Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
It's one of the best dancepop numbers ever made.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
Just say no to the Arctic Monkeys.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
I lived next to a couple who played Coldplay 24 hours a day. If I never hear another of their songs, it will not make up for that year.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele
Hoppipola will forever be associated with Planet Earth, and that is more than enough to give it my vote.

[Monstruos de Bolsillo]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters
Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady
Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Belgium]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters
Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady
Hoppípolla – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Steeve Ho You Fat]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue. I thought by 2017 we had realized that Mumfard and Sons were garbage-can frauds who don't deserve be be called "folk music", or even "good music". Sad!

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson. Arctic Monkeys are cool but this is a classic.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters If you vote against Bright Eyes do you get banished from Minnesota?

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers Do hip teens really listen to oldplay? Not that it matters - Zip City should be the winner against nearly every song on this list.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[ProfessorIanDuncan]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I actually enjoy Little Lion Man. I don't know that I'd enjoy listening to Mumford and Sons for an hour or more. I also suspect that Little Lion Man is a bit more unique than a good number of the songs on the list, so I think that gives it the nod here. Can't Get You Out of My Head is a really catchy pop song and definitely would win out over a good number of other songs.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

Yeah, I like Artic Monkeys but I don't really like the lyrics and I get the sense that something is missing. I really like the call and response part though. Since U Been Gone is, as mentioned upthread, a classic, so it wins out here.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

This was really tough. I don't remember the iPod commercial so I don't associate 1234 with an advertisement (which helps its cause), and I've never really listened to the Dixie Chicks (which hurts its cause). Ultimately, I think 1234 is just slightly more up my alley which gives it the nod here.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

Agree with Rob on this one.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Best of You is a bit too repetitive for my liking. First Day of My Life is nothing special either, and maybe after a while First Day of My Life might start pissing me off after numerous listens, Best of You seems exceedingly uninteresting.

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Southern rock is pretty awesome when done well, and while I have heard better, Zip City is good enough to beat out Clocks (which is saying something, because I actually enjoy some of Coldplay's less recent stuff like this)

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

I'm a simpleton, and on a first listen Standing in the Way of Control is a simpler song to appreciate and enjoy.

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

Adele is great, and I think this song is definitely among her better ones. I don't have memories of watching Planet Earth so Hoppipola, while relaxing, doesn't evoke nearly the same response.

[Auks Ran Ova]

If you vote against Bright Eyes do you get banished from Minnesota?

why would you, he's from Nebraska

[Steeve Ho You Fat]

If you vote against Bright Eyes do you get banished from Minnesota?

why would you, he's from Nebraska

Didn't y'all adopt him or something? All I know is that every person I've had a long discussion about him with is from or lives in Minnesota, and I had to pick either that or The Hold Steady to use that.

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!!

Best of You – Foo Fighters

Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip

Chasing Pavements – Adele

[women, fire and dangerous things]

Can't Get You Out of My Head

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

1234

Do You Realize??

First Day of My Life

Zip City

Standing in the Way of Control

Hoppipolla

[Rather Wild Indeed]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Ndg]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue. Listening to Mumford and Sons makes me feel gross inside. Can't Get You Out of My Head is even better than I remembered and deserves to make it, like, three more rounds at least.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson. Don't really care who wins here. I didn't realize Arctic Monkeys had any songs this great. Since U Been Gone was sort of ruined for me by being overplayed in the aughts, although it is admittedly really really good.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks. I'm not very familiar with the Dixie Chicks and wasn't expecting this to be a tough choice, but... Wow. Not Ready to Make Nice is so perfectly done.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips. It's the little things that are ruining Do You Realize?? for me. The bizarre "1-2-3-4" at the beginning. The goofy "zoinngg" sound that undermines the apparent attempt to convey something serious in the lyrics. The gorgeous key change halfway through that the band just gives up on after about ten seconds. The extra "like, whoa" question mark in the title.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters. Nobody churns out over-sung, generic-sounding rock like the Foo Fighters!

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers. Both of these songs are bad, but only one is not Clocks by Coldplay.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady. I'm a sucker for rock bands with soulful, bluesy vocals (see: Algiers, King's X).

