I’m going to kick things off with the Counting Crows, who have way more in common with Titus Andronicus, The National, and The Wrens than they do with Train and Matchbox 20. 12 songs, 58 minutes.
- Round Here
- Perfect Blue Buildings
- Rain King
- Murder of One
- Angels of the Silences
- Children in Bloom*
- Another Horsedreamer’s Blues
- Recovering the Satellites
- Speedway
- Good Time
- Up All Night (Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood)
- Cowboys
Some thoughts:
- “Children in Bloom” replaces “A Long December” because while the latter is amazing, everyone’s heard it and seems to dislike it. “Children in Bloom” was always my least favorite song by them growing up, but recently I’ve realized how genius and unique it is, and it’ll help strip people of their false “generic coffee shop band” impressions.
- There’s no point in doing runner ups for August and Everything After and Recovering the Satellites because they operate at a 10/10 start to finish. Everything could have and should have made it.
- Wish I could have gotten “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” or “Miami” on there but figured “Children in Bloom” might change more people’s minds.
- Hard Candy is one of the best albums of the 00’s.