The 11 Best Songs By The Roots of the 00s

The 00s might be best described as the Roots experimental period.  Their songs challenged the tradition hip-hop norms and opened new doorways to what the genre could be.

I first saw the Roots in the 90s in a college gym.  I had never seen a rap group use guitars and a drum kit.  That in itself was intriguing.  But then they came on stage.  They played four songs.  Better yet, they belted out four songs.  They screamed four songs.  They ripped through four songs as sweat dripped from their foreheads and through their shirts.  They weren't the most energetic rap group I'd ever seen...they might have been the most energentic band I'd ever seen.  Twenty years later, their sound is constantly being reinvented.  And the only challenge to themselves...is themselves.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Roots of the 00s:

1.  The Seed (2.0) (Phrenology)
2.  Break You Off (Phrenology)
3.  Game Theory (Game Theory)
4.  The Show (Rising Down)
5.  Stay Cool (The Tipping Point)
6.  Complexity (Phrenology)
7.  Rising Up (Rising Down)
8.  Don't Feel Right (Game Theory)
9.  Water (Phrenology)
10.  Don't Say Nuthin' (The Tipping Point)
11.  Lovely, Love My Family (Yo Gabba Gabba)

Buy The Roots new album, How I Got Over now!!!

The 11 Best Flavors of M&Ms

The first time I did an Eminem post, I had a couple of MP3s linked.  They were live tracks.  Unavailable to buy anywhere.  The web police had my post removed, deleted, and destroyed.  So, the second time I did an Eminem post I didn't add any MP3 links.  It was just a list.  And guess what?  It still got taken down.  As if just talking about Eminem was now illegal.  So here's my third attempt.  Hopefully, this one last more than 24-hours.

Here are the 11 Best Flavors of M&Ms:

1.  Peanut M&Ms
2.  M&M Premium Triple Chocolate
3.  Peanut Butter M&Ms
4.  Dark Chocolate M&Ms
5.  Original
6.  M&M Premium Mint
7.  Almond M&Ms
8.  Crispy M&Ms
9.  Pretzel M&Ms
10.  Strawberried Peanut Butter Ms
11.  White Chocolate M&Ms

Buy Eminem's new album Recovery now!!  (one day early)

The 11 Best Songs By Morcheeba

I spent the day at E3 playing all the new video games in the coming years.  Playstation 3 has "Move" which is a wand like the Wii...Xbox has Kinect which has no controller whatsoever.  When I think of the future of video games I get excited.  Technology is giving developpers the ability to create games that we once only dreamed of playing.

When it come to music, I feel the exact opposite.  To me technology is music's biggest enemy, not its ally.  The more produced a song sounds, the less like a song it sounds.  Production has the power to clean out all the background noise, the frayed sound waves, giving the music a crisp & clean sound.  But all that extraneous snippets is what gives the song personality.  It's the little negative that makes the song positive.

With video games I look to the future, with music I'd rather live in the past.

Glad to see Skye Edwards feels the same way and has rejoined the brothers in Morcheeba.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Morcheeba:

1.  Blindfold (The Big Calm)
2.  The Music That We Hear (The Big Calm)
3.  Trigger Hippie (Who Can You Trust?)
4.  Shallow End (Fragments of Freedom)
5.  Otherwise (Charango)
6.  Undress Me Now (Charango)
7.  The Sea (The Big Calm)
8.  Tape Loop (Who Can You Trust?)
9.  Part of the Process (The Big Calm)
10.  What New York Couples Fight About (Charango)
11.  The Big Calm (The Big Calm)

Buy Morcheeba's new album, Blood Like Lemonade...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By The Gaslight Anthem

Today, I have the lucky honor of going to E3.  The massive video game convention where you get to walk around and do nothing but play video games.  And it's not just a few panels here and there.  There are thousands of panels.  Thousands of new games.  All unreleased. 

I'd write more...but the more time I spend here...the less time I get to spend there.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Gaslight Anthem:

1.  The Patient Ferris Wheel (The '59 Sound)
2.  We're Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner  (Sink or Swim)
3.  The '59 Sound (The '59 Sound)
4.  I Coul'da Been A Contender (Sink or Swim)
5.  Boomboxes and Dictionaries (Sink or Swim)
6.  Old White Lincoln (The '59 Sound)
7.  Drive (Sink or Swim)
8.  Great Expectations (The '59 Sound)
9.  Here's Looking At You, Kid (The '59 Sound)
10.  Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis? (Senor and the Queen)
11.  I'da Called You Woody, Joe (Sink or Swim)

Buy The Gaaslight Anthem's new album, American Slang...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By We Are Scientists

We Are Scientists "With Love and Squalor" was probably my last impulse musical buy.  Back in the day, when strolling through a used CD store, if a band name or album cover caught my eye...I would sometimes take a chance on the record.  This was especially the case when I was sifting through the dollar racks.  I discovered a lot of cool bands doing this.  Of course, I came home with a lot of crap, too.  I currently have boxes of crap sealed up, collecting dust in my garage.  Crap so bad, I can't even sell the cases back because they've been exposed to such musical excrement and are now forever tarnished.

