https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2025/04/07/vote-for-the-893-essential-songs-of-the-current
April 23, 2025
The Current is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now. The listener-voted countdown celebrates the biggest songs released in the past 20 years that were played on The Current .
Voting is open now, and runs until midnight on Sunday, April 27. Then, tune in to hear the results during Minnesota Public Radio's Spring Member Drive from 7 a.m. on Monday, May 12, until 7 p.m. on Friday, May 16.
Vote for up to 15 songs using the embedded ballot below. For each, first choose an artist/band by scrolling or typing in a search. Then, make a choice from the list of songs by that band in The Current’s library. After you’ve completed your ballot, hit “SUBMIT.”
This year’s 893 Essentials giveaway is two VIP three-day tickets to Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, held July 18-20 at Harriet Island in St. Paul. Enter for a chance to win.
Thanks to everyone who submitted a ballot. Voting is now closed!
So, I have only vaguely paid attention to these lame lists 89.3 does during their Spring Fun Drive for MPR, and I didn't vote of course, but even if I had wanted and tried to, just reading a few comments on Facebook, they limited it even more than in the past. The sounder even states "893 Essential Songs The Current Plays" or something to that effect.
So, in glancing at the list, and it is only songs that came out from 2005-present, man, there's some real dreck and super obscure stuff..even for Hipsters.
But, I will for shits and eyerolls of course, likely pay attention and see what ends up on it. The sheep being brain washed to champion the Hipster Brand of limited flavors of modern music.
And I may think of even doing a YouTube commentary about it. But I also of course thought of just making my own. Although 893 as I've stated in their past lists that long, would be a time consuming task in a short window.
People were allowed to vote for 20 songs though per the description in that now closed voting link/page.
So, here's 20 390+ songs I guess that if that had write-ins, I could have done.
97% or more of the artists were not included, kind of going back to my feeling, I could curate a much more engaging playlist than their sheep-ish "members" with narrow-minded taste, lapping up whatever Pitchfork and the First Avenue umbrella force-feeds their ears.
edit: This is hardly complete, but from a general gauge, it's like taking the last 20 years, and finding 20 different artists every year.
I also may want to try re-sorting and labeling these by year.
It is a pretty nice estimation of music of the last 2 decades on MY RADAR at least.
I mentioned it a few times on YouTube, I will likely this coming week, try and do an abridged review of this on YouTube. We'll see. It's super EPIC being 390+ songs.
!Forward Russia! - Breaking Standing
*Shels - Plains of the Purple Buffalo
22 - Gotodo
100Ft Snowman - Estranged
Abandoned Pools - Goodbye Song
A Chinese Firedrill - Circles
Adjy - In Medias Res (Between Longing and Mystery)
Aereorgamme - Barriers
A Formal Horse - Lonely Doe Young Doe
Agalloch - Sowilo Rune
A Kew's Tag - Metamorphioz
Alcest - Autere Temps
Alphabetical Order Orchestra - Supergods
Alpha Rev - New Morning
Amanda Palmer - Want It Back
Anakdota - Late
Anathallo - The River
Anathema - Untouchable Part 1-2
Andre Matos - Time to be Free
Annuals - Springtime
Another Sky - The Pain
Apes & Androids - Johnny and Sarah
Arafel - Kurgan
Archive - Bullets
As Tall As Lions - Circles
Avenged Sevenfold - (O)rdinary
Aviatic- Goodbye Beautiful Day
Azure - A Sailor Will Learn
Barock Project - Propaganda
Battle Circus - Clockwork
Battles - Tonto
Bend Sinister - Time Breaks Down
Bent Knee - Land Animal
Between the Buried and Me - White Walls
Biffy Clyro - Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies
Big Fresh - Entertainment
Big Wreck - Ghosts
Billy Squier - Harder on a Woman
Black Belt Eagle Scout - Blue
Blackfield - Christenings
Black Mountain - Bright Lights
Bleu - Go
Bloc Party - Uniform
Born of Osiris - Bow Down
Brice Plays Drums - The Jester
British Theatre - Gold Bruise
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 (Shoreline)
Brooke Waggoner - Go Easy Little Doves
Bruce Peninsula - Of Songs
Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears - Purple Rocket
