The 11 Best Solo Songs By Conor Oberst

The internet went into an outrage today when a big announcement was unveiled.  Concerthotels.com revealed which rock/pop singers have the greatest recorded vocal ranges.  At the top of the list is the not completely surprising:  Axl Rose. Mariah Carey, Prince, Steven Tyler, and James Brown round out the top five.  Now, the website determined this by looking at the difference between the singer's highest and lowest recorded notes.  It's by no means definitive...but a unique way to create a ranking; and interesting at that.  It's no surprise that Axl's five octave range ranks up at the top...what is surprising is the massive amount of anger and doubt that has spilled out across the internet.  From people screaming that Axl should be no where near the top of the list because he's a terrible singer to people completely doubting the legitimacy of the list's rankings.  How the hell can you be angry at this list?  It's a fun list.  No one is saying this is the only list that matters and the singers at the top are the only great singers out there...but the reaction from the internet is like that's exactly what they are saying.  Why does everyone on the internet have to blow everything that's reported out of proportion?  No one is ranking religions or races but that's how the internet reacts to...everything!  People...calm the fuck down.  It's just a list.  It's just for amusement.  But if you take it so seriously that you have to blast the creator of the list because they got everything wrong...then problem isn't the list...the problem is you.  Trust me...I know.  Step back, take it for what it is...and if you don't have anything nice to say, go eat at Chipolte. Here are the 11 Best Solo Songs By Conor Oberst:

1. I Got A Reason (Outer South)
2. Milk Thistle (Conor Oberst)
3. Kodachrome (One Of My Kind)
4. Lenders in the Temple (Conor Oberst)
5. To All The Lights In the Windows (Outer South)
6. Spoiled (Outer South)
7. Synesthe Song (One Of My Kind)
8. Breezy (One Of My Kind)
9. Souled Out!!! (Conor Oberst)
10. Cape Canaveral (Conor Oberst)
11. Ten Women (Outer South)

Buy Conor Oberst's new album, Upside Down Mountain...now!!    

Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!

The 11 Best Songs of 2011

I usually don't like doing Top song lists of the year (ironic...huh?) but I wanted to give everyone a last chance to get your votes in for the top album of the year.

Just list your favorite albums of 2011 in the comment section below.  Monday is the final day to vote.

Here are the 11 Best Songs of 2011:

1.  Midnight City - M83 (Hurry Up We're Dreaming)
2.  Holocene - Bon Iver (Bon Iver)
3.  The Birds Part 1 - The Weeknd (Thursday)
4.  Shell Games - Bright Eyes (People's Key)
5.  Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People (Torches)
6.  Under Cover of Darkness - The Strokes (Angles)
7.  First of the Year Equinox - Skrillex (also the best video)
8.  Get Away - Yuck (Yuck)
9.  Gold on the Ceiling - Black Keys (El Camino)
10.  No Church - Jay-Z & Kanye West (Watch the Throne)
11.  Hasa Diga Eebowaii  (The Book of Mormon)

Buy these songs and their albums now!

The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (12-22)

No song was more infectious this year than Foster the People's Pumped up Kids.  What started as a catchy indie rock diddy took off and became an international hit rocketing up the Billboard charts and propelling rock album sales.  Most people still don't know the song is about a school shooting.  Maybe that why despite its popular success, it's still retained its indie cred.  Hopefully this is a sign that there's still a place for rock music on the charts...or maybe it's opening the floodgates for a rock music revival.  One can only hope.

Send in your BEST OF LISTS!!!  I want your top 20 albums of the year...or as many as you would like to send.  Just stick them in the comment section or email them to me.  I will compile a list by New Year's and share it with you all.

Here are the 55 Best Songs of 2011 (12-22):

12.       War on Drugs - Slave Ambient (Baby Missiles)

13.       Bright Eyes - The People's Key

14.       Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math

15.       Middle Brother - Middle Brother (Portland)

16.       Wye Oak - Civilian

17.       Jeff the Brotherhood - We Are Champions

18.       Foster The People - Torches

19.       Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne

20.       Jason Isbell - Here We Rest

21.    VHS or Beta - Diamonds and Death

22.    Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong

Buy these albums and more from 2011...all for under $5...for a limited time!!!

