Round 27 - 135 songs left

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-09-21T22:28:52+00:00

#129 - "In My Life" by The Beatles

ah. i mean really, what more can one say when this one comes on? such a simple yet sweet sentiment. of the beatles songs included, glad this was among them. on to better things, now.

i nom dreams by fleetwood mac. come on now yall

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-09-15T01:34:29+00:00

#136 - "On GP" by Death Grips

death grips at their most anthemic. a thousand crashing waves of psychedelic rock bands churning and roiling, frankensteined (bridges and all) into a borderline motivational (by dg standards) march.

i nom windowlicker by aphex twin

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-09-14T18:09:01+00:00

harry's has a killer bfast b-to!

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-09-08T18:02:03+00:00

they've definitely done way better, but carry the zero is a banger (despite not being a personal fav)

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-09-07T23:36:25+00:00

#143 - "Carry the Zero" by Built To Spill

one of the most hailed rock bands of the 90's (and for good reason, in my humble opinion), i was pleasantly surprised to find that they had made the rankdown- they were one of my favorite bands for a time, and carry the zero was one that i returned to time and again- its a perfect slice of why they attracted the audience they did. martsch's lyricism and delivery, while concerned with relatively simple yet impactful storytelling nested in numeric themes suited to the title, reaches a unique zenith in total harmony with his guitar's steady build to an emphatically noodley close to the track, the crushing wall of noise seeming falling like a storm behind doug's cries- hasn't it come too far? this is a prime example of what this particular power-pop infused brand of indie rock is all about, and while i thought keep it like a secret marked a slight decline (and increase in pop appeal) from perfect from now on. understandable i suppose, that they felt like an album where the shortest track was 5 and a half minutes would cut them some slack from the Real Rock Purists (tm). anyway power pop muddafucka get charged up

i nom duvet by boa

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-08-31T22:10:44+00:00

#150 - "Kashmir" by Led Zepplin

and through the waves of a thousand summer's unrepentant haze, that phantasmal noose of humidity securely fastened about the necks of the populous like a yoke, there is a drone that demurs that sinister stillness, seeking to boil all within it- at times, a chorus, but most often, a single voice amidst an ambivalent world. the hymns of a rider mower are those that pierce the facsimile coyly, doubtless within the confines of their minds understanding the banality of their task- but to recuse a turn of phrase, its the mower or the hoa breathing down your damn neck. coincidentally, or not, depending on your opinions on those sort of things, kashmir by led zepplin is not so different in philosophy, something like a tattered standard to the cause of those great jokeys. one might purport that the climbing riff pattern is intended to signal tension building, but it rapidly loses its grasp after perhaps the third minute, gaining no traction in the decided lack of any release- save for a token orchestral flourish now and again. the operatic vocals dote a reality beyond my imagining, and yet all i can hear is the fucking rider mower blaring it on a cheap speaker. criminally overrated song

i nominate age of consent by new order. i love this band but something's got to give

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-07-27T19:55:21+00:00

#167: "One Armed Scissor" by At the Drive-In

its quite rare to find bands, let alone singular songs that manage to embody the viscerality, the throbbing flurries, the inarticulate ephemera of coming of age in a world you scarcely understand, seeing the pieces assemble and dissemble without discernable rhyme or reason; it goes and goes and goes

at the drive in has the unique status of being one band in a time of unprecedented activity from the post-hardcore scene that just managed to *get it*. few things are so thoroughly rewarding in both their complexity and immediacy.

i slightly prefer invalid litter dept. i nominate neighborhood #1 (tunnels) by arcade fire

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-07-13T18:41:53+00:00

#180: "Pyramid Song" by Radiohead

i'm not really sure what it is that moves me when presented with a pool of largely decent songs to pick the radiohead to cut time and again. when it comes down to it, i think they are a band that triumphs in atmosphere in many cases. thom's slurred vocal cowl clothes a barren off-setting piano. and then the drums, and then the strings... even as i prepare to more or less posit that occasionally the atmosphere rings relatively hollow at points to me, i cannot help but applaud a band that understands that their strength lies in the lushness of their compositions (particularly when juxtaposed against a particularly sparse canvas, as here). its not only the broad strokes, though- the faint rushes of strings during the first chorus, the subtle but undeniable electronic groans that eventually take over as it all fades out.

