The Playlist: BBC 6 Music's Greatest Hits - The Top 100

BBC Radio 6 Music is the most listened to BBC digital radio station which broadcasts songs that are not necessarily the most mainstream songs, as well as a lot of fringe music (e.g. dance, jazz, soul, Jamaican music).  At the beginning of 2013, they asked their fans to vote for the greatest songs the station has released since their inception on March 11th 2002. Below is the Top 100 songs they compiled from all the votes - and warning to all, it is a Eurocentric (like you didn't know that).

Check out the link for the YouTube Playlist

100. "Calling & Not Calling My Ex" by Okkervill River

99. "Brains" by Lower Dens

98. "The Ride" by Joan As Policewoman

97. "Milkshake" by Kelis

96. "1,2,3,4" by Feist

95. "Paris" by Friendly Fires

94. "Five Years Time" by Noah & The Whale

93. "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn & John

92. "Fix Up Look Sharp" by Dizzee Rascal

91. "Heartbreaker" by Metronomy

90. "From The Floorboards Up" by Paul Weller

89. "Robot Rock" by Daft Punk

88. "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West

87. "Tightrope" by Janelle Monae

86. "Country Girl" by Primal Scream

85. "1901" by Phoenix

84. "Golden Skans" by Klaxons

83. "We Are Your Friends" by Justice vs. Simian

82. "Galvanize" by The Chemical Brothers

81. "Welcome To Jamrock" by Damian Marley

80. "The Greatest" by Cat Power

79. "Strict Machine" by Goldfrapp

78. "Lightning Bolt" by Jake Bugg

77. "Two Months Off" by Underworld

76. "Standing In The Way Of Control" by Gossip

75. "House Of Jealous Lovers" by The Rapture

74. "Phantom Limb" by The Shins

73. "Walking On A Dream" by Empire Of The Sun

72. "Ch-Check It Out" by Beastie Boys

71. "Golden Retriever" by Super Furry Animals

70. "Molly's Chambers" by Kings Of Leon

69. "A-Punk" by Vampire Weekend

67. = "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear

67. = "Laura" by Bats For Lashes

66. "That Man Will Not Hang" by Mclusky

65. "Sophia" by Laura Marling

64. "Your Love Alone Is Not Enought" by Manic Street Preachers

63. "Weak Becomes Heroes" by The Streets

62. "The Seed (2.0)" by The Roots

61. "My Girls" by Animal Collective

60. "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service

59. "Over & Over" by Hot Chip

58. "The Words That Maketh Murder" by PJ Harvey

57. "First Day Of My Life" by Bright Eyes

56. "Paper Planes" by MIA

55. "Juicebox" by The Strokes

54. "Oh My God" by Kaiser Chiefs

53. "Dare" by Gorillaz

52. "Hounds Of Love" by The Futureheads

51. "Islands" by The XX

50. "Men's Needs" by The Cribs

49. "Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

48. "Obstacle 1" by Interpol

47. "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys

46. "Mykonos" by Fleet Foxes

45. "Tessellate" by Alt J

44. "Fire" by Kasabian

43. "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens

42. "Spanish Sahara" by Foals

41. "There She Goes My Beautiful World" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

40. "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People

39. "Time To Pretend" by MGMT

38. "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons

37. "The Importance Of Being Idle" by Oasis

36. "Hold On" by Alabama Shakes

35. "In For The Kill" by La Roux

34. "Hey Ya" by Outkast

33. "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand

32. "Love You Better" by The Maccabees

31. "Banquet" by Bloc Party

30. "Out Of Time" by Blur

29. "All My Life" by Foo Fighters

28. "Hometown Glory" by Adele

27. "There Goes The Fear" by Doves

26. "Kiss With A Fist" by Florence + The Machine

25. "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse

24. "Video Games" by Lana Del Ray

23. "The Rat" by The Walkmen

22. "Time For Heroes" by The Libertines

21. "Tonight The Streets Are Ours" by Richard Hawley

20. "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver

19. "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

18. "Irish Blood, English Heart" by Morrissey

17. "Hoppipola" by Sigue Ros

16. "No One Knows" by Queens Of The Stone Age

15. "Roscoe" by Midlake

14. "Midnight City" by M83

13. "All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem

12. "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire

11. "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse

10. "There There" by Radiohead

9. "Remember Me" by British Sea Power

8. "Hurt" by Johnny Cash

7. "Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips

6. "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes

5. "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers

4. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" by The National

3. "One Day Like This" by Elbow

2. "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" by Arctic Monkeys

1. "Clocks" by Coldplay

I am not surprised at all that "Clocks" and "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" are numbers one and two, respectively. On the other hand, I am very surprised that bands like FRANZ FERDINAND, PHOENIX, MUMFORD & SONS, and even ADELE (at 28) scored so low! Even one of my favourite bands INTERPOL scored a measly 48 on this list, although this confusion in me may be attributed to my ignorance of British music lovers.

Top Ten: RADIOHEAD Songs

The British alternative/experimental rock band RADIOHEAD is one of the most important bands of our generation. Critically heralded with a rabid fan base, this band has been raised on a pedestal in the eyes of many for putting together groundbreaking albums that push the barriers of rock and roll, each album in their different ways. It has been said that famous music site Pitchfork just bases their reviews on how close to RADIOHEAD the album sounds like.  In the wake of the release of Amok, the debut album of RADIOHEAD lead singer Thom Yorke's supergroup ATOMS FOR PEACE, let's go back and see my top 10 RADIOHEAD songs to see what the fuss is about.

