Luke's Favorite Songs of the Decade 70 - 61

70: The National - Mr. November



This is nothing like it was in my room... in my best clothes... trying to think of you.


69: Radio Dept. – Where Damage Isn’t Already Done




The Radio Dept.’s first album absolutely has to rank among my favorites of this decade. It’s breezy, yet manages to be poignant and this song is a perfect example of how they manage to pull off that balance.


68: Richard Hawley – Open Up Your Door




I posted this video just a few months back, so I apologize for the reiteration, but it really is a great song… takes one back to a smoke-filled dive bar in early 1960s New York listening to Chet Baker sing and play his head off while high as all hell. It barely beat out Hawley’s “Motorcyle Song” for this particular spot, so if you’re sick of hearing this particular tune, go check out t’other.

67: Rebelski – Magic Calculator




There isn’t a better song for driving home late on a frigid winter’s night.

66: The Black Keys – Stack Shot Billy




There could be any number of Black Keys songs on this list, but I still can’t get over just how phenomenally fun the percussion is on this track.


65: The Shins – New Slang




Barely beating out “Girl Inform Me” and “Your Algebra”, “New Slang” might be the most generic choice thanks to its mass-media-zation by Garden State, but it is still an incredible track with a beautiful simplicity that is rarely matched.


64: South – Threadbare




It’s somewhat odd to pick a track for a band that I was once very much obsessed with that in no way indicates the type of band that they are, or were at the time, or why I find them to be a phenomenal band, but tastes are tastes and I am still mesmerized by how much noise, back-beats, and utter thickness they managed to cram into this rather short song. Really great stuff.


63: Doves – Pounding



Doves at their anthemic best; creating a song with significance and beauty that requires stomping of feet, clapping of hands, and top-of-the-lungs singing.


62: Nada Surf – Hi-Speed Soul




I never thought I would like anything created by the purveyors of the 90s alt-rock turd “popular”, but Nada Surf have evolved into one of the better pop-rock acts of the 2000s and Let Go is a true gem. “Hi-Speed Soul” is the best of the album, though “Blonde on Blonde” and “Blizzard of ‘77” are both also phenomenal.


61: Franz Ferdinand – Outsiders




“Take Me Out” could probably have made this list, but I cannot exclude the brilliant groove and drums of “Outsiders”.


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