Dan-O Comes Through: His "Decade's Top 20"

A good friend of mine out in Indiana comes through with a fun e-mail ever so often. The last one detailed his eldest son Ian's whiz-bang tour of the national geography bee. Ian kicked some serious locational butt, but maybe more fun for me was reading Dan's rundown of the whole thing, taking me back to our side-by-side desks in that newsroom south of Indy where we'd edit each other's weekly columns, firing ideas and challenges back and forth.

This week, as the decade comes to a close (is that possible?) I received his latest. He's chosen his Top 20 songs of the past 10 years. His list comes with the warning: May Not Be For The Eclectic. Of course, that doesn't include you because, after all, you're reading this.

Now, the music he's chosen isn't exactly all new, in the literal sense. But plenty was new to me, so I decided to pass it along, in case you've been looking for something "new," too.

So, here goes, complete with his commentaries. Hope you find something you enjoy.

Gracias, Dan-O. I approve.

20. A goofy song, but unmistakably catchy. The Apparitions: God, Monkey, Robot

19. My favorite track from my favorite album of 2008, from the sadly departed Chicago band Bound Stems. Bound Stems: Sugar City Magic

18. Closing out the decade, Metric turned in one of the finest albums of the year. I could have easily gone with three or four songs to represent the Fantasies album. Metric: Sick Muse

17. Another album featuring a number of songs that could have landed a spot here. Cloud Cult: Take Your Medicine

16. One of a handful of stellar songs off the band's 23 album. Blonde Redhead: Spring and By Summer Fall

15. A few years ago I had the good fortune to attend a metals conference in Austin the same week as South by Southwest. I saw these guys, and a few others, in a small courtyard between two bars. I'd love to return for the entire festival. The Wombats: Moving to New York

14. I'll never understand why horns aren't featured more frequently in popular music. Spoon had one of the most consistent runs throughout the decade. Spoon, The Underdog

13. I picked up this album back in 2006 on the strength of this song and another, Life of Leisure (actually my favorite, though there's no great sounding video). I was playing it one day and Ian happened to enjoy it as well. A few months later, I took him to his first show, an all ages show at Metro near Wrigley. He was, as you can imagine, the youngest lad in the place. As we were on our way out (Rainer Maria was 3 out of 4 on the bill), I noticed the lead singer (the pretty redhead in the video), talking to some folks. Belatedly, I realized that I should have stopped and introduced my boy, figuring she'd enjoy meeting a 9-year-old kid. The following day, I sent her an e-mail through the band's site, and she responded with a nice note to my son, explaining how she saw us and was hoping we'd have introduced ourselves. It was a pretty neat experience all around, primarily because I got to take my boy to his first show. Rainer Maria: Catastrophe

12. Hey, if you write an estimated 7,500 songs over the course of a decade like former GBV frontman Robert Pollard did, one of them is bound to be one of the best. As far as albums go, their previous disc, Isolation Drills, was one of my favorites of the past 10 years. Guided by Voices: Everywhere with Helicopter

11. Formerly known as Say Hi (To Your Mom). Basically one dude. Say Hi: Northwestern Girls

10. A surprising choice for my favorite album of 2009. Play loud. A Place to Bury Strangers: Keep Slipping Away

9. Now for something a little slower. Beautiful song. Sun Kil Moon: Carry Me Ohio

8. This Scottish band put out one of my favorite discs of the decade, 100 Broken Windows. Idlewild: Roseability

7. A song from a great EP from this Austin band. Voxtrot: Rise up in the Dirt

6. I don't know if it's a life-changing experience, as Natalie Portman's character suggested in Garden State, but it is a damn fine song. The Shins: New Slang

5. What Smashing Pumpkins might sound like today if Billy Corgan wasn't so impressed with being Billy Corgan. Silversun Pickups: Kissing Families

4. It may not leave you dancing, though it should encourage you to shake your head and arms wildly. Tapes and Tapes: Insistor

3. Who wouldn't want a cool name like Roscoe? They've got a new album coming out in a few months. Midlake: Roscoe

2. Critical darlings, these guys are somewhat hit or miss for me. TV on the Radio: Wolf Like Me

1. This collection of really talented musicians put out four outstanding albums during the decade. Listen closely and you can hear the parts of the song that appeared in a University of Phoenix commercial. Interesting how many great indie tunes wound up pitching products over the last decade. New Pornographers: Bleeding Heart Show

*****

One more fun one. This one's mine. Another from Silversun Pickups.