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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 Fund 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 20 400+ 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.
edit: here they are by Release Year (mostly the release year of the album they were on, or preferred version, etc).
I may try and make this list into a Spotify Playlist soon (and maybe even RYM list), just per I'd love to hear these tunes, within a playlist. The only issue, some are Suites per say (The Willing Well), so that may not work. Also of course probably 5-10% or maybe more ain't on Spotify. YouTube Playlist tho?
404? at this point.
Spotify Playlist (353 songs, 51 at least that have a * on them are missing. YouTube playlist with those coming hopefully soon)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6fqV3gRZkfGCcZRk1KQggb
also, I will try do some kind of video talking about this list on my YouTube. No, unlikely naming them all off, lol. But at least talking about some of them. How many per year maybe?..i'll see.
A Fraction of the missing songs on Spotify, found in some form on YouTube
2005 Abandoned Pools - Goodbye Song
2005 Broadcast - I Found the F
2005 Broken Social Scene - 7/4 (Shoreline)
2005 Calla - Swagger
2005 Carpark North - Human
2005 Clor - Love + Pain
2005 Coheed and Cambria - The Willing Well
2005 Dikta - Breaking the Waves
2005 God is an Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright
2005 Gojira - Flying Whales
2005 Gruvis Malt - Since 1968
2005 Imogen Heap - The Moment I Said It
2005 Josh Rouse - Winter in the Hamptons
2005 Kaura - Now or Never
2005 Klimt 1918 - They Were Wed By the Sea
2005 Matisyahu - King Without a Crown (Live at Stubb's)
2005 Mew - Zookeeper's Boy
2005 Neverending White Lights - The Grace
2005 Opeth - The Grand Conjuration
2005 Paulson - I Knew You When
2005 Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here
2005 Presto Ballet - Peace Among the Ruins
*2005 Shadow Gallery - Floydian Memories
2005 Shaman - Reason
2005 Subterranean Masquerade - Six Strings to Cover Fear
2005 System of a Down - Old School Hollywood
2005 The Mars Volta - Cassandra Gemini
2005 The New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno
2005 The Pineapple Thief - The World I Always Dreamed Of
2005 The Receiving End of Sirens - This Armistice
2005 Time of Orchids - All We Ever Wish
2005 Vedera - The Falling Kind
2005 World Leader Pretend - Bang Theory
2006 A Chinese Firedrill - Circles
2006 Aereogramme - Barriers
2006 Aviatic- Goodbye Beautiful Day
*2006 Casket Salesman - Feeling Ten Feet Tall
2006 Fair to Midland - Orphan Anthem'86
*2006 Giant - Stories
2006 Gotye - Heart's a Mess
2006 Hammers of Misfortune - The Locust Years
2006 Incubus - Dig
*2006 In Reverent Fear - The Greatest Love
2006 Kunek - Good Day
2006 L.E.O. - Goodbye Innocence
*2006 Martyr - Dead Horizon
2006 Mason Proper - A Chance Encounter
2006 Men Women and Children - Celebracion!
2006 Midlake - Roscoe
2006 Muse - Map of the Problematique
2006 Opus Dai - Firefly
2006 OSI - Bigger Wave
2006 Protest the Hero - Blindfolds Aside
2006 Russian Circles - Death Rides a Horse
2006 Sans Seraph - December
2006 Scott Matthews - Elusive
