40. “Kim & Jessie” – M83: Are Kim and Jessie two choreographed roller skaters like the girls in the music video, or did Anthony Gonzalez have someone else in mind? Saturated in 80’s schmaltz, “Kim & Jessie” from M83’s phenomenal Saturdays = Youth is the perfect song to sing into a hairbrush while dancing alone in a bedroom; it also sounds nice when you “wait in the shadows” and innocently stalk a pretty girl who doesn’t know your name.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Kim & Jessie”
39. “Walking with a Ghost” – Tegan & Sara: may look and sound a little like bit like elves, but with the release of “Walking with a Ghost”, they must surely be Santa’s little helpers. The song is one of the greatest gifts of the decade, and an instant pop gem. Its catchy beat and pop hooks will have anyone, even your senile grandfather (though he won’t be singing the right words) singing along after only one listen. Plus, having the White Stripes cover your song is always a sign that you did something right.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Walking with a Ghost”
38. “Party Hard” – Andrew W.K.: Have you ever been to a party where everyone was cool, everything you said sounded clever, and you felt so confident knowing you deserved all of it? Yes? Then you were listening to arena rocker/motivational speaker/accomplished pianist/genuinely nice guy Andrew W.K. When rock radio was populated by depressing Nu Metal like Seether and Linkin Park (See: Sh*t) Andrew made it ok to “do what you like and like what you do” even if what you like doing means singing fist-pumping rock songs in a dirty, white t-shirt.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Party Hard”
37. “Stillness is the Move” – Dirty Projectors: Perhaps one of the most standout tracks of Bitte Orca, “Stillness is the Move” showed of one of the greatest assets Dirty Projectors has, their female vocalists. It’s no secret that one of the best parts of the album is the intricate vocal harmony performed by the girls. But this song is devoted wholly to the feminine element of the band, and it is a great success. With “Stillness is the Move”, Dave Longstreth and crew have made song that is danceable and easy to listen to for everyone, and unprecedented move for Dirty Projectors. It was even covered by Beyonce’s sister (which was a pretty good version), and as we all know, that is the pinnacle of success.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Stillness is the Move”
36. “All These Things That I’ve Done” – The Killers: – Even during the Hot Fuss days, it was pretty easy to see that The Killers would be playing on a very large stage one day (Lollapalooza 2009); with songs as large “All These Things That I’ve Done,” we all knew that is where they would end up. Complete with the arena rock guitar lines and anthemic repetition of “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” building to a massive climax near the end, this song took everything that was “The Killers” to the next level. Their simple synth-pop style was kicked up about five notches to the arena-esque pop-rock music they serve up today. This song showed the beginnings what The Killers were going to become over the next five years.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “All These Things That I’ve Done”
35. “New Slang” – The Shins: James Mercer and The Shins debuted with their album Oh, Inverted World and charmed us with his high pitched but pleasant vocals and the appeal of such a simple indie sound. But on “New Slang”, we see a more reserved side Mercer and the band, with a whimsical melody and chamber pop sound that we all fell in love with. Back in 2001 it seemed more like the time where The Strokes and other post-punk and garage rock were prominent, but with their upbeat tracks and feel-good tunes, The Shins made us all forget about all of that and clean up a bit.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “New Slang”
34. “Clocks” – Coldplay: Your mom loves them and so do you! Maybe you hide A Rush of Blood to the Head when your friends come over, but you make sure to conspicuously place it on your dashboard when taking a girl on a date. That piano, Chris Martin’s croon, those lyrics that could mean pretty much anything—it’s all great. Sure, it’s trendy to hate them, but it’s hard to deny the sheer pop satisfaction of England’s favorite U2 cover band.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Clocks”
33. “Island in the Sun” – Weezer: Do you guys remember back when Weezer only had two self-titled albums, and did not collaborate with Kenny G or cover Lady Gaga live? I know that it is becoming a hard task to do, but if you can remember back that far (2001, in case you were wondering), then you probably remember the track “Island In The Sun.” As a society, I think we need summer songs to survive, that way when it is five degrees in the beginning of January, we can remember summer and what the sun was like. You love wearing board shorts and listening to some Weezer in the middle of the August, just admit it. So its no wonder that this song is beloved. It not only makes me yearn for summer, but also for the days of The Green Album.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Island in the Sun”
32. “Chinese Translation” – M. Ward: Stories have been told in thousands of songs over numerous decades, but there’s always been something special about M. Ward’s way of telling it on this Post-War standout. With the backing vocals of My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, the song tells a story about an adventure to a far away place and meeting a wise man. Although the song tells an interesting story, aside from the lyrics, we can’t help but be hypnotized by Ward’s rasp and the signature melody and acoustics.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Chinese Translation”
31. “Supermassive Black Hole” – Muse: I sure hope that not everyone remembers “Supermassive Black Hole” for its inclusion in the Twilight soundtrack. Muse has been around much longer than Edward and Bella, and deserves much better. However, this song is a great track, while being somewhat of a departure for Muse. Matt Bellamy (vocalist/guitarist/songwriter) has said that the goal was “to mix R&B with alternative guitar.” Well if combining two of the most popular styles of music to date doesn’t get a song on the decade list, I do not know what will.
If you’ve never heard of it, check it out here: “Supermassive Black Hole”
Just in case you missed it, you can go here for #50-#41
Now, onto #30-#21…
