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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Best Albums of this decade

Is it too early for me to be thinking about the best albums of the 00 decade? I hope not, because I have been thinking about them for a while. I know that if I do not think about this list now, I will never get the list done in a reasonable time.

The funny thing, this is the decade that I have been the most interested in music. In the 80s I was very young when it started and could not find music for myself. In the 90s I was very connected to music while I was in college, but after that I all but forgot about music. By the end of the decade I was not listening to anything.

Because of the internet, iPods, and blogs, I really connected to music early in this decade. It has been a great decade for music. There are a lot of bands that I know of that I doubt I would have heard of in former decades. It is true that the music industry has also changed in this time. These bands might have been signed in the past.

I have started working on my list of the best albums from this decade. So far the list has over 100 albums on it. Those are just albums which I have tracks from on my laptop. I think the list will get bigger as I look at all the albums from the decade. I know there are things I must be forgetting.

Of course this means I still listen to albums. I am not sure how many other people are still listening to albums. I keep on hearing how albums are going away, but I have not see it yet. The bands I listen to are still putting out albums. It might be a little while longer before they go away. This might be the last decade for a list like this.

Let me know if you want to do this as a project. I want to know if I can get lists from enough people so I can give more than just my ranking.

Is anyone else going to make a list of the best albums from the 00's?
How many albums will you put on your list?
How detailed are you going to be about the ranking?

Update: I am defining the decade at 2000-2009. I know the whole zero year thing is in play, but I think it is esthetically better to start on 2000.

Labels: album, Best of, best of decade, flickrpost, music

- Rich, 3:30 PM |

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Everything I listened to in 2007

I am getting ready to post my top ten of 2007 list and my best of 2007 CD mix. When I see these lists from other people, I wonder what they had listened to during the year. This is the list of everything released in 2007 that I listened to in 2007. I hope it helps when you see the other posts.

Artist - Album
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
The Earlies - The Enemy Chorus
Hal Hartley - FAY GRIM Original Soundtrack
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
St. Vincent - Marry Me
A.R.E. Weapons - Modern Mayhem
The Go! Team - Proof of Youth
Blonde Redhead - 23
Pela - Anytown Graffiti
My Morning Jacket - At Dawn & Tennesse Fire Demos Package
Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin
The New Pornographers - Challengers
They Might Be Giants - The Else
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Lavender Diamond - Imagine Our Love
Akron/Family - Love Is Simple
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls
Tim Fite - Over The Counter Culture
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Architecture In Helsinki - Places Like This
Mirah and Spectratone International - Share This Place: Stories and Observations
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
Luddite Machine - We Build The Destroyer
CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Calvin Johnson - Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil
The Frames - The Cost
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Neil Young - Live At Massey Hall 1971
Ted Leo / Pharmacists - Living With The Living
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers
Son Volt - The Search (Deluxe Version)
Dr. Dog - We All Belong
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob
Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Page France - ...and the Family Telephone
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
The Fratellis - Costello Music
Christian Kiefer - Dogs & Donkeys
Richard Swift - Dressed Up For The Letdown
The Sea And Cake - Everybody
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters
The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army
The Clientele - God Save the Clientele
The Broken West - I Can't Go On I'll Go On
Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
The Comas - Spells
The State Champs - The State Champs
The Rakes - Ten New Messages
Crowded House - Time On Earth
The Ponys - Turn The Lights Out

EPs

Gomez - Live at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2006: Gomez
M. Ward - To Go Home EP
Joanna Newsom - Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band EP
The Decemberists - Live from SoHo (iTunes Exclusive) - EP
Oh No! Oh My! - Between The Devil And The Sea

Labels: 2007, album, best of 2007, list, music, tag overload

- Rich, 9:06 AM |

Sunday, May 20, 2007

essential music

Maker Faire 2007: robot drummer
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

I have been going to music stories like Best Buy and Virgin music and seeing displays of the 200 essential albums that every music fan must have. I know they are doing it as just a way to sell catalog music. Seeing this displays have made me think about the idea of an essential 200. I wondered what would be on my list and what would be on my friends lists.

To be honest, I know that I could not get many of my friends to sit down and make a list of 200 albums they think everyone should have. What I would like to do is have a number of my friends make a list of their essential 20 albums. If I can get 10 people to play along, I could have a whole list. If you want to play along send me your list. Let see what us normal people think are essential albums

Labels: album, Best Buy, essential, flickrpost, list, music

- Rich, 5:38 PM |

Monday, January 22, 2007

Best Dozen Albums of 2006

I listened to about 65 new albums in 2006. That means two things, I spent a lot of time listening to music that came out last year and I listened to a fraction of all the music that came out last year. When I say these are the best albums, I mean they are my favorite.

Magnolia Electric Co - Fading Trails

This album was short and concise. With 9 songs at 29 minutes this album is slim, but powerful. With every new album Jason Molina shows his increasing skill in song writing. I think this is the best Magnolia Electric Co album to date.

I will admit that I have other reasons to love Fading Trails also. This album came out slight after a breakup. It was the ex-girlfriend who got me into Magnolia Electric company. This was a great breakup album.

Build to Spill - You In Reverse

This album is full of songs that are ear worms. I hear this album and the tunes do not get out of my head for days. The songs really rock. It is a great album to drive very fast to.

Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit

With each new album I am more impressed with Belle and Sebastian. They have grown more than any other band in the last 10 years. Compare Tiger Milk to The Life Pursuit and you will find a band that is writing totally different songs. I am amazed at the way they have been able to change and stay good. This album is good because of how it is different and the same as the other albums.

Cat Power - The Greatest

There are those albums where from the first time you hear it, you cannot put it down. It seems to always in your CD player. One of those albums you listen to for weeks and still do not get enough of it. This is one of those albums.

Josh Ritter - The Animal Years

This album surprised me. I had never heard of Josh Ritter before hearing him on the SXSW 2006 Bittorrent. The album is very complex. I know Peter would say that he is just a whiny guy with a guitar. I love the well written songs and the emotions that he sings them with.

But you need faith for the same reasons that it’s so hard to find

Gnarles Barkley - St. Elsewhere

This album is tricky and simple all at the same time. I love it becuase it makes me want to dance. It also surprises me. They take simple pop tunes and get every ounce of goodness out of them.

Islands - Return To The Sea

Everyone loves Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over The Sea. For the past two years I have been wondering where all the albums that are influenced by In the Aeroplane Over The Sea. If everyone loves this album why has it made so little impact on other music? The Islands - Return to the Sea is the album I have been waiting for. Any Neutral Milk Hotel fan should check out this album.

Mecca Normal - The Observer

The Observer is like a great movie or a good book. It is a challenging. It is not an album that you put on and rock out too. It is an album you listen to and think about. I know that people do not want to think, but that is that is their problem. This is an album that people should listen to. I think it is challenging and hard to listen to at time, but sometimes that is a really good thing. This is one of those times.

The song writing on this album just amazes me. It is insightful and interesting. The album is about relationships. It seems real in a way other albums do not. For the way the songs describe relationships it is worth listening to. I really get the idea that I understand the woman as being single about about my age.

Kimya Dawson - Remember That I Love You

I know lots of people who will not like this album. Like all K Records bands, you either dig the lo-fi, high emotion, indie ethic or you do not. This album has the feeling of someone grabbing a guitar and pooring their heart out to a microphone. Of the 12 songs on this album, about half of them make the hair on the back of neck stand up. Each time I hear this album I hear something else. Kimya Dawson is an impressive songwriter.

Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

This is one of those albums once I hear it, I need to listen to it three or four times in a row. The songs get stuck in my head. I sing them for days at a time. They haunt me like an opportunity I did not act on or a woman I ruined my chance with.

Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies

This is the kind of album that sneaks up behind you, grabs a hold of you while you are not paying attention, and does not let go. I already love the New Pornographers. This album has just enough elements of the New Pornographers for it to be familiar and just few enough for it to be new.

Mates Of State - Bring It Back

This is the best Mates of States album to date. The song writing has caught up to match their unique sound. The songs work really well as an album.

Karl Blau - Beneath Waves

This album was a surprise to me. There is no song that really stands out. The whole album is just relentless and strong. It has a good combination of pop structures and low-fi production.

Special Mention
Joanna Newsom - Ys

I have a hard time saying this is one of the best albums of the year. I want to say it is not really an album, at least in the sense of rock and roll. This is a collection of 5 songs. The shortest song is almost 10 minutes long. It is not like old prog rock albums either. There are no long musical sections. It is a collection of songs trying to be short stories. I am not sure I get this album, but I have been listening to it a lot. It is worth taking a listen to see if it is for you.

Labels: 2006, album, bestof2006, cd, music, tag overload

- Rich, 7:02 PM |

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Chinese Democracy

I have been thinking about the legendary let to be released Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy. Axl Rose has been working on this album that it will never be released. I think I heard about this idea back when I was in college. Could that be true?

Chinese Democracy has been in production for almost nine years at a cost of over thirteen million dollars, making it the most expensive album ever recorded.

Part of me wants this to be the best album ever. I want it to come out and blow people's doors off. I want it to be unlike anything people expected. I doubt that could even happen not. My guess is that the best this album can be is a small disappointment.

I wonder where Axl went off the tracks with this album. Is there an idea in his head that I cannot find in the rest of the world? Is there a sound in his head that is nowhere else? I wonder if he is just making some other mistake.

Labels: album, Axl Rose, Chinese Democracy, Guns N' Roses, music

- Rich, 2:25 PM |

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

The Best Albums of 2006 So Far

I have not been listening to too much music this year. Here is my list so far of the best.

Jenny Lewis - Rabbit Fur Coat
Cat Power - The Greatest
Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Karl Blau - Beneath Waves
Mates of State - Bring It Back

Tell me if there is something else I should also be listening to.

Labels: 2006, album, Belle and Sebastian, bestof2006, Cat Power, cd, Gnarles Barkley, Jenny Lewis, Karl Blau, Mates of State, Neko Case

- Rich, 7:06 PM |

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Music

I have to crack this one again. They album came about because of a technological change. It is going away because of a technological change. If you want to make a concept album, make it all one track. That way you do not have to worry about people pulling it apart.

If you are so worried about the album as an art form, why do you let radio stations play single songs?

Labels: album, iTunes, music, technology

- Rich, 11:53 PM |

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