Best of the Aughts

i) This is a list of albums that were the best of the last decade
ii) This list represents my personal opinion; if you disagree, cool
iii) You might notice that there are several bands with more than one album on here, this is because, I feel, the few bands that caught onto something amazing in the 2000's, did it more than once.

1. "Merriweather Post Pavilion": Animal Collective
Let's face it, this album is incredible. Never have so many styles, sounds, ideas, and techniques been combined in such a flawless setting. 11 songs, about an hour, incredible harmonies, infectious melodies, etc. This album proved that Animal Collective are really The Beach Boys with samples and synthesizers. Oh, and the Noah Lennox is a genius.

2. "Illinois"- Sufjan Stevens
I fell in love again. This man is a genius. Proof; he made biblical references tolerable and interesting in a secular, urban genre. But then again, he is really the modern day Bob Dylan with a jazz-tinge. This album is a modern classic in every aspect. He is such a great story teller, and his dexterity in music and raw talent is evident in every note. I feel that in 20 years, this album will be held in even higher regard. "Casimir Pulaski Day" could make the devil cry tears of joy.

3. "Oh, Inverted World"- The Shins
This is such an incredible piece of pop music. In 2001, modern Indie was still a developing genre, and what they created here lit the fuse on the Indie Pop scene. Their sound was instantly influential because bands in the later 2000's cited The Shins as an influence. Very few bands have created such an impact in such a short amount of time, and this album gets me every time. Every song, to me, is a masterpiece, especially "Girl Inform Me" and "New Slang". James Mercer is the Brian Wilson of today, and in my mind a living legend.

4. "Is This It?"- The Strokes
Julian Casablancas is a freaking badass. Who would guess that the drunk lead singer parading around the stage in leather pants is the mastermind behind it all? They have such an edge that is the envy of any musician, because everyone wants to be badass. But beneath the edge, they are really very melodic and somewhat wise. The lyrics consist of sex, drugs, rock n' roll, living in the city, and being young. The modern Velvet Underground.

5. "Room For Squares"- John Mayer
You may not like John Mayer, but on his first album is where he managed to create a really solid debut that highlights his guitar skills, songwriting skills, and pop sensibility. He writes songs with really complex structures and it's really impressive from a young guy (at the time). This song is one of the first albums I ever got into, and it has always been really endeared to me because the songs are so meaningful.

6. "Ganging Up on the Sun"- Guster
Sort of a dark "Pet Sounds", this album can effectively soothe any sort of somber feeling. Which is kind of odd because of the moody nature. But the dark soundscapes are contrasted with really well crafted lyrics. It is apparent to me that this album was meticulously crafted. The melodies are just as infectious as The Shins, which has made me always associated this album as sort of a cousin or brother of "Wincing the Night Away".

7. "Wincing the Night Away"- The Shins
By 2007, the Shins were all grown up. The broken heart was a continuity, but no more happy sunshine pop (save "Australia). This definitely finds them exploring the night element of Indie, if their first two albums were morning and afternoon. This is a perfect winter album because it encourages introspection, and it's extremely comforting and satisfying to listen to "Sleeping Lessons" at night and just think about things. "Girl Sailor" is one of my favourite songs of all time.

8. "Oracular Spectacular"- MGMT
Not the Management, em gee em tee. Dear MGMT, thank you so much for introducing Indie kids to psychedelia. But wait, MGMT isn't psychedelic? Shut up. "Electric Feel" is hawt and naughty. "Time to Pretend" gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it because it reminds me how badly I want to be a successful musician, and it really lines out why musicians do what we do. "Kids" is epic, and sort of a U2 like anthem in a modern setting. The other songs on the album are perfect precursors to "Congratulations", and if you paid enough attention to that section of the album, then you got a feel for who MGMT actually are. All the songs are hinting at the rising difference between mainstream and the counterculture, and our generation has a growing awareness for the latter, which makes me feel incredibly optimistic for the next decade in music.

9. "Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant EP"- Fleet Foxes
I had to group them together. They go together flawlessly. All I have to say is wow. Talk about young talent, Robin Pecknold has got it. They turned harmonies into an instrument again, and flawlessly seamed it through an entire album. Robin's voice is really powerful, and when I saw them live, they were magnetic. You could hear everyone singing with the band, and it was just awesome. The lyrics just really click with me. "He Doesn't Know Why" and "Blue Ridge Mountains" are really really meaningful to me, and I will always identify this album with the summer I got it. I read the review of the this record in Rolling Stone, listened to the samples on itunes, and immediately drove to Best Buy and bought it. Love.

