose overtones that may seem to overshadow some of the songs on ‘American Idiot’. It’s unfortunate that they washed out the punk and glossed their entire sound up for the follow up. Listen

198. Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like It's Hot (Feat. Pharell Williams)
While Timbaland may have been the best mainstream hip-hop producer, it didn’t stop Neptunes from trying very very hard. Unfortunately, it failed more than it worked. This is that rare exception. It’s one genius layer on top of another genius layer and every one has been pulled off perfectly. It could have sounded bad, but they had Snoop Dogg on top of all the layers, who’s syrupy, voice made the whole song cake worthy of a party. (Took a while to get to that metaphor, eh?) Video

197. Taking Back Sunday - The Union
It’s the best Taking Back Sunday song that isn’t a single. It’s a giant behemoth of a song hidden in an album of slightly wispy ones, and as such, it blows the rest of the album away. It’s fast, it’s energetic, it’s got some big fucking riffs and it sounds awesome. Plus, I feel this is the best time that TBS pulled off the double vocal effect without once sounding silly. Listen

196. Willy Mason - Save Myself
Jeezo, this kid. What a boy. He can write some fucking songs, he can. This is best of them, it’s light, but never looses power. It’s perfectly underplayed, with strings sitting just behind all the other instruments, lifting the whole song up to lofty heights. Beast. Listen

195. The Polyphonic Spree - Soldier Girl (UK Single Version)
Specifically, the UK Single version. It was a re-recording, and it made the original 10 times better that it was before, and it was great! I can remember many times dancing around the living room to this song, and it has a brilliantly uplifting sound to it, which may have been caressed from Beach Boys via Super Furry Animals, but still has it’s own qualities that make it worthwhile in it’s own right. Video

194. The Snake The Cross The Crown - An Honest Misappropriation of Funds
If you’ve heard of this band before reading this list, well done. If you like this band, you get a gold star! This band is incredibly good, and they have such an original sound that cannot be bested by anyone in their field. This year they threatened to pack it in, and I was immediately looking at flights to the USA to see if I could see them. Unfortunately, I’m skint. But it made me look anyway, they’re that good. They’re like a dark version of The Beach Boys, brought up on hard rock, country and post-rock. Basically they’re fleet foxes, but good. Sample

193. MGMT - Time to Pretend
Fuck it, do I need to explain this one. Have a look at any decade list that lets in any percentage of indie and you will find MGMT. Even though some idiots will pick ‘Kids’ over ‘Time To Pretend’. This is where it’s at. It’s an underwater kind of song, with a very childish sense of life and risquéness. And then of course, the incredible breakdown section at 2:10. Superb. Listen

192. Onelinedrawing – Smile
Jonah Matranga is a pure champ. This is a perfect example of why. Who needs an expensive studio sound, when you can record pretty decently at home and spend the most time possible out on the road connecting with people? This song captures the feel of a Jonah live show and what the man is all about. He wants to make you smile, and for me it works brilliantly. Listen

191. Soulja Boy - Crank That
YOU! It’s dumb as fuck. It’s most likely terrible. But for this one, you need to suspend your inner critic for a moment. Let yourself get taken away by the fun and entertainment it delivers. That’s right folks… IT’S A FUCKING MASTERPEICE.


190. Audio Karate - Who Brings A Knife To A Gun Fight?
This song is superb. I only heard it about 6 months ago, even although it came out in 2004, but it’s been on my mp3 player constantly since. It’s a beast and it’s full of energy, and it’s a great way to end a pretty good album. You’ll love it, suckas. Listen

189. The Futureheads – Area
The Futureheads are a great band. No doubt about it. They may have slipped into shitness on their second album, but before that came out, they made sure to release a stand-alone single called ‘Area’. I raced out and bought it as it was and is, a bloody great song that should have been jumping off point for album two. Full of energy and power, they really go for it on this sure fire belter of a song. Video

188. The Prodigy – Spitfire
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to be left a bit bewildered by the Prodigy’s absolutely awful standalone single ‘Baby’s Got A Temper’. So when this absolute beast of a song was released two years later, you could officially say that The Prodigy were back on form. They literally blow up out of the speakers and don’t stop exploding for 5 minutes. It’s a beast. Beast. Bst. B. Listen

187. Errors - Salut! France
Now we turn to Glasgow’s homegrown heroes Errors’ and their superb ‘Salut! France.’ It’s grade-a post-electro, a genre which I love… but can’t seem to find enough of. Errors have been the best yet though, and this superb little ditty will have you swaying in your computer chair for the full three minutes. Video

