Well, genius that I am, I managed to use all my rechargeable batteries simultaneously, so that I cannot listen to my Discman for another couple of hours. So...filler!
Well, it would be filler if anyone were reading this and I didn't want to let them down. So, this is more writing for the sake of writing, with no apparent goal...as usual.
Please note that these are not the "best" songs of the 2000's (as I am sure that in less than an hour after posting I will think of another "best" song. So this is most likely going to be part of a series I update every now and then.). You may have noticed that there are very few albums reviewed by me that are earlier than the 90's. Honestly, this is because I believe that music reached its pinnacle in the 00's. The 90's were pretty good and there isn't anything terrible about the 10's, but I don't think either are quite as good as the 00's. This is not to say that music from every other decade is horrid just because of the fact it was from an era other than the 00's, but the 00's music is my favourite so far.
Anyway, in no particular order (also, dropping the ratings for these. They would all be between 95 and 99 anyway.):
1. "Toorali" by The Herd (2008)
As I'm going to try and avoid mentioning songs by the same band twice in this look at the 2000's, these songs are going to be a look at the band as well as the track. Well, The Herd was formed in 2001 as a combination of many musicians represented by the recently formed Elefant Traks. I have never heard the first Herd album, but going by the second, The Herd started as more of a compilation album: each artist contributing a track. By the third album, however, this had changed completely and over the next few albums, The Herd truly became a single musical entity. The album "Summerland" was the last released by The Herd in the 00's, their fifth being released in 2011, and I must say that the tracks of both of these most recent albums have really shown the world what The Herd could do. Before Toorali, a few honourable mentions. Firstly, the best lyrics would definitely have to have been "77%". Although I have mentioned the lyrics of this song before...in reasonable length.. the beat of the song was not The Herd's best, and it simply wasn't catchy enough. The best music video by this group was definitely "2020", taking the concept of the song much further whilst still being lively enough to entertain. The Herd's cover of "I Was Only 19" is one of the greatest covers I have ever heard. I must also mention "A Thousand Lives", as it is one of the greatest tracks released by The Herd, but in 2011. Now, "Toorali". Unlike all of the other songs I just mentioned, "Toorali" was never released as a single, and that is a shame. Although both of the singles off of "Summerland" ("The King Is Dead" and "2020") were fantastic songs, I think this song should have joined them, as, to be very frank, it is catchy. The sampled verse from the song "Botany Bay" is well placed, the choruses are short, sweet and to the point, with Jane Tyrell's verse being a great break from the rest of the song. "Toorali" is about the treatment of prisoners in (if not, something very similar to) Guantanamo Bay. Well worth a listen for Australians seeking a sense of nationalism perverted or for anyone else after a generally fantastic song.
2. "Panama" by The Cat Empire (2007)
I'm starting to think that this list is going to feature no singles, only "album-filler". Some of the best songs I've ever heard were only on the album. Now, when it comes to The Cat Empire, it is hard to draw any lines. "One Four Five" is still probably the liveliest track, "The Wine Song" and "Falling" tied for catchiest. "Sly" probably has the best video. I can't talk about The Cat Empire as much as The Herd, because The Cat Empire is a group which has the most fame from its live shows, which I really couldn't care less about. They come from Melbourne, and basically make fantastic noise. Now, "Panama" is here because it is the Cat Empire song which enters my mind with the most frequency. Unlike several Cat Empire songs, I've never learnt the words, and often forget the tune, but it just keeps coming back. This is because it starts off the calmest, most relaxed song I have ever heard. I don't know how it does it, but the entire first half of the song is just cool and calm. It turns a little bit more Cat Empire near the end, but still a remarkable song.
3. "The Ascent of Stan" by Ben Folds (2001)
Now I'm actually going out of my way to not pick singles to talk about. Almost all of my favourite songs from Ben Folds in the 00's has been released as a single: "Bastard", "You Don't Know Me" & "Rockin' The Suburbs". This is not my first pick, to be perfectly honest, as I still think that Folds' best work has been done both before and after the 00's, with the Ben Folds Five and Nick Hornby. Anyway, "The Ascent of Stan" is a song with just a great story and beat. The song revolves around Stan, a hippie turned businessman. My favourite thing about the song is the way it seems that at first the "narrator" of the song must be a close friend or a rival taunting Stan about his choices in life, but as no other person is mentioned, it must be Stan's mind criticizing him, which adds a whole new aspect to the song, showing how he hasn't left his past behind as clearly as the song first implies. Also, the chorus is very catchy. Apparently being catchy is a very important part of my taste in music. I never noticed that.