10. "A Rush of Blood to the Head"- Coldplay
Two words: "The Scientist". All you have to do is put this album on and it matches whatever you're feeling. They took what they started on their first cd and really took it to the next level. "Green Eyes" feels wicked poetic, and Chris Martin is quite skilled as a lyricist. Sure, they kind of abused this sound on "X & Y", but if you caught onto this sound and found out that worked so well, you would probably abuse it as well.

11. "Chutes Too Narrow"- The Shins
James Mercer...you. It's not quite as shimmering as their debut, and not quite at the introspection of "Wincing", but this beats a shit ton of other albums from the past 10 years. This album was always my least favourite of the three Shins' LP's, until this past summer. During that time I began to understand what the words were really about, and I started focusing less on the music which isn't quite as poppy as their debut. "Those To Come", "Kissing the Lipless", and "Gone for Good" cement James Mercer's name in the book of incredible songwriters.

12. "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"- Phoenix
Elastic comes to mind a lot when I think about their sound. Air tight is another one. Every note and every line seems mechanically placed into each other. Not mechanical in an anesthetic sense, but the songs are extremely air tight and engineered to a tee. I love that they are French, because I love hearing a third person's interpretation of the English language and the words he chooses to piece together the lyrics. Everyone loves when Thomas Mars does his little squeal, and repeats syllables over and over again, but they manage to throw together long instrumentals with lovely pop songs. Giiiiiirlfriend. And the words to "Lasso" are a big slap in the face to any mean girl ever.

13. "Future Sex/Love Sounds"- Justin Timberlake
Okay before you shake your head at me for liking Justin, remember all the times you've nodded your head to "Sexy Back". It just proves that in pop music, everyone wants to dance. So just put this shit in and dance, already! And have sex...that'd probably work for this one too...just sayin...

14. "Vampire Weekend"- Vampire Weekend
The whitest band of the last 10 years? Maybe. But they've got enough West African Soweto influences to be rightfully compared to The Police. First off, Ezra Koenig doesn't speak like WE do, he just kind of puts random words together and decides which syllables to pronounce. When I first read the lyrics to "A-Punk" I was like "there's NO way he's saying that". But besides the elliptical enunciation of the English language, this album has so much melody. The guitar never takes up too much space, Rostam does his production thing, the rhythm section is boisterous, and you can just groove to it. This was my summer 2008 album, and it was so perfect for the time, and I will always love this album for all the good times I associated it with. Love.

15. "Give Up"- The Postal Service
Whether you like Death Cab or not, this side project successfully linked electronica/techno with Indie. Like Passion Pit? You can thank The PS for making synthesizers okay to use on a regular basis in the genre. "Such Great Heights" is one of the most incredible songs of all time, and this album has done incredible things for innovation.

16. "The End of History"- Fionn Regan
Probably the one true folk albums of the last decade. There's nothing complex here, it's just him and an acoustic with some small embellishments. His lyrics deal with a sort of critique of modern society, sort of with life in the Irish countryside, sort of with the struggle of urban life, and managing to tie it all together with really heartfelt and intimate delivery.

17. "Feels"- Animal Collective
Beautiful. No one can pull off screaming in a song like they do in "Grass". This album is extremely raw when compared to MPP, yes, but the melodies are just as extravagant. Most songs either consist of a bones-y delayed guitar with grooving percussion, or really chill and mellow piano lines. The piano, by the way, was specifically tuned to sound a little too sharp because they liked the way it sounded. Unorthodox, yes, but thank God orthodox and Animal Collective don't have to be associated with each other.

18. "Parachutes"- Coldplay
"Don't Panic" has always seemed extremely odd to me that that is the first song of their first album. First off it's unique in that it's just over 2 minutes, something extremely uncommon for them. I always grow way too attached to a band's first album, but in this sense, it's perfect. Because they hadn't quite found their feet yet like they did on their second album, but they weren't too repetitive and cocky about it like on "X & Y". "Shiver" gives me shivers, and "Yellow" and "Sparks" are delicious.

19. "Person Pitch"- Panda Bear
As if it wasn't enough to have "Strawberry Jam" and "Feels" already under your belt, Noah Lennox (of Animal Collective) decided to release a dynamite solo album too. He seriously has talent coming out of every orifice. I am soooo jealous. "Ponytail" is incredible. I will never forget going to see Fleet Foxes and they had the recording of this playing and they all ran on stage, locked arms, and jumped up and down. Incredible. "When my soul starts growing..."

