Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

Gaslight Anthem really hit their stride in 2008 with their second album '59 Sound, they combined contemporary punk with America's great everyman songwriting history. Being sons of Jersey they naturally idolized Springsteen and his shadow looms large over their work, but in 2008 they managed to both define their own sound and conquer the charts with Great Expectations. It was a tour de force, it ran through everything that made The Gaslight Anthem so critically acclaimed, and yet remarkably it was easily the weakest track they could have released. Regardless it was powerful, emotive and on occasion moving, a superb track. Hear It Hear

In 2007 My Chemical Romance were so hot they could do no wrong, they'd made emo not only acceptable, they'd turned it into the Daily Mail's new arch enemy and they'd transformed themselves from lo-fi yelpers into festival headlining superstars. I Don't Love You was a monstrous anti-ballad, it was epic in scope and completely knowing. MCR knew they were going to draw they ire of their morose critics with this devilishly grating emo self parody. It proved that Gerrard Way had a fantastic sense of humour and behind all the silliness lay an irresistible Bon Jovi sized anthem. Hear It Hear

This was just a fun track, it combined an insanely slick beat, with a ridiculous video which included the gorgeous Alicia Dickson dancing her arse off, while Pharrell crooned "Her Arse Is A Space Ship I Want To Ride". It had everything; a killer hip hop beat, some slick guitar work and an irresistible pop hook (several of them in fact). When the Neptunes wanted to get retarded they could do it better than anyone and in 2004 they were the undisputed kings of pop production. Hear It Hear

Normally when bands release a greatest hits album they release a throwaway single to promote the album, it's either a decent single that didn't really fit on an album like RHCP's Fortune Faded or it's a rushed and heartless cover (see Girls Aloud's I Think Were Alone Now). While No Doubt took the later option, throwing together a cover of Talk Talk's It's My Life, it was anything but lazy, it was expertly considered and lovingly composed, fitting the band, and Gwen in particularly perfectly. A great one off single designed for Radio domination. Hear It Hear

Editors had lofty ambitions in 2005, they broke onto the scene covering the likes of R.E.M and Joy Division, and garnered huge attention for their debut album The Back Room. Come the second and third album their limitations had been exposed and the inflated indie bubble had slowly deflated, but back in '05 the world was at their feet. Munich had all the stables of Joy Division gloomy lyricism but it had the angular punch of contemporary indie, it was such a success that they transcended the pages of Q and NME and found themselves getting coverage in GQ and FHM. Munich remains the Editors greatest achievement. Hear It Hear

PJ Harvey seemed like a musical albatross by 2009 coming and going as she pleased and turning her hand to whatever she fancied. Black Hearted Love saw her joining forces with her favourite collaborator John Parish, they created a gloriously retrospective single. It recalled Harvey's first two albums, but now with a cool dead pan femme fatale vocal performance. It was a perfect partnership the track sounded so natural, Harvey was born to croon the words "You Are My Black Hearted Love" a heavenly track that could only be forged from hellish emotional turmoil. Hear It Hear

Death Magnetic was arguably the most eagerly anticipated album of 2008, if anyone could turn Metallica's dark decade around it was Rick Rubin. Metallica credibility was at an all time low following St. Anger and the Some Kind Of Monster movie, but their were rumours, whispers that Metallica might have recaptured the zeitgiest and were going back to their origanal thrash sound. Well at the Ozz Festival 2008 the world was given it's first taste, it's first taste of Cyanide and thankfully are prayers were answered. It wasn't the finished article or even Death Magnetic's best track but at last we had a newie that could sit side by side with Sanitarium and Ride The Lightening without looking out of place, and that was a remarkable achievement in itself, even if the chorus was really really stupid. Hear It Hear

Speaking of comebacks 2007 saw the unlikely return of the Smashing Pumpkins, of course it wasn't the original line up, but Billy Corgan was fully committed and that was enough to get people excited. Unlike Metallica, despite the albums title the Pumpkins had lost the Zietgiest. Tarantula however suggested a return to form, riding a hell of a riff and a chugging rhythem section it felt like a classic Pumpkins single the calibre of Siva or Bullet With Butterfly Wings. It almost made up for the mediocre LP. Hear It Hear