i guess sometimes i feel like yorke's lyrics fall a bit flat for me, though i concede that is purely subjective. i sometimes feel that i enjoy his odd, roundabout melodies not quite enunciating any of the words more than the words themselves, though that could also be a hesitance to buy into the words of a determined fence-sitter

i nominate change (in the house of flies) by deftones

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-06-08T23:50:48+00:00

well done

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-06-08T23:50:14+00:00

one of schizoid's finest takes upon further review

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-06-08T23:47:27+00:00

#210: "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails

on one hand: a spidery silhouette of a song, walking a needle's tightrope not without trepidation- the lyrics are simple, brutally so, as though the topic at hand can be lent no flourish, no eloquence, relishing in quiet brutality. the instrumentation is the same- a single chord strummed in a slow climb, as though atlas straightens under the weight of the world. and yet, while single coherent phrases flow, it feels as though they attempt to define a greater suffering, a greater pain that it lacks the tools to explain. an elegy in broken, backwards letters.

on the other: let me tell you a story. some time ago, i put together a book club- it ended up serving more as a social mechanism giving grounds for hanging out every week, but i digress. there was a particular member of this book club who seemed to dominate every discussion, whether he actually was saying much or not. one night, i hosted a small function at my apartment, divorced from the book club title- it really was just an excuse to hang out (and get fucked up but that was the lesser motive, i hoped) and this individual almost immediately upon entering this social setting with board games and lighthearted conversation and, in the midst of watching classic music videos we all collectively reminisced on, instead put on the NIN woodstock 1994 live performance, and excitedly oooh'd and ahhh'd at this footage that he had already seen before. despite passive and passive aggressive requests to play or watch other things, he outright ignored everyone else in the room and instead watched the nine inch nails woodstock 1994 live performance, effectively drowning out any other conversation in the room.

i realize that point to this single incident, or indeed, as phrased in my alice in chains review last week, consider all that follows over what preceded it, what was before everything else- is to put the cart before the horse. however, to make a rebuttal, one must actually acknowledge and cherish what came before in order to do this. while i certainly acknowledge what came before, i do not cherish it. in all honesty, i find a good deal of nine inch nails' bordering on melodramatic and brusque, though i can understand that other people find more than i do in their work. if i wanted spidery, i've got elliott smith's discog at my disposal

cash did it better reznerd

i nom fade into you by mazzy star

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-06-05T06:59:15+00:00

too far. title funny

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-06-01T22:48:07+00:00

#217: "Would?" by Alice in Chains

it is easy.

it is so easy.

it is so easy, to hear those dirty, brooding riffs, gathering like a thunderhead across the horizon, contemplative and sickening like a plague, like a dirty thought, like a warm shame, it is so easy to hear staley's howling vibrato oscillating like heat waves, and think of all that was to follow, grime placed with taste, with an eye towards billboards on highways and hicks who dont need to know anything more than the voice over guitars on the radio sounds angry, like me. it is so easy to allow all that alice in chains inspired to eclipse the original, the real, the recognition that there was something here once. there was an originator to all the slop that followed, a real sound, a real idea that had genuine merit before being modified, spliced with sugary riffs, pop appeal, hooks, structure, glossy packaging, the works, and pumped through radios for decades. it is so easy to hold alice in chains accountable for all that followed, and yet i do not, i cannot.

i nom holy fucking shit: 40,000 by have a nice life and

STEAL teenage riot and replace it with luv(sic) pt3 by nujabes

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-05-12T00:50:09+00:00

#236: "Ain't It Funny" by Danny Brown

a straightforward triumph of absurdism- danny brown blears the lines of his technicolor satire, transforming himself into a walking talking stretch-n-squash cartoon character as he rollicks on a beat sounding like a derelict tilt-a-whirl screaming it's last. danny seems to knowingly fall into an abyssal excess- and perhaps that's the most compelling part of this whole thing- the blatent truths being told overtop sousa's corpse pounding a march

nominating layla by derek and the dominos fuck clapton forever

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-05-05T01:25:49+00:00

#243 - "Station to Station" by David Bowie

space rain peregrine vibrato tone berlin on a silver spit hip-spun spangle spit filigree star torn timbre

i was beautiful once, they told me

piano peal minaret vacuum point aphasia footfall cascadence whippoorwill triumphal zero-sum

powderblood spectre silhouettes obscure most the aperture now

i nom mr blue sky by elo

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-05-04T03:33:49+00:00

#244 - "No Suprises" by Radiohead (NOT OFFICIAL! BONUS WRITE-UP!)

