a favourite album for every year of this decade
Continuing a favorite album for every year of my life, here are my picks for this decade:
- 2000: Kid A, Radiohead
- 2001: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, Lovage
- 2002: The Eminem Show
- 2003: Mit Gas, Tomahawk
- 2004: Medulla, Bjork
- 2005: General Patton vs the X-Ecutioners
- 2006: The Eraser, Thom Yorke
- 2007: Six Litanies for Heliogabalus, Moonchild Trio
- 2008: Xaphan, Secret Chiefs 3
- 2009: Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Tori Amos
It seems like a strong list, but…
The repeats start to set in now. Four albums with significant contributions by Mike Patton (adding to the three from prior decades), with another that he guests on (though those two songs are probably the weakest on the album), and another album that I am listening to because its creators have a relationship with him. Two albums by Thom Yorke (and I’m not a Radiohead fan!). Another Tori album to join the one I picked from the 90s.
The selections are not backed up by possibility either. When I look at albums from this decade, I’m only looking at albums I bought, because I bought everything I thought was good enough (and more than a few that weren’t). The pool is small, the competition low. Every year had a clear winner except 2002, in which I had to pick Eminem over () by Sigur Ros.
We have my first black band here, the X-Ecutioners, bought only because of my Patton obsession; and another two women. Cultural diversity is not me.
Yet there is a sign that my musical taste isn’t hopelessly finished, nor the 2000s fully explored. I was only introduced to 2000 album Deltron 3030 a few months ago, in a comparison made by Sean Witzke in his review of Year Zero by NIN. I listened to it and dismissed it. Then it started to haunt me. I accidentally queued up Madness in Media Player at work. Lines wouldn’t leave me. I listened again and again. This is a sci fi rap opera. I have fallen in love. OK, I don’t think it’s better than Kid A for 2000, but that album took time to grow on me too. OK, if I did pick it over Radiohead, I would only improve my artist originality a little, as I already have a Dan the Automater/Kid Koala album in my list, though swapping Mike Patton for Del the Funkee Homosapien would make me look less one-eared.
Given what I’ve picked, what else should I listen to?
(This is not my best of the decade post. That will have to be about individual songs, of which there is a much greater pool to draw on. Expect it when you see it.)
By Patrick, 10 hours, 12 minutes after the fact
Good list, I’d ranked the Lovage album in my top five for the whole decade, really amazing, moody album. As for recommendations, considering the list I assume you checked it out, but if you haven’t, definitely look at Automator’s second Handsome Boy Modeling School album, with Del, Patton and a whole bunch of other guests.
By David Golding, 16 hours, 26 minutes after the fact
I listened to White People when it came out, but didn’t think much of it. Maybe I’ll give it another listen.
By plok, 1 day, 14 hours after the fact
Those lines won’t leave me either! And so I had to write more on them…one of these days I’ll be finished.
I all but stopped being an active music listener for about a decade, maybe more. The reasons were complex, and in large part they still hold…but I’m starting to relax back into music again. Maybe it’s in the same way that reading blogs got me back in an active comics-buying groove, they also got me sampling music more actively again.
Therefore I conclude: blogs are good for the music business.
So, y’know…cue the lockdown.