A Decade of Aural Orgasms (1-20)

Well, this is it...the end.  A million thanks to all of you who have read through my rambling, even more to the few who have commented, and a special thanks to Trey, who gave me the bright idea to tackle this project in the first place.

I don't claim to be a musical genius.  I don't insist that everything I listen to is great music, in fact, some of it is pure and utter rubbish.  I don't expect you to agree with my selections, and frankly, I don't really care if you do.  The beauty of music is that there is something out there for everyone.  Every band in existence is somebody's favorite band, even if that someone is only the drummer's mom. 

I don't believe that music has to be popular to be good, nor do I believe that popular music is automatically bad.  I try really hard to not be negative towards bands I don't like, but I don't always succeed in that goal.  Just because it doesn't appeal to me doesn't mean that it shouldn't appeal to you, or to anyone else in the world.  Every artist out there is putting him/herself out there, subjecting themselves to the world's critique, and hoping that people will be gentle.  I respect that. 

Anyway, I'm done babbling, for now.  Sometime over the next few days, I will make one final post on this subject, containing links to a massive cornucopia of songs that survived my first two cuts, but ultimately didn't make the final list.  Do with it what you will.  Without further ado, here are the songs that help me get out of bed in the morning, that inspire me to think, or to dance, or to cry, or maybe just to smile, when I'm having a bad day.  These are the songs that I FEEL, the songs I would be devastated to live without, and the songs that will be part of my life forever:

20: The Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations - "I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life. Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you?" When I first heard The Gaslight Anthem, my first thought was "wow, this is what it would sound like if you threw Bruce Springsteen and the Killers together in a blender!". On some of their songs, that comparison is more accurate than others, but I love all of their work.

19: The Killers - Mr. Brightside - Speaking of the Killers, of course they had to be included on my list. I have to admit that I haven't been quite as impressed with most of their newer material, but Hot Fuss occupied a fairly permanent position in my cd player for quite a while.

18: Band of Horses - The Funeral - Band of Horses amazes me whenever I listen to them. Someday, I will see them live, and will hopefully not be too distracted by how goofy looking Ben Bridwell is. Normally, once a song has been licensed for more than one commercial or tv show (that I actually see, which makes life easier, since it's unlikely that I see more than two commercials per week, thanks to my obsessive DVR usage), I tire of it very quickly. I can think of at least three commercial uses of this one, and I seem to remember there being many more, but yet I love it enough that it's on the "Kitty Only" cd that permanently occupies slot 6 in Caprica's cd changer.

17: OPM - Heaven is a Halfpipe - I'm not a skater. I'm also not a religious person. Still, this song makes me tap my toes and smile whenever I hear it. Which I do, very, very often, since Todd likes it almost as much as I do. :)

16: Kings of Leon - Manhattan - I'll admit that I somehow completely missed the Kings of Leon train in the beginning, so I'm one of the later-generation fans that all the hip people roll their eyes at. That can't be helped, I guess, and I'm just glad that I DID eventually run into them. I like most of their songs, but the bass line in this one sets it a few steps above the rest for me.

15: Cold - No One - Until Scooter Ward got happy or found prozac, or whatever it is he did, I loved everything Cold touched. His voice is so unique, and I find something I can relate to in almost all of their songs.

14: Jay Brannan - Can't Have it All - "Do you want a lover, or do you want a life? One hand or the other, the butter or the bread knife? Do you choose winter, spring, summer, or fall? It's driving me crazy that i can't have it all..." For mellow moods, Jay is one of my very favorite artists. His voice is absolutely beautiful, and his lyrics are the perfect mix of poignant and humorous. Not to mention, he seems like an awesome guy, too! When he's not too busy, he streams a live performance weekly from his apartment, during which he answers fan questions and indulges fan requests. (I almost died laughing the first time he started doing Mmm Bop!) I wish the world would wake up and give him the recognition he deserves.

13: Flobots - Rise - I have very strong political opinions, but I'm also not horribly outspoken about them. I'm often not a huge fan of supposedly "political" artists, but I'm not mortally opposed to political messages sneaking their way into my music, unless those opinions horribly piss me off. (FYI, I'm a Libertarian, but I've been known to vote for both Democrats and Republicans, if I agree with enough of their individual views and don't consider them to be huge douchebags, but that's beside the point.) Most Flobots songs definitely throw their views in your face. In some cases, it can get to be a little bit too much. I think a lot of the reason I like Rise so much is that it's not quite so POLITICAL, but more SOCIAL. It's inspiring, it's uplifting, it features a viola, and I don't think there are too many people who would really disagree with much they have to say in it. You don't have to be a left-wing commie to think that it's important for people to stand up for what they believe in, and to make an effort to improve the world. You don't have to be a tree-hugging hippie to think that peace is better than war. I'd like to think that most (sane) people, regardless of ethnicity, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, or physical location want these things.

