#2: ‘Shitty Future’ – The Bronx

I would have been just fresh out of high school when The Bronx came my way. While I knew they'd been around for a while, and while I knew of their Mariachi El Bronx alter egos, I had never managed to actually hear their music. Like most musical discoveries, The Bronx came to me thanks to …

#33: ‘What Katie Said’ – The Matches

The Matches are one of those groups who I've managed to define an entire brief era of my life with, despite listening to all of about one song at the time. That song was actually 'Papercut Skin', one of their more famous songs, and about six months after I first heard it, found it soundtracking …

#52: ‘Future Foe Scenarios’ – Silversun Pickups

Throughout this exhaustive list, there are plenty of songs that I had no idea about until someone alerted me to their brilliance. In many cases, it was someone suggesting a song under the pretence that I might enjoy it, while some others were just being played casually before they took me by surprise and resonated …

#69: ‘Man O’ War’ – Eric Bachmann

The first time you hear Eric Bachmann perform 'Man O' War', you're probably a little taken by his musical proficiency. Sure, to a casual listener, the song might soon become boring with its repetitive instrumentation and lack of radio-friendly hooks. By the time the sixth minute rolls around though, you've fallen in love with the …

#74: ‘Monument’ – Gyroscope

Numerous times in the past, I've spoken about how influential the second instalment of triple j's Like A Version was to me. Having been recorded throughout 2005, it wasn't until 2008 that I heard the compilation, discovering a monumental amount of amazing artists covering brilliant songs. Part of its resonance on my life is likely …

#130: ‘Bluestoned’ – Epicure

Back in 2005, Australian radio station triple j kicked off their Like A Version series. A novel concept on paper, it sees an artist performing two songs, one original and one cover, with both usually being a stripped back version of what they would usually perform. Over the years though, numerous compilation albums have been …

#136: ‘Goodbye Mickey Finn’ – Something With Numbers

The second I find myself thinking back to the mid-'00s, I'm instantly reminded of all those bands who fell into the emo and pop-punk genres. Usually, these were those bands with big MySpace followings whose sound is as synonymous with the site as the genre itself. Sadly, time has seen many of these bands fall …

#157: ‘Sexxxy (Acoustic)’ – Gyroscope

When I first saw Gyroscope performing live back in 2008, I had little idea that there was more to them than just a ferocious rock band. Sure, they were amazing, and their songs were top notch, but considering I only knew them as a band of this calibre, well, I couldn't really have expected there …

#158: ‘Forever Malcolm Young’ – Frenzal Rhomb

Throughout history, there have always been those musicians who were overlooked by the more famous, more vocals ones out there. Why, John Oates was overshadowed by Daryl Hall, Andrew Ridgeley by George Michael, and I doubt anyone out there remembers Jim Messina when compared to Kenny Loggins. One of the most famous cases of this …

#164: ‘Wolf Like Me’ – TV On The Radio

In 2009, I found myself at my second Big Day Out festival, eager to see countless acclaimed bands after my first jaunt the previous year. While I had been a true master of the schedule, I also used this opportunity to discover a number of bands I had not previously heard as a way of …