Five songs from the 2000s that have no business being as excellent as they are
By Lee Vowell
Don't worry, rock fans. The 2000s have not killed the genre. There are many new great groups, though very few of them do a real take on "classic rock." (Besides maybe Greta Van Fleet.)
That is completely, well...OK. Rock has always been a genre that evolved. The Beatles took from Eddie Cochran and the rest of the world took from the Beatles. We are still learning from what John, Paul, George, and Ringo tried to teach us.
The following songs from the 2000s are from musical artists that learned well. Not all have reached the same level of success. Each of the tracks has equal excellence, though.
Five amazing songs from the 2000s
Interpol - "Slow Hands" (2004)
From the very beginning of the song - the quickly played single guitar chords - one has the feeling they have just been tasked with an unexpected sprint. Almost as if someone has said, "Wake up and run!" You might not be prepared for what is about to come, but the thrill of not knowing somehow makes the fear and excitement of what is going to happen even better.
Then at the 12th second, the vocals kick in and you are in. You might not know what the singer is going to tell you, but the cadence matches the guitar so well that you are committed until the end. You will stay that way for a full three minutes and it will be some of the best three minutes of your life. You will take a tour of angst, rage, bittersweetness, and somehow...hope.
And the chorus...that wonderful, brilliant, fast, angry chorus...will be everything that some washed-up emo band wished they could have written just once in their lives. The point is not to make a hit, though; Interpol expresses. You can smell every inch of New York City, every moment of love lost, and then suddenly...you get a reprieve. You can rest.
A little over two minutes into the track, the band does the unexpected as if they know you cannot continue, but then 27 seconds later you are off again. This is what a rock song should sound like, and the kick to the finish will increase your endorphins.