20. "Whose Authority" by Nada Surf
One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. So many of my other favorite bands have fizzled out or broken up and moved on to other (less epic) things. Nada Surf has refused to go away over 15 years now. The thing is, they just keep putting out great music. This song has all the sing-a-long-ability that seems to be intrinsic and assumed when it comes to Nada Surf. Robert Caws writes so personally. This song speaks of a journey to me. A journey of self discovery and the discovery of something bigger than self. The chorus, to me, is an anthem, and I sing it at the top of my lungs when I listen in the car. The song also comes equipped with a memorable bridge that contains some of my favorite lyrics: "All the tales with paper heroes/ The ones who dyed the sun/And called it yellow/ The ones who made you run." I've said this before and I will say it again. If you aren't familiar with Nada Surf-- get familiar. Get intimate.
19. "Gone for Good" by the Shins
The Shins and James Mercer have been big in the indie scene and found their way in to the mainstream in movies and TV shows. I would be tempted to call almost anyone else a poser or sellout, but the Shins have musical chops to back up the hype. This song, in my opinion, is their strongest lyrically and musically. I love the steel guitar work in so many Shins songs, but the steel guitar just sets a beautiful backdrop for this song. The song speaks to the kind of self-hindrance that I can definitely associate with: "You wanted to jump and dance /But you sat on your hands /And lost your only chance/ Go back to your hometown/ Get your feet on the ground/ And stop floating around." Check this one out if you like a great indie-rock song with a little twang to it (though how twang made it to Portland, Oregon is beyond me).
18. "23" by Jimmy Eat World
Best Jimmy Eat World song in the last decade. Period. Amazing still it seems, that this song actually came out when I was 23, or at least close to 23. The song for me means moving on and moving forward. It contains warnings about lying idle and failure, while at the same time acknowledging the present. The guitar work is some of their best best, and, as it seems with most great Jimmy Eat World songs, goes on forever. The song spans over seven minutes, yet I find my self repeating the song over and over. The chorus begs to be sung at the top of your lungs. I usually oblige. The song takes me back to the days around my engagement and wedding, and will therefore always have a nostalgic place, but even without the place of the song in my life, it will still easily make my top 25.
17. "The Scientist" by Coldplay
If I were a person that often slow danced, this would always be the song that I would request. I know a lot of people who think that Coldplay is overrated. I just can't seem to see it; these guys are for real. I love the way that the each of the instruments join the song that starts out with just a guy (Chris Martin) and his piano. Then you get the guitar and finally the drums and the bass. The song is easy to sing to, easy to tap your foot to, and most embarrassingly, easy to close your eyes to while listening. I like the almost nostalgic reference of stars ("I'm going back to the stars") that throws me back to their first single, "Yellow." The vocals are, of course, amazing. Chris Martin's voice is simply one of the best of our generation. The background vocals also do a lot to contribute to this song that I don't have to tell you to check out because you've probably already heard it.
16. "Sweet Avenue" by Jets to Brazil
So this is what happens when you deconstruct and mature the first wave of emo. Blake Schwarzenbach is and will remain one of my favorite songwriters for the rest of my life. The music is of course great. I particularly like the keyboards/organ that join in at the end of the song. The song itself is personal and pure poetry. This will be the only time in the countdown that I post a song's lyrics in their entirety and let them speak for themselves. Forgive the lack of capitalization; I have copied this from elsewhere and damn those indie kids and their refusal to adhere to capitalization rules:
tasting you and rain I walk down to the train
try not to look down
this day could one day be an anniversary
everything is light and sound
facing forwards going slowly wait for you to show me
where this train wants to go
living by the hour I stop for every flower
everything is soft and slow
now all these tastes improve through the view that comes with you
like they handed me my life
for the first time it felt right
thank you for making me see there's a life in me
it was dying to get out
holding you we make two spoons beneath and April moon
everything is soft and sweet
this cigarette it could seduce
a nation with its smoke
crawling down my tired throat
scratches part of me that's purring
softly stirring
I'm a captain of industry smoking famously
feet up on the windowsill
look at all these trees I feel affinity with
everything so soft and still
budding at my fingertips
touching you I start to bloom
alive with trains and passing ships
soft and sweet along your lips now
I go "oh wow"
thank you for taking me from my monastery
I was dying to get out
with tears of gratitude
I like my latitude
cross town train to you
now all these tastes improve
through the view that comes with you
like they handed me my life for the first time it felt worth it
like I deserved it
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