top 100 of the '00s | 82. dogs die in hot cars - "i love you 'cause i have to"

Ska music came from Jamaica in the 1950s. In the late 1990s, it found its way into the US alternative rock scene, and by the early aughties, it was a full-blown revival.

The US blend of ska was characterized by short, cutting songs that were often insulting or self-deprecating in nature, with a backbeat hammered out behind three-chord guitar riffs.

There's some great wordplay at work here, and I think in the end we -- like the singer -- aren't really sure if he's better off with or without whoever he's singing about.

top 100 of the '00s | 83. mstrkrft - "easy love"

Disco made a huge comeback in the mid-aughties. Electronic music producers realized that they could produce the kind of dance music that they listened to as kids, but do it on modern equipment and give it a more current sheen. I actually found most of it pretty boring, but every now and then you'd get something awesome like this.

Really, the most surprising thing about this track is that it only has four lines of lyrics, but still manages to flesh out into a complete (or at least complete-feeling) pop song. This is something that it took Daft Punk four studio albums to figure out how to do.

MSTRKRFT is releasing a new album next month, so fingers crossed that they can deliver us more of this awesomeness!

top 100 of the '00s | 84. stereophonics - "dakota"

Memories are weird. Scientists barely understand how they work. You have virtually no control over them, whether it's retaining pleasant ones, erasing unpleasant ones, or recalling them when you need them.

Most memories aren't crystal clear. They're fractured, fuzzy images, sights, sounds, smells, and textures -- small details that we cling to because they happened to stand out at a particular moment in time. Sometimes even grand, important details are lost when minutia remains in our brain.

This track taps into that hazy nature of memories. Our singer is fondly recalling moments spent with someone lying in the grass, sleeping in his car, chewing gum -- but he notes that he isn't quite sure what month it was. Staccato images -- a wake up call, coffee and juice -- remain vivid, but we get the impression that the memories are either unclear, or perhaps too painful to engage.

I'm quite certain that there will be a time far later in my life when I will have a similar ordeal trying to recall this track.

top 100 of the '00s | 85. the bran flakes - "stumble out of bed"

Built mostly around a sample of Dolly Parton's "9 To 5" and ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down," (with a little bit of The Osmonds dropped in there too), this goofy cut-up track just works.

You're hooked from Dolly's first vocals, instantly bouncing and singing along. It builds up with a struggle quite similar to the one we face when getting out of our own beds: At first a little rickety, but once we hit the kitchen, it's all good.

The Bran Flakes have been at it since the late '90s and have actually maintained a pretty consistent sound. There isn't too much biographical information available about them, but I get the sense that there are a lot of them and that cut-up music is their passion project, and they release an album every several years when they finally have enough tracks.

top 100 of the '00s | 86. tegan & sara - "walking with a ghost"

The soprano songstress duo Tegan & Sara could easily be argued the faces of 2000s indie rock: Personal and touching lyrics, a grungy image, and production that is mostly traditional but doesn't shy away from electronics.

Though they were three albums deep with the 2004 release of So Jealous, it was this single that got them noticed by American college radio and subsequently a much larger audience. Indie rock mavens The White Stripes liked it enough to release a cover.

I like the idea of dealing with hurtful past memories by pretending that the involved parties are no longer alive. It's an interesting coping mechanism, a way to remove the power that someone no longer in your life may still have over you.

top 100 of the '00s | 87. the b-52's - "funplex"

There is no band on Earth that has had a career as long and consistent as The B-52's. Since their self-titled debut in 1979, they have been the world's greatest party band. Perhaps more impressive, though, they have maintained a signature look that is undoubtedly their own: Swirling, curly-q letters; bright, backyard garden party color schemes; and various other kitsch.

Released 30 years after their debut single, this track has the exact same quirky pizzazz. Both the guitar riff and the call-and-return between Fred and the ladies is reminiscent of "Private Idaho."

This is their way of saying, "fuck you, we will NEVER stop partying," without any blatant lyrical references to aging (except maybe "it's time for a pill," but he never mentions what kind of pill). It was the last track I ever played during my last shift as a college radio DJ, because I hope that when I'm in my golden years I'll still be meeting my weird friends at the mall and freaking everyone out around us.

top 100 of the '00s | 88. the killers - "somebody told me"

Indie rock's popularity skyrocketed in the early aughties, and within a few years it started to splinter into a few blends and flavors. The Killers were one of the first bands to combine the staple sounds of indie rock with the sensibilities of new wave music, peppering in synth sounds and singing like Joe Strummer.

Does anyone actually know what the hell this song means? Lead singer Brandon Flowers willingly admits that it's a dumb song, but a fun one nonetheless.

I guess it doesn't really matter, though, does it? Everyone remembers that hook, despite it not making a lick of sense.