Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

So while Big Boi was making the hardest southern hip hop record of 2003, 3000 was erh...well I'm still not actually sure what he was going for on The Love Below; A sci-fi ladien players hip-hopera? Who knows, and who really cares because he unleashed a flurry of unstoppable lightening bolts. Roses sounded otherworldly in 2004, it had more humour, wit and creativity than the rest of pop crowd combined, making it easily one of the decades most unique hits. Hear It Here

All it took was one advert for Sky Sports and one subtle little remix for Elton John's feel good epic Are You Ready For Love to shoot to the top of the charts in 2003. It's amazing in the twenty four years since the tracks original release it could top the charts once more, so many of Elton John's most famous singles have aged terribly yet this one gem with it's cheeky orchestral arrangement managed to stay so fresh. Proof that putting smiles on people's faces really doesn't get old. Hear It Here

In 2006 Jay Z made his comeback from "retirement" with the superbly produced but lifeless and calculated Show Me What You Got. Jay was on auto pilot, uninspired, he was still better than most but this was without doubt a let down. Luckily a hungry soon be greatest rapper alive Lil'Wayne was on hand to lay down one of the best free style-come-remixes in recent memory. Bringing some much need energy and fire to a slick arrangement. Hear It Here

So with two back to back classic albums in the bank it was time for the Flaming Lips to have some fun, or erh...should that be even more fun? With their tongues firmly in their cheeks came the brilliant Yeah Yeah Yeah Song; lampooning those who act out of callous self interest, while also hinting that while we criticise those with real power, we'd likely act the same way were we in their privileged position, and that is truly tragic. Of course this single was simply too much fun, driven by hand claps the track builds and builds to a tremendous crescendo, this was powerful pop music. Hear It Here

Rooty would be the apex of Basement Jaxx's career, it was a divisive album, some saw it as a creative breakthrough, others an artistic let down but the one aspect that no one could possible question was the singles. Rooty delivered hit after hit until the British public could take no more, Just 1 Kiss opened the door with its shameless so uncool it's cool arrangement and a hook for the ages and of course it was perfect remix fodder and spawn a million Just 1 Kiss vs. Mash ups. Hear It Here

In 2001 Eminem could do no wrong, by 2009 he could do no right, but back in the day he was untouchable. Purple Pills was the ultimate good time record, it was a multicoloured sensation, it was too much fun to be denied, it was too stupid to taken seriously, but it was too infectious to avoided, it was the perfect pop single. 85% of the song had to be culled and editted to get past the censors as Em and his crew ran through every illegal substance and sex act in the book but even the unintelligible clean version blew straight to the top of the charts. It should never have happened, it shouldn't have been a hit but of course it was a sensation, and one of the best comedy singles of all time. Hear It Here

Sometime around 2007 the Sugababes fell of the edge of a cliff and have yet to recover, infact each and everyday things seem to get worse for these ladies who for so long were the toast of the popscene. Yet in the midst of all the emotional turmoil, god awful singles and grotesque albums came Get Sexy. As if shot from a laser it cut through the turmoil and conquered every dancefloor in the UK. It was as obnoxious and in your face as humanly possible, I still struggle to believe they can perform this track with a straight face, and yet Get Sexy had the kind of attitude and self confidence that made the Babes so popular in the first place. A Welcome but fleeting return to form. Hear It Here

Pump It Up had no illusions of grandeur, it was as low brow as it gets, but it was the perfect summer hip hop jam. Joe's rhymes were weak on the whole but it looked like he channelled all his best lines for this one track. His secret was simple; repetition, lots of repetition. After all who doesn't like shouting "ooooorrrrrrrrnnnnnnn" ten times in a row. Of course if "on" wasn't to your tastes there was "jump oooorrrffff" or "Playyyyeeerrrr" to satiate your morose singalong needs. Hear It Here

