3: Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch

I first discovered Ladytron when their debut album, '604' was released in 2001. 'Playgirl', that album's lead single, received reasonable amounts of airplay on Xfm, and I began incorporating that song into my DJ sets at around that time - indeed, I believe I played 'Playgirl' at that same party I mentioned when discussing my #72 song of the decade.

But Ladytron remain one of Britain's most criminally underrated bands, even though they have been producing electronic pop of a consistently high standard throughout the decade. The Liverpool four-piece are far from being a household name, and have actually never had a single reach the UK Top 40.

'Destroy Everything You Touch' was as close as they got, charting at #42 in September of 2005 (whilst the album 'Witching Hour' only got to #81 in the albums chart). It's truly a travesty that a song of such magnificence received so little acclaim. To my knowledge, it barely appeared in end of year 'Best of 2005' lists, despite the fact that it's a song much beloved by everyone I've ever discussed it with.

Mira Aroyo's haunting vocals wormed their way inside my brain and never left. Accompanied by the glossy production and swirling synth soundscape that is Ladytron's modus operandi, it's one of those songs that seems to adapt to every possible scenario. It fits perfectly into a night out, a night in, a happy moment, a sad moment and every possible scenario in between.

If there's one song in my Top 100 that I wish more people knew (and loved) it would be this, so I urge you to watch the video below, and then let me know if you agree with my sentiments.

100 - 11

In true chart fashion, as we enter the top 10, let's just refresh our memories of the previous 90 songs in my countdown. Click on the link for an individual entry. Also, you can listen to a Spotify playlist featuring the songs in my countdown here.

100 The Streets – Blinded By The Lights
99 The Libertines – Time For Heroes
98 Ian Brown – Fear
97 Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
96 White Lies - Death
95 Sweet Female Attitude - Flowers
94 Doves – Pounding
93 Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
92 Placebo - Meds
91 Foo Fighters - Best Of You
90 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
89 Panic at the Disco - Nine In The Afternoon
88 Maximo Park - Going Missing
87 Girls Aloud - Call The Shots
86 Prodigy - Omen
85 The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
84 The Automatic - Monster
83 Modest Mouse - Dashboard
82 Gangstarr - Battle
81 Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag
80 Outkast – Ms Jackson
79 Darude - Sandstorm
78 Green Day - American Idiot
77 Panjabi Mc – Mundian To Bach Ke
76 Good Charlotte - Keep Your Hands Off My Girl
75 MGMT - Kids
74 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
73 Nelly Furtado - Maneater
72 Fischerspooner – Emerge
71 Andrew W.K. – Party Hard
70 Santigold - L.E.S. Artistes
69 Dizzee Rascal - Holiday
68 Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
67 Lostprophets - Shinobi Vs. Dragon Ninja
66 Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious
65 Radiohead - Idioteque
64 Pussycat Dolls - Buttons
63 Ash - Burn Baby Burn
62 Cypress Hill - (Rock) Superstar
61 Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage
60 Muse - Knights Of Cydonia
59 Jimmy Eat World – The Middle
58 Sonique - It Feels So Good
57 We Are Scientists - Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
56 Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict A Riot
55 Outkast – Hey Ya!
54 Sugababes - Push The Button
53 Eminem & Dre - Forgot About Dre
52 Mystery Jets featuring Laura Marling - Young Love
51 R Kelly - Ignition (Remix)
50 Ladyhawke - My Delerium
49 So Solid Crew – 21 Seconds
48 Arctic Monkeys - Leave Before The Lights Come On
47 Queens Of The Stone Age – Go With The Flow
46 Britney Spears - Break The Ice
45 Hot Chip - Hold On
44 Prodigy - Warrior's Dance
43 All Saints - Pure Shores
42 Royksopp & Robyn - The Girl & The Robot
41 Biffy Clyro - Saturday Superhouse
40 White Stripes - My Doorbell
39 Operator Please - Leave It Alone
38 Eminem - Lose yourself
37 Arctic Monkeys - 505
36 M83 - Don't Save Us From The Flames
35 Hard-Fi - Living For The Weekend
34 The White Stripes – Fell In Love With A Girl
33 Daft Punk - One More Time
32 Linkin Park – In The End
31 Kelis – Milkshake
30 Dizzee Rascal - Fix Up, Look Sharp
29 Rage Against The Machine – Sleep Now In The Fire
28 Incubus - Megalomaniac
27 Bloc Party - Banquet
26 Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire
25 The Coral – Dreaming Of You
24 Roots Manuva – Witness (One Hope)
23 Mis-Teeq - Scandalous
22 Interpol – Evil
21 La Roux - In For The Kill
20 Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
19 Muse – Plug In Baby
18 Noah & The Whale - 5 Years Time
17 Queens Of The Stone Age - Little Sister
16 Hot Chip - Over & Over
15 Jay-Z – 99 Problems
14 Missy Elliott – Get Ur Freak On
13 The Hives – Hate To Say I Told You So
12 Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head
11 Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

