I’ve compiled a list of 2007 songs, a mix if you will, that you can get drunk to. Here they are:

1. “Push Push (Lady Lightning),” Bang Camaro
A Boston band made out of a dozen local indie bands. A drummer, bassist, three lead guitarists and between twelve and twenty lead singers depending on who the can get to the gigs. Everybody likes AC/DC, nobody hates Def Leppard. Well, that’s Bang Camaro. Plus a little Van Halen, Dokken, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. It’s a gimmick and the band knows it. But it’s a damn good gimmick. I officially declare that if you don’t like this song after four listens and four PBR tall boys (note: 64 total ounces) you have no soul. Listen to the drums during the one minute outro. Fucking glorious.

2. “Surrender,” The Dropkick Murphys
Like the Sox, you kinda gotta like the Dropkicks if you live in Boston. However for non-Bostonians, who loath the Sox, the Dropkicks still rock. Nobody does Celtic punk better. They were always competent composers of gutter poetry, hardcore jigs and smart, simple lefty rallying cries, but the Dropkicks topped themselves with this year’s “The Meanest of Times.” “Surrender” is best paired with Bushmills (but not after those four PBRs because of that whole no beer before liquor thing).

3. “A Bottle of Buckie,” Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
A song about actually drinking makes sense about now. And nostalgia is good to. Ted Leo is a New Jersey punk (or arguably ex-punk) that is really starting to get into a Springsteen thing, albeit through the Clash. Whatever. This song makes me reminisce about stuff that never happened to me.

4. “Thrash Unreal,” Against Me!
This is a punk rock “Glory Days.” Or maybe it’s “Summer of ’69.” It’s so fucking cornball but it’s my favorite song of 2007. I love how he can’t not scream lyrics. I love the pop punk “oohs and aahs.” I love the exclamation mark after their name. Like “Push Push,” this song might seem annoying pre-fourth listen, but that fourth spin will hook you (Note: it will only hook you if you’re kinda wasted and have a friend to drunkenly scream the lyrics with. Also, you should say, “Man, this song fucking rules! IT FUCKING RULES!!!,” to your friend mid-song and then shake him/her vigorously. If my calculations are right, and I’m pretty sure they are, your will reply with half-mast eyelids, ‘Totally, dude, totally.”).

5. “Borne on FM Waves of the Heart,” Against Me! (with Tegan Quin – of Tegan & Sara)
If “Thrash Unreal” is the punk rock “Glory Days,” than this is the punk rock “Almost Paradise.” You know, that Mike Reno (Loverboy)/Ann Wilson (Heart) duet from “Footloose.” P.S. Notice the double shot of Against Me! Risky so soon, but all the best mixes have double shots.

6. “Girls Who Play Guitar,” Maximo Park
As long as I’m this deep in why not. Maximo Park is as danceable as New Order, while not nearly as skeletal. They cultivate club beats into these really sick, fully-bloomed songs as lush as a Beatles or Queen song. “Girls Who Play Guitars” may be this year’s best pop single.

7. “Energy,” The Apples in Stereo
It took six albums and 15 years for The Apples to get where they wanted to go. It was totally, totally worth the wait. They’ve finally realized modern rock’s promise of mixing the perfect pop/punk/new wave cocktail. “Energy” blends Cheap Trick, the Cars and the Ramones while always sounding vaguely like a ’70s sitcom theme song. Goes well with an indie rock “Totally ’80s” tribute album minus the crappy songs.

8. “Karma’s Out to Get Me,” Fancey
Todd Fancey is the New Pornographer least likely to succeed. Which sucks because this year he released the coolest New Pornographers solo project ever. On “Schmancey,” the Pornographer guitarist added a few more layers of sunshine and gloss to the AM radio gold redux he pioneered on his 2004 debut. It’s winter right now but this song will go really well with a summery rum drink.

