Music Monday: A look back

As the decade wraps up and everybody comes out with their great big lists of the bests and worsts, I've done a bit of reflecting on where this ten years has taken me. When we rang in the millennium, I was nine years old and in the fourth grade. Now I'm nineteen and in my sophomore year of college. So just a few things have changed. One thing that has gone through a lot of transformations is the music to which I listen. Today I'll take a step back into the past to see what I've listened to throughout the decade.
2000-2002: Pop
I figured that's the best title for this period, as I did listen to almost exclusively pop music and "Pop" is also the name of one of the songs from my favorite band during that time: *NSYNC. I was a huge *NSYNC fan when I was in elementary school. I had pictures of them all over my wall, I'd tape their tv appearances, and I'm pretty sure I wanted to marry one of them. I own all of their albums (even the Christmas one) and I own a copy of the single "Girlfriend" with Nelly added in, since that wasn't on the original release of Celebrity. I spent that time period listening to lots of other excellent (and terrible) pop music. Along with *NSYNC, my other favorite band was S Club 7 - the British group with the somewhat terrible and cheesy tv show who had one hit in the US. I had all of their cds too. I even own a copy of the S Club 7 movie, Seeing Double, which was never released in the US. I was a dedicated fan. Rounding out my cd collection from those days: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, The Backstreet Boys, the A*Teens, countless Now! cds, the single of "Liquid Dreams" by O-Town, Dixie Chicks, and Hanson. If you're thinking that Hanson was the 90's, then you're partially right. But in 2000 they came out with This Time Around, which was far less popular than Middle of Nowhere. I stuck with Hanson even longer than that too, into 2004 when they released Underneath.
Some of my favorites from the time period in video below. The Goodbye Earl one might be the best - Jane Krakowski, Dennis Franz and Adrian Pasdar are all in it and the song is hilarious.

*NSYNC - New Music - More Music Videos

Hanson - New Music - More Music Videos

Dixie Chicks - New Music - More Music Videos

2002-2004: On the East Coast, we ride.
When I got to middle school, teen angst took over. Where *NSYNC had reigned, new edgier bands took hold. Keep in mind though, edgier than *NSYNC isn't saying much. Middle school turned me to music from bands like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan - perfect for the almost-teen angst (not really) that I was feeling, or wanted to believe I was feeling. Other things that entered my cd collection during that time: Michelle Branch, more Now! cds (I did still listen to pop music after all, just not exclusively), All-American Rejects, Vanessa Carlton, Hoobastank (The Reason was like, the song of my eighth grade year), Lillix (I really wish I had a copy of them singing "This Town" which they covered for the theme of the MTV show "Rich Girls"), and Sugarcult.

2004-2008: An actual alternative
When I got into high school, my music taste again changed. I was no longer interested in Good Charlotte or Simple Plan. I started reading Spin magazine and learning about music that was somewhat out of the mainstream. I became a huge fan of My Chemical Romance and the Used, and I saw the former in concert with Muse for my 17th birthday. During high school I also became a big Kings of Leon fan - I could be one of those snobs who brags about liking them before they hit it big in the US, but mostly I sit back quietly and think about the cds I hope their new fans go out and buy - Aha Shake Heartbreak being my top recommendation. I got pretty into "emo" music, though I'd never refer to it as such, instead describing my genre of choice as "post-hardcore emotional punk" or something like that - whatever it was, the definition came from Andy Greenwald, an expert on the subject. Other bands that came into my life during that period: Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, Velvet Revolver, Jimmy Eat World, REM, Panic(!) at the Disco, Nirvana, Muse, Matchbook Romance, Lostprophets, The Killers




2008-present
I would describe my music taste now as a delightful mix. I still listen to pop music (though I fear I'm becoming an old lady sometimes when I get home from school and don't know all the songs on the radio) and I still listen to my emo/rock/punk bands. I've listened to mainstream bands and "indie" bands, I'll probably buy anything The Killers or Fall Out Boy puts out, I'm in love with some soundtracks, I still love to sing along with songs from Bye Bye Birdie or even, ahem, High School Musical. I think right now my music taste can go every which way. I won't rule out any genre - I'm not one of those "anything but country" people. I'm not following every music trend anymore (I don't think I could stand listening to "Party in the USA" a full time through and I think Justin Bieber looks and sounds 12 and also seems to be the ideal choice for the role of Alvin if they make a 3rd live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks movie but decide to use real actors instead of CGI chipmunks). I guess I've finally come into my own. It's weird since I don't have tv at school dependably, I don't watch as many music videos of popular songs unless I'm seeking them out for my music posts or trying to listen to a song I only heard a snippet of. So I'll just put two videos that have captured my attention recently - one for being completely insane and awesome and one for being a completely terrible but catchy song.