My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#01:
Noir Désir
Le vent nous portera
Des visages des figures, 2001

Here’s a song that most of you on tumblr won’t know, since it’s in french - however some of you might’ve heard of Manu Chao, who lends his guitar skills to this song. Anyway.
I guess it’s a bit hard for me to explain why this song ended up at number one (apart from being a great song, obviously). Even in french, the lyrics are everything but direct, so it’s actually hard to tell what the song is about. To me, though, i has a strong connection with the events of 9/11. First, the album was released on 2001/09/11, so that counts for something! And I actually still remember the first time I heard this song, waking me up on the radio, which was on 9/11 2002, the one first anniversary of the attacks. I guess this gives emotional depth to the song, for me.

…

Je n’ai pas peur de la route
Faudrait voir, faut qu’on y goûte
Des méandres au creux des reins
Et tout ira bien

Le vent l’emportera

Ton message à la grande ourse
Et la trajectoire de la course
A l’instantané de velours
Même s’il ne sert à rien

Le vent l’emportera
Tout disparaîtra
Le vent nous portera

La caresse et la mitraille
Cette plaie qui nous tiraille
Le palais des autres jours
D’hier et demain

Le vent les portera

Génétique en bandoulière
Des chromosomes dans l’atmosphère
Des taxis pour les galaxies
Et mon tapis volant lui

Le vent l’emportera
Tout disparaîtra
Le vent nous portera

Ce parfum de nos années mortes
Ce qui peut frapper à ta porte
Infinité de destins
On en pose un, qu’est-ce qu’on en retient?

Le vent l’emportera

Pendant que la marée monte
Et que chacun refait ses comptes
J’emmène au creux de mon ombre
Des poussières de toi

Le vent les portera
Tout disparaîtra
Le vent nous portera

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#02:
Bat For Lashes
Daniel
Two Suns, 2009

I know, this doesn’t look like the most original choice in the world, since Bat For Lashes is probably the most blogged about, hipster-y artist there is. And I also know that this song isn’t very original itself; I mean, the drums and bass sound like they were lifted up straight off The Cure’s A Forest. But there’s something about this song that just gets to me. I couldn’t find reliable lyrics online for this one, so I typed them out myself, so there might be slight mistakes.

…

Daniel
When I first saw you
I knew that you had
A flame in your heart

And under wild blue skies
Marble movie skies
I found your home in your eyes
We’ll never be apart

When the fires came
The smell of cinders and rain
Perfumed almost everything
And we laughed and laughed and laughed

And in the golden blue
Car you took me to
The darkest place you knew
And set fire to my heart

When I run in the dark
Daniel
To that place that’s ours
Daniel
Under a sheet of rain in my heart
Daniel
I dream of home

But in the the goodbye bed
With my arms around your neck
Into our love the tears crept
Just kids in the eye of the storm

And as my heart spun round
My dreams pulled me from the ground
Forever to search for the flame
For home again, for Home again

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#03:
Cat Power
names
You Are Free, 2003

…

His name was Perry
He had a learning difficulty
His father was a very mean man
His father burned his skin
His father sent him to his death
He was ten years old

Her name was Naomi
Beautiful round face, so ashamed
Told me how to please a man
After school in the back of a bus
She was doing it every day
She was eleven years old

Her name was Sheryl
Black hair, like an electric space
She would pretty paint my face
She was a very good friend
Her father would come to her in the night
She was twelve years old

His name was Donovan
He was a very good friend
The cards were stacked against him
He was selling cocaine
The last time I saw him
He was thirteen years old

His name was Charles
He said he was in love with me
We were both fourteen
Then I had to move away
Then he began to smoke crack
Then he had to sell ass
I don’t know where he is
I don’t know where they are

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#04:
Pj Harvey and Thom Yorke
This Mess We’re In
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, 2000

One of the best duets of all time (as seen here!). Thom’s voice is always great, obviously, An Pj’s as well, but those two at the same time… Makes you wish they would’ve recorded all of their songs together!
And, personally, this song really speaks to me as well! I’ve been in so many long-distace relationships before, I can really relate to those lyrics.

