Top 10

[Niveous]

The Niviverse Top 10

10. "Ease Up on the Drugs by Mandy on Fire
God only knows why I have been listening to this. I think it's because it reminds me of Dr. Rockzo. Get this song out of my head!!!

9. "Little Sadie" by Enter It In The Art Show
I feel like I completely missed this song in the last GOM and just found out about it this week.

8. "Vampiregirl" by 9mm Parabellum Bullet
My J-Rock flavor of the month.

7. "Interesting Times" by Johnny Cashpoint
My election day theme song, even if the words don't apply.

6. "Evil" by Interpol
I'm fascinated by the video's creepy puppet.

5. "Falling Snow" by Agalloch
I've never been to Oregon. In my dreams, a work through it's wooded areas would be like this.

4. "Walking the Border" by Octothorpe
If you're wondering if this is only up here because Spud is so amazed, it's not. I spend a lot of time in transit and so the song speaks to me for some reason. It's definitely an "on the road" song.

3. "Closer To the Truth" by Cryoshell
Such a good song and I'm still stunned it's something that is being used in Lego promotions.

2. "Seattle" by the BPA f/ Emmy the Great
My after the election theme song, though the lyrics only kinda apply. I imagine that Bjam + Lonbobby would sound like this.

1. "Everybody Calm Down" by Jonathan Mann & the Berkeley Social Scene
Holy crap. I just heard this this week. Wow.

[Niveous]

The Niviverse Top 10

10. "Ricochet" by Shiny Toy Guns
Fueled by curiousity over the former Pussycat Dolls reality show throw-off who now sings for the band, I have come to enjoy this song.

9. "Rock and Roll Train" by AC/DC
AC/DC is always AC/DC. Straight-up good rock and roll.

8. "Walking the Border" by someguycallednoel
This song has been stuck in my head for quite a while. A great li'l piece of g^2.

7. "Video" by Kay Hanley
Whether it be in Letters to Cleo, Josie and the Pussycats or solo, I love Kay Hanley. But why is she playing back-up singer to Hannah Montana????

6. "The Animal in Me" by Motley Crue
So, I picked up the "Saints of Los Angeles" album. It was largely disappointing after enjoy the Sixx A.M. album so much. But there are definitely some very high points amidst the lows.

5. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" by the Offspring
It sounds like the Offspring if they merged with Muse. My favorite Offspring song in a long time.

4. "Closer To The Truth" by Cryoshell
Still lingering on the charts. Still enjoying this.

3. "Bad Things" by Jace Everett
I finally got myself a copy of the True Blood theme. Damn this is catchy. Anyone else here watch True Blood?

2. "Vampiregirl" by 9mm Parabellum Bullet
I picked up the Vampire album and it has some of the best J-Rock that I have ever heard on it. I just wish I had a better grip on the language then I would enjoy it even more.

1. "Motherfucker of the Year" by Motley Crue
Like I said back at #6, there are some high points to the new Motley Crue album. This song is the reason I picked it up in the first place.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I dig the new Motley. I was never into the hair band rock scene in the day, but the Crew rocked and I really like that they still rock.

[rone rivendale]

Psst, I think you forgot someone. *cough*octothorpe*cough*

[Spud]

s'ok Rone. Four weeks was more than my poor heart could handle. This whole episode is already one of the highlights of my life.

[furrypedro]

10. "Nobody is fine and everybody needs a drink" by Souvaris - from the best post-rock album of the year

9. "Some Constellation" by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing is such an underrated album and this is my favourite of a good bunch, possibly the most mellow tune from it.

8. "Tram #7 to Heaven" by Jens Lekman - Like a dream, I like drifiting around foreign cities to this song thinking of love that may or may not happen.

7. "Temporarily Blind" by Built to Spill - It took me a while to find a Built to Spill album that I liked all the way through but Keep It Like A Secret is the one and this is what made me stop thinking of BTS as a poor man's Modest Mouse.

6. "Electric Feel" by MGMT - I wish the rest of the album was this good.

5. "No-one's Good Enough" by Chimpo - I played bass in his band but we never played this song live cos Chimpo could never get a decent distorted live sound out of his ukelele which sucks cos it would make J Mascis jealous.

