2008 : 19 "Love Is" by Ringo Starr

---

This is 100% what I want out of Ringo Starr. It is soft and sweet, heartfelt and loving. I have always felt like Ringo understands love. Liverpool 8. was supposed to be about his whole life. It was him looking back over the decades and sharing wisdom with me. That is what I want out of a Ringo Starr song —Rich Thomas Listen: Ringo Starr >> "Love Is"

2008 : 15 "This Will Never Be Our Town" by Jason Anderson

---

Vince was driving around Portland when "This Will Never Be Our Town" came up in the shuffle. Somehow he knew this song was about him and here. He knew that Portland was a temporary home for him. He would never be able to stick here. He can't find the thing that connects a person to a place. His friends tell him his is being silly when he feels this way. One verse in the song hits him hard: Six months ago almost to the day It's weird to think how much is different and how much is exactly, exactly, exactly, exactly, the same On the trip back I remember saying to myself our town looks cute and then instantly thinking this will never be our town Six months in the future, Vince is loading the U-haul for his move to Reno. He thought about how true some moments are. —Rich Thomas Listen: Jason Alexander >> "This Will Never Be Our Twon"

2008 : 02 "Psychotic Girl" by the Black Keys

---

Musically, 2008 was a bit of a depressing year for me. Musicians that I thought could do no wrong (Conor Oberst and Hold Steady I am talking about you) put out mediocre albums that left me feeling blah. Nostalgia for the past moved in and I pined for days when the music was good. Cue the Black Keys, who with their 5th album, Attack & Release are sounding as good as ever. They have taken a history of southern rock, blues, gospel, minimalist stomp, psychedelia, and a touch of hip-hop and combined it to perfection. Polish is not something I usually enjoy on my music, but producer Danger Mouse seems to have taken grit and turned it to gold. There are many Black Keys fans who believe this Danger Mouse collaboration ruined the pure raw energy that made previous albums so refreshing, but I enjoy the variety here. Although the guitar and drums groove is still central to their songs, the addition of a choir, tribal drums, flutes, banjos, organ, and xylophone give each song a hidden gem hiding within the boom and gloom. This is a nostalgic album in every sense from its sound to its lyrics, which means, unfortunately that the album could sound like it was made deep in the past. Luckily this is not the case, and the largest exception to this is "Psychotic Girl," which, after its banjo intro, proceeds into a very Gnarls-Barkley-sounding funk. I am a bit surprised by my love of this song. I have always been a vocals and lyrics kind of girl, and although Dan Auerbach does have a great pair of pipes, vocals are kind of subdued on this one. Hearing the synth and banjo coexist so perfectly more than makes up for it. —E. P. Johnson Listen: The Black Keys >> "Psychotic Girl"

2007 : 30 "Trial of Champions" by 3 Inches of Blood

---

It's your time, do what must be done! Music for PvP. All you need to know. Stop reading; fire up the blades!! Like hard metal acts such as Linkin Park and Coldplay, 3 Inches of Blood covers Chuck Norris with a plum. —Justin Timberdrake Listen: 3 Inches of Blood >> "Trial of Champions"

2007 : 24 "Sad Songs" by The Frames

---

Too many sad words make a sad, sad song I could not stop playing this song in the first half of 2007. It was on over and over again for me. From that first note of the song, it has me. It reflected me back to myself in a way I could not deny. As you try to wear your brave face you have to remember: too many sad words make a sad, sad song. It was an idea that clung to me like a smell that was too strong to wash off. —Rich Thomas Listen: The Frames >> "Sad Songs"

2007 : 15 "Buckethead" by Carbon/Silicon

---

The Clash is the greatest band ever. One of the reasons is because when they broke up, they stayed broken up. There are some bands have retired so many times, even Sugar Ray Leonard thinks they have done it too much. That being said, "Buckethead" really makes me think that Mick Jones still has that Clash fire inside of him. I do not want to write something stupid like "Carbon/Silicon is the Clash for cyberpunks," but I do love the science-fiction narrative of this song. The cost of carbon, Second Life, class conflict—all in a scary world. I think there is a great movie somewhere in this song. —Rich Thomas Listen: Carbon/Silicon >> "Buckethead"

