Top 10 Albums of 00's

Yes, yes, I know everyone is doing these end of decade lists right now but I thought I'd weigh in anyways. So below are my personal Top Ten albums released between January 1st 2000 and today (December 4th 2009). Note these are not what I consider the most influential or most technically skillful or most ambitious, forward thinking albums but the ones that I would choose if I were only ever allowed to listen to 10 albums from this decade until I die. My personal favourites basically. So, without any further ado...

10. THE ARCTIC MONKEYS - WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT'S WHAT I'M NOT (2006)

An absolute sensation when it came out in 2006, its release getting pushed forward a week due to the high demand that had built up since the first demos had made their way onto the internet in 2004. The record did not disappoint and promptly became the fastest selling debut album in UK history. It's not hard to see why - the tunes and guitar riffs often grab you round the throat and demand your attention and Alex Turner has a wonderful talent for turning the most mundane, normal events into poetic, witty stories. Whether it be a drunken taxi ride, seeing an awful band in a small venue or eyeing up a girl on the dancefloor The Arctic Monkeys frontman can turn it into a 2-3 minute experience from the frontline of youth culture at the time. Whilst the band have produced two excellent albums since this they have yet to top it.

Stand Out Track: Fake Tales of San Francisco


9. DAN LE SAC VS. SCROOBIUS PIP - ANGLES (2008)

An album that managed to dispel two popular myths about hip-hop - firstly that it's all about guns, bitches and bling and secondly that Americans do it best. With a delivery that is as much spoken word as rap and backed up with some brilliant manipulation of beats by Dan Le Sac this duo turned UK hip-hop on its head. Whilst most people would have been drawn to Angles by the #30 hit and Zane Lowe favourite Thou Shalt Always Kill the album has incredible depth. This depth is most obvious on the darker tracks such as Tommy C and, most of all, the self-harm inspired Magician's Assistant - a track which literally had me standing there with my mouth open when I first heard it. But these guys also know how to have fun as the bouncy Beat That My Heart Skipped and Fixed (which samples Dizzee Rascal's Fix Up Look Sharp) amply prove.

Stand Out Track: Magician's Assistant

8. JEFFREY LEWIS - THE LAST TIME I DID ACID I WENT INSANE AND OTHER FAVOURITES (2001)

 

The debut album of singer-songwriter and comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis was an excellent example of the anti-folk movement that was growing in New York at the time. Although overshadowed by his friends The Moldy Peaches and their self-titled debut album released in the same year Lewis' neurotic, self-analysing songs of heartbreak and bad luck provide a more compelling view of the human condition. The intimate, lo-fi style of his songs provide the perfect backing to showcase his touching and sometimes brutally honest lyrics. If it were not for a couple of weak links (in the form of Amanda is a Scalape and The Man With The Golden Arm) this album could've been much higher in the list. Luckily these tracks are outnumbered by quality songs such as the perky Life, the garage rock style Another Girl and the beautifully gentle Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song.

Stand Out Track: The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song

7. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - VAMPIRE WEEKEND (2008)

A debut album of such confidence and assurance it was hard to believe Vampire Weekend had been together little over 18 months when they made it. The fusion of classical music with African popular music was so different from everything that was around at the time that you couldn't help but sit up and listen and A-Punk quickly established itself as one of the biggest anthems of 2008. The rest of the album backed up the promise of that single with a group of songs all definitely by Vampire Weekend but all distinctly different. From the loping The Kids Don't Stand A Chance to the sweeping I Stand Corrected and the punchy, aforementioned A-Punk this album did many different things and did them very very well.

Stand Out Track: A-Punk

6. DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS - PLEASE DESCRIBE YOURSELF (2004)

An album that proved a great name was not all Dogs Die In Hot Cars had going for them. A fun, bouncy sideways look at mid 2000's Britain Please Describe Yourself was based around urgent drums and a fantastic interplay between the band's two guitars and single keyboard and topped with Craig Macintosh's Andy Partridge-style vocals. With songs that commented on obsession with celebrity culture, alternative health fads and CCTV Please Describe Yourself  was very much of its time but nevertheless still has the power today to raise a smile and make you want to dance like a loon.

