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Post by Milliways on Sept 3, 2022 23:18:50 GMT 1
For those who haven't seen this before: Every two years, I compile a list of my top 200 songs. Broadly, the songs I have enjoyed listening to the most in recent memory. Note, I don't class it as an all-time top songs list.
The first of these countdowns I compiled was back in the Dotmusic days (and was posted on that forum), in 1999. Between 1999 and 2012 this was an annual list, since 2012 it has been biennial (so the following one was 2014, 2016 etc.).
The 2022 list has now been compiled, and will be posted in this thread.
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Post by Milliways on Sept 3, 2022 23:45:06 GMT 1
200. JUKEBOX THE GHOST - Hold It InThis whimsical song has appeared in every list since 2011, when it entered at #121. It peaked at #88 in 2018.199. ZAC BROWN BAND - ToesChilled vibes of summer. This entered at #96 in 2016 and has consistently appeared since then without outdoing that peak.198. BEST COAST - Everything Has ChangedOne of those bands whose name tells you exactly what they're going to sound like. This was #1 in my recently-relaunched weekly chart in early 2020 and appeared for the first time in this list at #189 a few months later.197. NOAH & THE WHALE - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.NThe first new entry this year. If you liked '5 Years Time' you'll probably like this, if not you might want to skip on ahead.196. NEO RETROS - We're Glad That You CameSong by a Polish band that comes with a superb black & white video. Entered at #94 in 2014, has been a fixture in the lower half of this countdown ever since.195. DOVER - CrashI have sung the praises of this Spanish pop-punk/grunge band (who sound like no-one else I've ever come across) so many times. I especially love the guitar solo from 1:19 in this track from their last (as yet, hopefully) album 'Complications'.194. BLITZEN TRAPPER - FurrA very nice, atmospheric country/folk song recommended to me by a fellow backpacker when I was travelling in 2011. Peaked at #75 in 2012 and has appeared in this list every year since 2016. 193. THE HITCHERS - For The Want of Some Better TV"When they ask us what we're doing it for, we'll tell 'em we were bored". The Hitchers are an Irish indie/punk rock band who I first discovered back in about 1999 thanks to Steve Lamacq. This song has appeared intermittently in this countdown since 2004, in which year it entered at its historic peak of #49.192. GEORGE EZRA - Cassy O'"The b*st*rd face kept changing and the hands they wouldn't stop". This rollicking pop-folk track from Ezra's 2014 album 'Wanted on Voyage' is the second new entry191. THE HAPPY FITS - Hold Me DownAs you'll see again and again through this countdown, I love a big power chorus. This one -- which begins to hit its heights shortly after the minute mark in the video version -- very effectively grabbed my attention in spring 2020, spending several weeks at #1 in my recently restarted weekly chart. This song is making its first appearance in this countdown.
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Post by Milliways on Sept 4, 2022 23:14:52 GMT 1
190. KELLY CLARKSON - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) One of the bigger pop chart hits in this countdown, this independence anthem was a UK#8 hit in 2012.
189. SUPERSUCKERS feat. HAYES CARLL - This Life... With You A similar lyrical theme to the previous song, but somewhat different musically. At the more country end of this American country-rock/cowpunk band's range, this one entered at #174 in my 2020 countdown. They will show up again, though without the featured artist.
188. DANCE HALL CRASHERS - She's Trying Upbeat ska-punk with female vocals, this song first reached my ears thanks to a mixtape exchange run by the Imperial College Alternative Music Society back in 2005. I was so taken by it that I ranked it #3 in that year's 'Top 200' countdown. It has featured in every such list since then, with this year's placing being its lowest by some distance.
187. THE BELLAMY BROTHERS - Let Your Love Flow For a time in the mid-2010s, I used to DJ semi-regularly at a local pub in Macclesfield called the Railway View. When I did, I made this song my regular finishing tune before packing up. You more likely know it from a Barclays advert featuring waterslides. An ever-present in this list since 2009, it peaked at #4 in 2016.
186. BULLOCK HEARTS - See You Later A new entry. My song of the summer of 2021, this finished up at #2 in that year's end-year countdown.
185. LADY GAGA - Bad Romance The first UK#1 to appear... will it be the only one? One of the most characterful pop songs of the 21st century.
184. THE UNLOVABLES - F*ck The World A 100mph pop-punk cover of a song originally by New Hampshire punk band The Queers, this featured in the top 10 of three consecutive iterations of this countdown from 2011-14.
183. HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT - Man of Constant Sorrow (With a Garage in Constant Use) Wit from the Wirral. These John Peel favourites are making their second appearance in my Top 200 this year with this new entry; 'Irk the Purists' sneaked in at 198 in 2006. No video, but the 'official audio' via YouTube is featured below.
182. DOVER - Four Graves This Spanish grunge/punk/pop band, on the other hand, have had the most different songs feature over the years. This track from their 1999 album 'Late At Night' is an ever-present since entering at #8 in 2009.
