Favorite 21st century songs from The Colorado Sound staff

Starting Friday, Oct. 4, we’re counting down the Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century as voted by you, our Colorado Sound members and listeners.

Follow along with our countdown of the Top 1055 Songs of the 21st century

And yes, we know it’ a monumental task to pick just 10 favorites released during not just a single decade, but nearly a quarter century! Bands have formed and broken up (and in some cases, gotten back together); new artists have sprung seemingly out of nowhere; we’ve witnessed the birth of whole new genres; and we’ve gone through so many ‘songs of the summer’ we’ve lost count.

So to help you shape your list, members of The Colorado Sound staff each assembled some of their own picks. It wasn’t easy for us, either – and in some cases, we’re still deciding. But we wanted to let you in on the process, and maybe jumpstart your own list by reminding you of the incredible music that’s come our way since the turn of the millennium.

Voting is now closed. Listen to our countdown starting Oct. 4 and follow along online – we’ll update the list several times each day.

Margot’s picks

These songs still all hit a nostalgic or personal sweet spot for me.

• The War On Drugs – Pain
• Hiss Golden Messenger – Biloxi
• The Rosebuds – In My Teeth
• Neko Case – Hold On Hold On
• A.A. Bondy – Mightiest of Guns
• Drive-By Truckers – Decoration Day
• Gomez – See the World
• Bear’s Den – Conversations With Ghosts
• Depeche Mode – Precious
• The Blue Van – Don’t Leave Me Blue

Stacy’s picks

Asking for your favorite songs of the 21st century….what a daunting task! It’s like asking for your favorite drop in the ocean. So to help me narrow down my choices, I decided on a feline theme – you gotta be kitten me!

Sorry for the pun, and in no particular order:

• Cat Empire – so many nights (2007)
• Rainbow Kitten Surprise – Fever Pitch (2018)
• Cat Power – Living proof (2007)
• Catcalls – I Get High (2019)
• Catfish and the Bottlemen – 7 (2016)
• Fantastic Cat – C’Mon Armageddon (2023)
• Hepcat – push and shove (2000)
• Peter Cat Recording Co. – People never change (2024)
• Thundercat – Daylight (2011)
• Tacocat – Hologram (2019)
• Trashcat – Robot Girlfriend (2019)

Ben’s picks

• The Strokes – Hard To Explain
• Gary Clark Jr. – When My Train Pulls In
• The White Stripes – Ball and Biscuit
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Y Control
• Sonic Youth – Incinerate
• Death Cab For Cutie – The New Year
• Guster – One Man Wrecking Machine
• Nirvana – You Know You’re Right
• The War on Drugs – Pain
• OutKast – So Fresh, So Clean

Kurt’s picks

I listened to a lot of country in the 2000s, most of it landing in that netherworld we now call ‘Americana’ – and before that was better known as ‘alternative country.’ I rounded up some of my favorites from the past couple decades but also looped in a few stray favorites I just couldn’t ignore.

• Jason Isbell – 24 Frames
• Jamey Johnson – In Color
• Junip – Line of Fire
• Justin Townes Earle – Rogers Park
• Tyler Childers – Long Violent History
• John Grant – Sigourney Weaver
• Black Pumas – Colors
• Midlake – Acts of Man
• The Roots – The Seed 2.0
• Gregory Alan Isakov – San Luis

Ron’s picks

I bet you’re like me…there’s NO WAY I can pick 10 of my “best” or “fave” songs since 2000. There are too many…and too many genres that mean something to me. So here are 10 songs that, since the turn of the century, have ‘spoken’ to me somehow. And still do it for me. In no certain order:

• Robbie Robertson & Van Morrison – I Hear You Paint Houses
• Tallest Man On Earth – 1904
• Iron & Wine – Grace For Souls And Ramblers
• Daniel Rodriguez – Colorado
• Lizzo – Juice
• Big Head Todd & The Monsters – Rocksteady
• The Decemberists – This Is Why We Fight
• Of Monsters And Men – Little Talks
• Dressy Bessy – Lady Liberty
• Rodney Crowell – Still Learning How To Fly

Kama’s picks

These are some of the songs that stood out for me thus far in the 21st Century. Songs that assured me that musical influences of the past can be carried into the future. Songs that had a fresh feel when I first heard them. Songs that have so much emotion that it reminded me why I love music.

• OutKast – Ms. Jackson
• Michael Franti & Spearhead – Stay Human
• The White Stripes – We’re Going To Be Friends
• Tegan and Sara – Living Room
• Audioslave – Like A Stone
• Killers – Somebody Told Me
• Brandi Carlile – The Story
• Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
• Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out
• Zach Bryan – Something in the Orange

Dawn’s picks

It’s nearly impossible to distill the last 24 years into a 10-song list, but these songs all hit me a certain way and at a time in my life where they resonated. I’m a sucker for songs that tell a story or evoke a time and place etched into my memory.

• Jalen Ngonda – That’s All I Wanted From You
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Burning
• Elbow – Lover’s Leap
• Lake Street Dive – Twenty-Five
• Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?
• Jason Isbell – Live Oak
• Phoebe Bridgers – I Know the End
• Jay Z/Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
• War on Drugs – Victim
• The Chicks – Not Ready to Make Nice

Vote for your favorite songs of the 21st century now!

It’s a big ask, but we know you are up to the task.

The deadline for voting is this Friday, Sept. 27. Our massive Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century begins Oct. 4 during our Fall Membership Drive.