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele. This is a really weird match-up. Not sure what to do with Sigur Ros in the context of everything else here. Chasing Pavements is perfectly agreeable as one of Adele's less-whiny songs.

[AKKOLADE]

Zip City – Drive-By Truckers. Both of these songs are bad

triggered as heck

[Charm Bison]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue: Little Lion Man and The Cave are good songs, regardless of the rest of Mumford and Sons' discography.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson: I've gone back and forth on this a few times, but Since U Been Gone is just too fun to pass up. Pitch Perfect still did it better, though.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks: Hadn't heard either song before. One of the rare songs where the politics surrounding it actually elevate the song.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips: I agree with Rob, this was basically by default.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters: You're gonna notice throughout this bracket that I don't usually go for the understated song.

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers: I like Coldplay. Sue me. (except for that Chainsmokers song, that was terrible)

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady: Close match between two songs that I also hadn't heard before, but Stuck Between Stations pulled it out by the end.

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele: The song that started a mom-music revolution. Sigur Ros came surprisingly close in this matchup.

[rylltraka]

I must say that I've been looking forward to this as an educational experience, because I really wasn't paying attention to really any new music after 2002, and so I'm sure much of this material will be completely new, falling on virgin ears.

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

The first incident of "oh, that's what that song is called". CGYOOMH is fine, but ephemeral dance-pop, and I'm a sucker for anything with a guitar-banjo counter-rhythm.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

Stark differences in the vocal approaches here. There's nothing wrong with this Arctic Monkeys song, but it would have been a dime-a-dozen late-album track on a British Invasion album in 1970. Clarkson's vocals really seal the deal here for me.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

With song #1, the first example of "what the hell was that?". The song sounds like it was being performed half a mile away, and I have no idea what it's about. Second one, although I'm not a huge fan (nice harmonies, though), wins more or less by default.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

This !!! song is some weird shit, which in my eyes is usually a good thing. The oddness of the second one seems to me more cutesy and off-putting, so MAGDBTS(ATS) it is.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Did song #1 steal its instrumentation from Death Cab for Cutie's "I will follow you into the dark"? Or just its general sensibilities? It's not bad despite its mushy navel-gazing. "Best of You" is definitely a second-tier FF single, and a bit repetitive, although Dave Grohl tries to scream away its shortcomings. Close nod to the former.

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

I still don't know what #1 is about, but it's a pretty, sweet, atmospheric song with interesting prog aspects. The second one has nice musicianship, and I generally like it, but the rest of it is pretty rote in its execution. I don't seem to have inherited the U2-esque hatred of Coldplay, for whatever reason.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

I'd never heard either of these songs - I really liked the first and how it mixed disco and new wave elements with some elements of modern sensibilities, and throws in some surprises along the way. Yeah, this kicks ass. And this second song - the guitar segues from an 80s rock song into a post-grunge 90s guitar song, but this guy CANNOT SING. And it's horrible. His voice is off key while he's just talking! Add a Tom Petty-esque vocalist and this would sound great.

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

I don't really have a problem with the first song other than it sounds like a Christmas pageant and I have no idea what language it's in. The second song didn't really blow me away, though.

[marianna]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
I can stand some Mumford and Sons songs, but not this one. Plus, it's up against an absolute classic. A no-brainer choice.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
I do enjoy some Arctic Monkeys stuff, but I've always thought this song is one of their worst songs. Since U Been Gone is one of those immensely cathartic songs to scream your voice out to.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
The Reminder is a beloved album of mine, and although I don't think 1234 is a standout song on the album, I nonetheless like it quite a lot. Unfortunately for the Dixie Chicks, country is not really my thing.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
Yoshimi is another album I absolutely love. Do You Realize?? is such a fun song to listen to. In comparison, I don't know where this !!! song is taking me, and it honestly took some self-control to let it play to the end.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters
I really like First Day of My Life, it's a tender and thoughtful song. In general, I tend to prefer indie folk over rock.

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
I'll admit I have a soft spot for early Coldplay, particularly stuff from Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head. The piano melody in Clocks is just so catchy! I also like Chris Martin's floaty voice when it's not overwhelmed by overly complex and loud instrumentals (as in much of later Coldplay). Clocks was also the first song I aced in DDR, so there may be sentimental attachment and mere exposure effect behind my judgment here.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady
Neither of these songs are really up my alley. I actively disliked the Gossip song (the vocals and drums is just... too much). The Hold Steady song is alright.