The 11 Best Songs of 2011 (so far)

Today, the killer band Gomez gave our humble little blog a shout out on their Facebook page and stirred a frenzy of fans.  They argued whether our top eleven list accurately depicted their best songs. The issue shouldn't have been whether our list accurately depicted the band, it should have been could anyone make a list that would accurately depict their catalog.  I would argue that it would be impossible.  Music is such a personal experience, each person loves a band for a different reason.  Each person's list would reflect their own personal connection to the band.  The point of these lists is to never be the end-all, be-all authority on what the best songs are by a band (although it is a little ego-boosting when people love my lists), the point is to start a conversation.  I don't want to know what you don't like about my list.  I want to know what your favorite 11 songs would be.

So as we hit the half way point of 2011...let's hear what your favorite songs are so far.

Here are the 11 Best Songs of 2011 (so far):

1.  Shell Games - Bright Eyes
2.  Under The Cover of Darkness - The Strokes
3.  Get Away - Yuck
4.  Holdin' On For Black Metal - My Morning Jacket
5.  Virgin - Manchester Orchestra
6.  Uberlin - R.E.M.
7.  Future Starts Slow - The Kills
8.  This is Why We Fight - The Decemberists
9.  Under the Knife - The Rural Alberta Advantage
10.  Cool Out - Jeff the Brotherhood
11.  Dear Rosemary - Foo Fighters

Buy these songs now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By Bright Eyes

Today was an uber-epic day in the world of music.  Despite Radiohead announcing a new album out this Saturday, Green Day, The Flaming Lips and Foo Fighters releasing new songs, Quesadilla spaulding attacked by pre-pubescent tweens in need of pubes...there was one thing on the tip of everyone's tongue:  Who the fuck are the Arcade Fire?

I'm not a fan of award shows, you should know that by reading this blog.  I do watch them for the performances.  I don't really care who wins...but Arcade Fire swiping the album of the year was something worth smiling about. What is even more perplexing is how many so-called music experts took to the Twitter-verse to voice their complete and utter ignorance of the band.  Because these self-proclaimed musical geniuses hadn't heard of the band, they felt that they should not have won.  How is bragging that you've never head of Arcade Fire make you a musical expert? Would that be like publicly admitting your musical ignorance?  Arcade Fire isn't an unknown band.  They were probably the biggest rock band of last year.

Here's a crib list of Arcade Fire's musical accomplishments from the last year:

- August 8th, 2010, The Suburbs moved 160,000 units to have the #1 album on Billboard's Top 200...ousting Eminem from the #1 spot and beating Lady Gaga's remix album debut
- Had the highest critical ranking of any album in any category nominated for a Grammy
- Ranked in the Top 5 as one of the best albums of 2010 by Q magazine, MTV, Stereogum, Rolling Stone, Spin, NME, and Time Magazine
- It sold 500,000 copies in 2010 (and was only out for 5 months)
- The band will headline Coachella 2011

Oh yeah...and there's a new Bright Eyes out today...can't wait to see what happens when Conor finally wins something.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Bright Eyes:


1. Let's Not Shit Ourselves (Lifted or the Story is in the Soil)
2. Lua (I'm Wide Awake)
3. You Will. You?Will. You? Will. You?Will. (Lifted or the Story is in the Soil)
4. Middleman (Cassadega)
5. Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh (Fevers & Mirrors)
6. Something Vague (Fevers & Mirrors)
7. First Day Of My Life (I'm Wide Awake)
8. Ship In A Bottle (Digital Ash In a Digital Urn)
9. Four Winds (Cassadega)
10. Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come (Lifted or the Story is in the Soil)
11. Light Pollution (Digital Ash In a Digital Urn)


Buy Bright Eyes new album The People's Key ($3.99 for a limited time!)

The Unknown: An Evening with Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward (Part 2)

Here's part 2 to the show...

Make sure you go out and buy the indie supergroup's new album...Monsters of Folk. for this week only...$4 on my store.

And if you're not...follow us on Twitter.

Here is part 2 of An Evening with Conor Oberst, Jim James and M. Ward:

Conor Oberst's set

17. Train Under Water

18. Going For Gold

19. Soon You Will Be Leaving Your Mom

20. A Celebration Upon Completion

21. We Are Nowhere and It's Now

22. One Foot In Front Of Another

23. Lua

24. Waste of Paint

All three together

25. Seashell Tale

26. Always on My Mind

27. Laura Laurant

28. At Dawn

29. At The Bottom of Everything

30. Girl From North Country

Buy The Monsters of Folk...this week only for less than $4.

