Jezebel

A smouldering electro-gospel number featuring the distinctively gritty vocalisations of the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, Recoil's "Jezebel" is one of the more accessible tracks off the one-man band's (a.k.a. Alan Wilder, late of Depeche Mode) 2000 album "Liquid". Combining the spiritual-isnpired scat singing of Quartet lead tenor Orlandus Wilson with Wilder's detailed industrial-techno shadings turned out to be one hell of a masterstroke, as evidenced in the the track's evocative ambience and atmopsheric instrumentation. Check out the surreal, cinematic black-and-white video clip here.

Six Days

DJ Shadow's melancholic 2002 avant-pop masterpiece "Six Days" is incarnated in a terrifically crafted short film, directed by maverick filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai, and featuring actors Chang Chen and Danielle Graham. The desolate ambience of the atmospheric track is conveyed perfectly in the moody, dramatic clip, whose storyline is appropriately set in a dystopian cityscape. Check out one of the most acclaimed promo videos of recent years right here.

Hunting High and Low

Arguably the most realised single of a-ha's early-phase career, the haunting "Hunting High and Low" is a marvellous study in straightforward pop-song dynamics, enhanced with requisite dramatic lyricism, and topped off with apropos production. Check out the impressionistic, special effects-laden video clip here.

Chocolate Cake

A vicious indictment of all things connected to American culture, Crowded House's "Chocolate Cake" caused no small amount of controversy upon its initial release in 1991. The ensuing uproar, at least in America, caused the Australian pop institution's fortunes to drop dramatically in the US charts, a dramatic change from the warm reception accorded to them with their eponymous debut in 1986. Check out this contentious song, and its appropriately, mockingly colourful video clip, right here.

Reptile

A snaky, sinuous blast that made a minor impact when it was released as a single way back in 1988, The Church's "Reptile" could well be one of the most accessible and thrilling standards in the veteran psych-rockers' extensive repertoire. The most interesting aspect of this underrated rocker is the almost telepathic guitar interplay between the two axemen, Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper. Check out the well-constructed in-concert performance video here.

Fingers of Love

Crowded House's historic farewell concert in front of the Sydney Opera House on 23 November, 1996, remains one of the most compelling and significant live musical events of the 20th century, easily ranking on the same scale of importance as gigs like Hendrix's appearance at Monterey or The Who's defining moment at Leeds. Rarely have the band been in such fine fettle as they were on that night, with frontman Neil Finn at his most expressive, guitarist Mark Hart at his most proficient, bassist Nick Seymour providing sturdy rhythmic underpinnings, and late, lamented drummer Paul Hester providing the requisite endearing tomfoolery and percussive drive, as he has done at every Crowded House gig. Check out a magnificent rendition of the powerful, atmospheric "Fingers of Love" here, with Hart giving it his best on an extended guitar solo.

Linoleum

A stellar collaboration that unites Nine Inch Nails alumnus Chris Vrenna and art-rock stalwart David Sylvian, the spectral, spooky "Linoleum" is a superior slice of electro-rock that effectively displays the former's penchant for inventive electronica patterns and the latter's elliptical lyrics and elegant yet emotional vocals. The surreal, Dadaist-inspired video clip can be found here.

Burn My Shadow

A hyper-kinetic dance-rock hybrid with a lyrical content that tells of the War in Iraq, the U.N.K.L.E. collective's "Burn My Shadow" is one of the highlights from the new album "War Stories". Featuring an appropriately world-weary vocal contribution from Cult frontman Ian Astbury, "Burn My Shadow" is one of the better war-protest songs of recent times, and already one of the great singles of the year. Check out the dystopian, paranoia-inducing video clip right here.

That's Entertainment

A frankly stinging critique of the sheer monotony of working-class Britain, The Jam's superb "That's Entertainment" struck a chord with many disaffected workingmen upon its initial release in 1980, with empathic lyrics like "Opening the windows and breathing in petrol", "Feeding ducks in the pond and wishing you were far away", "A freezing cold flat and damp on the walls" and "Watching your telly and thinking about your holidays". Check out the performance video here.

Your Ghost

A spare but haunting lamentation for a long-departed lover (it is never made clear if said lover has relocated somewhere else, or shuffled off this mortal coil), Kristin Hersh's heartbreaking "Your Ghost" (with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe on harmony vocals) is one of the standouts from the former Throwing Muses frontwoman's 1994 debut album , "Hips and Makers". It gets an appropriately impressionistic, black-and-white promo-video treatment here.