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10 Essential Songs

Music's been pretty disappointing recently, so, I figure, why not take a look back.  I recently put together a playlist of songs that I feel are absolutely essential.  I'm gonna put that playlist on shuffle, list the 10 songs that come up, and write a sentence or so on each song just for a bit of background.  Maybe I'll turn this into a regular thing if it ends up being interesting.
  1. The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979 - The greatest song by one of the great 90's bands.  A sweet, unpretentious bit of nostalgia, very much like The Beatles' In My Life.
  2. Jay-Z - Dead Presidents II - This is the standout track on Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, the album that he built his reputation on.  His lyrics have never been more literate and complex than they are here.
  3. Mylo - Sunworshipper - This song's a forgotten classic.  It's the sonic equivalent of a perfect, peaceful sunrise.
  4. Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers - A brilliant beat with some very interesting rapping.  The video alone merits all the attention Odd Future's got last year.
  5. Kings of Leon - Closer - The best song off of the last great rock album.  Sure, the Foo Fighters and the Black Keys are getting lots of love nowadays, but, let's be honest, they're not the best, just the best we've got.  The last great rock band is the Kings of Leon and the last great rock album is Only By the Night.
  6. Neil Young - The Needle and the Damage Done - Short, simple and devastating.  Heroin addiction has never been addressed more poignantly.
  7. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit - Does anything need to be said about this song that hasn't already be said? Probably not.
  8. Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry - A humble pop ballad that's perfect all the way through.  I can hardly believe Fergie had a hand in writing this.
  9. Glasvegas - Geraldine - Glasvegas sounds like U2 decided to turn up the bass and get a Scottish accent.  Like U2, they write songs that are positively epic.  This is one of their best.
  10. System of a Down - Chop Suey! - System of a Down have always made odd, schizophrenic rock music.  At their best, their music was also well written and melodic.  Chop Suey! is undoubtedly them at their best.

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