…

Can you hear them?
The helicopters?
I’m in New York
No need for words now
We sit in silence
You look me
In the eye directly
You met me
I think it’s Wednesday
The evening
The mess we’re in and
The city sun sets over me

Night and day
I dream of
Making-love
To you now baby
Love-making
On-screen
Impossible dream
And I have seen
The sunrise
Over the river
The freeway
Reminding
Of this mess we’re in and
The city sun sets over me

What were you wanting?
I just want to say
Don’t ever change now baby
And thank you
I don’t think we will meet again
And you must leave now
Before the sunrise
Above skyscrapers
The sin and
This mess we’re in and
The city sun sets over me

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#05:
Liam Finn
Second Chance
I’ll Be Lightning, 2007

I’ve always been super impressed by one-man bands, like Andrew Bird, Owen Pallet, Martin Dosh… I mean, I get that they use a looper and stuff, but the intimate knowledge of music required to make it work just baffles me.
Liam Finn, too, plays all of his instruments on this song - quite a change, I guess, after being just one of the musicians in his dad’s band, Crowded House. Anyway, This version of the song, the album version is quite nice and subtle. But that’s not the version I fell in love with! You just have to watch his performance on Letterman; the energy builds up and goes up a fucking incredible level!:

…

Sew the seeds
Sew the seeds to life by packing up to make it right
And all I need
All I need to know
Are you too proud to let it go?

Remember me
Well honestly I don’t remember who you are

So it seems
And so it seems tonight, you’ve got that wild look in your eye
What do you need
What do you need to prove?
The woman that you turn into

Remember me
Well honestly I don’t remember who you are
The memory has never been the best, you want a second chance

You stand around your haunted home
Those demons won’t leave you alone
Don’t forget me when you grow old

Remember me
Well honestly I don’t remember who you are

Remember me
Well honestly i don’t remember who you are
The memory has never been the best, you want a second chance

You stand around your haunted home
Those demons won’t leave you alone
Don’t forget me when you grow old

Remember remember

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#06:
Sufjan Stevens
For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti
Welcome to Michigan, 2003

This song is just so pretty, what could I possibly add to it?

…

I have have called you children
I have called you son
What is there to answer
If I’m the only one
Morning comes in Paradise
Morning comes in light
Still I must obey
Still I must invite

If there’s anything to say
If there’s anything to do
If there’s any other way
I’d do anything for you

I was dressed in embarassment
I was dressed in white
If you had a part of me
Will you take your time
Even if I come back
Even if I die
Is there some idea
To replace my life

Like a father to impress
Like a mother’s mourning dress
If we ever make a mess
I’ll do anything for you

I have called you preacher
I have called you son
If you have a father
Or if you haven’t one

I’ll do anything for you

I did everything for you

…

This video version doesn’t have the nice harmonies, the banjo playing in it is wonderful:

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#07:
Swan Lake
All Fires
Best Moans, 2006

And the last one of Spencer’s Krug five (five!) entries in my top 100, the devastating All Fires.
I’m not a superfan of this superband, mostly because I can’t stand member Dan Bejar - especially on their latest release, where he basically fucks up every one of the otherwise-enjoyable songs with his terrible, terrible “voice”/”singing” - but thankfully on this song, he’s pretty much absent.
Enjoy this sad little song, and Merry Christmas everyone!

…

You have a father
There is another
you have a sister
there are no brothers
you have good friends
you have a lover
when friendships end
you will still love her
but it’s Theresa that you love the best

There was a flood
a world of water
the Mason’s wife
swam for her daughter
1000 people did what they could
they found a steeple,
tore up the wood
500 pieces means 500 float
1000 people means 500 don’t
and it’s Theresa that I love the best

I’ve said it before
and I’ll say it again
all fires have to burn alive
all fires have to burn alive
from near his heart
he took a rib
but all fires have to burn alive, to live
from near his heart
he took a rib
all fires have to burn alive, to live
so it’s Theresa that I love the best

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#08:
Bjork and Thom Yorke
I’ve Seen It All
Selma Songs, 2000

Clearly the highlight of the devastating Dancer In the Dark, this duet hooks you in with it’s modern beat and swelling chorus, then kicks you down with crushing bleakness! Just my kind of song.

…

I’ve seen it all, I have seen the trees,
I’ve seen the willow leaves dancing in the breeze
I’ve seen a man killed by his best friend,
And lives that were over before they were spent.
I’ve seen what I was - I know what I’ll be
I’ve seen it all - there is no more to see!

You haven’t seen elephants, kings or Peru!
I’m happy to say I had better to do
What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great, if the roof doesn’t fall!

