Diatribes by Joah

Take That NME! Top Tracks (#75-#51) of the Last 15 Years

In case you missed the first 75 songs of the list, make sure to check back here before diving into what's to come.

75. Jay-Z "Public Service Announcement" - Sorry, Jay. You will never need to introduce yourself again.

74. Kanye West feat. Pusha T "Runaway" - Pusha T deserves a lot of credit for making songs like this and Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" absolute breakout tracks.

73. The White Stripes "Fell In Love With a Girl" - Is Jack White going to write a song about falling out of love with a girl, too?

72. Thievery Corporation "Lebanese Blonde" - The Garden State soundtrack should be on any "best albums of the decade" list, largely due to this track.

71. Roni Size & Reprazent "Brown Paper Bag" - Completely transformed and elevated D&B music.

70. Massive Attack "Teardrop" - You may have missed this one. Listen again.

69. The Hives "Hate to Say I Told You So" - One of the most underrated bands of the last decade with a killer album.

68. LCD Soundsystem "Someone Great" - Not the biggest band in the world. But certainly one of them.

67. Kanye West "Power" - They run the town. They have the power. They sit on the throne. Kanye has it all.

66. Modest Mouse "World At Large" - Float On is "the" Modest Mouse song, but this one is even better.

65. Jay-Z feat. UGK "Big Pimpin'" - The most hypocritical rap song ever now that Jay-Z is married. But I'm assuming he didn't think a woman like Beyonce existed when he rapped this, either.

64. Arcade Fire "Keep the Car Running" - This is a road-trip favorite, and I've taken several of them between Texas, South Carolina and New York over the years since this song's release.

63. The National "Mistaken for Strangers" - If you're ever feeling lonely or downtrodden, just think back to a time before you listened to The National.

62. Foo Fighters "My Hero" - Dave Grohl is definitely one of the 10 most important people in music over the last 20 years. Nirvana. Foo Fighters. Them Crooked Vultures.

61. Gorillaz "Clint Eastwood" - A song that just feels different than most music you'll hear on the radio.

60. T.I. "What You Know" - T.I.'s jail time has stymied his career somewhat. Thinking back to this song reminds me of when he was at the top of his game.

59. The Flaming Lips "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1" - Like Gorillaz, The Flaming Lips are expert song-makers and the sounds they use leave you with a sensation of loftiness.

58. The Mars Volta "The Widow" - It's hard to pick just one song of theirs, but this is probably where any newcomer should start.

57. Wu-Tang Clan "Triumph" - "What you thought you wasn't gon'a see me!? …Wu-Tang is here forever…m*thaf*cka!"

56. B.o.B. feat. Bruno Mars "Nothing on You" - From Triumph to Nothing on You shows you the transition in "rap" music today.

55. Phoenix "1901" - This song should be in every bar jukebox in America. It probably already is.

54. MGMT "Electric Feel" - Too bad they don't perform this song live as well as it sounds on the record.

53. Usher feat. Ludacris "Yeah!" - Lil' Jon was relevant for a minute, and Usher was king for about a year with this one.

52. Kings of Leon "Use Somebody" - Before they were mainstream, they were cool.

51. Outkast "Ms. Jackson" - The most important rap group of the last 20 years because of songs like this.

Take That NME! Top Tracks (#100-#76) of the Last 15 Years

And now we break into the Top 100 of this list! But make sure you check out the first 50 songs of this list before checking out what's below.

#100 - Radiohead "No Surprises" - An awesome song about feeling suicidal.  Um…yeah basically.

#99 - Red Hot Chili Peppers "Scar Tissue" - A song of isolation and recovery.  A sobering track - pun somewhat intended.

#98 - Portishead "All Mine" - The scariest love song on this list.

#97 - Beyonce feat. Jay-Z "Crazy in Love" - The DC flavor drives the track.  And the video.  Good God.

#96 - Passion Pit "Little Secrets" - With artists like Justin Timberlake spending time away from music, Friendly Fires and Passion Pit have helped to bridge the pop gap.

#95 - Justin Timberlake feat. T.I. "My Love" - Speaking of...this song pretty much cemented Justin as an R&B star on par with his contemporaries (e.g. Usher) at the time.

#94 - Outkast "The Way You Move" - Outkast in pop mode, with an R&B feel on it, and some bass.  Appealed to everyone…literally everyone.

#93 - N.E.R.D. "Lapdance" - Introduced a guy I wanted to hear more from - Lee Harvey.  Didn't happen.  One of the funniest tracks on the list.  Party starter.

#92 - Muse "Hysteria" - Seemingly about a sudden compulsive man who wants what he wants, maybe from a prostitute.  But could have a political subtext - this is Muse.

#91 - Lupe Fiasco "Kick, Push" - Underground bubbling up.  Not always sure if he wasn't just capitalizing on the skate fad turned institution - but it was timely.