181. THE HOUSEMARTINS - Me and the Farmer New entry this year, a song from 1987 that I never really appreciated until I went to see Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott at Stockport in 2019 and it featured on the setlist.
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Post by Milliways on Sept 4, 2022 23:49:49 GMT 1
180. GIMP FIST - Heart Full of Pride A street-punk anthem originally by Swedish band Perkele, the version featured here is by a Darlington band who I first saw in Uttoxeter back in 2017 and remain very active on the local punk scene.
179. SPECIAL D - Come With Me The song that brought an entire music genre, namely 'Hands Up!', to my attention. A chart hit in 2004, this peaked in this list at #29 in 2018. If you were around in the early 2000s you will likely recognise its very distinctive tune very quickly even if you had no idea of the artist or title.
178. THE DUNTS - Individuation The first song from 2022 to appear in this countdown, this was #1 in my currently paused weekly chart early in the year. I've posted the video, which is one of the best examples of a 'lyric video' I've encountered. Not that it matters especially, the combination of lyrics and exuberant energy mean that this was never not going to grab and hold my attention.
177. NICK LOWE - My Heart Hurts This power-pop/new-wave singer-songwriter has featured in six of these lists with 'Cruel To Be Kind' and seven with 'So It Goes'. This lesser-known song from his 1982 album 'Nick the Knife' is, however, the one I currently favour. It is making its second appearance after debuting at #150 in 2020.
176. ALBERT HAMMOND - The Free Electric Band Counterculture anthem from 1973 that made its first appearance in this list at #78 in 2016. You may know his son, also named Albert, as the guitarist in The Strokes/
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Post by Milliways on Sept 5, 2022 0:13:39 GMT 1
175. CHURCH OF CONFIDENCE - I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow By a strange coincidence, the song whose title is parodied by Half Man Half Biscuit in that of #183 itself makes an appearance. This is the third punk cover to appear in the countdown, this time of a traditional American folk song whose best-known version is probably that by the Soggy Bottom Boys from the film 'O Brother, Where Art Thou'. This version is by a superbly-named German rock 'n' roll punk band who I recently saw perform at this year's Rebellion Festival.
174. LOADED 44 - We Saved The World Anyone who follows me on Facebook has seen me rave about Loaded 44 on many occasions. Originally from Sunderland, this incredibly energetic pop-punk band can just about be described as a mix of early Blondie and the Ramones. I do my best to get out to see them whenever they make a date for the Manchester area. This song is a live favourite and often closes their set.
173. JONATHAN COULTON - Mandelbrot Set While not a million miles away stylistically, there could scarcely be a greater contrast between the lyrical style of the preceding song and this track. 'Geek rock' Coulton at maximum geek, featuring lines such as "Just take a point called Z in the complex plane / let Z1 be Z squared plus C". It shouldn't work, but somehow it does. Check out the titular fractals in the video clip below...
172. THE DOGTOWN REBELS - Brave New World New entry by a Norwich-based punk 'supergroup' who I saw at my first Rebellion Festival back in 2016. The lyrics are probably more relevant today than ever with lines like "Bankrupt all our businesses, it makes me f*cking sick / This nation will know the truth, this country is getting screwed".
171. RILO KILEY - My Slumbering Heart Quite the change of pace is this. Jenny Lewis' band have had seven different songs feature in this countdown over the years, including one ('Glendora') which appeared consistently from 2003 through to 2016, peaking at #32. This is from the superb 2002 album 'The Execution of All Things', and is notable for its variety and the joyousness of much of its instrumentation.
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Post by Milliways on Sept 7, 2022 0:00:03 GMT 1
170. RENT STRIKE - Radio Silence The 10th new entry in this countdown. I was struggling to pin this one down to define it, until I stumbled across the term "post-folk-punk". One of the more recent releases here, this dates from September 2021.
169. E.L.O - Hold On Tight This peaked as high as #20 in 2006, and has been an intermittent presence since then. Through perseverance may you succeed.
168. McCAFFERTY - Loser MOTHERF*CKER! There's 'quiet-loud' and then there's this. Discovered thanks to my 2018 weekly chart, a song that harks back to the heyday of pop-punk in the late 90s/early 00s but puts a unique spin on the sound.
167. BLACK WATER COUNTY - Under Skies of Black and Blue The song that brought this newly discovered band to my attention is still to come. This is ths first of three entries in this countdown for Black Water County, even though I had not heard of them before October 2021... and I haven't even seen them live once yet. They've been described as "A beautiful cacophony of distilled folkpunk bliss!”. This is more on the 'folk' end of their spectrum but hopefully gives an indication of the energy and exuberance that means they're one of the bands I'm most excited about right now.
166. SPRING PARK - Blow Up Your TV! Talking about top-notch pop-punk... A band I saw on the New Bands stage at Rebellion a few short years ago and who frequently appear on the line-ups of this and that 'punk all-dayer' and such-like around the North of England only succeeded in coming up with one of the best original songs of the genre I've heard in many years. Full of hooks and woah-ohs, this is a real winner. It kicked off this countdown two years ago, rising 34 places this year.
165. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Glory Days The only track by 'The Boss' ever to feature in this countdown, it climbed 20 places this year.
164. BLACK WATER COUNTY - The Painful Truth "No matter how many times they bring us down, we'll come back and fight again". Don't be put off by the positions at which their first two entries have appeared in this countdown, this band is absolutely definitely one to watch very closely indeed. Check out the lyric video for this song, posted below.
163. THE HITCHERS - Strachan Rediscovered thanks to its appearance on the Steve Lamacq retrospective compilation, I completely surprised myself to find that this was a 'new entry' having never appeared in this countdown before even though I heard and enjoyed it back in the late 90s; indeed it featured at #21 in John Peel's 1997 'Festive 31'. A unique and great song whose like I've never heard before and probably never will again, it can't really be explained other than to say if you don't like football it probably isn't for you.
162. MAXIMO PARK - Apply Some Pressure "What happens when you lose everything? You just start again." 2005 debut UK chart hit by an indie rock band from Newcastle that struck a strong chord with me right away. This song has been an ever-present in this countdown since the year after its release, peaking at #12 in 2011.
161. THE SENSITIVES - Kick A Hole In The Sky As I hinted at a few entries back, there's a kind of exuberant energy that makes a song really stand out and grab my attention. This 2014 song by a group who describe themselves as "a naive edgy punk band from Falun, Sweden" exemplifies what I'm talking about in several respects -- even just the title lets you know what they're all about. This song entered at its peak of #18 in 2016.
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Post by Milliways on Sept 22, 2022 23:43:57 GMT 1
160. GIN BLOSSOMS - Hey Jealousy Radio hit from 1994. After 23 years of compiling countdowns like this, the only song that has appeared in every single one. It peaked at #3 in 2008, this is its lowest ever position
159. GARDEN GANG - Licence to Live German glam-punk band who I saw at the 2015 Glastonwick festival and were a definite highlight.
158. TALL SHAVES - Out of Touch Climber in their second appearance in the chart after entering at #187 last time about. This folk song from the North East featured in my 2018 weekly chart just before I put it on pause that time out with a great lyric video.
157. A - Foghorn Originally discovered thanks to Steve Lamacq's radio show in the late 90s, this is re-entering after 20 years after having featured in this countdown for just one year back in 2002. Dispensing with any subtlety at all, not many songs leap out of the speakers right from the off quite like this one
156. HOCKEY - Song Away Whereas, this one's all about the hooks. An ever-present since 2012, this is a feelgood anthem with a side of cheese.
155. JUDGE DREAD - Big Six Guilty pleasure ahoy! I don't even recall how come I first discovered this curious cod-reggae track with naughty lyrics that was originally a #11 UK hit in 1972. But it's been an occasional hit in my countdown since 2007 when it entered at 119. Favourite lyric, adapted from a much-parodied poem: "Boy blue stood on the burning deck, playing a game of cricket / the ball rolled up his trouser leg and stumped his middle wicket".
154. THE FEATURES - There's A Million Ways To Sing The Blues "I hear you whining on the radio. I see you whining on TV". This has been an ever-present since 2006, peaking at #10 in 2014. A riposte to trendy angst.
153. STEREOPHONICS - More Life In A Tramp's Vest The first song I ever heard by this well-known Welsh band and still my favourite song of theirs with some great lines.
152. SLOPPY SECONDS - Human Waste If you don't know what inspired this band's name, it's probably best you don't ask. This is a guilty pleasure of a slightly different kind; I might describe it as 'trash punk'. "I left my heart in San Francisco and my brain in Los Angeles / My heart just made me bitter, and my brain just made me dangerous".
151. THE LILLINGTONS - Black Hole In My Mind "My life has been a waste of time." The Ramones after a sci-fi and horror marathon.
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Post by Milliways on Sept 28, 2022 0:08:52 GMT 1
150. CADAVER CLUB - Southern Cemetery Horror-punk band whose appearance on the Rebellion Festival's Opera House stage in 2018 remains one of my all-time live surprises. Hopefully I see them again before too long
149. MANIAN - Hands Up Forever Celebratory dance song from 2012. It could so easily have been a massive hit that you'd all know, but it wasn't to be. The sort of song you might hear when your football team achieves a remarkable victory.
148. HUNG LIKE HANRATTY - What You See Is What You Get People tell us what we can and cannot play / But we don't listen, we'll do it our own way. Live punk favourites from Sutton-in-Ashfield.
147. BURNING LADY - Story of My Scene Ever-present since 2014 from a French female-fronted punk band who I've kept looking out for live appearances within reasonable travel time but not yet spotted one.
146. BILLY BRAGG - Sexuality Yes, I saw him on the outdoor (R-Fest) stage at this year's Rebellion and yes he played this. Originally from 1991, and dated by its reference to 'Red Star Belgrade', but otherwise still sounds good today.
