In the 2000s, Indie-rock was defined largely by its flair for producing majestic and dramatic music. While many attempted to make music in this light, only a handful succeeded, including The Decemberists and Broken Social Scene, among other. No band, however, embodied this aesthetic more so than the Arcade Fire. Unlike any other album in recent memory, the Arcade Fire’s full-length debut Funeral (2004) brought together raw emotion and an impeccable level songwriting into a single brilliantly bombastic work. Funeral set the tone for the rest of the decade through its ability to stir listeners with its sweeping grandeur. Read More
Entering this decade, Wilco was labeled as one of the rising stars in alternative-county, and appeared intent on continuing its journey towards a flourishing career down this route. Ten years later, Wilco has indeed emerged as one of the more successful groups of this decade, but the path in which they accomplished this could not have been farther from what anyone expected. Rather, the Chicago-based group has climbed upwards via indie rock fame, and alt-country has all but become an afterthought in their music.
At the heart of this rift between Wilco’s past and present stands their fourth studio album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001). This album’s legacy endures in two different aspects… Read More.
Not only was Kid A significant in terms of being Radiohead’s transitional work, but rather it was largely responsible for the upswing in electronic music’s prevalent influence on rock during this decade. Just as Daft Punk delivered electronic music to mainstream pop and dance audiences, Radiohead managed to bring the genre to alternative-rock. Their fusion of electronic and rock, however, differed from Daft Punk through its incorporation of Intelligent Dance Music (IDM), rather than …Read More.
Of all the endeavors indie-folk statesman Sufjan Stevens takes on—for better, for worse, or for those just simply out there—one thing is certain: the man thinks in epic proportions and partakes in grand ventures. Amid his multi-instrumental talents, exploratory themes, and concepts; Sufjan Stevens has embarked on an illustrious career path, earning a spot among the indie elites of the past decade. From Christmas albums to large-scale multimedia projects and everything in between, his work endures as an affirmation of …Read More.
I hesitate to discuss albums with an ‘obsessive’ perspective or in which one warrants ‘repeated’ listens, in part because I run the risk of potentially overusing hyperbolic language. Instead, my views are reserved when expressing such exuberance and enthusiasm about an artist, song, or album. In looking at music in such a skeptical, discerning manner, this approach has helped me to hone in on what music should or shouldn’t be perceived in this light.
That being said, I can say without any hesitation that The National’s Boxer (2007) has been an obsession of mine since shortly after…Read More.
TV on the Radio stand as one of these rare visionaries who allow their music to surpass the boundaries that restrict so many other artists. The group’s 2006 work, Return to Cookie Mountain, is a statement of experimental excellence that only occurs when a band opts to take risks in making music and chooses to push the boundaries of music. On the band’s 3rd studio album, TV on the Radio finally manage to put together the previous brilliant, but sporadic moments of Young Liars and Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes into one comprehensive work of genius… Read More.
Whereas fellow New Yorkers Interpol reawakened post-punk within the larger rock scene, The Strokes were largely responsible for this decade’s influx of garage-rock influenced bands. The Strokes’s debut album Is This It (2001) created a blueprint for what modern rock was to become in the following years after its release. Both simultaneously aggressive and laidback, Is This It develops a raw and minimalistic aesthetic that would be emulated by many others, but one that…Read More.
The story behind The Hold Steady’s founding endures as my one of my favorite Rock and Roll myths of this decade. Soon-to-be founding Hold Steady members Craig Finn and Tad Kubler were previously members of the cult-Minneapolis rock band Lifter Puller. After this band’s demise in the early 2000s, the two were together watching The Last Waltz—the legendary documentary/live concert finale about The Band. Reminded about these classic rock greats and their artistic integrity, Finn posed the all too simple question… Read More.
In 1962, R&B legend Ray Charles’s Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music helped redefine Country music through his crossover from R&B. By breaking through social barriers, Charles entered a predominantly white genre and managed to sway Southern listeners into embracing his music. By breaking down this racial barrier, Charles managed to challenge the preconceived notions about the South through his musical experimentation.
So what does Ray Charles’s Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music have to do with the Drive-By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera (2001), you might ask? Read More.
By far the best band at capturing the essence of its post-punk predecessors, Interpol has became recognized as this generation’s Joy Division through its hauntingly melancholic ambience and sense of impending doom embedded in their sound. And it is on their debut release Turn on the Bright Lights (2003) that this New York group lives up to their reputation as one the decade’s harbingers of dark, brooding excellence…Read More.