12: Kasabian - L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) - Again, picking a Kasabian song was pretty tough, because there seriously isn't a Kasabian song I don't love. L.S.F. just has such an awesome groove that I can't pass it up. (As a piece of extra trivia, it's one of my ringtones on my phone.)

11: IAMX - The Negative Sex - Chris Corner is just plain freaking amazing. I love his voice, I love his weird sense of style, and I love his music. This song gets me in the mood, and you all KNOW that Kitty likes to be in the mood.

10: Muse - Hysteria - Picking a Muse song to listen to is like choosing a Godiva chocolate...you just can't go wrong. Matt Bellamy is an incredible pianist, which goes a long way towards making most of their songs fall into the top of my list. Hysteria doesn't include that element of their allure, but it does have an absolutely unmatchable bass line and a killer guitar solo, so it won the battle.

9: Snow Patrol - It's Beginning to Get to Me - "You are the only thing that makes sense, just ignore all this present tense..." - That particular snippet is one of my very favorite lyrics, ever. This song just makes me breathless. In a very good way.

8: Biffy Clyro - Born on a Horse - Biffy Clyro has an amazing habit of creating incredible songs that have nearly nonsensical lyrics. I love so many of their songs, I almost find it hard to believe that I selected one of their songs that has been out for less than two months to spotlight. I find it even more unlikely that I'd pick said song, only out for a couple of short months, and choose to rank it SO FREAKING HIGH on my list. Still, here it is, and I don't regret my decision in the slightest.

7: Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot - The Flaming Lips are fairly hit or miss for me, but this whole album was a definite hit. Oh, how I wish this song (and Fight Test) had been released back when I was a wild and crazy college kid, because I can just imagine how many less than sober evenings I would have spent with a group of friends, singing along under the black lights.

6: David Gray - Please Forgive Me - David Gray is an amazingly prolific songwriter, and incredibly enough, he has VERY little crap in his catalog. I'm generally more inclined to listen to his acoustic, super-mellow songs, but this track is always a bit uplifting, and manages to blend beautiful lyrics, a memorable beat, and some lovely piano accompaniment into a perfect little burrito of awesomeness. (Another piece of bonus trivia...David Gray's Sail Away was the first song Todd and I danced to at our wedding. The runners up were Mazzy Star's Fade Into You and Bob Marley's Turn Your Lights Down Low.)

5: Authority Zero - Find Your Way - When I need to get motivated, this song is the first thing that comes to mind. This song is about believing in yourself, about being willing to pick yourself up and dust yourself off when the world crumbles around you, about never giving up. We don't always know what life has in store for us, and we don't always know where we'll be tomorrow, but we don't have to. That's the beauty of life...it's unpredictable!(NOTE: According to the band, this song is about boozing, but I don't buy it...)

4: Plushgun - Just Impolite - "I walk the line like Johnny Cash..." Plushgun is another one of those bands that I keep trying to pimp mercilessly to everyone I meet, and generally get nothing more than indulgent shrugs. Is it because I choose friends with completely different musical taste than I have, or do I just have really bizarre taste in music? I don't know, but I DO know that Plushgun is one of those bands I can never get sick of, and this song has been stuck in my head for weeks at a time, in the past. I sincerely hope that it gets stuck in yours, in a good way.

3: Placebo - Black-Eyed - Picking a Placebo song, especially with two whole albums out of the running, was next to impossible. Most people who know me would have expected Placebo to be #1 on my list. I kind of expected the same, but once I had actually decided on a song, that's not where the pieces landed. Some may suggest that I picked this song simply because it contains the line "forever biting on your nuts". I assure you, that's not true! As much as I adore testicular references in my music, the song would still have my complete adulation without it. And oooh, Steve's drum rolls in this song are pure perfection!

2: James - Waterfall - "Don’t take a phone company to tell you life’s pay as you go. I wonder how much of life is set up in utero..." The failure of the U.S. music scene to fully embrace the soft, chewy goodness that is James devastates me more than almost any other phenomenon. James has been one of my favorite artists for more than half of my life. When they broke up, I thought my world was ending. When they got back together, I was skeptical. When the new album was actually released, I was in heaven. This song combines most of my favorite elements of their music, and has a great message, too.

1: Eels - Fresh Feeling - And...we're there. Number one. The big one. The song that has colored my world more than any other over the last decade. Yeah, it's a simple love song by a normally fairly morose group, but it's also one of the most amazing things I've ever heard.

Comments

[Raven]

Authority Zero?

