2006年 Feb 4日 Saturday, 2:59

70. The Argument

A newer calmer Fugazi was the theme of The Argument. Still straightcore in spirit, but far removed from it in sound, Fugazi should be the blueprint for any band wishing to expand its sound without alienating its base.

69. He War

Chan Marshall has always been like that cool unapproacheable artsy chick. I saw her once opening for Sonic Youth, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears. Then she performed hollow versions of cover songs with a placidity that was eerie. It also annoyed the hell out of me and the entire audience. Anyone who is so unaffected by so much ire deserves at least a little respect.

68. Sehnsucht

Ellen Allien is, like Annie, one of the few artists who understands what the fuck pop is. Pop can have substance, it isn't as gratuitous a listening experience as people think it is or make it out to be. Sehnsucht doesn't have a hook, or words for that matter, just a chopped up Allien vocal, that hovers above the amorphous beat. Very few songs convey this sense of nirvana, and inner peace.

67. I Luv U

I Luv U is the definitive song of the grime movement. Musically it sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. Electronic bleeps and coughs echo and bounce across the track from channel to channel. Dizzee never sounded so angry or relevant, and unlike his peers, successfully tackles the issue of love in a hip hop song.

66. Poney Part 1

One of the songs that built up a buzz for the OK Cowboy release, PP1 is infectious and unrelenting. The song slowly increases in tempo and volume, until it seems as if the instruments are bracing for dear life.

65. Dreams

Tunde Adimbimpe has such an easy way of singing, that in another time and place he would have been a crooner, singing in lounges, or if his talent was appreciated in Vegas with Dino. In the hands of another singer, or another band, "Dreams" could have been some overwrought emo song performed by the likes of My Chemical Romance. Using a scittering bassline and ghostly vocals, TV on the Radio turn "Dreams" into an elegaic tribute to that which drives all of us.

64. One At A Time

This song sounds like everything that was happening in 1980 in music. It could be featured in a compilation, sandwiched between a Joy Division song and a PIL song.

63. All Caps

I'm not sure what's making that "do-do-dodoododo-dodo-do" sound, but I think it's a flute or something. On "All Caps" MF Doom's metamorphosis into a comic book hero is complete. With verbose veracity he destroys all challengers and rides a beat like critics ride his dick.

62. High Rise

Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to. All of Ladytron's music contains implicit drug references and mind-altering overtones. It's the music of designer drugs, for the kids tripping on enhancers not yet discovered by rural america or covered on dateline specials.

61. Cattle and the Creeping Things

Craig Finn doesn't sing. He blurts out parables that sound like the rants of a drunken man, but are more insightful than the commentary of a dozen theologians. The Hold Steady are the same thing that's been done before, just done better.