2006 Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko
2006 SikTh - Bland Street Bloom
2006 The Appleseed Cast - February
2006 The Decemberists - The Island
2006 The Dresden Dolls - Sing
2006 The Faceless - Leica
2006 The Jealous Girlfriends - Something in the Water
2006 This Day & Age - Always Straight Ahead
2006 Tokyo Jihen - Touching Up Your Makeup
2006 Under the Influence of Giants - Mama's Room
2006 uneXpect - Chromatic Chimera
2006 Weird Al Yankovic - White & Nerdy
2006 Wolmother - The Joker and the Thief
*2007 100Ft Snowman - Estranged
2007 Andre Matos - Time to be Free
2007 Battles - Tonto
2007 Bend Sinister - Time Breaks Down
2007 Between the Buried and Me - White Walls
2007 Biffy Clyro - Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies
2007 Blackfield - Christenings
2007 Bloc Party - Uniform
2007 Born of Osiris - Bow Down
*2007 Canon - Don't Trust the Teachers
*2007 Cavil at Rest - We Could Love
2007 Dark Tranquility - Misery's Crown
2007 Deas Veil - Surface
2007 Editors - Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
2007 Far-Less - A Toast to Bad Taste
2007 Fields. - Song for the Fields
2007 Fountains of Wayne - Someone to Love
*2007 House of Fools - Until It's Over
*2007 Inme - I Won' Let Go
2007 Janelle Monae - Many Moons
*2007 Jared Micah & Hats - The Magic Is On!
2007 Kaddisfly - Via Rail
2007 Karnivool - Themata
2007 Kiss Kiss - Janet
2007 Meniscus - Cusp
2007 Menomena - Wet & Rusting
2007 Minus the Bear - Double Vision Quest
2007 Ne Obliviscaris - Tapestry of the Starless Abstract (from Aurora Veil)
2007 Oceansize - The Frame
*2007 People for Audio - The Captain
*2007 Pure Reason Revolution - Golden Clothes
2007 Sheena Ringo - Gambling
2007 Silverchair - Those Thieving Birds (Part 1) / Strange Behaviour / Those Thieving Birds (Part 2)
2007 St.Vincent - Your Lips are Red
2007 Stateless - Bluetrace
2007 Strata - Poughkeepsie, NY
2007 The Apex Theory - Lightpost
2007 The Apples in Stereo - The Same Old Drag
2007 The Bird & the Bee - La La La
2007 The Ebb & Flow - Independence Day
2007 The End - Dangerous
2007 The Pax Cecilia - The Tragedy
2007 The Polyphonic Spree - Section 22 (Running Away)
2007 Three - The Serpent in Disguise
2007 Thurisaz - Circadian Rhythm
2008 !Forward Russia! - Breaking Standing
2008 Adebisi Shank - Colin Skehan
2008 Agalloch - Sowilo Rune
2008 Anathallo - The River
2008 Annuals - Springtime
*2008 Apes & Androids - Johnny and Sarah
2008 Black Mountain - Bright Lights
2008 Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears - The Purple Rocket
2008 Burst - (We Watched) The Silver Rain
2008 Demians - Temple
2008 Distrails - Broken English
*2008 Eroica - Monuments
2008 Exotic Animal Petting Zoo - A Balloon Enters Kyoto City
2008 Kacica - Daydream
2008 King's X - Go Tell Somebody
2008 Margot & the Nuclear So & So's - Pages Written On a Wall
2008 Mutyumu - 火焔鳥 / die Ewige Wiederkunft
2008 Ours - The Worst Things Beautiful
2008 Panic at the Disco - Nine in the Afternoon
2008 Paper Route - Are We All Forgotten
2008 Sculptured - Embodiment Is The Purest Form Of Horror
*2008 Tangled Thoughts of Leaving - Tiny Fragments
2008 The Age of Rockets - Avade Kedavra
2008 The Chap - Proper Rock