186. Thursday - Jet Black New Year
Thursday haven’t done a lot of stuff I’m particularly fond of, but this is an undeniably brilliant song. Again, a song released between albums, Jet Black New Year is an incredible post-hardcore song with great ferocious guitars and a thunderous rhythm section. The countdown from 10 to 1 is inspired and the focal point of the whole song. It’s all-spectacular and it’s only a shame that nothing else they’ve done has made me this enthused. Listen

185. New Found Glory - Don't Let Her Pull You Down
New Found Glory went off the deep end and into an odd indie place when they made ‘Coming Home’ in 2006, so it was great to see them return to their more progressive pop-punk on the 2008 EP ‘Tip Of The Iceberg’ and continue to build on it on their next album ‘Not Without A Fight’ in 2009. Their Hardcore influences were stronger here than on any previous album and it gave them an edge over anyone else in their genre, with this track showing the best example of why. Video

184. The Rumble Strips - Alarm Clock
This song is near perfect. It feels like it could have been written by a 15 year old, but Charlie Waller was at least 10 years older than that when the song came around. That may not sound like a compliment to some, as we all know how rubbish we were at that age, but Waller captures the sense of being young and the youthfulness translates not just through the lyrics, but throughout the music too. It’s an incredible little song, and it has a huge amount of power for a song about an Alarm Clock. Listen

183. Something Corporate - Punk Rock Princess
For me, this is one of the songs that stuck with me from the days of Napster, when I was a kid. My brain at the time said ‘What do I like?’ I replied ‘Punk’, typed it in and downloaded everything, just to hear it. This is the only thing I remember falling in love with, and while it may be ridiculously cheesy it also led me into lighter music than that which I was accustomed to, and kind of made me have the music taste I had today. Sure, It wasn’t just this, but this was definitely strong enough to make me take notice. Listen

182. A Wilhelm Scream - The Horse
Every single AWS album from Mute Print to Ruiner to Career Suicide was this excellently honed sound, and a sense of love for their craft that I’ve not heard any other Hardcore band possess. ‘The Horse’ is a great example of just what they can do. Brilliant melody, fantastic vocals, incredible guitar work and a huge wealth of songwriting that just can’t be faulted. And live? Hot damn, this is the shit. Listen

181. My Chemical Romance - Teenagers
If you can fault everything else that My Chemical Romance do, I can’t blame you. However, to deny the power and charm of this superb song which harks back to the Glam rock of the 70s, is just plain silly. It’s an incredible song, and you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s a pretty straight cover from the period. Video

180. Folly - Please Don't Shoot the Piano Player He's Doing the Best He Can
A relatively unknown band, Folly lived the majority of their musical life out in the noughties, and this song captures the power they had at their disposal. A very ferocious and intriguing blend of Ska punk and Hardcore that almost never feels silly, which is a feat in itself. This song is a 4-minute demonstration of their skills behind their instruments. Listen

179. The Lonely Island - I'm On A Boat (Feat. T-Pain)
You’d be forgiven for thinking that T-Pain is a comedian, and a good one at that. This is a perfect example of a comedy record that works on both levels. It’s hilarious, but it actually sounds incredible too. The production value is huge, and T-Pain’s spark at the end of the song is a pure work of genius and the song wouldn’t have been half as incredible as it is without him.


178. The Offspring - Want You Bad
At one point in my life, this band were the best thing I’d ever heard, and it was right around the time the album ‘Conspiracy Of One’ came out. That album was always on my stereo at that time, and I had a big hoodie with the logo emblazoned on the front. I loved them. Then I realized that there was better music out there and they fell by the wayside. However, they did bring out this absolutely stunning single at that time, and that has definitely stuck with me all this time. It’s catchy, it’s simple, it’s poppy, it’s punky and it is obviously their best, unequalled song. Listen

177. Poison The Well – Nagaina
It’s got a lazy little swagger, a rather folksy vibe and it’s everything I thought Poison The Well weren’t. Well, at least for the first 90 seconds. But still, that ballsy foray into that different a songwriting rarely pays off this well, and to call it anything less than splendiferous would be an utter lie. And when it’s not swaggering about like a drunk, it’s kicking the fuck out of their peers with huge fucking riffs and a thundering galloping rhythm that sweep your legs and punch you in the gut. Superb. Live Video (best I could do!)

176. Lazlo Bane – Superman
Yes, Scrubs did introduce me to this song. And while I do love Scrubs, I am by no means biased towards this occurring in my line-up. In many a television show I find myself skipping the theme, never listening to it out with the show. However, not only did this song perfectly capture the show I have come to love, it’s also an absolute stunner of a lazy summer pop song. Listen

Part 4 soon!