20. "Veckatimest"- Grizzly Bear
It took a long time for me to properly appreciate this. But once I got it, I was all over it. They take the harmony thing seriously, not in a CSNY way like Fleet Foxes, but in more Beach Boys way, but a little darker, if that makes any sense. It makes sense to me that the album is named after an island in Massachusetts, because it definitely feels like this has an ocean of reverb, and really great instrumentation.

21. "Furr"- Blitzen Trapper
This is a band that successfully breaks down the barriers of all genres in a generation where everyone is always asking, "what genre are they?". Well, to answer that, within the context of this often folk-rocky album, they are psychedelic, jam band, experimental, folk, acoustic, rock, dance-hall showtunes, soft rock, the list really goes on. But what really matters is not their skill of transcending, but their overall skill. Eric Early is just as much Bob Dylan on "Furr" as he is Johnny Cash in "Black River Killer", both songs that will be remembered as some of the decades best, along with this album, in the years to come.

22. "For Emma, Forever Ago"- Bon Iver
"This wasn't planned...the goal was to hibernate". Well, you took your skinny love out to the boonies and you effectively composed a 9 song slap in the face. I hope whoever "Emma" is feels really great about herself, because whatever she did to Justin Vernon, he got her back. Oh and by the way, it's pronounced "bohn ee-vair". But if you want to keep saying "bawn eye-ver" and sounding stupid, that's okay too. ; )

23. "Smile"- Brian Wilson
All I have to say is that this album took 37 years. Incredible. Are you Brian Wilson? Oh what's that? You're not? Oh okay.

24. "Our Endless Numbered Days"- Iron & Wine
The other great folk album of the decade. This album is so summery that it feels wrong to listen to it anywhere but on the back porch at sundown in a lawn chair. Or in a field of grass at dawn. Love.

25. "Myths of the Near Future"- Klaxons
Indie/Rave/Dance/Punk. Sort of a Justin Timberlake meets Franz Ferdinand at a rave. And of course, what the hell is a golden skan? Who cares. It's an incredible title for a song

"Battle Studies"- John Mayer

8.3


I like to treat a John Mayer album like a good thesis paper. A strong, comprehensive thesis, a nice intro and contentions, which are the songs. In Mayer's case, most contentions are strong, a couple weak ones, and a foggy conclusion that usually leaves the reader (listener) asking for more or wondering why. Take this approach to Mayer's albums, and perhaps it'll make a little bit more sense. Now, I am no harsh critic of him, but I do like to overanalyze him because it seems like no one else does. For instance, "Continuum", his last effort, had a weak ending song; whereas "Heavier Things" had a couple weak contentions. Don't get me started on how impressive his first LP was. With this in mind, "Battle Studies" is another 2009 heartbreak album. At first describing breaking up as warfare, noting the second guessing (see "Break Up" by Pete Yorn), and the desire for moving on and closure.

"Heartbreak Warfare" is a U2-esque love-meets-anthem song. It seems to continue the same atmosphere as "Continuum" but with more narration like his first. At first, this album may be dull and unimpressive (save "Half of My Heart), but this album took a few listens to get into. The lead single, "Who Says" is a cheap knock off of himself on "Stop this Train", and is overall unimpressive. "Half of My Heart" is the diary of a conflicted lover. It has the maturity that this album is demonstrating, but with the naive attitude or delivery of "Room for Squares". Taylor Swift makes a publicity appearance singing back up. I can indentify with this song so well because it describes nearly word for word how I felt about my previous relationship. "Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you that half of my heart won't due" shows that part of him has an idea of right and round. But "half of my heart is the part of a man who's never truly loved anything" suggests that despite love, success, and relationships, that Mayer has remained a self-sufficient, independent young man. This idea is continued on "Perfectly Lonely", perhaps in a more jovial way.

Those who are waiting for the "Your Body is a Wonderland" love songs of the past, will be disapointed to know that there is nothing even close. "Battle Studies" finds Mayer questioning love, enjoying the single life, overall longing for something more, but still a little resiliant and stubborn despite being wisened. The tone of "All We Ever Do is Say Goodbye" shows a small amount of remorse, but generally women and girlfriends in particular are not held in high regard. "Assassin" is a dark, well-produced song about malicious plans to break someone's heart. "Do You Know Me" is incredibly dark and melodic. The guitar work on that track is really impressive. It also highlights the other half of his heart that was sure that love couldn't work at all. "Friends, Lovers, or Nothing" is exactly the ending I was hoping he would grow out of. It leaves the listener with no closure, perhaps like Mayer in the relationships described herein.