Bubblemath - Making Light of Traffic
Bullet Height - Bastion
Burst - I Watched the Silver Rain
Cale Parks - Running Family
Calla - Swagger
Canon - Don't Trust the Teachers
Canon Blue - Chicago (Chicago)
Capital Cities - Kangaroo Court
Carpark North - Human
Casket Salesman - Feeling Ten Feet Tall
Cats in Space - Thunder in the Night
Cavil at Rest - We Could Love
Childish Japes - Something Else
Chromeo - Night by Night
Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - The Fool
Clone - The City, Nightime
Clor - Love + Pain
Cloud Cult - Sleepwalker
Coheed and Cambria - The Willing Well
Coldplay - Arabesque
Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird - Love is Heartbreak
Dark Tranquility - Misery's Crown
Dead Letter Circus - The Drum
Deas Veil - Surface
Demians - Temple
Diablo Swing Orchestra - New World Windows
Dikta - Breaking the Waves
Dirt Poor Robins - Solemn Dream
Dirty Loops - Rock You
Disillusion - Alea
Distrails - Broken English
DK the Drummer - Divided
Do Make Say Think - Do
Doom Flamingo - Measurements
Dream Theater - The Count of Tuscany
Dream the Electric Sleep - Elizabeth
dredg - Gathering Pebbles
Early Ghost - 1914
East of the Wall - Underachiever
Editors - Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
Eldren - Apocalypse Town
Emanuel and the Fear - Jimme's Song
Erick Serna and the Killing Floor - Whiskey Song
Eroica - Monuments
Erthlings - Bridges
Esperanza Spalding - Judas
Evan Konrad - Alone
Everything Everything - To the Blade
Exotic Animal Petting Zoo - A Balloon Enters Kyoto City
Fair to Midland - Orphan Anthem'86
Far-Less - A Toast to Bad Taste
Fates Warning - The Light and Shade of Things
Field Music - Let's Write a Book
Fields. - Song for the Fields
Fitz & the Tantrums - Moneygrabber
Fjokra - Infinite Loops
Flying Colors - The Storm
Foals - Spanish Sahara
Forest Park - Golden
For the Imperium - Hero
Galactic Cowboys - In the Clouds
Gatherer - Thrive
Gavin Castleton - A Light Like Yours
Genders - Technicolor Vision
Geordie Greep - Holy Holy
George Michael - This Is How (We Want You To Get High)
Giant - Stories
Giant Sky - The Further We Go the Deeper It Gets Pt. 1-6
Glen Campbell - Ghost on the Canvas
God is an Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright
Godspeed You Black Emperor - Mladic
Gojira - Flying Whales
Gospel - Tango
Gotye - Heart's a Mess
Grammatics - The Vague Archive
Greg Herriges - Rama B Good
Grimus - The Hell I'm In
Guante - A Pragmatist Guide to Magic
Guerilla Toss - Spider Heard
Hammers of Misfortune - The Locust Years
Hands of Despair - The Departure
HMLTD - Past Life (Sinnerman's Song)
Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Weather Maps for Nikolai
House of Fools - Until It's Over
iamthemorning - The Howler
Imogen Heap - The Moment I Said It
I Mother Earth - Blossom
Incubus - Dig
Inme - I Won' Let Go
In Reverent Fear - The Greatest Love
In Vain - Against the Grain
Jake Allen - Affirmation Day
Janelle Monae - Many Moons
Janus - Your Arms
Jared Micah & Hats - The Magic Is On!
Jazzkamikaze - Music is My Heroin
Jessie Ware - Running
Jimmy Gnecco & Paul Waaktaar-Savoy - Weathervane
Jimmy Gnecco - Bring You Home
Jolly - Rain
Jon Anderson - Open
Jonathan Nesmith - Like Love
Josh Benash - My Little Noose
Josh Rouse - Winter in the Hamptons
Journal - Labyrinth of Betrayal
Judgement Day - Peacocks / Pink Monsters
Kacica - Day Dream
Kaddisfly - Via Rail
Kansas - Refugee
Karnivool - Themata
Kaura - Now or Never
Kevin Gilbert - The Tired Old Man Suite
Kimbra - Cameo Lover
King's X - Go Tell Somebody
Kiss Kiss - Janet
Klimt 1918 - They Were Wed By the Sea
K Sera - Dream, Like I Do
Kunek - Good Day
L.E.O. - Goodbye Innocence
LA Priest - Oino
Late of the Pier - Blueberry
Lehto & Wright - Children's Songs
Leprous - Chronic
Local Natives - When am I Gonna Lose You
Long Distance Calling - Lines
majestyy - Spirits Touch
Major Parkinson - The Wheelbarrow
Malajube - Luna
Margot & the Nuclear So & So's - Pages Written On a Wall
Marillion - The Leavers
Marketa Irglova - The Right Here
Martyr - Dead Horizon (150)
Mason Proper - A Chance Encounter
Mastodon - The Last Baron
Matisyahu - King Without a Crown
Mayer Hawthorne - Designer Drug
Media Addicts - Mr. Nice Guy
Meer - Beehive
Memoryhouse - To the Lighthouse
Meniscus - Cusp
Menomena - Wet & Rusting
Men Women and Children - Celebracion!
