Best of the Oughts: Albums 21-30

The tens just keep getting better and better. We're nearing the realm where you cannot argue. Be forewarned.

We're back to a lot of older stuff, but I believe that will level off soon. I bet you can't wait to see what comes next.


30. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Stephen Malkmus
No Pavement this decade. So, SM's first solo album will have to do. It was really just leftover Pavement stuff that he needed professional musicians to play. I'm sorry, but it's true.

29. Radiohead - Kid A
OK Computer seemed so tame and normal when this came out. Both beauty and guts are on full display on this album. It's still hard for me to fathom that this was only Radiohead's fourth album. Wow.


28. PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Hey, looky what I found: another post-9/11 album. I feel a themed list coming on. Like the Cat Power album, this one was written and recorded prior to the attacks on September 11th, but the feelings and sentiments are profoundly dead-on. This makes two albums in a row in which Thom York appears.


27. Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
Soundscapes and corn fields in summer are all you need to know.


26. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
This was Oberst's best folk album and it was accompanied by his Faint-inspired Digital Ash.


25. Caribou - Andorra
Drums. Drums. Drums. This album is so textured and perfect. #25 enters sacred territory on my list.


24. The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
Cluttered and whispered, this album should have been a hit, but no one heard it. That is, until Natalie Portman handed her headphones over to that guy from Scrubs.


23. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
There must be a name for the syndrome in which bands record their best album first, leaving the remaining material unwanted. This album is so good, it would have ruined a lot of careers. Interpol was never the same.


22. Port O'Brien - All We Could Do Was Sing
This one is raw and full of life and emotion. I've said it before, but if you're not hooked after the first track, forget it.


21. Sufjan Stevens - Michigan
My family used to spend summers camping and traipsing around Michigan. This album doesn't just remind me of those days, it makes me long for them to return, awkward adolescence and all.

#21 of 2007: Interpol

Thirty-One Words: Interpol stole their style from the Mod Squad, sound from Joy Division, and album artwork from Kosheen, but this album is all theirs and is their most consistent effort to date.

The one song that makes it worth $17.95: "The Heinrich Maneuver"

Pitchfork Says: 6.0

Record Reviews!

The tone of this blog has been way too serious in recent posts. I've bought some music over the past couple of months that I'd like to break down for y'all. These mini-reviews are in no order and may be the result of one or two listens.

Okkervil River put out a solid effort that I didn't get until like the fourth or fifth listen (just minutes ago, in the the car) titled Stage Names. I always laugh when I remember that Kevin of Kevin's World refers to these guys as "Bright Eyes for boys". Will Sheff pens some nifty songs about movies and the music industry that make you feel. I like music that makes me feel. I was a little put off at first by the record's expanded sound and slick production, but the themes in the stories Sheff tells deserve some big, dramatic sound. Like I said, this album took a few listens.

The White Stripes put out an album in Icky Thump that has also take some time. It's actually been while listening to individual tracks while my iPod shuffles that I've grown to re-appreciate the Stripes. Jack White has a lot of soul for a white guy named White. He can also write a hook like a mother-f***er.

Last week brought me two great solo efforts from front men better known for their bands' successes. Thurston Moore's Trees Outside the Academy sounds a lot like Sonic Youth's post-Washing Machine, pre-Rather Ripped material, sans the endless jam sessions, and I'm fine with that. (Although, I do like 11-minute songs with lots of feedback.) The other release was Kevin Drew (of Broken Social Scene fame) and his pseudo-solo record, Spirit If.... Pitchfork actually hit the nail on the head with this one, describing it in terms of just another BSS release with a uniquely Kevin Drew lean. It's as if BSS allowed Drew to turn up the vocals and included no instrumentals on the album. Both records demonstrate strong leaders of equally powerful bands.

Blonde Redhead's 23 was a major disappointment. I honestly haven't listened to them since 1995's La Mia Vita Violenta (which I consider to be one of the ten best most ignored records of all-time - more on that in a future post), so I didn't really know what to expect. I like the title track, but the rest of the record is a snooze, but don't take my word for it.

I still have not purchased Wilco's Sky Blue Sky. All I have to do is watch a Volkswagen commercial. I was not impressed by the samples on iTunes, but the songs have held up pretty well on the VW ads. I might have to give them a second chance, but I'm not convinced yet. Wilco didn't exactly inspire me to go buy the album at last week's show.

Even though Spoon underwhelmed me the last time they came through town, I still ordered their latest, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, in my favorite format: LP with the MP3 download. The album contains typical Britt Daniel pop brilliance and has somehow convinced me to see them when they return to COMO later this fall.

Our Love to Admire was released this summer. The album by Joy Division...er...I mean Interpol was their third and probably most complete release. The album doesn't have some of the great singles found on previous efforts, but this album has very little filler in comparison.

The Sea and Cake's Everybody demonstrated that age-old truism that bands just become blander as their proficiency improves. Somewhere skill and raw emotion lose a connection and bands produce boring albums, devoid of any emotion, anything real. Although the album was a snore, their live show renewed my faith in those bands from mid-nineties Chicago scene.

Well, that's all for now. Did I mention that I have Arcade Fire tickets? I'm sure I'll post about that soon. There's also that new Bushism..."childrens".

Miserypalooza!

I don't know that my new job, new house, or old body will be able to keep up with all the shows coming to Misery in August, but I'm gonna try. Word on the street is that Misery is picking up shows while bands make the trek to Chicago for Lollapalooza. Whatever. It makes being here a little easier.

I was debating whether or not to go see the Polyphonic Spree at the Blue Note on August 1st. I've never really gotten into this band, but who can pass up an indie rock choir when they pass through town? Then, it was announced that Interpol was playing the Pageant in St. Louis. Debate over. I've waited a long time to see the "new" Joy Division again. (The last time was in C-bus. The band later made an appearance at St. James for some pool. They were way over-dressed.)

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs play the very next night at the Note. I must say this show surprised me. Really cool NY bands rarely come this way. Although, TV on the Radio did make an appearance last winter...

To complete the trifecta of Misery shows, Modest Mouse makes a stop in Kansas City. This would be my first show in KC. I'm really looking forward to it. They aren't what they used to be live, but I still love the Mouse.

As if three nights of shows wouldn't be enough, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is playing Mojo's, but I may have to skip this one. Of course, that would be my second time to miss the only band from Misery I have liked. (Although Foundry Field Recordings gets a lot of good press.)

Then, a week later in KC, Neko Case and Rufus Wainwright play. R and I might check this show out and take off for Detroit the next day.

Blonde Redhead comes in September to the Note. It's been more than ten years since I saw them at Stache's opening for Chavez. Man, I'm old.

Well, it looks like I'm going to have a busy August in Misery. I'll be sure to review each show...Stay tuned!