Culture Blues

The Best Albums of the Decade: 50-36

As pop culture aficionados, your friends at Culture Blues are not immune to the end-of-decade lists currently overwhelming the internet. As the year comes to a close, and we get progressively lazier, please enjoy Listmania, where Culture Blues ranks their favorite shit in a bunch of different categories.

In this humble editor's opinion, music is the most personal of the arts. Think about it for one second... How many times in your life have you heard someone say something like "This song is about my life, man"? We remember songs in the background of profound moments of our lives, we translate specific arrangements and  measures into feelings; it is a very unique and special thing. Obviously, making a list like this is no triviality; hours were lost in deliberation, harsh judgments were passed, and in the end a list was spawned. Although music IS a personal thing, this is NOT a personal list; we here at Culture Blues try our best to maintain our integrity (at least online) and thus have made a list of what we consider to be the cream of the crop. Please enjoy our opinions- we even provided links to songs from each of the records... Consider it a musical journey through the best albums of the Decade that effectively killed music.

 

 

If you don't get Radiohead you are going to have a hard time with this countdown (you've been warned)... The first sound you hear on Hail To The Thief is Jonny Greenwood plugging in his guitar and checking his levels. This acts as a prologue to Radiohead's sixth studio album, and it marks a return to the band's alternative influences of halcyon days. The longest Radiohead record to date, Hail To The Thief is a work of focused and refined energy; the band seems at peace with themselves on this record (like they have finally accepted being Radiohead), and it shows in their sonic palette, if not in the thematic content of their compositions. There are plenty of moments of sheer brilliance on this album, whether it be the percussion drenched and haunting There There, the monster-bass-lined, synth backed Myxomatosis, or the hypnotically beautiful time signature shifts of Go To Sleep; this record is an awesome way to start of a list of this magnitude. (GC)

 

A Paper Chase album is a dark affair. The songs are all about sex, death and the end of the world. A criminally underappreciated band, their sound infuses hard rock sensibilities with unexpected instruments and sound effects. There are violins, distress calls and creatures scuttling across floors. Front man (and accomplished freelance producer) John Congleton’s lyrics are dense and morbid, but they are also witty and hyper-literate. Now You Are One of Us represents their most accessible work of the decade. With epic arrangements (You’re One of Them Aren’t You?), memorable refrains (You Will Never Take Me Alive) and some of the most beautiful discord and chaos you will ever hear (Wait Until I Get My Hands On You), this is a trip to the dark side that is worth taking over and over again. (JW)

 

These days, Danger Mouse is known as a superstar producer and the musical half of Gnarls Barkley, but there was time when he was nowhere near the radar of the masses. Back at the dawn of the decade, Danger Mouse was struggling -like all up-and-comers- to make his mark and get some heat; but that all changed in 2004 when he effectively invented a sub-genre with his seminal remix project The Grey Album. A true testament to technology, this record not only made the term "mashup" common parlance, but it also brought together two ENORMOUS musical entities (The Beatles and Jay-Z), in a fashion which brought them both exposure to different generations and audiences. I defy you to give these versions of 99 Problems or Change Clothes a listen, and not nod your head in both approval, and agreement. (GC)

 

Indie hip-hop mogul El-P makes dense, meandering music not fit for mass consumption, but I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is a masterpiece. Its cyberpunk vibe suits his music, which is captivating even when it doesn’t make sense. The production is flawless; from the booming drums of Up All Night to the slow build of The League of Extraordinary Nobodies. Lyrics run the gamut from unrelenting wordplay (Drive) to (relatively) straightforward storytelling (the sci-fi Habeas Corpses). El-P doesn’t release much solo material; fortunately, this album was well worth the wait. (JW)

 

Unless you have been to Williamsburg, Brooklyn on a Friday night, it may be hard for you to understand the relevance of MGMT. Of course, chances are quite high that you're already a fan of one of their infectious singles, Time To Pretend or Kids, you just didn't know they wrote them. MGMT is a neo-pyschedlic outfit that consists of two (no-doubt) often inebriated dudes (Ben Goldwasser, Andre VanWyngarden), who dropped one of the most fun and ass-shaking records of the entire decade. Oracular Spectacular is a blast of indie dance, synthpop, folktronica that will have you smiling, gyrating, and tapping your feet; the sound is joyous, refreshing... and no doubt laced with something. This record is perfect for parties, orgies, or anything where people want to bounce around and look like idiots (oh, I mean, dance). (GC)

 

