Top 15 Coldplay Songs

For a long time now – probably since their world-conquering first two albums, Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head – Coldplay have been a band too big to be critically cool.
No doubt there's some tall-poppy-syndrome at play – after all, what good is a band when they become ultra-mainstream? – but much of their output since Rush of Blood has been all too easy for those of critical eyes and ears to poke holes in.
By-the-numbers stadium pop-rock (at times sounding more like U2 than U2).
Cloyingly sentimental.
Made-for-FM electro tosh.
And some of the lyrics! "You cut me down a tree / And brought it back to me / And that's what made me see / Where I was going wrong..."
All that said, the band's back catalogue is decent, as evidenced by the 15 cuts below. It's a list dominated by Parachutes and Rush of Blood but 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends holds up pretty well in terms of track quality.
Their Australian tour kicks off in Brisbane tonight, and they hit Melbourne this weekend. As far as concerts go, they put on a good show. I went along when they last toured in 2012 and was impressed... especially when they dug out the nuggets from, yep, the first two albums.

 1. Amsterdam A Rush of Blood to the Head
 2. Clocks A Rush of Blood to the Head
 3.   Strawberry Swing Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
 4. Spies Parachutes 
 5. Viva la Vida Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
 6. Politik A Rush of Blood to the Head
 7. Don't Panic Parachutes
 8. Yellow Parachutes
 9. Warning Sign A Rush of Blood to the Head
10. Bigger Stronger Blue Room (EP)
11. In My Place A Rush of Blood to the Head
12. Lost! Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
13. Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
14. Trouble Parachutes
15. Low X&Y

Top 15 Title Tracks

As a kid I always thought the title track should be the best song of its namesake album. I know now, of course, that this isn't the reality - although a title track should, at the very least, be thematically representative of the album's whole.
The following list comprises tunes that are not only great in their own right, but also act as central points on the albums from which they are lifted. Not all the albums are classics, but this is an exercise in choosing the best title tracks, not albums. At any rate, with albums like Pink Moon, Astral Weeks, Kid A, What's Going On and Grace represented, it's a fine roll call by anyone's language...  whether it's the song or the album we're talking about.
Same old story regarding the final cut; there's only 15 spots, so title-track gems like Bowie's ""Heroes"", The Boss' "Born to Run", Prince's "Purple Rain", The Beatles' "Let It Be" and The Doors' "L.A. Woman" (among a host of others) don't get a look in. But it's hard to dispute those that did.
Well I don't, anyway.

 1.  Pink Moon Nick Drake
 2.  Imagine John Lennon
 3.  Astral Weeks Van Morrison
 4.  Marquee Moon Television
 5.  Kid A Radiohead
 6.  Station to Station David Bowie
 7.  All Things Must Pass George Harrison
 8.  What’s Going On Marvin Gaye 
 9.  Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd
10. I See A Darkness Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
11. Grace Jeff Buckley
12. Hotel California Eagles
13. London Calling The Clash
14. Carrie & Lowell Sufjan Stevens
15. American Pie Don McLean

Top 15 Radiohead Songs

It's an event, each new Radiohead release. And this time around, they've outdone themselves, first erasing themselves from the internet and then, in a whirlwind four-day period, unveiling two singles - "Burn the Witch", with its dark, stabbing strings and arresting video, and the glitchy, lugubrious "Daydreaming" - and dropping their first long-player in five years.
A Moon Shaped Pool has been warmly received, even if most are still stabbing in the dark as to what the band are on about; what they're trying to do. ("Gosh, it's depressing." "Poor, heartbroken Thom: such a beautiful soul.") It's an unsettling, sonically layered grower; to these ears on par with The King of Limbs and ahead of Pablo Honey but trailing the rest of the band's albums in terms of song quality and richness. But to dismiss it as underwhelming is the easy way out; it demands a slow unfurling, and my views in two weeks' time might well be vastly different. (Indeed, "Present Tense" and "Identikit" are two tracks to bloom dramatically in my reckoning these past few days.)
At the very least, A Moon Shaped Pool is further proof of Thom's elasticity; his need to stretch out; his band, never stagnant.
Here are their top 15 songs to date.