And the man you will marry?
The home you will share?
To be honest, I really don’t care…

You’ve never been to Niagara Falls?
I have seen water, its water, that’s all…
The Eiffel Tower, the Empire State?
My pulse was as high on my very first date!
Your grandson’s hand as he plays with your hair?
To be honest, I really don’t care…

I’ve seen it all, I’ve seen the dark
I’ve seen the brightness in one little spark.
I’ve seen what I chose and I’ve seen what I need,
And that is enough, to want more would be greed.
I’ve seen what I was and I know who I’ll be
I’ve seen it all - there is no more to see!

You’ve seen it all and all you have seen
You can always review on your own little screen
The light and the dark, the big and the small
Just keep in mind - you need no more at all
You’ve seen what you were and know what you’ll be
You’ve seen it all - there is no more to see!

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#09:
Feist
The Park
The Reminder, 2007

This song is so peaceful, and so full of longing at the same time… This is an icredible melody, and Feist’s voice is so pure in this very intimate recording; I love that you can hear the birds chirping away in the background, just barely noticeable behing those wonderful guitar tones. It’s all so simple and nude and pretty. *Sigh*

…

Why would he come back through the park
You thought that you saw him, but no you did not
It’s not him coming across the sea to surprise you
Not him who would know where in London to find you

Sadness so real that it populates
The city and leaves you homeless again
Steam from a cup and snow on the path
The seasons have changed from the present to past

The past…
There’s hope to have
In the past…

Why would he come back through the park
You thought that you saw him, but no you did not
Who can be sure of anything through
The distance that keeps you from knowing the truth

Why would you think, the boy could become
The man who could make you sure he was the one
The one…
My one…
My one…

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#10:
Sunset Rubdown
The Mending Of The Gown
Random Spirit Lover, 2007

Another incredible song by Spencer Krug. This one is as dense as “Us Ones Inbetween” was sparse - many melodies come and go, the lyrics jump from one character to another, instruments pile up… There’s just so much energy!

…

He made an enemy then
He made an enemy of all of you
It’s him, not you
You never heard it from me
But there’s a breech in the hull
Where the truth and the water’s too deep to prove
He made an enemy then
He made an enemy of all of you
It’s him, not you
It’s a little red sea
Let the miracle worker go free
See the paddle go up and the paddle go down
And a man falls in the sea

He was a man of many nations
Had a hundred souls and a hundred to go
He was a man of many nations
Two hearts, two hands, it’s a slippery slope
He had a fear of being naked
But you’re any other man in another man’s clothes
He was a man of many nations
With revelations, oh revelations
He wrote a book about the Bible
He wrote a book about men in the sky
He wrote a book about the smell of the winter
And then two A little less simple to decipher
Saying “I am the water at the foot of the palms,
Or I am sand and wind, and a shitty mirage,
But either way, I’m a man of many nations!”

Was it the mending of the gown, or the running it around?

She had a name, she had a spirit
She had a line in the play if you waited to hear it
But a master of disguises
Her demise was her design, they said
“Was it the mending of the gown or the running it around?”
She said: “My name and my spirit are both corrupted
If you hold me close you gotta hold me up!
It was the tender mending of this slender gown
That brought me bending to the ground
Now you’ll wear any old thing, oh you’ll wear any old thing”
So she wrapped herself in swaddling
That the fever deviated to a broken wing
“It”s an act, I think she’s just pretending”
Burn the virgin flags and I will shake
As the heat waves in the sand
This one’s for Maggie
This one’s for Sam
Or any other random spirit lover
Busted
I have lusted after you
The way bloodsuckers do

Was it the mending of the gown,
Or the running it around?

It was the tender mending of this slender gown
That brought me bending to the ground
But this ship was built to go down
See the paddle go up and the paddle go down

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#11:
Programme
Demain
Mon Cerveau Dans Ma Bouche, 2000

This is too long for me to translate, but for the non-french speakers out there, let me just say that it’s… pretty intense stuff! I’ll just do my favourite parts:
”This record (…) is proof that I’m a self-centered asshole / That I’m nothing but shit / Every record is shit / The only thing that might not be shit / Is being able to appreciate silence // I don’t really care about hooking you up with style / But I have no choice / Otherwise what would be the point of being signed and sold?”
Considering those lyrics are at the beginning of the first song on this band’s first record - they played more traditional music under a different name (Diabologum) before that- I think it’s a pretty ballsy move!

