Albums of the Noughties

Sexta-feira 19 Mar 2010, 7h:10

This is a strange one for me, because I only really began listening to music as an enthusiast around 2002/3 and it’s only around 2004/5 that I really understood the values of a good album. So the early releases in my list were most likely heard recently or later on, when I missed the hype. Then there are the albums that I heard when they came out, and I still love them, and will defend them with a passion. For me, the start of the noughties are scarred by chart music, or random film soundtracks that had no merit or meaning back then nor now. I was young… *makes excuses*

There are one or two records, which my standpoint on has been swayed by friends, boardies or media outlets (actually which have reaffirmed my belief in the albums), but on the whole, most are true to my heart and personal experiences. Though there are some that I just had to leave out, despite what my innocent babby ears loved at the time. I won’t name them. I just won’t. Ok, I will… Avril Lavigne, Craig David, Limp Bizkit… etc.

*Laughs forever and ever*

Ok, I kind of lose the will to order and classify at times, so it’s all pretty well equally favoured. I have left some albums out, which I still like. But they just don’t need to be there cos of predictable, or because they already have an album in there, or that it would be shameful to leave out an album by them.

The teenies will be another weird one because I have my doubts over how much importance the ‘LP album’ will have by the end of the decade. That’s too far away to think about.

The end of the ‘LP’ is bound to happen soon because I can’t stop pressing shuffle on my iPod. I can’t decide what to listen to anymore as there’s so much out there – different styles all cross-breeding with each other, and trouser-pressed into one album.

Here’s the messiness:

1. Liars – Drums Not Dead
Mute
2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvTkTT_Ht80

I love the crazymysterious energies in this record. I love the droning guitars, the heavy textures, the eerie atmosphere, that awesome effect in Drum and the Uncomfortable Can, and Angus Andrew’s oddball vocals. It just works perfectly as an album as each song bleeds into the next. Feels complete and always surprises me. I was a year late when I came round to hearing it, sitting in my dorm room, blasting it through the walls in hope that my mates would hear it and be intrigued. Now and again, I’m always tapping the formidably compelling introductory drum beats with my fingers.

2. Radiohead – Kid A
Parlophone
2000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx01eOzBmR4

I love this one. I’m always finding something new in it. From Everything in its Right Place to Kid A, to Idioteque – I love this experimental and evolved side of Radiohead, and it doesn’t feel too self-indulgent. The pace is perfect, and still feels modern after 10 years. My first listening was on Christmas Day 2002 on my tiny blue stereo system. But I remember hearing Optimistic on Napster, and liking it a lot.

3. Wilco – Yankee Foxtrot Hotel
Nonesuch
2002

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJbLvQkCwRc

This is a step-up from Summerteeth, which was a tough task. I’m still blown away by the song, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, with it’s bitterly honest lyrics hanging over unrefined and dreamlike electrostatic undertones. The album is a great listen and they make it seem so effortless and enchanting.

4. Portishead – Third
Island
2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKVBtEuPSwc

I knew very little about Portishead a few years ago, so I decided to research their first two albums before I heard this one, and I loved both. So I suppose, hearing this was like listening to Dummy for the first time… blew me away. I heard The Rip on the radio and I became obsessed in wanting to hear that song again. The rest of the album is great too. I keep coming back to it and hearing it in different surroundings so it undeniably has that broad, lasting appeal.

5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Domino
2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE

This was the soundtrack of 2009 for me. Maybe it’s too early to put at #5, but it’s just so good! Another one of those albums that reaches over all sorts of listening environments and scenes. It’s set the standard for future electronica records.

6. Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans
Asthmatic Kitty
2004

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YZ5xGCGY90

This one is a personal favourite. It’s Sufjan’s most intimate and stripped-down from all the brass solos and string arrangements. I could probably recite all the lyrics from start to finish – which shows how much I’ve listened to it. But I never get tired of it. It’s soothing.

7. Arcade Fire – Funeral
Merge
2004

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEKC5pyOKFU

I was a bit slow to join the Funeral bandwagon, but once I heard it, it was hard not to like it. But I still think it has lasting appeal. Songs like Wake Up and Haiti are pretty great. Even greater live.

8. The Shins – Oh, Inverted World
Sub Pop
2001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNoIyyUBwN4

I can’t quite hold in my excitement enough when I hear The Shins. They were the soundtrack to my life at university, so the first two albums just bring memories of happiness and fun.

9. Sigur Ros – ( )
Fat Cat
2002

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSaQ0240ILE

I think this record is utterly gorgeous if you’re going on a trip into outerspace. I think hearing them play at Glastonbury in the rain was a big factor for me in liking this record, but I didn’t come to realise how good this album was until later on when I heard Untitled 4 being played as entrance music at a wedding.

10. Panda Bear – Person Pitch
Paw Tracks
2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25_gjUbvqNg

Sweet blissful tracks. I fell in love with Bros when I first heard it and the whole album is a great listen. Beautiful and wistful harmonies, and Panda Bear’s vocals always fits the balance.

11. The Microphones – The Glow pt.2
K
2001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXpxzhKOboo

12. !!! – Louden Up Now
Touch and Go
2004

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDWlAxF4W_A

13. Sufjan Stevens – Greetings From Michigan
Asthmatic Kitty
2003

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tkiGvV_ek

14. Grizzly Bear – Yellow House
Warp
2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqDHMD6cN1g

15. Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour of the Bewilderbeast
Twisted Nerve
2000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ovmd9TXgdQ

16. Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
Kill Rock Stars
2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvFcoXn4qCo