Best of the Oughts: Albums 51-60

I could do this all month and I almost did.


60. Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Even when fully polished, Sam Beam can make anything sound like a cool breeze on a mid-summer afternoon as you sip lemonade on the back porch. Even a fart.


59. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
I didn't care for all the religious imagery until my recovering Catholic partner explained it to me. Then this record took on a whole new meaning. Haunting, beautiful, lo-fi: this is what Sufjan Stevens was before he he got all orchestral.


58. Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
This record broke Modest Mouse. I know it's not a favorite for most because a certain song was overplayed one summer, but it's a really good record, an appropriate break-out release from an indie workhorse.


57. Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
This was the album that reminded you all that Sonic Youth could still rock. Forget building their own instruments. Forget their advancing ages. Forget all you thought you knew about rock and roll. Sonic Youth just reinvented it.


56. Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
You either love or hate this album (along with the next choice). Joanna Newsom does some crazy Kate Bush shit over a harp. Can you get any more punk rock than that?


55. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Weird in a seventies and show tune kinda way, this brother and sister duo will blow your mind...or completely frustrate you with every release since.


54. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Who knew that some of Smith's best material was never released before his suicide/murder? I expected throw-aways when I bought this one, only to be thoroughly surprised and reminded how great a songwriter this man was.


53. She and Him - Volume One
I know that some of the luster has been lost on this one since M Ward has moved on and Zooey has starred in cotton commercials. Forget all of that. This record is timeless.


52. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
I love that Sleater-Kinney were known for how much they rocked harder than your favorite boy punks. Then, they release an even harder hitting record just before calling it quits.


51. Feist - The Reminder
This was, at one time, my favorite album of one particular year, but it faded for me over the following months. Upon, a revisit, I rediscovered the magic and beauty in Feist's effort. This album is cool from beginning to end.

We're halfway there. I bet you're wondering what's next? Well, all I can say as that any of the remaining sets of ten could be someone's top-10. Stay tuned...

Best of the Oughts: Albums 81-90

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a rut music-wise. I keep listening to the same bands I did while in college or at least ten years ago. (Um, I finished my undergrad more than ten years ago. Ugh.) Or I listen to off-shoots of the same bands. It's a vicious cycle. Thankfully, my list has a few interesting bits scattered throughout.

Also interesting in this ten are all the records from this year. There are four of them in fact. They just haven't been with me long enough to deserve higher rankings, but I suspect one or two of them will climb my all-time list with more listens and a few live shows to put the material in context. For now, this is where they rank for the decade.


90. Handsome Furs - Face Control
This song makes me think of 1992. No, it's not a grunge album. It's like the music coming out of the former Soviet Union...except with better equipment and a sexier duo.


89. The National - Boxer
This was the album Interpol were supposed to make the year before last. Oh well, The National beat them to it.


88. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
I hate putting so many great bands from previous decades near the end of this list, but Yo La Tengo's best work was in the 90's. However, I think this record will climb as I listen to it more. There are really some great, great songs in this collection, proving that Yo La Tengo's still got it.


87. Fugazi - The Argument
Minor Threat and Fugazi were hardcore bands who could actually play. Fugazi's musicianship really comes through on this record. I didn't buy any of their follow-up material to see if this trend continued, but I suspect it did and will eventually have to pick up a few more Fugazi records in the near future.


86. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
Antony has a voice that is otherworldly. Seriously. It lies somewhere between male and female just as Antony does himself. That and there may not be a better sequenced album in this half of the list. One song leads into the next perfectly as dramatic movements and woe are intertwined in perfect moments. This record is just plain beautiful.


85. Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors
This album completely caught me off guard as I woke up in the backseat of my car on a road trip to Coney Island. I was like, "Who the fuck is this guy?" It's so dramatic and heart-wrenching that it's almost over the top. Had Conor Oberst disappeared forever after releasing this album, it would be infamous. Now it's merely proof of Oberst's finest caricature.


84. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
The first proper album demonstrates Death Cab at its best. These are the songs that made me listen to more of their material, but I always returned to this record as the seminal example.


83. Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Already there are two Silver Jews records on this list. Again, the Joos did their best work 10-15 years ago like several of my favorite bands here. Either way, this was both a triumphant return to form and a grandiose farewell.


82. Atlas Sound - Logos
I'm always behind on this Bradford Cox stuff, but I caught this one and another record to be named later. He really reminds me of anything touched by Dave Fridman or Kevin Shields, but he has reinvented their sound to suit this decade.


81. Sleater-Kinney - All Hands on the Bad One I saw Sleater-Kinney support this album in Amsterdam. I listened to a dubbed cassette tape of All Hands every day of my Euro trip until someone stole my Walkman while I slept on a train through northern Italy. It was good to listen to their material again. I'm not sure what this says about the merits of the album except that I can connect to a life-altering experience.

Best of the Oughts: Albums 91-100

This is the first installment of my Best of the Oughts series. Today's post is the first ten of my best albums of the decade list. I love all the records on this list. Just because these ten are at the bottom does not mean I dislike them.

Numbers 91-100 actually have a decent representation of women. Despite my feminist leanings, I am not very good at filling my collection with female performers. However, the ones I do include are typically among my favorites. I'll spend loads of money on mediocre-to-crappy male musicians for some reason. I guess those are the limitations of gender roles on one's record collection.

There are also some marginal releases from really great bands at this end of the list. I sometimes prefer an OK album from a great band because even their worst material is better than the best unknown bands. That or I am a sucker for rock tradition.


100. St. Vincent - Marry Me
I bought this months after it was released on a trip to Seattle. I have to say that I was blown away from the first listen, so intense and complex. The layers, textures, and incredible performances on this album made me wonder whether Annie Clark is the female Sufjan Stevens or the other way around.


99. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
The last two tracks get me every time with this one. It's no Apologies to the Queen Mary, but it's not as bad as some thought. This is the album Wolf Parade meant to make before Isaac Brock got a hold of them. (Also, this is easily the worst album cover of the decade.)


98. Silver Jews - Bright Flight
David Berman is maybe the most gifted wordsmith on this list. His best work was in the last decade, but this was a good send-off to his musical career.


97. Sleater-Kinney - One Beat
This was Sleater-Kinney's protest album. What were they protesting? What have you got? 9/11 just happened and George W Bush was running the country into the ground. This provided some good material.


96. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
I have forgiven Devendra Banhart for his hippie ways. How can you not when someone records an album like this that transcends jam bands, indie rock, and punk?


95. The Black Keys - The Big Come Up
Dirty and fat are the licks on this record. You should only listen to this on vinyl. Oh, and they're from Ohio.


94. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
There's a ton of Vancouver all over my top-100. This is another from from the Wolf Parade co-op. Difficult but so worth the effort.


93. Radiohead - Amnesiac
It's amazing what Radiohead has done this decade. Here's the first of several Radiohead efforts on the list. I never saw the direction they've taken in this century since OK Computer. Truly inspired.


92. The White Stripes - Elephant
By the time Elephant came out, the Stripes were huge. The sound on this record matches their hugeness better than any other point in their oeuvre.


91. Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
I don't know exactly where I'd rank this among the Belle and Sebastian records, but it does hold some special memories for R and I. I haven't been impressed much from the material coming out of B&S alums since. This may have been the beginning of the end.

Bands I Wish Would Reunite So Lucia Could See Them

It seems to be all the rage this decade for indie bands of the 80's and 90's to reunite for a tour and sometimes a record or two. These were the bands I saw live the first time around or at least on which I cut my indie rock teeth. I wish many of them would reunite in maybe five years so that Lucia could see them as well. I say five years because a concert at this stage would only scare her. She will bee rambunctious and ready to dance in five years by my estimates.