…

je prétends pouvoir parler sans précaution ni détour pour affirmer ce que j’ai vérifié
ce sur quoi on ne me fera pas revenir avec des doutes
c’est le disque de quelqu’un qui sait et qui n’en retire aucune fierté
parce que la vérité distribue la honte
honte d’être minable égoïste et sans projet
si ce n’est celui de continuer à cultiver la seule chose qui ait porté ses fruits :
l’idéalisme
ce disque est son fruit
et aussi la preuve que je suis égoïste et minable
et aussi une grosse merde
tous les disque sont de la merde
la seule chose qui n’est peut-être pas de la merde
c’est de savoir apprécier le silence

je ne tiens pas spécialement à vous accrocher avec du style
mais j’y suis obligé
sans quoi il n’y aurait sans doute pas lieu d’être commercialisé
mais sachez bien que c’est de la merde
tout ce qui fait qu’on parvient à décrocher un rôle dans ce monde
vient de la partie la plus merdique de nous-mêmes
celle qui mérite un salaire
le salaire de l’égoïsme
c’est toujours la même chose non?
certains s’arrangent avec leurs illusions
certains trouvent de quoi être sereins
d’autres viennent mourir pour rien au nez des premiers
d’autres viennent pour venger

d’abord je ne suis rien
quand j’ai eu la faculté de me battre la bataille était finie
quand j’ai eu conscience de moi et de ma vie c’en était déjà décidé
la bataille ne se situe pas dans le temps elle est le temps
c’est à dire une chose sur laquelle on est toujours en retard
j’avance en me sachant en retard
je repousse l’échéance
car tant qu’il y a de la vie il y a de l’espoir
même si l’espoir me parait être une drôle de danse

il arrive un point où tu ne peux plus faire marche arrière sans renier ce qui t’a forgé
ça fait partie des trucs à piger vite avant que les autres en profitent ou te protègent
des erreurs que tu pourrais commettre
ils disent n’importe quoi
et tant qu’ils le pourront ils diront n’importe quoi
jusqu’à ce que la leçon rentre
je te jure qu’y en a un paquet qui attendent que ça
et si c’est pas toi ce sera un autre

il arrive un point où tu n’arrives plus à te réveiller
tu te répètes tout va bien se passer
tout va bien se passer
je ne me fais pas de soucis j’ai confiance
il ne m’arrivera rien
j’ai pas besoin des autres
ni de leurs promesses
ni rien pour décrocher un rôle dans leur kermesse
au contraire
plus je m’en éloigne et plus j’avance
et tu te vois finir seul quand tout le monde aura vu vraiment qui tu es

je me souviens je pensais à demain
et plus j’y pensais plus le temps semblait long
et les chances d’y arriver réduites
et puis je pensais que demain serai le contraire d’aujourd’hui
et c’était des conneries
demain c’est un poster aux chiottes je l’ai compris
demain c’est du parfum sur des croûtes
demain c’est parler de cailloux lancés dans un lac
et de l’horreur qui est belle de l’horreur qui est vraie

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#12:
Sunset Rubdown
Us Ones in Between
Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2006

I never hear anyone talking about Sunset Rubdown, and it’s a shame really, beacause it’s such an incredible band…
I’m just crazy about Spencer Krug’s voice and melodies (he’s also one of the co-leaders of Wolf Parade, and of Frog Eyes, and Swan Lake). His lyrics are often cryptic, or a mythological nature, which fits well with the complex and shifting structures of most of his songs. To me, he’s without a doubt one of the great musicians of the last decade. He even has (spoiler!) two other songs on this top 10!

…

You are a waterfall
Waiting inside a well
You are a wrecking ball
Before the building fell
And every lightning rod
Has got to watch the storm cloud come.

And I’ve heard of pious men
And I’ve heard of dirty fiends
But you don’t often hear
Of us ones in between
And I’ve heard of creatures
Who eat their babies;
And I wonder if they stop
To think about the taste.

I saw the sun go down
Outside of Arkansas;
And I saw the sun come up
Somewhere in Illinois.
And in the darkness
I taught myself to hate.
But where were you, oh where were you?
And where the fuck did the sun go?

And I am a creature.
And I am survivin’.
And I want to be alone
But I want your body.
So when you eat me,
Mother and baby,
Oh baby, mother me,
Before you eat me.

And you should always pass
When you get the inside lane.
Don’t pull your hair out;
I won’t pull my hair out.
For I have never seen a sun
That did not bury his head in the side of the world
When the day is done.

You are a waterfall
Waiting inside a well
You are a wrecking ball
Before the building fell
And I will mutter like a lover
Who speaks in tongues, oh he speaks in tongues.
Oh I speak in tongues.

