Best album in the decade 2000-2009
Wednesday, 19 May, 2010
Maybe I mistake most important album with most important band.
Maybe the album isn’t even their major masterpiece, that one was released in the 90ies.
Maybe half of you who read this disagree, but my choice is far that controversial as the release of the album.
To me it is a “safe choice”. Maybe many of us are wrong, when we pick an album of the last decade so close after leaving the former decade.
But this album is a landmark. Their so-called masterpiece from ’97 promised an inheritor to U2. Not extrovert, rather introvert and sneering. And while Ok Computer is facing backwards, Kid A is forward-looking into the new decade, maybe even century.
I met with a couple of guys, just the same from the previous “Night before New Years Eve”, and we played two songs from albums within three categories:
As introduced above I chose Radiohead “Kid A” from a musical perspective. My friends chose the following albums:
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Scott Walker – The Drift
Elbow – Asleep in the Back
Modest Mouse – Moon & Antarctica
Eels – Blinking Lights and other Revelations
The National – Alligator
Battles – Mirrored
Kevin Drumm – Sheer Mellish Miasma
From the personal perspective I have been very fond of Thee Silver Mt Zion. But if I should bring out an album that has meant the most to me I’d say Man’sbestfriend “New Human is Illegal”. The poetry, the aggression, the samples, the humor, everything is just a perfect ‘unit’. My friends chose:
- Ilyas Ahmed – Between Two Skies / Towards the Night
Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights
Sigur Ros – ()
Christian Kjellvander – Songs from a two-room chapel
Beirut – Gulag Orkestar
The National – Alligator
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – More Revery
In the last category I and one other chose Efterklang “Tripper” to be the best album from Denmark in the same decade. Other picks were:
- Manual – Azure Vista
Moi Caprice – The Art of Kissing Properly
Tiger Tunes – Absolutely Worthless Compared To Important Books
Decorate Decorate – Normandie
Speaker Bite Me – If Love is Missin It must be Imposed
Mikael Simpson – Bsider, udtag og meget triste radiomix
Oh my a lot of albums have not even been mentioned above. But if you like some of the choices above, do check out Pitchfork > P2K. Maybe you find your own favourite there.
The year 2007: Let’s dance to…!
Wednesday, 31 December, 2008
I bought more than 40 albums this year. This is a lot thinking 40 of them were from 2007. I started to buy “New and Used” at Amazon UK. There should go more than 1½ year before customs duty got some of my packaging. Well, the two albums were still cheaper including the tariff than buying it in a Danish store.
A lot of interesting things came out and I did go to a lot of concerts. Some great, some hilarious funny. Especially the Cradle of Filth concert at Amager Bio had this stupid, but funny, show on the scene. More of that, please!
The top 5 songs this year were:
Battles – Atlas (Warp Records)
Akron/Family – Ed is a portal (Young God records)
Of Montreal – The past is a grotesque animal (Polyvinyl Record Company)
Iron & Wine – Ressurection Fern (Sub Pop Records)
The Wombats – Let’s dance to joy division (14th Floor Records)
I’ve had my difficulties with “Shepherds dog” by Iron & Wine. Boy with a coin is beautiful, but getting behind these surreal texts and up-tempo songs was not easy for me. A paradox having theses troubles, as I about two years earlier would have left the record in the ditch.
The Wombats made a one hit wonder. I loved it, not much else to say about this. But there is a lot more to say about Battles. I’ve heard their EPs without being especially impressed. But “Mirrored” came with a tune that had a lot of soul on top and underneath their technical brilliance. Actually a shocking album to me, as I thought they were playing music with a new and fresh approach.
Of Montreal made several monster tracks on the album “Hissing Fauna, are you the destroyer”. I don’t really get the band and must admit that the other albums are not anything for me.
Akron/ Family is also a strange appearance. But the album has a joy and playful tune. Ed is a Portal is a fun and loveable track.
Regarding the “Night before New Years Eve” Jesper didn’t make the cut and no new one came in. The joker of the year was “best non-album” track giving the ability to put more attention on remixes, b-sides and the like. A lot of EPs was played. I did too. Mansbestfriend made an EP of outtakes from “Poly.sci.187”. It had lyrics and led the thoughts back to the amazing “New human is illegal” from 2004. I can’t get the original copy, is that non-album irony.