Ted's ability to waste time...

Top ten albums of the decade.  My take on the decade that was 2000-2009. 

I’m not even sure where to begin with this list.  First, I like lists.  Scratch that.  I love lists.  I’ll make them all the time but usually they stay in my head and never make it to paper.  That being said I cringe at the idea of ending up on a list.  When you end up on a list it’s never really a good thing.  It can be good if you are first or maybe if you are last…but usually being on a list is not a good thing.  On a list you are being compared to others and I hate being compared.  Oops, sorry for the unwarranted tangent.  Second, this list is about albums from 2000 to 2009.  Are these the best albums of the decade?  I don’t know that can only be up to you.  These are the albums that influenced my musical tastes of this past decade.  Obviously a lot of the songs/artists/albums can/could mean more than just influencing my musical tastes…but that is not the case.  Third, I had a good time making this list.  Hopefully the post that goes with it gives me as much enjoyment.  I hate writing and I’m hoping this helps me with things I need to do in the real world (i.e. my job).  I also apologize for my writing in general.  I has a small vocabulary and me don’t not know grammar rules very good.

I started thinking of creating this list on a ride a few weeks ago.   I quickly scrapped the idea when I realized it would be a colossal pain in the ass.  Well, I guess I like colossal pains in the ass because I did it.  It has taken be days of searching through my iTunes catalog and doing a lot of thinking.  At first I came out with nearly 50 albums where I thought “Oh yeah, what a great album, this *needs* to be on the list”.  I stopped and started to really ponder this huge list I had.  Were these really seminal albums or were they merely albums that I thought were cool?  So I began to look back to the 80s and 90s at what albums I heard and thought “Holy Shit! That’s an incredible fucking album”.  Some Examples (there are a lot more):

                The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (1989)

                The Beastie Boys – Paul’s Botique  (1989)

                Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

                My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (1991)

                Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)

                Liz Phair – Exile in Guyville (1993)

You hopefully get the idea where I am coming from.  When I heard that Stone Roses album I thought I died and went to heaven.  It was (and still is) amazing.  That was the essence that I needed my list to have.  If you are looking for some Jimmy Eat World, Daft Punk, and Cold Play…well…go fuck yourself because you are not going to get that here.  Also, this really is not an indie list so if you wear skinny jeans, ride a fixie, and think Pitchfork is out of date and blasé you can go doubly fuck yourself.  This is my list and I tell myself to go fuck myself all the time…so there.

There are a many songs which really caught my attention over the past decade that are not part of the top 10 album list or the honorable mentions but are damn good songs nonetheless.  Here are a few:

Badly Drawn Boy – Something to Talk About (2002).   A great little ditty.  I discovered I loved it flying on an airplane back from Chicago in 2003.  Maybe I was sitting in 27D when I heard it?  Okay, the 27D is a joke but you may know what I am talking about.  Anyhoo…Ipso Facto…

Belle & Sebastian – If She Wants Me (2003).  So many good lyrics in this song.  I really like “If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy”

Conor Oberst – Moab (2008).  Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes makes beautiful music.  Not look at the surgically cut roses I got for you on Valentine’s day type of beauty…more like wow…look at the wildflowers that just appeared out of nowhere on Kamiak Butte type of beauty.    Now, this particular song really is not “beautiful” but it has one of the greatest lyrics of all time “there’s nothing that the road cannot heal”.  As someone who has taken and still takes a lot of road trips this really holds true for me.

The Mountain Goats – No Children (2002).  A lot of people find this song depressing.  I find this song uplifting.  To me it’s about a couple that fights all the time…but that is how they show their love for each other.  The most classic line in the song “I hope we come out with a fail-safe plot /To piss off the dumb few that forgave us”.  Fantastic.

Okkervil River – Calling and Not Calling My Ex (2008).  Love it.  The final verse gets me every time.

So, go turn their heads, go knock them dead, go break their hearts
Go break their hearts
Baby, break their hearts
And I know you will

Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks (2006).  I, like most other people, hated this song after I heard it for the 50^th time.  Fucking Swedes and their damn whistling…but come on…hear it now and you like it.

Shout out Louds – The Comeback (2005).  I think we’ve all needed a comeback every once in awhile in our lives.  This is a great song to lift your spirits…damn those Swedes.  They make some good music.  Per capita Sweden had the best musicians.  Just a thought.

Songs: Ohia – Blue Factory Flame (2002).  A sad folksy lo-fi song that I need to listen to if I’m in a certain mood.  Too dark for most people.  Just right for me.

Death Cab for Cutie – Photobooth (2002).  EPs often have the greatest songs.  To me, this is Death Cab’s best song. 

Hootie and the Blowfish – Driver 8 (2000).  This is not a joke.  Darius Rucker has an incredible voice and really does justice to this REM song.  You can actually understand what he is singing unlike Mr. Stipe.

I bet most of you skipped this section and briefly looked at the actual list.  I don’t care.  Screw you (actually no…I don’t mean that thanks for reading.  You are one of eight people who will probably look at this tome). 

