#5: Food
#4: The act of making lists itself
#3: Movies
#2: Music
#1: Lauren of course
So I figured it would be fun to combine some of my favorite things and make a top ten list for the last decade. In all the magazines in the coming weeks you will read numerous articles detailing the so-called experts best of the decade lists. While I am no music or movie critic, I am pretty educated in both media, so I thought it would be a fun little exercise to create my top ten albums from 2000-2009. Best case scenario I'll open up your ears to something new and exciting you never new existed and worst case scenario you think my music taste sucks and you get a good laugh. Either way I am cool with it so enjoy or not, it's up to you? Music is the beat of my life and like Mr. Bob Marley stated "One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain." So without further ado, the definitive best albums of the last decade.
#10: Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
So I will probably get a lot of crap from my guy friends on this one but there is no doubt that this girl is talented and this album is awesome from start to finish. She has a voice that sounds like it would fit better in the era of Billie Holiday and she is off the wall crazy on top of it all (see her live she plays like she is possessed by demons). After a six year break from music and a well publicized dispute with her record label she released this album in 2005. It was received well critically but by no means a commercial success. Regardless her talent is undeniable and this album makes for a good rainy Sunday listen. Standout tracks include "O Sailor" and "Not about Love" included below.
Fiona Apple - Not about love
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#9: Passafire - Submersible
People may claim hometown bias on this one but I stand by my belief that I would dig this album regardless of the roots the band may have. Passafire crafts a distinct roots, rock, reggae sound all there own. I debated which of their two most recent albums to include, they are both that good, but in the end it always came back to "Submersible". The opening track definitely announces this is a band to be watched and the closing track ends the album with a thunder and signals this band is here to stay. Sprinkled in the middle are standout tracks suck as a slow burner titled "Unfamiliar" and a song that I feel should be on everyone's IPOD "Submersible" included below.
#8: (Tied) 311 - From Chaos
Being that is my list you had to know I had to include some 311. I am a die hard fan of 311 but I will be the first to recognize they have had some stinker albums. Not this one. This album is the quintessential summer album. In the summer of 2002, I lived at the beach and listened to this album daily and it never got old. With heavy rocking songs like "Livin and Rockin" to slow reggae tunes like "Champagne" this album had it all. Enjoy the title track below and remember "From chaos, comes clarity."
#8: (Tied) Arctic Monkeys - Whatever people say I am, That's what I'm not
So I couldn't narrow it down to just ten so we have a tie at the eight spot. This album became the UK's fastest selling debut album ever, selling over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band in the UK. It has since gone quadruple platinum in the UK, and won the 2006 Mercury Prize (an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland). The Arctic Monkeys from the beginning have done things their own way and this attitude can be heard in their music. This band plays with passion and could me the most talented bar band in the world. Below is the song that started it all for them.
#7: TV on the Radio - Dear Science
The indie art rock band from Brooklyn has got to be the most eclectic on the list. The are extremely well revered in the music biz with David Bowie and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails being two of their biggest fans. This album is all over the place great and was seen by the music industry as being a huge snub in the Grammy race of 2008. Enjoy Golden Age below. The video is pretty out there just like their music.
#6: The String Quartet Tribute - Radiohead
So I feel like if you don't have a Radiohead album on your list you automatically and blackballed from the music community (Every top ten list known to man has a Radiohead album in the top ten, most of the time #1). Well my favorite Radiohead album isn't even played by Radiohead it is preformed by a string quartet. Radiohead music is inherently classical and translates extremely well to a string quartet. All the songs are awesome on this album but try and not be moved by the song "exit music for a film".
#5: Warren Zevon - The Wind
Warren Zevon recorded this album not knowing if he would be able to finish it. Before recording this album Zevon was diagnosed with mesothelioma (a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos). Zevon refused treatment instead opting to begin recording his final album, which would act as his final goodbye to his friends and family. The album includes guest appearances by close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, and others.
While the duets are great it is a solo song by Zevon that really crowns this album. Enjoy the song "keep me in your heart for a while".
#4: Jay-Z / The Beatles - The Grey Album
This album was made illegally sampling the rapper Jay-Z's Black album and the Beatles White album. The result is good as it is bizarre. Surprisingly the jigga man and the fab foursomes tunes go together surprisingly well. DJ dangermouse started his career with this album by blatantly disregarding copyright laws. Who says crime doesn't pay
#3: Brian Wilson - Smile
This album was famously shelved and went unreleased by the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson famously went into sever depression for years and only emerged recently. Although it took 30 so years this album is worth the wait and gives us a glimpse into what the beach boys had planned next. The harmonies are vintage Beach Boys while Brain Wilson shows his musical genius with his wild experimentation. The album as a result is odd but beautiful.
#2: Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood Motion Picture Soundtrack
The movie in my opinion is flawless and the soundtrack to go with it is as well. This soundtrack takes on a journey and makes us feel like we are right there drilling for oil with the movies lead character Daniel Plainview. Jonny Greenwood is better known as the lead guitarist for the band Radiohead but if this soundtrack is any indication he has quite a career in scoring movies ahead of him. Due to a silly Oscar rule this soundtrack was not eligible for an academy award nomination but it surely would have won if nominated. The movie may not be for everyone but the soundtrack is sure to please most music fans.
#1: Muse - The Resistance
Last on my list is the most recent album from Muse. Never has so much sound come from three guys and never has a band been so ambitious as Muse was on the album the resistance. The album begins with a defiant stomper and ends with a three piece symphony. In between these bookends are songs that are bound to rock arenas, songs that soulful and even a song sung in French with an Oboe solo. Many have accused Muse of copying other bands' style but in the end Muse weaves different styles of music together better then most and the result is a melting pot of music that is wholly original. If you get a chance check these guys our live. They are easily one of the best live bands around.
Honorable Mention:
"Queens of the Stone - Songs for the Deaf"
"Jurassic Five - Power by Numbers"
"Interpol - Antics"
"Kings of Leon - Ah-ha Shake Heartbreak"
"Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand"
"Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles
Stay tuned for both mine and Lauren's list of our top ten movie of the decade.
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