145. BANK HOLIDAY JEZ - Robin the Cockroach One of a kind, sadly departed. If John Peel were still around I like to think this is one he would have enjoyed (more on that note shortly). Where did it all go wrong?
144. PUBLIC IMAGE LTD - Don't Ask Me What's it all about between the men that shout? For more than one reason, it's quite unfortunate that this song, originally released in 1990, seldom fails to feel topical. In this countdown it's had an unusual run, first appearing for one year only in 2002 at #72 before re-entering and peaking at #15 in 2006 before dropping out for over a decade then re-appearing in 2020.
143. GREEN DAY - One Of My Lies When I was young I thought the world circled around me / But in time I realised I was so wrong. This, on the other hand, is a true all-time favourite of mine. It appeared at #193 in my first of these countdowns in 1999 and has featured in various positions in most (but not all) since, peaking at #29 in 2004. So many great lines in such a compelling song.
142. SARA JEAN KELLEY - Bleeding Stone This, on the other hand, is brand new this year. Give the live recording from Nashville (below) a listen. "I just want to fix what is broken".
141. BOOZE & GLORY - Days, Months, Years Another band I discovered at Rebellion Festival and enjoyed seeing live at this year's event, from London via Poland. This one's a big live favourite!
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Post by Milliways on Oct 3, 2022 0:08:51 GMT 1
140. JAMES - Sit Down Indie classic that was a UK #2 hit in 1991. I surprised myself to look it up and find I hadn't included it in this countdown up until 2018
139. AZTEC CAMERA FEAT. MICK JONES - Good Morning Britain This, in contrast, was an ever-present every year between 1999 and 2008, before re-appearing this year. One of the first songs I remember really connecting with when I first heard it on release in 1990
138. LOADED - Can't Stop Won't Stop One of a select few songs I reach for when an energy boost is needed, this is one I originally discovered through compiling my 2014 monthly chart. There is no connection between this band and Loaded 44, who appeared at #174 and will show up again later...
137. THE O'REILLYS & THE PADDYHATS - Dogs On The Leash This catchy Celtic folk-punk track with lyrics riffing on the idea of 'bread and circuses' was one of my songs of the year in 2020. A new entry this year
136. GOOD CHARLOTTE - Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous Pop-punk hit originally from 2002 making a re-appearance this year after featuring at #90 in 2010
135. LOADED 44 - Life's Wasted More pop-punk, though nowhere near as commercially successful as the previous track! The song that provides the title for their debut album features for the third time
134. BONIFACE - Oh My God Woozy synth-pop (video below) that was one of the most atypical hits in my 2020 end-year countdown. It has held its appeal, though something else in a similar style (still to come) has eclipsed it of late. I hoped the band would kick on and come up with more gems like this as the decade progressed, but as yet it seems not.
133. THE MACC LADS - No Sheep Til Buxton Local heroes (or anti-heroes?). Tribute bands The Manc Lads' and The Mokk Lads' versions saw this reach this countdown in 2016 before the 'real thing' reformed and played Rebellion in 2018
132. ALAN JACKSON & JIMMY BUFFETT - It's Five O'Clock Somewhere A thirty-something's summer anthem if ever there was one, I came late to this but it's on the climb, up from 199 this year
131. AVICII - Wake Me Up The highest UK #1 hit in this countdown, dating from 2013. An all-time great dance track, a song about living life to the full, tinged with regret for what we know happened to its creator later in the decade.
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Post by Milliways on Oct 3, 2022 23:27:49 GMT 1
130. BOOZE & GLORY - Blood From A StoneSecond entry from this Polish-British street punk band who guarantee a good time live. Like the song at #141, this one made its first appearance in 2018 and has appeared every time since129. KIM WILDE - Chequered LoveEnergetic synth-pop that was originally a UK #4 hit in 1981, the follow-up to breakthrough hit 'Kids In America' 128. THE WHISKY PRIESTS - Ranting LadsThis takes me back to the days when record shops used to have 'listening stations', where you could put headphones on and listen to whatever CD, or selection of CDs, were put in the player. Someday back in the early 2000s, I stumbled across this on some 'sampler' compilation CD or other. It first featured in this countdown in 2002 before bubbling under for a few years; since 2010 it's appeared in all but one.127. THE GO-SHEILAS - HolidayCalifornia pop-punk band I discovered thanks to Myspace (!). One of their other songs ('I Can Make It') entered as high as #3 but fell away, this is the one that has demonstrated staying power despite some remarkably daft lyrics ("You're exhausted and I'm not tall / I'm about average height / God, these rhymes have got really bad tonight"), appearing every time since 2011.126. METAL DE FACTO - BacchanaliaPungent cheese of a slightly different kind to the song immediately preceding it, if you enjoyed Lordi's 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' you might just dig this, one of my songs of the year 2020125. THE DEANS - Worried All The TimeDates just about 10 years previously to #126. It could have been 50, maybe it was - it's scarcely believable that it took more than 60 years of rock music for a melody this delightfully straightforward to be put on record. Beware, if you listen to this you will be humming it for the rest of the day at least124. THE MOTORLEAGUE - Everyone Is DigitalAside from one questionable line near the start, some of the best lyrics of the past few years combined with the sort of rushing rock energy the band's name promises and delivered. Originally a hit in my chart and an even bigger one in frag 's back in 2018, this one had a lot of play in the first half of this year and makes its first appearance in this countdown123. BLYTH POWER - Born In A Different EnglandThis unique folk/punk-rock band have in the past few years become a big favourite of mine. They've been around since 1983 but I only discovered them in the mid-2010s and I've seen them live at Glastonwick and Rebellion festivals a few times since then including two sets (full band and acoustic) at the latter this year. Of all of their songs I know of this may be the most straightforward and, dare I say it, fun -- a sardonic swipe at lazy nostalgia122. :PM - Grown UpsRevisit Good Charlotte back at #136. The kind of pop-punk it's trendy to look down one's nose at, but in this case without the commercial success. This is an unpretentious joy from 2017, I discovered it thanks to Earl Purple 's year end chart that year but it hasn't featured in this countdown until now121. THE WILDHEARTS - Caffeine BombSoon to be repeated (hopefully), my all-time favourite Top Of The Pops performance. They're the Wildhearts, and they're GREAT!