(She’s your mother; she’s got a lovely tongue.)

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#13:
LCD Soundsystem
Someone Great
Sound of Silver, 2007

Second song here for LCD Soundsystem - while “All My Friends” was about growing old, and the need to redefine yourself, and your relationships, with time, this song is about grief. The lyrics never make it clear who or what exactly is gone, shifting focus verse after verse, hinting at a separation, or a parent’s death, or a miscarriage (I think). It doesn’t really matter in the end, because, really, what are the options, when someone great is gone?

…

I wish that we could talk about it,
But there, that’s the problem.
With someone new I could have started,
Too late, for beginnings.
The little things that made me harassed,
Are gone, in a moment.
I miss the way we used to argue,
Locked, in your basement.

I wake up and the phone is ringing,
Surprised, as it’s early.
And that should be the perfect warning,
That something’s, a problem.
To tell the truth I saw it coming,
The way, you were breathing.
But nothing can prepare you for it,
The voice, on the other, end.

The worst is all the lovely weather,
I’m sad, it’s not raining.
The coffee isn’t even bitter,
Because, what’s the difference?
There’s all the work that needs to be done,
It’s late, for revision.
There’s all the time and all the planning,
And songs, to be finished.

And it keeps coming,
And it keeps coming,
And it keeps coming,
Till the day it stops
(Repeat x3)
And it keeps coming,
(Repeat x7)
Till the day it stops.

I wish that we could talk about it,
But there, that’s the problem.
With someone new I could have started,
Too late, for beginnings.
You’re smaller than my wife imagined,
Surprised, you were human.
There shouldn’t be this ring of silence,
But what, are the options?

When someone great is gone.
(Repeat x8)

We’re safe, for the moment.
Saved,
For the moment

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#14:
The Faint
Agenda Suicide
Danse Macabre , 2001

With the Holidays looming ever closer, going to my stupid job every day grows harder and harder everyday! So this song is just perfect for my mood these days. Happy Holidays, my fellow drones!

…

You could follow logic
or contest it all
the work solution makes the common house a home

the element of progress
that you mention is gone
it de-evolved to something you were headed toward

as I lay to die the things I think
did I waste my time, I think I did- I worked for life

all we want are just pretty little homes
our work makes pretty little homes

like a cast shadow
like a fathers dream
have a cut out son
what’s a worse disease
to get that pretty little home

as I lay to die the things I think
I don’t want to regret what I did- and work for life

all we want are just pretty little homes
our work makes pretty little homes
agenda suicide, the drones work hard before they die
and give up on pretty little homes

(like a cast shadow)
our work makes pretty little homes
our work makes pretty little homes
agenda suicide, the drones work hard before they die
and give up on pretty little homes

…

Bonus round: the great video for this song, by MK12!

My top 25 songs of the 00s decade

#15:
Jay Reatard
Night Of Broken Glass
Singles 06-07, 2008

And now, for something completely different… Without a doubt the most energetic song on this list, and probably the most agressive too!
But as usual with Reatard, the sounds might be abrasive and all, but as soon as you pay attention, you can see that he’s just a big softie, frontin’ like there’s no tomorrow (just don’t tell him that I’ve said that, I’m sure he’d find who I am and beat me up!).
I mean, while most of us don’t indulge in much excess, and can’t claim a lot of nights of broken glass in our pasts, I’m pretty sure the rest of the lyrics are pretty universal: “And I don’t wanna feel that way, Don’t wanna go back there, Don’t wanna feel that ever again”.

…

Night of broken glass
It was a night of broken glass
It was the first
but it’s not the last
It was a night of broken glass
It was a night of broken glass
It was the first
but it’s not the last
It was a night of broken glass

And I
don’t wanna feel that way
Don’t wanna go back there
Don’t wanna feel that
ever and ever and ever and ever and ever again
Don’t wanna fell that way
Don’t wanna go back there
Don’t wanna feel that
ever and ever and ever and ever and ever again

Night of broken glass
It was a night of broken glass
It was the first
but it’s not the last
It was a night of broken glass
It was a night of broken glass
It was the first
but it’s not the last
It was a night of broken glass

And I
don’t wanna feel that way
Don’t wanna go back there
Don’t wanna feel that
ever and ever and ever and ever and ever again
Don’t wanna fell that way
Don’t wanna go back there
Don’t wanna feel that
ever and ever and ever and ever and ever again