I NEED SUGAR
FEB10/2010
TOP 50 TRACKS OF THE NAUGHTIES, 26 THROUGH 30
Continuing the decade review, tracks 26 through 30.
Naughties.30 Interpol - Obstacle 1 Just two years after the Strokes, along came Interpol, a little more polished, a little more tension. Good times.
Naughties.29 Revl9n - Someone Like You Dirty sexy Swedish dance rock. A 2001/2002 song that didn't see wide release until 2006 and has been in heavy sugar rotation since.
Naughties.28 Radiohead - There There (The Boney King of Nowhere) Radiohead returned to their rock roots for the majority of Hail to the Thief, with perhaps more sonic depth than previous rock pursuits.
Naughties.27 Fever Ray - When I Grow Up (D Lissvik Remix) This D Lissvik remix of When I Grow Up adds layers of joy to the original. A great vibe from '09.
Naughties.26 Memory Tapes - Bicycle A great story of adolescent dreams. Vivid lyrics. Beautiful melody. It really does get better with every listen.
FEB06/2010
TOP 50 TRACKS OF THE NAUGHTIES, 31 THROUGH 35
Continuing the decade review, tracks 31 through 35.
Naughties.35 Santogold - Shove It This is one of those tracks that so completely transcends mainstream Hip Hop I just don't get how anybody can enjoy that overproduced pap.
Naughties.34 The Strokes - Last Night Oh 2000, we remember you for your garage rock revival, all that talk about yellow, and that pre-9/11 bubble.
Naughties.33 Golden Boy with Miss Kittin - 1234 The best pop song from a top album of the decade. Maybe you can convince me Rippin Kittin is better, but this is a lot more fun. From 2002.
Naughties.32 The Streets - Weak Become Heroes (Röyksopp's Memory Lane Mix) While the original has a decent UK garage vibe, Röyksopp's remix is a perfect early 2000's summer fresh progressive vibe. "All of life's problems, I just shake off." From 2002.
Naughties.31 CSS - Fuck Off Is Not The Only Thing You Have To Show Cansei De Ser Sexy's debut was a revelation. And Fuck Off Is Not The Only Thing You Have To Show epitomizes their dance rock team dream. From 2005.
JAN29/2010
TOP 50 TRACKS OF THE NAUGHTIES, 36 THROUGH 40
Continuing the decade review, tracks 36 through 40.
Naughties.40 The Postal Service - Such Great Heights (John Tejada Remix) John Tejada was prolific throughout the decade, but nothing compares to his remix of Such Great Heights. So subtle, it draws you right in. The original sounds like happy hardcore after hearing this version. From 2003.
Naughties.39 The Kooks - Sofa Song The punchiest, danciest, singalongiest acoustic song of the decade. Just plain fun. From 2005.
Naughties.38 Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye (Curtis Vodka Edit) Curtis Vodka tossed out a whole whack of bootleg mixes on his MySpace page back in the day, this was the best of the lot. The added kick and percussion ups the intensity of the original and makes for great dance floor fodder. From 2007.
Naughties.37 Deep Dish - Dreams featuring Stevie Nicks Kindly reviving one of the great tracks of the 70's and having Stevie Nicks sing on it, no less. (There's a great story behind that, too.) This song was great even before 2006's Montreal club excursion, but hearing this on a big room system at 4:00a. Epic!
Naughties.36 Underworld - Dinosaur Adventure 3D (Funk D'Void Vocal Remix) Funk D'Void's remix warms up Underworld's banging techno track, opting to focus on synths over the heavy bass line of the original. A top progressive vibe. From 2002.
JAN27/2010
TOP 50 TRACKS OF THE NAUGHTIES, 46 THROUGH 50.
The first decade of the new millennium was a great decade for music, as noted in this article on my personal blog which was inspired by Street Boner's 90s lament." So, what better way to celebrate this much improved decade than by counting down I Need Sugar's best.
Starting with number 50 and working our way up. Here we go!
50. Underworld - Trim "Sugar. Sugar. Clear your mind. Leave it all behind." Nice vocal synth pop off Underworld's underrated 2002 release.
49. Ada - Maps (Michael Mayer & Tobias Thomas Mix) Before my '06/07 infatuation with Yeah Yeah Yeahs there was Michael Myer's remix of Ada's Maps cover. Glorious DJ track from 2005.
48. Cut Copy - Future Marks the early 2000's punchy crossover tracks and a sign of things to come from Australia. Sounds even better sped up. From 2004.
47. The Organ - I Am Not Surprised The Organ's stoic live shows came to an end following their Drake underground European sendoff. They'll be missed.
46. Kings of Convenience - Scars on Land Decade long folk kings, KoC channeled the best of Simon and Garfunkel but were always at their best when they played to their own rhythm.
JAN13/2010
SHUFFLE MUSEY 01
The challenge: Go to iTunes DJ, delete all the songs, change the source to your entire music library, turn off the setting "Play higher rated music more often", hit Refresh. Grab about an hour worth of music, in sequence, and mix the tracks. You can change the order, but you have to use all the songs.
The fun: up until just a few hours ago I hadn't heard 13 of these tracks. Some of them are great. And then there's the podcast about God.
Here's the full track list:
01 Tom Waits - Medley: Jack & Neal - California, Here I Come 1977
02 Stereo MC's - Gringo (Ragged & Ruthless) 2008
03 Edan - Rapperfection 2002
04 Massive Attack - Teardrop featuring Elizabeth Fraser 1998
05 Sonic Youth - Crème Brûlée 1992
06 Bruno Pronsato/Anonymous - The Make Up The Break Up Part 1 2009 / God The Sequel Podcast
07 The Legendary Pink Dots - Small Anthem 1997
08 Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Tangerine 1965
09 Mali Music - Le Relax 2002
10 Cesaria Evora - Paraiso Di Atlantico 1999
11 Badmarsh & Shri - Get up 2001
12 Client - In It For The Money (Radio Session) 2006
13 The Spinto Band - Needlepoint 2008
14 The Spongetones - She Goes Out With Everybody 1994
15 Big Sugar - AAA Aardvark Hotel 1993
16 Funk La Planet All-Stars - Summertime (DJ Fudge Dub) 2007
17 Simulator - Progression 2002
And here's the download link. Enjoy!