Since their formation in 1998, My Morning Jacket has transformed their sound from a straight-forward rock tone toward a more experimental, spacier, and surreal style. Frontman Jim James and the rest of the Louisville-based group have not only become mainstays in modern rock since their inception, but are one of the last remnants of the classic rock legacy found in their older influences. My Morning Jacket’s fourth album Z (2005) endures as contemporary Americana’s Kid A… Read More.
Lead Singer Justin Vernon has come quite a long way over the past couple years, and has weaved quite the tale surrounding his music. As the story goes, Vernon recorded his debut 2008 album For Emma, Forever Ago, while staying in his cabin up in northern Wisconsin by himself for four months. After breaking up with his former band DeYarmond Edison, his orginal plan was to unwind and recover from the turmoil of that experience and other things ongoing in his life; however, that period of isolation turned into…Read More
Some rappers make great albums, and some thrive with hits. Jay-Z is a hit-maker—it is how he became a mogul, a star, an iconic figure—so to discuss him otherwise would do a disservice to him. Yet to leave off the most prolific artist in his genre today off of this list would simply be asinine. In saying this, I chose Jay-Z’s best record with the most hits—The Black Album (2003). Originally promoted as his final studio album, it turns out that it not only stood as a classic ‘final’ album, representing Jay-Z as the face of hip-hop over the past decade, but in retrospect also became a primary example of the best that rap has to offer.Read More
(Check out more of this list at http://www.waronpop.com)
Another mark of the 2000s occurred in the unexpected rise ethnic musical influences and its unification with indie-rock. From Sri-Lankan dance-fusion within M.I.A.’s sound to the frenetic gypsy-punk of Gogol Bordello, this decade has witnessed the formation of cultural fusion within indie circles. In my opinion, however, the best of these cultural mixtures has come from Beirut. The project of New Mexico native Zach Condron originates from a predominantly Eastern European influence as the basis for its sound. While this may be where the roots of Beirut lie, their sophomore release The Flying Club Cup (2007) expands beyond that into a plethora of styles that come together perfectly in the most unlikely of ways. Read More
While a neo-soul movement swept across mainstream music throughout much of this decade (culminating with Amy Winehouse’s Grammy award winning Back to Black), most people fail to acknowledge the true impetus of this revival—The Dap-Kings. Formed in 2000 by Daptone Records co-founders Gabriel Roth and Neal Sugarman, the group soon garnered a reputation as one of the premier funk and soul bands. Although these masters of groove have provided support as a house band for many of Daptone’s artists as well as other collaborators, their best work exists with soul crooner Sharon Jones…Read More
Arguably the most recognizable group of decade—if not for their signature sleek black helmets and trademark pyramid DJ booth—Daft Punk remains one of the most influential, yet mysterious groups of recent years. The French duo of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter emerged near the end of the 1990s as a… Read More
Between their seamless combination of soul-tinged blues, raw garage punk, and their earnest authenticity to blues legends preceding them, The Black Keys have staked their claim as one of this decade’s premier blues act. The duo, comprised of guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, have worked their way towards the forefront of modern blues-rock. On the group’s third album Rubber Factory (2004), Auerbach and Carney make the transition from a lo-fi garage duo to an energetic and versatile presence—one which placed them en route to the top of the Blues genre.
The Black Keys deliver throughout Rubber Factory with their visceral attack of Blues-Rock raucousness, particularly on “10 A.M. Automatic” and “All Hands Against His Own.” What stands out most on this album, however, is Dan’s voice, which sounds not of a young 20-something-year old, but rather a seasoned rasp coming from a veteran blues vocalist. While sounding so traveled in his voice, he also shows his ability to wail soulfully atop all the noise within the underlining music, as he displays on tracks such as “Just Couldn’t Tie Me Down” and “The Desperate Man.” Auerbach also shines as a guitarist, both displaying a warm tone while still showing glimpses of rawness. On the other hand, Carney’s pounded his drums in a commanding and powerful manner, playing so forcefully as if he is gasping for his last breath with each successful drum stroke.
