Beirut
The Flying Club Cup
[Ba Da Bing!/4AD; 2007]
Zach Condon's window into another time, The Flying Club Cup is a triumph for the young artist. Although Condon has stated that each song is intended to evoke a different city in France, visions of Italy and 1900's Brooklyn come to mind. There are times where the horns and drums evoke the sound of the festa featured in The Godfather Part II. Is it possible to feel nostalgia for a time we never lived in? This album proves "yes".
49
Bran Van 3000
Discosis
[Virgin/Grand Royal; 2001]
90's one hit wonders Bran Van 3000 follow up their excellent debut with this worthy adversary. Discosis bounces from disco (with one of the last recordings of the late Curtis Mayfield) to indie pop, to hip-hop, to acoustic folk, to power rock, etc. A music collective from Canada before music collectives from Canada were cool, Bran Van 3000 are one of the greatest could-have-beens of this decade. Their label (Grand Royal) folded shortly after the record's release, sealing its fate for potential American success. Although Glee is their penultimate album, Discosis is their last gasp before years of silence and one mediocre follow up.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Fever To Tell
[Interscope/Fiction; 2003]
Often destructive, always entertaining, Fever To Tell was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' jumpoff. It would have been easy for them to keep delivering this freakout street punk on all of their subsequent records but luckily they chose not to and made this one unique to their catalogue. The fact that their pleasantly vulnerable single, "Maps" is nestled nicely into it's third quarter seems like a much unneeded ace in hole (not that anyone's complaining).This record is a raucous kick to the teeth that for some reason leaves you begging for more.
47Tilly And The Wall
Wild Like Children
[Team Love; 2003]
A friend of mine put "Fell Down The Stairs", "Shake It Out", and "I Always Knew" on a mix CD she made for me in high school and I was immediately hooked. On this delightful debut, Tilly And The Wall pound the shit our of their floors while singing some of the best pop hooks around. The sweetness of Neelly Jenkens's voice next to Derek Pressnall's a feminine lisp is a cute combo, drawing out well crafted harmonies over acoustic guitars, lo-fi keyboards, and tap danced percussion.This is midwestern pop folk at its best.
The Ting Tings
We Started Nothing
[Columbia/Red Ink; 2008]
British duo The Ting Tings were a little engine that finally did. After several years of individually standing on the cusp of fame, Katie White and Jules De Martino teamed up - brought together by a mutual love for Portishead. The result: We Started Nothing, a record that delivers fresh and funky pop rock gems. Each track jumps out, slams a hook in your head and tosses you hopelessly onto the dancefloor. The album plays more like a greatest hits compilation than a debut.
DJ Shadow
The Private Press
[MCA; 2002]
A sort of sequel to the landmark Endtroducing..., The Private Press captures much of the atmosphere of its predecessor with a couple of new surprises. While most sequels repeat the formula with less success, this record is more akin to The Gofather Part II (sorry, am I referencing that too much in this countdown?). A few of the new items include a balls-out hip hop crusher, ("Walkie Talkie"), a warbly reggae smoker ("Six Days") and an uplifting epic that is bordeline religious experience ("Blood On The Motorway"). If it was a movie, I'd try to catch it on the big screen.
The Chemical Brothers
Come With Us
[Freestyle Dust/Astralwerks; 2002]
With the 90's electronica buzz way over by this time, Come With Us was not the most well received record considering The Chemical Brothers were arguably the leaders of said movement. This didn't stop the album from being one of their best. A high energy blowout, Come With Us pounds in with acid washed synths and samples. Probably their tightest record, Come With Us manages to skimp on the excess of Surrender and goes right for your throat (or dancing shoes).
43
The White Stripes
White Blood Cells
[Sympathy For The Record Industry; 2001]
Although they already had two albums under their belt, White Blood Cells is where most of the world first heard The White Stripes. Wrongly pegged as part of a so-called garage rock fad, The White Stripes would prove to be one of the most important acts of the decade, bringing back the DIY mentality to the masses. From the first buzz of feedback on "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground", the listener knew they were are in on something special. Soulful, punky, folky, and bluesy, White Blood Cells is a force to be reckoned with.
