A Decade of Music

Four years ago I was hopelessly pessimistic about the state of music in America. I thought it had become overrun by popular sap and “ho“-philic hip hop. If people listened to it on the radio it was bad, and independent music was too difficult to embrace to catch on. While I still believe that the majority of what gets major radio airtime is almost unlistenable, I have reason to be more optimistic. I now realize that I was just musically immature and relatively shallow minded; or maybe I just hadn’t had the time to listen to all that this decade has had to offer. Part of why it took me so long to realize that the 00′s were a good decade for music is that it has become so compartmentalized that it’s initially difficult to realize that there is some really inspiring stuff out there. With the new innovations of the 90′s electronica revolution and the rise of the internet the independent music scene seems to have created several niche subgenres that all have their own little gems. The Do-it-Yourself aesthetic of indie rock has become standard, and more people than ever are allowed to express themselves for whoever is listening.

I had initially written a sloppy and long winded examination of various musical trends for our decade, but then I realized you could just read this and probably get more out of it. So I guess there’s this:

Musical Girls I fell in Love With in the 2000s:

M.I.A.
Although the horrid grammar on her Twitter is a turn off, her insane good looks and catchy beats are entrancing. She also has global influence and a colorful fashion sense.

Shakira
I first fell in love with Shakira in her pre-Laundry Service phase when she looked more like the half Lebanese girl that she is and less like a Hollywood sleazebag. Then she toned it down for her Oral Fixation albums and was simply stunningly beautiful, only to directly embrace her dominant feminine qualities in the sexiest way possible for the She Wolf era. Contrary to popular belief, her belly dancing doesn’t make me swoon, although her voice certainly does.

Julieta Vengas
If Shakira had my eyes, Julieta had my heart. Her cheerful demeanor and soft-toned grace won me over completely. Her soothing voice is a great comfort for any occasion. I also think she’s stunningly beautiful, but in a humble way (unlike Shakira, or her even sluttier peer Paulina Rubio).

Norah Jones
She has a lot of the elegance that Julieta Venegas has, and a similarly jazzy voice, but as a fellow half-breed (her father is Ravi Shankar) I’m naturally attracted to her. An all around beauty for sure.

Musical Guys I Admired in the 2000s:

Rivers Cuomo
Weezer frontman Cuomo is disdained by many for growing up –people wanted him to be the emo outcast he was in the 90′s, but he matured over the 2000s, got married, and adopted a self deprecating but celebratory outlook on life, all while maintaining his ever present nerdiness. By The Red Album and Raditude (two Weezer albums that Weezer fans love to hate) he sings in good spirit about being Great, simply because for his whole life he was singing about his low self esteem and he had finally become more comfortable with himself. He just began to rock out like he’d always wanted to. I admire him for embracing personal growth without really caring what  his fans want or expect. He also released two solid and insightful albums of personal demos and even wrote a song with fans on Youtube! Rivers Cuomo, you’re my hero.

A.C. Newman
Newman is the prolific musical genius that no one has heard of. He’s consistently put out powerpop gems since the mid-90′s, recently fronting the indie super group The New Pornographers which has created some of the most effervescently hook-laden music of the decade. He has the amazing gift of writing songs that sound exponentially catchier after a couple of listens, pulling you into his jaunty world of wit and exuberance. Despite this, he remains perhaps the humblest musician around, never signing to a major label and never hinting that he’s in this for anything other than to make music.

Mike Skinner (The Streets)
I admire Mike Skinner aka The Streets for finally making the repetitive and banal tasks that make up common man’s existence exciting and celebratory; his every day observations are just so damn normal, and I love him for it.

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And with that I guess it’s time for a list. I like to listen to entire albums whenever I really “listen to music,” because that’s really the artistic statement that each artist is trying to make, or at least it reflects their particular mindset at any one point in the most cohesive way possible. They can express great emotion and often work as stories in their own way. With that said here are, in order (unlike my Movies list), my top 20 favorite albums of the 2000′s. They have my unconditional love, and if you haven’t heard them you should look into that:

20. MY MORNING JACKET – Z      (2005)
MMJ’s best album is a sprawling set of inspired space rock that is both beautiful and epic. The band soars to new heights and doesn’t look back.
Highlight Track: “Off the Record”

