Is this thing on?

#emo100

Previously on the Top 100 emo songs of all time…….

100 – Reggie and the full effect – Thanx for stayin

99 – Roadside Monument – Sunken Anchor

98 – Boilermaker – Slow Down

97 – Hundred reasons – If I could

96 – Jets to Brazil – Chinatown

95 – Coping – F For now

94 – Inside – Ray Brower

93 – Basement – Grayscale

92 – The Jazz June – Viva La speed metal

91 – Everyone Everywhere – I feel fine by Everyone Everywhere

90 – Hunter Gatherer – Low standards for high fives

89 – Football, etc. – Safety

88 – Race Car Riot – Raincheck

87 – Taking Back Sunday – Bike scene

86 – Leiah – Tiglio

85 – Brandtson – Still life

84 – Polar Bear Club – Bottled wind

83 – Starmarket – Losing track

82 – Sunny Day Real Estate – Guitar and video games

81 – Grade – Stolen bikes ride faster

80 – Bob Tilton – September

79 – The Autumn Year – Little lost words

78 – Koufax – Going to happen

77 – Wavelets – Julio won’t get out of the car

76 – The Get Up Kids – Forgive and Forget

75 – Hot Rod Circuit – At nature’s mercy

74 – The Appleseed Cast – Steps and numbers

73 – Stapleton – International departures

72 – New End Original – Lukewarm

71 – Hundred Hands – A Replay

70 – Knapsack – Cellophane

69 – Elliott – Dionysus Burning

68 – The Lapse – We Must Move Backwards To Progress

67 – Owls – Everyone Is My Friend

66 – Suis La Lune – Quiet, Pull The Strings!

65 – Sunday’s Best – Winter Owned

64 – CSTVT – Hiccups

63 – Vitreous Humor – Sharin’ Stone

62 – Beezewax – Dead End Kids

61 – Death Cab For Cutie – A Movie Script Ending

60 – Grown Ups – Three Day Weekend

59 – Funeral Diner – We Become Buried

58 – Snowing – I Think We’re In Minsk

57 – Imbroco – You’re My Lionkiller

56 – Maritime – Tearing Up The Oxygen

55 – Engine Down – The Offer Of Something

54 – Boy’s Life – Sight Unseen

53 – Benton Falls – All These Things

52 – Further Seems Forever – Madison Prep

51 – The Casket Lottery – Ever Since Sulfur

50 – Ghosts And Vodka – Sex Is Popular

49 – Transit – Footwork

48 – Jejune – Solar

47 – Hey Mercedes – Quality Revenge At Last

46 – Jeremy Enigk – Lewis Hollow

45 – Cursive – The Radiator Hums

44 – Joan Of Arc – Post Coitus Rock

43 – Pianos Become The Teeth – Cripples Can’t Shiver

42 – The Get Up Kids – Coming Clean

41 – At The Drive-In – Heliotrope

To read more about these tracks click HERE for numbers 100-91, HERE for no’s 90-81, HERE for no’s 80-71, HERE for no’s 70-61, HERE for no’s 60-51, HERE for no’s 50-41. And for some background as to why I’m doing this list click HERE

40 – Owen – O, Evelyn

Mike Kinsella’s contribution to the genre is unrivalled and his output as ‘Owen’ has been prolific. But It’s on his latest record, ‘Ghost Town’, that you’ll find my favourite song he’s put out as Owen. You can’t have a top 100 emo songs without having some proper love songs and ‘O, Evelyn’ is a proper good love song, one which I fell in love with on my first listen. Gorgeous!!

39 – This Beautiful Mess – Don’t Go There

‘Temper the wind to the shorn lamb’ by This Beautiful Mess is a really great album full of beautifully sombre indie rock. ‘Don’t go there’ should be a hit song because it has all the right ingredients, infectious catchy verses make way for an even more killer chorus and then this all leads into a middle eight of perfectly twinkly guitars. This was another band we were lucky enough to have play in Margate. Well worth checking out.

38 – Rites Of Spring – Remainder

Guy Picciotto is an unmistakeable presence in music. I obviously never got to see Rites Of Spring play live, only a handful of people did and I was only 5 when they were about and more interested in playing with my Dukes Of Hazzard pedal car, but I did see Fugazi play twice, in 1999 and 2002. His stage presence, charm and energy then were phenomenal, this still comes across too when you listen to Rites Of Spring. ‘Remainder’ is a blistering, influential and above all awesome song.

37 – Rainer Maria – Artificial Light

How could you listen to this song and not fall in love? It draws you in from the very first stroke of the effects laden guitars and hugs you close with it’s sumptuous vocals. The perfect way to open an album, a song that sounds so much bigger than a 3 piece should be able to. Epically beautiful.

36 – Sunny Day Real Estate – Theo B

This song could take the award for ‘Best Bass line in any song ever!!’ The rhythm section control this song, driving it forwards, the guitar is a great topping along with Jeremy Enigk’s voice which could improve any song. ‘Theo B’ really reminds me of college, I listened to ‘Lp2′ constantly back then and this was always my favourite song from that record. Absolutely essential.

35 – The Gloria Record – Grace The Snow Is Here

A few of the great emo bands that split up early went on to form many great bands and Mineral were no exception. Out of all the bands that followed on from Mineral’s demise, The Gloria Record is the most similar in sound which is probably due, by in large, to the fact that Chris Simpson’s unique voice is on glorious display. The first EP they released was a relief to get to those of us who were pining for more and remains as good a listen today.

34 – Saves The Day – Holly Hox, Forget Me Nots

‘Through Being Cool’ has one of the most iconic album covers in the emo genre, recorded when they were still super young, which you can kind of tell and the album is all the better for it. Full of energy and innocence, this was when Saves The Day were at their best although they are still around now going strong, albeit with a much changed line up.

33 – Penfold – M

The chord progression used at the start of the song is one widely used by emo bands, my old band did, Appleseed Cast did and so did The Police on ‘Every little thing she does is magic’, which doesn’t really help my point but I thought it was worth a mention. Penfold do it and do it well, I love the duetting male and female vocals at the beginning, building the song brilliantly towards the soaring chorus and beyond. Fantastic emo in the Mineral mould.

32 – The Promise Ring – A Picture Postcard

This is a classic emo song slightly marred by the fact the opening lead guitar riff really reminds of the Asda jingle they use in their adverts so instead of being able to relax and enjoy the music I was hounded but visions of weird looking people in green gilets patting their bums whilst grinning madly. That’s my problem, I’ll deal with it and it shouldn’t stop you loving this song. As soon as the song progresses then you lose yourself to it’s many charms. Davey Von Bohlen singing “Couldn’t you take the second bus home? couldn’t you just take me with you?” is one of my favourite moments in any song!!

31 – Mineral – If I Could

Taken from their first, and for many people their best, album ‘The power of failing’, ‘If I could’ is 6 minutes of genius. A lot is said of how emo has no set sound, and I suppose it doesn’t because there are vast amounts of various types of music that fall under the emo banner, but if I was asked what I think of as the emo ‘sound’ I would play them this song. The style, the quiet/loud dynamic, the elongated singing that borders on screaming and the fact that Mineral could make open emotional music without being in the slightest bit cheesey makes them emo heroes of mine. Perfect!!

Thank you very much for reading and sharing and all that. Please feel free to comment/share/slate etc either here or on twitter @alextb3. I will post the next part very soon. Cheers again x

I have updated the spotify playlist, the link for which is below!!

Emo 100 (100-31)