Bloc Party
A Weekend In The City
[Wichita; 2007]
With such a high quality debut, it was unlikely Bloc Party could top it. With A Weekend In The City, not only did they, but they also made a surprisingly moving record. Kele Okereke's lyrical shift makes this album into a reverse Modern Life Is Rubbish, examining the cruelty and hypocrisy of modern British culture. Not only that, but a producer switch in Jacknife Lee gives the album a clear sound with added nuances such as strings and electronics, giving the record a weight Silent Alarm lacked. The songwriting is consistently top notch here as well.
Beck
Sea Change
[DGC; 2002]
With nearly three years having passed since his Prince-fest Midnite Vultures, it seemed that there was nothing Beck could surprise us with anymore. Looking back, Sea Change's somber tone and lush production shouldn't haven been that shocking considering producer Nigel Godrich had previously conjured up some of Beck's most delicate moments on Mutations...but they were never this heart wrenching! While Beck's output for the rest of the decade would always be a decent listen, Sea Change is the last album he released that can be truly considered great.
40Cat Power
The Greatest
[Matador; 2006]
The redemption of Chan Marshall. Teaming up with a new group of Memphis based session musicians (of most particular note, Teenie Hodges, cowriter of "Take Me To The River"), The Greatest was a surprise new beginning for Cat Power (although she has yet to follow it up with another full originals album). Heavily tinged with Memphis soul and country, the album has a comforting twang to it that soothes and elevates.
Stars
Set Yourself On Fire
[Arts & Crafts; 2004]
Stars' breakthrough record is a tour de force of unapologetic melodrama. Each song tells a tale of tortured love stories jumping from ecstatic highs to desperate lows. The songs are sweet late night confessionals, avoiding the whine of emo and going for well crafted indie pop songs with an edge. While each song manages to carry out tight rhythms over heavily produced guitars, they manage to incorporate lush strings and horns without overcrowding. Stars prove here that they are Broken Social Scene's most talented offshoot.
The Flaming Lips
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
[Warner Bros.; 2002]
Defying all logic, The Flaming Lips entered the 2000's with their most successful work, nearly a decade after the band were pegged as one hit wonders. Of course the band that made Transmissions From The Satellite Heart is galaxies away from this one. Continuing the new route they had taken when reduced to a trio in 97, the Lips deliver a spacey, trippy, and oddly catchy album. Solidified as a big selling live act on its subsequent tour, Yoshimi is the album that officially made The Flaming Lips (finally).
Modest Mouse
Good News For People Who Love Bad News
[Epic; 2004]
Who would have thought Modest Mouse would ever go platinum? When listening to Good News it's hard to believe it took as long as it did. The squalling guitars bashing against mellotrons and banjo seems a logical step for the group. Producer Dennis Herring gives the band a broader scope without costing the band any of their trademarks. The result is a record so good that amazing songs will breeze by you because you're still reeling from the song before.
36Queens Of The Stone Age
Rated R
[Interscope; 2000]
Quite possibly the best sex, drugs, and rock & roll helping of the decade, R is a manic lost weekend of an album. Starting out with a cocktail of "nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy, and alcohol", this record gets you high as a jet plane and spits you out on the bathroom floor. If you think you've lost your headache by the end, don't worry, those horns will put you back in your place.
PJ Harvey
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
[Island; 2000]
"Pop" records were never Polly Jean Harvey's style. It still isn't but this album is as close as it gets. Having been making records with Flood for years, Harvey got old bandmate Rob Ellis and Bad Seed Mick Harvey to produce this one along with herself. The result is her most straightforward work, lyrically setting the scene in New York City amongst a cast of hustlers and whores. The album rocks just as much as it lilts, giving both a startling and beautiful urban feel to it...and a little help from Thom Yorke here and there doesn't hurt.
The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina/The Machines Of God
[Virgin; 2000]
Quite possibly the most misunderstood and mistreated record of the decade by far. Although the 00's would be rife with mistakes and missteps by the once invincible Billy Corgan, Machina was not one of them despite what most reviewers at the time would have told you. Reunited with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the Pumpkins give one more full blooded hurrah before their breakup in December of 2000. All of the songs ache of longing for something that is slipping away. Flood's production work furthermore washes over the sound with a shoegaze wall that fizzes and bubbles as if what you're hearing is burning up in a blaze of glory. I implore you to give this record an openhearted relisten.
