(part one // 50-41)
with the first decade of the 21st century having reached its halfway point, we have a wonderful chance to go back and take a look at the music that moved us over the past five years. sit back, think about your own choices, and have a look at what excited me aurally since last millennium.
50. Junior Senior – D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat (Atlantic / Crunchy Frog, 2003)
When I picked up this album I could just picture it sitting on the shelf gathering dust for years until I felt in a silly mood and wanted to hear “Move Your Feet”. Everything about this just screamed “one listen wonder” to me – from the gaudy cover art on down, but this thing ended up in my car stereo for a solid week before it finally came out. It sat on a shelf for a couple months, but got pulled back out after hearing “Shake Your Coconuts” at a club. This thing is just far too infectious to ignore.
49. The Microphones – The Glow, Pt. 2 (K, 2002)
This was one of the first (and only) albums that I bought solely on the recommendation of Pitchfork. Hardly a good way to go about your record shopping, but I had just read the glowing review and was feeling adventurous that day. After the first two listens I felt like I had been ripped off, a feeling which didn’t exactly go away the more I replayed the disc. But the thing was, I kept replaying it again and again because something was drawing me back to it. I’m still not sure what that “it” was or is, but I have a feeling it’s the little things that crawl out of the woodwork and into my ear every time I spin it.
48. Outkast – Stankonia (LaFace / Arista, 2000)
Outkast is a band that I can honestly claim to have been in on since day one. Back in my days of reading The Source on a regular basis I picked up the debut and really dug the southern drawl vibe of Big Boi and Dre. So it was with no hesitation whatsoever that I followed them on each and every release as they explored new twists and turns. But nothing prepared me for the full-on assault of Stankonia and lead single “B.O.B.”, my head was absolutely blown. Top this off with two of the most head-nodding singles of all time (“Ms. Jackson” and “So Fresh So Clean”), and you have a hip-hop album not to be fucked with.
47. Prefuse 73 – One Word Extinguisher (Warp, 2003)
This is one of those really difficult to describe albums for me, it feels like nothing I say about it does nearly half the amount of justice it should. To put it as simply as possible, this album is a fantastic mix of phat beats and sound collages that I’ve come nowhere near growing tired of. Proof that hip-hop really can be enthralling with next to no vocals.
46. Sleater-Kinney – One Beat (Kill Rock Stars, 2002)
Forget Bruce Springsteen, the women of Sleater-Kinney are the real musicians that America needed after 9/11. While Springsteen pandered with schmaltz and patriotism, S-K provided us with the most sincere and honest reflection of the whole bunch. Anger, sadness, confusion, and loss all rolled up into a sonically enticing mix. These three have always had a way with words, but it hits even harder when they’ve got a good reason to talk. You best listen.
45. The Rapture – Echoes (Strummer / Universal, 2003)
We all know by now that this wasn’t the second coming, that dance-punk was not the next big thing to sweep the mainstream, and that The Rapture was certainly not fucking Nirvana. None of that can take away from the fact that they made a fantastic fucking album, one that seems both out of place and timeless all at once. Yeah, they pretty much bite on every era of musical history through the course of the disc, but that doesn’t stop my from dancing and singing my heart out whenever I listen to it.
44. Jay-Z – The Black Album (Roc-A-Fella, 2003)
It certainly wasn’t another Reasonable Doubt, but it was also far from being another Blueprint 2.0. Jigga’s farewell disc was an ambitious affair and a rather brave one in today’s hip-hop climate, especially his choice to forego all guest stars. It turns out, however, that the best choice he made was to spread the love to a multitude of producers – several of which churn out their hottest beats in years (come back Rick, the game needs you). This album would almost deserve a spot on this list for the remixing mania around it alone, but the hot singles clinch it.
43. The Decemberists – Her Majesty (Kill Rock Stars, 2003)
I was so not expecting this one to hit me like it did. There was no way that this pretentious as shit band was going to pull me into their foul clutches. I’d read the interviews and heard about the lyrics, there was no way I was going to enjoy this sort of thing. It was either way too cute, or too smart, for its own good. There’s just not going to be an enjoyable album in all of that. Boy was I fucking wrong, and damn glad to be so. This is exactly how intelligent pop music is done right. You can keep your Magnetic Fields, leave me here with my Decemberists.
42. Kanye West – The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella, 2004)
Yeah, I’ve witnessed the backlash hit hard for this poor guy. “Overrated”, “tired beats”, “weak rhymes” – fuck that noise. This is still one of the most refreshing rap albums in years, one that entertains consistently over its entire running time without resorting to clichés or tired formulas (but yeah, we didn’t need all of those “School Spirit” skits, we get it dawg). The thing that makes this record special is exactly the fact that Kanye can’t flow like Jigga or create a hot beat quite like Timbaland. Instead he excels in all areas of the game, creating a great album that will still be entertaining as hell in five years when the other monthly flavas have come and gone.
41. Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow (Load, 2003)
I suppose I should mention here that I’m not exactly what you would call a connoisseur of noise music in the least, what I’ve heard of it in the past did little for me. But when I heard this in a local record store while shopping, I was struck immediately about how embracing the album was. Yeah it was mostly loud and abrasive noise, but for some reason I was drawn in rather than repulsed. I still don’t know why this works so well for me, but for a guy who’s really not into much noise music this has gotten a fucking lot of playing time.
No comments:
Post a Comment