2006 : 01 "Sapphire Eyes" by Serena Maneesh

---

On paper it makes perfect sense: 80's new wave-isms found purchase in countless bands. Why, it's only a matter of time when shoegaze resurfaces. The problem is, there were thousands of bands in the 80's to rip off from; there's really only one shoegaze band. When that band reunites to tour and play exactly the same set they played nearly 20 years ago, why in the world would you care about some shoegaze revivalists from Norway? Never mind Ride, Swervedriver, Lush, Medicine and Slowdive. My Bloody Valentine is the only shoegaze band that registers to this day. They have the best story: epic struggle to put out their second full-length, ends up costing $750,000 to produce, their shows were crushingly loud and described to this day in words usually reserved for moments like reaching the summit of K2, surviving the fall after your parachute fails, or massive drug intake. In other words: real accomplishments. So, why should anyone care about Serena Maneesh? Their debut longplayer is basically a love letter to reverb, fuzz, and feminine whispers: ground not only well-covered but destroyed and left uninhabitable by MBV, Loveless, and the subsequent 91-92 tour. Why? because MBV really weren't that good. I was there. I saw MBV several times on the Loveless tour. I wanted to love it as much as I loved their first record and their ep's. I wanted to drown in it. I would have left early if Dinosaur Jr. wasn't headlining. Furthermore, Loveless didn't consist of songs so much as a bunch of rave-informed verse-chorus-verse-chorus fuzzscapes that, while good, certainly weren't worth bankrupting Creation Records. At several moments, Serena Maneesh cashes the checks that MBV wrote. "Sapphire Eyes" is one of them. The song doesn't progress so much as congeal and dissolve around a cribbed Stooges riff. Then there's that moment of perfectly timed pop drama. Sure, we've heard it all before, but it's hard to resist when it's done this well. Serena Maneesh is a tribute act, and like the best tribute acts they've done their homework. They make up for their lack of originality with a ton of meticulous craft and study. They are not without their flaws. Band leader Emil Nikolaisen has the annoying habit of wearing panchos, and there are some tedious extended freakout tracks on this album that were a great idea live and/or stoned, but fall flat when played back on earbuds while grocery shopping. All in all, though, Serena Maneesh is a pleasure. It borrows heavily, but it borrows from really good things: Spacemen 3, Velvet Underground, 4AD Records, and, of course, the Valentines. Let's admit it, Kevin Shields is never going to make that follow-up album, Spiritualized will never return to the heights of their first two albums, and Cocteau Twins are never going to reunite. Consider Serena Maneesh a gift for those of us who weren't ready to call it a day with the last track of Loveless. —Neil Jendon Listen: Serena Maneesh >> "Sapphire Eyes"

2005 : 50 "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" by the Hold Steady

---

A few years back, I did some writing on the Hold Steady, noting that while their 2005 album Separation Sunday rarely strives, on a sonic level, to provide anything more than old-fashioned bar rock, it lyrically functions at a very high standard, ultimately emerging as a song cycle that rivals The Mountain Goats' great All Hail West Texas. The characters on Separation Sunday are born-again Christians or people struggling with drug addiction, or both, and all activity on the record is permeated by an air of dead-endedness, although one punctuated by moments of clutching, desperate hope. See, for instance, this moment in "Your Little Hoodrat Friend": Your little hoodrat friend's been calling me again and I can't stand all the things that she sticks into her skin like sharpened ballpoint pens and steel guitar strings she says it hurts but its worth it tiny little text etched into her neck says "Jesus Christ lived and died for all our sins" she's got blue-black ink and it's scratched into her lower back says "damn right he'll rise again" —Jeremy Bushnell Listen: The Hold Steady >> "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"

2005 : 45 "A Solitary Life" by Richard Thompson

---

If you ever had a period in your life when you can count your birthdays between relationships, this song will make sense to you. Richard Thompson really hits one of the feelings you have when your life is about yourself. The way he gets his guitar to fit the emotion of the lyrics shows his unassuming genius with the instrument. —Rich Thomas Listen: Richard Thompson >> "A Solitary Life"

2004 : 20 "Frances the Mute" by The Mars Volta

---

Klang! Splash! Klarg klarg klarg! beat ta gar samck smack tapp gar gar. pohh bong gah, ga. ba. bah! What is mine I never give. Her ash.... gape sin.... shining.... certitude... more and you'lln ever finda closet festered and secret...... ... .................. 'tiloneday.......... —Justin Timberdrake Listen: The Mars Volta >> "Frances the Mute"

2005 : 14 "Someday You Will Be Loved" by Death Cab For Cutie

---

It was one of those phone calls. It seemed like we had a lot of those phone calls after we broke up. "You remember that time sitting in your car, listening to Death Cab for Cutie?" "Yeah." I knew what song she was talking about. "I thought that song was about JT singing it to me." When we were listening to that Death Cab song, she told me that I loved her like no one else before. "I realize now I am singing that song to you." There was a long silence. That kind of silence you only get on those kinds of post-break-up phone calls when you are trying not to just yell angry things at the other person. It was raining in June in San Jose. It was far from a normal day. "But I know your heart belongs to someone you've yet to meet." This song has always been attached to her since then. You may feel alone when you're falling asleep And every time tears roll down your cheeks But I know your heart belongs to someone you've yet to meet And someday you will be loved You'll be loved You'll be loved Like you never have known And the memories of me will seem more like bad dreams Just a series of blurs like I never occurred Someday you will be loved You'll be loved You'll be loved Like you never have known And the memories of me will seem more like bad dreams Just a series of blurs like I never occurred Someday you will be loved And someday you will be loved —Rich Thomas Listen: Death Cab For Cutie >> "Someday You Will Be Loved"