2008 The Gutter Twins - God's Children
2008 The Myriad - Stuck in a Glass Elevator
2008 The Reign of Kindo - Til We Make Our Ascent
2008 The Stiletto Formal - Sleeping Our Way to the Top
2008 Warpaint - Elephants
2008 Wolf Parade - Kissing the Beehive
2008 Woven - Cosmonaut
2009 Archive - Collapse / Collide
2009 As Tall As Lions - Circles
2009 Big Fresh - Entertainment
2009 Bleu - Go
2009 Brooke Waggoner - Go Easy Little Doves, I'll Be Fine
2009 Cale Parks - Running Family
2009 Diablo Swing Orchestra - New World Windows
2009 Do Make Say Think - Do
2009 Doves - Kingdom of Rust
2009 Dream Theater - The Count of Tuscany
2009 dredg - Gathering Pebbles
2009 Grammatics - The Vague Archive
*2009 Greg Herriges - Rama B Good
2009 Janus - Your Arms
2009 Malajube - Luna
2009 Mastodon - The Last Baron
*2009 My Latest Novel - I declare a Ceasefire
*2009 note. - Composition Two
*2009 Operahouse - Escape from the Sun
2009 Painted in Exile - Skylines
2009 Riverside - Driven to Destruction
2009 Shelter Red - Strike a Mortal Terror
2009 Sholi - Dance for Hours
*2009 Sigmund Droid - Maximum Grind
*2009 Solarcade - Rise
2009 Sound & Shape - The Love Electric
2009 Soundscape - Digital Lover
2009 The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Dark Matter
2009 This City Sunrise - Pretty Much
2009 Umphrey's McGee - Cemetary Walk
2010 22 - Gotodo
2010 Alpha Rev - New Morning
2010 Chromeo - Night by Night
2010 Dead Letter Circus - The Drum
*2010 Early Ghost - 1914
2010 Emanuel and the Fear - Jimme's Song
2010 Field Music - Let's Write a Book
2010 Fitz & the Tantrums - Moneygrabber
2010 Foals - Spanish Sahara
2010 Happy Body Slow Brain - Everything You Know
2010 Jazzkamikaze - Music is My Heroin
2010 Jimmy Gnecco - Bring You Home
2010 Journal - Labyrinth of Betrayal
*2010 Judgement Day - Peacocks / Pink Monsters
2010 Late of the Pier - Blueberry
2010 Lehto & Wright - Children's Songs
2010 Memoryhouse - To the Lighthouse
2010 Negroni's Trio - Sabado en la Noche
2010 Orphan Bloom - No Ever After
2010 Orphaned Land - Sapari
2010 Revere - As the Radars Sleep
2010 Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul
2010 The Besnard Lakes - Albatross
*2010 The Book of Right On - Pinpointing the Exact Moment Hollywood Said Good Enough
*2010 Gloomcatcher - The Rising Cane
2010 The River Empires - Three Tigers
2010 Timmy Sean - Can't Stop the World
2010 Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn
2011 *Shels - Plains of the Purple Buffalo
2011 Arafel - Kurgan
*2011 Battle Circus - Clockwork
2011 Canon Blue - Chicago (Chicago)
2011 East of the Wall - Underachiever
*2011 Erick Serna and the Killing Floor - Whiskey Song
2011 For the Imperium - Hero
2011 Glen Campbell - Ghost on the Canvas
2011 Hands of Despair - The Departure
2011 Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Weather Maps for Nikolai
*2011 Jimmy Gnecco & Paul Waaktaar-Savoy - Weathervane
*2011 Jon Anderson - Open
2011 Kimbra - Cameo Lover
2011 Mercies - Animals
2011 Metronomy - The Look
2011 Mutemath - Cavalries
2011 NewVillager - Lighthouse
2011 Nicole Atkins - The Tower
2011 O'Brother - Easy Talk (Open Your Mouth)
2011 Oedipus - Gimme a Chance
2011 Radical Face - Ghost Towns
2011 The Baltic Sea - Heavy is the Coast
