Sprockrooster

Over 5 years have passed since this decade has ended. A decade which started when I finished primary school and went to secondary school. A decade which ended when I finished my studies. In other words: I have grown from an early teenager into an adult during this decade. Music has contributed in this development. In the 90's I would consider myself as an outskirt. Listening mostly to Texas. No Doubt, The Cranberries, The Cardigans and U2. My musical preference was rock-based. However all of that was about to change when the new millenium started.

Pop was knocking on the door and Texas was partly to blame. But I wasnot answering the door for Britney or X-tina yet. 2001's "Cowboy's And Kisses" was the missing link between my rockbased musiclove and the popworld waiting for me in the charts. What A Song! It was an eye-opener and made me look back. The singles from Anastacia before Cowboys And Kisses were not so bad after all. And listening to 2000's Silence remixed by Tiesto now feels like a nostalgic classic.

But my rock-based musical preference wasn't gone. No Doubt's Hella Good from 2002 was one of the tracks that kept it alive. And there was soul also in the form of "No More Drama" from Mary J Blige. I lost my rockbiased preference and became ecclectic at a rapid pace. And pop was almost dominating lead with Texas, Sugababes and Girls Aloud rising to high personal fame. But 2003 was also the year of an epic song. An epic video. An epic performance. Fighter by X-tina was upon me. Talking about a missing link between pop and rock. In the same year there was also Linkin Park and Evanescence. Rock was still very much alive.

It is the year 2004. Anastacia. What an album! What a songs: Left Outside Alone, Time and Heavy On My Heart are just a few iconic songs from a classic album. Rock was going to an all-time high initiated by The Killers. One year later there we have the Foo Fighters rocking it out alongside with the Stereophonics. But also U2 came out strong in 2005. However pop was growing also by the likes from Kylie and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

2006 is the rise from Madonna and especially Get Together. But this years also marks the rise of Muse. And Top 40 music was now part of my life. Whether I liked it or not. This year I also finished secondary school and started my studies. In the charts there become more and more RnB and so in musical preference. It kicked off from 2005's Emancipation of Mimi, but it wasn't until 2007's Loose it really changed. Nelly Furtado made a mark for 2007 saying it was nor pop, nor rock but a year of RnB. And as a result nowadays you will find Say It Right high in my all-time musical lists. At this time we also have Kat DeLuna and Rihanna breaking out! Was rock dead? No we have Editors, Arcade Fire and Meatloaf. Maybe more alternative than rock, but it's not more than that. And pop? Gwen Stefani was S-L-A-Ying solo for a few years now. And we still have Anastacia, Madonna, Texas, the Sugababes and Girls Aloud. So that's that.

Being gay I was finding peace with this around this time (we are in 2008 already). All I needed was a gayfabulous anthem. I did not have to wait very long. Roisin Murphy gave me everything I needed at the exact time. There was one song from her album Overpowered that I was strongly rooting for to be single. Little did I know. It happened. And it happened with a video full of draqqueens and plain gayness. Movie Star was released. Typing this it is still my #1 on last fm of all-time. And that year was a strong. In all my newfound gayness there was also Lady Gaga out of the blue. And were was rock? It was gone. The end of this decade saw the rise of electronic influence in music grow exponentially. In pop it made sense for me. It also happened with my rock-favourites, such as Muse, Arcade Fire and Editors. But I could not identify it with rock.

Poprock became a household genre for me. In 2008 by Ashlee Simpson and her Little Miss Obsessive. One year later it is Kelly Clarkson ruling the poprock world with Already Gone. What happened with pop. Anastacia went into the direction of rnb and dance, so that's mweh. Both Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears can score a few hits, but are no longer album favourites. The same is going for both Beyonce and Alicia Keys for the whole decade now, Girls Aloud, Texas and Sugababes are finishing. Only Kylie Minogue and Sophie Ellis-Bextor can survive. There is some love however for these British female stars. Aside from miss MacDonald, Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Adele find their ways in my playlist.