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frag
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*Paranoid Android*
I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head.
Posts: 25,112
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Post by frag on Oct 6, 2022 9:40:24 GMT 1
Good to see this returning. Definitely a few songs that'd feature if I had the time to compile such a list - Sit Down was probably in my last one of these, many computers ago.
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Post by Milliways on Oct 6, 2022 23:13:15 GMT 1
120. THE RAW KINGS - As Long As It Takes"The time has come to travel light". Another one of those songs, a little like #125, so straightforward and singable (if that's even a word) that it's hard to believe it took until the 2010s for it to be made. This is obscure and will almost certainly remain so, but doesn't deserve to be...119. LAWMAKER - Moving OnThis Swedish-American street-punk band is one of both my and frag's discoveries of the past couple of years. This track in particular grabbed me with its full-on energy and spent 6 weeks at the top of my weekly chart earlier in the year118. BOWLING FOR SOUP - High School Never EndsPop-punk comeback track that made an immediate impression on me upon release in 2006, entered this countdown the following year and has appeared most years since then, peaking at #41 in 2008117. WEEZER - The Good LifeThis song from their celebrated (now) / under-rated (at the time) 'Pinkerton' album has a stonking sing-along chorus. I saw them at Leeds Festival in 2002 and this was the highlight of their set for me, such that it appeared at #20 the following year.116. THE BOUNCING SOULS - Better ThingsOne of a few covers in this countdown -- though I didn't realise it when I first heard it, again in a live setting -- this one was originally an early 80s recording by The Kinks before featuring on this New Jersey punk band's 2006 album115. THE WOULD BE'S - I'm Hardly Ever WrongIn 1999, John Peel compiled a selection of songs for every year of the century, presented as the 'Peelenium'. The first of the four songs he selected for 1990 was this delight from Ireland, which I was so taken by that it entered this countdown at #3 in 2000 and stayed at that position in 2001. Still one of the best indie pop songs I've ever heard114. CREEPER - Black MassHey! One of the most commercially successful new rock bands to really catch my ear in the past few years. This is the song that made the greatest impression on me - it features in its third consecutive countdown, climbing two places from its entry position113. TRAVIS - Magnificent TimeNew entry. A joyous summer tune that I discovered thanks to the Haven Time Machine 2010s and its entry by ManicKangaroo. Video below112. DOVER - Devil Came To MeThis on the other hand is an October song if ever there was one. One of my less successful Haven contest entries, coming next-to-last in Hidden Indie Treasures 5, but this Spanish band playing a unique blend of grunge and punk-rock are responsible for some big favourites of mine over the years. This song was #2 in this countdown in both 2010 and 2011111. GREEN DAY - King For A DayGreen Day do ska on this standout album track from 'Nimrod' that's featured consistently in this list since 2014
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Post by Milliways on Oct 8, 2022 0:21:02 GMT 1
110. MJ HIBBETT & THE VALIDATORS - People Are All Right (If They Are Given Half A Chance) My song of the year for 2020, an ode to the unexpected joys of a night in the pub
109. PUSSYCAT KILL - Whiskey Love A surprise highlight on early in the day at my first Rebellion Festival in 2016. Though I haven't seen them again this has showed staying power to climb to the fringes of the top 100 in its second appearance in the countdown
108. REAL HUMAN BEINGS - Reverse The Roles This rough-edged pop-punk track, on the other hand, is a discovery through chart compiling that made an immediate impression, entering at #51 in its first appearance in this countdown six years ago. It drops to just outside the top 100 for the first time this year.