RADIOHEAD has released eight studio albums during their impressive career: Pablo Honey (1993), The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), Hail to the Thief (2003), In Rainbows (2007), and The King of Limbs (2011).

10. "There There" - album: Hail to the Thief (LISTEN)

"Just 'cause you feel it doesn't mean it's there"

The pounding toms brings a sense of urgency that combine perfectly with the haunting combination of the high pitch guitar riff and Thom Yorke's voice.

9. "2 + 2 = 5" - album: Hail to the Thief (LISTEN)

"January has April shows, and two and two always makes a five"

This song just has the sound of despair written all over it especially the way Thom's voice is harmonized. The song wonderfully builds attention for the first two minutes until it explodes into straight chanting, which works for a song that refers to the dystopian book 1984.


8. "The National Anthem" - album: Kid A (LISTEN)

"Everyone is so near - it's holding on"

I love this bass line riff! The drums added to it just shape this repetitive line so much that it's impressive to hear how it could sound so different based on the type of symbol supporting it. Add to that almost random electronic noises and brass, as well as Thom's vocals which just sounds like just another layer to pad the bass line, instead of take over the song like in the typical track.

7. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" - album: In Rainbows (LISTEN)

"The walls abandon shape, you've got a Cheshire cat grin"

The monotone vocals over this racing drum beat creates such a dance vibe that makes you want to move even though it has such a sinister vibe to it.

6. "High And Dry" - album: The Bends (LISTEN)

"Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry"

This song has the perfect chorus. It's so compelling that it's hard to remember this song is about a stunt motorcycle jumper (like Evel Knievel).

5. "Karma Police" - album: OK Computer (LISTEN)

"For a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself"

Another minor key, creepy sounding song from RADIOHEAD? Of, course! And no doubt you've heard this one on the radio several times before. My favourite part is the way the song breaks down in the end into electronica dissonance - sounding like the end of the world is coming through your speakers.

4. "Fake Plastic Trees" - album: The Bends (LISTEN)

"He used to do surgery, for girls in the eighties. But gravity always wins."

The simple but lyrically perplexing song is a fan favourite but rarely does the band play it live anymore. It's also a really fun song to sing along to.

3. "Nude" - album: In Rainbows (LISTEN)

"Don't get any big ideas - they're not gonna happen"

This is really one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The band supposedly wrote this song during their time working on The Bends in 1995 and they just sat on this song until it fit the album. Luckily it finally found a home on 2007's In Rainbows.

2. "Idioteque" - album: Kid A (LISTEN)

"Who's in bunker, who's in bunker? Women and children first... I'll laugh until my head comes off"

When ever I hear this song I think of one word: cavernous. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm in a cave whenever I hear this! Besides that, when I first heard this song it was nothing like I've ever heard before that mixed rock and electronica so much, I thought it was pure genius.

They also put on a hell of a show when they perform this live.

1. "Paranoid Android" - album: OK Computer (LISTEN)



"When I am king, you will be first against the wall. With your opinion which is of no consequence at all"

People call this song the Bohemian Rhapsody of the nineties because it is a complex song that can be separated into three parts with all parts being pure gold (like Bohemian Rhapsody). This song goes through many mood swings that toss your emotions asunder, a drags you through this intense ride with RADIOHEAD at the helm.

BONUS:

Like I said earlier, many people like RADIOHEAD and here's the proof: a series of covers of some of RADIOHEAD's songs.  These include FRANK OCEAN, GNARLS BARKLEY, WEEZER, DEADMAU5, JOHN MAYER, and VAMPIRE WEEKEND.

ATOMS FOR PEACE - "Ingenue"

ATOMS FOR PEACE is a rock supergroup consisting of alternative rock royalty Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich of RADIOHEAD, Flea of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, Joey Waronker of BECK & R.E.M., and Brazilian instrumentalist Mauro Refosco. The band bonded together over their love of Afrobeat and together they have created the album Amok.

Just like how he did in the RADIOHEAD music video "Lotus Flower" Thom Yorke displays his dancing prowess again in this video for "Ingenue" which is still just as fixating. Like really, I have no idea how the song sounds like, just his dancing.

RADIOHEAD - "Nude"

For the bitter cold days of winter I usually like to slow things down and go for a more mellow tune.

"Nude" by RADIOHEAD is an amazing song that does wonders to drag any happy mood into a more somber one. Despite this warning, please give this beautiful song a listen.

COACHELLA 2012 and the Amazing Lineup

Coachella, the greatest North American music festival of our time (that's right Lollapalooza and Woodstock, I said it) did it again this year with an AMAZING LINEUP filled with a mix of relevant bands (e.g. The Black Keys, Swedish House Mafia, M83) and ol' classic acts (e.g. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Radiohead). 

Most importantly however is the inclusion of a few of my favourite bands who have reunited! That's right - Pulp, At the Drive-In, and the almighty Swedish hardcore legends Refused are all scheduled on this year's Coachella lineup.


BTW, At the Drive-In's album "Relationship of Command" is one of the best hardcore punk albums I have ever heard and Refused's album "The Shape of Punk to Come" is THE best hardcore punk album I have ever heard, and one of my favourite albums EVER.


Full lineup and some examples of reunited awesomeness after the break.