2010 is not a good music year. In fact I consider Usher's DJ Got Us Falling In Love as the best of the year. I have nothing against him, but his track was the best of the dancepop that was ruling the charts. Other genres seemed to have evaporated or were incorporated with a dance-sting. 2009 ended with the powerforce named Lady Gaga, but she was in 2010 between albums so there was a void. Kylie Minogue delivered, but could not fill the void. Making the year 2010 in music for me even more difficult to reflect is my four month abscence. I went to Africa from July till October. So there is a gap. A void and a gap. It was a confusing music year, but it turned out to change after all during the fall of 2010...

What A Song! What A Force! What A Difference (from eveything else on the radio)! Everything I needed to end the confusion was given to me with Rolling in the Deep. 21 was released during January 2011 and what a change again. Adele went full force with also Set Fire to the Rain and establishing herself as the crown artist of 2011. Or not. Set Fire To The Rain was a big song, but not good enough. At least for being 2011's best. That honour goes to Lana Del Rey with her Video Games. Every superlative trying to describe the impact of this song on my life is an eufemism or understatement. Was there also other music in my life. Yes. We have Katy Perry and Rihanna ruling that scene. And Lady Gaga is back as well. On the rockfront there we have Editors leaving the electronics and returning to their roots. But it is still mweh.

2012. After Lana Del Rey took home best video and best song for Video Games and best album from Born To Die in my opinion, she repeated this with 2012. Ride took home best video and Paradise best album. She did it like it was nothing. 2 years in a row. Someone is on top of her game. But no best song! That honour now goes to Losing You from Solange. The soul is back and I am starting to shake off the dancebased pop and rnbworld. And there is a new genre added to my musical equation! Country! All hail queen Carrie Underwood and let me be Blown Away. Gary Clark Jr. debuts an album that incorporates blues, jazz, soul, bluegrass, gospel and rock! A guitarsolo for 3 minutes and I am loving it. Gary Clark Jr. made a statement. Rock is not dead.

But 2013 is not the uprising from rock. Personal favourites Stereophonics release an album, but I am not feeling it. Also Texas release a rock album after being pop for more than a decade.I like it, but it does not have a strong long term effect. Poprock is also coming back by the likes of Kelly Clarkson, but real rock is missing. Lana Del Rey does not release an album, but she does release a song. A song that stands out far above everything else that is released this year. Stromae's Papaoutai has to take a seat for second place and Mutya Keisha Shioban are third that year with their Flatline. Young and Beautiful owns every song that year. In the worldwide charts a significant change is happening. EDM and dance-oriented genres are losing ground. But pop and top 40 will always survive with me.

It is the year 2014. The year that Lana Del Rey releases another album, but does not make a huge impact with her singles. And that in a year Anastacia is back. She is sprock again and Stupid Little Things is 2014's number one. This is also the year that rock made a grand return, but not by an album release. But who else than the Rolling Stones could bring rock back? I saw them live at a festival. Over 1000 plays in one year. From nothing to something. The Foo Fighters came back with an epic song: From Something To Nothing. Yes! Finally! All other rockreleases I was not feeling, but they came at the right time! The pop I loved this year was kind of gay. It heavily involved Kylie and Gaga. And Anaconda. But country was kept alive by Carrie and The Common Linnets.

Can 2015 maintain the rockpeak it is living now? It starts off good with Texas. They are back again and now it's good. The Editors dissappointed hugely. Also soul (funk) starts of very well, lead by Mark Ronson. And we have another new genre: disco. Giorgio Moroder is also back and he is using Kylie to address my gayness void. September changed everything. Albums from Stereophonics (fantastic), Lana Del Rey (amazing), Janet Jackson (outstanding) and Gary Clark Jr. (amazing). Rock and soul keeping it real and staying live. After that Enya showed Adele how it is done. Biggest disappointment turns out to be Carrie Underwood. But overall: 2015 is the gift that keeps on giving.

2016 has a really rough start and it still doesnot deliver. It is becoming the year of standalone iconic songs from albums instead of iconic albums. I am looking at Rihanna, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani and All Saints for that. But halfway the year and we have a fantastic single by both opera-rock from Meat Loaf and disco-pop from Sophie-Ellis Bextor. Are they able to turn the tide. There might be some Gaga in the water.