Mercies - Animals
Metronomy - The Look
Mew - Zookeeper's Boy
Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good
Midlake - Roscoe
Mike Linden - Paper Planes
Minus the Bear - Double Vision Quest
Miracles of Modern Science - Dear Pressure
Moonloop - Strombus
Moron Police - Beware the Blue Skies
Mother Falcon - Dirty Summer
Muse - Map of the Problematique
Must Be the Holy Ghost - Meltdown
Mutemath - Cavalries
Mutyumu - 火焔鳥 / die Ewige Wiederkunft
My Latest Novel - I declare a Ceasefire
Native Construct - Mute
Negroni's Trio - Sabado en la Noche
Ne Obliviscaris - Tapestry of the Starless Abstract
Neverending White Lights - The Grace
NewVillager - Lighthouse
Nicolas Krygovich - Along the PCH on Oscar Night
Nicole Atkins - The Tower
Nomia - A Windswept Tree
Nordic Giants - Violent Lights
Northern Abbey - The Catacombs
note. - Composition Two
O'Brother - Easy Talk (Open Your Mouth)
Oceansize - The Frame
Oddland - In Endless Endeavour
Oedipus - Gimme a Chance
of1000faces - Sleeping's for Dreamers (Feat.Jimmy Gnecco)
Oldster - My Little Primate Mind
Operahouse - Escape from the Sun
Opeth - The Grand Conjuration
Opus Dai - Firefly
Orphan Bloom - No Ever After
Orphaned Land - Sapari
OSI - Bigger Wave
Ours - The Worst Things Beautful
Owel - No Parachutes
Pain of Salvation - On a Tuesday
Painted in Exile - Skylines
Panic at the Disco - Nine in the Afternoon
Paper Route - Are We All Forgotten
Pat Metheny - America Undefined
Paulson - I Knew You When
People for Audio - The Captain
Pepe Deluxe - A Night and a Day
Persefone - Spiritual Migration
Peter Gabriel - Road to Joy
Phideaux - Sourdome
Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here
Presto Ballet - Peace Among the Ruins
Pretty & Nice - Stallion & Mare
Protest the Hero - Blindfolds Aside
Psychotic Waltz - Devils and Angels
Punch Brothers - New York City
Pure Reason Revolution - Golden Clothes
Rachel Flowers - Going Somewhere
Radical Face - Ghost Towns
Ramona Falls - Spore
Renaissance - The Mystic and the Muse
Revere - As the Radars Sleep
RisingSide - A Spell
Riverside - Driven to Destruction
Rocco of the Snow - Masking a Lot
Rush - The Garden
Russian Circles - Death Rides a Horse
Sans Seraph - December
Scalise - She's Gonna Kill You
Scott Matthews - Elusive
Sculptured - Embodiment Is The Purest Form Of Horror
sElf - Runaway
Shadow Gallery - Floydian Memories
Shaman - Reason
Sheena Ringo - Gambling
Shell Pink - Setting Sun
Shelter Red - Strike a Mortal Terror
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko
Sholi - Dance for Hours
Sigmund Droid - Maximum Grind
SikTh - Bland Street Bloom
Silverchair - Those Thieving Birds (Part 1)
Sir Video - Do What You Wanna
SJS - Pulling Saturn
Sloan - Magical Thinking
Small Leaks Sink Ships - The Mind is its Own Place
Snarky Puppy - Bet
Solarcade - Rise
Sound & Shape - The Love Electric
Soundscape - Digital Lover
Spawn of Possession - Apparition
Spock's Beard - Something Very Strange
Squid - Paddling
St.Vincent - Your Lips are Red
Stateless - Bluetrace
Steven Wilson - Happy Returns
Strata - Poughkeepsie, NY
Styx - Crash the Crown
Subterranean Masquerade - Six Strings
Sucre - No Return
Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul
Syd Arthur - Hometown Blues
System of a Down - Old School Hollywood
Tangled Thoughts of Leaving - Tiny Fragments