Regina Spektor
Soviet Kitsch
[Sire; 2004]
Had I heard of Regina Spektor a year or so after this album came out, I probably would have written her off as part of this new wave of quirky female pop artists whose cuteness outweighs their talent. Quirky sure, but Soviet Kitsch is nowhere near the pop record her commercial breakthough Begin To Hope turned out to be. Opening oddly with the bleak "Ode To Divorce", Spektor manages to surprise the listener at every turn with her strange and strangely funny stories about suicide, cancer, and fistfights. If she were never to make another record like this it would be a crying shame.
32Jay-Z
The Black Album
[Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam; 2003]
Marketed as his retirement from solo hip hop recording, The Black Album would have been a fond farewell as it showcased some of Jay-Z's best work. Jay enters the arena to a hero's welcome on "Decemeber 4th" and leaves unmistakably victorious on the curiously titled "My 1st Song". Maybe it was the tremendous crossover success of "99 Problems", or perhaps that this record became his crowning as the king of hip hop. Which ever reason, Jay-Z would thankfully not be out of the music biz for long.
31Bright Eyes
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
[Saddle Creek; 2005]
Somehow this guy finally got to me. For years I had shunned Conor Oberst's quivering voice and world weary lyrics. What a fool I proved to be when I sat down and listened to I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. Filled with social commentary and the pains of addiction and loss, this isn't all doom and gloom. "The First Day Of My Life" for one stands as one of the most romantic ballads of the 00's. This isn't to say that the desperation and love lost of "Poison Oak" and "Landlocked Blues" isn't what I wait for when I press play, but, well you get the point.
Ben Folds
Rockin' The Suburbs
[Epic; 2001]
Dare I say a powerpop masterpiece? As great as his former bandmates are, Ben Folds proves here that he could manage drums, bass, and three part harmonies quite well on his own. On his first proper solo album, the piano master unloads twelve solid tracks, chronicling both personal accomplishments as well as observational tales about loneliness, the music industry, and the affect of drugs on religion. Along the way a half dozen or so girls of his past are profiled set to snappy tunes played by one of the most talented one man bands in (piano) rock.
29Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
[XL; 2008]
Over hyped? I guess, but what happens when the band lives up to the buzz? Well, I guess that's when you get Vampire Weekend, a fun, upbeat college rock record for the next generation. The songs on this record have an eerie familiarity to them, almost as if they've been sitting in your CD player (or computer) your whole life waiting for you to hit play. Most reviews of this album will talk about its African grooves which is certainly it's driving force, but while Paul Simon's Graceland seems almost exploitative, Vampire Weekend has a fresh new flavor all to its own.
Radiohead
Amnesiac
[Parlophone/Capitol; 2001]
Always quick to take the doubt over the benefit, many critics would have liked to have pegged this as a Kid A outtakes record rather than the intended followup Radiohead had planned all along. Impossible to believe after about twenty seconds. Rather than being a connect the dots with its twin brother, Amnesiac manages to surprise from song to song, introducing new ideas and styles while still adhering to a sound that is clearly from the same petri dish - and for an album as intriguing as Kid A, its only natural to want to continue the voyage.
Coldplay
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
[Parlophone; 2008]
Oh wait, we're not supposed to like this record. To that I say "bullshit!". Those who disagree can take it up with Brian Eno. The glam rock/ambient pioneer gave Coldplay the missing link they needed for their grand scale powerballadism. While their previous records seemed not to challenge the listener enough, Viva La Vida smartens up the arrangements and production without having to be difficult. Their best work by far and a great accomplishment for Eno, who manages to continuously prove that he's still got it.
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
[Arts & Crafts; 2005]
Carrying all the fun and whimsicalness of You Forgot It In People, while still being able to loosen up and experiment, Broken Social Scene is an explosion of sound; a beautiful mess. With an arsenal of players (their largest lineup on record yet), the band plinks and pows through a furious set of great songs. Although choosing the mellow daydream version of "Major Label Debut" over its anthemic counterpart, the album still manages to raise even the most downtrodden frowner's spirits up.
M.I.A.
Kala
[XL; 2007]
Where war torn revolution meets the club - Kala acts as both a political statement as well as a cry out for the liberation of music in general (somehow more so then the already adventurous Arular). Refugees banging on the sides of boats, Bollywood film scores, bamboo sticks being pounded on cans - these are just some of the inspirations for the sounds of this record. Switch's dirty house style gives the sound a rough and tumble edge for a style of music more known for squeaky clean production, while Diplo helps construct the ear popping clicks and beats. Overall, it's a landmark record by a brave new artist.
