Given that it has been far too long since I have made my top 100 album list and it will have changed far too dramatically, I have instead decided to make a top 50 songs list. My idea to undertake such a difficult task arose one night when my wife and I were watching a VH1 countdown of the best 100 artists of all time. What I have come to realize about making lists like this is that they seem to come from a single moment in time. I made this list the week of September 20th. That being said, I don't think the list would be the same even today, but changes would be somewhat minimal. I plan on delivering these songs five at a time over the next few weeks along with a brief synopsis of why I think each song is so great. The countdown will, of course, start with #50 and countdown to #1.
50. "Currents" by Sleeping at Last
For me, this song is packed with metaphors and very catchy. What I think I most appreciate about Sleeping at Last is that they are a band of Christians that never really existed in the "Christian" music scene that actually talks about God while making actual art. I think the metaphor of trying to swim to shore when currents are too strong for us to handle is a great metaphor for life and needing God.
49. "Repeater" by Fugazi
I didn't have the heart to remove Fugazi from the list. They are simply too influential, and I know that without their music, much of the music that I love would not have ever been made. "Repeater" is simply a classic song with a great sing-a-long/yell-a-long chorus that always leaves me counting to three. The song also epitomizes the post-punk attitude: there is no future and "to you I'm nothing but a number." The downfall of man is certainly here, but at least I have this three minute hard rock song.
48. "Adventures in Solitude" by The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers are certainly one of the bands that have become favorites over the past few years, but they climbed the charts very quickly. This song is serene, but contains a powerful message. I picture a friend long lost to some addiction or some bad relationship who I don't ever see any more, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. "Welcome back," I say to my long lost friend. The bridge to this song is amazing. Neko Case's voice echoed by the rest of the Pornographers soars and is simply magnificent. The bridge is what makes the song.
47. "Accident Prone" by Jawbreaker
When I first got in to Jawbreaker, this was my favorite song. I think at the time I was simply amazed that any band could put out a 6 minute song that was good all the way through. This song certainly is good all the way through. I don't know if Blake Schwarzenbach wrote the song about his time in the hospital in Europe when he had to have polyps removed from his vocal chords, but I don't think that is what it is about. In fact, I think our narrator in this song is insane. I think the hospital is one of a mental variety, and I think accidents certainly do not refer to bumps and bruises but instead all of the ways that we fuck up our own lives. Regardless, I love listening to this song when I am on a road trip driving through a rainstorm. It just makes it more powerful somehow.
46. "Sleep the Clock Around" by Belle and Sebastian
It must be the bagpipes, I might initially think, but this song as so much more than that. The song fades in from nothingness but with a beat that keeps me bouncing in my seat for the whole song. I like the lyrics, as I do with all of the songs on this list. I know for me, there are periods in life when I feel like I am sleeping the clock around, even when I am awake. Little do I know that when I show up, "everybody is happy, they are glad that I came." And yeah, there are awesome bagpipes at the end of the song. Hooray for a little indie-pop.
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