Where Rubber Factory stands apart from its predecessors is in its wider musical breadth. While they still maintain the powerful tenacity found on their earlier albums, The Black Keys expanded the scope of their work, including the crawling opening track “When The Lights Go Out,” the slow and yearning ballad “The Lengths,” and the impressive electric-driven cover of The Kinks’ “Act Nice and Gentile.” Their newfound slower, more melodic side opens up on Rubber Factory, allowing their distinctive loudness resonate more in a particularly impressive manner next to their slower tracks. This album marks a major development in their multifaceted aesthetic—one that the band would expand upon on subsequent albums—but is best heard at this particular point of their musical careers.
On his third album of the 2000’s, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy may not have created a new batch of his hardest-hitting dance grooves; however, what Murphy found was a certain level of maturity as he showed some restraint in using particular notes at the most opportune time for this release. What materializes from a different creative approach was Sound of Silver—the band’s best album to date. Found in the heart of this album is probably the best back-to-back tracks on any album this decade between ….Read More
Antony Hegarty’s voice remains one of the most hauntingly perfect and eerily unique demonstrations of melancholic splendor that I have witnessed in my life. The heartbroken, yet ever-so-inviting aesthetic in his voice, along with his serenely beautiful arrangements prevail as works of almost indescribably beautiful proportions. On his third album The Crying Light (2009), Antony and his backing group—The Johnsons—continue to evolve through an increasing focus and sophistication, without ever losing the defining emotionalism inherent within Antony’s earlier work.
Rather than attempting to describe Antony’s voice myself, I find that New York Times music writer John Hodgeman’s description fits best (as did NPR), as he placed Hegarty “somewhere between male and female, between childish innocence and weary adulthood, at once ethereal and earthy.” In finding this ideal middle ground among human social constructions, Antony has created a particular vocal tone that is unusual, yet entirely familiar at the same time.
Throughout The Crying Light, Antony and the Johnsons brilliantly find new ways not only to create an original sound, but also to use it in helping further delve into fresh insights on old concepts, experiences, and ideologies. “Epilepsy is Dancing” depicts both the blessing and the curse of someone living with Epilepsy. On “Another World,” Antony scales back into a depressingly serene mood full of disillusion and escapism. For both of these songs, minimalist instrumentations allow the beauty of Hegarty’s vocal and piano performances to emerge in stunning fashion in a manner drawing listeners into the worlds of two highly distraught struggles, compelling listeners to further understand different facades of human reality
Just as The Crying Light touches on the sadness of the human experience, it also manages to magnificently capture the other end of the spectrum. The album reaches its pinnacle with “Aeon”—an intimate look at a father-son relationship near the end of the father’s life. Antony is at his best here with his delivery and lyricism, as he croons, “Hold my father / For it is myself / Without him I wouldn’t exist / Without him I wouldn’t exist.” As Antony explores the depths of humanity and its accompanying experiences, he in essence becomes a guide into new ways of understandings of the world.
Over the course of his illustrious hip-hop career, Common has evolved from an artist known for his immense underground following into one of this generation’s most respected rappers. Unlike the majority of his peers over the past two decades, Common has staked his claim as one of hip-hop’s finest by shying away from traditional rap themes surrounding the glorification of materialism, violence, and misogyny, and instead choosing to emphasize a socially conscious message.
Eight years and five albums after his debut album in 1992, Common’s first major-label release Like Water for Chocolate marked an important transition his sound, shifting from the jazz-rap aesthetic present in early 1990s Golden Age rap to the sample-heavy production found throughout the past decade. In retrospect, Like Water For Chocolate offers a remarkable blend that seamlessly showcases Common’s distinctive and essential styles into one cohesive work.
“Time Travelin’ (A Tribute to Fela)” provides a fitting tribute to afro-beat pioneer Fela Kuti—a Nigerian legend who not only is renown as an innovator in his own musical realm, but also as an important social activist who used his artistry to promote his message. As the album opens with this tribute, it offers a proper entry point into the depth found within Common’s lyrics, which ranges from the political to the introspective. This thematic scope appears time and time again throughout Like Water For Chocolate, whether through atypical heartfelt love profession of “The Light,” to an ode to former Black Panther leader Assata Shakur in “A Song For Assata.”
The philosophical insights on “The 6th Sense” display some of his best lyricism on Like Water For Chocolate, as Common contemplates not only on his own music, but on hip-hop as a whole, asking, “I start thinking / How many souls hip-hop has affected / How many dead folks this art resurrected / How many nations this culture connected.” And it is lofty phrases like these where Common stands at his best, as he gets lost in the beauty of personal and cultural examination, allowing him to describe such musings in a masterful manner. This tends to be the rule rather than the exception on Like Water For Chocolate.