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (12-22)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (12-22):

12. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood To The Head (2002)
- If Viva La Vida is this generation's Joshua Tree...A Rush would be this generation's Unforgetable Fire.

13. Ryan Adams - Gold (2001)
- If charting was based on most material released...RA would win by a landslide. But Gold feels the most personal...that the most time went into crafting this one. (La Cienega Just Smiled)

14. Jay-Z - The Black Album (2003)
- Jay-Z turned the industry on its head when he allowed the public to freely remix and distribute his momentary swan song.

15. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
- The Jam who? The Strokes tight and underplayed debut was a snub in the face of the loud and obnoxious music of the day. (Soma)

16. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am (2006)
- The Jam who? The AM's loud and obnoxious debut was a snub in the face of the quiet and mopey music of the day.

17. Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story is in the Soil (2002)
- This is the album that earned him the nickname: "the next Bob Dylan" or "the next Bob Dylan until the next Bob Dylan comes along." (You Will.)

18. Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001)
- If there was ever a soundtrack to this decade...Zero 7 did it first.

19. Interpol - Antics (2004)
- 20 years later...Ian Curtis is cool again.

20. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans (2005)
- The emo masterpiece from a band who has done everything in their power to be anything but... (Someday You Will Loved)

21. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2002)
- In the wake of 9/11, it was Bruce who came to the rescue to lead us out of the darkness. No album has ever said more about the strength and resolute nature of our country than the Rising.

22. Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
- The Kings emerged this decade as the last true patriots of American rock n roll. And no where is that more clear than on their second effort.

Buy these albums now.

The 11 Best Bright Eyes Songs:

Going out of town...to a wedding in Reno...oh...yeah!

Buy Connor's new solo album.

The 11 Best Bright Eyes Songs:

1. Let's Not Shit Ourselves (Lifted or the Story is in the Soil)

2. Lua (I'm Wide Awake)

3. You Will. You?Will. You? Will. You?Will. (Lifted or the Story is in the Soil)

4. Middleman (Cassadega)

5. Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh (Fevers & Mirrors)

6. Something Vague (Fevers & Mirrors)

7. First Day Of My Life (I'm Wide Awake)

8. Ship In A Bottle (Digital Ash In a Digital Urn)

9. Four Winds (Cassadega)

10. Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come (Lifted or the Story is in the Soil)

11. Light Pollution (Digital Ash In a Digital Urn)

The 11 Best Bright Eyes Non-Album Tracks

Some people think Bob Dylan is a genius. Some people think he's master song writer. Others think he's the voice of a generation. According to Bob Dylan, he's none of the above. Through-out Dylan's career, he fought the labels that were thrust upon him. When he was folk music's savior, he recorded an album with electric guitars. When he was labeled as the chosen Jew, he became a Christian. When he was a washed out has-been, he recorded Time Out of Mind. It was as if, Dylan sought out a challenge with every new album. He never let himself get comfortable or complacent in his role. Even in the 80s, when the world accused him of going downhill and becoming a shell of his former self, he helped put together one of the most energetic acts of the entire decade with the Traveling Wilburys. Every decade brought us a new version of Dylan. A new sound to cherish and enjoy. In 3 years, Dylan will enter his 6th decade as a musician. When Johnny Cash entered his 6th decade, he gave us the brilliant American Recordings. If Cash is any indication of what Dylan has in store for us then we are a lucky lucky bunch.

Cassadaga marks the 10th year of Connor Oberst's career. Whether we will be talking about him in 40 years is a long way off but unitl then we can appreciate what he has given us thus far. Here's an different look at his career so far...

The 11 Best Bright Eyes Non-Album Tracks (prior to Four Winds):

1. Well Whiskey (Lua)
2. Loose Leaves (There Is No Beginning To The Story)
3. I Woke Up With This Song In My Head (Lua)
4. One Foot In Front Of The Other (Saddle Creek 50)
5. When The President Talks To God (Free iTunes download)
6. Oh, You Are The Roots That Sleep (Oh Holy Fools)
7. Messenger Bird's Song (There Is No Beginning To The Story)
8. True Blue (Lua)
9. We Are Free Men (There Is No Beginning To The Story)
10. Going For the Gold (Oh Holy Fools)
11. Burn Rubber (Take It Easy)

Buy The album here and get a FREE 3-inch CD with an excellent new Non-Album Track!!