Midweek Music News Roundup 12.23.09: It Was A Very Good Decade, Part Two

Posted by Lucas Wesley on 12.23.2009

We finish the countdown of my favorite songs of the decade, showcasing #40 down to what I call the best, alongside some fine news, including: Morrissey's lack of greed, MF DOOM's COLLABORATIONS, the return of the Beastie Boys, Kid Cudi is just too busy for Lady Gaga, Madonna, U2 and the Stones are still very, very, very rich, Rod Stewart is very, very, very old, the return of Captain EO and much much more! Read it here in the Midweek Music News Roundup!

Managing to stick with it, here's part two of It Was A Very Good Decade. I apologize if this loads slower than usual, for we have three, count 'em, three youtube videos embedded on this column. Scroll down and skip the news if you just want to see my Top 40 songs of the Decade, but such is the nature of this column that we must start with the news.



- Morrissey is the least greedy veteran rock star I know of. Recently, he complained that his label made his latest b-sides and rarities collection, Swords, sell at full price. Says Moz, he intended it be a budget priced collection, and was upset to find it selling at full price at most stores. Good to know that someone still has the Clash ethos of getting music out no matter the cost.

- Man, that DOOM sure gets around. Earlier this year, he had Thom Yorke remix a track for him. Now, Kanye West has appeared in an odd spoken word bit in a MADVILLAINZ remix of the same song. And that's not all: now he's touring with Mos Def. For a dude in a mask (never trust a dude in a mask), he seems to have a lot of friends. The twice-aforementioned track is called Gazzillion Ear, by the way. It's pretty cool, even if that Kanye part is, as I said, odd.

- Earlier this year, we were supposed to have a new Beastie Boys record in our hands. Then, MCA went and got cancer on us. Lucky for us, he's been recovering nicely, and he purports that he's doing fine now. As such, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. One is allegedly going to finally hit stores in the first quarter of 2010. Hopefully.

- I make her say...oh, shit, I need a new opening act. Kid Cudi has dropped out of Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour, citing he's too busy working on a sophomore album and with acting commitments, not to mention his heavy solo tour schedule. Dude's just too busy. No word on who will replace him, but it appears no shows will be canceled. Personally I don't understand why he wouldn't just cancel the solo dates...seems like in terms of generating revenue and fame, working with Gaga would be more beneficial for everyone. But he can do what he wants, I suppose.

- The Rolling Stones, U2 and Madonna were named the top three touring acts of the decade, in that order. Monetarily of course, because for quality, there's no way of judging. All acts made over $800 million. I realize there are costs that go into that and it's not all necessarily a gain, but goddamn. That's a lot of money. People saying old acts need to retire are clearly the minority.



- In other news about old people, Rod Stewart was recently caught signing autographs by TMZ. They asked about Susan Boyle and he said he liked her, then got interrupted by a drunk fan saying that he was in her age group. She then yelled and said she was 44, asking if he was 44 yet. Yet. Yet.. I understand alcohol does crazy things to you, and drunks say the darndest things, but "is Rod Stewart 44 yet?" Rod the Mod proved that he still has some bad ass in him by saying he was 98 and walking off, but man. That lady had to have been drunk. Now if only Rod would make another good album...I think his last good album might be 44, or at least it will be soon.

- Johnny Rotten has recently and randomly lashed out against Coldplay and Radiohead, calling them soulless. Further, they're apparently only in it for the money. Which is nice coming from the guy in a manufactured band created for the sole purpose of manipulating the British masses and getting money. But then again, he was also in PiL, and PiL rock, so it's a give and take. We'll say Sex Pistols Johnny hates Radiohead and PiL Johnny hates Coldplay. That way I can agree with the one I like and disagree with the one I don't like.

- Amanda Palmer youtube released a song called "Gaga, Palmer, Madonna." The song is about how Lady Gaga is similar to Madonna. I've been saying that for like a year now, but it's nice to get some popular support on that. The song goes on to defend Gaga, saying if a young, talented female wants to make awesome songs, then we shouldn't criticize. It then talks a little bit about the marginalization of women in today's society. All in all, there's a lot in that three-minute ukulele pop song. Also, it's on the ukulele, which makes it catchy by default. Here it is.



- Starting February, Michael Jackson is going to Disneyland! A more callous reporter may joke about him wanting to be around children post-mortem, but I'm not that reporter. I love Michael, I would never joke like that. Anyway, the means by which he shall return will be the return of Captain EO, a 17-minute Francis Ford Coppola directed, George Lucas co-written short film about Michael saving the world from Angelica Huston. Revolutionary for it's time, the film is shown in a theater offering live smoke and lasers to increase the feel of the film. Suck it, Avatar.