4. "Tenderfoot" by The Lemonheads - I think the quality of the recording is dodgy but this is proof that Evan could write when he was fucked up.

3. "Spares" by The Little Explorer - The last of an awesome repertoir. rip. Reminds me of Hong Kong.

2. "Katy Song" by The Red House Painters (Mark Kozelek solo version) - The original is good but the version from the Little Drummer Boy album is the one I fell in love with.

1. "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" by Paul Simon - Graceland was one of the first albums I ever remember my parents playing when I was young and I'm just finding out how awesome it is now after not hearing it for about 20 years.

Since I've been away from home for ages I've had the same tunes on my mP3 for months so this is pretty much a top ten of that period rather than the week.

[Niveous]

That Souvaris song was pretty cool. Thanks for turning me on to it.

Have you heard Katy Perry's cover of "Electric Feel"?

[Niveous]

The Niviverse Top 10

10. "Help Me I'm Alive" by Metric
9. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" by The Offspring
8. "Fucking in the Bushes" by Oasis
7. "Hide and Seek" by 9mm Parabellum Bullet
6. "The Girl With Golden Eyes" by Sixx A.M.
5. "I'll Be There In Twin Peaks" by Colatron
4. "MF of the Year" by Motley Crue
3. "Global Warming" by Vermillion Lies
2. "The Bottom of The Lake" by the Builders and the Butchers
1. "Blake Says" by Amanda Palmer

So, I went to see Amanda Palmer this week and it was a great concert. There were many songs that were worth placing in my top 10 but "Blake Says" stuck out for some reason. Opening act The Builders and the Butchers were f'n phenomenal. They had two drummer, they had a guy playing Mandolin as if he were Glennny. They were great. Vermillion Lies also opened and "Global Warming" is the catchiest song ever (and they know it). Extra points for them for free album download! Motley Crue's "Saints of Los Angeles" album has lost a lot of steam with me as I wanna get rid of half the album. MF of the Year is still a standout. "Mashed in Plastic" is a great album of mash-ups using David Lynch music. The Colatron mashup using Julee Cruise and Jackson 5 is truly inspired.

I gave the Sixx A.M. a few more spins this week and got into "...Golden Eyes", a very good ballad with a metaphor for heroin addiction. "Hide and Seek" and "Fucking in the Bushes" are both in the top 10 for the same reason, epic drums. Actually, the Offspring song has great drumwork too. But that chorus is what keeps it on my chart. And lastly, Metric is back. Nuff said.

[furrypedro]

1. Fatalist Palmistry - Why?
He's eschewed the hip hop for some quality indie stylings

2. A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under - Why?
Best glockenspiel action ever

3. Simeon's Dilemma - Why?
Side B of this album is soooo much better than side A. If you listen to Alopecia skip straight to side B.

4. Education with a J - Boo Hiss
5. Snag - Boo Hiss
He records under his own name of Doby Watson these days but these two tracks from the split with Margo May are the kind of folk I wish I could write.

6. Ain't Nothing Can't - Pidgeon
Pixies-a-riffic. A rare example of a chorus I wish would go on for longer.

7. Sad Eyes - Bat For Lashes
8. Bat's Mouth - Bat For Lashes
I heard this album on the Air New Zealand flight from Tokyo and these tracks stood out. Nice epic piano type stuff with a bit of eclecticism.

9. Hummer - Foals
I got the EP in Osaka and about time too. It's good to hear a british band integrating influences like Don Cab and Q and not U and making it so damn funky at the same time.

10. Rolodex Propaganda - At The Drive-In
Still better than your favourite band

That Souvaris song was pretty cool. Thanks for turning me on to it.

Have you heard Katy Perry's cover of "Electric Feel"?

I haven't, is it better?

and I highly recommend the Souvaris album A Hat (strange title I know) but they have lots of good stuff if you have the patience. That particular track is a bit frustrating for me cos my favourite bit is after about 5 minutes and it lasts only 4 bars, but it's all good.

