I know what you're thinking: "Are you really still counting down your best of the decade?" Yes, yes I am. I've been busy. Previously #30 - #21 and #40-31 and #50-#41.
20) Kelley Stoltz: Below the Branches (2006 on Sub Pop) – My girl and I went mad for this one when it came out. It makes me happy every time I hear one of his songs in a commercial because I know he’s getting paid.
MP3: Memory Collector
19) Radar Bros.: And the Surrounding Mountains (2002 on Merge) – I’d like to hear a band like Mastodon or Baroness do a tribute to this album. This has been my favorite LA band since I moved here in 1996 (although they were unseated for brief periods of time by Beck, Wiskey Biscuit and Elliott Smith).
18) Outkast: Stankonia (2000 on La Face) – Obviously I’m not a huge hip-hop fan. I love a lot of singles, but there just aren’t that many albums that hold my attention. This album, while still overstaying its welcome, is one of the exceptions. “B.O.B.” might even be the song of the decade. “We Luv Deez Hoez” is pretty hilarious too.
17) Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002 on Sub Pop) – I like these spare, acoustic records. This filled the void left while Elliott Smith was on his unfortunate decline. I enjoy all of his stuff, but this one made the strongest impression.
MP3: Lion's Mane
16) Okkervil River: The Stage Names (2007 on Jagjaguwar) – These guys are still my pick to be the next big indie crossover act. All it’s going to take is one high profile song placement (if that’s what they want).
MP3: Our Life Is Not a Movie Or Maybe
15) Dr. Dog: We All Belong (2007 on Park the Van) – Dr. Dog could be exhibit A for an imaginary essay entitled “Pitchfork – Culturally Relevant? Or Download Guide for 12-Year-Olds?”
MP3: My Old Ways
14) Jay-Z: The Blueprint (2001 on Roc-A-Fella) – One of the only hip hop albums of the last 15 years that I can just put on and let it play all the way through.
13) Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump (2000 on V2 Records) – Indie rock done right. This is a classic. They got tagged the American Radiohead after this one.
12) Elliott Smith: Figure 8 (2000 on Dreamworks) – Not as strong as Either/Or or XO, but still very inspired. I still can’t go into the Roost without thinking about this record.
11) The Strokes: Is This It? (2001 on RCA) - Pretty, pretty, pretty good. I still think I’m going to hear Tom Petty’s “American Girl” every time I hear the intro to “Last Nite.” Tom Petty’s cool with it, so I guess we should be too.
Showing posts with label Elliott Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elliott Smith. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Best Albums of the Decade: #50 - #41
Now that you're all completely sick of these lists, here's the bottom ten in my top 50....
50) Radiohead: Kid A (2000 on Capitol) – After seeing this at the top both Pitchfork and Rolling Stone’s best of the decade I went back and re-listened to it. Being a fan of melodic guitar rock, I only enjoy listening to four of these songs. They were still a great live band around this time though.
49) Interpol: Turn on the Bright Lights (2002 on Matador) – I haven’t listened to this in about six years, but it holds up a lot better than I was expecting. It’s still a little uneven, but an intense listen overall.
48) Elliott Smith: From a Basement on the Hill (2004 on Anti) – Like all posthumous records, this one was mired in controversy after his family brought in Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme to finish it even though they weren’t involved in the recording. Smith’s most inconsistent work but plenty of gems.
50) Radiohead: Kid A (2000 on Capitol) – After seeing this at the top both Pitchfork and Rolling Stone’s best of the decade I went back and re-listened to it. Being a fan of melodic guitar rock, I only enjoy listening to four of these songs. They were still a great live band around this time though.
49) Interpol: Turn on the Bright Lights (2002 on Matador) – I haven’t listened to this in about six years, but it holds up a lot better than I was expecting. It’s still a little uneven, but an intense listen overall.
48) Elliott Smith: From a Basement on the Hill (2004 on Anti) – Like all posthumous records, this one was mired in controversy after his family brought in Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme to finish it even though they weren’t involved in the recording. Smith’s most inconsistent work but plenty of gems.
47) Soundtrack of Our Lives: Behind the Music (2002 on Republic) – This is timeless psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll done extremely well (and holds up better than some of the stuff on this list). After being a little too weird and proggy before, the band hit its peak on this record. They got the entire audience at the Troubadour down on the ground, which is an impressive feat in LA.
46) The Postal Service: Give Up (2003 on Sub Pop) – Almost seven years after its release, and you still can’t turn on your TV for five minutes without hearing one of these songs. After Ben Gibbard moved to LA (Jimmy Tamborello has always lived here), I’m sure Sub Pop’s Jonathan Poneman was hoping he’d finally get his follow-up, but the world’s still waiting (and sadly, settling for Owl City instead).
45) Fugazi: The Argument (2001 on Dischord) – In all honestly, this is the least listened to of anything on this list. I still prefer their early stuff, but it’s still Fugazi. Imagine the money they could make if they went off hiatus and did the festival circuit. I mean you know, they could donate it to charity or whatever…
44) Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago (2008 on Jagjaguwar) – I’m a sucker for a really well done strummy, sensitive guy album. This might be the best one since Iron & Wine came on the scene.
43) Fruit Bats: Spelled in Bones (2005 on Sub Pop) – This record came around at the perfect time for me; it was the summer of 2005 and a few months into a great new relationship.
42) Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People (2003 on Arts & Crafts) – The band that launched Feist, Metric, Jason Collett, et al. I saw one of their first US shows at the Silverlake Lounge. I remember ordering the original pressing directly from Canada before it got released here.
41) The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely (2008 on WB/Third Man) – The appearance of this record on the list is a statement of just how hard (or rare?) it is for a band to make a straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll record these days. From top to bottom, this is just a fun record to listen to.
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