Team Me - F is for Faker
Textures - New Horizons
Thank You Scientist - FXMLDR
The Age of Rockets - Avade Kedavra
The Apex Theory - Lightpost
The Appleseed Cast - February
The Apples in Stereo - The Same Old Drag
The Baltic Sea - Heavy is the Coast
The Barnum Meserve - Broken Window
The Besnard Lakes - Albatross
The Bird & the Bee - La La La
The Book of Right On - Pinpointing the Exact Moment Hollywood Said Good Enough
The Chap - Proper Rock
The Chilling Alpine Adventure - A Version
The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Amethyst Realm
The Contortionist - Language I: Intuition
The Crooked Fiddle Band - Deadly Nightsnakes
The Dear Hunter - Waves
The Decemberists - The Island
The Dresden Dolls - Sing
The Ebb & Flow - Independence Day
The End - Dangerous
The Faceless - Leica
The Family Crest - Beneath the Brine
The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Dark Matter
The Gathering - Heroes for Ghosts
The Gloomcatcher - The Rising Cane
The Grape & the Grain - The Hudson
The Guess Who/Derek Sharp and the - King
The Gutter Twins - God's Children
The Jealous Girlfriends - Something in the Water
The Mars Volta - Cassandra Gemini
The Mask of the Phantasm - Final Night at the Duplex
The Mavericks - Back In Your Arms Again
The Mercury Tree - Otoliths
The Midnight - Ghost in Your Stereo
The Monkees - You Bring the Summer
The Myriad - Stuck in a Glass Elevator
The New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno
The Night Flight Orchestra - Midnight Flyer
The Orion Experience - NYC Girl
The Pax Cecilia - The Tragedy
The Pineapple Thief - The World I Always Dreamed Of
The Pneumatic Transit - Lioness
The Polyphonic Spree - Section 22 (Running Away)
The Radicant - Zero Blue (NSS Mix)
The Receiving End of Sirens - This Armistice
The Red Paintings - Walls
The Reign of Kindo - Til We Make Our Ascent
The River Empires - Three Tigers
The Royal Veil - Into the Sun
The Stiletto Formal - Sleeping Our Way to the Top
The Tea Club - Creature
The Tea Party - Water's On Fire
The Velvet Teen - Sonreo
The Warning - Hell You Call a Dream
The Winery Dogs - Elevate
The Woods Brothers - Terrafirma
This City Sunrise - Pretty Much
This Day & Age - Always Straight Ahead
Three - The Serpent in Disguise
Thurisaz - Circadian Rhythm
Timbre - Night Girl: Nycteris Sees the Sun
Time of Orchids - All We Ever Wish
Timmy Sean - Can't Stop the World
Tiny Giant - Heavy Love
Toehider - wellgivit
Tokyo Jihen - Touching Up Your Makeup
Toria - Snow Crystals
Trent Romens - Loves Lost Cause
Tuxedo - The Tuxedo Way
Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn
Typhoon - Remember
Ugly - The Wheel
Ulver - So Falls the World
Umbrella Tree - N-N-N-N-N-N-N
Umi - Droplet
Umphrey's McGee - Cemetary Walk
Under the Influence of Giants - Mama's Room
uneXpect - Chromatic Chimera
Vedera - The Falling Kind
Vektor - Tetrastructural Minds
Vennart - Doubt
Vonavi - Sunburst
Vuvuzela - Rings and Things
Warpaint - Elephants
Water & Bodies - Celebration Song
Weird Al Yankovic - White & Nerdy
Willow - B i g F e e l i n g s
Wolfhoppers - Purpose, Part I
Wolf Parade - Kissing the Beehive
Wolmother - The Joker and the Thief
Words for Penga - Drown
World Leader Pretend - Bang Theory
Woven - Cosmonaut (179)
Yes - Fly From Here
Yves Tumor - Meteora Blues
