Yesterday, Paper Streets guitarist Stephen Stec introduced us to the Billboard "Modern Rock Tracks" (now "Alternative Songs") chart. Today, Stephen gives us the bottom half of his top 10 songs ever to have reached #1 on that chart. Come back Friday to check out his top 5.
Also on Friday, don't forget to check out Paper Streets as they play a FREE Zombie Walk Eve show at Asbury's Berkeley Bar.
Take it away, Stephen.
My Top 10 Modern Rock Tracks, 10-6
By Stephen Stec, Guitarist for Paper Streets
10. The Jesus and Mary Chain -- “Blues From A Gun” (89). An excellent example of the chart’s giving back to legends who many might say were past their prime, “Blues From A Gun” is a commercially aimed Rock single drenched in the band’s trademark fuzz and processed beats. Despite its being their biggest hit on the singles chart, “Blues From A Gun” was the Mary Chain sort of on their last legs as a harshly distorted indie band. The next record was a more stripped back acoustic affair for our heroes in black. This was one of the last times they really cranked the guitars up and wrote a fuzzed out banger.
9. The Charlatans -- “Weirdo” (92). Although perhaps a bit late to the turn of the decade Acid-House party, “Weirdo” is what a lot of Indie kids of ‘92 associated with that year: funky keyboards and organ sounds, dance-y drums that are probably looped and have a tinny sound, and acid. Lots of acid.
From the opening synth stabs, you know “Weirdo” is a psychedelic dance party, but singer Tim Burgess almost goes in a different direction vocally. It really brings everything together. He has a cool, detached airy delivery that most people don’t pull off without sounding like someone I don’t want to be friends with. “Most of the time you’re happy, you’re a weirdo” is my favorite opening line on this list. That’s someone I probably would be friends with.
8. Depeche Mode -- “Enjoy the Silence” (90). It’s hard to put into words for a younger generation just how big Depeche Mode are. This is a generation that can’t quite understand why this song, which seems to them little more than a footnote in the history of Alt-Rock, somehow has nine million YouTube views.
It’s actually interesting to me that YouTube has basically taken the place of what MTV was in the 1990s. YouTube views do (sometimes) correlate well for older songs and how much impact they had during their time. There was absolutely a time, right around the release of this single, when Depeche Mode’s music was considered to be the epitome of Alternative.
7. Ian McCulloch -- “Proud To Fall” (88). Comeback for the Bunnyman himself! Ian McCulloch was lead singer for Echo and the Bunnymen, English Post-Punk legends best remembered by a younger US Alt generation for one of their finest moments: “The Killing Moon” playing over the opening scene of Donnie Darko.
“Proud To Fall” was the first thing we heard from Ian after the Bunnymen’s average 1987 album. It slotted in between that album and the lackluster swan song, Reverberation, in 1990. It was the best thing we heard come from Ian in some time -- a sweeter Pop nugget than anything on the last two Echo records that falls pretty directly in line with what you’d expect an Ian McCulloch song to sound like.
6. Black Keys – “Tighten Up” (11). Finally, some modern rock! After a long time on the fringe, “Tighten Up” was a commercial breakthrough for the Akron duo -- proof that a song doesn’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel to just fucking NAIL the wheel.
I don’t think Dan Auerbach will tell you he does one thing here that hasn’t been done before, but God Damn, EVERYTHING works in this song in the best possible way. The Danger Mouse production is, no doubt, a nice touch to it all. I know a lot of people that get most excited over the intro whistle melody; but, for me, it’s the solo. And that’s coming from the King of Hating Solos.
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