Top 10 Indie Songs Under 2 Minutes: The Top 5

In today's fast-paced world, it's hard to devote a lot of time to good music. Sometimes I turn on my iPod but only have about 2 minutes to listen to music before I'm off to do some meaningless task or job. Sure, that may be an entire fabrication for the sake of this list, but it could happen. It's in times like this where you need a short burst of music to make you feel good, to lift your spirits, or to calm you down. That's where I come in.

This week, I'll finish off what I started last week and present to you the Top 5 Indie Songs Under 2 Minutes!

#5: Headlights - "Lions" - Headlights' debut LP was such a surprise to me when it hit last year. The album was packed with amazing indie rock gems and it was hard not to fall in love with. This sub-2 minute song was one of my favorites on the whole album and served as a mid-album pick me up. Utilizing a lush harmonies and a driving, poppy guitar riff, the song managed to be instantly captivating. It's only downside is that it's under two minutes long! When it's over all you want to do is have it keep going. It leaves a lasting taste in your mouth. Because of that, you have to ask yourself "Would I still like the song if it were 5 minutes long?" Hmm...

#4: St. Vincent - "We Put a Pearl in the Ground" - Have I mentioned that I'm totally in love with Annie Clark? Well, her music at least. This short little piano solo might not be as dramatic or grandiose as the rest of St. Vincent's debut album, Marry Me, but it stood out to me as one of the most beautiful tracks. It's short, sweet, well composed, and the perfect thing to counter the upbeat enthusiasm of "The Apocalypse Song" which prcedes it. Sometimes you just need a song to cool you down, to relax you. For me, this song is the best song under 2 minutes to do the trick! Buy the album! It's great.

#3: Sufjan Stevens - "Adlai Stevenson" - I know what you're thinking. "Cale, your blog kinda sucks. I don't even know why I'm reading this!" You may also be thinking that "Adlai Stevenson" is not a sub-2 minute song at all. And you'd be correct...sort of. You see, before Sufjan ever released The Avalanche, the song was featured on a compilation CD titled The Sound the Hare Heard. This version of the song is under two minutes, and I'll be darned if I don't like it better. Unlike the other version of the song that features full instrumentation from brass and woodwind instruments, this version is a soft, subdued acoustic song, sung ever-so-gently by Mr. Stevens himself. It's a terrific song, and pretty much the only reason you'd even bother listening to the compilation (sorry Laura Veirs).

#2: Of Montreal - "Sink the Seine" - I'm still not entirely sure why this is one of my favorite songs on Of Montreal's latest album, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Maybe because it's the one time on the album where Of Montreal hints at what they used to sound like before they started making primarily electronic-based songs. Don't get me wrong, I love the new Of Montreal sound, but it's nice to have a little nostalgia every now and then. It's light, poppy, retro sound is perfect and clearly demonstrates that even though Of Montreal may have strayed from their roots, Kevin Barnes is still more than capable of recapturing the good ol' sounds of Cherry Peel or The Gay Parade. Besides that, it's just flat out awesome. If you don't like it...well, as Taylor from Kid Nation would say, "Deal with it!"

#1: Cursive - "Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand" - Wow. Never has so much angst, passion, and testosterone been packed into a song under two minutes. Well, maybe some crappy song by The Locust, but beyond that I can't think of a thing. The first post-intro track on Cursive's modern rock masterpiece, The Ugly Organ, this song is brutally awesome. Tim Kasher's voice has never sounded better, and the lyrics are downright amazing. You'd think that for my #1 song that I'd have more to say about it, but I don't. It's freaking great! What else is there to say?