Passion Pit
Manners
[Columbia/Frenchkiss; 2009]
An album that just feels good from start to finish. Passion Pit mastermind Michael Angelakos, takes his project to new heights on their first full length LP, recruiting a full band and delivering a record that sounds like the Jackson 5 and Erasure pushed through your Sega Genesis. What makes the album great lies all in the songwriting, but the production is so fresh and in your face you feel as if the drummer just socked you in the head with a bag of stuffed animals and knocked you right into your best friend's backyard pool. Always energized and fun, Manners is like the audio equivalent of a Red Bull.
The Killers
Hot Fuss
[Island; 2004]
There was a time where would proudly proclaim that The Killers are the best pop/rock group of the past ten years. As the decade has progressed, this has proven to not be the case (although for all its bombast, Sam's Town is still a good album). While Hot Fuss's first single "Somebody Told Me" was a bit cheeky, the rest of the album turned out to be a great pairing of stadium rock and post punk synths, crossbreeding New Order with Cheap Trick. Caught somewhere between mainstream and indie rock, The Killers' debut lived up to its title.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
[Constellation/Kranky; 2000]
Epic is a bit of an understatement at this point when describing this album. Four twenty minute tracks speak for themselves. Godspeed's "breakthrough" so to speak, is an adventure through space and time. The pieces usually begin slowly and quietly, building and building until it reaches an unthinkable climax. A perfect soundtrack for an indefinite outdoor walk at night (I know from experience). Lift Yr Skinny Fists is a symphony for the new age.
21
The Strokes
Is This It
[RCA; 2001]
The decade's first real buzz band, The Strokes dropped out of nowhere and gave us a record we couldn't get away from if we tried. The New York City quintet were a cool cast of characters we were more than willing to bestow the honor of New Rolling Stones. Did they live up to it? Of course not (in some respects this is a good thing). Say what you will about their initial hype, the record behind it was nothing to sneeze at. Unknowingly leading an entourage of new "garage-y" bands of varying quality and making "The" names cool again, The Strokes changed the landscape of indie music (now a genre as opposed to a status) whether we liked it or not.
Sufjan Stevens
Illinois
[Asthmatic Kitty; 2005]
The second (and possibly final?) installment in Sufjan Stevens' impossibly ambitious fifty states project - Illinois is Stevens' best work to date (not including his Songs For Christmas box set). Punchier and better written than Michigan, Illinoise goes beyond the call of indie folk and branches off into symphonic pop. Lyrically the album tackles everything one can think of about the state just shy of the Chicago Bulls (I haven't listened to The Avalanche yet, so an ode to Michael Jordan might be on there somewhere).
Gorillaz
Demon Days
[Parlophone/Virgin; 2005]
Who would have thought Damon Albarn would actually followup Gorillaz at all, let alone with a better record with a new producer? Certainly not me, who picked up the Danger Mouse produced Demon Days the day it came out and was expectantly disappointed. One of the weirdest turnarounds ever took place over the course of a few listens when I suddenly found myself enjoying it more and more with every spin. Featuring cameos from De La Soul, MF DOOM, and Bootie Brown, Demon Days was a diverse helping of some of hip-hop's finest with some great and unexpected performances by Shaun Ryder and Dennis Hopper to boot.
Radiohead
In Rainbows
[self released/ATO; 2007]
Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first album given away online by a popular band (The Smashing Pumpkins self-released Machina II/The Friends And Enemies Of Modern Music for free back in 2000). That being said, it's important to realize that this would be a fantastic record if Radiohead decided to sell it in stores for an unusually high list price on their own Fuck Our Fans record label. At times abrasive, at others warm and comforting - always moving. Their most organic record in a decade, the album showcases ten unconventional tracks that don't make your work for their understanding.
The Dandy Warhols
Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
[Capitol; 2000]
A non-stop thrill ride of hooks, Thirteen Tales might be The Dandy Warhols only really focused record - their others usually having great songs but little to no cohesion. Here is not only their best batch of tunes, but a terrific sequence (albeit unconventional). Starting with three 5 minute plus songs that build tension as opposed to killing momentum, the album then saves it's one-two punch for the second quarter and teasing out big hit "Bohemian Like You" for the last portion. A no holds barred, sexy, pill popping fun album.
