Yo everyone, DG here, and I'm gonna be doing a countdown of my top 25 Favorite Albums of the 2000s, or the naughties, or whatever you wanna call 'em, since I must copy everything Pitchfork does in some way, shape or form (it's not like they invented the list! God did when he gave the tablets to Moses!).
These are simply the albums I think are best from this decade. No reasons other than I prefer them, me, Dan Grgas, no one else, just me, no one is paying me to say any of this. I mean, sometimes a certain album also happens to be an important album, you know, in the history of music, so that's a factor - but that's still just how it effects me, really, when you come to think of it, because I'm part of the history of music, too! Everyone is!
Two rules: 1) The album had to be released from 2000 to THIS second, and 2) an artist can only appear once. I know, then is it really a true list of the albums I thought are best if I may be omitting some that may be fucking awesome just because of some stupid rule? Yes. But this way the list is more varied and it makes it - for the most part - easier for me to pick and choose. If an artist appears on here there's a good chance I really like a lot of their other work and some of that work might have been on this list instead of other works but, due to rule numero 2, they ain't.
OK, here's the first five. Enjoy, and let me know what you think of these albums and what I have to say about them and whether they're worth it, etc. etc. etc.
25) Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards, Tom Waits - Some may consider this a compilation and not an album proper and, yes, there are tracks on here that have been available before, but Tom Waits also rerecorded many old tracks and put them on here, along with rarities, covers, B-sides and the like, most of which have never, EVER been released. The result? A coherent ALBUM - or TRIPLE DISC ALBUM - made up of great Tom Waits songs, most written by, all performed by Tom Waits, split into three categories based on the nature of the beast. No more needs to be said. This is Waits at his eclectic best.
Here's a heartbreaker:
24) Post-Nothing, Japandroids - I think this is a dude's album and that's why I dig it. Take the cover: two bros, lookin like bros do. And it's all about girls - well, girls, and being young and getting thinking about getting old when all you wanna do is "think about sunshine girls". That's Post-Nothing in a nutshell. Great melodies. "Young Hearts Spark Fire" into "Wet Hair" is an epic one-two punch. Possible alternate title: Post-Graduation, eh, recent grads?
23) Grinderman, Grinderman - Killer, grungey rock n roll. Nick Cave is a great lyricist, one of my favorites of all time. His words have character, they are unique, and, though he can seem kinda scary and intense, the man has a great sense of humor, as can be seen in the hilarious - though poignant - lead single, "No Pussy Blues". The sound and style of this project is illustrated perfectly in this track, drums pounding, bass throbing, and electric mandolin - courtesy of Warren Ellis - screaming away. Great stuff. BTW, make sure you check out the B-side to "NPB," "Chain of Flowers," the perfect counterpoint to "NPB."
22) Nouns, No Age - I was tempted to put Weirdo Rippers on here instead of Nouns, but we're talkin' about albums here, man, and this is certainly an album. Weirdo Rippers works surprisingly well as an album considering it was made up of four EPs, and it does have my two favorite No Age tracks ("Every Artist Needs a Tragedy," "My Life's Alrite Without You") but I've found that Nouns is the more rewarding listen. Everything flows sonically; it's the kind of album that sounds as if it was recorded all at once, one take. Each track encompasses the entire album but you need to hear every track to understand the entire album as a whole. Great moments abound and - you know what I love? - I love that they're all brief. It's one quick guitar lick and that's it, you may not hear it again. Some artists find a hook and hit you over the head with it. No Age is content on doin it once, ON MAKING IT SPECIAL, which also ensures that you'll come back for more.
[No Lala available]
And there's the kick off, the first five albums. More to come tomorrow, I think, should be, can't see too many reasons why it wouldn't!
love lists!
ReplyDelete