LINES OF ORATION PRESENTS: The Top 21 Music Videos of the 2000's

To kick off the New Year, I bring to you what I think are the 20 best music videos of the aughts. Look out for part three of the countdown. Enjoy!

21. Girl by Beck-This is pretty poor of me to put this in after the fact, but it deserves a mention. Beck is just cool, he really is. This video demonstrates that. It's clever, and I think you should watch it.


20. You Only Live Once by The Strokes-I love how they are all in white when the disgusting "sewage" comes pouring in, but I thoroughly enjoy how Julian Casablancas's hopping around never ceases.


19. I'll Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab For Cutie-It's a nice, and slightly sad song, but I like how the hole symbolizes the songs meaning.


18. Summer Song by Yacht-You don't have to see it to know your already crazy about it.


17. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service-I'm not entirely sure what is happening in the video, but I think it fits with the electronic-ness so well.


16. The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes-The general smoothness of the stop motion is really good, but it has to be the sheer amount of equipment they used.


15. Here it Goes Again by OK GO


14. My Girls by Animal Collective-Them only having lips and the fact that they soon begin to melt shows that Animal Collective are very weird without being stupidly outrageous. Also, the fact that they seem so into it makes the song that much more enjoyable.


13. Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games) by of Montreal-of Montreal would take an already cutesy song and make such a seemingly more adorable yet so morbid video out it.


12. Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim-Who knew Christopher Walken could dance so well?


11. Australia by The Shins-The concept of freeing helpless balloons by releasing them back to the atmosphere is adorable. This video is both comical and creative, and isn't the image of all the balloons at the end beautiful?


10. Evil by Interpol-Norman the puppet is the creepiest and coolest puppet, and the dancing is just too creepy for words. I think what did it for me was the fact that Norman fits Paul Bank's vocals eerily well.


9. D.A.N.C.E. by Justice-I'm not a fan of Justice. At all. However, this video is really great. The constant redesigning t-shirts are way cool, and the concept is purely unique. Do you not want some of those shirts?


8. 1901 by Phoenix-Not only was this one of the best songs of the year, it was definitely one of the best videos of the decade. Most of the videos here aren't too fancy, and this one really isn't. The projector idea fit the song insanely well and it's so wonderfully original.


7. A Million Ways by OK GO-You have to love OK GO. Before they were jumping around on treadmills, they were dancing in back yards. To the video that started it all.


6. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend-The endless thought of "How'd they get the lip-synch like that?" will never leave my mind.


5. Window in the Skies by U2-A lot of bands do music videos that compile footage of the band with a live performance or take random videos that "go" with the song. U2, however, took clips of performances by everyone from The Smiths to The Clash to Arcade Fire, and synched it up perfectly to the music. It's a walk through music history, and that, with the perfect lip-synch, is enough reason to love it.


4. Another John Doe by Thenewno2-You may not like Beatles's children's bands, but if you ever had any reason not to love Thenewno2, this video will far overshadow those thoughts. Directed by the bands own Oli Hecks, it's not just any stop motion. I mean, have you ever seen one that's this smooth?


3. Easy/Lucky/Free by Bright Eyes-This is the prime example of the simpler, the better. All he does throughout the video is write down some of the lyrics on a pane of glass. What's so genius is that he thought to do it, and it the product came out so well. It's simple, effective, and gets the songs message across without getting too serious.


2. Obstacle 1 by Interpol-No matter how many actors you hire or how facny the effects you use are, it will always be difficult to beat a band simply just performing the song. This is one of those videos. Interpol all look so cool and a song like "Obstacle 1" just shouldn't be messed up with an overdone video. The slight effects really add to the classic feel and I feel it just adds to the subtle brilliance that is "Obstacle 1".


1. Fluorescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys-Simply the best music video of the decade. When you first heard "Fluorescent Adolescent", you surely didn't think of homicidal clowns or a torn friendship, but once you saw the video, you cannot think of anything else. Jamie Cook himself has said "[it's] probably one of the best videos in the last, like, 10 years", and in my mind, it is the best.

