1. Come Into My Room - Gosling
A dash of The Beatles (George Harrison in a particular) with a sprinkle of Badfinger... you get this song by Gosling. From one of my favorite albums of last year.
2. I'm Designer - Queens of the Stone Age
One of my favorite tracks from Era Vulgaris. Thematically, this would have worked well in Fight Club... the loathing of society and general distrust.
3. Almost Honest - Megadeth
Smooth transition and similar themes... this time, distrust in a relationship. Mustaine almost sounds like Alice Cooper here.
4. The Nurse - The White Stripes
One of the coolest songs from Get Behind Me Satan and more musings about trust. "The nurse should not be the one who puts salt in your wounds / But it's always with trust that the poison is fed with a spoon."
5. Dyers Eve - Metallica
A lot of hatred going on today as the theme of distrust continues. This is the closing track to the thin, but still spectacular ...And Justice For All. Metallica, despite several high points, has never again sounded this dark. Finally, why haven't they remastered these albums?
6. Heartsong - Zwan
Haven't heard this song before... but it's proof positive that anything that Corgon does outside of the Smashing Pumpkins still sounds like the Smashing Pumpkins.
7. Nothin' To Do - The Dandy Warhols
From their first album. Nothing from The Dandy Warhols is essential, but very little of it is bad. They wear their influences on their sleeves... but craft a lot of fun stuff in the process.
8. Highway 7 - K-OS
I have a strong affinity for artists who grew up as Jehovah's Witnesses (Dax Riggs of Deadboy and the Elephantmen being another example). This album, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco, is one of my favorites from this year. It isn't perfect, but has a great blend of different sounds that suits me just fine.
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
It has been a long time since I've really listened to this song. It's easy to slag on it for it's popularity (at the time), but there is no escaping the magic and charm of this track. It's a classic, through and through.
10. Get on Home - Great White
You probably wouldn't know this was Great White by the song alone. Psycho City is loved by a select circle of hard-rock fans and Great White devotees in particular. A strong blues guitarist and simple endurance are the elements that attracted me to this band. A good song to close this set.