We Are Scientists wasn't a used purchase.  It was a new purchase.  It wasn't the cover that attracted me to the band.  In fact the cover almost made me reconsider.  It was the name of the band.  It was a cool name with a subtle tinge of humor.  I knew these guys had to be listenable at worst.  And years, later, I'm still a fan. 

Here are the 11 Best Songs By We Are Scientists:

1.  This Scene Is Dead (With Love and Squalor)
2.  It's A Hit (With Love and Squalor)
3.  Lethal Enforcer (Brain Thrust Mastery)
4.  Let's See It (Brain Thrust Mastery)
5.  Ram It Home (Crap Attack)
6.  Cash Cow (With Love and Squalor)
7.  That's What Counts (Brain Thrust Mastery)
8.  Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt (With Love and Squalor)
9.  Chick Lit (Brain Thrust Mastery)
10.  This Means War (Crap Attack)
11.  Dig Dug (After Hours Single)

Buy We Are Scientists new album, Barbara...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Tom Petty of the 00s

The music industry never ceases to amaze me.  They complain about the internet destorying their industry.  Yet, they do everything in their power to aid and abet them.  The new Tom Petty comes out this week.  A blues-blasted masterpiece from my first couple listens.  I want to get the album on vinyl.   Because if anyone out there cares whether his album will sound good on vinyl, it will be Tom Petty.  One of the last true rock artists, who gives a crap what his music sounds like.  Those of us who still buy records...and still prefer records (yes, I realize I'm a new addition to this category) know that Petty is someone who emphasizes in not digitizing his music.  He prefers the live snapshot of the band in the studio.  On vinyl, the experience will be unmatched.  So, what does Petty's label decide to do?  Delay the release of the vinyl for 2 weeks.  Why?  Who fucking knows.  The one artist whose fans may actually prefer to purchase the record over any other medium, are the ones you choose to screw over.  Idiots. After learning this, I went and acquired the music.  I didn't pay for it.  But I wanted to hear it.  I still plan on buying th vinyl...I just didn't want to wait.  And I'm not the only one.  Learning yet?

Here are the 11 Best Songs by Tom Petty of the 00s:

1.  The Last DJ (The Last DJ)
2.  Square One (Highway Companion)
3.  Ankle Deep (Highway Companion)
4.  Dreamville (The Last DJ)
5.  Saving Grace (Highway Companion)
6.  Lover of the Bayou (Mudcrutch)
7.  Night Driver (Highway Companion)
8.  The Wrong Thing To Do (Mudcrutch)
9.  You and Me (The Last DJ)
10.  Crystal River (Mudcrutch)
11.  Blue Moon of Kentucky (Good Rockin' Tonight)

Buy Tom Petty & the Hearbreakers new album, Mojo, now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Hot Hot Heat

For weeks we've been hearing about the epic USA vs. England World Cup match-up. An epic game between countries with major political history.  I was in.  I was excited.  I planned my whole weekend around it.  I couldn't wait.  But after weeks of waiting for this slugfest...the game ended in a 1-1 tie.  A tie.  A stupid tie.  Whoever came up with the idea that ties should score the soccer teams a point, should be punched in the stomach.  Ties shouldn't count for anything.  It's a tie.  There is NO winner.  No one should be rewarded.  It defeats the purpose of playing the game.  The teams were tied before the game even started.

There should be no ties.  There should overtime or shoot-outs.  Or even better...penalize teams for a tie.  Subtract points.

What happened if the rest of society ran like World Cup Soccer?  Could Presidential Candidates tie?  What about Best Picture candidates?  Court cases?  Sex?

If everything ended in tie...what would be the point of anything?

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Hot Hot Heat:

1.  Goodnight Goodnight (Elevator)
2.  Give Up? (Happiness Ltd.)
3.  Middle of Nowhere (Elevator)
4.  Bandages (Make Up The Breakdown)
5.  Get In or Get Out (Make Up The Breakdown)
6.  You Owe Me An IOU (Elevator)
7.  No, Not Now (Make Up The Breakdown)
8.  Harmonicas & Tambourines (Happiness Ltd.)
9.  Oh Goddammit (Make Up The Breakdown)
10.  Jingle Jangle (Elevator)
11.  Le Le Low (Knock Knock Knock)

Buy Hot Hot Heat's new album, Future Breeds...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Tokyo Police Club

Why are the MTV movie awards more interesting than the Video Music Awards?  I honestly don't care for the awards part.  Any award show where Twilight takes home the movie of the year prize has some serious legitimacy problems.  But the show itself, the spoofs and the presenters are far more interesting than the video aawards.  Recently the video awards have been a full blown lip syncing dance party, featuring medicore artists who can't even play their music live.  There's no mre improv like Kurt Cobain singing rape Me seconds before he could be sensored...or the dude from Rage Against the Machine climbing on the set pieces.  Now everything's plotted out and planned.  It's become second-rate soft-serve vanilla.  The video music awards used to be cool...now I'd rather watch the Grammy's.

