SONGS OF THE DECADE #44 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] Eve ft. Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind (2001) Let Me Blow Ya Mind - Eve Forget No Homo: how about we address the almost permanently ingrained misogyny in rap music before we start working on the homophobia? In the late '90s, when cultural forces still pressured hip-hop to be nicer to women, Eve was deemed the First Lady of the Rough Ryders. While surrounded by the likes of DMX and Ja... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #45 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks (2006) In which all the tensions and strife of two generation of parents raised on rock n roll are wistfully whistled away, wiping the slate clean for a young generation to determine what it wants to do with it. By definition, writing a song about young folks (and me writing about that song) is tongue-in-cheek, but it's okay to be tongue in cheek when you... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #46 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] The Walkmen - In the New Year (2008) In The New Year - The Walkmen With one song, the band you had forgotten about over a half decade of indie rock (is there any other kind anymore?) all of a sudden became the band you brought home to your mother. The Walkmen were a New York band in heartland drag—Leuthauser's street savvy appeal belied the distinct American qualities of this rare indie p... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #47 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] Jay Reatard - My Shadow (2006) My Shadow - Jay Reatard Picking one Jay Reatard single is like trying to pick one symphony by Haydn; distingushing one composion over all the rest belittles the fact that Reatard's prolific recording habits have been the most impressive part of his career. By the time he hits 30, Reatard will have been writing punk singles for 15 years, and there's no sign he... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #48 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] The Fratellis - Baby Fratelli (2007) Baby Fratelli - The Fratellis There's a small, but important key to the Fratellis' appeal, one that their contemporaries from Jet to Franz Ferdinand to the Libertines lack: all the latter bands braggadocio comes from the attitude of "look at me." The Arctic Monkeys come from an attitude of "Look at you." The Fratellis come from an attiude of "look at u... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #49 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] Beck - E-Pro (2005) E-Pro - Beck Among the seemingly infinite tools in Beck's arsenal, he hasn't used the anthem hammer all that often. Perhaps that's because the first time he used it, he became an international star with "Loser," and half the fans were too stupid to get it. Yet, "E-Pro" has endured on soundtracks, playlists, and party mixes much longer than anyone could have imagined in ... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #49 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] Beck - E-Pro (2005) E-Pro - Beck Among the seemingly infinite tools in Beck's arsenal, he hasn't used the anthem hammer all that often. Perhaps that's because the first time he used it, he became an international star with "Loser," and half the fans were too stupid to get it. Yet, "E-Pro" has endured on soundtracks, playlists, and party mixes much longer than anyone could have imagined in ... Read Full Story

An adjustment of America's attitudes toward the sixties has been long overdue, and while Mad Men may be reminding people of how the adult world worked in the face of turbulence, August Schulenberg's The Lesser Seductions of History gets with the fresh faced college grads, caught in between the choices of the larger world and their personal demons. A crucial theme in Schulenberg's play is that the divide between personal and political, even in times of rapid change, isn't a black and white d... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #51 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] Heavy Trash - They Were Kings (2007) They Were Kings - Heavy Trash 25 years ago, Jon Spencer was excommunicated from D.C's Dischord scene (and D.I.Y. President-for-Life Ian MacKaye). Critics scoffed off the Blues Explosion in the '90s for Spencer's willful pomo posturing, which came right as the American mainstream had just accepted that stealing rock music from blacks may have been a bad... Read Full Story

SONGS OF THE DECADE #50 [For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List] Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus (2008) In this day and age, getting one song any attention, be it on Public Radio or a review on Pitchfork, is enough to win an audience. "Titus Andronicus," the song by the band Titus Andronicus, tries to be a classic in a world that doesn't want 20 year olds from Glen Rock, New Jersey to produce a classic. The selection of what was once deemed "Shakespe... Read Full Story