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele
Oof tough choice. I like a lot of Sigur Ros's early dreamy stuff, especially stuff from Takk. Plus, Hoppipola been used in so much media that I have all sorts of gushy feelings attached to it. I do like Chasing Pavements a lot too, but Hoppipola edges out for me.

[Fat Lip]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
abstain

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Dantooine is Big!]

(Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue) Abstain

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

(1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks) Abstain

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters (really tough choice)

(Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers) Abstain

(Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady) Abstain

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Nate714]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Blackboard Monitor Vimes]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Quinctilius Varus]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
Since U Been Gone is very catchy and fun, but Dancefloor is a better song.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is a fantastic album, and the other song barely held my interest for its very bloated length.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters
Not a fan of either of these songs.

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
I'm a sucker for a good piano riff. I enjoyed Drive-By Truckers' most recent album, but beyond the lyrics, Zip City did not impress me.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele
Both of these are great songs, but Adele's emotional vocals give her the edge here.

[MiltonPlayer47]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
With the exception of "Where the Devil Don't Stay" I'm actually not a big DBT fan. But any DBT song still beats any Coldplay song

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Red Panda Cub]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[El Salvadoreno]

Little Lion Man
Since U Been Gone
Not Ready to Make Nice
Do You Realize
First Day of my Life
Clocks
Standing in the Way of Control and...
Chasing Pavements

[Stained Diviner]

Can’t Get You Out of My Head
Since U Been Gone
Clocks
Stuck Between Stations

That's all I got.

[1992 in spaceflight]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
This was a tough vote.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
This, on the other hand, was not. I happen to hear 1234 at work all the time and I hate it.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[TaylorH]

Can't Get You Out of My Head

Since U Been Gone

1234

Do You Realize??

First Day of My Life

Zip City

Standing in the Way of Control

Hoppipola

[Auger recombination]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns

Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros

[Off To See The Lizard]

I wonder if fluorescent adolescent would have beat since u been gone in the bracket. I always though that was the Arctic Monkeys' best song.

[Mahavishnu]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[AKKOLADE]

Voting closes later tonight! Please try to vote in every match up. If you don't recognize a song, listen to it! The point of the contest is to expose people to new music in a hopefully fun way.

[merv1618]

Voting closes later tonight! Please try to vote in every match up. If you don't recognize a song, listen to it! The point of the contest is to expose people to new music in a hopefully fun way.

Also make it a point not to be swayed by good vs mediocre music videos, regardless of song quality.

[Susan]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters
Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers (I am judging you very harshly if you voted otherwise)
Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady
Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[Nabonidus]

Can’t Get You Out of My Head
Since U Been Gone
Not Ready to Make Nice
Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story)
dislike both
Zip City although IMHO the best song on that album is "Women Without Whiskey" and their best of the 2000s is "Carl Perkins' Cadillac"
Stuck Between Stations
dislike both

[TylerV]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

Not even a top 3 Dixie Chicks song but I'm not a big fan of 1234.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

When I first looked at the bracket, I very much expected to vote for clocks, but Zip City is a fantastic song.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

This first round was a lot of fun, thanks for putting it together Fred.

[AKKOLADE]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue

Can't Get You... has a fantastic chorus and groove, but the verses don't do much for me. Little Lion Man is basically what I imagine to be the apex of what Mumford and Sons could possibly do. The delivery of the chorus has a great anger to it as the song progresses and the orchestration's really great.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

I really like the chorus on the Arctic Monkeys track. I've never loved SUBG for whatever reason; I think it might be that I dislike the tempo of the verses, or maybe something about the delivery of the chorus vocal line - I feel like it should have been closer to the bridge in delivery.. Also, a fun story: the only reason I put this song in is because Nicole chastised me for leaving it out. I initially had a Bjork song in here before replacing it. It is easily going to have the most votes in this round. Feel free to laugh at me as much as you like.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

1234 is a nice, breezy kind of song, but I really love the structure & lyrics of the Dixie Chicks song. I remember the controversy they faced in the early part of the decade for speaking against George W. Bush. Natalie Mains knocks this song out of the park.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips

Two of my less favorite songs to make this tournament. Maybe, subconsciously, that's why I matched them up. Or maybe it's the excess of punctuation. I just think DYR is tighter.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters

I think First Day of My Life is just a lovely song about an attempt to right struggling relationship. I will recommend the acoustic version of Best of You, even though that's not what we're voting on - I think that's a lovely rendition of the song.