2011 The Orion Experience - NYC Girl
*2011 Trent Romens - Loves Lost Cause
2011 Vektor - Tetrastructural Minds
2011 Water & Bodies - Celebration Song
2011 Yes - Fly From Here
2012 Alcest - Autere Temps
2012 Amanda Palmer - Want It Back
2012 Anathema - Untouchable Part 1-2
*2012 Brice Plays Drums - The Jester
2012 Bruce Peninsula - Of Songs
2012 Flying Colors - The Storm
*2012 Forest Park - Golden
2012 Gatherer - Thrive
2012 Godspeed You Black Emperor - Mladic
*2012 Guante - A Pragmatist Guide to Revolution
2012 Jessie Ware - Running
2012 Josh Benash - My Little Noose
2012 Media Addicts - Mr. Nice Guy
2012 Mike Linden - Paper Planes
2012 Moonloop - Strombus
*2012 Northern Abbey - The Catacombs (35)
2012 Oddland - In Endless Endeavour
2012 Pepe Deluxe - A Night and a Day
2012 Punch Brothers - New York City
2012 Ramona Falls - Spore
2012 Rush - The Garden
2012 Spawn of Possession - Apparition
2012 Sucre - No Return
2012 The Barnum Meserve - Broken Window
2012 The Gathering - Heroes for Ghosts
2012 Umbrella Tree - N-N-N-N-N-N-N
*2012 Vuvuzela - Rings and Things
*2012 Wolfhoppers - Purpose, Part I
2013 Capital Cities - Kangaroo Court
2013 Cloud Cult - Sleepwalker
2013 Dirt Poor Robins - Solemn Dream
2013 Genders - Technicolor Vision
2013 In Vain - Against the Grain
2013 K Sera - Dream, Like I Do
2013 Leprous - Chronic
2013 Mayer Hawthorne - Designer Drug
2013 Miracles of Modern Science - Dear Pressure
2013 Mother Falcon - Dirty Summer
2013 Nordic Giants - Violent Lights
2013 Persefone - Spiritual Migration
2013 Pretty & Nice - Stallion & Mare
2013 Renaissance - The Mystic and the Muse
*2013 RisingSide - A Spell
2013 Sir Video - Do What You Wanna
2013 Spock's Beard - Something Very Strange
2013 The Grape & the Grain - The Hudson
2013 The Mavericks - Back In Your Arms Again
*2013 The Red Paintings - Walls
*2013 The Royal Veil - Into the Sun (40)
2013 The Winery Dogs - Elevate
2013 Toria - Snow Crystals
*2014 Alphabetical Order Orchestra - Supergods
2014 Big Wreck - Ghosts
*2014 Clone - The City, Nightime
2014 Dream the Electric Sleep - Elizabeth
2014 Fjokra - Infinite Loops
2014 Gavin Castleton - A Light Like Yours
2014 Grimus - The Hell I'm In
2014 iamthemorning - The Howler
2014 Major Parkinson - The Wheelbarrow
2014 Marketa Irglova - The Right Here
2014 Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good
2014 Nicolas Krygovich - Along the PCH on Oscar Night
*2014 Nomia - A Windswept Tree
2014 sElf - Runaway
2014 Syd Arthur - Hometown Blues
2014 Team Me - F is for Faker
2014 The Contortionist - Language I: Intuition
2014 The Family Crest - Beneath the Brine
2014 The Mercury Tree - Otoliths
2014 The Tea Party - Water's On Fire
2015 I Mother Earth - Blossom
2015 LA Priest - Oino
2015 majestyy - Spirits Touch
2015 Native Construct - Mute
2015 Small Leaks Sink Ships - The Mind is it's Own Place
2015 Steven Wilson - Happy Returns
2015 The Dear Hunter - Waves
*2015 The Pneumatic Transit - Lioness
2015 The Velvet Teen - Sonreo
2015 Timbre - Night Girl: Nycteris Sees the Sun
*2015 Tiny Giant - Heavy Love
*2015 Vennart - Doubt
*2015 Words for Penga - Drown
2016 Anakdota - Late
*2016 British Theatre - Gold Bruise
2016 Disillusion - Alea
