Staff Pix: Best of the 2000s
The Milk Crate staff’s favorite tracks of the week, presented with blurbs worthy of a promotional sticker on a CD release. Tune in Mondays from 7-9 EST to the Staff Pixx radio show.
Natalia Szczepanski
Toxic - Britney Spears
Perhaps one of the most iconic songs of the 2000s, Britney Spears’ “Toxic” is still recognized today by its iconic opening hook. Originally the track was meant for Kylie Minogue, but she turned it down in favor of another song. Then eventually, it found its way to Spears: where she picked it over two other demos because of its up-beat nature. The track was released as a second single for her fourth studio album In the Zone (2003) and received critical acclaim, along with winning her a grammy. Today it’s ingrained in pop culture, and without fail, will get you to dance and sing along.
Nia Tucker
Replay - SHINee
“Replay” by 2nd Gen K-Pop group, SHINee, is a classic to K-Pop fans everywhere, especially for Black K-pop fans who recognize the influence of Black American R&B in the song. This track is revered as one of the best, if not the best, debut songs from a group across the genre. The video and song follow that nostalgic formula of “boy chases girl, girl pays him no mind,” and is sweet enough to give you a toothache. Remaining as one of the few groups from the 2nd Generation of K-Pop having released their first song and album in 2008, SHINee has been known to set trends with their fashion and music. The group at the time was in their early twenties, and the youngest member and lead dancer, Taemin, was only 14, adding to the heartwarming sentimentality of the track. Their saccharine lyrics, beatbox-eqsue ad-libs featured from start to finish, and its descending melodies sprinkled throughout the chorus are how SHINee established themselves as one of the biggest, and most talented names in the K-Pop genre worldwide.
Tatum Jenkins
Paper Planes - M.I.A
M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” is the strangest, yet best party song you may ever encounter. Filled with weird sound effects and unintelligible lyrics, it’s a song that won’t ever quite leave your mind. This song draws upon memories from the first eleven years of M.I.A.’s life when her family faced displacement as a result of the Sri Lankan Civil War. In fact, the gunshot sound effects are a direct reference to her experiences as a child refugee, with her commenting, “If you’re an immigrant you left somewhere and most of the time you fled a war. Gun sounds are a part of our culture as an everyday thing...Look, I’ve been shot at so I’m quite comfortable with gunshot sounds. If you have a problem with it, go and talk to the people who were shooting at me.” It’s a bold statement, but it’s perfect for a bold song such as “Paper Planes.”
Annie Wojnarowski
I’m With You - Avril Lavigne
I’m going to proclaim right here, right now, that Avril Lavigne is the blueprint for pop today. Her 2002 album, Let Go, has become a foundation for artists like Billie Eilish, whose dark pop is emblematic of the genre’s norm. One of the greatest pop songs of all time, “I’m With You” is also one of the most earnest ballads put to paper. In it, Lavigne talks about wanting the answers to life when you’re still too young to understand that it’ll never be that easy. Lavigne’s tank top, loose tie, and camo pants combined with her songwriting ability created a new wave for teenagers in the early to mid aughts. Although many called her a poser, and making fake punk, I really hope those guilty of doing so pay an apology. A seventeen year old prodigy like this should’ve been celebrated, and I really hope we can make up for lost time now.
Kyle Woolery
Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O, the ostentatiously fierce frontwoman of New York City dance-punk trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is one of the most idiosyncratic personalities to emerge from the post-punk revival of the early aughts. With her eccentric fashion, outrageous stage persona, and dynamic vocal style harking back to genre greats like Siouxsie Sioux and Chrissie Hynde, she practically oozes coolness. Her fiery attitude is on full display in “Zero,” the lead single from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ third studio album, It’s Blitz! (2009). “Zero,” a glorious and glittering dance floor anthem for the misfits and the outcasts, is basically the best song Blondie never recorded. Throughout its four-minute runtime, the synth-driven, new wave-influenced track gradually builds up to a spectacularly explosive climax where Karen O turns her all-consuming feelings of self-resentment and insecurity into a euphoric and cathartic fireworks show. Her joyous, carefree energy is infectious, and the song’s replay-ability is endless.
Erin Christie
Classifieds - The Academy Is…
I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a huge crush on the frontman of the Fueled By Ramen staple, The Academy Is… during their heyday, and perhaps that’s part of the reason why I was so hooked on them. Regardless, over the course of their career, William Beckett and the rest of his Chicago cohort crafted heartfelt, sugary sweet alt anthems that really defined a lot of my adolescence (as a huge supporter of bands such as Panic!, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and countless of their other label mates). Within that niche genre, though, TAI’s songs stood out for their catchy hooks, witty lyricism, and playful energy. “Classifieds” (and the whole Almost Here album) is a great example of their greatness, as a track that plays on the idea of stardom as a commodity, and how perception and appearances can affect relationships. “So take him up for just $9.95, he’ll sing the songs you like, he’ll keep you warm at night,” William sings of himself.