Year-end (and decade-end) lists that get published at the end of November/beginning of December irk me. I understand that most publications take off work during the last couple of weeks, but it just seems wrong. I used to post my lists (on ye olde Livejournal) in January of the following year to make sure that I wouldn’t miss out on some of the big records that I hadn’t lived with yet or on movies that were late to open in wide release. Problem is, no one cares once you post that late. So I’m compromising. This week, December 28-31, I’ll focus on the 2000s. Each day, I’ll post one-quarter of my Top 100 songs (in convenient download format, if I can pull it together) as well as one general decade-end list (probably albums, movies, TV and books). On January 1, I’ll follow up the decade lists with a post dedicated to 2009. As always, this is my opinion. I’m wouldn’t even want to compose some sort of objective list, even if such a thing were possible. This is simply the pop cultural detritus that I most enjoyed during the past decade/year.
Top 20 Albums of the Decade
01) Spoon – Kill the Moonlight (2002)
02) The White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
03) TV on the Radio – Dear Science (2008)
04) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (2004)
05) Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not (2006)
06) Spoon – Gimme Fiction (2005)
07) Songs:Ohia – Didn’t It Rain (2002)
08) Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock and Roll (2005)
09) The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)
10) Destroyer – Streethawk: A Seduction (2001)
11) TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
12) The Shins – Oh Inverted World (2001)
13) Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
14) Jarvis Cocker – Jarvis (2006)
15) Sons and Daughters – The Repulsion Box (2005)
16) Spoon – Girls Can Tell (2001)
17) Magnolia Electric Co. (2003)
18) Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
19) The Decemberists – The Crane Wife (2006)
20) Cat Power – You Are Free (2003)
-That’s right, 20% of the list is Spoon records. What ya gonna do about it?
–The Repulsion Box is pretty much just an arbitrary choice. All of Sons and Daughters’ albums (well, both … and a half) are high quality – just not quite high enough to clog up the top 20, a la Spoon.
–You Are Free is really the only Cat Power album I’ve been able to get into, but it’s a good one (except “Names” – some say heartbreaking, I say maudlin).
-Remember how I said that I wasn’t trying to be objective? I’ve been listening to The Decemberists since Castaways and Cutouts (well, since it was reissued on Kill Rock Stars) and I can objectively state that The Crane Wife is their best album. The first three have some great songs, but they also have a lot of filler. I do like The Hazards of Love a lot, but the songs aren’t as individually strong as on The Crane Wife.
-Secretly Canadian promoted Magnolia Electric Co. as a Songs:Ohia album when it was released, but Jason Molina has since said that it considers it the first (self-titled) release by the band Magnolia Electric Co. I’ve decided to remain neutral. Also, Magnolia would probably rank higher than Didn’t It Rain if Molina sang “Peoria Lunchbox Blues” and “The Old Black Hen” himself. The demos he did for those tracks are far, far better than the versions with guest singers featured on the actual album.
–Jarvis is the best Jarvis Cocker-associated album since Different Class. Arguments?
Top 100 Songs of the 2000s: Part 1 (Chart Pop)
(not in any particular order)
01) Amerie – “1 Thing” (2005)
02) Rihanna – “Pon de Replay” (2005)
03) Lily Allen – “Knock ‘Em Out” (2006)
04) Sugababes – “Freak Like Me” (2002)
05) Beyoncé ft Jay-Z – “Crazy in Love” (2003)
06) Kelis – “Trick Me” (2004)
07) Amy Winehouse – “You Know I’m No Good” (2007)
08) Estelle ft Kanye West – “American Boy” (2008)
09) Rachel Stevens – “Some Girls” (2004)
10) Gwen Stefani – “What You Waiting For?” (2004)
11) Gorillaz – “Clint Eastwood” (2001)
12) Outkast – “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” (2000)
13) Natasha ft Clipse – “So Sick” (2007)
14) Kanye West ft Jamie Foxx – “Gold Digger” (2005)
15) Jamelia – “Beware of the Dog” (2006)
16) Lady Gaga – “Poker Face” (2008)
17) Nelly Furtado – “Say It Right” (2006)
18) Leona Lewis – “Bleeding Love” (2008)
19) Jordin Sparks ft Chris Brown – “No Air” (2008)
20) Gnarls Barkley – “Crazy” (2006)
21) Destiny’s Child – “Say My Name” (2000)
22) Taylor Swift – “Should’ve Said No” (2008)
23) KT Tunstall – “Other Side of the World” (2005)
24) Jay-Z ft Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind” (2009)
25) Richard X ft Kelis – “Finest Dreams” (2003)
Look, Sally, Look 