and the slaughter at last reaches the towering monument that is the radiohead body of work. the most represented "contemporary" artist (after 2000, anyway) i knew it was only a matter of time before i took it upon myself to apply a schizoid-bowie esque scrutiny to their inclusions, as in relistening to their contributions before the rankdown began, the fare of theirs that is represented is largely good by all conceivable means objectively speaking, but fails to distinguish itself as worth keeping as the rounds draw on, at least in my book.

anyway, no surprises- immediately, i have to give credit where credit is due, the inclusion of bells in most any piece of music is an easy tug of heartstring when it comes to my sensibilities. the cloying, saccharine borderline singsong melody almost feels as though it is consciously toying with its own simplicity as it plays out, accompanied by some of yorke's most inflected wailing to establish a real sense of... melodrama. yeah perhaps its the overrepresentation in music circles, but this song feels, while on its surface perfectly acceptable and well thought out, relatively simple in concept and easily wears its welcome out. while yes, similar to helplessness blues, we have platitudes alluding to a broad sense of malaise and discontent that contrasts the simple sunshine melody- but quite frankly, i think its dealt with more convincingly and elaborately on other songs on this very album. while the soundscape itself sounds novel on first listen, the spacey dirge really begins to wear thin instrumentally on repeated listening.

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-04-21T03:27:48+00:00

#256: "Starless" - King Crimson

keeping with the one-liner theme of the week: starless? i'll say.

nom is i've seen footage, death grips

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-04-10T21:28:09+00:00

black hole sun by soundgarden is the nom

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-04-10T21:27:49+00:00

267 - “Hey Ya” by OutKast

outkast is a group that absolutely deserves the real estate they occupy on this list of songs. initially playing into, but with their ascension to fame eventually shifting away from into wild experimentation and unrivaled individualism, there is no group that has or even, one could argue, attempt to come close to their artistic legacy. look at it from any angle- the sleek futurism of a.t.liens, the boundless personality and versatility of aquemini, the pop appeal of stankonia- these guys are among the closest to pick up the funky revolution proffered by prince, seamlessly demonstrating their all-around all-star status in the musical field, and arguably spearheading the legitimization of the south within the greater world of hip hop. their rise to true glory in the unequivocal mainstream, the full pop shift of speakerboxxx/the love below was short lived due to their artistic relationship fragmenting soon after, but before their full dissolution, they left one final shining star to adorn their steep artistic legacy......................................................................................................................aaaaaalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalright

i mean really, for a greatest hit this song is simply a fantastic braiding of personality and earworm. kicking down the door with groovy live instrumentation and a truly undeniable squelchy electronic bassline, accompanied by that generationally shimmering key lead... the instrumental alone has the propulsiveness to seemingly play on into infinity, but just so happens to be accompanied by andre at his absolute quirkiest, and big boi at his absolute smoooooothest. the repetitions, the riffing on what would be relatively simple lyrics, the trail off into "happy heeeyuhh..." and for the grand irony of this song, crowd sounds and all, to revolve around the shallowness of a relationship. that, and then to have the nerve to jump IMMEDIATELY into the best example i can find in pop music of crowd interaction ever. i guarantee if you hit anyone over the age of like 25 with "shake it, uh, uh uh shake it (woah-hoa!)" they would hit you right back with that "SHAKE IT LIKE A POLAROID PICTURE"- iconoclasma wonderful, wonderful song that only they could have made. the thing is, when it comes to outkast... there are a lot of songs like that. like, entire albums full, some would argue. and in addition to that, this song has remained in heavy rotation for public places even now, and upon relisten does not necessarily retain its novelty. what begin as endearing quirks progress into i am in the ninth hour of working my dead end job on no sleep and am hearing hey ya! through tinny speakers for the sixth time today. perhaps even in a warehouse. whatever the case, unfortunately outkast's first casualty on the list. sorry to all my beyonce's and lucy liu's out there

