LISTomania (Part 3)

60. The Avett Brothers - "Murder In The City" (2008)

The best song from the most impressive EP of the past few years.

59. Jay-Z - "99 Problems" (2003)

Apparently a comeback ain't one either.

58. Blitzen Trapper - "Lady On The Water" (2008)

Either all of the best indie rock bands hail from The Pacific NW, or Sub Pop is just very good at cultivating local talent. Blitzen Trapper do their best Dead imitation on last year's breakout record.

57. Cat Power - "The Greatest" (2006)

The sultry singer vies with train wreck Winehouse for best female voice of the decade.

56. Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out" (2004)

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand unleashed the fury that was World War I. Appropriately, Franz Ferdinand (the band) helped to usher in a furious post-punk revival.

55. Kanye West - "Touch The Sky" (2005)

I've always said that a horn section will pretty much make any song better. When you throw in a Curtis Mayfield sample, you have me hooked.

54. Fleet Foxes - "Mykonos" (2008)

The Sun Giant EP was just that in 2008 -- spurring the release of the Fleet Foxes' full length debut that same year, which has been getting just a little bit of praise on this blog.

53. Sufjan Stevens - "Casimir Pulaski Day" (2005)

This ballad mentions a holiday that is celebrated in Illinois for which many businesses and schools close. It's these fun facts that make me wish Sufjan Stevens would complete his 50 states project after all.

52. Jay-Z - "Empire State of Mind" (2009)

If you've ever jogged to this song along the East River at night while the skyline appears, you'll agree with me.

51. Bon Iver - "Re: Stacks" (2008)

Perhaps the best album to come from sequestering yourself in a cabin during the Wisconsin winter while recovering from pneumonia and a bad breakup.

50. Eminem - "Stan" (2000)

The song that convinced me that, "ok, maybe Eminem isn't just a gimmick."

49. The Gaslight Anthem - "The '59 Sound" (2008)

Both this song and album glorify the simpler times of growing up in a much more golden era. Hearing Brian Fallon sweat it out on a runaway American Dream makes me think of my dad's era, and whether or not we're really better off today. I know, deep.

48. The Strokes - "Hard To Explain" (2001)

Julian Casblancas' new solo effort is a promising return to form -- a positive sign that we will be hearing much more about an overdue Strokes record in the upcoming year.

47. Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood" (2001)

Who knew that Damon Albarn's pet project would produce more recognizable pop singles than his chronically hiatus-ed daytime gig?

46. Peter, Bjorn & John - "Young Folks" (2006)

The first Swedes to make an appearance on the countdown, just try to resist whistling along to this song's hook. You are destined to fail.

45. Animal Collective - "My Girls" (2009)

You know you've made it when you're littered all over Rolling Stone's year-end lists with the likes of Lady GaGa and Taylor Swift. Welcome, Animal Collective.

44. Amy Winehouse - "Tears Dry On Their Own" (2007)

Hopefully this self-destructive phase will be behind her and she'll soon enough be back to making gold. It's a crap shoot.

43. The Hives - "Hate To Say I Told You So" (2002)

This band makes it solely on one of the album's song titles: "The Hives Declare La Guerre Nucleaire".

42. Sigur Rós - "Ágætis byrjun" (2000)

This.

41. TV On The Radio - "Staring At The Sun" (2004)

Tunde Adebimpe plays a nice supporting role in the fantastic flick Rachel Getting Married. For the record, yeah that's him. He's the dude Rachel gets married to.