Sleater-Kinney
The Woods
[Sub Pop; 2005]
What Sleater-Kinney's stellar career was leading up to...and then they broke up! On The Woods, the power trio teamed up with Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridman and made a balls out, hard rock, fuzz fest. Nearly every track is filled to the brim with pulverizing guitars, battle cry vocals, and destructively harsh drum work. Even at the album's most tender moments ("Modern Girl"), the band sounds like a pot ready to boil over. The group's best album...(sigh) at least they left on a high note.
Aimee Mann
Bachelor No. 2
[SuperEgo; 2000]
Before Jon Brion was making film scores and co-producing Late Registration, he was Aimee Mann's right hand man, and he is one of the many hands that helped shape out her monumental liberation from major labels. Unable to market her work commercially for years, Mann got some help popularity wise when she contributed nine songs to the PT Anderson film Magnolia. Six months after the soundtrack's release, she put out this gem on her own SuperEgo imprint. An absolute triumph for the singer/songwriter, Bachelor No. 2 is heartbreaking work from a painfully underrated artist.
Modest Mouse
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
[Epic; 2007]
With a new and improved six piece lineup (boasting ex-Smiths guitarist/songwriter Johnny Marr), Modest Mouse delivered yet another great record. Keeping the same enthusiasm from Good News, the band now had the added nuances in a second percussionist with the return of Jeremiah Green, Marr's jangly guitar hooks, and just-about-anything else imaginable from multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso. A perfect soundtrack for your summer vacation, which is a surprise change of pace for the usually icy band.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
[self released; 2005]
The power of word-of-mouth paired with a set of great songs speak volumes. CYHSY are a band that had labels begging for their signatures. Just about anyone would have given in. Instead they played it smart and put out their debut themselves, reaping in all the profits. With Alec Ounsworth's flailing voice set to punchy rhythms and outlandish melodies, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was a refreshing album. One can only hope they will return from their hiatus victorious again in the next decade.
The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls
[8 Ft. Records; 2003]
A breathtaking debut, The Dresden Dolls is an album that whisks you way into a dark castle. From there, you shall witness twisted bleakness mixed with odd happy-go-lucky cabaret acts. Before Amanda Palmer became the new Madonna for misunderstood teen girls, her approach to songwriting was much more adult (although the playfully self deprecating, "Coin-Operated Boy" featured here is what started it all). Aside from the small detour, this album is a soul searching pit of despair (with a sense of humor), bashed out in great piano rock aesthetics and harmonies...oh, and did I mention that Brian Viglione is one of the greatest drummers ever? That's right ever.
The White Stripes
Elephant
[V2/Third Man; 2003]
While many of their contemporaries' popularity was waning, The White Stripes were just getting started, delivering the record of their career. Adding some baritone guitar work to the mix, Elephant is the fullest sounding White Stripes record to date, backed up with enough gritty rock & roll to put John Lithgow's character in The Buddy Holly Story in his grave. Probably Jack White's best batch of lyrics as well, from his desperate pleas to be "the boy to win your mother's heart" to his witch doctor rants in "Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine". In addition, White's customary liner notes essay (this one about the "death of the sweetheart") is one of his best poems.
John Frusciante
Shadows Collide With People
[Warner Bros.; 2004]
There is a famous F. Scott Fitzgerald quote - "There are no second acts in American lives". John Frusciante defies the adage with his second wind in the 2000's, following years of drug abuse and difficult avant folk albums. On Shadows Collide With People, Frusciante takes a stab at making a more accessible record than his usual diversions from Red Hot Chili Peppers. While his most mainstream solo outing, the album twists and contorts with unconventional uses of electronics, analog keyboards, and strange vocal effects. Scarcely comparable to RHCP, Frusciante not only outdoes his band, but offers a record that expertly jumps back and forth from unrestricted AOR and experimental ambient.
Modest Mouse
The Moon & Antarctica
[Epic; 2000]
Isaac Brock, apparently unhappy with the way The Moon & Antarctica sounded, oversaw a remix and reissue of the record in 2004 with a few extra BBC bonus tracks. Probably the most pointless reissue of all time, as the differences ares so minute. In addition to all else, if there is a version that is even slightly better than the other, it's the original. Whereas The Lonesome Crowded West was predominantly lo-fi, producer Brian Deck keeps the power trio sound while adding rich sonic textures. The bridge between their abrasive early work and their more accessible later period, M&A is the ultimate Modest Mouse LP.
