BEST MUSIC POLL
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NATIONAL
Best Pop shit in National
Lady Gaga
Kings of Leon and Black Eyed Peas both scraped their way to the top through a long process of refining their appeal — but neither has captured the lightning-in-a-bottle combination of weirdness and newness that is the international pop-shit phenomenon Lady Gaga. At this point, her two-year campaign of shock and awe is beginning to wear out even her most faithful followers — but that only means that she's dug past the topsoil into the deeper ground that is the casual music listener. Last year, said listeners were snapping their fingers inattentively to a radio hit; this year, they're dressing up like maniacs and following her around. Eventually, the world will tire of her unbounded need to impress — but that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.
Runners-up
2. Kings of Leon
3. Black Eyed Peas
4. Owl City
by DANIEL BROCKMAN