Mainstream Rock

Solid sounds for big-hook hounds is what our Mainstream Rock Basics are all about, with oversized tracks, like Nickelback's "Gotta Be Somebody," that launch a massive, guitar-army assault on power-ballad cliché; and time travelers like Gnarls Barkley's "Going On" for a back-to-the-future blast. Hail an alt-rock ride with Death Cab for Cutie and "Cath…" or groove to the soul-searching dance crunch of the Killers and "Human," while six-string whiz kid John Mayer holds down the fort with the laid-back blues of "Waiting On the World to Change."

Drift into more mainstream rock greats in Next Steps.

Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde draws on days gone by for the Pretenders' modern rockabilly rouster "Boots of Chinese Plastic," while Texas indies Spoon give a stirring shout-out to the power of the little guy in the their Everyman anthem "The Underdog." The Raconteurs draw a fine line between raw and refined on the rootsy rambler "Old Enough," while Queens of the Stone Age barrel right on into the heavy stuff with the hard charger "3's & 7's." And P!nk? She's just trying to convince the world she doesn't give a damn with her pop-rock protest "So What."

Hit Deep Cuts for mainstream rock that's anything but ordinary.

Even the mainstream has its offshoots and tributaries, so we've gone exploring to bring you everything from the shimmering depths of Nada Surf's pop-toned glory "Whose Authority," to the arena-sized grandeur of Switchfoot's big, beautiful challenge "I Dare You to Move." Keane may look back to the '80s for the retro swirl of "Spiralling," but they still keep their feet planted firmly in the musical here-and-now; while Gavin Rossdale opens up the contents of his rocker's heart with the big sonic boom of "Love Remains the Same."

There's a reason why a song hits the mainstream: Hits like "Viva la Vida" just have that crucial X factor, a sweet-spot sound that catches everyone's ear and that, as Coldplay frontman Chris Martin puts it, "can be sung to the rafters." It's there in the seen-it/done-it funk polish of old hands the Red Hot Chili Peppers's "Dani California," and in the wide-eyed surprise of "I Kissed a Girl" from new kid Katy Perry. It's in the dark-and-crispy ravings of Puddle of Mudd's "Psycho," and the sweet Southern sounds of My Morning Jacket's "I'm Amazed." And it's all over our Mainstream Rock Essentials, a monster playlist of surefire rock solidity that opens up the floodgates of mainstream power, from the antics of alterna-quirk cut-ups Weezer ("Troublemaker") to the new-school power pop of Plain White T's ("Natural Disaster").