There were so many good albums (and even more average ones) and here is a short list of some that did not quite make the cut.  There are some on here from 2008 and 2009 which probably should have made the cut but they have yet to stand my test of time.  Maybe I’ll revisit this list in a few years and change them.  For example, Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is amazing as is the newer Flaming Lips Embryonic.  What’s a guy to do?  In no particular order a few of my “honorable mentions”.

Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000).  This was the last album to get cut from the top 10 list.  I can’t believe it’s been ten years.  Check out “Cherry Chapstick”.

The Decemberists - Picaresque (2005). Any Decemberists album could be placed here.  This happens to be the one I listen to the most.   The problem with Colin Meloy’s stuff (for me) is I can get bored half the way through and album. It’s never on the same song though…just depends on my mood.  So that is why there are no Decemberists albums on my list.   Give “The Sporting Life” a try.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004).  Holy Shit! Canadians can kick ass!  Who knew!  This album is the shit.  It really is.  There are super creative titles for songs too…like the Neighborhood quartet.  This was tough to eliminate from the overall top ten.  “Wake Up”.

Weezer - Weezer (the Green Album) (2001).  I love this album.  It almost takes me back to the Blue Album…almost…Hash Pipe hooked me (along with all the damn frat boys in the world).  But “Islands in the Sun” is the track that really got me.  I like Weezer a lot and I’m okay with that.  Anyone who does not like them probably considers clubbing baby seals a “good time”.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007).  I’ve always liked Spoon but was never overly impressed with them.  Until this album came out.  It was on my iPod non-stop for over 8 months.  I like two songs a lot on this album.  “Don’t You Evah” and “The Underdog”.

Clinic - Internal Wrangler (2000).  If you are saying “Who?” you should be slapped…on the ass…These cats are from Liverpool and are, to me, just different than most stuff out there.  I almost put Walking with Thee which came out in 2002 instead of this album but went with this one because of “The Return Of Evil Bill”.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (2004).  Did this album really come out in 2004?  It seems like just the other day.  I’ve not been thrilled with FF more recent offerings but this album gave me hope for more music from the UK.  “Take Me Out”.

Sleater-Kinney - One Beat (2003).  Bet you did not think I like Riot Grrrl music, eh?  Well, I do.  PNW rock chicks that I could identify with especially on “Prisstina” … which really makes no sense…

The XX - xx (2009).  I actually feel sorry for The XX.  How the hell they going to top this album (their debut)?  Seriously.  This is quickly becoming my favorite album to go out and run to.  Not sure why.  It’s not real good “running” music, but it works.  “VCR”

O Brother Where Art Thou?  (Soundtrack) (2001). Is that some old timey music in the honorable mention section?  Yup it is.  This soundtrack was one of the only cds that the whole lab could agree on back in the day.  Great movie as well.  Allison Krauss has a sweet voice and it’s nice to hear it a few times on this soundtrack “Down to the River to Pray”.

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002).  Yoshimi they don’t believe me…I can go on about this album but the Lips are the only band to get an h honorable mention twice.  So this is all this album gets. “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell”

Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003).  Pitchfork did not care for it.  I did.  No Death Cab in my top ten.  That’s okay.  They just need to try harder since old age is just around the bend and I can’t wait to go grey…”The Sound of Settling”

The White Stripes - De Stijl (2000).  What a fun album by the most successful ex-husband and ex-wife tandem in the music industry.  Are they the bad that lead the garage band revival in the 00’s?  I’m not sure…but all of their stuff is fun.  “Hello Operator”.

M.I.A.  - Kala (2007).  This album should most likely be in the top 10.  M.I.A. made me listen to a song that featured Timbaland.  That in itself is a big deal…then the lady goes and pays homage to two  of the greatest bands of all time (the Pixies and the Clash).  I’m not sure which song to pick: “20 Dollar” or “Paper Planes”.  You be the judge.

Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope (2006).  My favorite Russian American.  Hi Regina.  I do remember that time you only ate boxes of tangerines.  So cheap and juicy. “Fidelity”

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009).  It’s possible that “1901” will be regarded as one of the greatest songs of this decade and I don’t care that Cadillac used it in a commercial.  See people…the French can rock.

Flaming Lips – Embryonic (2009).  Have you heard this double album yet?  It’s not your typical Flaming Lips (then again…what is?).  Love the lyric “That’s the difference between us…” on the song “Convinced of the Hex”.

Now my top ten.  I was shocked when I finished that 60% of the albums came from 2001 and 2002.  Like I said earlier these are the albums that molded my musical tastes for the decade, with that in minds I’m not too shocked by all the albums from 2001 that I put on the list.  Where was 2004?  Did I miss something?  Same holds true of 2006 and 2007.  Strange. 

