Okay, so everyone I know is doing their Best Of the Decade list, or whatever. I'm not immune to being prone to self-reflection, so I dug out Ye Ol' iPod and thought -- well, shit. I'm not qualified to do a Best Of List, I'm not a musical expert, I'm just a chick that likes music and putting out the occasional blog. I'm much more album-oriented than my peers, since I didn't actually own an iPod until 2008 and still listen to that by artist or album rather than on shuffle mode. So I started thinking what my favorite albums of the last 10 years were, which ones moved me and why I thought they were superior to other albums by the same artist or in the same genre. How these things worked holistically, an an entire piece... and if I'm not careful, this could easily turn into a rant about Albums Versus Individual Songs, so here's my list.

 

My Favorite Album of the 2000's

 Bitch and Animal – Eternally Hard (2001)

Stumbled across this little gem sometime in college at the used record store, and instantly fell in love with it. I hadn’t heard of them before but was intrigued by the Righteous Babe Records logo on the album cover, and since I’m a big Ani DiFranco fan (who founded the label) I thought that it was worth trying out. I soon fell in love with the idea of two lesbians singing about politics, love and societal norms over the simple bass-and-percussion songs. My favorite track off this album is “Best Cock on the Block,” which is supposedly a subversion of many hip-hop songs about being a “playa,” and I can appreciate it for that – but I also just like listening to two chicks singing about dildos.

The Twilight Singers – Blackberry Belle (2003)

 So I went up to one of the music nerds I hang out with and asked him what would be a good album for getting in “the mood.” He immediately handed me this album, and I have to say it was a good call. The band was started by the Afghan Wigs vocalist Greg Dulli, and the album has his signature sugar-and-smoke voice over bluesy alternative rock. Blackberry Belle is decadent and dirty in its mood, like walking down the French Quarter in pre-Katrina New Orleans with a high class hooker in one hand and a bottle of cheap red wine cradled in the other. Each song is polished and vibrant, dark without being meloncholy. And under anyone else's guidance, the 70s porno guitar riffs on "Decatur" would sound cheesey, but Greg Dulli makes it sound ... well, kind of hot, actually. Definately highly reccomended.

Tori Amos – American Doll Posse (2007)

Okay, this isn’t her best album ever, and I’m a bigger fan of her earlier stuff. If we want to get right down to it, I actually have fewer “favorite” songs on this album than 2005’s Scarlet’s Walk. However, I’m a sucker for a well-conceived concept album and arguably, for an artist known for her concept albums, this record works better than anything else she’s put out this decade. Songwriting from the perspective of five female personae Amos developed based on Greek mythology, this is a heavier rock-influenced album and runs the gamut of human emotion, from wagging a finger at a certain former President in “Yo George” to street-savvy prostitution in “Teenage Hustling” to the confusion of falling out of love in “Roosterspur Bridge”. Thing about this album, is that it’s not the journey of just ONE woman, but Tori manages to retain the feel that the listener can tell which songs are by which “girls”. Somehow, they all manage to work together to make a complete whole, rather like the musical equivalent of a patchwork quilt. 

Lawrence Arms – Cocktails and Dreams (2005)

This collection of B-sides and rarities showcase the true talents of the kings of beer-belly Chicago punk, and is probably one of my favorite records ever. Lyrics exploring the self-destruction, disappointment in one’s accomplishments, and frustrated directionlessness are sung over surprisingly melodic tunes wrestled from the typical three-chord punk structure. I adopted the song "100 Resolutions" as my personal theme song as soon as the album came out and it’s by far one of my favorite tracks ever produced by these guys. The Lawrence Arms is definitely one of the most sincere bands of the decade and this album, in particularly, takes all the songs that have been scattered throughout different compilations and plops them down into one tightly-woven album.

