(part three // 30-21)
still going...
30. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Warner Brothers, 2002)
Many were wondering just where Wayne Coyne would lead the Lips after the back-to-back excellence of Clouds Taste Metallic and The Soft Bulletin. What tricks would he pull out of the bag this time? A return to the psych-rock roots? More of the lush atmospherics of Bulletin? With the Lips you can never be quite sure, which is what made this album such a joy to listen to. Two perfect pop gems (“Fight Test” and “Do You Realize?”) anchored this sci-fi concept album about giant robots, Japanese girls with ninja skills, and death. Excellent production by the always on Dave Fridmann elevated this to a thing of pure beauty, pop-psych experiments and all.
29. Sonic Youth – Murray Street (Geffen, 2002)
This wasn’t so much a return to form for Sonic Youth as it was a rediscovery. The band managed to rediscover the jam, as evidenced by the many epics on this seven track album. All five members, including recent join Jim O’Rourke, were on fire with this album. It may or may not have been due to the proximity of the band’s practice space to Ground Zero, but there was definitely something that instilled such beauty and power into the music. This album proved that a band can age gracefully without losing an ounce of talent or inspiration. If only every band could put out music this breathtaking 20 plus years into their career.
28. M83 – Dead Cities, Red Seas, & Lost Ghosts (Groom Disques, 2003)
This is a truly impossible album to pin down when trying to describe the sound, I’ve seen every influence from My Bloody Valentine to Air to Mogwai thrown at this band. But I don’t feel that any of that does them justice, as they’ve managed to incorporate everything wonderful about the above listed bands and create a listening experience that is at once intoxicating and soothing. From the majestic beauty of “On A White Lake, Near A Green Mountain” to the wall of synths in “Run Into Flowers”, M83 created a modern masterpiece that proves you still don’t need guitars to create music of true power and beauty.
27. Franz Ferdinand – S/T (Domino, 2004)
It’s been a long, long time since I can remember a guitar-oriented band packing the dance floor within the first twenty seconds of it’s single getting started. But I’ll be damned if “Take Me Out” doesn’t do the trick every single time the needle is dropped, which I think says a lot about these four Scottish lads. It’s one thing to put out an album that critics drool in anticipation over, but it’s another thing entirely to surpass those expectations and slam into the mainstream. Nobody saw this band getting as huge as it did, but with an entire album full of songs just as good as “Take Me Out”, if not better, how could it not? Let’s not forget the fact that these songs work just as well as an album full of intelligent pop, ones that you can enjoy even when not in a position to shake your ass.
26. Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump (V2, 2000)
One reason that I had traditionally stayed away from much synth pop over the years was that a lot of it sounded cold and distant to me, I couldn’t really connect with it. While I wouldn’t classify Grandaddy as a synth pop band at all, this album does feature heavy use of keyboards. It stands out, however, through the incorporation of them into dazzling tunes that are very warm and inviting. And if the music isn’t enough to suck you in, Jason Lytle’s often witty and engrossing lyrics will do the trick. Whether on the sprawling epic of “He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot” or the poppy “The Crystal Lake”, Grandaddy combines the best of ‘70s power pop, ‘80s synth pop, and ‘90s indie rock to create an original style.
25. Boards of Canada – Geogaddi (Warp, 2002)
I’m no expert when it comes to electronic music, nor any of its subgenres and offshoots. I’ve checked out all kinds of hyped IDM and electronica from Aphex Twin to Squarepusher to Autechre, but none of it really clicked for me. So I was expecting more of the same when I sat down to listen to this album. I figured that as with most albums like this, that I would grow bored within 10 minutes and relegate this to background music, if I even avoided shutting it off outright. Neither of those were a choice though, since this album kept me engrossed all the way to the end. BoC put together the perfect mix of sampled sounds, processed beats, and synth lines to captivate me with its radiance and intelligence.
24. The Strokes – Room On Fire (RCA, 2003)
There was a whole hell of a lot riding on this sophomore album, it being one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2003. The Strokes had to know that they weren’t going to come anywhere near pleasing every fan and critic out there, so why bother? Instead they went back to the reliable formula that made Is This It so fantastic and tweaked it just enough to captivate all over again. Snaky guitar lines and mechanical drumbeats lay down a toe-tapping foundation for Julian Casablanca’s urban decadence lyrics. Not to mention the fact that these are all highlighted by some catchy as fuck riffs.
23. Sigur Ros – ( ) (MCA, 2002)
Seriously, Iceland has got to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I’ve never been there and I have nothing to base this assumption on except the music of this particular band. There must be some breathtaking views that can instill this kind of magic in mere mortals, allowing them to crank out music of this caliber. Nobody expected them to keep this pace up for a second album, but they did. By taking a step back and stripping down the sound, the band was able to slowly reveal the ethereal beauty within. It’s a longer build-up than you might be prepared for, but when this album hits – it does so in both the heart and the soul.
22. El-P – Fantastic Damage (Def Jux, 2002)
This is a sprawling epic of anger and dysfunction, but not in that Staind and Korn kind of way. Instead El-P wraps his spitfire lyrics around head-warping beats that attack from all angles, knocking out one of the most mind-blowing hip-hop albums in years. This isn’t music for riding in your whip, this is more like music for crawling through the seedy underbelly of the grimy streets – watching your back for the silent assassin sneaking up on you. This album was like a guillotine – guaranteed to leave your head hanging after blowing your mind.
21. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, 2003)
This album is pure joy, simple as that. Surreal lyrics, insane hooks, catchy melodies – this is the stuff that indie-pop dreams are made of. The Shins know when to pile on all the lush instrumentation to create a pop nugget, but they also know when to scale things back and let a simple guitar line do all the work. I can only describe this as one of the bounciest albums I’ve ever heard, one that never fails to bring a smile to my face. More pop music should aspire to be this insanely enjoyable.
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