Erykah Badu has always been a bit of a psycho. On her fourth album, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), she decided to fully embrace that fact, and the results are spectacular. The album cover alone gives it a place on this list-perhaps the best of the decade. The songs are eccentric and eclectic from the beginning; the downright bizarre opener, Amerykahn Promise, is a classic funk song straight out of a Blaxploitation movie. The songs take strange turns, often turning into completely different songs. The Cell ends with eight lines sung a cappella which are repeated so many times that it's comical. On Me, she is as autobiographical as it gets, singing "Had two babies different dudes/And for them both my love was true" and "This year I turned 36/Damn it seems it came so quick/My ass and legs have gotten thick yea/It's all me". The majority of the rest of the album is political; a particular highlight is Soldier, which deserved to be a hit of Umbrella proportions. She sums up the state of the nation with lines like "To the girls on prescription pills/I know how ya feel/To my boys in Iraqi fields/This ain't no time to kill". This album is exciting and fresh and shows Erykah Badu's true caliber as an artist. (BM)

 

It has come to my attention that people out there in the world like to dance. Whether you're on the dance-floors of Europe, South America, Asia, or here in the lower 48, you're all brought together as one by a pulsing beat and the unstoppable urge to shake your ass. In most cases (modern and avant-garde disciplines aside), dancing requires music, and it would be highly beneficial to all parties involved if said music is not just appropriate, but awesome as well (think about the reaction you would get if you played Seasons of the Abyss on a Friday Night at Webster hall). Sound of Silver is a dance-punk gem crafted by James Murphy, who deftly mixes all of his influences with a lack of self-consciousness that is enlivening, and gladdening. There is a bit of Eno, a touch of The Underground, and the obligatory dashes of New Wave; it all blends together into a dance record full of instant can't-get-them out-of-your-head classics like Someone Great, and All My Friends. (GC)

How many classic soul/jazz vibe-records did you hear on the radio prior to the release of Back To Black? I know it's an odd question, but I ask it to make a point: in a decade laden with interchangeable female popstars, and equally forgettable records, Amy Winehouse's second release was like a piece of alien, sparkling, wonder. Back To Black is a record from another time; with it's vintage production style, fearless song writing, and Winehouses's amazingly evocative singing, this record streaked to the top of charts around the world, and brazenly showed off the merits of "throwing back" every now and again. Critically acclaimed (B.T.B tied the record for most Grammys by a female performer with 5), this record was the best selling release of 2007, and ranked in the top ten of 2008 on the strength of chart-toppers like Tears Dry On Their Own , No Good (my favorite track on the record), and her MEGA HIT, Rehab. (GC)

 

Billy Joe must have sixteen year-old boys brought to him on a bi-annual basis for a twilight-zone-like, youth-stealing/inspiration ceremony. A full decade after conquering the world with the release of 90s landmark Dookie, Billy Joe accomplished the practically impossible feat of assuming the voice of a second generation of young people. American Idiot is a rock-opera about growing up in a Bush-Cheney era U.S., with the prospects of war and recession on the horizon. With its seemingly endless string of popular cuts, "American Idiot" was an inescapable force in the summer of 2004; the radio was trumpeting the record with an obsessive zeal, the kids all had their newly bought black t-shirts on, and Green Day was playing to the largest crowds of their career. Is it a punk record? No. Green Day stopped being a punk band a LONG time ago. This record is a work of artistic maturity, and that growth has allowed to band to write some of their best work, i.e. their magnum opus Jesus of Suburbia, a song that they would have never been able to write in the 90s, but is clearly the bands apex. (GC)

Lil' Wayne has been in the game for longer than most people realize. Before he became President of Cash Money Records in 2005, he was the youngest member of their crew at age 15. As a member of the Hot Boys in the late 90's, Wayne was almost a gimmick; a young kid with a unique flow, contributing what he could to albums that never really caught any fire. His first solo release "The Block Is Hot" came out all the way back in 1999, and was received well by critics and the street, but it's shine was tarnished by two subsequent records that lacked luster. It wasn't until 2004, and the release of the first Tha Carter LP that he became the "Weezy" we all know today. With his now-trademark dreads, a light years worth of advancement in his rapping style, and lyrical themes, Lil' Wayne was poised and able to assume his seat as the "Hottest Rapper In The Game". Tha Carter III is the the pinnacle of Wayne's evolution; a brutally raw and air-tight record, with so many sick verses you may need some antibiotics after your first listen. There is a musical open-mindedness to this record that helps place it here on this list- how many rappers do you know that could release Phone Home, 3 Peat, and Mr. Carter all on the same record? Only one... Only one. (GC)