- Radiohead will be returning to the studio in January, so says Ed O'Brien. Of course, Thom Yorke is busy ending climate change and working on solo projects, but Ed claims the band is in high spirits. I believe him.

- Peter Doherty was arrested for heroin possession for the millionth time. The kick this time is that it happened mere hours after appearing in court on unrelated charges. Dude isn't even promoting an album right now. Maybe he's trying to remind people about Grace/Wastelands now that we're in the end of the year list blitz, but I guess he kind of missed that one by a few weeks. Oh well. Good luck with rehabilitation, Peter, maybe it'll take this time.

- It seems Rolling Stones rhythm guitarists and their twenty something girlfriends just aren't meant to last. Ronnie Wood and the young Ekaterina Ivanova have split. On a related note, Ronnie was issued a stern warning about a domestic dispute that ended in "common assault." Well, I guess good job Ekaterina for leaving him, but we know he'll just end up with someone younger and hotter.

Star Power

We here at 411mania recently posted what we are purporting as the top 100 songs of the decade. How nice of us. Unfortunately, though my name is on each page providing a write up for a song or two, I wasn't terribly involved in the process. Yes, I voted which songs of the top 150 would become the top 100, and thus had some say in the order the songs ended up in. However, it just so happens that I joined this site one week after the initial nomination process. While I do think I had some effect on the voting (I'm pretty sure I'm the reason "Toxic" ended up on the list, even if it was the low number of 92...read on for what I think), I'm greatly disappointed that my actual list didn't get to factor in. With the individual lists that are bound to pop up, it's equally upsetting that you won't see mine. So I'm rectifying that.

There was only one rule, really. Songs must have been released on studio albums between January 1st, 2000 and today. There was only one exception to this rule, and the exception was in the word "released." I bet you can spot it if you try. Single status is irrelevant, it's about album release. I tried to stray from remixes since there are just too many to pay attention to, but one did make the list, and it fared rather well.

Last week's disclaimer was much longer, and if you missed it, I'm allowing this opportunity for you to catch up. But without further adieu, let's jump into the top 40. The top five even get write-ups!



40. Daft Punk - Digital Love
39. Grizzly Bear - Southern Point
38. Phoenix - Lisztomania
37. The Knife - Silent Shout
36. Tom Waits - The Return of Jackie and Judy
35. Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar
34. Sean Lennon - Spectacle
33. Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb
32. Jay-Z - Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
31. Kanye West - RoboCop
30. Lady Gaga - Poker Face
29. The Dresden Dolls - Good Day
28. Bob Dylan - Things Have Changed
27. Daft Punk - One More Time
26. Beyonce - Crazy in Love
25. Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around...Comes Around
24. Kanye West - Never Let Me Down
23. Portishead - Deep Water
22. Girls - Lust For Life
21. Björk - Triumph of a Heart
20. Kate Micucci - Walking In Los Angeles
19. William Shatner - Common People
18. Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer
17. Dan Deacon - Snookered
16. New York Dolls - We're All In Love
15. Britney Spears - Toxic
14. N.A.S.A. - Gifted
13. OutKast - B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)
12. Jens Lekman - Sipping on the Sweet Nectar
11. Radiohead - Idioteque
10. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
9. Kanye West - Stronger
8. Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think
7. Michael Jackson - Unbreakable
6. Kanye West - Paranoid



5. William Shatner - That's Me Trying

What the hell world do we live in. William Shatner made the fifth best song of the decade?! Sure, Ben Folds, a genius musician wrote the music. And Nick Hornby, a brilliant writer, wrote the words. But still, wrap your minds around this one. Captain James Tiberius Kirk, previously known to the music world for turning "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" into a weird dirge that was ostensibly about pedophilia, is responsible for one of the best songs of the past ten years. But man, it happened. Has Been is an album that accepts it's camp status from the get go, but also acknowledges that, criticism be damned, it's being read by one of the finest actors of all time (if he so chooses to be). On this song, he chooses to be, and thus we have the most emotionally effecting story based song I've ever heard. I'm not a deadbeat father. I'm not the child of someone who's too busy for me. But I can still understand everything Shatner's explaining in these words, and I really believe him when he says he's trying. Because at this point, what else can he do?



