Favorite Albums of 2000-2009: #5-1

Alright, we've finally made it to the end of my incredibly late decade-end best of list. It's been fun, but I'm glad I can finally put this all to rest. All 25 albums have been extremely important to me, but these top five are obviously the cream of the crop. These records have played a huge role in shaping and changing the way I listen to and think about music, let alone how I view life. Dramatic, much? Sure, but it's true.

I hope these especially lengthy blurbs are easy to follow and enjoyable to read. Going through them again before I post, they seem a bit scatterbrained and stupid. I apologize.

Anyway, here we go!


(5) You Forgot It in People - Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts, 2002)
You Forgot It in People is not only the album that put Broken Social Scene on the map, but it utterly blows everything else anyone in the band has ever done (and probably ever will do) out of the water. I like all three of the other BSS albums, but You Forgot It in People is just a pure behemoth of a record in every way. It is so great, that even the two or three boring moments are good. From front to back, it's hard to ignore the elements of experimentation, collaboration and outright talent. It is a huge bonus that the album sounds like it was incredibly fun to make, and seeing the band play these songs live is evidence of that. You Forgot It in People opened my mind to the repetition of a groove and made me fall in love with the concept of raw, gnarly sounds recorded and produced really well. The sounds here are so varied, between the anxious and driving "KC Accidental," the Caribbean tinged instrumental "Pacific Theme," the spacey, beautiful and utterly creepy "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" and the soft whispers of "I'm Still Your Fag" (to name a few examples). But, somehow, it all works together as one cohesive whole, and I think that is what is so impressive about it. Blah blah blah, you've all heard this album before. I'm glad that it has affected me so much and that it still sounds fresh to these ears.
Top jam: "KC Accidental"


(4) Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie (Barsuk, 2003)
I gotta say that I feel pretty lame for loving this, Death Cab's popular mid-career album, as much as I do. But, screw it. When Transatlanticism was released in the fall of 2003, everything in my life was aligned just so that it had a tremendous effect on me. That fall was a weird and transitional but really really great time for me. Most of my fondest memories are from that school year, and they are all attached to this album. That is what makes it so great. While, technically and musically speaking, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes and The Photo Album are probably better, I don't have nearly as pertinent and memorable of experiences to go along with them. That's not to say that good memories are all that Transatlanticism has to offer me anymore, as it is a damn fine album in its own right. "The New Year" is probably their second best album opener after "Title Track." "Death of an Intierior Decorator" is one of the band's most underrated jams (the bridge is one of their greatest moments ever). "We Looked Like Giants" is quite a departure, and the extended ending is another one of their more brilliant moves. The melody and lyrics on "Expo '86" are some of Ben Gibbard's absolute best. Even the ballads "Passenger Seat" and "A Lack of Color" are fantastic. Transatlanticism is full of beautiful moments, and they are all intensified by the memories connected to them. It's weird and rare and nice to have an album where the depths of emotional connection are more important than the music, but Transatlanticism still flourishes at both.
Top jam: "Expo '86"


(3) Tones of Town - Field Music (Memphis Industries, 2007)
Here's another record that timed its entrance into my life perfectly. By the spring of 2007, I had pretty much ditched my passion for overtly complex music dominated by drums and guitars for simple pop songs. Then Field Music's sophomore effort, Tones of Town, came along and amazingly merged the two worlds together. On it, the insanely talented brothers Brewis present wonderfully crafted Beatles-esque tunes with a touch of XTC (Skylarking in particular) and a whole lot of curveballs. The songs' arrangements, structures, rhythms and time signatures are all very complex, but the hooks are still prominent, and that's why Tones of Town is perfect. The guitar and bass lines are incredibly smart. the melodies and harmonies are otherworldly while maintaining catchiness and the drumming is quirky in the best way. Combine all of that with some gorgeous strings and all of those intricacies mentioned above, and you've pretty much got THE album that perfectly defines me as both a music fan and a musician.
Top jam: "Give It Lose It Take It"


(2) Discovery - Daft Punk (Virgin, 2001)
Even though I am not really interested in dancing at all anymore, Discovery is the album that first made me love to once upon a time ago. There's really nothing to say about Daft Punk's disco-house magnum opus that hasn't been said before. With it I have fond memories of dance parties both good and bad (mostly good). Every song, sound, sample, beat, miniscule detail needed to be on this album. "Aerodynamic," "Crescendolls," "High Life," "Something About Us," "Face to Face" and "Too Long" are all top highlights. The only thing is, "Digital Love" has been downgraded from my favorite song of all time to my second favorite song of all time. That's the only remotely negative thing I can say about Discovery. Perhaps it might be the most perfect album on this list of five perfect albums.
Top jam: "Digital Love"


(1) Kid A - Radiohead (Capitol, 2000)
I apologize for this obvious choice sitting in my number one spot, but every other person, magazine or blog who picked Kid A as the best album to be released between the years of 2000 and 2009 is correct. Here's the thing about it: Not only is it my favorite record from the decade, the one that I've listened to more than any other, but in my heart of hearts, I believe that it is also the most important release or even artistic statement from that time. I'm sure that by this point, all you friends are extremely sick and tired of my obsessive rambling on Radiohead. But, they deserve, and Kid A deserves it more than any other album from that decade. Now, let me talk about this music. There is not one questionable moment on this record (even though Eno-esque instrumental "Treefingers" is appropriate and weirdly gorgeous at least). The themes of fear, anxiety and alienation are just as relevant and moving as they are on OK Computer, just in a slightly different way. The band's foray into electronics and more ambient soundscapes is incredibly successful and really lends itself to the versatility of the record. "Everything in Its Right Place," "Kid A," "How to Disappear Completely," "Optimistic," "In Limbo," "Idioteque" and "Morning Bell" are the album's best tracks, and could and should all be considered some of Radiohead's absolute greatest ever. It is such a bonus that along with everything that makes the album perfect technically and musically, I also have good memories from and sentimental ties to it from high school. Anyway, to summarize: Kid A is a provocative yet awe-inspiring statement from a band that was already at the top of their game. It blows my mind that a band can make such potentially career destroying moves only to end up furthering their legacy with each release.
Top jam: "Kid A"