Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

In 2005 Young Jeezy rose above his guest slot superstar billing and finally made the break through hit his sloganeering had long threaten. Go Crazy was a half elongated boast, half a simple sure fire beat and part one of hip hops most memorable hooks of recent years. It's remarkable how effective such a lazy hook could be so infectious. Of course Jeezy's rhymes never were up to scratch but a verse from Hova ups the lyrical ante. Hear It Here

Before an ipod commercial and a certain track by the name of 1,2,3,4 introduce Fiest to world, she was an unkown carving out a legacy as one of the great folk-pop songtresses. Mushaboom may have only reached 98 in the charts but it still remains her most powerful single. It has a tragic tone and yet it has a joyful premise and an quirky upbeat arrangement. Mushaaboom tells the tale of a happy small town life, of existence within one's mean and the joy of the small things in life. It offsets the tragedy of everyday life: "It Maybe Years Until The Day, My Dreams Match Up With My Pay" with the beauty of those small everyday experiences that bring you joy, they are both completely unique and familiar to millions. Mushaboom is a beautiful crafted pop song. Hear It Here

(Almost Gold 2008, Bernard Butler)

2008 truly was a great her for pop music, great tracks and irresistible hooks were popping up from every conceivable angle and best of all pop had once again found it's songwriting voice. Indie was pitching in in a big way and Black Kids combined glorious uplifting synth sweeps with sugary hooks and a playful lyrical attitude. I'm Not Gonna... was a remarkable well crafted song, every inch of the track is perfectly positioned and masterfully crafted for maximum pop appeal, yet Black Kids still manages to maintain this rough around the edges indie feel to the track. Like was beautiful house held together by masking tape. Here It Here

By 2009 Oasis had run so creatively dry that the announcement of the bands break up was met more with a sense of knowing approval than the grief of a tragic loss. However the most surprisingly the only truly interesting release from Oasis' final LP came from Liam and not Noel. While it wore it's influences on it's sleeve with a not so subtle piano nod to A Day In The Life and of course some trademark Lennon snears, I'm Outta Time felt like the most genuine and emotionally powerful track Oasis had released in over a decade. It was subtle and downbeat, it lacked the OTT swagger or the pretentious of greatness this felt like good old fashion songwriting and more of a heartfelt tribute than pastiche. Hear It Here

There's something inherently sickening about a love song to a commercial products, but The Pack's Vans was too cool to be resisted, the beat was slick and the rhymes were smooth. It may have been the most shameless piece of product placement in music history but this was undoubtedly the most plug in history, and compared to Soulja Boy's horrendous shilling of the Bathing Apes name it doesn't seem all that bad. If one product can inspire this much creativity then perhaps the world of the cooperate shill isn't

so bad after all. Hear It Here

You can't accuse Bloc Party of taking the easy way out, since their debut album Silent Alarm they have consistently attempted to evolve their sound and experiment, especially with dance, electronica and industrial beats. Mercury follows that line of creative expansion and has become suitably divisive. It's either an awesome indie disco anthem or it's a horrid regrettable posturing. There is little doubt that Bloc Party's Radiohead like ambitions have outstripped their creativity. Yet while they've yet to truly recapture the Zietgiest that made Silent Alarm so special, they've never lost their deft touch as one of this generations great and most interesting hit makers. Hear It Here

While I'm sure Kele would cringe at the comparison, Coldplay are very much the bigger scale version of Bloc Party. Coldplay are undoubtedly one the 21st Centuries great hit makers, yet they've always aspired for something more, but Chris Martin can never escape from his own brilliance as a simplistic and gorgeous song writer. Viva La Vida And The Death Of All His Friends was a failure in many respects Coldplay quality couldn't measure up to their intent but in mearly trying they created some of the most interesting and exciting pop music of the year. Viva La Vida truly sounded vibrant glorious and uplifting and while only released as a promotional track shot to number one ahead of first single proper Violet Hill. Hear It Here

I'll be posting my review of The Fame Monster later on today or early tomorrow and quite frankly I can't wait. Bad Romance was the long awaited proof that Lady Gaga will not be slowing down anytime soon, the wheels will not be falling off this run away train. The track itself is gorgeously addictive as Lady Gaga plays with her insanity as her of key vocals provide the perfect image of the obsessed wannabe lover. However the entire essence of Gaga and her Brillaince is captured in the first few seconds with the mad cap hurly burly "Ra Ra Ah Ah Ah Roma Romama Oh La La" carousel opening. The Madonna pastiche that follows actually serves to highlight how Gaga has ascended beyond posturing and posing to become a legitimate pop Icon and one that defines the twenty first century perfectly. Hear It Here

So we transition from pops new Icon to pop's Old Guard. Following the Pop debacle U2 had a point to prove in naughties, how they'd go about making it was the question on everyone's lips, would they come straight back and have a second stab at a creative breakthrough? In a word, no. All That You Can't Leave Behind saw U2 revert to their sure fire formula, but unlike Oasis the well hadn't run dry and Bono was still able to seemingly fart out number one singles. In short order behind the mighty Beautiful Day U2 had reclaimed their throne as the biggest band in pop music and leather cowboy suits or not they were here to stay. Hear It Here

Maths + English was a half way house album for Dizzee Rascal, it showed his potential for crossover domination but was still full of aggression and contained a powerful and often dark message. Pussyole had the old school and new school dance and hip hop nods that would dominate his subsequent records but at it's heart Pussyole was a determined rant and warning. While it may have seemed like a pedantic hip hop dis record it was infact a warning to the youth of a nation. It saw Dizzee rip into those people who talk a big game, start trouble, start fights and expect loyalty but only leave you hanging in all kinds of hot water. It was a simple message choose your friends wisely and don't be feel forced to loyal to someone who doesn't deserve your respect. Dizzee expertly throws lyrical darts inbetween relating his own life experiences and in many ways Pussyole is the best/worst public service announcement for Britain's troubled youths. Hear It Here