Stand Out Track: Pasttimes & Lifestyles

5. BLOC PARTY - SILENT ALARM (2005)

 

Coming in 2005, Silent Alarm offered a new take on indie music - suddenly it could be expansive, political and genre-bending. From start to finish the album is an intense, riveting combination of Kele Okereke's terse, urgent vocals, synths and lyrics of alienation and anger. From anthems you can jump and sing along to (like Helicopter) to political commentaries on George Bush Jr.'s actions in the Middle East and views on black people (like err... Helicopter) Silent Alarm offers energy by the bucketful. All 13 tracks on this album are top notch and the range of topics tackled with such skill and encased in such high quality music is quite breath-taking. Like the Arctic Monkeys Bloc Party have followed their debut with some fantastic albums that come close but never quite beat their first.


Stand Out Track: Helicopter

4. Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (2008)

The second album from Los Campesinos! showed a more mature sound than their debut Hold On Now, Youngster... even though it was released a mere 33 weeks later. This increase in maturity fortunately did not equate to a loss of  the energy, enthusiasm and romanticism that made their debut album so impressive and caused it to teeter on the edge of this particular top 10 run-down. The most noticeable thing about Los Campesinos! has always been their lyricism and this album continues and improves upon this tradition, particularly on the violin-laden title track. These original, sometimes bizarre, sometimes touching lyrics are set against a somewhat frenzied backdrop of guitar, drums, glockenspiel and violin to tremendous effect, creating an album that speaks of the young people on the fringes of mainstream society.

Stand Out Track: Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1

3. JJ72 - JJ72 (2000)

                                                 

The oldest album in the top 10, JJ72 is a truly underrated piece of indie-rock genius. It is an album that is packed with emotion and anguish without ever becoming a cliche and what made this achievement even more remarkable was the youth of the three band members - all were just 20 when they recorded this. All the songs within have a real sense of atmosphere and pack a powerful emotional punch, frequently teamed with immense string sections. This is a record that just has that indescribable mystery element that sends shivers through you and has the power to stop you in your tracks.

Stand Out Track: Not Like You

2. KIMYA DAWSON - HIDDEN VAGENDA (2004)

The most striking thing about Kimya Dawson's 4th solo album is the incredible intimacy of it. Whilst this has always been a feature of her songwriting since leaving the Moldy Peaches it is taken to the Nth degree on Hidden Vagenda. Songs deal with the death of loved ones, her brother's battle for custody of his child and her mother's health problems as well as broader topics such as consumerism, capitalism and domestic abuse. Whilst this is a particularly dark album, which can be discomforting at times due to the very personal nature of it, Hidden Vagenda does have more positive notes and you never doubt that Kimya will come out of the experiences stronger. All in all, this is an album that offers an unparalled insight into a performer's life whilst still commenting on emotions and situations that nearly all people will experience. For being both incredibly intimate and yet universal Hidden Vagenda came very close to being my number 1 choice for album of the decade.

Stand Out Track: I Will Never Forget

And so finally we come to the number 1 - my favourite album of the last ten years. It's...

1. SUFJAN STEVENS - COME ON FEEL THE ILLINOISE (2005)

This is a quite remarkable record that ranks as one of the greatest albums ever, let alone of this decade. It is an epic, orchestral piece of beautiful indie music that superbly compliments Steven's quavering, delicate voice. One of the best qualities of the record is that it is a proper album which should be listened to start to finish, rather than a collection of songs. Whilst individual tracks such as Chicago (used in Little Miss Sunshine), The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us! and the tragic, haunting John Wayne Gacy Jr. are absolutely excellent it is when the album comes together as a whole it becomes truly remarkable. There really aren't enough superlatives in the language to describe this album, all I can do is recommend that you buy this album (available for £9 or less in most places), sit down and listen to it. You will not be at all disappointed.

So there you go - the top ten albums, in my opinion, of the 00s. Here are some random facts about the list -

• 2008 was the year with the most albums in the list (3) while 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2009 didn't have any.
• 5 of the acts were from the UK, 4 came from the USA and 1 was from Ireland.
• There are 26 males and 6 females in the list (although the split in the top 4 is only 7:5).
  
• 3 of the acts are solo artists whilst 7 are bands.

Thus concludes my first blog post. Hopefully I'll be updating this at least once a week.


Take care,


Chris