107. SPRAY - You Eat One Lousy Foot, And You're A Cannibal I originally discovered this thanks to John Peel back in 1999 and (a little like #115) originally recording onto a cassette before eventually getting hold of the 'CD-quality' recording. This quirky tune has featured in 13 of these countdowns since 2001 without placing higher than #92 (2007) in any of them
106. BOOZE & GLORY - The Day I'm In My Grave Highest of three entries for this Polish-British street punk band, climbing to just outside the top 100 in its second appearance in the countdown
105. BLACK WATER COUNTY - Rise & Fall My entry for Havenvision 12, the song that turned me on to this incredibly energetic folk-punk band from Dorset. I have tickets to see them in Manchester next month, it's going to be a great night I'm sure! Video below for anyone who missed the Haven contest
104. THE CHASE - You Another one of those songs that has become a classic entirely in my own little corner, though almost entirely unknown more broadly. Not even on Spotify any more unfortunately, but it's a rollicking pop-rock song that doesn't put a foot wrong
103. DB & THE CATASTROPHE - Solitaire Syndrome "No time / out of time". Another obscurity that has stuck around, this pop-punk track makes its fourth straight appearance, after peaking at #90 in 2018
102. ALESTORM - F*cked With An Anchor A silly, sweary delight from 2017, new entry this year
101. SEMANTICS - SDE Another song discovered thanks to my 2020 weekly chart. This was only #19 in the end-year chart I compiled, but makes its entry ahead of the #1 here. 'SDE' takes the unconventional route of starting with its big sing-along chorus with no preamble whatsoever
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Post by Milliways on Oct 12, 2022 23:32:38 GMT 1
100. TOUTS - Asleep Strung-out garage rock that was a song of the year in 2018
99. THEAUDIENCE - A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed "This is the highlight of your miserable life." Sophie Ellis-Bextor before she was properly famous. For me, one of the catchiest songs of my youth that has stuck around and makes a new peak this year
98. JIMMY EAT WORLD - The Middle A modern classic. I was so taken by this at the age of 19 that it entered this countdown at #5 in its year of release. That was 2002. Twenty years later, here it is... On the rare occasions I make it out to a punk/emo night, this will get me up on my feet
97. CUCKOOLAND - Happathy If I don't make it out to a punk/emo night, maybe I'll just stay home tonight with this on the headphones. After a one-off appearance in 2007, this song originally released in 1996 returned in 2018 and has featured every time out since. Could be considered an introvert anthem
96. VoMiT - We're Bound For Glory Local punk band who are contenders for act I've seen live the most often, including several pub gigs in my adopted home town of Macclesfield as well as slots supporting more well-known acts and appearances at Rebellion Festival
95. TILT - Partial Birth I discovered this female-fronted American punk band thanks to the appearance of this song on a Fat Wreck Chords compilation, it making an impression such that it entered at #13 in 2002 (yes, same year as #98). Rediscovered in 2018, it peaked as high as #9 in 2020
94. IMPERIAL RACING CLUB - Racing Club (I'm In The) "Whatever happens is OK!" Quite remarkable this one. It's this Scottish band's song 'Big Day Out' which held the #1 slot for five years running from 1999 through 2004. Spoiler alert, that one doesn't appear this year, making its last appearance (for now, at least) in 2018 at #171. This on the other hand has kicked on, first appearing in 2012 it features in the sixth consecutive countdown. I downloaded this version from MySpace (remember that), and I've never heard a CD-quality version. Not that it really matters with something as chaotic and rough-edged as this!
93. MORRISSEY - Satan Rejected My Soul The first of 6 songs in the top 100 that appeared in my first ever such countdown back in 1999. It featured at #63 back then, and has been included twelve times since then, peaking at #22 in 2005. One of those songs that's much more upbeat than it ought to be (especially considering Morrissey's reputation for being a bit of a miserablist) -- though I hadn't watched the show, it didn't really surprise me to learn that it had featured in a Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer sitcom (Catterick)
92. EMILY'S ARMY - Alien's Landing "Life's alright and love is real" Speaking of upbeat, among stiff competition this has to be one of the most exuberant songs in this entire countdown. #15 in 2018.
