XPN Essential Songs

WXPN, the greatest radio station in the world, has an 885 Countdown every year and this year's countdown is "Essential XPN Songs". People on the blogs are taking this in different ways, but the consensus is, songs that remind you of XPN, but also mean something to you. I based it on that, but basically only did mostly newer artists and songs that I discovered there. I think my top ten are pretty obvious. The top 7 are artists that I discovered on XPN and are pretty much my some of my favorite artists. I picked the song that XPN first started playing that caught my attention. The bottom three are just basically synonymous with XPN for me.

Top Ten:
1. Worn Me Down - Rachael Yamagata (I actually heard this first at an XPN listening station in Tower Records (RIP) and it was basically this moment that made me start to crazily research new artists all the time)
2. Throw it All Away - Brandi Carlile (Not one of my fave Brandi songs - but it prompted me to allow Debbie, to get me my first Brandi ticket - which was clearly awesome since I have since seen her, like, 10 times)
3. Trouble - Ray LaMontagne
4. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens (Probably one of my top 25 favorite songs)
5. Mushaboom - Feist
6. Tamacun - Rodrigo y Gabriella
7. Car Wheels on A Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams
8. Engine Driver - The Decemberists
9. Trains to Brazil - The Guillemots
10. Over and Over Again - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Someone used to put this song on repeat in my car and dance like a fool with imaginary maracas)

Others that almost made my list:
Don't Know Why - Norah Jones
Wake Up - Arcade Fire
Hide & Seek - Imogen Heap
Orange Sky - Alexi Murdoch
Black Horse & A Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
Conceived - Beth Orton
Kamera - Wilco
Son's Gonna Rise - Citizen Cope
Ah Mary - Grace Potter
Galileo - Indigo Girls
100 Days - Sharon Jones
Anything by My Morning Jacket
Chips Ahoy - The Hold Steady
The entire Alison Krauss & Robert Plant CD
That stupid Richard Thompson song that I hate, but reminds me so much of XPN, and it will probably be in the top 10 because everyone on the blog has it on their list.