Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

The battle to be the dance's biggest hit maker really heated up and there were many contenders for the throne, while Daft Punk may have been the first and last word in dance music they could never keep pace with Basement Jaxx's ability to infiltrate the pop charts. Good Luck was a sensation, from it's first second it grabbed your attention, Lisa Kekaula vocal performance was arresting, and Basement Jaxx provide one hell of a playful arrangement while carefully making sure they avoided the pitfall of over production. Hear It Here

Tha Carter III was the definitive statement from Lil'Wayne, it was an album that had everything hardcore raps, a powerful message, ballads, slow jams, political rants and a truck load of party jams. Got Money falls into the latter category. T-Pain is on board to provide a chorus of On A Boat proportions while Wheezy gets to work with his laid back swagger. His flow is remarkable, his delivery differentiates himself instantly from the rest of the hip hop crowd, and sometimes it's just soothing to hear his voice, it's ideally suited to music. Got Money is simply put a damn good time. Hear It Here

Following the success of Crazy Gnarls Barkley were out to prove they were no one hit wonders. They did just that with the gorgeous Smiley Faces and in the process they brought male soul into the twenty first century. It was a remarkable feat, between the depths of Cee-lo's vocals and the ultra slick arrangements of Danger Mouse, Gnarls Barkley changed the pop landscape over night. Smiley Faces did exactly what it says on the tin, a irresistible soulful feel good anthem. Hear It Here

Sometimes an orginal gets overshadowed and that was certainly the case when Lily Allen, sorry Mark Ronson (seriously?), covered the Kaiser Chiefs Oh My God. The track was just perfectly suited to Allen, she replaced Kaiser Cheifs sing along frenetic energy, with a disinterested nonplussed croon that perfectly suited the track, every inch of her vocal sounded before divine and chronically bored, it was as if she was rolling her eyes at the very notion of having to perform the track. It was a match made in heaven, oh and Mark Ronson's arrangement was erh...pleasent. Hear It Here

In 2006 Muse had laid claim to the title of the greatest live band walking the face of planet earth and while Metallica and others had pretty strong counter arguments it was hard to deny that Muse owned 2006. In Starlight they took hold of the pop charts with a big ballsy ballad, the sort that can destroy your credibility in a second, so course Muse had absolutely nothing to fear and promptly soared to the top of the charts. It became on of their biggest live sing alongs as they led the world in giant hand clap routines for the next three years. Hear It Here

Ever since leaving N*Sync Justin Timberlake has seemed incapable of putting a foot wrong. Everything he touches turns to gold, with the help of a slick Neptunes beat Timberlake's single ruled the charts with an iron fist. His vocals were just divine the melody was so well pitched and the creeping bassline so subversive we didn't stand a chance, resistance was futile. Of course it would take us the best part of a year to get the line "Don't Be So Quick, To Walk Away" out of our collective consciousness. Hear It Here

In 2006 The Strokes were tired of trying to be cool and were going to do whatever the hell they wanted on First Impressions Of Earth, the results were inconsistent to say the least but their were some remarkable thrills to be discovered. You Only Live Once kicked started the album set the tone, it was The Strokes state of the union address, rather than talking about girls Julian was talking about humanity (and erh...girls) but it was bloody brilliant. It's as if he'd saved up all his perfect soundbytes for one song. Everyone has a favourite line but mine had to be "And Countless Are Religions too, It doesn't Matter Which You Choose, One Stubborn Way To Turn Your Back, Oh This I've Tried And I Refuse" pure genius. Hear It Here

Holy hooks Batman! Could the dream conjured up a more...erh...dreamy (ugh) chorus than that displayed on Cookie Jar. However this track was more than just a insanely catchy melody Travis McCoy laid down a brilliant playful verse, of course the Cookies in questions were in fact girls, and no one has ever made cheating sound as innocent and playful as Gym Class Heroes. After will with tracks this good who could possible stay mad at Gym Class Heroes. Hear It Here

Any track that harkens back to the golden age of pop music (for those who don't know that's pre Abba) is always going to go down a treat with me. The Pipettes were pop's answer to Airborne, they looked as though they had just stepped out of a time machine and looked like a pretty regular bunch of girls. Pull Shapes remains their greatest single, it's designed to plaster a smile across your face, it revives the lost art of the three part harmony as the girls voices merge divinely. It's short and sharp but it's never simple, it's remarkable well arranged and superbly layered, making it one of the smartest slices of retrospective pop in years. It's truly great to see a bunch of girls embracing pops past and realizing there are influences before Timbaland, before Mariah and yes before even Abba. Hear It Here