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers

I realize that Coldplay's an easy band to hate, and I find a lot of their stuff to be uninteresting, but I really like the writing on Clocks. It's just a very complex and well done song.

But, Zip City's probably my favorite song off of one of my all-time favorite albums,

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

Stuck Between Stations is a really fun song on another favorite album of mine, but Standing in the Way of Control is just funky as hell.

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

Chasing Pavements is a really good proto-Adele song, before she's perfected her art. Hoppipola is just a really lovely ethereal song.

[jonpin]

Round Zero - Part One

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue. The precision f-bomb works wonders. I wouldn't mind if Kylie won, though.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson. Kelly Clarkson is ten times better than anything else we got from American Idol.

1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks. Eh, not feeling it for Feist.

Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips. What the hell is even happening in "Me and Giuliani"? Not a fan at all.

First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters. I gave this one an honest shot, but have picked the latter as winning before the first refrain is over. Bright Eyes is not getting the best, the best, the best of Foo Fighters.

Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers. In the genre of sports montages, ESPN's Images of the Decade may be one of the most emotionally powerful I've ever seen.

Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady. Well, this is a jam I hadn't heard before. Weird video, though.

Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele. A solid song.

[jonpin]

Fred, I'm curious what your process was in creating the shortlist of songs you listened to for the process of picking and seeding the bracket.

[Sam]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
(I like this song, which I believe was the first I downloaded on an iPod, and I likely wouldn't have voted in this poll at all if not for the senseless libel of one Robert "Rob Carson" Carson.)
First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters
Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady
Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

[El Salvadoreno]

Fred, I'm curious what your process was in creating the shortlist of songs you listened to for the process of picking and seeding the bracket.

Also, how did you decide these round 0 matchups?

[AKKOLADE]

Fred, I'm curious what your process was in creating the shortlist of songs you listened to for the process of picking and seeding the bracket.

I basically went with the top 500 songs for the decade off of Acclaimed Music, plus a quick run through my previous listening.

I seeded the top 80 songs; we're working through half of the 49-80 matchups.

[peyrin]

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Suns vs. Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys vs. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
1234 – Feist vs. Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) – !!! vs. Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes vs. Best of You – Foo Fighters
Clocks – Coldplay vs. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
Standing in the Way of Control – Gossip vs. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady
Hoppipola – Sigur Ros vs. Chasing Pavements – Adele

Lips and Sigur Ros the best of the round IMO

[AKKOLADE]

Time's up! Our winners:

Can’t Get You Out of My Head 27, Little Lion Man 21

Since U Been Gone 40, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor 9

Not Ready to Make Nice 29, 1234 18

Do You Realize?? 33, Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) 15

First Day of My Life 23, Best of You 23

The tiebreaker will be a vote by my wife, Nicole.

Comments on First Day of My Life: "It's very sweet."
Comments on Best of You: "It's not that it's a good song, but it sounds more 90s-ish. The first one sounds more unique."

First Day of My Life advances.

Clocks 26, Zip City 21

Stuck Between Stations 26, Standing in the Way of Control 20

Chasing Pavements 26, Hoppipola 21

[AKKOLADE]

Song: The Fear
Artist: Lily Allen
Album: It’s Not Me, It’s You
Year: 2009

Song: Love Story
Artist: Taylor Swift
Album: Fearless
Year: 2008

Song: Dashboard
Artist: Modest Mouse
Album: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Year: 2007

Song: Bonkers
Artist: Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden
Album: Tongue n’ Cheek
Year: 2009

Song: Move Your Feet
Artist: Junior Senior
Album: D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat
Year: 2002

