2000-2010: The Music List

The Best of 2000’s

I want to do some best of the decade lists before I do my top ten lists for 2010.  When I first started doing the top ten albums for the decade I thought it would be fairly simple.  “Just look up your top ten lists from the past 6 or 7 years you’ve done this.”  But I forgot that I closed my Myspace account last summer which had all of my top ten lists that I had done, movies and music.  So, I had to start from scratch and go through my sizable iTunes collection (18,719 tracks), and pick out my favorites.  Well, my list started at 55 albums and now I have whittled it down to ten.  My favorite two songs are added at the end of each entry.  Enjoy.

10. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife  10/3/06  It was a tough choice between The Crane Wife and Picaresque.  Really can’t go wrong with either, but I played Crane Wife beginning to end for about a month straight after I first heard it.  It is a little time consuming to listen to the two ten minute plus tracks, but definitely worth your time.  “Sons and Daughters” “The Crane Wife 3”

9. The Libertines – Up The Bracket  9/30/02  I remember driving with my brother Jerry after he got his degree from the U of M listening to “I Get Along,” blasted in my car.   Good times.  Pete Doherty’s drugged out vocals fits the music perfectly, and it never slows down from the first track to the last.  It’s a shame they broke up after only two albums.  “I Get Along”  “Boys In The Band”

8. De La Soul – The Grind Date  10/5/04  My favorite hip hop album from the 2000’s.  I’ve been a fan of De La Soul since the first time I heard “Bitties in the BK Lounge.”  It’s too bad the first single off this album was the only bad track, “Shopping Bags.”  I think it would have had more success with another song.  “The Grind Date” “Rock Co.Kane Flow”

7.LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver  3/12/07  I wasn’t a huge fan of LCD Soundsystem’s debut album, so I missed this one when it first came out.  But after seeing it on a lot of end of the year top ten lists I gave it a chance, and I’m glad I did.  “Someone Great”  “All My Friends”

6.Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot  4/23/02  Not a bad song on this one, it’s just missing that really great single to put into my top five.  Probably the best Wilco album.  Based on the last two, I think they’re on the way down instead of up.  Hope I’m wrong, but at least I’ll still have this one.  “Jesus, Etc.” “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”

5.Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit  2/7/06  It doesn’t sound much different from their past albums, but everything just seemed to come together on this one.  Upbeat and catchy throughout, and unlike Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, The Life Pursuit has some of the best songs on the best album for Belle and Sebastian.  “White Collar Boy”  “The Blues Are Still Blue”

4.Spoon – Gimme Fiction  5/10/05  If I had to choose one band for best of the decade, it would be Spoon.  They released five excellent albums between 2001 to 2010.  Gimme Fiction was when they went from being a good indie band to just a great band.  “I Turn My Camera On”  “I Summon You”

3.Modest Mouse – The Moon and Antarctica  6/13/00  It’s not my favorite Modest Mouse album, but their best stuff was in the late 90’s.  Still, not the best Modest Mouse is still great.  I’m sure most people would pick Good News For People Who Love Bad News, but this is my list and I want my early Modest Mouse back.  Not the post “Float On” Modest Mouse.  “Gravity Rides Everything”  “I Came As A Rat”

2.Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood 3/7/06  I wish Neko Case would sing me to sleep every night.  She has the most beautiful voice ever, in my opinion.  Fox Confessor and Blacklisted are my two favorite Neko Case albums, and would both probably be in my top ten, but I’m not going to take two spots for one artist.  “Star Witness”  “Dirty Knife”

1.Arcade Fire – Funeral  9/14/04   I can’t imagine anybody not enjoying this one.  I remember reading about this album somewhere on the internet, then listening to the 30 second preview on iTunes and immediately buying the entire album.  It was about 5 months before they hit it big, and I missed their show at the 7^th Street Entry by about a week.  Still pissed about that one.  “Rebellion (Lies)”  “Crown of Love”

Honorable Mentions:

Cold War Kids – Robbers & Cowards

Cody Chesnutt – The Headphone Masterpiece

Elbow – The Leaders of the Free World

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

Muse – Absolution

The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema

Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That

Yelle – Pop Up

Shout Out Louds – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff

Kings of Leon – Because of the Times

Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights

I know I’ll look back at this and think to myself, “What the hell were you thinking?”  I’ve done that with pretty much every end of year post that I’ve done.  Well that does it for that decade.  I hope you enjoyed reading my list, and feel free to rip it apart in the comments.

Happy New Year everybody.

May the Force be with you,

CHUD