17: Queens Of The Stone Age - Little Sister

The best song ever to feature a jam block (it's not a cowbell, fact fans) as its central instrument, 'Little Sister' was the first single, and standout track on QOTSA's 2005 album, 'Lullabies To Paralyze'. Recorded live in their Sound City Studio in just one take, frontman Josh Homme has described it as a "sexually charged" reworking of the Elvis Presley song of the same name. Four quick knocks on the jam bell herald the introduction of the guitar riff, then Homme's trademark sex-and-cigarettes vocal style takes control, rattles the listener around a bit, before spitting us out the other side.



I said previously that my #47 song of the decade, 'Go With The Flow' was rather "unconventional and gritty" for a chart hit. If that's the case, then how surprising must the success of this song have been?

22: Interpol - Evil

Interpol are the New York band who made it cool to be miserable. And 'Evil', from their second album 'Antics' was their biggest hit of the decade (#18 in the UK singles chart), the sound of a band truly achieving the potential that they had already demonstrated on their debut album, 'Turn On The Bright Lights'.

Make no mistake, 'Evil' is a thoroughly depressing song. It opens with the haunting picked guitars and Paul Banks' pained vocal. "Rosemary, heaven restores you in life". His voice is mostly devoid of emotion, until it comes alive as he asks "but hey, who's on trial?" To me, the song as a whole speaks of the loneliness of lost love, with the perfect chorus line "I spent a life span with no cellmate" as the song's centrepiece. The drums are barely noticeable aside from the chorus, where they set the tone.



Interpol started the trend (which then became seen as something of a Joy Division revival, despite the lack of any similarities between the two groups), but Editors, White Lies and countless others have followed suit. It's never been so hip to be blue.

27: Bloc Party - Banquet

Some bands record stunning albums and then struggle to translate those songs into a compelling live performance. Other bands play stunning gigs, but release albums of middling quality. Getting the balance right is clearly tricky, and only the very best bands can do both. What you want is a live show which stays true to the original songs, but offers enough twists and nuances to make it feel special, like a one-off.

It's this particular 'X' factor (and no, I don't mean the god-awful reality show) that has persuaded me to become a die-hard Bloc Party addict. I probably would have been a fan anyway... all three albums are excellent and contain enough variety to prevent what I like to call 'Oasis syndrome'* But catch them live, and they're a whole different beast. The albums can be quite moody and cynical at times, but live, Kelechukwu 'Kele' Okereke rarely stops grinning. It's infectious. On every occasion I've seen them, I've witnessed a band having a lot of fun doing what they love to do.



'Banquet' was essentially Bloc Party's first single in May 2004 ('She's Hearing Voices' had been released as a vinyl-only single in February 2004), but it was the release of a re-recorded version in April 2005 that grabbed the attention. By that stage, 'Helicopter' and 'So Here We Are' had already been minor hits, and when XfM added 'Banquet' to their rotation, I was hooked. Something about the way the guitars seem to dance through the air, or the way Matt Tong's unconventional drumming builds the song up to its climactic chorus, I guess.

Of the many times I've caught them live, their BBC Electric Proms show at the Roundhouse in October 2007 sticks in the mind. In front of a smaller crowd than they were accustomed to playing for, Kele was in fine spirits, despite the fact that he had been diagnosed with acute pharyngitis and advised not to play. The atmosphere was spectacular and after starting the set with some of their slower numbers (to take advantage of the choir which they'd invited on stage with them), when they burst into 'Banquet', I thought the floor might collapse.

Three albums later, I wouldn't say this is necessarily my favourite Bloc Party song, but every time I come back to it, it brings a smile to my face. I've even got a favourite bit... in the bridge, the music breaks as Kele sings "and if you feel a little left behind, we will wait for you on the other side", and then the drums and guitars crash back in as he repeats the line. I've sung along to that with 70,000 at Glastonbury, and on my own in my car, and it sounds just as relevant either way.

35: Hard-Fi - Living For The Weekend

Remember that Carling advert with a flock of birds flying across the sky, and then the slogan 'Belong'? How could you possibly forget it? That advert was unavoidable in the autumn and winter of 2006. And it was one of the major reasons why I went off Hard-Fi... they suffered massively from being over-played and 'Living For The Weekend', which soundtracked the advert, was the biggest culprit.




A few years have passed, and now that I'm no longer hearing it every 5 seconds, I've been able to reappraise the song. And it's clear that it is a great tune, with that infectious guitar hook and lyrics which resonated with the daily grind of urban living. The chorus ("Working all the time, work is such a bind, got some money to spend, living for the weekend") seemed to sum up the daily existence of myself and many of my friends.

'Living For The Weekend' was the penultimate track on the Staines group's debut album, 'Stars of CCTV'. I was, for a time, obsessed with that record. I loved the pomp of 'Cash Machine', the indie club floor-filler of 'Tied Up Too Tight', the anthemic 'Hard To Beat' and the mournful ode to society of the album's title track. I interviewed the band on the day that they received a gold disc for 'Stars of CCTV' and I felt that this was deserved success for a likeable band, with a brash but confident frontman who had written a culturally important album.

Looking back now, I believe my initial assessment remains accurate. Hindsight shows that they weren't able to capitalise on their success, with second album 'Once Upon A Time In The West' generally considered a commercial and critical failure (despite actually topping the album chart in the week of its release). It certainly didn't produce any singles to match the high standards of those on 'Stars of CCTV'. A third album is on the way shortly. But they'll have to go some to match the heights of 'Living For The Weekend'.

36: M83 - Don't Save Us From The Flames

Feeder Save Us lyrics

M83 - Don't Save Us From The Flames Video - Feeder Save Us Music Videos

The first ten seconds of this song, from 'Before The Dawn Heals Us', the third studio album by Antibes-based Anthony Gonzalez (aka M83) justify its appearance in this list. Mammoth drumroll, giving way to an epic choral soundscape. Nothing more to say - I love this band, and of all the brilliant songs they've recorded this decade, 'Don't Save Us From The Flames' is my clear favourite.

40: The White Stripes - My Doorbell

When I've been researching information about songs in my countdown, I've frequently turned to SongMeanings.net to see how different people interpret the song in question. But none of the user comments I've read on that site are quite as perceptive as this one, from user "memememe" about 'My Doorbell':
"it's obviously about his dick. any time a guy thinks about something that many times repetitively in that short of a period of time, it has to be about his dick."

Whilst I'm sure memememe is posting slightly tongue in cheek, 'My Doorbell' might as well be about Jack's dick. It certainly doesn't appear to be anything to do with the "bell, chime, or buzzer outside a door that is rung to announce the presence of a visitor or caller". The White Stripes do not write lyrics for people to understand, that much is clear.

Anyway, putting interpretations to one side for a minute, 'My Doorbell' follows the White Stripes' template to a 'T'. Meg (a.k.a. Bamm-Bamm Rubble from the Flintstones) smashes her drums, one at a time. There are no fancy drumrolls where Meg's concerned - it's just "der, der, der-der, dum, der, der, der-der, dum. And Jack (he's the slightly unhinged one, in case you didn't know) plays along to the same rythmn on his piano, while singing the song's main hook over and over - "I'm thinking 'bout my doorbell, when you gonna ring it? When you gonna ring it?"

Given that they are the most inventive band of their generation, this is pretty standard fare, but it jumped out on first listen to 'Get Behind Me Satan' as the one song that would be universally loved, and from my perspective, it's certainly proven to be the case.

54: Sugababes - Push The Button

In amongst the frequent personnel changes, that have rendered them a mere shadow of their original lineup, it's easy to forget that Sugababes have been responsible for some of the finest British pop of the past ten years. It was the second lineup (Mutya, Keisha, Heidi) that were responsible for most of the group's finest moments, with four of the nine singles released by that incarnation topping the singles charts in the UK. The string of hits between 2001 (when Siobhan left) and 2005 (when Mutya was replaced by Amelle) reads like a Greatest Hits tracklisting... 'Freak Like Me' (#1 in the charts), 'Round Round' (#1), 'Stronger' (#7), 'Hole In The Head' (#1) and this song.

'Push The Button' was the first single from their fourth album, 'Taller In Most Ways', and was the last single released before illness forced Mutya to leave the band. With the perspective of hindsight, she either jumped from the sinking ship at just the right time, or her exit was the iceberg that began the process. Aside from 'About You Now', nothing in the post-Mutya era has even come close to the heights achieved between 2001-5. Mutya quit at the top of their game. In the October 2005 week that 'Taller In Most Ways' went on sale, the 'Babes were simultaneously top of the singles, album, airplay and download charts. And leaving the group after a song which sold half a million copies at home (as well as topping charts in Austria, Ireland and New Zealand and reaching #2 pretty much everywhere else) can't have harmed the bank balance either.

'Push The Button' is my favourite Sugababes song. It chugs along nicely, with the girls bouncing verses off each other. Keisha's vocal always stood out for me on this, when she raises the vocal stakes (and the tone) for the bridge: "I've been waiting patiently for him to come and get it, I wonder if he knows that he can say it and I'm with it". And then the harmonised chorus... the sweetness in the girls' voices shines through. It's just a lovely, sunny pop song.

68: Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

The only song performed by cartoon characters to appear in this list, 'Feel Good Inc.' lived up to its name as one of the most feel good songs of the decade. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's virtual creations outlasted many human contemporaries with their eclectic mix of trip-hop and rock. 2D, Noodle, Murdoc and Russel can now count 15 million album sales, 8 charting singles and a Grammy, for this song ("best collaboration with pop vocals").

The collaborators in question are De La Soul, whose rapping turned 'Feel Good Inc.' from a pleasant pop song with a catchy chorus into a massive international hit that wormed its way into our brains. There's a really impressive flow to the rap, and when De La Soul order "don't stop, get it, get it" you actually pay attention.



The "ah ha ha haaaaaa" is genuinely menacing, in a kind of Count from Sesame Street style - I'm not sure if Gorillaz were hoping to scare small children, but aside from those moments, this is an upbeat song of the highest quality. It peaked at #2 in the UK charts, embarassingly kept from the top spot by Tony Christie and Peter Kay's dreadful 'Amarillo'. But Gorillaz did hit the top of the charts with the follow-up to this, 'DARE', and deservedly so.

Gorillaz are working on a third album at present... the kind of longevity that the Simon Cowell reality popstars can only dream of. Long may the animated success continue.

88: Maximo Park - Going Missing

Looking back on the decade as it draws to a close, one of the obvious trends in music has been the rising popularity of the music festival. The turning point may well have been Glastonbury 2000 (100,000 tickets sold, 250,000 in attendance), and the introduction, after a year's hiatus, of the "superfence". Stricter licensing rules and tighter security meant fewer gatecrashers and less crime. Other festivals, as ever, took their cue from Glastonbury. Either way, the music festival, formerly the preserve of the crustie, emerged as the summer holiday option of choice for the discerning middle class adolescent.*

On this basis, is there a more apt song to define this decade than Maximo Park's festival anthem? Not only does the song title accurately describe the experience of most festival-goers (in the same way that Pulp's 'Sorted For E's & Wizz' did 10 years earlier), but as one of the most prolific bands on the live circuit, this song may well have been performed at more festival sets than any other song this decade.



* I count myself in this category, even though I had been attending festivals from 1997

91: Foo Fighters - Best Of You

The ultimate test of a rock song is, in my view, how it sounds when driving on a warm summer's afternoon. If it comes on the radio, do you feel an irresistible urge to wind down the windows and sing along at the top of your lungs?

'Best Of You' fits the bill in spades. From the moment Dave Grohl admits "I've got another confession to make", this is one song that never lets up. I'm sure it was no coincidence that the band chose 'Best Of You' as the lead single from fifth album, 'In Your Honor'. After major success with the previous multi platinum-selling album, 'One By One', the band must have felt the pressure to release something BIG to herald the arrival of their new long player.



There's nothing especially fancy about 'Best Of You'. It's white collar rock from a white collar band, efficient, rousing and catchy. The "wooooooooah woooooah" of the bridge is about as exciting as the song gets.... and yet... somehow, it just feels right. Five albums into a career may be a little late for it, but perhaps, with the release of 'Best Of You', Foo Fighters finally had a declared mission statement, a call to arms. And if not... well, they still have the consolation of a massive-selling single (their biggest seller to date), and a live-show staple. Those of us who had the pleasure of seeing them at Wembley Stadium in the summer of 2008 can testify to that much - the sound of 80,000 people roaring "the best, the best, the best, the best of you" sent a tingle down the spine. Instant classic.