So The Resistance was a self indulgent mess but it did have one saving grace; Uprising. A perfect first single, a diamond studded indie disco slayer of the highest order. The track straddled an irresistible Doctor Who styled riff. Matt Bellamy still managed to implant his one dimensional political sloganeering under the mammoth grooves but on this occasion his lyrical simplicity only added chant along beef to the track. Hear It Here

The All Saints and the 21st Century were never really compatible, and nor was their producer William Orbit, but both still had a few more years of relevance left in the tank. They both started the decade on good footing with this sensationally sleek little single for the movie The Beach. Orbit's production was was sublime building layer upon layer of watery effects covering the All Saint's less than stellar vocal prowess. It was the perfect match of style and erh...more style? Well whatever the case it worked a treat. Hear It Here

Before her untimely death in 2001 Aaliyah had the world at her feet. She was slowly and subtly clawing her way to world domination, with slick R'n'B singles like More Than A Woman. While her sound was distinctly '90s she had Timbaland as her trusty producer and in three years time he would be pop's leading hit maker. Aaliyah truly was on the verge of superstardom, it's tragic but unfortunately that's life, and while she never made it right to the top, she was one of the few bright spots in pop's dark days in the early 2000s. Hear It Here

Ah the annoying catchy single from an annoying and completely unlikable movie. Well to be fair, one hit wonders Wheatus' trademark single was a sensation, a remarkably catchy and knowing work. It achieved the remarkable feat of simultaneously satirising and selling to their core audience. Like slapping someone in the face and having them pay you for the privilege. So while Wheatus may be a long forgotten joke themselves, perhaps it's they who had the last laugh. Hear It Here

In 2005 there was a major musical convergence, the UK indie scene which had grown exponentially in the wake of the Strokes revolution in 2001 and was approaching it's zenith, while at the same time UK hip hop or grime was emerging from wreckage of UK Garage. The two scenes briefly came together to create Grindie. The genre was alot of fun while it lasted, and it combined then hot prospects The Rakes with Grime legend Lethal Bizzle in this one wondrous clusterfuck. Hear It Here

Late in 2006 Biffy Clyro dropped Semi-Mental it served as a shot across rock's collective bowel, it was the first warning sign of their forth coming conquest. Puzzle would be with us shortly and Biffy would be transformed from loveable outsiders to the UK's hard rocking answer to the Foo Fighters. Semi-Mental was the perfect first single, bouncy and insanely catchy, it showed that Biffy now had the commercial crossover potential to match their bombast. Hear It Here

By 2009 it seemed that Girls Aloud were slowing taking their collective foot of the gas. While they continued their uninterrupted pop dominance by 2009 it seemed effortless, they no longer cared about being cool or setting the trend, they were having fun, hopping genres and creating the best girl group music of the decade. Xenomania truly are production wizards, Loving Kind displays a deft touch, the arrangement is soft, it pulsates quietly with a light yet lavish flourishes of detail which all accumulates to provide surprising depth. An understated classic. Hear It Here

So needing a break from the White Stripes Jack White decided to channel his creative through more traditional means, a four piece band without a colour scheme in sight. The results were solid but not spectacular, but even without Meg, Jack managed to continue his streak of mind blowing singles with the dark winding lyricism and the slinky creeping bass of lead of single Steady As She Goes. With a debut single this strong it didn't take the world long to sit up and take notice of The Raconteurs. Hear It Here

So after creating one of the decades greatest albums many thought we might never hear from Wilco again. With talk of line up rotations and Jeff Tweedy checking into rehab, yet despite the trauma A Ghost Is Born was released and it surpassed expectation. I'm A Wheel however did not reflect the bands inner turmoil, instead the track sailed atop a Eagles Of Death Metal style groove while Jeff Tweedy sounded like he was having a damn good time. As a result I'm A Wheel is perhaps the most infectious track Wilco have ever released. Hear It Here

