Recently, the nature of our Top 250 has been that there is a certain, limited number of artists whose songs and instrumentals keep appearing repeatedly on the list. This time, we show some variety by introducing not only one but two debutants who appear here for the first time, even though we are now nearing the Top 10. Let's begin with one of these newcomers.
(The Eraser, 2006)
OK, perhaps the Radiohead singer has appeared on the list before but not as a solo artist. Radiohead has so far had three songs on the list, with Videotape ranking highest (#152). Singer Yorke's solo album came out eight years ago, at a time when the best days of the group were already behind them. In our opinion, The Eraser is hardly a great album, but it contains a couple of interesting tracks and one masterpiece which is of course Analyse, embedded below.
The song imprinted itself to our memory perhaps a bit too easily when it played during the closing credits of Christopher Nolan's masterful 2006 film The Prestige. We felt already dumbfounded enough when the credits started to roll, and then there was also this absolutely stunning piece of mellow rock playing on the soundtrack. However, it would be unfair to suggest that Analyse didn't have merit also on its own. Proof of that lies in the fact that it has been able to take the 15th place on our list which has required some heavy rotation - without a film playing at the same time.
14. Peacock Tail, by Boards of Canada
(The Campfire Headphase, 2005)
The Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada, on the other hand, is no newcomer on this list. They have appeared three times previously, with Dayvan Cowboy (#60), Satellite Anthem Icarus (#75) and Julie and Candy (#168). The first two of those are both from their peak album The Campfire Headphase, as is Peacock Tail, our number one favorite track in their recorded output. By now that we are this far up on the list, it feels like every song is our favorite from each artist, signifying that they probably won't appear further up on the list. Which is probably true for Boards of Canada, as well as Thom Yorke.
Embedded above is a great achievement in electronically produced instrumental music. Once again, a relatively simple but infinitely beautiful passage of music has been composed. It is then simply repeated over and over again, and made interesting by adding new layers of variable instrumentation. Unlike the Maju track described in the previous blog entry, Peacock Tail doesn't come back down; instead, it simply soars higher and higher until the soundscape has been filled and it is time to fade out. Bliss.
13. Once, by Blackfield
(Blackfield II, 2007)
Blackfield is fast becoming one of, if not the most successful artist on the list. Prior to this, they have appeared on it already seven times. Four of these appearances are as recent as Where is My Love? (#24), Scars (#27), Dissolving With the Night (#29) and Pain (#34). It seems that the British - Israeli duo has really been able to strike a chord in us. Once is the opening track of their (once) eagerly awaited second album that was released in early 2007. At the time, we were already familiar with the first one and couldn't wait for more of the same to become available.
Once was released in advance of the actual album to serve as its preview. We remember finding it somewhere, listening to it and being very satisfied. The song had a bit more of a rock and roll feel than virtually anything on the debut album, which we felt was a peculiar choice, but the chorus sounded extremely beautiful. The rest of the album didn't live up to the expectation set by Once; it had one other great track, two or three pretty good ones - and also several forgettable ones. Once serves as its opening track.
12. Your Kettle, by Portal
(Blood Red Tape, 2008)
Here comes the other first time appearance listed in this blog entry! And what a surprise it is. Portal is (or was) a virtually unknown Canadian progressive metal group who luckily take it relatively easy with their metal, limiting its use to hard, tightly played guitar riffs. They play their prog with an incredible precision that still somehow sounds effortless. There is also an Australian extreme black death metal band that has the same name, please be sure not to mix these two.
Your Kettle, embedded above, is a ten-minute masterpiece in complicated, metal laced progressive rock. We found it only about four years ago, yet in only half the time that many other artists have had it has managed to climb all the way to the twelfth place on the list. Blood Red Tape is Portal's third full length album, following A Taste of Things to Come (2001), The Vast Expanse Diminishing (2003) and an EP length release called Element (2005). We know of no more recent releases and the band may have split since their web site hasn't been updated in several years. But what a classic track they released before that happened!
11. On the Mend, by Foo Fighters
(In Your Honor, 2005)
The American rock group Foo Fighters has appeared on the list three times before this, most recently with the lovely Over and Out (#26). On the Mend is that song's stunning companion piece, yet another lovely track taken from the acoustic Disc 2 of the group's ultimate masterpiece In Your Honor. Rising this far up on the list has obviously been helped by an ideal release date, shortly before April 2006 when we started compiling it. But that is of course not the only reason for such a high ranking.
A better reason is that, as you can hear if you click what's embedded above, On the Mend is one of the best and most moving songs ever written about lost love. The lyrics, backed up by the most beautiful of melodies, compare losing a loved one to recuperating from an exceptionally severe illness. It is a question of survival: one more day that I've survived, another night alone. Foo Fighters are working at the very peak of their powers here. Needless to say, then, that they won't be appearing in the Top 10. Who will? Let's get into that next time.
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