4. "Eucalyptus" by The Presets (2008)
Well, I don't think I have mentioned The Presets yet on this blog. They are one of my all time favourite groups, and their 2nd album, "Apocalypso", is one of the best I own. There were six singles taken from that album, to give some idea how successful it was. Although "My People" is my favourite Presets song (closely followed by "Are You the One?", "Kicking and Screaming", "Down, Down,Down" and "Steamworks"), "Eucalyptus" is one of the best not released as a single. I actually really enjoy the song "Steamworks", but as it lacks lyrics and I'm no good at talking about music, "Eucalyptus" it is. I've never really understood the name.The actual song seems to be about rejecting an untrustworthy individual from a group and facing the consequences of their actions.I suppose there isn't anything more Australian to call a song, though. Really worth a listen.
5. "Thick As Thieves" by Kasabian (2007)
After "Fire", "Underdog" and "Shoot The Runner", "Thick As Thieves" is my favourite Kasabian song. Although the lyrics don't do much for me (Kasabian either has great lyrics or almost meaningless lyrics), they sort of tell the story of a pair of thieves who achieve fame and one feels the other is holding him back. Simple enough. Where this song is fantastic is where it comes to vocals and music. Smooth, calm, this song is just as collected as "Panama" when it boils down. Truly worth a listen, even if Kasabian doesn't sound like your kind of band.
6 . "Cemeteries of London" by Coldplay (2008)
Yeah...so after spending the last post bagging out a Coldplay album, they still end up here. I'm not that big a hypocrite, really! Anyway, "Cemeteries of London" is one of the creepiest songs I have ever heard. Like most Coldplay songs, the lyrics lack a large amount of coherency, but it really works here, just a lot of strange phrases describing the world this song is set it. The use of backing vocals is fantastic and so it the music of this song in general. I have a lot of good things to say about "Viva La Vida", which is undoubtedly the best Coldplay album so far, bar none.
7. "Thanks for Your Time" by Gotye (2006)
I don't know much about Gotye's work, but I am currently trying to track down a cheap copy of one of his albums. Anyway, of the four Gotye songs I know, one just happens to not be a single. "Thanks for Your Time", like Urthboy & Jane Tyrell's "Shruggin'", is all about phones. This song contains great vocals (as with every Gotye song I've heard), great music, and has a great use of samples, including some classical music in the middle of the song, to portray being put on hold. Another aspect of the song I adore is the fan-made video, which I believe was adopted as the official video. It is just terrific.
8. "Inspiration Island" by Drapht (feat. Layla & Downsyde) (2005)
When it comes to Drapht, it is really hard to pick a good non-single from the 00's. "Life of Riley" is the best of his albums, but it was released in 2011 (also, the copy I tried to borrow from the library contained a Hi-5 CD. Who the hell got the two musical entities confused?!). Picking a Drapht song out of his previous work which wasn't a single is difficult not because they are the same (they aren't as formulaic as some groups, but still a touch repetitive, but the sentiment is often very similar. I picked "Inspiration Island" for two reasons. Firstly, the fact the lyrics are a little different to what I'm used to. How are they different? I can't find them! Really, I find it hard to believe that a song from a reasonably mainstream Australian artist does not have the lyrics online, especially when it is considered that it is featuring two (slightly less, but still) mainstream Australian artists. I challenge you. Type in "lyrics Drapht "Inspiration Island"" and see how long until this very blog comes up. Anyway, the other aspect is the featuring artists, both of who ad something to the song. Downsyde is just a change of pace, a bit calmer than Drapht, while Layla sounds like the most pissed off individual on the planet. I have not heard such an angry guest verse in quite a while. But anyway, this song is a good way to be introduced to Drapht, rather than one of his singles. His singles are very good, certainly, but not very representative of the majority of his work.
9. "Cosmonaut" by Wolfmother (2009)
I don't know what appeals to me about this track. Perhaps it's the strange name. Maybe it's just the lyrics which depict the classic cliches of rock music. Maybe the chorus is just that awesome. Most likely its the combination of all three. Considering that Wolfmother has managed to release ten singles off just two albums, there aren't many songs left for me to discuss, but it was a close one between "Cosmonaut" and "Apple Tree". I think that "Cosmonaut" really deserves a listen.
10. "Que Onda Guero" by Beck (2005)
Firstly, the title translates to "That Guero Wave" (Guero meaning a person of lighter skin and fair hair). Secondly, this from the only Beck album I've ever heard ("Guero"). Thirdly, Beck is a great musician. I honestly just felt like throwing something a little different and none of the previous songs contain any foreign languages (even the song named after a foreign country or the song named after a person from a specific country). This song just has a great beat, the good vocals Beck has in a lot of his music and bi-lingual lyrics to ensure that the lazy people without access to Babel Fish have no idea what the hell is going on.
Anyway, that's the first ten of my Great Songs of the 2000's series. I may never do another one, and the next might just be full of exactly the same groups I used here (I tried not to use the same group or artist twice on this list, but no guarantees in future lists.). A quick tally for those interested:
Australia: 6
U.K.: 2
US: 2
2000: 0
2001: 1
2002: 0
2003: 0
2004: 0
2005: 2
2006: 1
2007: 2
2008: 3
2009: 1
A pretty even spread, I think.
H. Rourke
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