 1.   Let Down OK Computer
 2.   Paranoid Android OK Computer
 3.   How to Disappear Completely Kid A
 4.   Karma Police OK Computer
 5.   Bodysnatchers In Rainbows 
 6.   Kid A Kid A
 7.   There There Hail to the Thief
 8.   Pyramid Song Amnesiac
 9.   Bones The Bends
10.  Subterranean Homesick Alien OK Computer
11.  2+2=5 Hail to the Thief
12.  Like Spinning Plates (Piano) I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings

13.  Present Tense A Moon Shaped Pool

14.  Fake Plastic Trees The Bends
15.  15 Step In Rainbows 

16.  Separator The King of Limbs  
17.  Myxamatosis Hail to the Thief

18.  Blowout Pablo Honey

19.  No Surprises OK Computer

20.  Lotus Flower The King of Limbs

 

Token thought: Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "The Dead Flag Blues"

If you think you're having a dark day, then don't listen to this, the musical equivalent of an apocalypse.
Perhaps the most arresting piece of music I've ever heard.
Best to consume while the head's in neutral territory on a Wednesday, or to rein in the office worker's internal affray come Friday afternoon.
Don't use as an antidote to Mondayitis.

Top 15 Guns N' Roses Songs

It's the April Fools' joke that never was. Axl Rose, the new lead singer of AC/DC. In light of the news – or furore if you’re a Brian Johnson fan – it’s as opportune a time as any to revisit the catalogue of the controversial, world-conquering band he fronted when we were all kids (or younger adults).
Given Guns N' Roses' legacy it might seem surprising that they only released three 'proper' albums (G N' R Lies is a half-hour hodgepodge of live and acoustic tracks, The Spaghetti Incident a cash-grab, and the less said about Chinese Democracy the better), but in each they packaged in such menace and melody that it was near impossible to look away. Balladry or hard-rocking belters, it didn't matter: they were a band in complete control, and very much of their time. Appetite for Destruction was surely one of the all-time great debuts.
Axl was the consummate frontman; even devout AC/DC fans can’t dispute that. But should he be on board at AC/DC? Well, sometimes things should just be left alone.

 1. Estranged Use Your Illusion II
 2. Welcome to the Jungle Appetite for Destruction
 3. Sweet Child of Mine Appetite for Destruction

 4. Patience G N' R Lies
 5. November Rain Use Your Illusion I
 6.  Coma Use Your Illusion I
 7.  It’s So Easy Appetite for Destruction
 8.  Civil War Use Your Illusion II
 9.  Mr Brownstone Appetite for Destruction
10. Locomotive Use Your Illusion II
11. Paradise City Appetite for Destruction
12. Nightrain Appetite for Destruction
13. Knockin' on Heaven's Door Use Your Illusion II
14. My Michelle Appetite for Destruction
15. 14 Years Use Your Illusion II

Top 15 'Monday to Sunday' Songs

As a parent of three young children, the distinction between weekdays and weekends that once punctuated my life isn't so relevant any more. Sure, I generally don’t go into work on weekends, but instead I'm swamped by the demands of a trio of little princesses, and putting out spot fires such as who has control over over the iPad, which Shopkins belong to whom, and encountering meltdowns over the most trivial of things, like the Freddo Frogs I bought home as a treat.
"Mine is too big!" Avie, the four-year-old middle child, wails.
Beautiful stuff.
In TDBK – The Days Before Kids – each day of the week had a specific feel; the wincing and wallowing of Monday and Tuesday; the speed bumps and pub trivia of Wednesday; the getting-there anticipation of Thursday; before Friday and Saturday bestowed the fallacy of freedom.
Sunday has always been a different beast. It's a day of merriment for settled souls; for those with only themselves to look after, it's often a default of headaches and grey skies. Reality invariably bites on a the last day of the week; no wonder there have been so many memorable songs written about Sunday.
Here are the top 15 'Monday to Sunday' songs:

 1.  One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend) Wilco (2011)
 2.  Friday On My Mind The Easybeats (1966)
 3.  Sunday Bloody Sunday U2 (1983)
 4.  Friday I'm In Love The Cure (1992)
 5.  Wednesday Morning 3AM Simon & Garfunkel (1964)
 6.  Sunday Morning The Velvet Underground (1967)
 7.  Monday Matt Corby (2015)
 8.  Drive-In Saturday David Bowie (1973)
9. Lazy Sunday Small Faces (1968)
10. Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down Johnny Cash (1970)
11. Joe Harper Saturday Morning Van Morrison (1991)
12. Blue Monday New Order (1983)
13. Sunday Bloc Party (2007)
14. I Don't Like Mondays The Boomtown Rats (1979)
15. Ruby Tuesday The Rolling Stones (1967)

Top 15 Sigur Rós Songs

It began not with this unsettling, elongated murmur but a thrillful pop number whose title translated in English to "Within Me a Lunatic Sings". It was 2007 and I was a decade late, but at least I found them. Or they found me.
The frenetic "Gobbledigook" hit me next - it was getting some airplay on Triple j, my major source for new music at the time - and then I had the the album from which these two songs came, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, in my possession. The glorious meshing of euphoria and melancholy had me hooked.
Research decreed Sigur Rós' second long-player, Ágætis byrjun, a classic, so that moody, textural beast was added next, closely followed by Takk…, (), Hvarf/Heim, Von and even the Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do EP. By the time Valtari and then Kveikur dropped, I was an established fan.
It was, in hindsight, a little strange to be so eagerly taking in music so mournful, for I was basking in the glow of a new love at the time. Although, it made perfect sense; within their vast scope sits love's roller coaster. I was thankful that I hadn’t discovered Sigur Rós a year earlier, whilst in the choker-hold of a major break up.
The Icelandic collective's knack of dredging up new levels of emotion is without peer; their sound is one of human vulnerability in the headlights, amplified through a sea of strings and Jónsi's voice, an achingly beautiful instrument in itself. We understand not a word - their lyrics are, of course, a mix of Icelandic and 'Hopelandic', a self-invented language - but this only adds to the allure. Choose your own adventure; or, better still, let them choose it for you.
They’ve been a constant companion for almost a decade now. The poppier numbers from Takk… and Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust powering my runs; the dark, graceful and ever-unhurried epics of Ágætis byrjun and () soundtracking quieter days at work, or wintry, red-wine-mellowed Sunday afternoons preparing slow-cooked dinners.
I dream of one day seeing them live in Reykjavík.
Here are Sigur Rós' best 15 songs:

 1.  Hoppípolla Takk…

 2.  Untitled #8 (Popplagið) ()
 3.  Inní mér syngur vitleysingur Með suð í eyrum...
 4.  Glósóli Takk…
 5.  Starálfur Ágætis byrjun
 6.  Svo hljótt Takk…
 7.  Olsen Olsen Ágætis byrjun
 8.  Við spilum endalaust Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
 9.  Svefn-g-englar Ágætis byrjun
10. Untitled #4 (Njósnavélin) ()
11. Gong Takk…
12. Hljómalind Hvarf/Heim
13. Gobbledigook Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
14. Hafsól [Hvarf version] Hvarf/Heim
15. Ísjaki Kveikur

16. Se Lest Takk...
17. Ekki múkk" Valtari
18. 

Top 15 David Bowie Songs

In the wake of the hullabaloo following David Bowie's death, I have three of his albums on high rotation: 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars; and, from 1976 and 1977 (a period in which he famously subsided on cocaine, red peppers and milk), Station to Station and Low.
While ...Ziggy Stardust is deservedly hailed as the Thin White Duke's quintessential classic, the latter two are surely his most influential and experimental. Station to Station is a bloated, brilliant beast, all coke-dusted urgency with moments of divine tenderness (see "Word on a Wing"); Low, the first of the so-called 'Berlin Trilogy', a kaleidoscope of colour and texture, its tunes evaporating just as they warm up, its latter half all Eno-conjured ambience and no vocal – and yet it works. Nostril-clogged he may have been, but the man was in control: the two albums blend soul, art-rock, funk, electronica and avant-pop to incomparable affect.
Here are, ahem, Bowie's 15 best songs. It's a list that would have had much more of a 'normal' – or 'greatest hits' – feel three months ago; now it's energised with tracks from the aforementioned albums. While I feel a little guilty that it took his death to truly appreciate these sublime works, I'm glad that I did get around to them: they've shaped and soundtracked 2016's first quarter.
Naturally, some bona fide belters miss the cut, including "The Man Who Sold the World", "Five Years", "Queen Bitch", "Golden Years", "TVC15", "Sound and Vision", "What in the World", "Young Americans", "Rebel Rebel", "Let's Dance" and his epic sign-off, "Blackstar".
Finally, a word on "Under Pressure". As a duet with Freddie Mercury that appeared on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space, it doesn't qualify. Top five, comfortably, if it did. The tune's true quality, and the sheer genius of its collaborators, is best captured on this vocal-only track. Lots of talent-less dross have tainted popular music over the years; Bowie and Mercury are shining examples of the other end of the spectrum.

