The Top 100 Singles: 2000 - 2004

Maybe Pitchforkmedia is making too many lists. They concluded 2004 with 3 (Best Albums, Singles, and Reissues), and now, just one month into the new year, they have named the best 100 singles of the past 4 years.
Okay, so once again, I am being too harsh, and unjustafiably so. I also am committing a bit of a crime here I realize. I write about Pitchfork as though they are the supreme authority in the indie music world. And they really aren't. Whatever ... I like the list, and I think it is actually pretty cool that they put it out there. The list reminded me of some great stuff, and now I have a terrible urge to buy lots of singles (and additionally albums ... )

What makes me so overjoyed about this list? What makes it so noteworthy?
I really appreciate how Pitchfork has bands/artists on the list like B. Spears, Beyonce, Outkast, and Kelis. These individuals and groups are usually considered too mainstream for indie rockers to rock out to (sorry).
But they really aren't. I love Toxic. It has a good beat, and it's even cooler since Spears did it. Like, who would have thought that some day she would make an excellent club song? Maybe that's part of the reason why indie rockers can listen to these songs without feeling ashamed. The songs aren't really written by the singer. They are produced by a producer (sorry, again), such as Timbaland or one of numerous other predominantly unknowns. These behind-the-scenes artists are the ones with the creativity. And indie rock is all about that, right? Behind-the-scenes, the stuff that isn't seen (or heard), the stuff that not everyone knows about. So, if the masses like Toxic, it's okay since they like it for the image, but it's also still okay for alternative music listeners to enjoy it since they like it for a different reason; helping out the underdog.
Yeah, so I overanalyze. Who really cares? And in this modern age, there are no boundaries anymore. You can always cross the line from dance to rock, from politics to pop culture ... there aren't conventional bounds anymore. Everything is really okay, so I probably used the wrong word above ("okay"), but whatever ... I hope you get my main idea.