Train, Goo Goo Dolls, Allen Stone

In 1917, the composer Erik Satie notoriously coined a style he called “furniture music”—which is to say, liminal public-space music, purposefully engineered as audio wallpaper, not to be consciously analyzed or even acknowledged. Second only to the Rob Thomas songbook (see page 26), the Goo Goo Dolls and Train are like this to American life: bands that permeate every public speaker system, beloved by millions and loathed or ignored by everyone else. Finding meaning in Muzak can be tough, but the struggle is an interesting one. Singles like “Black Balloon,” from GGD’s landmark Dizzy Up the Girl are closer to the soaring melancholy of shoegaze than any algorithm could indicate. Train has its share of nauseating retail ballads, but “Drops of Jupiter” stands out as a gem of free-associative lyrical slush. Corporate product thrives for a reason, and it is certainly possible to glean insight and beauty from a McDonald’s sandwich. Same with obvious tours like this. —David Ford Smith