Here is my top ten for the decade

1)      Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

2)      Strokes - Is This It (2001)

3)      Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

4)      Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)

5)      Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (2008)

6)      The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)

7)      Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

8)      Fugazi - The Argument (2001)

9)      The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (2001)

10)    Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)

Some thoughts on each album:

1)      Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002).  Long before there was Wilco there was Uncle Tupelo who I loved very much.  I was sad when they broke up but Wilco and Son Volt carried the torch hi.  When YHF came out I was shocked with how much I liked it.  It rarely left my cd player (I was late to the iPod/MP3 player thing) from 2001 through 2004.  I bet Reprise is still kicking themselves for not releasing this album.  Morons. There is not too much to say about this album.  I’ll let the music speak for itself. “I’m the Man Who Loves You” and “Pot Kettle Black” should give you an idea.

2)      Strokes - Is This It (2001).  I know exactly where I was when I heard “Is this it”.  I was on the couch in my old apartment.  I woke up my then girlfriend so she could hear it.  That did not go over so well…but the point was made.  Here was a new group of scruffy NYC kids that made some great music.  This was a defining moment for American music just as Nirvana’s Nevermind did in the 90s.  It was hard to put this album so high up on my list since it because so wildly popular but it may have been the defining moment for me in regards to music for this decade.  Plus, the Brits love this shit…

3)      Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002).  Interpol is unfairly compared to Joy Division.  I’m not saying that is a bad thing I just think they are a strong enough band to stand on their own.  Paul Banks’ vocals are eerily haunting and I can never get enough of them.  “Obstacle 2” has a specific lyric that hits me hard every time I hear it.  No need to get into why.  Those of you who know me and realize when this album was released will get it.

4)      Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005).  I’m from Illinois but that’s not the reason I picked this Sufjan album.  Sufjan is obviously a very spiritual person and some of that does come though his music and I’m actually okay with that (I find “Christian Rock” highly annoying).  Everyone likes Sufjan…including Snow Patrol who referenced “Chicago” in one of their songs.  If I’m in the right mood (a sentimental sap) and I hear “Casimir Pulaski Day” my eyes will well up.  Bonus points if you know who Casimir Pulaski is.  If you do not know this album; do yourself a favor and get it. Now.

5)      Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (2008).  If I had to pick one album of this decade to take a road trip with it would be Vampire Weekend.  They are all smarter than me and that shows in their lyrics.  I’ll just give you one song “Campus”.  I have worked on college campuses for years and you can actually see this song in action almost any day of the week.  Best lyric “How am I supposed to pretend/I never want to see you again?”

6)      The Postal Service - Give Up (2003).  Ben Gibbard’s main band, Death Cab for Cutie does not make the cut but his side project does.  This is how side projects should be done.  One album that kicks ass and makes everyone want more.  Guess what.  You don’t get anymore.  Fine, too many of the songs have been used in too many TV shows and too many commercials.  I don’t care.  I like this album, so do you, so does him and her…over there…she likes it too.  “Clark Gable” and “We Will Become Silhouettes” are two of my favorites.

7)      Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009).  Is “My Girls” the best song of the year?  Of the decade?  It very well could be.  I bought this album in February when it was released and listened to it non-stop for three months.  After those three months I still did not know what hit me.

8)      Fugazi - The Argument (2001).  Fugazi may seem a bit out of place on this list but it’s not.  This is not their best album (I’ll go with Red Medicine for that honor) but this is a damn good album for *THE* most important indie band of the last 20 years.  It also symbolized a change for me in regards to musical tastes.  I started to shift away from the harder edge stuff to…well…lighter stuff…I also felt a change in Fugazi in this album and I’m glad they have been on hiatus since this came out.  “Full Disclosure” (this is a live version)

9)      The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (2001).  I fully admit that this is not the greatest album on this list and I doubt too many people would put it on their decade list…but ya see I’m not most people.  I’m me.  That’s all I have.  Take a look at #8 and #9…how does one listen to both in the same year?  I don’t know but I did.  This album opened up many other doors as far as music goes.  “Know your Onion” was everywhere and “Caring is Creepy” is delicious as well.  Thanks you Shins.  Thanks for giving me hope for indie rock back in 2001.

10)   Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001).  Could I get any more mainstream with #10?  Yeah, I probably could. By the time the Gorillaz album came out I was out of touch with music.  I knew what I liked and I listened to it.  I stopped reading ‘zines and trying to figure out the next big thing.  Holy Shit! That’s what I said aloud when I heard “Clint Eastwood”.  That’s fucking Damon Albarn of Blur fame and Del the Funkee Homosapien singing together!  I was a huge Blur fan in the 90s and I have a Del 12”.  I was in heaven.  After hearing the song again I sensed a Dan the Automator feel to it as well (I’m a Dr. Octagon fan)…holy crap all wrapped up in a tiny package of a fake cartoon band.  Genius.  Pure Genius.  These guys were still 5 or 6 years ahead of their time when this album came out.  Of course I think Del really is Deltron so what do I know?

And so ends my trip down musical memory lane of this past decade.  There are a lot of things I’m sure I typed incorrectly and even more music I missed.  I thank you for reading this.  Maybe I’ll do it again some other time….probably not.  To the eight of you who have read this much…I sincerely thank you.  Your attention span is better than mine.

Happy new year to you all.  May your 2010 be fantastic and the next decade be better than the last.  I know mine will.

Lates,

Ted