Favorite Albums of the Twenty-Oughts (just in case we don’t make it)
26. As Heard On Radio Soulwax, Pt. 1 - 2 Many DJ’s (2002)
I’m sure I’m not alone in never even hearing of a mash-up before the 2000s began. But for better or worse, that has changed. Without 2 Many DJ’s, we could remove “better or” from the previous sentence. As Heard On Radio Soulwax, Pt. 1 teaches us that ‘Genie in a Bottle’ can be superimposed on top of the Strokes’ ‘Hard To Explain,’ as well as Destiny’s Child on ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ Only, for the result to be flawless instead of hideous, these two Belgian brothers have to be on the controls.
27. The Argument - Fugazi (2001)
The Argument marked the end of the road for Fugazi, but - more importantly - it remains their best full album. Normally when I disagree with a band with prominent politics, it’s in spite of the fact. Fugazi are a strange reversal of this rule. Their swansong shows the band in their best possible light, with their excesses pulled in to serve the purpose of the song. ‘Ex-Spectator’ is the best-executed song Fugazi recorded since their first EPs. ‘The Kill’ is the slowest anthemic song I know. And there’s no reluctance to embrace delicious backing vocals and clean guitars.
28. Quicksand/Cradlesnakes - Califone (2003)
Pull the mattress out the window and get ready to feel like you were born and raised in Kentucky. There are no shoelaces on this album’s shoes, and likely no underwear beneath its jeans. ‘Horoscopic Amputation Honey’ has the most pleasing paired chords in recent memory. ‘Your Golden Ass’ is the ominous Appalachian guitar stomp of apocalyptic paranoia. Califone proves that we all need more Red Red Meat in our musical diets.
29. Change - Dismemberment Plan (2001)
“I’m an Old Testament type of guy/ I like my coffee black/ and my parole denied/ yeah.” Hard-edged and soft-in-the-center. A letter of resignation in neon lights. This album pulls at me from different directions, and not gently. And plus it sounds great: sharp shimmering guitars sparkling over a deep-bass bounce. For all but masochistic occasions, Change is the better choice than Emergency & I… in addition to it being actually recommendable.
30. Magnolia Electric Co. - Songs: Ohia (2003)
Songs: Ohia’s final LP is a wise old owl of an album. The music feels so natural and the lyrics so vivid, they seem to have existed before being written. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find more earnest singing. It’s no wonder then that the result is so stirring. Understanding that there’s no malice in the lyrics “I’ll streak his blood across my beak/ dust my feathers with his ash” gets you close to the heart of the album. Still, “The real truth about it is/ no one gets it right/ The real truth about it is/ we’re all supposed to try.”
I’m sure I’m not alone in never even hearing of a mash-up before the 2000s began. But for better or worse, that has changed. Without 2 Many DJ’s, we could remove “better or” from the previous sentence. As Heard On Radio Soulwax, Pt. 1 teaches us that ‘Genie in a Bottle’ can be superimposed on top of the Strokes’ ‘Hard To Explain,’ as well as Destiny’s Child on ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ Only, for the result to be flawless instead of hideous, these two Belgian brothers have to be on the controls.
27. The Argument - Fugazi (2001)
The Argument marked the end of the road for Fugazi, but - more importantly - it remains their best full album. Normally when I disagree with a band with prominent politics, it’s in spite of the fact. Fugazi are a strange reversal of this rule. Their swansong shows the band in their best possible light, with their excesses pulled in to serve the purpose of the song. ‘Ex-Spectator’ is the best-executed song Fugazi recorded since their first EPs. ‘The Kill’ is the slowest anthemic song I know. And there’s no reluctance to embrace delicious backing vocals and clean guitars.
28. Quicksand/Cradlesnakes - Califone (2003)
Pull the mattress out the window and get ready to feel like you were born and raised in Kentucky. There are no shoelaces on this album’s shoes, and likely no underwear beneath its jeans. ‘Horoscopic Amputation Honey’ has the most pleasing paired chords in recent memory. ‘Your Golden Ass’ is the ominous Appalachian guitar stomp of apocalyptic paranoia. Califone proves that we all need more Red Red Meat in our musical diets.
29. Change - Dismemberment Plan (2001)
“I’m an Old Testament type of guy/ I like my coffee black/ and my parole denied/ yeah.” Hard-edged and soft-in-the-center. A letter of resignation in neon lights. This album pulls at me from different directions, and not gently. And plus it sounds great: sharp shimmering guitars sparkling over a deep-bass bounce. For all but masochistic occasions, Change is the better choice than Emergency & I… in addition to it being actually recommendable.
30. Magnolia Electric Co. - Songs: Ohia (2003)
Songs: Ohia’s final LP is a wise old owl of an album. The music feels so natural and the lyrics so vivid, they seem to have existed before being written. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find more earnest singing. It’s no wonder then that the result is so stirring. Understanding that there’s no malice in the lyrics “I’ll streak his blood across my beak/ dust my feathers with his ash” gets you close to the heart of the album. Still, “The real truth about it is/ no one gets it right/ The real truth about it is/ we’re all supposed to try.”