The best 250 songs of the noughties: 225-201

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

225. Nelly - Ride Wit Me
Look all you want, you won’t find ‘Hot in Herre’ on my list. However, Nelly did produce something I think is entirely worthwhile of entry onto the songs of the decade list. It’s perfectly fun, light and laid back, and it doesn’t try and impress much on you. It does what it does and doesn’t mind if you walk on by, it doesn’t need your attention. And I love it for that. Listen

224. Hundred Reasons - Kill Your Own
Hundred Reasons were, at one point, my favourite band. By the time this had rolled around, I had moved on to better things, but this showed me what I was missing and tempted me back to the Hundred Reasons fan club once more. I mean, Andy did ruin it by leaving, and they’ve never been the same since, but this was certainly one of the best songs they created together. Listen

223. Ne-Yo – Closer
I hated the stuff by this man. He’s rubbish. He really is. But somehow, I can’t deny this utter charmer on this excellent pop song. It’s so stripped back, yet so danceable, and it has a brilliantly catchy chorus that will stick in your head for days. I almost didn’t include it for petty pride, but I just couldn’t, it’s that damn good.


222. Metric - Monster Hospital
It’s a great little rock song that perfectly pulls off the line “I fought the war, But the war won.” It’s so small, yet opens up a world to the listener that should make them think at least a little. And if not, you can definitely shake your booty to it on the dancefloor! Listen

221. Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls
It’s a perfect little slice of pop heaven that has a subtle darkness to it. And that is what makes it perfect. The kid is ‘Suicidal’ when the girl breaks up with him. It’s lovely and slightly OTT, but works like a charm. Listen

220. Mastodon - Hand Of Stone
It’s that sultry riff that lures you into a false sense of security and your lapped up in the waves of ‘Hand Of Stone’ until it’s closing second. This song is a beast and it will take you away on a magical trip of epic guitar playing proportions. The axe work on this one is just the stand out work from ‘Blood Mountain’. Listen

219. Paul Anka - Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden Cover)
Even Paul Anka, who’s been making hits for decades can still bring out something that will impress anybody. This sensational cover of Black Hole Sun is superb, and about as far away from the original as possible. It’s brilliant, if a little odd at first! Listen

218. Deftones – Hexagram
Most of Deftones’ best stuff came out came out before the decade had even begun, but they were still able to hand in a good effort with this incredible number that is packed full of punch. It has a great wee melody at it’s heart too, which makes the whole thing ramp up a level. Video

217. The Streets - The Irony Of It All
If there were ever a song that aptly pitted a drunken lout against a lovely weed-smoking bloke, this is it. Actually, I think this is the only one. Still, it’s a genius little number that Mike Skinner perfectly crafts in a way that only a man who is just a little of both could do. It’s got a good beat too.

216. Brand New - Sic Transit Gloria ... Glory Fades
It’s the bass line. That super little bass carrys this tune on it’s back that makes the whole song feel dirty, and pulls an absolute gem along with it. It’s a little sultry number with an explosive chorus that shows up the rest of the albums weak points by being so damn good. Video

215. System Of A Down – Toxicity
Right then, System entry 2. This is where I should mention there can be more than one track by any artist… because I’m not a fucking idiot. Anyway, this song is great. What more do you want? Fuck you. Alright then, It comes from System Of A Down’s superb second album, and while I could probably have picked any song from it, I picked this one because it tends to hold the album together, encompassing everything that makes the album what it is. Probably why it has the same title, you muppet. Listen

214. Dave House - You Are On My Frequency (Live Band Version)
This is the single version of Dave House’s brilliant song of the same name from his superb debut album ‘Kingston’s Current.’ This version adds just about everything it can, but never feels crowded, and never feels forced. This is something that obviously was a superb idea and completely changed what Dave House thought he knew about making acoustic music. “You don’t have to do it acoustically,” he said. He didn’t but for a second there you thought you were reading the NME didn’t you? Just thought I’d bring you down to earth. [So, this is the first one I couldn't find on the web! Here's the original acoustic version and the first 30 seconds of this is a snippet of the full band version.]

