In this fast-moving world of declining album sales and legal download sites, we find ourselves more and more drawn to songs. A song can give us exactly what we want from music at any given moment. And a personal playlist, mixing artists and eras, moods and genres, can say more about us - who we are, how we feel, how we see the world - than about the artists who played them. This isn't a histo... [+]

In this fast-moving world of declining album sales and legal download sites, we find ourselves more and more drawn to songs. A song can give us exactly what we want from music at any given moment. And a personal playlist, mixing artists and eras, moods and genres, can say more about us - who we are, how we feel, how we see the world - than about the artists who played them.
This isn't a history lesson; these are the songs you need in your life, right now. Think of it as a headstart, a checklist or - at the very least - a big old argument waiting to happen. [-]