LINES OF ORATION PRESENTS: The Top 20 Songs of 2009

I've been attempting to pay very close attention to new music this year, and here's my top 20 of '09:
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#20. Actor out of Work by St. Vincent-I heard this song a while back, and I really think she's got something going. I don't know much about Annie Clark (except that she's a former member of the Polyphonic Spree), but "Actor Out of Work", with its upbeat and very electronic sounding guitars with her really sounding like she's gone 'mad', convinced me to keep an eye out for future releases.
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#19. Nothing to Worry About by Peter, Bjorn, and John-"Nothing to Worry About" is the epitome of weird. It's nothing like their crowning achievement "Young Folks", in fact it's like it's a different band. The chorus is so violently annoying and it almost sounds like they are trying too hard to make it strange, but I love it. The clapping/drums along with the verse have been grilled so far into my head that I cannot deny its wonderful oddness.

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#18. Games for Days by Julian Plenti-Interpol have been on a break for a while, and Paul Banks naturally decided to pursue a side project he entitled Julian Plenti. I only bought the album recently, but I've been living with "Games for Days" for awhile. I love how Paul adds just enough creepiness to his vocals, but what really makes the song for me is that it sounds as though he's trying to create a sound different from Interpol, but not so different that he abandons what he's come to be known for.
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#17. Animal by Miike Snow-My local radio station played this song to death thus beating it into my head. I've come to adore it, and it's mix of Genesis-sounding vocals along with a simple synthesizer is just catchy enough to keep it in your head for a few weeks. I mean, to this day I still can't get "I'm still I'm still an animal" out of my brain.
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#16. All is Love by Karen O and the Kids-When you saw commercials for Where the Wild Things Are, do you remember hearing the absolutely adorable and cutesy songs that delighted your ears? Well, I do. I don't think it was the song that made me go see the movie, but I will forever associate this song with that lovable movie. It's the cutest song of the year, and if it doesn't make you gush with joy, nothing will.
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#15. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit-Passion Pit were deemed the next big thing for 2009 in 2008, and it's this song that made me understand why. I heard it first from the Palm Pixi commercial, and it's the only song I've ever heard in a commercial that I haven't gotten sick of after hearing 40+ times and that hasn't destroyed the song in the process: I actually look forward to seeing the commercial.
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#14. Daniel by Bat For Lashes-For some reason, I don't really listen to a lot of female musicians: I don't know why. I really like Natasha Khan's voice in this song. I can't stand it how a lot of the female singers today sound the same, but she seems different. "Daniel" has enough weirdness to it, with the strings and the fantastical aura, that sticks with you and her soft voice fits in really well.

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#13. Say Please by Monsters of Folk-I was going through a little Bright Eyes phase when I heard "Say Please" on the radio. It's that song alone that convinced me to buy the album. I love the way the three of them swap vocals and furthur how their distinct voices meld perfectly. The wholesomeness is undeniable (and so are the Traveling Wilburys comparisons) which makes for an all around feel good mood.
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#12. In the Flowers by Animal Collective-I pop in Merriweather Post Pavilion for the first time. I'm completely new to them, I've never heard one song by them before this song. It starts off a little slow to me, but I'm quickly intrigued when the vocals come in. Then, the most beautiful magical thing to ever grace my ears comes half way. Happiness and pure joy fills me. The line "then we could be dancing and you'd smile and say I like this song" tells all. To this day, whenever I hear it, shivers rush through me.
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#11. Lisztomania by Phoenix-Other than 1901, this, to me, was the second best song from "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"; many argue that it's the best. I love the general bright, summery feel it gives, and because I decided to review the album during the summer months, I will forever associate this song with care-free summer days. Also, how could you not love how seemingly composer crazy they are?
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#10. Secret Door by Arctic Monkeys-This song was one of the few steps forward, to me, on "Humbug". After the strangely not creative "Dangerous Animals", "Secret Door" comes through like sunlight peaking through window cracks. It is a beautifully arranged piece with a very intriguing structure that builds to a magnificent ending. It's very different from what they've done before (and on the album), but it was definitely a genius work.
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#9. Two Medicines by The Dodos-As a whole, "Time to Die" was not a terrible album. Most of the songs were very (sometimes painfully) similiar, but they were well performed. The song that stuck out the most was " Two Medicines". I never listened to a song that embodied the feeling of autumn as well as this one. It's pounding drums and trance-y guitar will make you beyond stoked for the oncoming cold months, not dreadful.