Between its timelessness and originality, The Fleet Foxes managed to take the indie-rock world by storm in 2008 with their eponymous debut release. On one level, Fleet Foxes succeeds through its ability to transport listeners into another world altogether—one devoid of all the complexities of modern life. More importantly, however, the triumph of this stunning debut lies in the manner in which this Seattle group confidently conquers with their idyllic aesthetic.
Between the spirited simplicity of “White Winter Hymnal” and the mysterious pastoral beauty of “Your Protector,” The Fleet Foxes effectively combine soaring harmonies with an unadorned and effective rhythmic style. This ambiance is never more apparent than with the instrumental arrangement on “Ragged Wood,” which draws striking similarities to My Morning Jacket’s “Golden.” But with the Pecknold-led harmonies and dynamics found here; the song undertakes a whole other façade, as it transforms into a lush and majestic journey all too easy to become lost within.
Lead vocalist Robin Pecknold exhibits a penchant for the dramatic throughout the course of the album, including the ballad “He Doesn’t Know Why,” as he unabashedly surrenders, “There’s nothing I can do, There’s nothing I can say,” as the choir of harmonic supports sweeps under his emphatic voice, creating one of Fleet Foxes’ most chillingly gorgeous moments. And while much of the beauty of the Fleet Foxes remains with their illustrious, collaborative vocal arrangement, Pecknold repeatedly stands at the forefront of this album, including the stunning album closer “Oliver James,” which concludes with him belting out the final two-line chorus without any accompaniment. This astonishing display of his voice is easy to miss if not listening carefully, but it stands as one of the most powerful moments on Fleet Foxes. This enduring album closes at one of its highest moments of brilliance, leaving listeners with a desire to remain in the world created by the band’s magnificent debut.
With a decade dominated in the serious aesthetic of indie-rock’s focus on majestic displays of art, Jens Lekman has provided an alternative direction though his uniquely refreshing style, which stands as appealing and humorous in its own right. His best work of this decade comes off his most recent album—Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007). Over the course of this album, Lekman essentially dares listeners to not enjoy it, as he caters to a wide audience through the combination of playful songwriting, euphoric horns and strings, and a captivating indie-dance beat. In doing so, this young Swede has successfully managed to continue his native country’s tradition of pop excellence with this infectiously catchy album.
Amidst the pop sensibilities found on Night Falls Over Kortedala is Jens Lekman’s musical eclecticism, as he draws from a multitude of sources that are derived from a variety of styles. Ranging from the grandiose sentimentality of “And I Remember Every Kiss,” to the memorable guitar riffs and doo-wop found on “Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig,” Lekman showcases a wealth of influences that somehow find a way to work together. Yet, Lekman never digresses from his primary focus–making pop music.
“The Opposite of Hallelujah” transforms lyrical seriousness into a lighthearted matter, as evident by Jen’s playful tone throughout the song. Lekman masterfully displays a series of miscues in sharing an important message with his younger sister, as he narrates his failed attempts due to an unavoidable irony faced at every turn. Lyrics such as “I picked up a seashell / To illustrate my homelessness / But a crab crawled out of it Making it useless,” may be borderline-contrived, but time and time again Jens overcomes this through his infectious songwriting.
Night Falls Over Kortedala reaches its pinnacle with the quintessential pop masterpiece “A Postcard to Nina”—a quirky, hilarious, and witty narrative in which Lekman pretended to be the boyfriend of his lesbian friend, in order to appease her family. As the song progresses, Lekman encounters near close calls in his impromptu role as he tries his best to keep his friend’s cover. The clever lyrical recounting shines in this song, as Lekman offers verses like this: “Your father puts on my record / He says: so tell me how you met her / I get a little nervous and change the subject / And put my hand on some metal object / He jokes and tells me it’s a lie detector.”
With the near-perfect songwriting found on “A Postcard to Nina,” Lekman’s off-kilter delivery remains as one of the most charming and whimsical expressions in the past decade—one that continues holds constant throughout the album. Throughout his songwriting career, Jens Lekman has shown his aptitude as a skilled craftsman of indie-pop, and Night Falls Over Kortedala show his pop expertise.
In a decade flooded with synth-heavy indie rock acts on one hand, and majestic baroque pop collective on the other, the emphasis toward lo-fi music had fallen to the wayside. Yet, look closely, and the sub-genre still perseveres, albeit with much less of a following than its above mentioned counterparts. Over the past few years, however, the Baltimore duo Beach House has grown into one of the finest lo-fi groups around, keeping the lo-fi aesthetic alive within the indie-rock world.
