Blog: New Music Nation

Except for the songs that made my Top 20 Songs of 2009, these are the rest of the best electronic/synth pop tracks of 2009. To be eligible, a song needed to be included on an album released in the United States between December 1, 2008 and November 30, 2009. 1. Air "Do The Joy" Love 2 [...]

No artist appears on this list (four times) more than Conor Oberst, the mastermind behind Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos. With stunning lyrics and expert pop songcraft, he relentlessly released one classic album after another—both with his bands and as a solo artist—throughout the decade. No musician was more consistent or prolific, so I'm left with no choice but to declare him the Artist of the Decade. Mr. Oberst didn't release the #1 album of the '00s, however...

Several of the songs listed below were massive popular hits. Others reached much smaller, niche audiences. Regardless, the commercial success of these tracks was a non-factor when considering their stature as the decade's elite recordings. Instead, as always, I factored in originality, composition/arrangement/produc tion, lyrics, catchiness/memorability, energy and emotion. And I focused primarily on rock, hip-hop, metal, pop, electro/dance, r&b and alternative country. Here are my picks for the Top 100 Songs of the '00s...

As the decade draws to a close, the future of the album is as iffy as it's been since the early '60s. Commercially, album sales dropped another 13% in 2009 (after declinining steadily each of the last several years) while digital single song sales continue to rise...

Somali-born rapper/singer K'naan appears on this list far more than any other artist. His ambitious, global hip-hop/rock/pop sound and unique lyrical perspective made him one of the most exciting newcomers here in the U.S. in 2009. But you won't find his major-label debut Troubadour on my Top 20 Albums of 2009 list. When all the [...]

Note: Them Crooked Vultures is Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) on vocals/guitar, John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) on bass and Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) on drums. Sound: Riff-heavy, rhythm-driven, hard-hitting rock with progressive, psychedelic and stoner tendencies and falsetto, hooky melodies. At times, their mix of psychedelic blues and falsetto vocals are reminiscent of Cream...

Sound: American electro pop with flavors from around the world (Latin, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Indian) created by some of this decade's biggest hitmakers (Pharell Williams produces 4 tracks, while Wyclef Jean and Timbaland contributed a track each...

Sound: A major departure from the raucous, arty London punk of their 2007 debut What's The Time Mr. Wolf? Wild Young Hearts is much softer and sweeter. Nearly every track has a throwback vibe—either '60s Motown, '70s disco or '80s electro pop—with a slight modern twist...

Sound: A rotating cast of mostly female vocalists delivers soulful, seductive and memorable melodies as the backdrop jumps from groovy electro pop to breezy folk to danceable indie rock to easy listening...

Note: This is the underground hip-hop crew's first official album release in seven years. Sound: The three MCs trade rapid, rhythmic, cerebral, stream-of-consciousness verses over a host of spacey, digital beats that can be creeping, funky, smooth, pounding, robotic, hard-banging, freaked-out and more...

Sound: A return to the up-tempo, club-friendly, big-sounding, electro dance tracks that launched their career a decade ago. Elements of jazz, reggae, dub, acoustic indie rock and r&b work their way into the production, and the wide array of vocal performances introduce everything from blue-eyed soul, bluesy soul and Auto-Tuned soul to...

Update: It's been a pretty mediocre year for hip-hop albums (and hip-hop in general)...until now. The much-anticipated debut from Kanye West affiliate Kid Cudi-- Man on the Moon: The End of Day --lives up to the hype. And rising underground star Brother Ali delivers his best album yet with Us . Both releases make their way into the Top 3 of the year (so far). Meanwhile, Gossip's Music for Men and The Features' Some Kind of Salvation get [...]

Vocals/Lyrics: As usual, Brother Ali grabs the mic as a fiery preacher delivering inspiring sermons, entertaining anecdotes and sobering facts. But his hearty and heart-felt vocals sound more uplifting and inspired than ever before, and much of the reason seems to be that his life is in a better place—re-married, new child, homeowner, successful rapper...

Note: Monsters of Folk is an all-star group consisting of three of this decade's finest frontmen/singer/songwriters (Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and solo artist M. Ward (also known for his work with Zooey Deschanel as She & Him)) and one of indie rock's premier producers/multi-instrumentalis ts (Mike Mogis, known best as a bandmember/producer in Bright Eyes)...

Sound: An electro, spacey hybrid of hip-hop, r&b and pop that favors cosmic, somber meditations with a digital pulse, but also--particularly in the second half of the album--jumps into, lighter more upbeat sexual romps and spiritual affirmations...

Sound: A collection of ominous, drama-fueled soundscapes; neck-snapping, head-nodding street bangers; mystical, hypnotic grooves, and solemn, soulful reflections—basically exactly what you'd expect from a Raekwon/Wu-Tang album, except...

Sound: Overall, the production (Kanye West contributed nearly half the tracks, plus heavyweights Timbaland and Pharrell Williams delivered a few tracks, too) is decidedly synth-heavy with either bouncy gangsta strings, bangin' digital beats or hypnotic cosmic atmosphere. But the first three singles ("D.O.A.," "Run This Town," and "Empire State of Mind") are made up of somewhat more organic elements...

Update: Fans of the poppier, more eclectic output from The Cure should find plenty to like on Jack Peñate's Everything Is New , which lands in the top 10 of this list. Also, the latest from Thrice - Beggars - and The Black Crowes - Before the Frost - find their way into the Top 20. Meanwhile, Sunset Rubdown's Dragonslayer , Peter Bjorn & John's Living Thing and Heartless Bastards' [...]

Sound: Over the last few years, Thrice – and their frontman Dustin Kensrue as a solo artist – have been fearlessly expanding their capabilities. Progressive, melodic aggression, reflective, atmospheric rock and folky, country-flavored folk have been major components of their releases this decade and demonstrated possibilities far beyond their punk/hardcore roots. On Beggars they effectively shift back and forth between all of these recent developments in their sound...

Note: The latest release from The Black Crowes is essentially a double album of new material (and a Stephen Stills cover) that was recorded live in the studio in front of an intimate audience. Sound ( Before the Frost… ): As usual, the Crowes' music pays a heavy debt to the past, particularly the late '60s and '70s output from artists like The Rolling Stones, Faces, and Crosby, Stills and Nash...