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#8. Pretty Visitors by Arctic Monkeys-On "Humbug", there were really only two really brilliant songs: "Secret Door" and "Pretty Visitors". This song came at you like a ton of bricks-from start to finish, it doesn't stop. It's the most upbeat on the album and possibly the heaviest they've ever done. In keeping with the sound of the "Fluorescent Adolescent" single, it's everything I had hoped the album would've sounded like and more.
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#7. My Girls by Animal Collective-On my first listen of "Merriweather Post Pavilion", this song was the one song where hours afterward I found myself singing it. Now, after listening to more than half their catalogue, I still think it's a genius song. The layered vocals singing about not caring for material things is way cool of them, but my favorite part remains the absolutely perfect drums and little water-y sound effects. Also, for those who haven't seen-it has by far the best video.
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#6. Daylight by Matt and Kim-Sure, like many indie-ish songs this year it was ruined by being in a commercial, but if it weren't for that commercial, I, like many others, probably would have never been introduced to the sunshine-y "Daylight". When Matt and Kim perform, they smile incessantly, and it's almost creepy, but the happiness translates to you even if you can't see them. The bright piano and joyful singing by the end become very reflective, almost melancholy, but it will still never cease to brighten your day.
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#5. 1901 by Phoenix-This song is the catchiest song ever made. It will infect your brain, and the only way to cure it is to give in. The slight electronic feel, the guitar lines, and the amazingly catchy lyrics have brought me back to the idea that a basic pop song can be this good. I am very happy for Phoenix that they've made a break through this year, and I guarentee it's thanks to this outstanding song.
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#4. My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille by Beirut-For a long time, I was resistant to Beirut. Then, when I saw him do "Nantes" on Later with Jools Holland, my feelings quickly changed. So, earlier this year, when I sat down to review his "March of the Zapotec" EP, my newfound love grew deeper. The 2nd half of the EP was all electronic-y stuff, and it started off with the brilliant "My Night...". It's very different from the usual stuff he does, but his fantastic voice backed by joyful synthesizers only made me want to listen to that EP more and more.
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#3. Exogenesis: Symphony, Pt. 1-3 by Muse-Almost a year ago, Muse told us that their new album would be very string oriented. Well, it wasn't, except for the glorious 3 part symphony at the end. Words cannot ever hope to describe how insanely dramatic and intense the Exogenesises are. Even if the album sucked, this stretch would've kept it from terrible ratings. Matt Bellamy is really starting to show his stuff as an orchestrater, for this almost puts his string arrangements found on "Absolution" to shame.
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#2. Walkabout by Atlas Sound-As "Two Medicines" did for fall, "Walkabout" is just about the perfect summer song, rivaling "Summertime Clothes" and The Beach Boys. It's so overtly positive and happy, and the sample they use is just out of control delightful. Plus, the vocals are perfect-Bradford Cox and Noah Lennox-could you really get better than that? It puts you in a massively good mood, and for that it's my number two.