91. THE THERMALS - The Sunset Similarly relentlessly on-edge to #100, with an added menace. Video below.
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Post by Milliways on Oct 16, 2022 0:17:50 GMT 1
90. BLYTH POWER - Summer Song They're not from Northumberland. They're named after a railway locomotive and the band's drummer is also the vocalist, their main songwriter and is a trainspotter. However, their songs are surprisingly catchy (this being a case in point). Blyth Power are one of a kind, nowadays one of the bands I look forward most to seeing live, and this is their second of multiple entries in this countdown
89. THE INTERRUPTERS - Take Back The Power Fist-pumping anthem that featured in the top 40 of the prior 3 instances of this countdown
88. PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT - D.I.Y Heaton and Abbott's fifth post-Beautiful South album N.K-Pop entered the UK Album Chart at #1 this week. They've still got it, and they certainly did when they put out this jolly, wry debut single as a duo back in 2014. Just like the previous entry it is making its fourth consecutive appearance here
87. THE FRIDAY PROPHETS - Biased By Mood It's pop-punk, but not as we know it. From its Biblical spoken-word intro, through some of the most complex lyrics I've ever encountered in the genre, this stands apart. Another datapoint in favour of my theory that anything from Sweden is worth checking out (on that, more to come)
86. LAURIE WRIGHT - F.Y.D Only new entry in this section. This tribute song (F.Y.D stands for F*ck Your Dimension) is a slow-burner, but a little patience with this doesn't half pay off. It builds and builds over its five minute plus duration, one of the longest songs here. The last minute or so is spectacular, a whirlwind of catharsis
85. DEL AMITRI - Nothing Ever Happens Sometimes, while compiling this countdown, as well as ranking the songs as best I can in order of preference and level of enjoyment over the past couple of years I look for sequencing joys. A case in point is the counterpoint between this song and the one that immediately preceded it. Unlike that one, a brand new entry, this is a classic that has featured eleven times, debuting at #27 in 2001 and peaking at #18 in 2018. Some wonderful lyrics here: "Bill hoardings advertise products that nobody needs / while Angry from Manchester writes to complain about all the repeats on TV"
84. EPIDEMICS - I Don't Get It "Too much information must have damaged my brain / I don't get it" What was I saying about Sweden? Energetic female-fronted pop-punk from the north of that country here. Bewilderment and frustration about the state of the world and why nothing seems to make sense? This could be the song for you...
83. SKATEGANG - Critical Girl Sweden again? Nope. France. This one took me a little while to truly 'get'. First heard in late 2014, in that year's year-end chart I put it well outside of the top 100. Rediscovered sometime before 2018, I placed it inside that year's top 100 and there it has remained ever since. "Up and down like a medicine gumball" go the lyrics, and pogoing just like that is what's called for here
82. FRANK TURNER - Four Simple Words There's 'quiet-loud', and then there's this. Eighty-plus seconds of build-up, a drum-roll and then all hell breaks loose. Just tremendous live. I wasn't at the festival in the video below, but I wish I was...
81. THE BLUETONES - Carry Me Home The song that gave me my only Hidden Indie Treasures win. From 2010, and their album 'A New Athens', what a comeback! The video is a work of art too
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Post by Milliways on Oct 20, 2022 23:58:04 GMT 1
80. NOI!SE - Idle Action Street punk band from Washington state who caught my ear a few years back. I'm excited to see these live, hopefully not too long away now...
79. BLYTH POWER - Animal Farm Second entry in a row that entered for the first time two years ago, this one climbs from #99 this year. Folk-punk with strings, lyrics harking back to the early 1990s, and a mega-catchy chorus
78. JOSEPH GEORGE - Wonder Bye One-of-a-kind. This pop-rock showstopper made an instant impression on me on its release in 2014, just missing out on that year's countdown. It debuted at #7 in this countdown in 2016 and featured in the top 15 of the following two, before dropping back some way this year
77. OK GO - Get Over It This, on the other hand, has had a stop-start run that fits with the song's quiet-loud sound. Peaking on its first appearance in 2003 at #27, it then failed to appear for six years before returning in 2010. Their debut hit, this hits some sublime heights with a seldom-bettered synth line
76. YOUNG DUBLINERS - Waxies Dargle 100mph folk-punk twist on a traditional folk-punk song that has been recorded by the Pogues among others, this is making its third consecutive appearance
75. FRANK TURNER - Photosynthesis My introduction to Turner, and another one that made an immediate impression on me, debuting at #10 in 2008. It's featured in the top 100 without fail since, with a peak at #6 in 2011. He appeared at #82 with 'Four Simple Words', and he'll be back...