Often compared to early 1990s atmospheric shoegaze acts such as Mazzy Star and Galaxie 500, Beach House has brought together the dream pop textures of their influences along with their own simple electronic percussive loops. In doing this, Beach House impeccably establishes an astonishing veracity to their music as they create melancholic warmth through the simplest of manners. The duo of Victoria Legrand (vocals, organ) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard) managed to craft a dreamy, ethereal world on over the course of Devotion that stands as both haunting and comfortable simultaneously.
Throughout the album, Scally paints the background with the combination of his precisely layered, darkly resonating keyboard, juxtaposed by his warm delicately placed riffs (“Gila,” “Heart of Chambers”). While he primarily creates this moody world, Victoria Legrand’s crooning steals the show on Devotion, as her mysteriously calm voice invites listeners in as she guides them throughout the album. Falling somewhere between the tones of Chan Marshall (Cat Power) and Beth Gibbons (Portishead), Legrand shines on tracks such as “Wedding Bell” and “All The Year,” in which her voice weaves in and out of Scally’s portrait, adding the final touch of perfection to their musical creation.
Devotion conveys the album’s title throughout the course of the album—whether through heartfelt displays of affection, desperate willingness to feel back, and a constant longing to have someone return her own dedication. Not only does the premise of this album reveal itself through lyrical notions, but also merges with the warm haziness and comfortable apprehension innate within Beach House’s musical aesthetic. Devotion may not be the best, or most impressive display of talent found on this list, but it remains one of the decade’s best albums due to its extraordinary ability in taking every aspects of the band’s work, and combining them into a final masterpiece far greater than any of the individual parts present.
Over the past decade, Definitive Jux Records has provided hip-hop with an infusion of innovation and originality. While artists such as Aesop Rock, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, and Dizzee Rascal all have garnered substantial credibility within the hip-hop world, owner Jaime Meline, more commonly known under the pseudonym El-P, stands as the label’s cornerstone artist. Originally a member of the influential 1990’s hip-hop group Company Flow, El-P has cemented his place throughout the past decade as one of hip-hop’s best, and most underrated artists primarily through his own solo work. Meline proved this case with the release of his 2007 album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead.
Raw cynicism and skepticism remains the focal point of I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, as El-P’s dark lyrics broods through an album running the gamut of distrust and doubt. While Meline is far from the first, or the last to delve into the pessimism of the human experience, he nearly mastered the art with this album. The darkness here never stands out as forced or unreal, but rather provides genuine insight into the struggle of one with their inner-conflict.
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead evocatively shades Meline’s pessimistic wariness through a variety of tales and topics. Just as the album opens with “Tasmanian Pain Coaster,” El-P heeds his warnings of modern life in this day and age, commenting “This is the sound of what you don’t know killing you / This is the sound of what you don’t believe still true / This is the sound of what you don’t want still in you.” As the loosely cohesive message continues throughout the album, its shows up early and often, whether through discerning “Up All Night,” the lustful submission of “The Overly Dramatic Truth,” or the mundane repetition of personal self-destruction found in “The League of Extraordinary Nobodies.”
The album ends with an unlikely collaboration of El-P with Chan Marshall (Cat Power), on “Poisenville Kids No Wins Reprise,” where Meline pleads with a friend contemplating suicide, attempting to dissuade the suicide by relating with his own similar experiences, as he adamantly asserts, “So what the fuck are you feeling that makes your struggle so wondrous? / Enough to arrogantly pull what’s left of the rug out from under us? / I think not, you’re in the same barrel all us other crabs are caught / And if I have to live, you have to live; whether you like this shit or not. With I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, El-P has found the perfect ground between adept lyricism and honesty, combining to form one of his best works, and arguably the decade’s best indie hip-hop record.
A few months ago, I wrote an article about Animal Collective, in which I labeled the band as the next Radiohead. In dubbing the band with such an honor, I never intended to predict a path towards simply mainstream success, but more so in terms of influence as a genre-bending group. Animal Collective possesses the rare ability to push the boundaries of music in a way which is sonically experimental and boundary-pushing, while at the same invites listeners to embrace such differences by adding in brilliant moments of familiar convention.