Song: Helicopter
Artist: Bloc Party
Album: Silent Alarm
Year: 2005

Song: Family Affair
Artist: Mary J. Blige
Album: No More Drama
Year: 2001

Song: Fidelity
Artist: Regina Spektor
Album: Begin to Hope
Year: 2006

Song: Mykonos
Artist: Fleet Foxes
Album: Sun Giant
Year: 2008

Song: American Boy
Artist: Estelle featuring Kanye West
Album: Shine
Year: 2008

Song: Fireworks
Artist: Animal Collective
Album: Strawberry Jam
Year: 2007

Song: Machine Gun
Artist: Portishead
Album: Third
Year: 2008

Song: Grounds for Divorce
Artist: Elbow
Album: The Seldom Seen Kid
Year: 2008

Song: Blind
Artist: Hercules and Love Affair
Album: Hercules and Love Affair
Year: 2008


Song: Strict Machine
Artist: Goldfrapp
Album: Black Cherry
Year: 2003

Song: Slow Jamz
Artist: Twist featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx
Album: Kamikaze
Year: 2003

And your ballot:

The Fear – Lily Allen vs. Love Story – Taylor Swift

Dashboard – Modest Mouse vs. Bonkers – Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior vs. Helicopter – Bloc Party

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige vs. Fidelity – Regina Spektor

Mykonos – Fleet Foxes vs. American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West

Fireworks – Animal Collective vs. Machine Gun – Portishead

Grounds for Divorce – Elbow vs. Blind – Hercules and Love Affair

Strict Machine – Goldfrapp vs. Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

[heterodyne]

Love Story – Taylor Swift

Dashboard – Modest Mouse

Helicopter – Bloc Party

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige

American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West
This one was hard for me, but I think American Boy is a boo through-and-through, whereas I don't like the second half of Mykonos quite as much.

Machine Gun – Portishead

Blind – Hercules and Love Affair

Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

[sephirothrr]

The Fear – Lily Allen vs. Love Story – Taylor Swift

Dashboard – Modest Mouse vs. Bonkers – Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior vs. Helicopter – Bloc Party

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige vs. Fidelity – Regina Spektor

Mykonos – Fleet Foxes vs. American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West

Fireworks – Animal Collective vs. Machine Gun – Portishead

no vote -- Grounds for Divorce – Elbow vs. Blind – Hercules and Love Affair -- no vote

Strict Machine – Goldfrapp vs. Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

[marianna]

The Fear – Lily Allen vs. Love Story – Taylor Swift
Love Story is a silly saccharine song, but it's a memorable classic. The way she hits "Juliet!" tickles me every time. The Fear is alright, but ultimately forgettable.

Dashboard – Modest Mouse vs. Bonkers – Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden
Dashboard is an odd choice for the best of 2000s Modest Mouse, but it's pretty good. I'm not really into the style of music this Dizzee Rascal song represents.

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior vs. Helicopter – Bloc Party
Neither of these songs are really doing it for me. I guess I slightly prefer the latter.

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige vs. Fidelity – Regina Spektor
I adore Regina's odd songwriting and hiccupy child-like voice, especially on Begin to Hope. Fidelity isn't really the best example of the former, but definitely showcases the latter. Sorry, Mary J. Blige, your tune is funky, but I'd vote for Regina over almost any other song in this bracket.

Mykonos – Fleet Foxes vs. American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West
Oof this is quite a difficult choice. Fleet Foxes' self-titled and EP were basically soundtracks to my middle school years. I just love the folky sound, the vocal harmonies, and the lyricism on those two albums, of which Mykonos is a wonderful representative. But, American Boy is also ridiculously catchy and fun. I'll vote for the former out of sheer sentimentality, but both are quite good.

Fireworks – Animal Collective vs. Machine Gun – Portishead
Portishead is an amazing band. Although Dummy occupies a more special place in my heart than Third, Third is still a stellar album in its own right for its weird experimentation. I love Beth Gibbons's ethereal voice, which is highlighted in Machine Gun in jarring juxtaposition to gunfire-like sounds. Also, I realize what I'm about to say may be blasphemy to some, but I never really got into AnCo. I like some of their stuff, but none of it really sticks with me.

Grounds for Divorce – Elbow vs. Blind – Hercules and Love Affair
Neither of these songs are really up my alley. The former is alright; I'm not feeling the latter.

Strict Machine – Goldfrapp vs. Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx
Strict Machine is a groovy fun song. I'm a fan of Alison's high breathy voice. Slow Jamz is pretty good too, but I think Strict Machine edges out for me.