213. The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster - Mister Mental
It’s a speedy little number that blisters through it’s 3 minutes as if it were nothing at all. But you? You’re changed forever. You have to go back and listen, again and again. It’s a fantastic song by a band that aren’t that fantastic… but they look cool. I guess you can’t have everything. But is this song enough? Yes, it is. Listen

212. Puffy Ami Yumi - Tokyo I'm On My Way
This song is brilliant. It’s written by Dexter Holland from the Offspring, and sang by the same girls that sang the Teen Titans theme. Clearly, a match made in Pop-Punk heaven. That is all. Video

211. Jimmy Eat World - The Middle
Some people may think that this is really low for a song that is this good. However, those people are idiots, as every song on this list is BRILLIANT. And at some point you have to make choices. I made this one. This is a super little song that is too good to analyse really. So I won’t. Except… That solo is fucking sweet. Listen

210. A Wilhelm Scream - The Rip
Right from moment one, this song will floor you. It’s a little beast that kicks you in the teeth and jumps on your bleeding face for 3 minutes relentlessly… or whatever is the best equivalent of that. Ice cream. This is like a whole big double cone of awesomeness… with blood for raspberry sauce. It’s a belter. Listen

209. Fony - Circles
Let’s get serious for a moment. This is the song that introduced me to Post-Rock. I know, fucking dumb huh? This little nu-metal band brought out the album ‘Circles’ and aside from having a couple of acoustic songs you can find on most metal albums nowadays, it was entirely angsty nu-metal. Apart from slap bang in the middle, they had a post-rock song. A post-rock song. It was amazing. Sure, it made me think “why are the band wasting their time on the other 90% of this album,” but that doesn’t matter. The rest of the album was good, but this was from another world. I love this song, and what it introduced me too, so I thank Fony for the impact they had, even if they did became a terrible indie band on album number three. Go figure. Listen

208. No Comply - The Price Of You
There is nothing bad I can say about No Comply. No way. They took hardcore, and threw in brass instruments, and somehow, it really fucking works. Not to mention that there is some superb riffs in here, along with really emotional vocal work from Kelly. They played the Thursday night at Leeds festival one year, and I met the band the same weekend and they were the nicest people I’ve ever met. Well, apart from my family and friends, but they don’t count. Super wee band, shame their gone. Video

207. Head Automatica - Beating Heart Baby
The cheesiest thing one of the best Hardcore frontmen ever could do? Yes. Does it work? Absolutely! It’s an excellent experiment into pop by a legendary man. However, the album surrounding it was god awful, and there was really no need to draw it out for two of them, was there? Really, he should’ve just gotten back to GlassJaw sooner, rather than be a dick and fire everyone. Still, it’s a choon! Video

206. Protest The Hero - The Dissentience
It’s math-metal. Now that all the fuck-o’s have gone, all you geniuses have a listen and tell me that’s not just the finest motherfucking stuff you’ve heard since the last time you tapped your guitar like it was a typewriter, Shakespeare. I don’t care if you don’t agree, I fucking love this guitar wankery, especially that bit at 2:55. Superb. Listen

205. From Autumn To Ashes - The After Dinner Payback
You won’t like this song. But I do and I know someone else who does too. Get it up ye. It’s like Pop invaded emo and they had a deformed child that didn’t understand pop too much, but gave it a shot anyway. It’s sloppy, it’s trying to hard, and it has a bloody great drummer. It’s the love that you feel that makes this track what it is. Do you feel it? Right there. That’s love. Probably. Video

204. Rise Against - Prayer of the Refugee
This is what happens when one great song has sex with another great song. It switches back and forth between the two positions and each one has it’s merits. It’s calm and loving at one minute and a powerful thrusting beast at the next. It’s brilliant.


203. Laura Marling - The Captain And Hourglass
Laura Marling is something of a brilliant little songwriter, and this song is the perfect example of her songwriting prowess. It’s got a distinct air about, and nothing much happens, but it’s enough. It’s just so powerful, without doing very much, and that’s the kind of song that no-one can deny. Listen

202. Matchbook Romance - You Can Run, But We'll Find You
I hear you moaning “Ugh… emo.” I hear you. You can fuck right off. Denying this perfectly dark little pop song into your heart just because it has connotations of “emotional hardcore” is your bad. It broods, it sways and it bleeds glorious little beads of enigmatic sweat that it will use to drown you in a superbly good guitar lick and tempo change. It’s amazing, so fuck you unbeliever! Hello? Anybody there? Come back! Listen

201. Sparta - Cut Your Ribbon
Will I get shot for putting this above ‘One-Armed Scissor’? Probably, but I couldn’t care less, as this song is just far superior. It’s got a power and drive that At The Drive-In dive right over, while Sparta bathe in and come out with a dark and light blend that is one half hardcore and one half pop. Superb. Listen

Part three soon!