Any artist has the ability to drastically experiment, and any fan can embrace music outside the ‘norm,’ provided that they both approach it with the right mindset. The hard part remains in merging these extremes, bringing the avant-garde just close enough to the center, without alienating listeners, or losing its unique sense of sound. That is where Radiohead succeeded, and what Animal Collective looks to accomplish. And while the group has not exactly made their Kid A just yet, Merriweather Post Pavilion stands as their finest work to date, placing the group in a position to become one of the select few to find the elusive happy-medium between convention and innovation.
Merriweather Post Pavilion stands as the final album what was an extremely productive decade for the band, which included the release of eight full-length albums and four EPs. With each subsequent album, Animal Collective has explored new territories,emphasizing a progression of sound over settling into a regurgitation of what works. Merriweather Post Pavilion, in light of this approach, presents the group’s most focused album, both in terms of a complete work, as well as the re-emphasis on a continual evolution of their sound. While certain songs stand out, such as the quasi-dance groove “My Girls”and the Afro-electronic hybrid “Summertime Clothes,” this album impresses most with its cohesive nature from start to finish.
What surfaces throughout Merriweather Post Pavilion is a drifting sonic haze, where individual textures seamlessly transition in and out during each song, leaving a feeling that the album is one complete work, rather than eleven different songs. In a way, Merriweather Post Pavilion recalls Pet Sounds in both its multi-layered sounds and its cohesive lyrical themes. Although the album falls just short of an iconic stature, the group appears to be well on their way towards creating their magnum opus.
Featured throughout December at http://www.waronpop.com will be the best albums of the 2000s. For 25 days, we will look at the 25 best albums of the decade. Before we look at those albums, let’s catch a glimpse of the honorable mentions of the past 10 years.
40) Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
After releasing four albums since 2000, this French foursome finished off the decade with their greatest, and most successful release to date.
39) Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker (2000)
Ryan Adams’s decision to leave alt-country mainstays Whiskeytown ultimately proved to be a wise choice, as his talented songwriting shined on his solo debut.
38) Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)
Indie darlings Vampire Weekend took the indie-rock world by storm in 2008, creating an Afrobeat-influenced pop standing second only to Paul Simon’s Graceland.
37) Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold (2008)
Hip-hop duo Atmosphere took a turn away from an emphasis on stripped-down production with this album. This move turned out to be a pleasant surprise, as the group arguably created their best album to date.
36) Blitzen Trapper – Furr (2008)
Part country-rock, part jam band, Blitzen Trapper has emerged as one of the best new Americana acts to date, drawing their sound from the likes of the Grateful Dead and The Band on their diverse sophomore release.
35) Iron and Wine – The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)
Before he became one of the decade’s premier acoustic geniuses, Sam Beam released his solo album in 2002. This album is his most lo-fi release, and resonates as his most natural and authentic work.
34) Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha (2007)
Violin virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird demonstrates his dexterity in performing, lyricism, and songwriting with this underrated, yet complete album.
33) Lauryn Hill – MTV Unplugged No. 2.0(2002)
To say that Lauryn Hill is enigmatic would be an understatement. After her 1999 debut, she still has not managed to release a proper follow up album, leaving this rare live performance of mostly unreleased songs as this decade’s lone work from one of our generation’s best talents.
32) Of Montreal – The Sunlandic Twins (2005)
Elephant 6 veteran Kevin Barnes continues to build a reputation as not only a quirky, live performer, but also as one of the most consistent producers of music. Sunlandic Twins stands as the best of a number of equally solid releases during this decade.
31) Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (2009)
Indie-rock mastermind Dave Longstreth has displayed an abundance of potential since his creation of the constantly-evolving Dirty Projectors. After a number of different carnations of the project, this year’s Bitte Orca finally brought all the pieces together in one of 2009’s best albums.
30) Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism (2003)
As one of the largest names in indie-rock, Ben Gibbard has come a long way as Death Cab for Cutie experienced an unlikely rise to fame. Transatlanticism started their rise, and with good reason, as it marks one of their finest works as a band.
29) Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
Legendary neo-psychedelia performers The Flaming Lips, like Death Cab for Cutie above, made their claim for indie-rock glory in the early 2000’s with their most accessible, and commercially successful 2002 release.
28) Various Artists – Dark Was The Night (2009)
This massive charity project brought together the who’s who of indie rock to create one of the best compilations of original, previously unreleased work to date.