2003 : 48 "Across The Universe [Naked Version]" by The Beatles

---

When Let It Be... Naked came out my friends talked about where it fit into the history of the Beatles. I was, and still am, of the mind that it is outside the canon of the Beatles' career. As much as people say that this is what the Beatles wanted at the time, you cannot know that is true. They let Phil Spector take control of producing the album and Let It Be was the result. On the Let It Be... Naked side of the argument, my friends say that it is truer to what the Beatles wanted. My problem is that too much time has passed. The Beatles might say they remember what they wanted, but as years go by, how can they be truthful? The passage of time is meaningful when it comes to art. I love the Let It Be... Naked album, but is is still outside the Beatles' career for me. It is like a classic movie re-edited because that the director did not get the final cut, but that is still secondary to the original release. It does not mean I did not enjoy having Let It Be... Naked all these years later. —Rich Thomas Listen: The Beatles >> "Across The Universe"

2003 : 41 "Let A Good Thing Go" by Gemma Hayes

---

Now every feeling it kicks me to the bone And takes me under to a place that I have known There goes my quiet life I used to keep me warm In the shade of this moment I am born When you are lonely, some songs appeal to you because they remind you of that loneliness. Those are the songs you commiserate with. "Let A Good Thing Go" is one of those songs for me. It hits a note on the xylophone of my soul, hard and true. This song vibrates through me, reminding me of the lonely days of 2003. It is not where I am, but the song is still strong enough to bring up those memories. —Rich Thomas Listen: Gemma Hayes >> "Let A Good Thing Go"

2003 : 21 "The End Has No End" by The Strokes

---

The end has no end the end has no end The end has no end the end has no end The end has no end the end has no end The end has no end the end has no end I cannot stop this song when I hear it. I cannot stop singing "The end has no end." I will sing it 50-60 times after hearing this song. Usually I listen it to it three or four times when it comes on the iPod. The rest of the song rocks also. It is just what I want out of a pop-rock song. —Rich Thomas Listen: The Strokes >> "The End Has No End"

2002 : 34 "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues" by McLusky

---

"Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues" has one of the best titles ever, plus a fury and energy that enables it to surpass just about every other garage-rock scrapper from this decade. But the real reason I'm writing about it for this project is because it gives me an opportunity to link to Joel Veitch's Flash animation of the track being performed by kittens. —Jeremy Bushnell Listen: McLusky >> "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues"

2002 : 19 "Silent Film Star" by Paul Westerberg

---

Pretty much out of fucking nowhere Paul Westerberg accidentally released a really good double album. As an "All Shook Down" apologist I might not be the most objective person to talk about Westerberg without resorting to hyperbole. Anyone who has had to explain The Replacements to someone only familiar with "Dyslexic Heart" knows it can be an uphill battle. Just like Frank Black did with "Dog in the Sand" a few years prior to this, out of nowhere some old school college rock dude shows up and puts out a great album in a sea of mediocrity. I'm not saying the Stereo/Mono album is as great as anything off Tim, but it's still damn good. Just proof that sometimes you shouldn't just send your teen idols packing to the retirement home once you've outgrown them. "Silent Film Star" showcases what is so great about what a bitter old man Westerberg filled out to be. Who else can sing "Keep that pretty little trap shut" and make it sound beautiful? Like all great Replacement tracks, it has an great unfinished demo vibe to it. It's him coming full circle, from the garage to the stage then back to garage. This song is less pissy teenager, more cranky dad, still 100% Westerberg. —James Specht Listen: Paul Westerberg >> "Silent Film Star"

2002 : 16 "Golden Age of Radio" by Josh Ritter

---

Despite the fact that my last solo cross-country trip was years before this song came out it brings to mind memories of speeding down midwestern roads, just me and my car and my car stereo against the world. This is one of the songs most likely to make me wish the volume on my car stereo went louder than the maximum. —April Walker Listen: Josh Ritter >> "Golden Age of Radio"

2002 : 15 "D.R.E.A.M." by Transplants

---

Drugs rule everything around me, fiend get the powder, drink another beer ya'll There is something priceless in the way Transplants pays homage to the Wu-Tang Clan's C.R.E.A.M in this song. For that reason alone this song is worth listening to. —Rich Thomas Listen: Transplants >> "D.R.E.A.M"

2002 : 11 "Brainwashed" by George Harrison

---

Brainwashed in our childhood Brainwashed by the school Brainwashed by our teachers And brainwashed by all their rules Brainwashed by our leaders By our kings and queens Brainwashed in the open and brainwashed behinde the scenes This song right here is how I am going to remember George Harrison, at least as a solo artist. I thought that this album was so great. It was released posthumously, and that is a little sad. It has the feeling of mortality and finality. So few artists get the chance to make one last statement before they die. I think there is something beautiful in the way George Harrison faced his mortality with this album. —Rich Thomas Listen: George Harrison >> "Brainwashed"

2002 : 07 "Cactus" by David Bowie (covering the Pixies)

---

Sure, it's a meh cover of a great song. I can't imagine the Pixies were awed by the resulting track. However, if I were to find out that David Bowie wanted to cover one of my songs, I'd void my bowels with force and speed to rival anything currently available in German pornography. Just saying. —Neil Jendon Listen: David Bowie >> "Cactus"