Mike Spinella's Best of the 2000s

This past decade's music was set to the beat of a digital landscape, giving artists and their audiences a bigger blank canvas on which to create, share, discover and interact. With some of the decade's most notable records being made in home studios, over file transfer and completely on laptops, the past 10 years have truly embraced the long tail.

Beyond the undeniable commercial breakthrough of emo, the ashes of rap-rock and the ever-evolving pop tune, the decade's most memorable moments were composed of synth-laden dance floor fillers, disco-punk, producer-driven hip-hop anthems, lo-fi garage rock reminisicent of Iggy Pop's finest moments and feel-good soul that carries Motown's torch to a new generation. Compiling this list was a not an easy feat, but below are the songs, artists and album that moved me and will forever be connected to my memories of the 2000s.

Best Songs of the 2000s
10. 'Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story),' !!!
9. 'Always Wanting More,' Jay Reatard
8. 'Electric Feel,' MGMT
7. 'Hey Ya,' OutKast
6. 'Crazy,' Gnarls Barkley
5. 'Lap Dance,' N.E.R.D. (Electronic Version)
4. 'D.A.N.C.E.,' Justice
3. 'Losing My Edge,' LCD Soundsystem
2. 'Chasing Pavements,' Adele
1. 'House of Jealous Lovers,' the Rapture

Best Albums of the 2000s
10. 'The Way I See it,' Raphael Saadiq
9. 'Automatic Midnight,' Hot Snakes
8. 'Brighter Than Creation's Dark,' Drive-By Truckers
7. 'Danse Macabre,' the Faint
6. 'Is This It,' the Strokes
5. 'Vecaktimist,' Grizzly Bear
4. 'Supreme Clientele,' Ghostface Killah
3. 'Sea Change,' Beck
2. 'The Con,' Tegan and Sara
1. 'Back to Black,' Amy Winehouse


Best Artists of the 2000s
10. Jay-Z
9. The members of the Wu-Tang Clan
8. Alicia Keys
7. J Dilla
6. John Legend
5. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
4. Bright Eyes
3. Beyoncé
2. Kanye West
1. Daft Punk

Worst Songs of 2000s
10.'She Bangs,' Ricky Martin
9. 'Rollin',' Limp Bizkit
8. 'Who Let the Dog's Out?,' Baha Men
7. 'Thong Song,' Sisqo
6. 'Cha Cha Slide (Part 2),' DJ Casper
5. 'Axel F.,' Crazy Frog
4. 'The Bad Touch,' Bloodhound Gang
3. 'Because I Got High,' Afroman
2. 'Down With the Sickness,' Disturbed
1. 'I Don't Want You Back,' Eamon

Mike Spinella is director of industry relations and booking for AOL Music and has an equally fond appreciation for Ol' Dirty Bastard and Neil Diamond.