27) The Walkmen – You & Me (2008)
The antiquated, warm sound of The Walkmen remains as one of the best original timbres created during this decade. While these innovators have been around for the better part of the decade, You & Me marks their most complete album from top to bottom.
26) Califone – Roots and Crowns (2006)
Chicago post-rockers Califone have a certain particular, endearing aesthetic that combines a nuisanced sound with a perfect timing of particular notes. Roots and Crowns may be one of the most unknown albums on this list, but it stands as a truly underrated gem.
1. The New Pornographers – My Rights Versus Yours
2. Peter, Bjorn, and John – Let’s Call It Off
3. Dr. Dog – The Rabbit, The Bat, and The Reindeer
4. Spoon – Jonathon Fisk
5. Elvis Costello – Pump It Up
6. Jenny Lewis – Carpetbaggers
7. Beulah – If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart
8. Camera Obscura – Honey in the Sun
9. Neutral Milk Hotel – Naomi
10. Kurt Vile – Freeway
11. Patterson Hood – Pollyanna
12. King Khan and his Shrines – Welfare Bread
13. Rolling Stones – Sway
14. Heartless Bastards – Out at Sea
15. Frightened Rabbit – Good Arms vs. Bad Arms
16. Led Zeppelin – Tangerine
17. Band of Horses – Great Salt Lake
18. Hold Steady – Southtown Girls
19. The National – American Mary
20. Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day
21. Monsters of Folk – His Master’s Voice
22. Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer
23. Calexico – Deep Down
24. Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood
25. Okkervil River – A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene
26. The Whigs – Right Hand on My Heart
27. Wilco – Kingpin
28. Neil Young – Walk On
29. Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells a Story
30. Eddie Vedder – Setting Forth
31. Bob Dylan – Tangled Up In Blue
32. Alejandro Escovedo – Castanets
33. Gentleman Jesse and His Men – Highland Crawler
34. Hold Steady – Barfruit Blues
35. Wilco – I’m Always in Love
36. The Walkmen – I Lost You
37. Black Keys – All You Ever Wanted
38. Hold Steady – Lord, I’m Discouraged
39. Great Lake Swimmers – Various Stages
40. Bob Seger – Night Moves
Hey everyone! welcome back to another week with War on Pop! After taking last week off to cover Voodoo Music Festival, I’m back on Audio Candy to present to you another 3 hours of music! If you’d like to make a request, IM me at Maxx2x.
Enjoy the show!
As always, I will start off with last week’s Mix Monday (Vol. 11), which can be found here: http://waronpop.blogspot.com/2009/11/mix-mondays-volume-11.html
1. Whiskeytown – Ballad of Carol Lynn
2. Calexico – Yours and Mine
3. The Kinks – Strangers
4. Bowerbirds – Northern Lights
5. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Lay and Love
6. Fleet Foxes – Your Protector
7. Califone – The Orchids
8. Jim James – Rocket Man
I’m feeling like keeping the talking to a minimum tonight, so I’m going to continue this set on a more subdued level like the mix above.
9. Beirut – Elephant Gun
10. Built to Spill – Things Fall Apart
11. Califone – Funeral Singers
12. Blue Roses – I Am Leaving
13. Modest Mouse – Gravity Rides Everything
14. Monsters of Folk – Temazcal
15. Bon Iver – Beach Baby
16. LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great
17. The National – So Far Around the Bend
18. Andrew Bird – Darkmatter
19. Kurt Vile – Freeway
20. My Morning Jacket – Anytime
21. Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire
22. Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
23. The Strokes – Soma
24. Gentleman Jesse and His Men – Black Hole
25. Jay Reatard – I’m Watching You
26. Girls – Lust for Life
27. Deerhunter – Cryptograms
28. Black Lips – Bad Kids
29. Black Keys – Psychotic Girl
30. My Morning Jacket – It Makes No Difference (The Band cover)
31. Drive-By Truckers – Let There Be Rock
32. Hold Steady – How a Resurrection Really Feels
Since I was out of town last week, I have an extra Mix Mondays playlist to play tonight.
33. Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
34. Modest Mouse – Float On
35. Fanfarlo – Ghosts
36. Sufjan Stevens – Jacksonville
37. Arcade Fire – Wake Up
38. Spiritualized – Soul on Fire
39. Andrew Bird – Fake Palindromes
Goodnight! and be sure to check out the http://www.waronpop.com for more great music-related content.
One of the finer acts to break out in 2009, The Low Anthem offers an intriguing combination of folk and Americana, creating a blend of music that is stunningly beautiful.