19. WILCO – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
Wilco’s songwriting is at it’s best and most mature here, in a disillusioned and detached haze that’s introspective with powerful, Dylanesque lyrics. A great, reflective album.
Highlight Track: “Pot Kettle Black“

18. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – Songs for the Deaf     (2002)
Queens of the Stone Age offer up a great setlist of hard rock that’s strangely ethereal but still angry and impassioned. Their sense for minor-laden melody is more important to them than being overpowering, which is part of what makes the band so enthralling.
Highlight Track: “No One Knows“

17. THE GO! TEAM – Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004)
Perhaps the happiest, or at least the most celebratory album of the decade. A lo-fi garage alt-rock/electronic dance album with nothing in mind except enjoying the moment, at which it’s extremely successful.
Highlight Track: “Get it Together”

16. YEASAYER – All Hour Cymbals (2007)
Paranoid and quirky, Yeasayer builds off artists like The Talking Heads and Animal Collective while infusing folk elements in their debut to create an utterly compelling and beautiful trip through the mist.
Highlight Track: “2080“

15. THE FLAMING LIPS – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
Ultramodern, sleek, bubbling, a whimsical ode to slaying the evil machines. The Lips’ dreamlike vision is fully realized  and awe inspiring. Topped only by their previous work The Soft Bulletin.
Highlight Track: “Do You Realize?“

14. SPOON – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
One of the coolest albums of the decade; laid back in an irresistible groove. Reflective and romantic. Spoon’s best album.
Highlight Track: “The Underdog“

13. MODEST MOUSE – The Moon & Antarctica    (2000)
Modest Mouse’s most ambitious album goes to great depths to explore philosophical questions about human life in an expansive and dark universe, which is quite a leap for any indie rock band.
Highlight Track: “Paper Thin Walls“

12. APHEX TWIN – 26 Mixes for Cash    (2003)
What may be the best electronica album of the decade is really a double-baker’s-dozen of remixes of old songs, but Aphex Twin takes it to new heights, and my God some of it is among the most wonderful music there is.
Highlight Track: “Raising the Titanic“

11. RADIOHEAD – In Rainbows   (2007)
Radiohead’s last album of the decade strikes the perfect compromise between their electronic experimentation of the early 2000′s and the enchanting song craft of the OK Computer Era. In Rainbows is more subtle, but entrancing and quite sublime.
Highlight Track: “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi”
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And now the top ten, my absolute favorites that I hope everyone can unconditionally love as I do:

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10. JAY-Z – The Blueprint
The most self confident album I’ve ever heard that actually had the chops to back up the boasting. Jay-Z knows he has become a hip hop god here, and he flaunts it with pride and cunning lyrics. This album is exhilarating and infectious.
Highlight Track: “Heart of the City (Ain’t no Love)“

9. DAFT PUNK – Discovery
Undeniable electro-house music that covers the entire range from sexy to dreamy with a surprising amount of melody. Daft Punk expand their dance sound from their also great Homework with maximum effect. Fantastic stuff.
Highlight Track: “One More Time“

8. THE WHITE STRIPES – Elephant
Fully developed and fiery, but also reflective and regretful, Elephant features the White Stripes with a perfect combination of raw energy and sonic expansion. Garage rock at its best.
Highlight Tracks: “Seven Nation Army,” There’s no Home for You Here“

7. THE STROKES – Is This It
If Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga isn’t the coolest of the decade, then This Is It. Simple, pure, concentrated New York swagger. A good example of using guitar in a simplistic way to create instrumental hooks. An energetic ode to living life in the fast lane that’s as fun as it gets.
Highlight Tracks: “Last Nite,” “Someday“

6. IRON AND WINE – Our Endless Numbered Days
Naturalistic, quiet, and flowing with warmth. Iron and Wine’s greatest record pines for a lost romance, a silent place of reflection in the grass for musing on the summers of yore where our days, while numbered, can seem eternal. This is also their first album not recorded in the singer’s living room, striking the perfect balance between lo-fi humility and aesthetic brilliance. The music is absolutely beautiful too.
Highlight Tracks: “Naked as We Came,” “Sodom South Georgia“

5. LOS CAMPESINOS! – Hold on Now, Youngster…
Young optimism pushed to the extreme in a high-paced, literate, and swirling love letter for nerds. The indie attitude is tangible and the music features guitar and keyboard hooks that are enthusiastic as hell and proud to show it. A fantastic debut with a flooring energy that tops almost anything else of its generation.
Highlight Tracks: “Broken Heartbeats Sound like Breakbeats,” “You! Me! Dancing!“