74. SILVER SUN - Hi Scorpia New entry. Discovered in the wake of the tragic early death of James Broad, Silver Sun's frontman and songwriter. Hidden away on their 2006 album 'Dad's Weird Dream', this wonderful song showcases their effervescent, joyful best. 'Video' below
73. INDIGO GIRLS - Galileo Introspective, reflective. Not words associated with many of the entries in this countdown, but this song has managed to buck the trend and stick around. It's been in the top 100 in every countdown since 2006, peaking at #6 in 2010
72. FRESHMEN - You've Never Heard Anything Like It Back at #115, by the Would Be's, I mentioned John Peel's 'Peelenium'. That was 1990, this is 1979. An Irish 'showband' with a truly remarkable track in a year with some very stiff competition
71. TILT - Sterile Heaven Buzzsaw female-fronted punk band with entirely topical lyrics despite the album featuring this song (and #95) having been released in 1998
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Post by Milliways on Oct 24, 2022 23:25:05 GMT 1
70. BLAGGARDS - Big Strong Man (Yakety Sax)This is a thoroughly daft delight. Celtic folk-punk with lyrics dating from the first couple of decades of the 20th century, and that Benny Hill theme you've heard on so many videos of farcical goings-on. A real guilty pleasure69. VOLBEAT - Sad Man's TongueFull-throttle Johnny Cash tribute from a Danish hard rock-n-roll band, making its third appearance running in the Top 10068. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS - Birdhouse In Your SoulOne of only a handful of songs to have appeared in my first Top 200, compiled in 1999. It took the #7 position that year, and has featured in all but two of the subsequent countdowns. Quirky, geeky, and wonderful - an all-time classic67. ROBB JOHHSON & THE IRREGULARS - Saturday Night In AlbionPolitical folk singer from West London who has appeared a few times in the past with songs like 'Up The Workers' and 'Spirit of '45'. This social comment track from his 'Love & Death & Politics' is his only entry this year, its position reflecting the regard I hold it in66. ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER - The Blandford ForumMore politics. A mid-90s punk poem set to music, this has some superb lyrics and could perhaps be said to be topical once again. Peaked at #10 in 201065. THE ENDS - Black Hole GirlEver-present since its entry in 2016. Not quite pop-punk or indie-rock, a unique hybrid that might well pull you in and not let you go64. AUTOHEART - LentNew entry. And, this position does not reflect the impact this song has had since I discovered it thanks to Jordan entering it to Havenvision 12. Indeed, such was the impression it made that I bent my usual Top 200 rules, allowing it into consideration despite having already begun compiling. The video (below) and song are both among the best I've seen/heard in many years63. MEAN JEANS - Stuck In A HeadBig climber, for a discovery from frag 's 2019 end-year chart (hopefully I've got that right). Straightforward pop-punk perfection62. ALANIS MORISSETTE - ForgivenThe #1 in that 1999 countdown I mention. I was a 16-year-old completing GCSEs at a Catholic secondary school back then -- this quiet-loud album track from 'Jagged Little Pill' came along at exactly the right time. It has featured consistently other than in 2009, in the top 100 from 2010 onwards61. THE VACCINES - Teenage IconNot even probably, this is the catchiest indie-pop song ever recorded. Choruses don't get much stronger than this
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frag
Member
*Paranoid Android*
I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head.
Posts: 25,112
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Post by frag on Oct 30, 2022 11:34:02 GMT 1
63. MEAN JEANS - Stuck In A HeadBig climber, for a discovery from frag 's 2019 end-year chart (hopefully I've got that right). Straightforward pop-punk perfection You may well be right - it rings the vaguest of bells but I don't remember how it went. I'll seek it out. ...indeed, my #28 of 2019, and listening to it now, I'm not surprised to see it here.
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Post by Milliways on Nov 1, 2022 0:30:53 GMT 1
60. GOLDEN BLOOM - Civil EngineeringA band called 'The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library'. A song called 'Civil Engineering'. A pop-punk cover. Result: a song with staying power as far as I'm concerned. After entering at #12 in 2014, this one was a top 25 mainstay up to and including 2020, dropping back a little this time around59. NOI!SE - Pawn In The GameSuper-melodic street punk with a cracking chorus. In contrast to the last, this one has mounted a steady climb since entering at #196 in 2018. Check out the Donkey Kong influenced video.58. POG - Friday Night RoutineFirst heard live at Glastonwick 2010, this on-site CD purchase sleeper hit features in its third top 100 running57. BEACHY HEAD - FeensongEasyworld before they adopted that name. An ever-present since 2003, a top 5 hit for five years running from 2004 through 2008. If a song can be 'spectacular', this is it. Why weren't they huge?56. BARENAKED LADIES - Lookin' Up (Acoustic)More often than not, the bracketed 'Acoustic' in a song title is a signal for me to give it a miss. For whatever reason I didn't when this popped up in a new releases playlist in January 2020. Am I glad I didn't! I returned to this time and again through that year and the following one when I needed a lift, and it never disappointed. A resulting well-deserved high new entry in this year's countdown55. DEAR LANDLORD - Last Time I CheckedQuite the contrast to the previous entry, some full-throttle American pop-punk. By one second it's not quite the shortest song in this countdown54. VAMPIRE MONEY - Outcast Club"Don't stop me now, I'm on a roll". Song of the year 2021, by some margin my most-played song of that year. Something about this stream-of-consciousness pop-punk flow I couldn't get enough of, from 0:18 through to 1:3353. STOP! WAIT.. GO! - Keep WalkingAfter #62, the second former #1 in this countdown. This fairly obscure Scandinavian discovery came out top of the lot in 2016, its nervy, restless sense of determination just right for where I was at that time. It has fallen back over time, but not by much - this is its fourth successive appearance in the top 10052. THE STANFIELDS - DesperationBoth song and video of the year in 2018. Unlike 'Outcast Club', this one takes a while to reach its peak – it's absolutely worth the wait. Video below.51. EVERCLEAR - Everything to EveryoneThe song that began my first full top 200 countdown, back in 1999. It's had a varied run since then, disappearing the following year, re-appearing at #38 in 2004, then having another prolonged absence before returning in 2018. Now, it spends another year just outside the top 50.
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Post by Milliways on Jan 29, 2023 2:50:59 GMT 1
Just putting the marker down that I do intend to return to and complete this...
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