Kardinal Official isn't much of a rapper but that doesn't matter because this track was about one man and one man only; Akon. Dangerous saw Akon deliver yet another inescapable hook. I remember when I first heard this track I despised it, but Akon's subversive chorus engrained itself in my cranium until my will wilted and I became addicted to the track. Since debut Akon has established himself as R'n'B premier hit maker and he has dictated the genre sound for the last five years. Hear It Hear

It was tough picking which version of This Is Why I'm Hot would make it's way onto this list, there were so many great remixes, however I decided to opt for the track that started it all. Blackout Movement forged one of the greatest beats of all time in 2007 and MIMS simply added the finishing touches; an addictive simplistic hook and some pretty funny one liners. "I Could Sell A Mill Saying Nothing On The Track" this was meant to be a classic hip hop boast but in this case he was spot on, the beat was so slick, MIMS didn't need to say a word, this was a club banger before he even picked up the mic. Hear It Hear

2000's Music was rather hit and miss as it saw Madonna jumping between fads and cringeworthy attempts at being cool as well as geniunely superb efforts like second single Don't Tell Me. Which saw Madonna seamlessly blending some faux folk and country with the euphoric sweeps of her work with William Orbit. While on paper it sounded like a horrendous clusterfuck it actually turned out to be Madonna's second best record of the decade and a surprise smash. Unfortunately Don't Tell Me has been seemingly forgotten in the wake of her more pedestrian attempts at being contemporary. Hear It Hear

Following the break up of the under appreciated band Simian, Simian Mobile Disco was born, and it didn't take them long to take up residency in all of London's hottest night clubs. While Simian could never really create albums of great merit they always had the knack of the inventive mix and the sure fire club banger. Along with Justice, and with tracks like It's The Beat Simian slayed dancefloors across Europe and defined the post Daft Punk sound of credible dance. Hear It Hear

Sexy! No, No, No was actually one of Girls Aloud less successful singles but looking back it seemed remarkable, it was just hook ontop of glorious hook. From the first second the track grabs you with a vocader laden opening with whirling hushed synths and a pulsating piano line before the track explodes into life with guitars and never looks back. Xenomania seemed to be showing off, they made every inch of this track irresistible, they were showing that they could conquer whatever genre they wished; Sexy! rocked between Sound Of The Underground, The Show, a new 2007 synth based sound and even gave us 30 seconds of a divine ballad. Hear It Hear

By 2006 Timbaland was all conquering chart hero, but while his beats were slowly beginning to sag and feel dated, the Neptunes trademark sound refused to age. Along with Clipse The Neptunes created a beast, Mr. Me Too was simply too cool for school, riding on one of Pharrell's trademark deep booming basslines Clipse dropped a laid back rant at annoying scenesters and big headed posers. Another underrated Neptunes classic from the later half of the 2000s. Hear It Hear

The Go! Team will always go tragically unappreciated even though their music sounds so glorious, vibrant and fresh they seem to alienate more than they inspire. It's a shame as they are critical darlings and have made some of the most diverse and entertaining tracks of the decade. Ladyflash was a time travelling rocket ship, it flew through genres at ease, with glimpses of 90s dance, 50s & 60s pop and some late eighties rapping, the Go! Team ended up with a thoroughly 21st Century end product which paradoxically was frenetically paced and yet remarkably relaxing and refreshing. Hear It Hear

Game burst onto the scene in 2005 and expectations were sky high following 50 Cents early chart dominance, however Game could never quite match his label mates as hard as he tried. He started out on the right foot however, with the laid back pop masterpiece Hate It or Love It, proof that rappers could talk about their upbringing and slam the haters without having to resort to childish insults or furious aggression. This more considered approach helped the Game stand out in those early days. Hear It Hear

Still Tippin' wasn't a particularly intellectual affair, infact Mike Jones and IQ are rarely mentioned in the same breathe. After all Jones rose to fame by shouting out his name and telephone number repeatedly over braindead tracks. Still Tippin' with it's sharp cutting violin sample would prove too addictive to resist and it would spawn a million remixes and even managed to cross the Atlantic getting a UK version with all the then undergrounds biggest stars. Still Tippin' remains Mike Jones only legitimate success. Hear It Hear