The Rhode Island-based trio was formed in 2006 by Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky after they attended Brown University. After adding Jocie Adams a year later, The Low Anthem began to round out its sound, as it released its debut album What the Crow Brings in 2007. Coming off its 2009 sophomore release Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, The Low Anthem is currently on tour with Blind Pilot, and made an appearance Wednesday night at The Earl.
The band showcased its serene brilliance throughout its set, opening with three powerful displays off its latest album, including the Paul Simon-influenced “Cage the Songbird,” the peacefully reflective “To Ohio” and the majestically melancholic “Charlie Darwin.” In each of these songs, the band’s masterful vocals and three-part harmonies mark The Low Anthem as this year’s version of Fleet Foxes.
Yet the band is more than just the sum of its members’ voices, as their raw energy on songs like dirty-blues “Horizon is a Beltway” reveals another equally impressive side to the band.
I caught up with Miller and Prystowsky after their set at The Earl, and during the conversation, it became clear that the band’s desire to expand sonically remains a major focus of The Low Anthem’s work.
“I think that the way we arrange is what fits the song,” Prystowsky said. “It’s the idea behind the song, what’s the range, what makes sense and we just keep it open because there’s a lot of music that we like that we listen to, and it all just comes on Darwin as it fits.”
One of the more impressive aspects of The Low Anthem is the ease with which they fuse together their multi-instrumental pieces. The trio used 32 different instruments in the recording of Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, 16 of which they regularly incorporate into their live performances.
“We’re very interested in musical textures, and we’ll have very abstract jam sessions, where we try different sounds on top of each other, and get excited about it,” Miller said. “And we’re not really good at all these crazy instruments, but I think it means something that we dragged them out to the gig every night. We have six instruments per person that we carry.”
Looking forward to next year, The Low Anthem looks to further expand on this year’s success, as the band will embark on its first-ever U.S. headlining tour. In addition, the trio is in the process of creating the follow-up to Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, which is expected to be released some time next fall.
Along with a new album, a new member will be added to The Low Anthem, one who brings even more instruments to the band’s repertoire, including banjo, mandolin and accordion.
If the group continues like this, it will not be long before The Low Anthem stands among the finest modern folk has to offer.
I was on an assignment covering the Dirty Projectors’ concert in Atlanta, Georgia, this past Saturday night, so I decided to post my concert review here.
(picture via Stereogum)
The Dirty Projectors have slowly developed a large following since their inception in 2002, which became very apparent as I arrived at The Masquerade this past Saturday Night to see these Brooklyn-based rockers perform. Currently a sextet, the band has been praised as one of the more innovative bands of the past decade. And as their 2009 release Bitte Orca shows, this group has continued their tradition of making experimentally catchy music.
Lead singer and guitarist Dave Longstreth, much the indie-rock version of Trent Reznor, creates and directs the musical composition for the entire band. Standing at center stage, Longstreth remained reserved and soft spoken throughout the show, appearing rather enigmatic, as he guided the band through his trademark fragmented riffs. His grooves do just enough to grab listeners’ attention and get them off their feet, only to pull them back and forth between the cracks of their fragmented riffs. This is most evident as Longstreth immersed fans with “Cannibal Resource” and “No Intention”.
The vocals of the band’s three female vocalists, however, stole this show, as they showcased their harmonic brilliance, making each of their songs stand out even more than they do on their albums. Main vocalists Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian astounded onlookers not only with the powerful and dynamic ranges of their voices, but also through their distinctly unique pitches which they harmonize with. Their presence is not merely as beautiful supporting elements, but combined, they turn into a commanding instrument that the Dirty Projectors use in their eclectic style. Each of the two main female vocalists shined in their own right as well, with Deradoorian crooning through the beautifully calm “Two Doves,” and Coffman leading the band on the indie-funk groove “Stillness Is The Move.”
After a set lasting just over an hour, leaving the adorning crowd in awe, the band came back for a one-song encore of “Knotty Pine”—their contribution to this year’s mega-compilation album Dark Was The Night. The song, which originally featured Talking Heads legend David Byrne on vocals, featured Coffman and Longstreth exchanging lyrics in this short and catchy number. After a set full of the Dirty Projectors’ sprawling and beautifully broken experimental rock, “Knotty Pine” closed the night in a simple and sweet manner, showing the crowd that they have finally come into their own as indie-rock mainstays.