#90 - Kanye West "Through the Wire" - A young, super hungry Kanye, mouth wired shut.  Serious lyrics and a soulful beat to match.

#89 - Here We Go Magic "Fangela" - You can't tell me you don't feel something when you listen to this song.  Just feels good.

#88 - Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg "Still D.R.E." - The piano sample is oddly, repetitively dope.  And then, Snoop is on it…that's enough.

#87 - Coldplay "Trouble" - People like to make fun of Martin's feministic tendency in the lyrics and piano.  But he's mostly used it to great effect - specifically on the debut album and this track.

#86 - Elbow "Grounds for Divorce" - Heard everywhere.  The rare awesome Brit song that had broad appeal.  I never go angry when I heard it for the 50th time in a day.

#85 - Bj0rk "Hunter" - Probably could have had other songs on this list.  Ethereal and provocative.  Like nothing else on this list.

#84 - Jay-Z "Takeover" - Took over the #1 spot with this - hasn't really let it go since.

#83 - Skream "Midnight Request Line" - Single-handedly put dubstep into the necessary ears.

#82 - Arctic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" - Is he one of the best songwriters of the last 10-15 years…or more?

#81 - Doves "Black and White Town" - Rock for the adults - best feature of Doves is the maturity the put in everything.  They always sing and play like grown men.

#80 - Incubus "Wish You Were Here" - Song title says it.  One of the best songs ever for longing.

#79 - Jagged Edge feat. Nelly "Where The Party At?" - For a while there, both Jagged Edge and Nelly were untouchable when it came to helping girls get on the dance floor.

#78 - Bloc Party "Helicopter" - Political, fast, with an Asian drummer, and a black homosexual at the lead.  Awesome post punk…actually wish this mini-era lasted longer.

#77 - Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl" - Even Chris Rock's jokes got better thanks to this song.

#76 - Grizzly Bear "Two Weeks" - Those pianos again.  (Did the slow down the pianos from Still DRE, like Kanye did with XXXplosive drums???...I kid.) Sunniest song about a crappy relationship with a clingy parter.

Take That NME! Top Tracks (#125-#101) of the Last 15 Years

In case you missed our introduction and the first 25 songs, check here and here.

#125 - The Avalanches "Since I Left You" - The title track of one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of the last 10 years.

#124 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Heads Will Roll" - Three members, three Yeahs, but there's only one Karen O.

#123 - New Radicals "You Get What You Give" - The feel good song of that year. Something about the mid-to-late '90s and alternative rock music that just felt so good.

#122 Vampire Weekend "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" - The feel good song of the year, 10 years later.

#121 Alicia Keys "No One" - Alicia Keys wins Grammys and she belts out hits. This was the best one not featuring Jay-Z.

#120 The Streets "It Was Supposed to Be Easy" - Multiple songs from The Streets were debated, but It Was Supposed to be Easy just made the most sense. This song made Brit Rap seem ever-so-smooth, and easy.

#119 The Knife "Heartbeats" - Like The Avalanche, this international duo is not widely regarded outside of music aficionado circles, but is well respected with critics and record store snobs alike.

#118 Elliot Smith "Alameda" - Even more important than this one song, was Smith's life and death that ended far too soon in 2003.

#117 The Rapture "House of Jealous Lovers" - Other songs on this list are jealous of how good this song is.

#116 The Postal Service "Such Great Heights" - How many times have you heard this song? Ask the ad guys how many viewers they've had.

#115 System of a Down "Toxicity" - Probably the hardest song on the entire list and that's about all we had room for. Sevendust would've made the list if it was Top 200.

#114 The Roots feat. Erykah Badu & Eve "You Got Me" - Erykah Badu didn't make the list solo, but she gets a guest appearance thanks to this track.

#113 The Dears "Lost in the Plot" - Ahhh, The Dears. One of those bands that puts out super quality material, but doesn't get the fan recognition of bands like Wilco and TV on the Radio.

#112 The xx "Crystalized" - The most stylish band of the last decade just so happen to put out one of the most important debut albums of the decade as well.

#111 Natalie Imbruglia "Torn" - (No Pun Intended, but) I'm torn as to whether or not this song is where my love of Natalie Portman - you know, tiny brunette girls with interesting demeanors - got started. Probably.

#110 Federico Aubele "Postales" - Maria Jose is a great track too, but Postales has just a little more flavor to it.

#109 The Wallflowers "One Headlight" - Probably the most radio friendly song on the entire list and I can't say I mind.

#108 Fatboy Slim "The Rockafeller Skank" - One of the pioneers of MTV's electro-dance phase.

#107 Elbow "The Birds" - "Who are these guys?" Just listen.

#106 Kid Cudi "Day'n'Nite" - One of the biggest songs of 2008 and the song that pushed him ahead of more talented rappers that would follow in 2009-2011 a la Drake, Curren$y, J-Cole.

#105 Live "Turn My Head" - Great great song, but they never did live up to early descriptions as "the next R.E.M."

