I love the Aughts

[shunn]

So, the discussion about my 100 best '90s albums list was interesting enough that I decided to give the current decade the same treatment. It's a somewhat different exercise, though, because the recent years really haven't had as much time to sink in yet. Strangely, though, my yearly favorites were much easier to pick this time (though it was a close call between Eminem and Steely Dan in 2000). It will be interesting to revisit all this in another ten years.

The same rules apply, but again there's an exception or two. I allowed two System of a Down albums for 2005, on the grounds that they're really two halfs of one work, despite being released separately. Also, Brad Mehldau managed to sneak on there twice by cloaking himself with Pat Metheny.





2000

• Meaningless, Jon Brion
  
• Parachutes, Coldplay
  
• The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem
  
• Whoa, Nelly!, Nelly Furtado
  
• Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, P J Harvey
  
• The ConstruKction of Light, King Crimson
  
• Kids in Philly, Marah
  
• Solo: Improvisations for Expanded Piano, Lyle Mays
  
• Sci-Fi, Christian McBride Band
  
• Haunted, Poe
  
• Kid A, Radiohead
  
• Tourist, St Germain
  
• Two Against Nature, Steely Dan
  
• Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2), XTC

2001

• Open, Cowboy Junkies
  
• Change, The Dismemberment Plan
  
• Rockin' the Suburbs, Ben Folds
  
• Isolation Drills, Guided by Voices
  
• Need New Body, Need New Body
  
• Distorted Lullabies, Ours
  
• We Love Life, Pulp
  
• Passage of Time, Joshua Redman Quartet

2002

• About a Boy, Badly Drawn Boy
  
• Sea Change, Beck
  
• Heathen, David Bowie
  
• The Private Press, DJ Shadow
  
• Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips
  
• In Our Gun, Gomez
  
• Largo, Brad Mehldau
  
• Traveling Mercies, Chris Potter
  
• Überjam, The John Scofield Band
  
• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco
  
• Mind if We Make Love to You, Wondermints

2003

• These Are the Vistas, The Bad Plus
  
• Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Belle and Sebastian
  
• Permission to Land, The Darkness
  
• Transatlanticism, Death Cab for Cutie
  
• Seven Days of Falling, E.S.T.
  
• St. Anger, Metallica
  
• Down with Wilco, The Minus 5
  
• Coverage, Mandy Moore
  
• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast
  
• Give Up, The Postal Service
  
• Country Music, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
  
• Elephant, The White Stripes
  
• World Without Tears, Lucinda Williams
  
• The Meadowlands, The Wrens

2004

• Funeral, The Arcade Fire
  
• Heroes to Zeros, The Beta Band
  
• Medúlla, Björk
  
• The Grey Album, Danger Mouse
  
• Blueberry Boat, The Fiery Furnaces
  
• Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
  
• American Idiot, Green Day
  
• Brain, Hiromi
  
• End of the World Party (Just in Case), Medeski Martin + Wood
  
• Good News for People Who Love Bad News, Modest Mouse
  
• Fly or Die, N*E*R*D
  
• Feedback, Rush
  
• Now Here Is Nowhere, Secret Machines
  
• From a Basement on the Hill, Elliott Smith
  
• Soviet Kitsch, Regina Spektor
  
• A Grand Don't Come for Free, The Streets
  
• Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, Tears for Fears
  
• Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, TV on the Radio
  
• Smile, Brian Wilson

2005

• Extraordinary Machine, Fiona Apple
  
• In Space, Big Star
  
• Lost and Safe, The Books
  
• Aerial, Kate Bush
  
• Playing the Angel, Depeche Mode
  
• Demon Days, Gorillaz
  
• I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, Bettye LaVette
  
• Suit Yourself, Shelby Lynne
  
• Arular, M.I.A.
  
• Z, My Morning Jacket
  
• Gimme Fiction, Spoon
  
• Mezmerize/Hypnotize, System of a Down
  
• Late Registration, Kanye West

2006

• You in Reverse, Built to Spill
  
• Uninvited, Like the Clouds, The Church
  
• Yeah!, Def Leppard
  
• Yes, Virginia..., The Dresden Dolls
  
• Morph the Cat, Donald Fagen
  
• On an Island, David Gilmour
  
• St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley
  
• Donuts, J Dilla (Jay Dee)
  
• All the Roadrunning, Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
  
• Last Man Standing, Jerry Lee Lewis
  
• Metheny Mehldau, Pat Metheny & Brad Mehldau
  
• Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam
  
• 3121, Prince
  
• Ta-Dah, Scissor Sisters
  
• Surprise, Paul Simon
  
• Broken Boy Soldiers, The Raconteurs
  
• The Invisible Deck, The Rogers Sisters
  
• The Eraser, Thom Yorke

2007

• The Good, the Bad & the Queen, The Good, the Bad & the Queen
  
• The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, Rickie Lee Jones
  
• Meet the Smithereens!, The Smithereens

[2007 is, of course, not very old yet, so these three represent the bulk of what I've purchased so far this year. After a couple listens apiece, I think Rickie Lee Jones's quirky channeling of Jesus is winning, but time will tell. I've enjoyed all three of these.]

On second thought, I don't really want that VH1 talking head job I mentioned last time. I'd hate to have to be that snarky every week.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Excellent to see Kate Bush and The Church making appearances on your list. More people need to know about 'Aerial'.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

I tried doing some evangelizing for Aerial, which I think is just brilliant, but I can only think that the people I've suggested it to didn't give it enough of a chance. It really does reward repeated listens. It's moody, gripping, and of a piece. I think it's one of her best, up there with The Dreaming and Hounds of Love.

[albionidaho.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear for Aerial.

I love your lists, and I, too, dig Meet the Smithereens!

I must ask, you list Pulp's We Love Life (which is not usually considered their strongest work), but didn't list any of their other albums for the 1990's, when they were theoretically at their height. Any comments on this?

And have you heard The Jarvis Cocker Record?

Still, I could see you doing the VH-1 job ;).

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear for Aerial.

See above (http://shunn.livejournal.com/365991.html?thread=1996967#t1996967)!

I must ask, you list Pulp's We Love Life ... Any comments on this?

I've been second-guessing my '90s list already, and, as I told Ken (http://shunn.livejournal.com/364501.html?thread=1996757#t1996757), I'm not sure how I overlooked Different Class. That should definitely have been on my list!

And have you heard The Jarvis Cocker Record?

No! How is it?

[albionidaho.livejournal.com]

Yes, I was wondering how you missed Different Class :).

As for The Jarvis Cocker Record, I adore it. It's certainly a different thing from Pulp, which should be expected, of course. It's one of those records that grows on you with repeated listenings, and some good volume helps. It's mature, and clever, and witty -- still Jarvis, just grown up :).

Have you seen his Myspace page? It has a song on it, as well as some stories. Cool stuff.

My local NPR station played some of the album, and I heard some of it on-line (e.g. YouTube). I tend to be patient, but I couldn't wait for its US release (in April, I believe), so I bought it as an import for like $18 or $20 at a Virgin store in Salt Lake. I tend to be pretty frugal in terms of such things, but this had to be bought, and it had to be bought now, and I think it was totally worth it.

Anyway, I can't recommend it enough.

[derrylm.livejournal.com]

Interesting list, although I'm disturbed by how much good music I'm missing.

I've piled on with some extras here: http://derrylmurphy.blogspot.com/2007/02/my-own-take-on-aughts-bill-shunn-has.html

D

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Great list, and there's stuff on it I definitely want to hear.

As to how ephemeral these lists are, I'm already kicking myself for not having included stuff like Sleater-Kinney's The Woods.