"Crossroads" is barely forgivable. "Assassin" is interesting; par, I would say. It does point out something interesting though: falling for someone without completely giving yourself, only to fall and realize that the other person was doing the exact same thing. "War of my Life" is the perfectly reserved, quaint song that this album needed. It adds a little air to the heavy subject matter. "If fear hasn't killed me yet, than nothing will". Lyrically, this album may be his strongest, most comprehensive, and pathos jerking yet. He seems to know exactly what to say, and his narrations of the broken heart are strikingly spot on.

Mayer has always been growing. "Room for Squares" may have seemed impossible to grow from, but he did. He's constantly grown deeper and smart and wiser. His music gets more tricky and more hook-filled. And overall, he gets more and more impressive. Although this album takes awhile to love, you will love it. I don't mean to say that this album is flawless, but it is impressive. As good as he is at describing heart break, whether "Friends, Lovers, or Nothing" demonstrates any closure on John's part, with "there I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me", you be the judge.

Key tracks: "Half of My Heart", "Do You Know Me"

"Phrazes for the Young"- Julian Casablancas

9.3


The album cover catches an 19th century Julian relaxing in a nice arm chair in a nice studio. Pay attention to the colour in the background. However grimaced Julian may act, the colour in the background suggests the colourful, melodic core that is sometimes hiding in the Strokes' songs, but no longer does so on his first solo LP.

"Somewhere along the way that pleasure turned to madness/somewhere along the way that madness turned to pain". Although the drums on this record are synthetic, the soul comes off in his voice, and instrumentation. I feel like Julian, on this record, took off his leather jacket and traded it for a corderoy one. The choruses on this record are some of the best in years. It is virtually impossible to not sing along to the infectuous melodies in "Out of the Blue", "11th Dimension" and "Left and Right in the Dark". Because there are only 8 songs, Julian sort of gets in and gets out, which doesn't suggest that the record doesn't satisfy; because it certainly does. Definitely not the feeling you would expect from an 8 song LP.

When I first heard of this album, I was afraid it would be too similar to a Strokes record, but not good enough. It turns out, "Phrazes for the Young" is actually better than the last two albums from the Strokes, in my opinion. Casablancas has definitely taken time to grow up, sit back, and observe the world he's created for himself. "Watching the urban decay, all around us, oh boy", suggests that he's drawing from more mature, stable inspirations on "Phrazes". Most of the songs, like I said, boast racing choruses that force the listener to sing along. The verses, are a little bit more introverted, but the lyrics definitely show off some of his wisdom. "Left and Right in the Dark" has a sort of industrial slide to it; very airtight. "11th Dimension" takes the record to a little bit more fantasy-like place; "I live on the frozen surface of a fire ball". Interesting. The chorus, however, "forgive them/even if they are not sorry" continues the maturity of the record so far. But when I say maturity, I don't mean that Casablancas has lost his bad ass, and silly sides. Rather, I think he's found a happy medium between experience and naivity.

After the first three tracks, the record cools off a little bit. "4 Chords of the Apocalypse" is softer, and even gospel-esque (?!). The Rhodes organ gives it a nice stammer, and the chorus allows him to stretch his vocal chords once more. "Ludlow Street" proves that the world has changed, and Julian has grown up and even changed with it. The song, a description of one of his favourite streets in New York that has since gone through drastic changes. New York is definitely changing. This song allows Julian to really open up, and reveals insight to his past; "Everything seems to go wrong when I start drinking", alluding to his childhood drinking problem. "River of Brakelights" is the only dud on this album, surprisingly, but does not hinder the album altogether in any way. "Glass" starts with a ghostly whistling that sort of makes you feel like you're in a dark alley. I hate to dote on the same thing, but "Glass" has another incredible chorus. I really cannot believe how impressive the melodies are on this album. If the first three tracks are sing along-type choruses, then "Glass" is the epic, deep, anthemic chorus, that really represents the height of the album.

"Tourist" is a dark, world-esque closer of an album. And, for the last time, a great chorus hook. The beat in this song is very percussive and swaying, complimented by sentiments of a traveler. "Feel like a tourist in the big city", possibly suggesting that Julian has no real home. Who knows. Perhaps not everything on this album is meant to be analyzed like this, which is why I try not to over-analyze it. For me, this album could be the highlight of his career, both lyrically, and melodically. I feel like he has created something greater than just a solo record, and these songs deserve to be listened to in their own right, which I have done many many times, and I'd encourage you to do so as well. And after one chorus, I know you'll be hooked.

Key Tracks: "Glass", "Out of the Blue"