Times Like These felt like an important track for the Foo Fighters, it wasn't a particularly special and yet that's why it's so important. This was the moment when the Foo Fighters became part of the furniture, they went from being a ultra popular rock band to being true elder statesmen. A track born for the radio, it was the definition of middle of the road rock, but ultimately it was a reminder that middle of the road rock can still be pretty good. Hear It Here

Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned has been erased from history by most Prodigy fans, it was a dark time, following the atrocious Baby's Got A Temper most thought it couldn't possible get any worse, but oh boy were they wrong, dead wrong. Luckily in the midst of this cringe inducing decline there was Spitfire. A track with some real bombast and a surprisingly addictive hook, it wasn't as good as Prodigy past but it was enough, it was the ray of light Prodigy fans needed, they could believe that things could get better once again. Hear It Here

Why oh why can't we have more Soulwax records? That is the question that is repeated over and over again, and afterall who can blame us? Soulwax make brilliant dance and electronica music while their other guise 2 Many DJs simply don't. NY Excuse was the last official Soulwax single and it was a tremendous note to go out on, these Belgian boys may have out James Murphied James Murphy. Well maybe it's not quite that good, but it was droll, hypnotic and of course utterly irresistible. This is a track that you can completely lose yourself within, you brain almost melts to Soulwax's churning beats and looped vocals. Hear It Here

Ah once again we return to the art of the slow jam and in 2002 with the help of Jay Z Cam'ron near perfected the art. Hey Ma was remarkably well crafted, it followed a straight narrative, girl meets guy, he takes her home and they fuck, not exactly breaking new boundaries right? Wrong Cam'ron's added superb and occasionally hilarious flourishes of details to really bring the narrative home, from constantly question whether the girls "boobies are real" to telling her to "get in the car, don't touch nothing, get in the car", these details added a human element that was missing in alot of other more generic cynical rap tracks from this period. Hear It Here

T.I. is comfortably the most overrated artist in rap today, that's not to say he isn't good, T.I. is by no means average, but he has no business being mentioned alongside M.I.A, Kanye, Jay Z, Andre 3000 and Lil'Wayne. Now with that caveat in mind he has consistently produced hit single after hit single. While T.I. flow isn't top notch, his hooks are as good as anyones, and Big Shit Poppin' was no exception, this track was inescapable. This is one of those tracks that even if you've never heard it in your life, there's a fairly good chance you'll be able to sing the chorus regardless. Hear It Here

I always feel a little sorry for Duffy, well as sorry as you can feel for a very rich little lady, but I do have sympathy, no matter how hard she tries she can never garner critical praise. She's always compared to Amy Winehouse, and of course next to the modern day queen of soul, it's hard not to look like a plastic diva. Yet while Duffy may lack songwritting spark she has continually churned out hit after hit and has carved out a great niche in the pop marked. Listening to Rain On Your Parade hearing the way contemporary and classic pop are blended seamlessly it really puts JLS & Miss Burke in perspective. Hear It Here

In 2006 the decline of Mike Skinner began with the lukewarm single When You Wasn't Famous; thankfully Prof. Green was on hand to turn this track on it's head. It went from a bloated celebrity moan-a-thon, with Skinner complaining about rehab and celebrity girlfrieds, to a rip roaring send up of celebrity culture. Green lays into Skinner, celebrity diets, plastic surgery, drugs, and most of all their petulant whinying. He does it all with a tongue in cheek everyman charm, and it's hard not to be taken with the lad. He hits the nails on the head, summing up the aspirations and frustrations of the general populace towards celebrity life. Hear It Here

2006 was owned by one band and one band only; Arctic Monkeys. Seemingly to confirm their God like status they decided not just to release A View From The Afternoon as a single but they decided to package the release in an Ep giving fans the long anticipated official release of Cigarette Smoker Fiona along with a couple of ballads and the self parodying title track. It showcased the Monkeys wide songwriting scope and suggested that the hits wouldn't be drying up anytime soon. So all in all we got five singles at once, with two sure fire classics in the mix. Hear It Here