[Auger recombination]

Love Story – Taylor Swift

Dashboard – Modest Mouse

Definitely not the Modest Mouse song I would have chosen (I'd have preferred about half of Good News over it) but still good

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior

Fidelity – Regina Spektor

American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West

Fireworks – Animal Collective

Grounds for Divorce – Elbow

Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

[Harpie's Feather Duster]

II have to work off a lot more first impressions here than in last round! Here goes nothing...

The Fear – Lily Allen vs. Love Story – Taylor Swift

I much preferred the Lily Allen song I was most familiar with ("Smile") to this. But it's charming enough. "Love Story" is stupidly sanguine, and I'm annoyed by how hamfisted the literary references are to this day.

Dashboard – Modest Mouse vs. Bonkers – Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden

I anticipate "Bonkers" will be very divisive on this forum, I really dig the bass even if this is indistinguishable from a billion other British dance tracks. I never really liked "Dashboard" that much, which is a shame because I absolutely adore 'Float On" and would've voted for it to go far.

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior vs. Helicopter – Bloc Party

I'm usually a huge fan of eurodisco/the legions of folks trying to copy Daft Punk, but there's something off about "Move Your Feet." I have fond memories of "Helicopter" from my days of obsessively playing Guitar Hero 3, and it holds up as a great little alt-rock song.

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige vs. Fidelity – Regina Spektor

A battle between two songs I find insanely catchy. "Family Affair" is a top-tier club banger without many flaws, while "Fidelity" gets kind of grating to me if I listen to it too much.

Mykonos – Fleet Foxes vs. American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West

This was much tougher than I expected - do I pick the Fleet Foxes song that made a really really good first impression on me, or "American Boy", a known good quantity? I have to give the edge to Estelle here, but will definitely need to give Fleet Foxes' debut album a listen after this.

Fireworks – Animal Collective vs. Machine Gun – Portishead

AnCo is another band I never really "got" - I listened to MPP a few times and remember liking it, but also don't remember any of it which is not a great sign. I didn't actively dislike 'Fireworks", but I wasn't super crazy about it either. I think I like the quiet, jazzier songs on Dummy a lot more than this, but it's still good stuff.

Grounds for Divorce – Elbow vs. Blind – Hercules and Love Affair

Two first listens here, but the funky dance song is gonna beat the generic bluesy rock every time for me.

Strict Machine – Goldfrapp vs. Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

Easiest vote of the round, "Slow Jamz" is wonderful and I can't turn down a chance to get TWO Kanye tracks in the final 64. I found "Strict Machine" to be aggressively mediocre.

[Auks Ran Ova]

The Fear – Lily Allen vs. Love Story – Taylor Swift

Dashboard – Modest Mouse vs. Bonkers – Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden - baffling choice of Modest Mouse song, but I like it both on its own and better than its opponent here.

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior vs. Helicopter – Bloc Party -- really close, but I think fond GH3 memories are gonna carry the latter here for me

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige vs. Fidelity – Regina Spektor -- again, not the song I would've gone with ("Us"!), but still a very clear choice here

Mykonos – Fleet Foxes vs. American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West -- sounding vaguely like the Cosmo Canyon theme is not enough to save you, Fleet Foxes

Fireworks – Animal Collective vs. Machine Gun – Portishead -- the AC song is 7 minutes of intro that never quite kicks into the rest of a song, but it's better than whatever this Portishead song is.

Grounds for Divorce – Elbow vs. Blind – Hercules and Love Affair -- intensely dull Britrock isn't gonna beat fun disco-y synths/horns, even though I don't particularly care for Anohni's voice.

Strict Machine – Goldfrapp vs. Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx -- as much as I like the line "She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson / Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson", I don't actually like slow jams, and the other song is kind of growing on me a bit

[halle]

The Fear – Lily Allen vs. Love Story – Taylor Swift

Dashboard – Modest Mouse vs. Bonkers – Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior vs. Helicopter – Bloc Party

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige vs. Fidelity – Regina Spektor

Mykonos – Fleet Foxes vs. American Boy – Estelle featuring Kanye West

Fireworks – Animal Collective vs. Machine Gun – Portishead

Grounds for Divorce – Elbow vs. Blind – Hercules and Love Affair

Strict Machine – Goldfrapp vs. Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx