Life On a Chain - Pete Yorn

Life On a Chain - Pete Yorn

3:46

musicforthemorningafter, 2001

Written by Pete Yorn

Yorn handled most of the instruments himself on this galloping debut single, stitching together '80s new-wave pulse, alt-country melodicism, and his own raspy, slightly weary vocals. A rogue harmonica darts in and out of the mix, adding a scruffy charm to an otherwise sleek, guitar-driven arrangement. Filtered vocal effects fade into bright, hooky bursts of melody, giving the whole track a restless, start-stop energy.  Lyrically, he's sifting through the rubble of a marriage that's already collapsed, still tugged by leftover feelings: "I was waiting over here for life to begin / I was looking for the new thing / And you were the sunshine / I was alone / You were just around the corner from me."  It's confessional without being maudlin, carried by momentum rather than wallow. I remember the hype around this album when it dropped, and listening back, I still don't quite understand why Yorn didn't end up a bigger name; the material was absolutely there.

New York City Cops - The Strokes

New York City Cops - The Strokes

3:31

single, 2001

Written by Julian Casablancas

This song was written in response to the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo by four plainclothes police officers, although aside from the chorus, you would not know that from the abstruse lyrics ("Here in the streets so mechanized / Rise to the bottom of the meaning of life / Studied all the rules and I want no part / But I let you in just to break this heart").  If this refers in any way to injustice in the streets of the Big Apple, I am at a loss as to say how.  Regardless of what Casablancas might mean by them, hiswords are delivered in an angry roar — a change from his typical detached drone — backed by the usual minimalist, machine-tight drums and twin guitar lines.

August - Rilo Kiley

August - Rilo Kiley

3:18

Take Offs And Landings, 2001

Written by Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett

This isn't the Taylor Swift song — it's a couple decades younger —but the theme is similar.  Beautiful indie-chamber pop, evoking a wistful longing of something.  Is August a month or a person?  "August, something in your eyes / Or was it that you lied? / Told me not to take it to heart."  It paints a picture of a lover who, like the month itself, is fleeting and unreliable. The song's narrator holds on to a sense of hope, trying to make something real out of the relationship, but August keeps making empty promises.  The gentle melodies match the lyrical mood.  The soft guitar work and Sennett's evocative vocals lend the song an air of nostalgic longing, underscoring the theme of a summer romance that burns bright but fades too quickly. 

Know Your Onion! - The Shins

Know Your Onion! - The Shins

2:29

Oh, Inverted World, 2001

Written by James Mercer

A indie pop song with a bright, open sound and a Kinks-like melody, if Ray Davies had flooded his songs with keyboards and harmonium.  The lyrics sketch a shy introvert keeping his head down amid a world of loud, aggressive people. "The songs that I heard / The occasional book / Were the only fun I ever took," Mercer sings, his high yelp half-submerged in the mix, which maybe fits with the theme of the song.   The song's optimism outlook despite the odds ("But when they're parking their cars on your chest / You've still got a view of the summer sky") keeps it from being an emo pity party, and rather a small anthem for anyone who ever survived adolescence through music and imagination alone.

Your Love Belongs Under a Rock - The Dirtbombs

Your Love Belongs Under a Rock - The Dirtbombs

2:20

Ultraglide In Black, 2001

Written by Mick Collins

This song happens to be the only one of this album that is not a cover.  This song is soul music, but revved up and mixed with garage rock and punk sensibilities for the modern palate.  Its message is one familiar to soul and R&B: the narrator's love turned out to do him wrong, bat eyes at other guys, make a fool of him.  "You're always tryin to get the best of me / Tryin' to make me feel small."  '60s surf guitar riffs and "yeah yeah" choruses keep the tempo fast and the sound a wall.  This band should be as famous as the White Stripes.

Meaningless - Jon Brion

Meaningless - Jon Brion

3:23

Meaningless, 2001

Written by Jon Brion

Over lush power-pop à la Big Star or Matthew Sweet, with a few quick rock guitar lines, Brion sings of the memories that form around otherwise meaningless things when you experience or see them with a loved one, and how those memories linger after the love is gone.  It's a tightly-written pop gem that packs a big punch lyrically and probably should have made more of an impact on the charts (or been released in 1968).

Twilight Campfighter - Guided By Voices

Twilight Campfighter - Guided By Voices

3:07

Isolation Drills, 2001

Written by Robert Pollard

I don't know much about GbV, but this is a damn fine rock song, sounding a little like late-period REM, highly polished.  The lyrics are image-rich and obscure: "With light revealing holy grails / To hike through dangerous weather, you need twilight eyes."  The song seems to be about longing for something more, finding a partner who isn't comfortable with just material things ("As we vegetate and wait around for brighter days / And can dance contented to the sound of money") but challenges you. 

Kailee Anne - Michael Carpenter

Kailee Anne - Michael Carpenter

2:53

Hopefulness, 2001

Written by Michael Carpenter

I have never heard of this guy, but he certainly knows how to deliver a power-pop gem.  It begins with a few bass notes, then explodes into a wall of Who-like guitar and drums.  Then the Fountains Of Wayne type vocal comes in, and it's all busy drums and crunchy guitars.  Another comparison comes to mind here; Like Paul McCartney, Carpenter plays all the instruments on this track, including drums and bass.

She's Got Soul - Nick Lowe

She's Got Soul - Nick Lowe

2:23

The Convincer, 2001

Written by Nick Lowe

A newly debonair Lowe, no longer the Jesus of cool but now the dashing debonair grandfather of cool, applies his talent for pop perfection to a spare, country-tinged love song.  The narrator has found a girl, a real pearl.  He's been lonely, but "she could be / the making of me."  A gentle, unassuming song, delivered with a quiet, sure vocal.  The words say he's over the moon, but he doesn't sound too excited.

X - System of a Down

X - System of a Down

1:58

Toxicity, 2001

Written by Serj Tankian & Daron Malakian

Whiplash-fast nu-metal song about immigration.  "We don't need to multiply" is talking about multiplying numbers of people.  It also touches on the Armenian massacre ("Show your people how we died").  It's an important subject, but this song is not exactly the rallying cry that will bring the hordes to the cause.  It's too rbutal, too fast, lyrics too abstruse.  As for catchiness, it's no "Chop Suey!"  Great to headbang to, though.