Music to Somebody's Ears

Did you happen to hear the story on NPR's "All Things Considered" Monday afternoon about the "best music (so far) of 2009"? You can read it or listen to it here. I was, frankly, only half listening as the story ran, but it struck me that I wasn't familiar with the top three songs they featured. Hell, I don't think I had ever heard of the artists!

I like music, and listen to it constantly, but I'm not fanatical about it. Part of my disinterest, I think, comes from having worked in radio for so many years. That gave me a fairly reliable source of free albums and CDs and a rather casual attitude toward what was in my "collection" at home. I have a friend who can tell you the dates (and day of the week) every song by The Supremes was released. Another is a big fan of church music and hymns. My tastes in music are so eclectic they go from Gregorian Chant to Hip Hop and almost everywhere in between. I'll listen to almost anything, but not pay so much attention that I can tell you chapter and verse about it later. Back to ATC. Animal Collective? Grizzly Bear? Bon Iver? I listened to enough of the top three tunes to get a feel for the kind of music that NPR listeners ranked so high, and they reminded me of some of the folk/pop of the 60's. Of course, any list that depends on self-selected voting is hardly objective. Another observation, also made by the host who was interviewing Bob Boilen, there doesn't appear to be any ethnic music on the "best" list, which may say more about the ATC audience than anything else.