Top 15 out of 20 Songs of 2005 (Part 2)

Part 1

So here we are, the part 2 of the 15 songs that might or might not make my Top 20 of 2005 list, in alphabetical order. Oh, in another one of those "Why didn't anyone tell me" moments, I found out Salon.com has a nice little blog that points to free downloads and sometimes posts its own exclusive mp3s.

The only thing is that you either have to get a subscription or get a "Day Pass" by watching a commercial. The latter option sounds great until you're forced to watch the trailer for In Her Shoes (a title that's practically asking for a porn parody). The subscription fee doesn't sound that bad, especially considering the wealth of great articles at Salon.

Anyway, let's go to songs 6 through 10.

• Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc"
  
  
  Boring pick, I know. Yes, De La's underused, but at least it's De La. Better to be underemployed than not employed at all. Anyway, it's rocking good times, makes you want to not stop and get it get it.


• The Go Team! "Huddle Formation" (mp3)
  
  
  The initial urge is to call The Go Team! a love-them-or-hate-them group but I actually fall somewhere in between. Their interpretation of the American high school pep rally works more often than not, though I can't say I really love them. This song, I can dig, as it perks me up like a double espresso shot in my ears, going from 0 to 60 to 120 in 3 seconds.


• Maxïmo Park "Graffiti" (mp3)
  
  
  I didn't really appreciate "Graffiti" until I was going through my breakup. It's a lovely song whose essence is captured in the refrain "I'll do graffiti if you sing to me in French / What are we doing here if romance isn't dead?". That's songwriting.


• Nada Surf "Do It Again" (mp3)/"Blankest Year" (mp3)
  
  
  If you're like me, you'd probably forgotten about Nada Surf until that tragic episode of The OC when Anna left Newport, and you were wondering "Who's doing that cover of OMD's 'If You Leave'?". And before that, you probably knew them from the 1996 novelty hit "Popular".
  
  But damn, the album that came out last month is pretty fucking good. "Do It Again" is one of those "Repeat/1 Song" tracks. What surprises me the most is that they are based in NYC, because they have that California sound down pat. If Mamas and Papas got together with Shuggie Ottis and played indie-style rock, I imagine they'd sound like Nada Surf.
  
  "Blankest Year", while not as infectious as "Do It Again", also gets heavy rotation on the ol' iPod. While I normally prefer wanton cursing, I prefer the cleaner version of the refrain. There's nothing wrong with "Oh, fuck it" in the chorus. It's just that "Oh, to hell with it" makes this song go to eleven.


• Sigur Rós "Hoppípolla" (mp3)
  
  
  When their critically acclaimed () came out way back when, I didn't get Sigur Rós. They were different. They sang in a funny language that is apparently not Icelandic. And they did nothing for me. Fast forward to 2005, I still don't get them but that's not really the point. Their sound is more accessible (or I'm a little more open minded) and while they will never make head-bobbing rock, "Hoppípolla" is a song that builds to a climax and keeps you there for about 2 minutes.

Part 3 to follow.