Here's my list of top 10 reunions I wish Lucia could see.

10. Coctails
Before The Sea & Cake and before there was a Chicago sound in indie rock, there was Coctails. This band brought jazz to indie shows and had a huge influence on independent music. This is a reunion I'd also be very excited to see happen. I saw them several times in the mid-nineties, including their last jaunt in '95.

9.The Velvet Underground
OK. So, if this reunion happened again in five years or so, VU survivors would barely be able to stand on stage much less sound like they did back in the day. But it would still be cool, wouldn't it? These are the grandfathers (literally and figuratively) of punk and indie rock. Lucia should see such an influence on her father's record collection.


8. The Breeders
I had to get some ladies on this list. Besides, what band knows more about reunion tours than The Breeders? My other hope is that the Deal sisters would be cleaner than they've been for years so that they would sound like they did in the mid-nineties. Lucia needs some strong ladies to look up to. The Breeders first broke through in a time when heavy, masculine music was dominating music and they didn't do it with acoustic ballads. No, The Breeders rocked and partied harder than any of their male counterparts.


7. Pixies
While I'm on Kim Deal and her many comebacks, Lucia should see yet another quintessential band in indie rock history. I already saw Pixies on one of their reunion tours, but another generation needs to witness their greatness. She should know where Nirvana learned that loud/soft aesthetic or where Isaac Brock found his growl. This band, like most on this list, have had an enormous impact on the indie landscape. I want Lucia to know some of that history. So, we'll be there for the Pixies' fifth reunion tour.


6. Dinosaur Jr.
This band has been on a perpetual reunion. They've even gone so far as to record two albums (one was a typically bland reunion album; the second is reminiscent of their best word) since returning to the scene. However, I bet they'll grow tired of each other and break up again, just in time to reunite for Lucia's sixth birthday. They'll have to play outdoors, though. I can't risk Lu losing her hearing at such a young age.


5. Archers of Loaf
I really don't understand why no one is talking about an Archers of Loaf reunion. People just don't understand how incredible this band was live. Lucia knows "Web In Front" as I used to sing it to her while helping her get to sleep sleep. She should also know the sheer power that is Archers of Loaf.


4. Nirvana/Brainiac/Elliott Smith
I realize that none of these acts are no longer active due to tragic deaths, but wouldn't it be cool if they could come back to life just to play a Zombiepalooza or something? In all seriousness, Nirvana, Brainiac, and Elliott Smith were three of the biggest reasons I spend so much time and money on records and rock shows. I was lucky enough to see all of them live. Sadly, Lucia won't be so lucky.


3. Uncle Tupelo/Neutral Milk Hotel
These are two bands that I never saw due to discovering them too late, but I imagine it would be great to see them for the first time with Lu. Uncle Tupelo made my third-favorite genre, alt.country (whatever that is), possible and birthed two of my favorite bands of the past 15 years in Wilco and Son Volt. Neutral Milk Hotel recorded maybe the greatest album of my lifetime not recorded by Pavement. Seeing them together would be the ultimate father/daughter experience.


2. Sleater-Kinney
Too much sausage in this list. Possibly my favorite grrrl band ever comes in at number 2. I only saw them a few times back in the day, but they were so, so good live. The first time I saw Sleater-Kinney was in Amsterdam. Maybe if they come back, I can tell Lucia all about that trip.



1. Pavement
I know there has been recent talk of a Pavement reunion on the internets, but this really needs to happen 2015/16. Lucia will need to see what all the fuss is about after listening to my reminiscence of all the great Pavement records with the guy yelling in the background and the nonsensical lyrics or the terrible shows that were regularly hijacked my inadequate drummers and forgetful guitarists. She needs to know Pavement power. She needs to hear SM manipulate the lyrics and phrasing to his every whim. Lucia needs to know that Mark Ibold was in a band before Free Kitten or Sonic Youth. She needs to know Pavement.