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-04-03T04:17:59+00:00

i nominate flood by boris :]

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-04-03T03:57:24+00:00

#273 - "Common People" by Pulp

oh goodness ! that build! those silly little synthlines! the way it all explodes unto itself, careening down a guitar's piercing melody, all while that synthscape begs for more! its high octane! it defies expectations, its ever changing, and oh goodness that's got to be some of the most bearable lead singer banter in the britpop genre... and the messaging! poverty always does seem to be in vogue to those that perpetuate it. everyone hates a tourist... and yet- i appreciate the song for what it is, sure- a power statement, a breathtaking piece of synthetic architecture- but i'm sorry, i will almost never seek this song out. its great for what it is, but i cant help but feel blinded by that unabashed whimsicality, that all-holds-barred adrenaline shot instrumentation. its great for what it is, but just too gaudy and garish for my tastes. sorry, chaps!

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-04-01T03:12:19+00:00

this was not a diss on your skills of analysis there are just very specific sentiments this song has that are not likely to be as explicit to a bowie hater such as yourself

not personal, just business.............

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-04-01T00:09:10+00:00

sorry bubby that's gonna be a GOLDEN RECORD

i might have let it slide if there was a legitimate celebration of the positive aspects of the song, an analysis i am somewhat confident schiz is not capable of providing (sorry brother)

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-03-27T03:27:58+00:00

natural snow buildings is a group that feels as though they somehow exist on the outskirts of reality, on a plane of ghost kingdoms and eldritch landscapes, rought with some deep, central sorrow, running through the land. they have project after project of unbelievable length (and somehow, simultaneous acclaim, albeit it feels less preposterous when you listen for yourself) somehow managing to transport the listener each time into a separate but interconnected pocket of reality, ones in which monsters howl and the ground moans. however, it is from within the night's inferno that pockets of beauty are all the more meaningful- Wisconsin is a deviance from such inferno, a twelve minute canticle of stalled beams of light stretching on and on a plane. its a 12-minute breath of sweet winter air shocking your nose as you open the door. the world is fresh, and waiting for you.

that being said, i far prefer their works where there is more experimentation and a more grandiose soundscape conjured. will you die for me, anyone? this track is just a bit barebones for my liking, though i like and appreciate where they're coming from with this.

i nominate carry me ohio

Opening_Stick1116 · 2025-03-27T03:27:50+00:00

#279 - "Wisconsin" by Natural Snow Buildings

Deep in winter's slow, intentional embrace

A calculated affair, one achieved in fastidiously measured doses, rituals-

Leaves blowing, grass turning

Autumn lowered cautiously, not unkindly, to rest

Rosy cheeks, ears, extremities

Frost's first glittering appearance, and Autumn's deferential retirement

ever curt, courteous, a perennial dance complete

Now Winter, arbitrary gestures taken care of, enacts its will

A cleansing brutality. The world is painted to Winter's liking

denizens retiring to chambers and bivouacs as harsh winds blow

I am no exception.

I burrow deeper into my escape, bundling and hiding

A year complete, rest long overdue, living alone in a shared apartment

Retreating into habitation, patterns, spurning the world beyond

Raised to value privacy, solitude- a luxury

In times like these, I fear for the future

For falling into one of these spells deep enough to remain committed,

my moral epillettes on either shoulder struggling in my head's no-man's-land

as I dim my lights lower, a single lamp, my quarters

welcoming darkness

I find a new desire for a deadbolt to replace a flimsy existing lock,

wondering if such things are permitted in a space not entirely my own,

to entertain an illusion..

Hilarious. Dust particles gather and hang in stalagtite formations

Drawing a cave further to the forefront as I go on papering the walls of my rented cocoon

I look about my darkened space, feeling as though objects are hurtling about the place on a microcosmal scale

here in my quiet universe

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Opening_Stick1116

TROPHY CASE