The nine hundred and twelfth song: Tiempo de solea - Ojos de Brujo
We're starting 2002 with a Spanish dance song. One thing that stands out compared to the past is how much heavier it leans on the beat, creating a more modern, danceable song with scratching and electronics and fusing that with the traditional sound. It flows faster and quicker and feels more modern, in a way that still works really well.
The nine hundred and thirteenth song: Freak Like Me - Sugababes
While the core of the Sugababes are the specific harmonies they share, being ballad focused in the early output I remember, there's a notable bass sound included in this track that hits you quite hard. The vocals match well against it, not getting lost, but it feels like they could get more focus in this to really work.
The nine hundred and fourteenth song: Mundian to bach ke - Panjabi MC
The Indian track that underlies this song feels quite traditional - in fact, I believe I've heard it used several times as a stereotypical version of it. The bass line, when it kicks in, is incredibly effective in creating a dance song, with the sparseness of the track creating an additional switch that means the original sound keeps its focus more - as it should be.
The nine hundred and fifteenth song: A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley vs. JXL
In the era of remixes, you can see how much mileage there can be in older recordings when pushed to new heights. The original song is a decent effort, but the way the remix amps up the instruments, it makes the chorus more jubilant and really imparts the happy atmosphere of the original track. It shows off Elvis' vocal charisma while elevating it completely.
The nine hundred and sixteenth song: Gimme the Light - Sean Paul
There's something about modern reggae that's working better. I'm still not entirely in love with it, but this weed anthem lyrically matches the themes while also building on the sound to draw in more mainstream influences - a better beat and more experimentation with sounds that gives that broader appeal while still sounding like a reggae track.
The nine hundred and seventeenth song: I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
While hard rock is not a modern genre, there is a poppy feel that makes this feel contemporary again, the excited, happy vocals creating a more positive feeling to the hard rock track. It feels performative, sure, but in a way that creates that good performance you want to go with it.
The nine hundred and eighteenth song: Ashes of American Flags - Wilco
On the opposite side of the rock spectrum, Ashes of American Flags is dark and depressed, a sound that would have come from the mood at the time, but that would be the band's sound and works today as well. It's a sad and contemplative song, one that works through the emotions it means to impart on you.