If your only exposure to Queens of the Stone Age has been from the mainstream media outlets, then stop reading this list and go get this record right fucking now! This album is two things without question: 1)Eclectic. Most don't know that Songs For The Deaf is a concept album which takes the listener on a roadtrip from the Mojave Desert to Los Angeles, while tuning into different radio stations along the way (S.F.T.D. sounds like three badass bands got together and made a record; each track shifts more in style than it does in genre, but all the songs work together to make a complete and unified vision). 2)Killer! This is the heaviest record on the countdown so far; some tracks just pummel your ears with distorted throbbing bass and down-strummed power chords that are rumbling with obscene amounts of low end... Their Billboard Top 20 tracks Go With The Flow and No One Knows are perfect examples of what I'm talking about. (GC)

They say that every dog has its day, and in the case of Coldplay, I suppose (sigh) that they're right. I should point out that I hate this band with a passion; I view their very existence to be an insult and attack on people with ears. That being said, this is not a list of MY favorites, this is a list of the best records of the decade, and both sales and acclaim prove that a lot of you people liked this (though I find few who will admit to it). This is the record that catapulted Coldplay from being annoying and simplistic Radiohead knockoffs, to rich and famous Radiohead knockoffs. Whether it was the cascading piano lines of Clocks, the adult comtempo boredom of In My Place, or the unbelievably plagiristic God Put A Smile Upon Your Face, there was such a positive reception to this record that now Coldplay sells out arenas all over the wold. The record is not totally banal though... I will admit that The Scientist is a completely spectacular song, worthy of all the praise that it has received. (GC)

 

Everything P.O.S. does is heavily influenced by his love of, and participation in, punk, hardcore and other rock disciplines. But make no mistake, he is a rapper. Never Better is his third, most recent and indeed best, solo album. This time the jarring, screeching guitars and distortion are complimented perfectly by a more traditional hip-hop motif. From the ferocious free association of the opening track (Let It Rattle) to the consumerism critique of the radio ready Low Light Low Life, there’s seemingly no style P.O.S. can’t handle. The album seamlessly transitions from sweeping euphoria (Purexed) to jittery anxiety (Get Smokes) and oozes the same sincerity and anger of his previous releases. As obsessed as he is with individualism, P.O.S. has finally nailed down a style that is simultaneously accessible and completely unique. (JW)

Human beings tend to like to put things into context. When Sea Change came out in 2002, most critics wrote more about how the record related to the rest of Beck's catalogue, rather than focus on the record itself. While it is fairly interesting that Beck set aside rapping and falsetto for an entire album, it isn't actually a huge departure.  His writing has always been pessimistic, and most of his albums have a miserable song or two hidden throughout (Blackhole, Ramshackle and Nobody's Fault But My Own come to mind). What is interesting is that he cut out all the filters of wit and irony that separate him, the person, from his songs. There is no doubt that he is singing about things that really happened to him. With song titles like Lonesome Tears, Lost Cause and Already Dead, this is certainly not a cheerful record. The songs, however, are beautifully written, and Nigel Godrich's simple production conjures up memories of Nick Drake, The Velvet Underground, The Zombies and Neil Young. Beck's father, David Campbell, did the orchestrations, which are particularly spectacular on Paper Tiger. This album is massively cathartic, and now, seven years later, still massively listenable. (BM)

Train of Thought represents Talib Kweli in his most pure form. Flawless lyrics and storytelling kissed with emotion and social commentary. Kweli’s partnership with producer Hi-Tek results in a focused set of bangers. From fairly straightforward rhymes of supremacy (Eternalists) to meditations on love (Love Language) to standout guest appearances (Rah Digga and Xzibit on Down for the Count), this album has a lot offer. The crowning achievement, however, is undoubtedly the bonus track. A reimagining/extension of Nina Simone’s Four Women, the nearly 7 minute long track is a love letter to weathered women and the African American oral tradition. Short on cheap sentimentality and long on vivid storytelling and raw emotion, the song is painfully beautiful and a perfect ending to a harsh yet soulful album. (JW)

Tagged as: Amy Winehouse, Beck, Coldplay, Danger Mouse, El-P, Erykah Badu, green day, Hitek, Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Lil' Wayne, MGMT, P.O.S., Paper Chase, Queens Of The Stone Age, radiohead, Reflection Eternal, Talib Kweli, The Beatles