 1.  Word On A Wing Station to Station
 2.  Space Oddity Space Oddity
 3.  Life On Mars? Hunky Dory
 4.  Quicksand Hunky Dory [also capably covered by End of Fashion]
 5.  Starman The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...
 6.  Suffragette City The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...
 7.  Station to Station Station to Station
 8.  "Heroes" "Heroes" 
 9.  Always Crashing in the Same Car Low
10. Ashes to Ashes Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
11. Changes Hunky Dory
12. Breaking Glass Low 
13. Ziggy Stardust The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...
14. Moonage Daydream The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...
15. Modern Love Let's Dance 

Top 15 'Sun' Songs

Some tunes just exude warmth; their harmonies and silky musicianship transforming you from the grey smudge of winter - or your mind - to a sprawling sandy beach or pool-side lounge chair, cool drink to hand, the rays roasting your skin.
Here’s are the 15 best tracks with the word ‘sun’ – or a variant such as ‘sunrise’, ‘sunshine’ or ‘sunset' – in the title. (I've excluded ‘Sunday’, that’s for the upcoming ‘Weekday’ list.)
Some use the scorching star to atmospheric effect, some use it as a metaphor for love, while some are just good songs.
Honorable mentions are many, including: The Beach Boys’ "Warmth of the Sun"; Fleet Foxes’ "Sun it Rises"; Brian Cadd’s "A Little Ray of Sunshine"; Sex Pistols’ "Holidays in the Sun"; Soundgarden’s "Black Hole Sun"; Chemical Brothers’ "Setting Sun"; Violent Femmes’ "Blister in the Sun"; and The Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition".
And Katrina and the Waves’ "Walking on Sunshine", I guess.

 1.  Here Comes The Sun The Beatles
 2.  Waterloo Sunset The Kinks
 3.  I'll Follow The Sun The Beatles
 4.  You Are The Sunshine Of My Life Stevie Wonder
 5.  You Are My Sunshine Rice Brothers / Jimmie Davis
 6.  Ain’t No Sunshine Bill Withers
 7.  Got My Sunshine Mojave 3
 8.  Things Behind The Sun Nick Drake
 9.  Sun In Your Eyes Grizzly Bear
10. The House Of The Rising Sun The Animals
11. Sunloathe Wilco
12. Sunshine Of Your Love Cream
13. Sunny Afternoon The Kinks
14. Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In The 5th Dimension
15. Sun Is Shining Bob Marley & the Wailers

Top 15 'Sweet' Songs

While not on a par with ‘love’, the word ‘sweet’ has become a saccharine lyrical constant in its own right, so much that when musicians use it – particularly in song titles – it can be hard to take them seriously.
Is she really sweet? Is life really bittersweet?
Here are 15 ‘sweet’ tracks not so mired in cliché. (Well, the U2 number is, but one guilty pleasure is surely allowed.) As always with lists, it’s subjective – although seriously, if you don’t have the same top five as me, what is wrong with you?

 1.  Sweet Thing Van Morrison
 2. My Sweet Lord George Harrison
 3. Sweet Lullaby Deep Forest
 4. Bittersweet Symphony The Verve
 5.  Sweet Child O'Mine Guns N' Roses
 6. Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond
 7.  When You Were Sweet Sixteen The Fureys and Davey Arthur
 8. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Traditional / Fisk Jubilee Singers
 9. Ain't She Sweet Milton Ager and Jack Yellen
10. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone Aretha Franklin
11. Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. Sweet Jane The Velvet Underground
13. Sweet About Me Gabriella Cilmi
14. The Sweetest Thing U2
15. Sweet Dreams Eurythmics