talkin' about "pop music"

The Black Album and Blueprint (Jay Z) Other than that...try looking at wikipedia for the top 20 singles/albums of each year. Much more comprehensive than we can give you. Pitchfork lists are great too.

Many of these have already been mentioned, but hey, that's because they're pop and everyone knows them. :) Hip Hop: Jay-Z (I love pretty much all his stuff, but the Black Album is his best) Atmosphere Kanye West (start with College Dropout and Late Registration) The Streets Eminem Gorillaz and Gnarles Barkley (not strictly hip hop, but both were Danger Mouse projects and hip hop influenced) Outkast Women with Big Voices: Beyonce (start with "If I Were a Boy" and of course "Single Ladies") Lady Gaga (just try to resist Bad Romance) Kelly Clarkson (start with "Since U Been Gone") Lauryn Hill if you missed her Pink Rihanna (unfortunately a lot of her stuff sucks, but "Russian Roulette" is a pretty amazing song) Guitar-strummy folkish-type stuff The Shins (and James Mercer's side project with the aforementioned Danger Mouse, Broken Bells) Rilo Kiley (More Adventurous is one of the best albums of the 00s) Jason Mraz ("I'm Yours" is cheesy as hell and always makes me smile) Beirut (especially "Gulag Orkestar") Regina Spektor Anthemic Indie Rock: The Arcade Fire (this is pretty much a requirement) New Pornographers (check out Neko Case's solo stuff too) Bloc Party (listen to the album Silent Alarm. I especially like "Bluest Light," "So Here We are" and "Pioneers")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SMCs1J48sw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGL2rytTraA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edxyeRCnPbM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgum6OT_VH8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugpjfYA1hZ4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41LG2k-ivVY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYIAfiVGluk

One more I forgot: Daniel Merriweather - "For Your Money," "Impossible"

http://darrenhayes.com! Pop, rock, electro, a bit of steampunk influence, poetic lyrics, highly personal. Spin is a bit naff but The Tension and The Spark and This Delicate Thing We Made is faboo.

Oh yes, and I do agree with http://www.metafilter.com/user/336: Outkast's 'Hey Ya' was the best song of the entire decade. I thought I was the only one who never got tired of that one!

Not a damn thing. Okay okay, I know that's harsh! I grew up in the 80s and 90s, so those two decades define what I consider pop music (both good and bad): fairly mainstream music that is upbeat, catchy, and has a beat that one can tap their foot to (if not actually music that you can dance to). Some of it is instantly recognizable to most everyone, some of it may not be. I compare everything I hear today to what I listened to during my formative years, and most everything seems to fall short. I'll tell you, though, there are three current-ish singers or musicians that I love, and I know that I will be listening to them (regardless of whether they continue to make music or whether I just have the handful of albums they've put out) along with my Michael Jackson, my Sparks, my falsettoed British new wavers, etc. etc. http://www.www.lilyallenmusic.com/ - I do admit that I preferred her first album, Alright, Still, over her second album, It's Not Me, It's You. I think I preferred it because of the more layered, less polished sound. There was a bit of a... for lack of better words... reggae-ish, jazzy sound to it (from various brassy horn samples, I gather) that really added to the head bopping element. Her second album was a little more polished, and, at first, I was taken aback by it. Actually, it made me feel old the first few times I listened to it. But, if you decide you like her, give it a few listens.. It does grow on you. (My favorite songs: LDN; Alfie; Nan, You're A Window Shopper; Not Fair; He Wasn't There; and she's done some phenomenal covers and live songs that are even better than some of the stuff on her albums.) http://www.corinnebaileyrae.net/ - She is so incredibly talented. A similar sort of light, fresh, cool jazzy sound.. You just feel good listening to her music and she has a beautiful, pure voice. None of that autotune shit. She just released a new album (her second) called The Sea. (If you're at all interested, just give one song a try: Put Your Records On). Finally, my favorite, http://www.mikasounds.com/. At first, I just heard 'Love Today', and I was none too impressed. I thought the song sounded like generic current pop music, but I'm totally hooked now. He's addictively dance-y, yet I hear a sort of Beatlesque influence. And his voice! Both of his albums (Life In Cartoon Motion and The Boy Who Knew Too Much are fantastic). (My favorites: Grace Kelly; Lollipop; Billy Brown; Big Girl (You Are Beautiful); Toy Boy; and, like Lily Allen, he's done some great covers, acoustic, and live versions). (Special mention: the FIRST Franz Ferdinand album is essential.. but the second and third were a little disappointing, imo)

Someone else mentioned John Mayer upthread, I personally would warn you away from everything by him except for Continuum and Try! Here's a sample of the good stuff. I don't understand this, given the question we're answering. Room for Squares and Heavier Things are good albums. They're not my favorite music in the world, but they're pretty good for poppy, middle-of-the-road rock.

The Strokes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1vvUec71v8&feature=related and everything else on http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DEO64/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ouI5KcyHfE (same backing band played with Amy Winehouse) Someone else mentioned John Mayer upthread, I personally would warn you away from everything by him except for http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0014VPFTA/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ and http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000BJS4SU/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ Here's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaxWeNkMT4w&feature=related of the good stuff.