#2 of the 00s: The Killers

The realization of the Killers' existence came to me late this decade and hit me like a ton of bricks. This is another personal one, linked to both my best friend, Andromachi, who introduced me to them one late afternoon in her house in Manchester, and Sean, who was a great station in my life and who I've linked with "All These Things" that he used to sing to me on our drive home. It would have been number 1, but sometimes too much baggage can weigh something down to #2. Music video by Justin Timberlake from Kelly's Southland Tales.

2. The Killers - Hot Fuss

It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

-

I believe in you and me
I'm coming to find you
If it takes me all night
Wrong until you make it right
And I won't forget you
At least I'll try
And run, and run tonight
Everything will be alright

-

And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain't changing me
The cold-hearted boy I used to be

Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You know you got to help me out
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down

I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier

Over and in, last call for sin
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I've done

It Could Be Avatar's Official Music Video Inspiration

Electric Feel by MGMT from their debut Oracular Spectacular

Pocahontas was innocent. James Cameron is an MGMT fanboy.



all along the western front
people line up to receive.
she got the power in her hands
to shock you like you won't believe.
saw her in the amazon
with the voltage running through her skin
standing there with nothing on
she's gonna teach me how to swim

ooh girl
shock me like an electric eel
baby girl
turn me on with your electric feel

ooh girl
shock me like an electric eel
baby girl
turn me on with your electric feel

all along the eastern shore
put your circuits in the sea
this is what the world is for
making electricity
you can feel it in your mind
oh you can do it all the time
plug it in and change the world
you are my electric girl.

ooh girl
shock me like an electric eel
baby girl
turn me on with your electric feel

ooh girl
shock me like an electric eel
baby girl
turn me on with your electric feel

do what you feel now
electric feel now

#3 of the 00s: The Knife - Deep Cuts

Every album in my top 5 is connected to people in my life. This one to my original Slovak friend, Matus who first introduced me to my absolute favourite song of the decade, 'Pass This On', and my friend Nykos who shares my passion for the Swedish electropop family duo act.

3. The Knife - Deep Cuts

I'm in love with your brother
What's his name?
I thought I'd come by
To see him again
When you two danced
Oh what a dance
When you two laughed
Oh what a laugh
Has he mentioned my age love?
Or is he more into young girls with dyed black hair?
I'm in love with your brother
I thought I'd come by

I'm in love with your brother
Yes I am
But maybe I shouldn't ask for his name
And you danced
Oh what a dance
And you laughed
Oh what a laugh
Does he know what I do?
And you'll pass this on, wont you?
And if I ask him once what would he say?
Is he willing?
Can he play?

If I ask him once what would he say?
Is he willing?
Can he play?

Does he know what I do?
And you'll pass this on, wont you?
And if I ask him once what would he say?
Is he willing?
Can he play?

#4 of the 00s: Monika

There are two hard-to-believe facts about Monika that take people by surprise after they've listened to one of her songs.

She is Greek. She is 21 years old at the time of recording her album, Avatar, with her own music and lyrics and vocals and orchestrations.

She is yet another of these choices I connect with my friend 'Bibas-san' and with my ex partner. Bill is the friend who sent me Monika's album when I was living in Manchester more than a year ago, and was out of sync with any current trends in Greece when Monika was already starting to make waves, and Paul the person I connected to these songs, listening to them together and marveling at her talent and her expressive emotional voice that could never betray her age and, well, location. I keep seeing her out but always forget to give her Paul's admiration. :)

4. Monika - Avatar

Why, tell me why
You don't call me anymore
Don't you want me anymore

Black, it's all black
It's the colour of my heart
It's the colour of my eyes

But I'm here
Yes, I'm here
Everybody seems to mean so much
Everybody seems to think I'm fine

-

Hey, hey, hey, it's weird
My friends are coming
I will reveal them all the things I used to hide
Cause I've got pieces in my soul
And a lover in my heart I can't deny
This bloody something
That freaks me out until the night makes me say "I love you"

-

Babe, don’t worry, babe
You know that I can love you more than this
No, oh please don’t go
This world is asking for a happy couple married
Married and then bored

You have never loved me like the way I do
It was summer, more than any truth
You have never called me just to hear my voice

#5 of the 00s: Roisin Murphy

Dedicated to my most excellent super ex, and that f'in awesome night in Manchester Academy with Roisin chaning outfits on stage at frenetic pace and getting into a moon-fueled Bacchian frenzy on stage. Damn the Irish and their talent. The absolutely mad and fabulous, Roisin Murphy (whose name I still can't properly pronounce), in her second personal studio album.

5. Roisin Murphy - Overpowered

You're dating my daughter
The chromosomes match
Exact doesn't matter
A matter of fact

These amoring feelings
A cognitive state
Need the love object
To reciprocate

When I think that I'm over you
I'm overpowered
It's long overdue
I'm overpowered

-

I turn the other way
I could never turn you down
You turn me on
Don't speak out every meaning
I don't belong to you
Like you don't belong to me
So don't hold on too tightly

So let me know when you're lonely babe

-

From the primordial soup
Out of the dim and the bloom we came
We are animal
By any other name

I know what you're searching for
I pray that you find it
on the instinct
I, I don't need you hurtin boy
Animalistic

-

Tell everybody you're my baby
Tell everybody we're not fading
Tell everybody no ifs or maybes
No, no, no
Tell everybody I'm your lady
Tell everybody it's not changing
Tell everybody you're still my baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah
-

Footprints in the morning snow
You've got me rocking like an echo, echo
Fresher than the daisy eaves
It drives me crazy when you play me this

-

You know me better than I know myself

#6 of the 00s - Bat For Lashes

Bat For Lashes is the stage name of Natasha Khan, the young quirky and insanely talented girl I was so lucky to see in the first gig of her first ever solo tour, last year, where she rocked the house, despite (or in part thanks to) her nervousness and all the equipment malfunctions.
She writes songs about stories, fairy tales and dramatic personae, but they all hide a personal truth within, behind the lonely chanting of the princess atop the ivory tower.

6. Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold / Two Suns

The trophy that I made for us
In fur and gold
Got into the wrong pair of hands
And truth was sold

They bought it for, oh, so much less
Then it was worth
And every man that touched it
Found a heaven on earth

The queens and the court jesters
Clapped, adored
Their hearts swelled to
Overdrive a mercy sword

Mercy this and mercy that
Let justice prevail
But I just want my trophy back
It's not for sale

Creatures of love feed
Shoot shoot
Shoot them down
And set me free

When I got my trophy back
It took some time
To polish it, to go from black
And shoot the line

When I put it back inside
And locked the door
A trophy of mercy
Is a trophy no more

(Heaven is a feeling I get in your arms)

-

Adopting Sarah's heart
(Was never gonna be easy)
Changing from black to blonde
To black to blonde

Sarah, I want to be like you
You know sometimes I want to live like you
So I know how it feels not to feel

-

They sang to me, this is yours to wear
You're the chosen one, there's no turning back now

-

And when you smile those sad eyes
Look sadder and sadder still

#7 of the 00s - Alanis Morissette

It should be a bit shocking for people who know me that Alanis only made it to #7 of my list. She's still my absolute uncontested favourite artist, the one I'll always travel long distances to see in concert, and the one whose songs will always provide the soundtrack of my life. There is no emotional state I've been in that Alanis hasn't shared and written a song perfectly encapsulating it.

... and if I could in good conscience consider the new recording of "Jagged Little Pill" for the vote, she'd be #1, but from her 00s original albums there wasn't one I'd comfortably pick out and place higher than the six top ones in my list. Alanis rocked the music scene with her original singer/songwriter style in the 90s, but since then she's focused on her lyrics-writing and being 24/7 awesome and current, and not done something as ground-breaking with her sound. That's ok though, I wouldn't change a thing about her. So, #7, the third personal album from my #1 diva, Alanis.

7. Alanis Morissette - Feast On Scraps

You can ask for space for yourself and only yourself and I'll grant it
You can ask for freedom as well or time to travel and you'll have it
You can ask to live by yourself or love someone else and I'll support it
You can ask for anything you want anything at all and I'll understand it
(and there are no strings attached to it)

You owe me nothing for giving the love that I give
You owe me nothing for caring the way that I have
I give you thanks for receiving it's my privilege
And you owe me nothing in return

-

Oh these little rejections how they add up quickly
One small sideways look and I feel so ungood
Somewhere along the way I think I gave you the power to make
Me feel the way I thought only my father could

I can feel so unsexy for someone so beautiful
So unloved for someone so fine
I can feel so boring for someone so interesting
So ignorant for someone of sound mind

-

Dear momma's boy,
I know you've had your butt licked by your mother
I know you've enjoyed all that attention from her
And every woman graced with your presence after
Dear narcissus boy
I know you've never really apologized for anything
I know you've never really taken responsibility
I know you've never really listened to a woman

why why do I try to love you
Try to love you when you really
don't want me to

-

What's it been over a decade?
It still smarts like it was four minutes ago
We only influenced each other totally
We only bruised each other even more so

What are you my blood? You touch me like you are my blood
What are you my dad? You affect me like you are my dad

How long can a girl be shackled to you
How long before my dignity is reclaimed
How long can a girl stay haunted by you
Soon I'll grow up and I won't even flinch at your name

#8 of the 00s - Cansei de Ser Sexy / CSS

The second portuguese-speaking band in my top 20. This time from Brazil. You can't hide from your emotions...

Their name comes from a quote by Beyonce, who reportedly said she was "tired of being sexy". Brilliant. No band can beat their frenetic energy in concert, like a modern bakkheian orgy, and their sheer crazy. Heck, they even put on the spray-painted 'Bollox' white underwear I threw on stage for them to close their gig. LOVE!

8. CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy

I
I went to the beach
the bitch was so hot
she came to me and said
do you like the beach, bitch?
(from Paris Hilton)
-

I ain't no art-ist
I am an art-bitch
I sell my panties to the men i eat
I have no port-fo-lee-o
Cuz i only show
Where there's free al-co-hol

I am so hardcore
I sell my crap and people ask for more
Call me re-vo-lu-tionaire
I poo on a plate and get it published on visionaire
What i do, it's called art-shit
And don't you dare make fun of me
Cuz everything i do was featured on the pages of id

#9 of the 00s - Tori Amos

I didn't used to *get* Tori Amos. That was before I stumbled on the music video for "God" which ticked something in my mind and turned the blinds off to the beauty and drama of her music. I had bought and listened to all her albums by the end of that week.

I had to choose one album of hers for my 20 (unlike my dear Bibas-san) and that was Strange Little Girls, for her most heart-wrenching song, '97 Bonnie and Clyde the reversal and owning of one of Eminem's most 'female-unfriendly' songs, by releasing it again from the murdered wife's POV without changing the lyrics. I couldn't think of a most quintessentially Tori Amos thing to represent her with.

9. Tori Amos - Strange Little Girls / Beekeeper / Scarlet's Walk

Just the two of us..
Baby your da-da loves you
And I'ma always be here for you (hey) no matter what happens
You're all I got in this world
I would never give you up for nothin
Nobody in this world is ever gonna keep you from me
I love you

C'mon Hai-Hai, we goin to the beach
Grab a couple of toys and let da-da strap you in the car seat
Oh where's mama? She's takin a little nap in the trunk
Oh that smell da-da musta runned over a skunk
Now I know what you're thinkin - it's kind of late to go swimmin
But you know your mama, she's one of those type of women
that do crazy things, and if she don't get her way, she'll throw a fit
Don't play with da-da's toy knife, honey, let go of it
And don't look so upset, why you actin bashful?
Don't you wanna help da-da build a sand castle?
And mama said she wants to show how far she can float
And don't worry about that little boo-boo on her throat
It's just a little scratch - it don't hurt, her was eatin
dinner while you were sweepin and spilled ketchup on her shirt
Mama's messy isn't she? We'll let her wash off in the water
and me and you can pway by ourselves, can't we?

See honey.. there's a place called heaven and a place called hell
A place called prison and a place called jail
And da-da's probably on his way to all of em except one
Cause mama's got a new husband and a stepson
And you don't want a brother do ya?
Maybe when you're old enough to understand a little better
I'll explain it to ya
But for now we'll just say mama was real real bad
She was bein mean to dad and made him real real mad
But I still feel sad that I put her on time-out
Sit back in your chair honey, quit tryin to climb out (WAHH!)
I told you it's okay HaiHai, wanna ba-ba?
Take a night-night? Nan-a-boo, goo-goo ga-ga?
Her make goo-goo ca-ca? Da-da change your dia-dee
Clean the baby up so her can take a nighty-nighty
Your dad'll wake her up as soon as we get to the water
Ninety-seven Bonnie and Clyde, me and my daughter

Wake up sweepy head we're here, before we pway
we're gonna take mama for a wittle walk along the pier
Baby, don't cry honey, don't get the wrong idea
Mama's too sweepy to hear you screamin in her ear
That's why you can't get her to wake, but don't worry
Da-da made a nice bed for mommy at the bottom of the lake
Here, you wanna help da-da tie a rope around this rock?
We'll tie it to her footsie then we'll roll her off the dock
Ready now, here we go, on the count of free..
One.. two.. free.. WHEEEEEE!
There goes mama, spwashin in the wa-ta
No more fightin wit dad, no more restraining order
No more step-da-da, no more new brother
Blow her kisses bye-bye, tell mama you love her (mommy!)
Now we'll go play in the sand, build a castle and junk
But first, just help dad with two more things out the trunk