5 Great Albums of the Decade.
Its human nature to try and quantify things, so often we talk of films, actors, TV shows and attempt to fit them into an empirical structure. But If I’ve learnt anything in these fledging years of the internet it is the risk of making a list which toys with the subjective, as you the reader have the ability and the right to hurl abuse at me from the anonymity of your internet persona. So in an act of fairness (cowardice) I’m not going to preach to you a list of the top 5 albums this decade in order, or even try to pretend that this list is anything but a spur of the moment musing. All I will say is that I have attempted here to bring a broad range of music from the decade that summarises its sound, these are not the 5 best perhaps but they are 5 greats that deserve to be remembered beyond the Noughties.
The Avalanches ‘Since I left You’ (2000)
I’ve decided to start this list naturally, at the beginning of the decade, but with a reasonably obscure choice. This Australian electronic outfit are probably best remembered for their zany, comedic effort ‘Frontier Psychiatrist.’ A song which received significant airplay in the wake of this album, causing many to pigeonhole the group as one-hit wonder jokers. But such a judgement is to be made at your peril as one listen to this album reveals a complex electronic masterpiece using a diversity of samples and a neo-psychedelic overtone. The Avalanches here demonstrate a masterful control of melody and mixing.
The Strokes ‘Is This it’ (2001)
Some will speak of this debut from these New York rockers as the beginning of a new era of rock and roll. With their garage sound and post-punk revival elements the Strokes received messianic praise as the saviours of a music scene that had seemed to lose its way (think Limp Bizkit). Hailing from that artistic hotbed that is The Big Apple the band drew comparisons to other musical revolutionaries like the New York Dolls, or The Velvet Underground. Indeed, in the wake of this great album rock music has returned to comfortable stripped down style (in Britain at least), and this album can be seen as an integral part of the foundation, with its DIY style and nihilistic vibe ‘Is This It’ is an album which never gets tiresome and doesn’t fail to live up to its hype.
Burial, ‘Burial’ (2006)
Dubstep is something of an enigma, a breakaway from the UK garage scene of the previous decade it emphasised the darker elements of baseline in dance music. The enigmatic conundrum arises from the popularity of this avant-garde movement in the UK scene. Many are quick to dismiss the genre as the emperor’s new clothes, a faddish culture developed out of mere necessity to be different. But take one listen to this eponymous debut from this East London pioneer and the musical genius of dubstep is instantly tangible. The dark elements and intense baselines remain coherent throughout unlike some predecessors in the genre. Artists like Burial have elevated this style into the critical mainstream, and created the 21st century version of music to scare your parents.
Outkast ‘Stankonia’ (2000)
It seems that in a decade where the charts have been dominated by R & B and Hip Hop numbers it would be ridiculous to turn a blind eye to it on this list. Yes in the realm of music snobbery it may be fashionable to dismiss it. But in this album Andre 3000 and Big Boi produce a diversity of soundscape that makes it unfair to consign it to one genre. Drawing influence from a wide range the album produced classics with polar opposite sounds such as the distinctly Hip-Hop chart topper ‘Ms. Jackson’ or the Fast-paced dance like ‘B.O.B' a necessary listen for any musical epicurean. A demonstration of Hip Hop at its intellectual well constructed finest, as good as what A Tribe Called Quest did for rap in the 90's.
Radiohead, ‘In Rainbows’ (2007)
Yes, I am aware to some that it may seem lazy to end this brief summary of what the decade has to offer with a Radiohead album. Almost every critic everywhere waxes lyrical about this group that it is probably much more enjoyable to read a negative portrayal of their contributions to music. But I’ve decided to bore you anyway. ‘In Rainbows’ deserves a place in a great albums list not just because of the musical content (which is a solid 9.5/10), but also because of the iconic way Radiohead independently released it and asked fans to pay whatever they deemed fit for the album, a revolutionary take on the current music industry predicament and the download culture. Musically the album is exceptional, with a development on the decades earlier classic ‘Kid A’ fusing electronic music with rock seamlessly and with noble beauty. In Rainbows is a must for music fans everywhere.
The Avalanches ‘Since I left You’ (2000)
I’ve decided to start this list naturally, at the beginning of the decade, but with a reasonably obscure choice. This Australian electronic outfit are probably best remembered for their zany, comedic effort ‘Frontier Psychiatrist.’ A song which received significant airplay in the wake of this album, causing many to pigeonhole the group as one-hit wonder jokers. But such a judgement is to be made at your peril as one listen to this album reveals a complex electronic masterpiece using a diversity of samples and a neo-psychedelic overtone. The Avalanches here demonstrate a masterful control of melody and mixing.
The Strokes ‘Is This it’ (2001)
Some will speak of this debut from these New York rockers as the beginning of a new era of rock and roll. With their garage sound and post-punk revival elements the Strokes received messianic praise as the saviours of a music scene that had seemed to lose its way (think Limp Bizkit). Hailing from that artistic hotbed that is The Big Apple the band drew comparisons to other musical revolutionaries like the New York Dolls, or The Velvet Underground. Indeed, in the wake of this great album rock music has returned to comfortable stripped down style (in Britain at least), and this album can be seen as an integral part of the foundation, with its DIY style and nihilistic vibe ‘Is This It’ is an album which never gets tiresome and doesn’t fail to live up to its hype.
Burial, ‘Burial’ (2006)
Dubstep is something of an enigma, a breakaway from the UK garage scene of the previous decade it emphasised the darker elements of baseline in dance music. The enigmatic conundrum arises from the popularity of this avant-garde movement in the UK scene. Many are quick to dismiss the genre as the emperor’s new clothes, a faddish culture developed out of mere necessity to be different. But take one listen to this eponymous debut from this East London pioneer and the musical genius of dubstep is instantly tangible. The dark elements and intense baselines remain coherent throughout unlike some predecessors in the genre. Artists like Burial have elevated this style into the critical mainstream, and created the 21st century version of music to scare your parents.
Outkast ‘Stankonia’ (2000)
It seems that in a decade where the charts have been dominated by R & B and Hip Hop numbers it would be ridiculous to turn a blind eye to it on this list. Yes in the realm of music snobbery it may be fashionable to dismiss it. But in this album Andre 3000 and Big Boi produce a diversity of soundscape that makes it unfair to consign it to one genre. Drawing influence from a wide range the album produced classics with polar opposite sounds such as the distinctly Hip-Hop chart topper ‘Ms. Jackson’ or the Fast-paced dance like ‘B.O.B' a necessary listen for any musical epicurean. A demonstration of Hip Hop at its intellectual well constructed finest, as good as what A Tribe Called Quest did for rap in the 90's.
Radiohead, ‘In Rainbows’ (2007)
Yes, I am aware to some that it may seem lazy to end this brief summary of what the decade has to offer with a Radiohead album. Almost every critic everywhere waxes lyrical about this group that it is probably much more enjoyable to read a negative portrayal of their contributions to music. But I’ve decided to bore you anyway. ‘In Rainbows’ deserves a place in a great albums list not just because of the musical content (which is a solid 9.5/10), but also because of the iconic way Radiohead independently released it and asked fans to pay whatever they deemed fit for the album, a revolutionary take on the current music industry predicament and the download culture. Musically the album is exceptional, with a development on the decades earlier classic ‘Kid A’ fusing electronic music with rock seamlessly and with noble beauty. In Rainbows is a must for music fans everywhere.