[Niveous]

The Niviverse Top 10

10. "Help Me I'm Alive" by Metric
That "Beating like a Hammer" chorus is infectious.

9. "Hide and Seek" by 9mm Parabellum Bullet
Kamijo Chihiro's drumwork is exceptional.

8. "MF of the Year" by Motley Crue
I'm still rocking the Crue but having "Saints of Los Angeles" and "Dr. Feelgood" on my MP3 player has reminded me about all the Crue songs I don't like.

7. "Lauren's Opus" by The Reborn Identity
The "Mashed in Plastic" album is brilliant. This song turns Opus III's "It's a Fine Day" into something special.

6. "Help Me" by Alkaline Trio
So what if it's the song that hardcore fans will say is Alkaline Trio's sellout song, it's a good song. And the video has Kat Von D.

5. "The Pink Jack" by Wax Audio
Usually AC/DC just comes off as goofy childish perversion. This makes me feel dirty.

4. "Blake Says" by Amanda Palmer
I'm still reeling from the Amanda Palmer concert goodness. This song redeems Alaska for me.

3. "I've Told Every Little Pumpkin" by ToTom
Taking "1979" by Smashing Pumpkins and making it into even catchier pop by adding Linda Scott. It's a great mash-up.

2. "The Elephant Connection" by The Reborn Identity
It's the musical equivalent of Garfield minus Garfield. "The Rainbow Connection" is an eerie song and I just never knew.

1. "Leeds United" by Amanda Palmer
Leeds United has the oddest lyric I've ever loved: "Who needs love when the sandwiches are wicked and they know you at the Mac store".

[Niveous]

The Niviverse Top 10

10. "In the Valley" by the 'Scow
My all-time favorite Marcus Kellis song.

9. "Koi No Megalover" by Maximum the Hormone
I'm slowly getting into the Buikikaesu album and I understand why this was the breakthrough single

8. "Blue" by Vermillion Lies
Ah, visions of dancing puppets and girls with mustaches playing the bells.

7. "Revenge of the Nerd" by Zinkline
With the Niveous 5th Anniversary, I've been listening to a lot of the songs I've been involved in. This one has stood out.

6. "I've Told Every Little Pumpkin" by ToTom
I'm still enjoying Mashed in Plastic.

5. "Closer to the Truth" by Cryoshell
It seems my whole house has now gotten into this song. It's everywhere.

4. "Somebody Told Me She's a Maniac" by Mad Mix Mustang
A lot of mashes have come out recently using "Maniac" by Michael Sembello. This mix with the Killers is the best one.

3. "Video" by Kay Hanley
She's so awesome, why the hell is she Hannah Montana's backup singer???

2. "Help Me I'm Alive" by Metric
I'm very happy that Metric is back. This song is great.

1. "Glass Eye of the Candy Tiger" by The Hood Internet
Everytime I play this Survivor mashup, it turns heads. If this could hit the radio, it would revive their careers with a dance hit.

Also getting a lot of play is the first song from the NPCA but I'm not gonna say which one it is.

[Niveous]

After taking some time off to work on my top 200 SF songs of the year, my top 10 is back.

10. "Joy Scissors" by Pumpkin Buzzard
They have music videos now!

9. "Light on" by David Cook
A pleasant surprise. The number of AI contestants that I can stand has now grown to 2.

8. "Still Alive" by GlaDOS
I got this song for Rock Band 2 on a whim. Thanks to its quirkiness, the end theme from Portal has gotten many plays (both on RB2 & my jukebox)

7. "Almost Easy" by Avenged Sevenfold
Another example of RB2 influence.

6. "Not Everybody Gets The Happy Ending" by Die So Fluid
For Christmas, I got an iTunes gift card. One of the best things I bought was the Die So Fluid album.

5. "Papermoon" by Tommy Heavenly6
My favorite J-Rock artist. I was very excited to learn she was putting out a 2nd solo record.

4. "Breaking News" by Berkshire Social Scene
When the NPCA finally comes out, you'll be shocked by the musicianship on this song.

3. "I Caught Myself" by Paramore
Even though this song is from a movie about vampires who sparkle in the sun, I can get past that.