#104 Linked Park "In The End" - Hate all you want, but Linkin Park was a hit machine. Part of the reason Jay-Z blessed them with an album.

#103 Sigur Ros "Saeglopur" - The best song here during a live show you won't forget.

#102 Black Star "Definition" - One of the seminal hip-hop songs after the Tribe Called Quest era.

#101 U2 "Beautiful Day" - Not a big U2 fan, admittedly. But damnit if this song isn't well put together.

Let's Hope it's For Real This Time

You know I'm a supporter!

The Single Most Offensive Political Ad I've Ever Seen

I once helped his re-election campaign. No joke. It wasn't my choice, but my then-boss's. I quit that job.

Those who know me well know that I'm not easily offended. But as someone who believes in God, I don't at all agree with this pandering-conservative Rick Perry. Barack Obama has waged no war on religion. But more importantly, I don't agree with Rick Perry that his faith is a reason to justify his election.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."

You know...the First Amendment...so why the heck is Rick Perry trying to make this a religious election rather than a political one? Is it because he doesn't like facts?

Take That NME! Top Tracks (#126-#150) of the Last 15 Years

And so it begins...our list of the Top 150 Tracks of the last 15 years.

#150 Jay Electronica "Exhibit C" - An unusually epic track from one of the most buzzed about newcomers in recent rap history.  Hasn't been followed by an album.

#149 Animal Collective "My Girls" - Best song on one of the better albums in the last couple years.  Simple, yet large in scale.  One of the most poignant tracks on the list.

#148 Janelle Monae "Cold War" - As an artist without a box, it speaks about individuality and fighting for it - explains Janelle, as much as a song can.

 

 

#147 Pavement "Stereo" - It's the bassline that does it for me, plus the breakdown in the middle of the song.  Also great lyrics - a strength for Pavement throughout their releases.

#146 T.I. "Why You Wanna" - Rappers making sex/romance tracks was a very common theme.  It's not something rappers did a lot of previously, and NOT be questioned.

#145 Puff Daddy "All About the Benjamins" - HAD to be in this list.  The track for the (luckily) short lived jiggy (or jigaboo…) era.

#144 Sleigh Bells "Infinity Guitars" - One of the best indie pop songs to come out in the last 15 years, and more.  The last :38 KILLS, after the set-up.  Also introduced trunk bass into indie-stream.

 

 

#143 Klaxons "Golden Skans" - Seemed to indicate a future of Brit dominance, but that didn't quite happen.  Either way, an amazingly fun record.

#142 Ghostface Killah "Daytona 500" - In the top ten beats RZA ever made.  All three MCs kill it.  Even the anime video destroys.

#141 Jeff Buckley "Everybody Here Wants You" - I can't tell if he's describing someone he has, or someone he wants.  I like not really knowing.

#140 Curren$y feat. Stalley "Address" - "…..yeeeeaaahhh, SKI BEATS!"

 

#139 Drake "Successful" - The proper introduction to the new vanguard of mainstream hip hop - it's become a mission statement.

#138 D'Angelo "How Does It Feel (Untitled)" - Just a notch below the choice cuts on Marvin Gaye's I Want You album…..like a fingernail's length.

#137 Washed Out "Feel It All Around" - Chillwave done at it's best.  Smoothed out samples, lazy lyrics - lazy in a positive sense.  Where's my beach chair and Corona with the lime?

#136 Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland "Promiscous" - Yet another reinvented career path/change, courtesy of Timbaland's golden touch.

#135 Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home" -It's funny that most people remember this song because of Ol' Dirty Bastard.

#134 Feist "My Moon My Man" - One of the songs on the list you knew would be good in the first 15 seconds. Immediately awesome.

 

#133 Common feat. The Last Poets "The Corner" - A dirty Kanye beat + Last Poets + Common. You don't need a lot.

#132 TV On The Radio "Ambulance" - A sparse, incredibly (desperately) romantic, doo wop song.  Probably their most played song.

#131 Editors "Munich" - Editors aren't going to write the best lyrics ever.  But I think it's the straightfowardness of what they are trying to accomplish is the accomplishment.

#130 Jay-Z feat. Pharrell Williams "Excuse Me Miss" -Probably the beginning of the "grown and sexy" movement in rap circles.

#129 RJD2 "A Beautiful Mine" - Mad Men.  I think that's all that needs to be noted.

#128 Sean Paul "Gimme the Light" - Brought dancehall (lite) sounds back into the mainstream.

#127 Cannibal Ox "The F Word" - Definitely one of the more unusual picks for a list like this.  Criminally overlooked album and song, that got critical play…but not enough ears.

#126 M.O.P. "Ante Up" - THE jack-move song of the last 15 years.  Still a banger.  "Get up off them g*ddamn diamonds!!!"

 

Stay tuned for tracks #125-#101 this Friday, then we'll dive into the Top 100 beginning next Monday!