I KEEES YOU.

[evilkittywonka]

I keees you back...wiff tongue.  ;P

[marty]

I feel like a horrible follower... I kept up with you through this whole list, and dropped off at the end. Whether you wanted me to be or not, I'm back to finish it.

I'm not in a very talkative mood, so I'll make it short and sweet (for me, anyway, lol).

The Killers, Band of Horses, Snow Patrol, Muse, Cold, Flaming Lips, David Gray, KOL, Placebo... I love these artists and these songs oh so very much.

OPM and Plushgun... I liked but didn't looove these.

Gaslight Anthem, Jay Brannan, Kasabian, IAMX, Flobots, James... New songs to me, but I'm an insta-fan of all of them.

The Eels, your number one... Of course I've never heard it. But I I like the beat, I like the words, I like it all.

I enjoyed the lyrics you posted to go along with the songs. Although I'm not immune to fluff songs with crap lyrics, I am usually drawn to words over melody. I love it when the words of a song can say exactly what I never knew I needed to say. I love that when I need a good cry, or a good laugh, or a reason to dance around my apartment naked, that hearing the right song can evoke those emotions almost immediately.

I love music. I don't claim to be an expert, or an aficionado, or even a semi-well rounded music lover. I know that there is so, so, so much more amazing music out there, just waiting for me to hear it and be moved. Thank you, sincerely, for broadening my musical horizon through this list. I really, really enjoyed the ride.

[marmont]

QkTdZl http://www.vX0UUwfbV0BvG3upQKBWlc97t5wQCiD84Bdaq9Om.com

[Dgrxbzbt]

On another call egotastic 82423

[Tlpfhpjt]

Do you know the number for ? Lolita Preteen Nymphets =PP

[Mbdvgabe]

I'm from England Free Preteen Pics 0596

[Lhejnsuw]

Where do you come from? madthumbs bwgbam

[Dgfbsgks]

A company car Preteen Nudism =)

[Nrrwnoqt]

Pleased to meet you Shy Lolita >:))

[Vgksuyrx]

How do I get an outside line? Lolita Bbs Pthc =OOO

[backlinks service]

Most powerful&cost effective SEO and website traffic service in world get up to 100’000 forum backlinks now! Get incredible online web traffic using amazing backlink service today. We are able post your marketing post up to 100’000 forums worldwide, get thousands of backlinks and great targeted online web traffic in very short time. Most affordable and most powerful service for web traffic and backlinks in the world!!!! Your post will be published up to 100000 forums worldwide your website or blog will get instant traffic and massive increase in seo rankings just after few days or weeks so your site will get targeted long term traffic from search engines. Order now: backlink service

[Evsvuzyq]

The line's engaged Preteen Models Bbs auoxy

[Ofrbkjau]

Could you ask her to call me? yuvutu 6942

[Mtdduivc]

How many more years do you have to go? Young Lolita Toplist :[[[

[Aawrdedg]

Do you play any instruments? do men rape men 8D free incest rape very young sjnnwq rape in woods pics 515 rape victum pictures wpp aniston rape scene 863 porn rape videos samples 54236 ny state statutory rape laws 4065 rape jpg porno %] soren rape 014 where to report rape lmn

[Vkgjniru]

I'm in a band Lolitas Bbs Pedo njmm

[Rxicjevj]

An accountancy practice Preteen Models Toplist =PPP

[Kmbemciq]

US dollars Lolita Nude Pics :(((

[Ekdvasug]

I'm afraid that number's ex-directory Lolita Rompl >:-DDD

[Hwkxpyit]

Where do you come from? rape little girls %]] netherlands rape victims =-P prisoner transport rape 2007 indiana 065627 bondage s&m videos rape movies =-OOO mature woman rape otl gagging brutal blow job rape =O nigerian jail gang rape 8)) rape porn site reviews ljis teen date rape charts %-] virgin rape daddy daughter 72932

[Opwcvnps]

What sort of work do you do? induced forced lactation rape stories %[ arabic rape sulje lesbian group incest rape =-DD porn sex fuck dog rape 87890 5 arrested in murder rape >:]] girl rape gallery %-) father son rape pics :-PPP death wish rape maid scene 0568 97 black white rape :DD kbr rape cell phone ban yzjd

[Hrtervcy]

Where do you live? Nn Preteen 308 Lolita Girls 36070 Preteen Sex Rompl 8-D

[Zodoaayo]

I've been cut off Underage Lolita Pic 467003 Lolita Porn Bbs 0982 Preteen Nude Pictures hox

[Xhyrwciv]

Pleased to meet you Preteen Porn Pedo 8-OOO Lolitas Nymphets Rompl 2479 Lolita Pthc nocxru