2. "Toe Jam" by the BPA
What I have heard from the new BPA (aka Fatboy Slim) album has been exceptional. Fatboy Slim + Dizzee Rascal + David Bryne + a vieo full og naked people= pure gold.

1. "My Life Would Suck Without You"- Kelly Clarkson
This song reminds me of when I used to listen to Casey's Top 40 on weekends as a kid. Pure pop goodness.

[Niveous]

Niviverse Top 10

10. "Head Over Heels" by We vs. The Shark
I thought that I would like We vs. The Shark less without Samantha Paulsen then they came out with a great Tears for Fears cover. (Check it out at Quote Unquote Records as part of their cover album Murmurmur. Free download!)

9. "Police, Police" by Young & Restless
A last minute entrant to my top 10. I forgot how much I dug this song. It's in that YYY vein that I enjoy.

8. "Jump They Say" by David Bowie
It's a Bowie song that I have always enjoyed and never owned until recently.

7. "Shackler's Revenge" by Guns 'n' Roses
I really thought that I wasn't going to enjoy any part of Chinese Democracy and it was going to be a piece of over-produced crap but this song is very enjoyable.

6. "Head Turner" by Joss Stone
I have had this Joss Stone album in my jukebox for a while and it made no waves until recently and I was surprised by the strength of her voice on this song. It's not my usual speed but I have been enjoying it.

5. "Not Everybody Gets The Happy Ending" by Die So Fluid
There's just something about the line "Not everybody gets the belt but we're all in the fight" that speaks to me.


4. "Inside" by Head Phones President
So in Japan they have musical versions of Sailor Moon and seemingly one of the stars left and decided to go in the complete other direction and started a very angry metal band.

3. "Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Classic.

2. "I Started A Joke" by Faith No More
The delivery on this Bee Gees cover is incredible. For a band like FNM to do such justice on this song is remarkable.

1. "I Am Color..." by Zinkline
I love FAWM time. Even in just its demo form, this is a great tune.

[Niveous]

I've decided to do this on a more bi-weekly basis. It gives me a little more time to digest the songs. Now, this top ten is gonna be a little different. Zinkline completed their album "Zugzwang" and I love it. I probably easily fill up the top 10 with songs from there, especially "The Longest Road" and "Spirits Move My Hands". So this is my top 10 (minus Zinkline).

10. "Unlimited Sky" by Tommy Heavenly6
My excitement over new Tomoko Kawase songs continues. It's not as good as "Papermoon" but it has some charm.

9. "Chain" by Head Phones President
Harder rocking songs have gotten more play on my jukebox as of late. It was between this song and Devildriver's "Monsters of the Deep" for this slot.

8. "Hier Kommt Alex" by Die Toten Hosen
My housemate likes many things that are German and insisted we get this song for RB2. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy this.

7. "People Got A Lot of Nerve" by Neko Case
So, RB2 put out an Alt-Country pack and usually that would turn me off but I was willing to try some new stuff and found that this song was pretty good and as catchy as a case of chicken pox in a first grade class.

6. "Santa Monica" by Lunkhead
He completely reimagined the song. It's got this "Leaving Las Vegas" despair to it now. I feel like when Art Alexakis sings "Watch the world die" he doesn't really mean it. In Lunkhead's version, the world is really gonna die.

5. "99/100 Damashi No Tetsu" by Uverworld
A great J-Rock song with an excellent use of the percussion stomp.

4. "Thunderball" by Mr. Bungle
I've been on a Bond theme kick lately. I was doing research on Bond Themes for my blog, 10kdays, and stumbled upon Mr. Bungle doing the Tom Jones classic. Pardon the pun but it was epic.

3. "I Caught Myself" by Paramore
I really wanna cover this song and change the lyric to "I Cut Myself".

2. "Colony of Birchmen" by Mastodon
A mix of #9 and #8 as this is part of my harder rocking jukebox and at the same time, this is a Rock Band 2 song that I make my wife and housemate suffer through.

1. "Hello" by Dirty Little Rabbits
The side project of Slipknot's Clown has some very good songs. This reminds me so much of Medicine and there really hasn't been a band that has filled that void in my jukebox.