Jay-Z
The Blueprint
[Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam; 2001]
Revolutionizing hip-hop and pop music for the decade, Jay-Z ushered in a new era with The Blueprint. Some of the most biting quips in rap spew from Jay-Z's tongue with brilliant precision, maintaining the cool character that takes out opposing MC's without hesitation. Production wise, it remains the cauldron for some of the hottest beats and samples as for as 00's hip-hop is concerned thanks to soon to be legends like Just Blaze, Timbaland and Kanye West. The album that made "fo-shizzle" a household word, The Blueprint is a pop culture powerhouse.
Sigur Rós
Ágætis Byrjun
[Fat Cat/Smekklesya; 2000]
The quintessential post-rock album - Ágætis Byrjun sounds as if it was made on another planet, or the moon, or maybe just in heaven. It's surprising when one considers the mass appeal of an album in where most audiences don't understand the lyrics. This fact is the sheer proof of the power of the music itself. The Sigur Ros sound is one of the most unique concoctions in music. Glistening bowed guitars glossing over hazy bass and loose drums, cooked up with a symphonic glow. Each spin reveals a new layer of joy and/or pain, a testament to its emotional power.
Arcade Fire
Funeral
[Merge/Rough Trade]
Judging from the brilliant packaging of the album (complete with a wake pamphlet), you can tell Arcade Fire knew their debut album was going to be hot shit. With the arrival of Funeral, we were delivered the band of the decade. Not only masterfully written, but the arrangement of these songs managed to pull at every heart string and emotion they could muster. While some great albums we marvel at for seeming so simple, Funeral is the type of record where the intrigue comes from what sounds like a lot of hard work paying off.
Radiohead
Kid A
[Parlophone/Capitol; 2000]
It's a very remote occurrence when a band continually can make masterpiece after masterpiece. On Kid A, the technological advances made on OK Computer come into full fruition to the extent where one would be hard pressed to even call it a rock record. A startling album from start to finish, from it's embryonic opener, "Everything In It's Right Place", to the free jazz explosions of "The National Anthem", to the peaceful funeral pyre of "Motion Picture Soundtrack", this is an album that turned any preconceived notion of how an album could sound, completely on its head.
The Avalanches
Since I Left You
[Modular Recordings; 2000]
This album is still a mystery to me. How is it possible to have this many samples on an album and not sound like a mess? Australia's The Avalanches took the test and passed with flying colors. The most vivid and entertaining journey through sound takes place over the course of this impossibly amazing record. To categorize what genre this would fall into is a task I dare not attempt, being that it is in constant shift, drifting from dance craze ("Live At Dominoes"), to lounge ("Tonight") to turntablist orchestral film flipout ("Frontier Psychiatrist") . Repeated listens are recommended for maximum enjoyment.
Arcade Fire
Neon Bible
[Merge; 2007]
A tremendous followup, Neon Bible takes the hopeless beauty of Funeral and channels it into positive energy. Each song sounds like a rally against hate - battle hymns for the fragile army. Win Butler's trademark yelp fights through echo chambers of cascading pianos, straining orchestration, and soul cleansing pipe organs. The religious imagery of the album seems to hold true with the music which feels like a baptism through sound. Some may prefer their debut, but Neon Bible is the group (and music in general) at sheer perfection.
Broken Social Scene
You Forgot It In People
[Arts & Crafts; 2002]
A surprise new approach after the ambient Feel Good Lost, BSS piled on the members and decided to make a more pop oriented record. Of course pop by their terms doesn't make for the most conventional song cycle - and the result is one of the most innovative records one could imagine. You Forgot It In People soars with positivity, each song one upping its predecessor with beautiful tones and melodies. The wide array of influences manage to mesh together in each song, creating a touching pop rock supernova.
1Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
[Nonesuch; 2002]
An album that was born a legend. Documented in the film, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, we see a band that is trying to come up with something new and innovative, and doing it with such cocksure execution. You don't see Jeff Tweedy asking anyone, "how do we make this song interesting?" They all know exactly what they're doing. On this record Wilco are unstoppable. Secret weapon Jay Bennett decks out each song with a plethora of guitars, keyboards, percussion and whatever else geniuses play, complimented by auxiliary sideman Leroy Bach. New drummer Glent Kotche goes beyond the utilitarianism of the trap kit while Jeff Tweedy pushes himself vocally and lyrically. YHF is a powerful and not quickly understood record (hence their drop from Reprise upon submitting it). The payoff though is life affirming.
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