4. The Magnetic Fields - California Girls

A few weeks ago I said pop music was the only kind of music that understood the purpose of music. An astute commenter then said that was the dumbest sentence he'd ever seen on 411mania. In a way, I'm kind of proud to have created something that powerful. 411's been around a good 13 years now, and I said the single dumbest thing on the site. Granted, I was talking about "Paranoid" at the time, but I get the same feeling when I listen to "California Girls." When you listen to this song, you get the feeling that Stephin Merritt is using music to it's fullest potential. This is why people started recording music. Pop music is for everyone, meant to entertain. If music isn't entertaining, then what's the point? To make you feel? We all feel already, I would hope. So instead let's just get lost in a catchy melody. And the catchiest melody of the decade is found in this song.



3. The Avalanches - Since I Left You

Let's do a quick 180 and see how far I quickly backtrack. Music is about making us feel just as much as it is about entertaining. But that feeling should be happiness, damn it! Thus, we have "Since I Left You" as the third best song of the decade. Ostensibly a breakup song, it's impossible to hear Jimmy Webb's voice and not think the man is experiencing a joy the world has never before experienced. Then we hear the new sonic landscape crafted by The Avalanches and his world of joy starts to become your world as well. Opening with the lines "have a good time now, welcome to paradise," the Avalanches knew exactly what they were doing, too. Music is paradise, and this song is one of the finest examples of that.



2. OutKast - Hey Ya!

This placement is odd. I'm not sure it's truly the second best of the decade, nor my second favorite. However, when we look at things on the grand scale, there's no question. In fact, if this were most important songs of the decade, or if I was somehow being subjective and saying the best songs over all as agreed upon by everyone, the only thought would be that this may be ranked too low. Searching far and wide and talking to people about music at every opportunity I get, I've come to a conclusion. "Hey Ya!" is the most likable song ever written. Acoustic guitars, handclaps, bloopy synths, catchy as hell chorus...it has everything people like about music. Well, except I suppose for thrashy guitar solos, but it has everything I like about music. People will be shaking like a Polaroid picture until they're ice cold, and it'll all be thanks to Andre 3000.



1. Björk - Pagan Poetry

It's very like me to be completely unable to describe the things I like the most and this is no exception. Just listen to the song.

So there you have my top 40 songs from January 1st, 2000 to today. Again I invite you to the comment section to complain, even if last time the only comment implied that I have a sexual relationship with Kanye West. Uh, I don't. But if that's all you can think about at night, it's your right to tell people about it.

Also, last week I promised some album talk. This was kind of foolish of me, since I knew I didn't really have anything to say about the albums released in this past decade. My favorite was Brian Wilson's Smile for all of the obvious reasons, followed by Has Been and 808s & Heartbreak. Two out of three being controversial ain't bad, if I say so myself. Just for the sake of argument, I'll even round out the top five with Night Falls Over Kortedala and "Love and Theft." But I've no more to say than that quick top five, because there are just too many albums for me to think about right now, and to whatever extent I'll never really be satisfied with my top songs list, I'll definitely never be satisfied with a top albums list.

Farewell Song

We've had a dull past three years, with 1981, 1982 and 1983 all being years were the song and album came from the same artist. Rather dull, I think, for people who aren't fans of Daniel Johnston or Michael Jackson. So is 1984 going to be different? Well...album of the year is kind of a lock. It was one of the first albums I've ever bought, and it remains one of my absolute favorites. However, it just so happens that two albums of my top five albums of all times were released in 1984. So there is a fair deal of competition when it comes to songs. Not to mention releases from Minutemen, Bruce Springsteen, The Jacksons, Yoko Ono, Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, The Time, The Smiths and R.E.M. And let's be fair, we all like "Careless Whisper." But alas, these artists all released albums in the same year as Purple Rain and Let It Be, so they didn't really stand a chance. The song of the year nod is a tough one to choose, since both albums have nonstop fantastic songs. However, I think I'll go to the one most emblematic of my tastes. Maybe it isn't my favorite, but I couldn't decide that anyway. The song of the year for 1984 is "I Will Dare" by the Replacements. Unfortunately, the 'Mats catalogue belongs to Warner, so there's no great youtube video. Here's the best I could do.



Then we move on to the album. I mentioned both are all time top five albums for me, and they both deserve it in every way. However, the one that wins out, and was the first album I bought with my own money, is Purple Rain. There's nothing I can say about this album that will put in words how much I love it. Instead, I'll just sit here and soak in the purple rain.

That does it for this week. You now have my full top 100 songs of the decade along with a few of my favorite albums. So next week is pretty much promised to be far less personally interesting. Throw in that we're hitting that end of the year music news lull when all the real reporters are celebrating with their families and office parties and such, and who knows what I'll be able to blab about next week. But nonetheless, I hope to see you there for another thrilling edition of the Midweek Music News Roundup! Oh, and may you all have a wonderful time celebrating the pretend birthday of Christ, and I hope you get that X-Box, too!