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#1. Brother Sport by Animal Collective-There's no arguing the fact that this year was Animal Collective's year. The album came out in January, and it was then, before 11 months worth of music was heard, that people deemed it album of the year. I wholeheartedly agree. After the seemingly hundreds of listens I gave the album, I think that "Brother Sport" was the best song. It takes the tone of previous Panda Bear songs like "Chores" and "Derek" with an infectious uplifting mood created by passionate poppy vocals and nonstop synths. The song basically sums up the near perfect album with grace and leaves you with no choice but to listen again, or atleast it leaves me that way.
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I hope you liked my list, I worked long and hard on it and put in an uncomfortably large amount of thought. It's very bias, but hey, these are the songs that made up the soundtrack to my 2009.

The Friday Thing: Lisztomania and One Time Too Many by Phoenix

I am a very big advocate/fan of La Blogotheque's 'Take Away Shows'. I really love them and think they create the perfect insight to how a performer does his/her thing. I was very happy to find out yesterday that Phoenix finally did one (which is surprising it took this long being they are from France too). Anyway, they did three: one for '1901', 'Long Distance Call', and this one. I really love how they did it on the top of a bus because not only do you get to see this great performance, but you get to see the streets of Paris too. They seem to have had a good time doing their thing, and I hope you enjoy!


1901 and One Time Too Many

WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX-Phoenix

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix
Label-Glassnote
Status-Out as of 2009
4th Studio Album
Rating-3 Feathers

French band Phoenix are one of those bands: they come out with somewhat progressively better stuff, and couple of singles that could be mega hits, but they are still virtually unknown. They don’t take a whole lot of chances, never straying too far from their basic sound, but will their 4th effort ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ be their ticket to the big time?

The songs ‘Lisztomania’ and ‘1901’ start of the album, and honestly, have you heard a better opening? ‘Lisztomania’ is such a catchy song. It has a nice bright groove that clears your mind and sets you in the mood for dancing. Leading into ‘1901’, that mood you were in sure comes in handy: you can’t help but bop around to it. The song immediately sucks you in with synth/guitar combination, and proceeds to infect you with its relentless hooks and guitar riffs. Unfortunately, past this point, there are no other songs that make quite the same impact, but there are a few good ones. ‘Fences’ is a heavy disco-influenced tune. It’s calm, and mellows you out, but its falsetto vocals make it standout from the rest. ‘Rome’ is another one. It’s not very upbeat, like ‘Fences’, but it has this reflective quality about it. The flow of the song is perfect: it starts out very Interpol with dramatic guitars in the background, and slowly builds. However, just before it peaks, it stops and Thomas Mars has a very somber solo moment, but it quickly dives back into what it hadn’t finished. It’s absolutely perfect. Except for ‘Love Like a Sunset Pt.1 & Pt. 2’, which is an intense 6 minute mess of self-indulgence, none of the other songs really stick out. They are all well performed and generically catchy, but they are nothing to shout about.

As a whole, ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ was a mild disappointment. With shear awesome songs like ‘Lisztomania’ and ‘1901’, you’d expect the rest to ring loudly, but they (for the most part) only pinged. Mostly, nothing was in particularly bad, but nothing except for four were overtly fantastic. I do feel that ‘Wolfgang’ was a quality effort, and I’m a Phoenix fan now, but I doubt it’ll really make them known for more than that band with the guy who was almost in Daft Punk.

“When we were recording it, I listened for one month only to the Smiths, every album. Then I got bored and listened only to Crosby, Stills Nash and Young. But only the songs written by David Crosby.”-Laurent Brancowitz

1901

Recommendations: Lisztomania, 1901, Fences, Rome
Phoenix's Official Website
Note: I hope you like this, it was one of the easiest reviews I written in a long while, but I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. I will be working on MGMT or oF Montreal so stay tuned. I appreciate your comments!

The Friday Thing: 1901 by Phoenix

Within the past week, I've become absolutely obsessed with this song, I don't know why. The video for it is awesome, and the song has a subtle tone of dance while still inkeeping their basic guitar indie. Now, for my Friday Thing: A couple of weeks ago, I saw this performance on It's On With Alexa Chung. Yeah. Regardless of the program and the fact that it's a more stripped down version, it's still a really great song. Enjoy!


1901
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