"CITIES IN DUST" SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES (1986)

Even when Siouxsie & the Banshees veered toward more accessible pop melodies, they never lost their brash post-punk edge. “Cities in Dust” is a case in point. Here’s a history lesson on Pompeii, put to a dance rock beat. Non-Banshee fans could appreciate this stuff. Alarming guitar riffs in the bridge. Haunting toy piano crescendos. And that unmistakeable falsetto from Siouxsie Sioux, one of the more underrated singer-songwriters of our time.

“We found you hiding. We found you lying. Choking on the dirt and sand. Your former glories and all the stories. Dragged and washed with eager hands.”

"RUN OR HIDE" RUN RIVER NORTH (2016)

Before Run River North, they were a young, talented band by the name of Monsters Calling Home. A group of musicians that got their lucky break with a Honda commercial and a spot on Jimmy Kimmel Live. A year later, I saw them in New York and was blown away. MCH didn’t just perform, they connected with us. Four years later, I saw them again. This time they played “Run or Hide”. I was filled with pride that night. As an Asian American, I was inspired to see people like me who were breaking stereotypes. Doing things no one ever expected from us, like writing this incredible song.

“I think I changed my mind about a million times. Oh to run or hide, oh to run or hide. I'm gonna call this out. I'm coming back somehow.”

"BAD MOON RISING" CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (1969)

Dark, ominous lyrics. Southern-style rock. Blame it on the Dude. I had absolutely no interest in “Bad Moon Rising” and Creedence Clearwater Revival until I saw The Big Lebowski for the first time. Soaking in this classic on Spotify is one thing. But it must’ve been an entirely different thing hearing it live at Woodstock. Creedence strikes me as being a band that would’ve thrived on the festival circuit. And a song like “Bad Moon Rising” would’ve been a setlist staple.

“Well don't go around tonight. Well it's bound to take your life. There's a bad moon on the rise.”

"KNIGHTS OF CYDONIA" MUSE (2006)

Muse knows how to be epic. And “Knights of Cydonia” is one of the best examples of this. We hear elements of Queen. We feel elements of metal. This is Muse doing what they do best. Full-on symphonic and full-on sonic at the same time. “Knights” is a 6-minute dystopian masterpiece. Here we are, yet again, asking ourselves, how the hell did three guys manage to make all these sounds?

“No one's going to take me alive. Time has come to make things right. You and I must fight for our rights. You and I must fight to survive.”

"MOTHER" PINK FLOYD (1979)

There was a time when I couldn’t stop listening to The Wall and “Mother” was part of the reason why. On a concept album with 26 tracks, this song was glue, holding disparate tracks together with its narrative and musicality. “Mother” flowed perfectly in the spot where it landed, right after perhaps the album’s biggest hit “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2”. What makes it so good? I think it’s two things. The conversational interlude between Pink and his mom. And the musical interlude between the acoustic strumming and the electric solo midway into the song.

“Mother, do you think she's good enough for me? Mother, do you think she's dangerous to me? Mother, will she tear your little boy apart? Mother, will she break my heart?”

"I GO CRAZY" FLESH FOR LULU (1987)

In college, I was lucky enough to be part of an a cappella group with a group of immensely talented and amazing human beings. I don’t have a solo voice, but I got in by the skin of my teeth because I could sing some bass. Those musical limitations didn’t stop two dear friends of mine in the group from searching long and hard for the right solo for me. That song was “I Go Crazy”. Straight off the soundtrack for Some Kind of Wonderful. It was a perfect choice. Flesh for Lulu’s frontman’s vocal range is almost identical to mine. And the song is a true 80’s anthem through and through.

“This city's mad in the head. And sick in the soul. All the stars flew away a long time ago. Isn't that nice. Like Miami Vice.”

"RIGHT ON" THE ROOTS (2010)

In the back half of How I Got Over, “Right On” comes in with its mid-tempo ranting and grooving. Like much of the album, this is a song of self-determination. You hear it in the lyrics. But, most importantly, you just feel it—from the Joanna Newsom sample to the final verse. But what I love most about the song is it felt right for the times. “Right On” feels more like a journal entry than a public proclamation.

“For this love I go above and beyond the limit. I told y'all I'm above and beyond the gimmick. I get into your head and spread like a pandemic. I never put myself in a race I can't finish.”

"WAITING FOR THE SUN" THE DOORS (1970)

The Doors made music however the hell they wanted to. If it meant making the keyboard a bigger deal than the guitar, then so be it. If it meant taking psychedelic rock and drowning it in the blues, then so be it. There are so many Doors songs that are permanently enshrined in the classic rock canon. But I think the reason “Waiting for the Sun” always comes back to me is because it gave every signature Doors element its rightful moment in the spotlight.

“Waiting for you to come along. Waiting for you to hear my song. Waiting for you to come along. Waiting for you to tell me what went wrong.”

"THE IMPRESSION THAT I GET" THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES (1997)

This song is permanently inseparable from my fuzzy memories of college. It brings me back to one night at The Middle East club on Mass Ave in Boston. That was the night the full force of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones hit me in the face and kicked me in the ass. My best friend thought it was a great idea for a scrawny 125 pound kid to jump into the mosh pit. So in I went. Honestly I haven’t been the same since that show, because that was the night I stopped thinking about concerts as musical experiences and started thinking about them as visceral experiences.

“Have you ever had the odds stacked up so high you need a strength most don't possess? Or has it ever come down to do or die? You've got to rise above the rest.”

"THE KILLING MOON" ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN (1984)

Well before the Donnie Darko soundtrack, “The Killing Moon” was my favorite Echo & the Bunnymen song. This wasn’t just another new wave song. It took on a form no other rock song has ever come close to. Using balalaika-influenced instrumentation, “The Killing Moon” defied the times and the comfortable confines of 80’s Brit rock. Ian McCulloch’s divinely inspired lyrics and performance brought a sense of swagger, making this recording as epic as the imagery it conjures.