4. THE STREETS – Original Pirate Material
UK electronic/garage/hip hop artist The Streets’ debut is stunningly original in its approach and observational power. He sings about the normal British life he lives (including all of its banal tasks) with a grandeur that strangely isn’t cocky, and in doing so he paints a breathlessly acute image of living in the modern world. A purely captivating perspective and a one-of-a-kind record. His rhyme sense is relentless and fearless, in a way few other artists are willing to pursue.
Highlight Tracks: “Turn the Page,” “Has it Come to This“

3. M.I.A. – Kala (2007)
I suppose “alternative dance” is the proper way to classify M.I.A.’s ferocious brand of worldly war cry, which is fully explored in Kala. This album could only have existed in the 2000′s, as an incomprehensible smorgasbord of cultures, samples, sounds, voices, and beats. M.I.A.’s revolutionary attitude and attention to the culture of poverty makes this a truly global record. The first time I listened to it I asked myself, “what the hell is this crap?” Three months later I listened to it again, and then again and again. It’s infectious, growing on you with repeated listens as its message and intentions unfold. It really is a brilliant piece of work; the culmination of M.I.A.’s adherence to rigorous originality that’s as colorful and exciting as her frightening album cover. A superb achievement.
Highlight Tracks: “Jimmy,” “Boys,” “Paper Planes“

2. ARCADE FIRE – Funeral (2004)
The emotional masterpiece of the decade from an enormous band that explores the dark depths of remorse unique to any individual. Dwelling on death sometimes produces wonderful statements, as it does here. Winn Butler’s fiery voice echoes in your head while the haunting accordions gather the spirits from beyond the grave. A funeral march in many ways, not unlike the Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over The Sea (which was a noted influence on this work), that has the power to comfort through the worst despair. It’s also extremely cohesive, with many tracks following the same threads and ideas to develop its themes. Things start to look up towards the light with the dark but glorious “Wake Up,” which is followed by empowerment and concluding with a moment of reflection. A perfect story in its own right that doesn’t follow a plot, but rather a feeling; a universal angst that everyone can relate to. I could write essays on this album, but I’d rather just listen to it. An immensely cathartic experience.
Highlight Tracks: “Rebellion (Lies),” “Wake Up,” “Haiti“

1. THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS – Twin Cinema (2005)
While Funeral is probably the best album of the decade, Twin Cinema is certainly my favorite. The New Pornographers had delivered two thoroughly catchy albums up until then, but Twin Cinema took the group to new heights with an uncannily epic sound. They were no longer confined to the bounds of the power pop genre; almost all of the songs are dynamic growing beasts, many of which are also gleefully orgasmic in structure. “The Bleeding Heart Show” is the album’s Hallelujah moment, with perhaps the most glorious outro of all time, but stunning tracks like “Twin Cinema” and “Use It” feel like instant (but underappreciated) power pop classics. Then there’s “Sing Me Spanish Techno,” perhaps the perfect indie pop song; an exuberant and joyful surge of romance and energy. Nevermind all that, all of the tracks are great. Even the two throwaways are creative and catchy in their own ways. With its well toned selection of humble voices and a newly found percussive force the band unintentionally created their masterwork. Twin Cinema represents a quintessential moment in the Indie Rock outlook when all of the pieces fall into place in perfect, boundless harmony while exuding a triumphant spirit of glorious optimism.
Highlight Tracks: “Sing Me Spanish Techno,” “The Bleeding Heart Show,” “Use It,”  “These are the Fables“

It’s really a shame that so few people have heard of/listened to The New Pornographers. They’re really great and relatively prolific. I guess that’s indie humility for you. Then again maybe their name has something to do with it…

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Other albums I thoroughly enjoyed, but aren’t in my top 20, each linked to a highlight song from that album:
The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free, Dangermouse - The Grey Album, Radiohead – Kid A, The White Stripes – White Blood Cells, The New Pornographers – Electric Version, System of a Down – Mezmerize, Sloan – Never Hear the End of It, LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver, Outkast – Stankonia, Peter Bjorn and John – Writers Block, Julieta Venegas – Bueninvento, Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend, Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP

thats it.

Here’s to another decade of aural excellence!

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