Original video located here. Accessed 30th June 2021
Song title: No Cars Go
Artist: Arcade Fire
Year: 2007
Why I like this song:
More adventures with Arcade Fire.
I think this was my first exposure to Arcade Fire and it won me over. And yet it is only now that I finally caught up....
Still this is a great driving song and a firm reminder why this band is beloved.
Suddenly the enthusiastic reaction of the crowd when I saw this band at the Big Day Out suddenly makes sense.....
Song title: Hide and Seek
Artist: Imogen Heap
Year: 2005
Why I like this song:
Sometimes you just need to forget the sampling, the covers, the memes and the O.C. connection and remind yourself that the song behind it all is actually a really good one.
Again this is a triumph of doing a lot with very little. The vocoder may be derided as a musical gadget but here it works wonders.
Song title: Any Day Now
Artist: Elbow
Year: 2001
Why I like this song:
When i first heard this song I didn't know what to make of it but it eventually grew on me.
It may be easy to imagine these guys looking over Radiohead's shoulder and taking notes but for me this song works by doing a lot with not much. The drum pattern is immediately striking but also of note is the organ and that mantra of a chorus (maybe that's how this song won me over)
Song title: An Honest Mistake
Artist: The Bravery
Year: 2005
Why I like this song:
In the 2000s it was somewhat inevitable that we would get an eighties revival (as they tend to happen in chunks of twenty years). And you can get more eighties than this: the synths, the drums, the bass and guitars all scream eighties. And that's what makes it so cool
Song title: Ruby
Artist: Kaiser Chiefs
Year: 2007
Why I like this song:
A cynic would say that this is just a big dumb song, tailor-made to be an audience participation number at live shows.
That may be the case but there's nothing wrong with being dumb. And I certainly did shout along to that chorus when i saw the Kaiser Chief live.
So clearly this song did something right
Original video located here. Accessed 23rd June 2021
Song title: Take Me Out
Artist: Franz Ferdinand
Year: 2004
Why I like this song:
One of the many songs that represent a time and place.
For me, this song, and it's parent album, was a constant companion in the year of 2004 and firm reminder of both taking one's steps out into the real world and the tedium of unemployment.
Song title: Hey Man
Artist: Simon Kelly
Year: 2009
Why I like this song:
I recall this song making an impression on me back in 2009. Somehow the fuzz guitar and the accusatory lyrics struck a chord in the rebel in me. However, twelve years on, it would appear this is one that song that slipped through the cracks - Those twelve YouTube viewings (at time of writing) are indeed telling.
Here's s a thought: Would this have fared better if it was released a decade later? Somehow, i can imagine those accusatory lyrics being embraced by the 'silence is violence' crowd but who can tell....
Song title: I'm With You
Artist: Avril Lavigne
Year: 2002
Why I like this song:
One of the most effective songs written about teen romance.
Granted it came out I was already an adult but still....
Song title: Stuck in the Middle With You
Artist: Stealers Wheel
Year: 1973
Why I like this song:
Some songs work as they remind you of a particular time and place and this is the case here. So 2007: I got my driver's license and I was making new friends
Original video located here. Accessed 16th June 2021
Song title: Come Undone
Artist: Duran Duran
Year: 1993
Why I like this song:
Lately I have been listening to some Duran Duran
This may be eighties pop at it's most cliche - which may atribute to why the backlash to them hit so hard - but let's be honest here: It's a pop song of the highest order
Song title: Bar Bar Bar
Artist: Crayon Pop
Year: 2013
Why I like this song:
Kiera got me into this one. Seems hanging around her has made me acquainted with forms of music I previously wouldn't have considered. Jpop? Well I like my anime so there's not much of a stretch. So what of Kpop?
As is often the case, I come across something well after the party. Apparently this was a big hit. And these girls have attained some success off of it. And the way they were treated have since has come to light. And I slept through the entire thing.
However listening to it now, boy is this a ear-worm and a half. Its one of those catchy songs that will never the mind once entered - that it, a Kpop tune, climbed no position no.14 on the ARIA chart has to count for something.
But listening to it, damn is it irresistible.