9. “Take A Chance,” The Magic Numbers
Hooky, catchy, poppy, makes-you-wanna-dance-and-sing-and-twirl-in-circles music paired with stabbed-in-the-heart, kicked-in-the-crotch, makes-you-wanna-drink-a-bottle-of-Chardonnay-with-Bridget-Jones lyrics. Totally see this band live if you have the chance. Picture ABBA as a first-rate bar band covering the Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” arranged as a rock opera by Pete Townshend. Now imagine that without any of the annoying qualities typically attributed to ABBA, the Archies and Townshend. Usually pop this complex and wonderful and this dependent on three-part harmonies and dueting guitar and bass lines doesn’t go over well live. But the Magic Numbers nail it.

10. “Mutiny, I Promise You” The New Pornographers
This should have been the 2007 summer’s jam. (Hey, where was this summer’s jam? Where was the “Crazy,” the “Hey Ya!,” the “When Doves Cry”? One of the shit things about the fall of radio, MTV and major labels. No more ubiquitous summer jams). Anyway, this should have been it. It’s got everything a summer jam needs: a rising, euphoric beat; gentle, breezy female harmonies; a cool, sticky, melting-down-you-arm ice cream cone melody.

11. “Underdog,” Spoon
Spoon’s Britt Daniel is today’s indie rock poster child. No nasty mane of hair, inked up arms or detached distance from his fans, Britt’s a clean-cut and chatty (but not with the press) dude celebrating mainstream influences the Beatles, Elvis Costello and Motown. Just listen to this song. Listen to this absolutely perfect song. Hooky Kinks and Monkees moments, ’60s soul pop spiked with a tiny bit maximum R&B, that same “symphony in a song” thing pioneered by Phil Spector, Berry Gordy and Brian Wilson. If you don’t like this after the first 23 seconds I will refund the cost of this mix.

12. “American Wedding,” Gogol Bordello
Have you ever been to American wedding? Where’s the vodka, where's marinated herring? Nothing gets these bitches going, not even Gypsy Kings. Gogol’s fourth album is the year’s best drinking soundtrack. Hands down. No debate. Every polka-punk thump, violin screech and poetic, Ukraine-accented chant makes you wanna reach for the Smirnoff (or if you went to American University, the Tenleytown Vodka). You should really be drunk by this point the whole mix won’t make the right impression.

13. “Walken,” Wilco
I always thought they were overrated wankers. They just needed a better guitarist. Nels Cline was hired and problem solved. Jeff Tweedy just needed a foil. Top five album of the year thanks to Nels Cline’s guitar solos.

14. “Been There All the Time,” Dinosaur Jr.
J Mascis is a big weirdo but he’s really, really good at writing songs. Also the guitar solo, hello? There’s a reason I put him back-to-back with Nels Cline.

15. “Do You Remember?,” Cheeseburger
Rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t get more childish than Cheeseburger. I don’t think that this song can be enjoyed, or even tolerated, sober.

16. “Icky Thump,” White Stripes
Paging Mr. Zeppelin, Mr. Led Zeppelin to a white curiosity phone. We wanna hate Jack White for being a pompous nut job who’s convinced he’s Page and Plant in one. But we can’t cuz even after making the most derivative album in a career of full of derivative stuff, White’s genius has tricked us (read: me) into thinking he invented rock.

17. “Gotta Get Outta This City,” Baker
Locals. Really cool. Real new wavy but not as wussy as the New Porno types.

18. “I Can’t Take It No More,” John Fogerty
Fuck Clapton, the Stones, Steve Winwood and Springsteen. No, no, I take that back, I take that back a thousand times. Springsteen rules. But geez, why are all these old dudes so friggin’ anemic now? Fogerty’s new album ain’t a masterpiece but at least he’s still pissed, can still rock and knows how to mic a guitar.

19. “Brainstorm,” Arctic Monkeys
Hailed by the UK press as the greatest thing since either the Clash or the Beatles, they are not. But they don’t suck as the backlash suggests. There’s only a few albums away from making an album of the year. But don’t see them live yet. They’re still too cool for school and look like well dressed, drunk mannequins.

20. “Alcohol,” Gogol Bordello
Self explanatory.