Flogging Molly – Within a Mile of Home (2004)

Okay, for the re-emerging celt-punk movement, you can’t beat Flogging Molly on musical ability or popularity. Although much of this album put more of an emphasis on the “celt” than the “punk” side of the music, this was by far one of the more accessible records from Flogging Molly’s discography. Mid-tempo ballads like "Factory Girls" discuss the working-class side of Irish culture in a matter-of-fact way without political pretensions, while "The Queen Anne’s Revenge" is a rollicking tune about piracy and mayhem, and "Don’t Let Me Die Still Wondering" memorializes musical legend Johnny Cash. For a good introduction to the genre of celt-punk or a nice, multi-faceted record where the listener doesn't have to work too hard on detangling where punk rock and traditional Irish music meet, this is a great choice.   

Tim Armstrong – A Poet’s Life (2008)

The iconic frontman from punk band Rancid and ska heroes Operation Ivy finally released his solo album, done as a thank-you for all the support for his fans. Full of old school two-tone grooves provided by reggae band the Aggrolites and deceptively simple lyrics, this record is loose and danceable. Although A Poet’s Life has a softer feel of anything else that Armstrong’s produced in the last two decades, don’t be fooled into thinking this is Rancid-lite; in my opinion the two have a completely different vibe. This is a great album for chilling out and relaxing without the music putting you to sleep from boredom.

Silversun Pickups – Carnavas (2006)

The first full-length album from the Californian four-piece, this is one of the most critically acclaimed albums from the indie rock movement and with good reason. As soon as I popped this disc into the cd player, I fell instantly in love with their sound, which can only described as if Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins and Murray Street era Sonic Youth had forbidden love child. Time does not diminish my love for this album, nor exposure. It’s still one of my most frequently listened to albums according to iTunes and I love it as much now as I did when I first got the album in 2007. It’s no wonder that these guys are quickly becoming the poster children for the indie rock scene. 

Jack’s Mannequin – Everything In Transit (2005) 

Go ahead. Laugh. Jack’s Mannequin’s kind of viewed as a emo-pop band with pianos, but I honestly have been a fan of Andrew McMohan since I saw Something Corporate live back in 2001. Emotionally honest, hopeful but also brutally detailing toxic breakups and complex relationships, this album is a nice break from the dark-and-twisty bands or political music I usually am drawn to. And with Andrew, the piano thing is never a gimmick.  

Sleater Kinney – All Hands On the Bad One (2000)

I discovered these riot grrls just a few short years before they disbanded in 2006 back in college, but they made a distinct impression on me. Full of stripped down melodies infectious riffs and sarcastic, punchy lyrics about themselves, their scene, and society in general, each song is simultaneously bratty but thoughtfully composed. But there are also very contemplative songs beneath the sass, such as "Youth Decay," which is about the stigma of eating disorders, or "The Swimmer," a melancholy tong with lilting guitars and palpable longing vaguely reminiscent of the Cranberries and The Cure. “Was It A Lie?” remains by far one of my favorite songs of the decade, about taking our modern obsession with disasters and reality-based media too far – an especially poignant message in these days of youtube and viral videos. 

Special Mention: 

A Perfect Circle -- Thirteenth Step (2003)

I've been in love with Maynard James Keenan since I was fourteen and just starting to explore hard rock on my own. I would follow that man into any side project he did, and A Perfect Circle actually surpassed my expectations. What I like about APC over his other projects is that the group tended to be more song-oriented with solid, melodic hooks rather than the harder sounds in Tool and less abstract than Puscifer. On the whole, I think Thirteenth Step is their magnum opus;  this was a much more straight forward, melody driven album than Mer De Noms and the theme, addiction and recovery, is treated with a musical maturity that most of Maynard's other bands lack. However, they haven't totally abandoned the hard-rock asthetic, as evidenced in "Pet" and "The Outsider". After a bit of a reshuffling after Mer De Noms, the band lost two members and replaced 2 guitarists and a bassist -- and the change is at once unmistakable on Thirteenth Step and a distinct improvement. It's obvious on this album that Maynard's vocals are no longer carrying the band, and it has evolved from a side project to a full-blown, integrated band.  I had honestly wished they hadn't gone on haitus after releasing that anti-war cover album, but at least I have this jewel to remind me that at one point in time, these guys were at the top of their game.