This mankind-will-self-destruct lament (from DMB's upcoming, still-untitled album) offers a distinctly Dave-like blend of tension and uplift. Over a moody and elegant shuffle, Matthews sketches out the arc of civilization, from the invention of religion to the moon landing, and hints that the next leap won't derive from torching kind bud on Earth Day. And the inevitable children's choir? It works against a bridge that starts darkly atmospheric and crashes into jammy skronk. Let's see Jason Mraz pull that off.

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• Photos: Random Notes

“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.