Here are the 11 Best Song By Tokyo Police Club:

1.  Your English Is Good (Elephant Shell)
2.  Nature of the Experiment (A Lesson In Crime)
3.  Juno (Elephant Shell)
4.  Tessellate (Elephant Shell)
5.  Cheer It On (A Lesson In Crime)
6.  If It Works (A Lesson In Crime)
7.  Cut, Cut, Paste (Smith)
8.  Nursery, Academy (Elephant Shell)
9.  The Baskervilles (feat Aesop Rock) - Single
10.  Citizens of Tomorrow (A Lesson In Crime)
11.  Box (Smith)

Buy Tokyo Police Club's new album, Champ...now!! (only $5.99 for a limited time)

The 11 Best Songs By Against Me

Getting old sucks.  Everything you used to be able to do as a kid...like, oh let's say...walk up a flight of stairs becomes not only harder as you get older but it gets actually dangerous.  This weekend, as I was walking up our stairs in our house, I twisted my back and have been on the floor ever since.  I didn't run.  I didn't trip.  I didn't fall.  I walked.  That's it.  Walking up my stairs as I do every day of my life, crippled me.  Meanwhile, my daughters are doing cartwheels down the stairs, bouncing off the walls with a elfish "whee", and landing on their heads.  Then they get up and run into the walls at full speed and just laugh it off.  It's just not fair.  Not that I want to run into walls without injury...but making it to my bedroom without a trip to the emergency room would be nice.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Against Me!:

1.  Cliche Guevera (As The Eternal Cowboy)
2.  Unprotected Sex With Multiple Partners (Searching For A Former Clarity)
3.  Thrash Unreal (New Wave)
4.  White People For Peace (New Wave)
5.  Mutiny on the Electronic Bay (As The Eternal Cowboy)
6.  Rice And Bread (As The Eternal Cowboy)
7.  New Wave (New Wave)
8.  What We Worked For (Crime, As Forgiven By)
9.  Full Sesh (New Wave B-Sides)
10.  We Laugh At Danger (Re-inventing Axl Rose)
11.  Holy Shit! (Searching For A Former Clarity)

Buy Against Me!'s new album, White Crosses.

Be Sure to check out the new $5 albums for June!!

The 11 Best Songs By The Jam

I don't think any band gets less appreciation than the Jam.  Just taking a listen to music today, you can hear their influence everywhere.  The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Against Me! all owe their careers to the sound that Paul Weller and co. created decades ago.  And listen to "Set The House Ablaze" and tell me that's not a Bloc Party riff.  It's amazing how bands this good go unnoticed.

Paul Weller's new album comes out this week, and it's a good one.  Thirty-five years later, this guy is still rocking and showing all his underlings how it's done....correctly.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By the Jam:

1.  In The City (In the City)
2.  Private Hell (Setting Songs)
3.  A Town Called Malice (The Gift)
4.  I Got By In Time (In The City)
5.  Set The House Ablaze (Sound Affects)
6.  In The Street Today (This Is The Modern World)
7.  Down In The Tube Station (All Mod Cons)
8.  Boy About Town (Sound Affects)
9.  Heatwave (Setting Sons)
10.  The Place I Love (All Mod Cons)
11.  The Modern World (This Is The Modern World)

Buy Paul Weller's new solo album, Wake Up The Nation, now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Jack Johnson

Every day on Memorial Day, every one I know says something like..."make sure you thank a soldier today."  And though there's nothing wrong with that, and we should do it, but why do we have to wait until Memorial Day to appreciate our soldiers?  Look, I know war sucks.  No one wants to ever go to war.  And no one ever should.  But sometimes...we have no choice...or I'd like to think that was the case.  The soldiers do have a choice.  Our military is purely voluntary.  Those who choose to unlist, do so with selfless gains.  They make a sacrifice that the rest of us don't have the ability to do.  Many of them do not believe in the causes we are fighting for.  But believe, if they don't go, then no one else will.  What do they get in return?  One day.  A parade.  A bunch of people posting things on Facebook.  I get that on my birthday and I've never fought for anything.  Okay, maybe not the parade part.  We need to do more for our soldiers 365 days a year.  Better care, better pensions, better support...not just from the government...but from us.  Yesterday was Memorial Day...but I'd like everyone to thank a soldier today because it's just a Tuesday.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Jack Johnson:

1.  Symbol in My Driveway (On & On)
2.  Banana Pancakes (In Between Dreams)
3.  Never Know (In Between Dreams)
4.  Flake (Brushfire Fairytales)
5.  Cookie Jar (On & On)
6.  Go On (Sleep Through The Static)
7.  The News (Brushfire Fairytales)
8.  Imagine (John Lennon Tribute Album)
9.  Taylor (On & On)
10.  Better Together (In Between Dreams)
11.  If I Had Eyes (Sleep Through The Static)


Buy The new Jack Johnson "To The Sea"......now!