In 2009 riding a wave of over the top hype Glasvegas laid it all on the line with their album opener Flowers & Football Tops it was a bold and bleak statement. Starting with a full fledged epic, it wasn't a sweet pop song it was a long slog, one big long emotional descent. James Allan seemed to put every inch of his soul into each elongated croon while Rab Allan belted out the backing "ooooh ohs" with all he could muster. It was a track that would divide opinion, it would separate the scenesters from the genuine fans, culminating in a heart breaking solitary rendition of You Are My Sunshine, this was Glaswegian soul at it's finest, with no tough guy façades or pretences in sight. Hear It Hear

Kanye rocked the world in 2003 with The College Dropout, he seemingly master all aspect of the rap game at once, he proved he had the best rhymes, the slickest production, the most soul, the best pop hooks and with The New Workout Plan Kanye proved he could bring the jokes and satire. While it's easy to praise Kanye's inspired send up of vacuous consumerism, working class aspiration and weight loss culture, it was the jokes that truly stole the show. Everyone has their favourite one liners but mine had to be; "Oooh Girl Your Breathe Is Harsh, Cover Your Mouth Up Like You Got Sars". Hear It Hear

Ida Maria wasn't quite edgy enough nor poppy enough to make it as a pop sensation or an indiepop hero, but she still managed to carve out a sustainable little niche for herself in 2008. Ida built her new found fame on the back of simple but effective vaguely rocky gems like I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked, the premise was straight forward, but sometimes basing a track around a inner neurosis that everyone can relate to is the perfect way to create a smash hit. Hear It Hear

Sometimes a beat just makes you say "Oh Hell Yeah" the second you hear it, and that was certainly the case with Ratatat 17 Years. One of the first signs that the post Daft Punk landscape was going to be pretty darn incredible with or without the scenes original leaders. 17 Years was a tour de force, starting out as an epic club banger before evolving into an atmospheric four and half minute master piece. A truly staggering piece heard in it's entirety, Ratatat had announced themselves in a big way. Hear It Hear

Following the Strokes breakthrough in 2001 post punk garage rock was back in fashion, and it wasn't just New York cranking out the fuzzy jams, Sweden was doing its part with The Hives churning out hit after hit. Walk Idiot Walk was their third successive hit, it was gritty higher energy fun. The Hives had the look, but never spent much time trying to be cool, they were too busy having fun, and in 2004 they were starting the party at festivals across the world. Hear It Hear

Puzzle was Biffy's breakthrough album but it was much more than just a series of bouncy anthemic hard rocking singles, Simon Neal proved he could write the slowlees just as well as he could write mosh pit monsters. Machines was tender, light and impassioned, it was full of gorgeous imagery, and a stripped down and bare arrangement. Simon Neal wasn't going to become one of the his generations great balladeers but he proved he was light years ahead of his fellow Kerrang cover stars. Hear It Hear

"You said "Send Me Stationary to make me horny", So I always write you letters in multicolours, decorating letters for forplay" that is the opening cuplet from Los Compesinos!'s superb My Year In Lists. It's intertwined narratives and choppy vocals create a gloriously unique sound, richer and more diverse than fellow scenesters Black Kids. This is another track where you have to pick your favourite one liner, and for me there was only one "Nothing Says I Miss You, Quite Like, Poetry Craved In Your Door With A Stanley Knife", gloriously ironic and beautifully romantic, one of the finest post 2007 indie tracks. Hear It Hear

Handlebars maybe a gimmicky track from an unimpressive and overly one dimensional act, but it remains a gorgeous piece of emotive music. It's a staggering work that perfectly presents it's moral musings by starting with a carefree beautiful opening verse before gradual becoming more aggressive, sinister and savage in intend. It's a tragic heartbreaking track, and while there is much to admire its the gorgeous horn arrangement that pieces through the wall of ominous slamming guitars that serves as the tracks highlight. One of the decades best one hit wonders. Hear It Hear