2016 Esperanza Spalding - Judas
2016 Everything Everything - To the Blade
2016 Fates Warning - The Light and Shade of Things
*2016 Ideology - Oxygen
2016 Kansas - Refugee
2016 Long Distance Calling - Lines
2016 Marillion - The Leavers
2016 Must Be the Holy Ghost - Meltdown
2016 Rare Futures - Hope
2016 Textures - New Horizons
2016 The Monkees - You Bring the Summer
2016 The Woods Brothers - Terrafirma
2017 Bent Knee - Land Animal
2017 Bubblemath - Making Light of Traffic
2017 Bullet Height - Bastion
2017 Galactic Cowboys - In the Clouds
2017 of1000faces - Sleeping's for Dreamers (Feat.Jimmy Gnecco)
2017 Pain of Salvation - On a Tuesday
2017 The Night Flight Orchestra - Midnight Flyer
2017 Ulver - So Falls the World
*2017 Umi - Droplet (50)
2018 Childish Japes - Something Else
2018 Eldren - Apocalypse Town
2018 Guerilla Toss - Spider Heard
2018 Phideaux - Sourdome
2018 Rachel Flowers - Going Somewhere
2018 Typhoon - Remember
2019 A Formal Horse - Lonely Doe Young Doe
2019 Cats in Space - Thunder in the Night
2019 Coldplay - Arabesque
2019 Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird - Love is Heartbreak
2019 Erthlings - Bridges
2019 George Michael - This Is How (We Want You To Get High)
2019 Jolly - Rain
2019 Local Natives - When am I Gonna Lose You
2019 Moron Police - Beware the Blue Skies
2019 Vonavi - Sunburst
2019 Owel - No Parachutes
2019 Thank You Scientist - FXMLDR
2019 The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Amethyst Realm
2019 The Tea Club - Creature
2019 Tuxedo - The Tuxedo Way
2020 Dirty Loops - Rock You
2020 Honorary Astronaut - E.K.E.
2020 Jake Allen - Affirmation Day
2020 Pat Metheny - America Undefined
2020 Psychotic Waltz - Devils and Angels
2020 The Midnight - Ghost in Your Stereo
2020 Toehider - wellgivit
2021 Adjy - In Medias Res (Between Longing and Mystery)
2021 A Kew's Tag - Metamorphioz
2021 Azure - A Sailor Will Learn
2021 Giant Sky - The Further We Go the Deeper It Gets Pt. 1-6
*2021 Kevin Gilbert - The Tired Old Man Suite
2021 Meer - Beehive
2021 Squid - Paddling
2021 Styx - Crash the Crown
2021 The Mask of the Phantasm - Final Night at the Duplex
2022 Evan Konrad - Alone
2022 Gospel - Tango
2022 Jonathan Nesmith - Like Love
2022 Oldster - My Little Primate Mind
2022 Sloan - Magical Thinking
2022 Snarky Puppy - Bet
2023 Avenged Sevenfold - (O)rdinary
2023 Billy Squier - Harder on a Woman
2023 Black Belt Eagle Scout - Blue
2023 HMLTD - Past Life (Sinnerman's Song)
2023 Peter Gabriel - Road to Joy
*2023 Scalise - She's Gonna Kill You
2023 Shell Pink - Setting Sun
2023 The Guess Who/Derek Sharp and the Champagne Jam - The King
2023 Yves Tumor - Meteora Blues
2024 Another Sky - The Pain
2024 Barock Project - Propaganda
2024 Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - The Fool
2024 DK the Drummer - Divided
2024 Doom Flamingo - Measurements
2024 Geordie Greep - Holy Holy
2024 Rocco of the Snow - Masking a Lot
2024 SJS - Pulling Saturn
2024 The Chilling Alpine Adventure - The Version
2024 The Crooked Fiddle Band - Deadly Nightsnakes
2024 The Radicant - Zero Blue (NSS Mix)
2024 The Warning - Hell You Call a Dream
2024 Ugly - The Wheel
2024 Willow - B i g F e e l i n g s
2025 Stereolab - Melodie is a Wound
