I always post about music, if I ever post at all.
So the oughts were not an ideal decade for music. They mostly got bogged down in lame nostalgia. However, there were some great records put out in the past decade, and some of them have had a great impact on me, both as a listener and as a musician. Let's get down to the top ten...
10. Elliott Smith - Figure 8
This is one of the older records to make the list. I'm not in love with every song on the record, but I do think it was Smith's best record. His best material was on Figure 8. Even if the rest may not have been as good, a solid half of the record is fantastic, and far more mature than the whiny bitch songwriting he wallowed in before. This is one of those records I didn't know about until people accused me of ripping it off. as a teenage boy, I felt like kindred spirits with Elliott Smith. As a grown man, it brings back countless memories.
09. Spiritualized - Let It Come Down
Another imperfect record with outstanding material all over it. Some of these songs will live in my mind until the day I die. It is epic and spacey, all while genuinely emoting matters of the heart and soul.
08. Jay-Z - The Black Album
This solidified my appreciation of hip hop. I had a few old school records, but I never appreciated the artful craft of mainstream hip hop until I sank my teeth into the black album.
07. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Do you believe in love at first sound? I do. I've loved this record from the moment I put it in the player. As experimental and avant garde as it really should be, something about the music is unbelievably accessible to me. I've tried to turn friends onto it and they usually say it's just too out there for them, and I just don't get it.
06. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
This is the perfect connection between classic krautrock and modern dance music. While it may not be the only record of its kind, it's certainly the best. Oh, and did I mention there are great songs? Great songs.
05. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
As a long time Lips fan, Yoshimi hit the spot when I thought I was "over the Lips" and figured they had peaked with the soft bulletin. The combo of electronics and folky instrumentation paralleled my own experiments at the time. This record was a huge influence on the early days of Joon.
04. TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
Another early Joon influence. Barbershop electronica loop based indie rock? Yes. Very good, loopy stuff. Also, one of the most Psychedelic records I've heard from the last decade.
03. Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - s/t
Probably THE most psychedelic record from the past decade. Intended as a send up of krautrock sounds and ideas, This record really transcends genres and just sets a great, naturally spacey tone. It's the only modern electronic(?) record I can honestly say is completely timeless.
02. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Fox Trot
Shit. Don't get me started. This record may have been ground breaking and experimental when it came out, but what stands out to me is all the memories I've attached to it. I feel like I've lived out practically every song on this album. It is one of the most personal records I've ever bought and unwrapped and listened to and kept listening to for weeks on end.
01. Radiohead - Kid A
There was a time when I hated Radiohead. Actually, there were two times. The first was as a teenager who decided they were a bunch of limey poseurs trying their hand at rocking, but failing miserably. The second time was when I first heard Kid A. This record taught me something, though. I learned that change was not only good, but sometimes better. Also, it was ok to not like a record at first and just keep at it until something clicked. Kid A will go down in music history as a classic. Did you know this record won a grammy? crazy, but it's still good anyway.
Now obviously there are other great records from the last ten years, but these seemed like the most important ones to me.
10. Elliott Smith - Figure 8
This is one of the older records to make the list. I'm not in love with every song on the record, but I do think it was Smith's best record. His best material was on Figure 8. Even if the rest may not have been as good, a solid half of the record is fantastic, and far more mature than the whiny bitch songwriting he wallowed in before. This is one of those records I didn't know about until people accused me of ripping it off. as a teenage boy, I felt like kindred spirits with Elliott Smith. As a grown man, it brings back countless memories.
09. Spiritualized - Let It Come Down
Another imperfect record with outstanding material all over it. Some of these songs will live in my mind until the day I die. It is epic and spacey, all while genuinely emoting matters of the heart and soul.
08. Jay-Z - The Black Album
This solidified my appreciation of hip hop. I had a few old school records, but I never appreciated the artful craft of mainstream hip hop until I sank my teeth into the black album.
07. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Do you believe in love at first sound? I do. I've loved this record from the moment I put it in the player. As experimental and avant garde as it really should be, something about the music is unbelievably accessible to me. I've tried to turn friends onto it and they usually say it's just too out there for them, and I just don't get it.
06. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
This is the perfect connection between classic krautrock and modern dance music. While it may not be the only record of its kind, it's certainly the best. Oh, and did I mention there are great songs? Great songs.
05. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
As a long time Lips fan, Yoshimi hit the spot when I thought I was "over the Lips" and figured they had peaked with the soft bulletin. The combo of electronics and folky instrumentation paralleled my own experiments at the time. This record was a huge influence on the early days of Joon.
04. TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
Another early Joon influence. Barbershop electronica loop based indie rock? Yes. Very good, loopy stuff. Also, one of the most Psychedelic records I've heard from the last decade.
03. Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - s/t
Probably THE most psychedelic record from the past decade. Intended as a send up of krautrock sounds and ideas, This record really transcends genres and just sets a great, naturally spacey tone. It's the only modern electronic(?) record I can honestly say is completely timeless.
02. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Fox Trot
Shit. Don't get me started. This record may have been ground breaking and experimental when it came out, but what stands out to me is all the memories I've attached to it. I feel like I've lived out practically every song on this album. It is one of the most personal records I've ever bought and unwrapped and listened to and kept listening to for weeks on end.
01. Radiohead - Kid A
There was a time when I hated Radiohead. Actually, there were two times. The first was as a teenager who decided they were a bunch of limey poseurs trying their hand at rocking, but failing miserably. The second time was when I first heard Kid A. This record taught me something, though. I learned that change was not only good, but sometimes better. Also, it was ok to not like a record at first and just keep at it until something clicked. Kid A will go down in music history as a classic. Did you know this record won a grammy? crazy, but it's still good anyway.
Now obviously there are other great records from the last ten years, but these seemed like the most important ones to me.