As I wrote yesterday, "The decade started off with sounds that were so simple and melodies so uninvolved that throughout the years, the sound just got more and more complex." I may have made this statement in haste. My #5 pick for the decade is far from simple. I think this comment pertains more to my #1 pick, if anything. Plus, I think I meant to say that 2009 was a year that saw the melding of many genres into one. If there could be a word that could sum up 2009, I would think it would be "pastiche". But I digress... Yesterday, I listed my Top 5 records of 2009 and as promised, I present my Top 5 records of the decade.
5) In Rainbows (2008) by Radiohead
(iTunes || amazon.com)
"Kid A" or "In Rainbows"? This was a tough decision but I feel I made the right one. Don't get me wrong, I love "Kid A". I wore that shit out in 2000. But I ultimately decided on "In Rainbows" as a better record. Radiohead released "Kid A" at the beginning of the decade and it's interesting to see how Radiohead fits in the "aughties". Their next release was "Hail To The Thief" which was a return to form, of sorts. It took that sound from "Kid A" and broke it down back to their sound from "Pablo Honey" or "OK Computer". "Hail To The Thief" was considered a failure or a step back for the band. Then we didn't hear anything from Radiohead for nearly 5 years. Then in 2008, they gave us "In Rainbows". Some would say, a return to form, a natural progression or the next step. But I see it as the perfect fit. Blending their sounds from each previous album and building upon them to create this one.
But not just the sound of the record is why it's important to the decade but how it was delivered. "In Rainbows" was released on Radiohead's official website months before it was released in stores. But not only was it early, it was free! Or at least to most it was free. Radiohead made a fantastic record and put a tip jar next to it. They came up with a model where fans could name their own price. If you wanted to pay $10 for it, you could, if you wanted to pay $20 for it, you could, or if you wanted to pay nothing for it, well then you could do that too. This was a success for the band and later that year we saw other artist like Nine Inch Nails and Madonna following suit. Could this be the future of music delivery?
Also the band released the single "Nude" as 5 different versions. They released versions with each individual track with just its instrumentation. They did this so their fans could remix their own version of the song. The internet exploded with an enormous amount of remixed versions of "Nude". Radiohead continues to take advantage of all the tools of the internet and their loyal die hard fan base.
4) Funeral (2004) by Arcade Fire
(iTunes || amazon.com)
Arcade Fire's debut record on Merge Records singlehandedly saved the record label from going out of business (arguably). (Well, this record and Neutral Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" are the 2 best selling records in Merge's history) When this album was released in 2004, it quickly became the Indie scene's best kept secret, and I do content that this record brought indie rock into the mainstream. Not only did it bring Arcade Fire into the national spotlight but it brought the Indie Canadian scene to the attention of many record companies. In the middle of the decade, practically every popular Indie Rock band came out of Canada (Montreal, namely). With its infectious, drumbeat and scream out loud chorus and piercing strings made every dance floor and college dorm room a breeding ground for smiles and cheers.
The way this record plays, track after track is just so haunting and blissful at the same time. Most songs starting off slow and somber but then breaking away into a frenzy of percussion and strings like as if to break conventional song writing and performance. And still to this day, songs like "Wake Up" are used to illustrate the feeling of pure joy and at times, isolation. (see Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are trailer below.)
This record is very special to me. This was my soundtrack when I first moved to Chicago in 2005. I can't listen to it with out thinking of the Windy City. My first show in Chicago was the Arcade Fire at the Riveria Theater (Is that place still around?). This is also how I started my bond with my dear Borders co-workers. My time in Chicago would have been horrible if it wasn't for them. Goddamn! I do miss Chicago.
This record is a landmark in Indie Rock in the 2000s. A must for any hipster or anyone really. It's that good!
3) Stankonia (2000) by Outkast
(iTunes || amazon.com)
Before they entered the ring for song of the decade with "Hey Ya!" and (obviously) before they release their wildly popular and mainstream record "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below", Outkast released this turn of the century gem. It melds so many genres from funk to rock, disco to soul, techno to jazz. They do this so effortlessly and with such ease and it still remains their edgiest record to date. Full of sex and political sentiment, it is brimming with feelings of youth and energy.
This record will always remind me of going on tour with a local Cleveland Punk/Emo band, The Interns. I set out on an east coast tour with them in 2001. This was our soundtrack (along with Saves The Day's Stay What You Are and The Stereo's Three Hundred). It reminds me of endless driving on endless roads. With the youth and energy we had it seemed fitting. This record is something that I will always love "forever ever....forever ever?....yes, FOREVER."
2) Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) by Wilco
(iTunes || amazon.com)
At first this is a very unassuming record. But then you let it sink in after a few listens. You realize that the things that make this record great are in the details. The details are so intricate and exact, that to take one piece away would make the whole house of cards fall. So much effort has gone into this record and it shows. It masterfully melds electronic percussion with alt. country roots with very creative production design. But when it comes down to it, it's all these sounds and mixes so well with Jeff Tweedy's simple guitar chords progressions and eloquent word play.
One of my favorite songs on this record, "Ashes of American Flags", which harkens to this idea of the lost American dream. "All my lies were only wishes..." This is eerie because of the seminal event that happened only months before its release, September 11th. Even the album cover of the Marina Towers in Chicago resemble the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City.
But the reason why this record is regarded so highly, is all in the documentary "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". This film is about the process of making this record and the battle over it with Wilco's old record label, Warner Bros. It capture the essence and joy of this record, along with the end of Wilco's relationship with one of its primary founders, the late Jay Bennett. This is a must watch and a wonderful supplement to this great record.
1) Is This It (2001) by The Strokes
(iTunes || amazon.com)
For the past few weeks, I've been getting a lot of shit from a number of people after they hear what my #1 record of the decade is (it's all in good fun). I can see why, who the hell really likes The Strokes this much to put them on the top of a list. Their songs are so simple and easy. Julian Casablancas mumbles his way through these songs in such a half-assed manner. Well, you're right! But in a broader sense, you're wrong. "Is This It" started a revolution and a decade of great music.
The stripped down sound and simple drumbeats bring back the essence of Rock N' Roll. This record is pure sex! This record is youth! What Outkast did for hip-hop with "Stankonia" by building and mashing the sounds up, The Strokes did for Rock N' Roll by tearing it down to its core. The record is a wild ride of women, liquor and drugs. "Is This It" is not a question but rather a statement. A statement The Strokes have made on music. Its brash and cocky and I love every minute of it!!
This record also paved the way from many, many New York hipster bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol and The Rapture. The Strokes made New York City cool again. Boy Bands and Rap Metal were no longer the convention. That party was over. And thank God! Rock N' Roll was back in a big way and this record set the tone for the next 10 years!
Honorable Mention:
Give Up by Postal Service
Lie Down In The Light by Bonnie "Prince" Billy
College Dropout by Kanye West
For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
White Blood Cells by The White Stripes
XO by Elliott Smith
Oracular Spectacular by MGMT
O by Damien Rice
Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio
Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins
Arular by M.I.A.
Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol
0 comments:
Post a Comment