“Fate. Up against your will. Through the thick and thin. He will wait until you give yourself to him.”

"SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW" KEANE (2004)

Hopes and Fears brings me back. Me and a group of friends instantly loved this album. We heard nothing else like it before. And Keane never had anything like it since. What makes “Somewhere Only We Know” more special to me these days is the fact that my oldest son also now loves this song. I will catch him singing it randomly sometimes. I used to wonder why this song appealed to him so much. As I thought about it more, I realized it’s the song’s beauty. People are attracted to beautiful things. This song has proven over the last 15 years that true beauty never fades.

“Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on. So tell me when you're gonna let me in. I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin.”

"SOLSBURY HILL" PETER GABRIEL (1977)

This is a song about letting go from the past and looking ahead to the future. It’s a sentiment captured in the amazing lyrics and reflected in the timing. It was Gabriel’s solo debut, written and performed on the heels of his departure from Genesis. And it’s a sentiment revealed in the music. Each note bearing an apparent sense of optimism. Without being corny or insincere. Which, when you think long and hard about it, puts “Solsbury Hill” in a very small group of distinguished rock songs.

“When illusion spin her net, I'm never where I want to be. And liberty she pirouette when I think that I am free. Watched by empty silhouettes, who close their eyes but still can see. No one taught them etiquette. I will show another me.”

"TOPAZ" THE B-52'S (1989)

On Cosmic Thing, everyone will remember “Love Shack”. Many will fondly remember “Roam”. Alt rock fans won’t forget “Channel Z”. But I’ll always remember “Topaz”. The second-to-last track. The almost forgotten song. The easily overshadowed one. But it was The B-52’s finally stepping outside of their party mentality. Still kids at heart, but this was a band that was growing up before our ears. “Topaz” gave us a more mature perspective and sound that I appreciated back in high school. And still do.

“New cities by the sea. Skyscrapers are winking. Some hills are never seen. The universe expanding.”

"SEASONS" FUTURE ISLANDS (2014)

How many bands sing and play with all their soul? How many bands put everything they have into the music because it’s all they got and it’s all they live for? Probably not many. But Future Islands is certainly one of them. They’re proof that synthesizers can still have soul. Proof that you don’t have to act like or look like a rock band to make some noise in this industry. But if you absolutely love what you do, you can make people love it, too. “Seasons” is strangely contagious and utterly ambitious. Hands down, one of the best songs from the last 10 years.

“Seasons change, and I've tried hard just to soften you. The seasons change, but I've grown tired trying to change for you.”

"MOVE ON UP" CURTIS MAYFIELD (1970)

It’s hard to believe that when “Move On Up” was first released as a single, it failed to chart. Couldn’t even crack the Top 100. Now it’s a soul classic. We hear it in stadiums. In movies. In presidential campaigns. This song shows us what music can do when you take it as far as you possibly can in every regard. The horn arrangements. The soulful vocals. The poetic lyrics. That rollicking percussion. It’s hard to not feel positive after hearing it.

“Hush now child, and don't you cry. Your folks might understand you, by and by. Move on up, toward your destination. You may find from time to time, complication.”

"PORCELAIN" MOBY (1999)

This is one of the great ones from Moby’s breakthrough album. From the first moment I heard Play, I just thought it was one the finest, fullest albums ever recorded, from top to bottom. But “Porcelain” is the one track I always want to hear first. Delicate. Gorgeous. Soulful. Not rave Moby. This was a totally different side we hadn’t heard before. And it almost didn’t make it onto the album. Moby’s manager had to convince him this song was more than just “average”. Moby reluctantly agreed to include it. Thank God.

“In my dreams I'm dying all the time. Then I wake it's kaleidoscopic mind. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to lie.”

"DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" SIMPLE MINDS (1985)

Instantly recognizable from that first hit of the snare. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was a turning point in the commercial trajectory of Simple Minds. Up until then, they wrote a fair amount of great music, but not many in the States knew about them. The Breakfast Club changed all that. This was one of the original brat pack anthems. This was one of our anthems. No matter how you saw us. In the simplest terms. In the most convenient definitions. A brain. An athlete. A basket case. A princess. A criminal.

“Don't you try and pretend. It's my feeling we'll win in the end. I won't harm you or touch your defenses. Vanity and security.”

"LOST CAUSE" BECK (2002)

Misery and loss have led to some of the most beautiful music ever made. It’s the odd, yet redemptive truth about music. And it’s the case of Sea Change, one of Beck’s most brilliant, yet simplest albums. This is not the sonic Beck, but the somber one. “Lost Cause” proved you don’t have to wallow in your own pity after a loss. You can use it to emphasize and connect with complete strangers. All you need are a couple of well trusted guitar chords and a willingness to bear your heart.

“Your sorry eyes cut through the bone. They make it hard to leave you alone. Leave you here wearing your wounds. Waving your guns at somebody new.”

"LINGER" THE CRANBERRIES (1993)

I don’t often get overly upset when celebrities die, because I don’t know them personally. But when Dolores O’Riordan passed away two years ago, I was deeply saddened for her, her family and the music world. The Cranberries made songs that no one else could make. Dolores’ voice and vocal cadence are instantly recognizable, and the band carved out a unique sound during a time when many bands sounded like copycats of each other. “Linger” takes me back to the summer of 1993. I heard the song in my car and nearly felt like I was floating through the windy roads of my hometown.

“If you, if you could return, don't let it burn, don't let it fade. I'm sure I'm not being rude, but it's just your attitude. It's tearing me apart. It's ruining every day.”