Best Albums of the 00s?

[pattentank24]

OH Goodie an best album list that contains LIVE albums oh that makes sense
String Cheese Incident WOW!
How about all 45 volumes of the Phish bootlegs at least the Pearljam albums are pretty good though

Rate Your Music was much more interesting as I checked the U2 "How To Dismantle" review and found such opened minded intellegent reviews such as

"It's Fucking Crap just like everything post Unforgetable Fire"

Hey at least I got a laugh out of both sites

[maarts]

maarts' brainstorms over the pitchforklist...

The Pitchforklist is unusually demure, I must say. It's the usual whimsical guitarcombos with a bit of an angular twist to it, buffed up with bouts of hiphop and yer cast of unusual individuals howling to the moon. But to put that terrible toaster Jay-Z on 2 and The Streets, which is not more than a bad scally-act in Reeboks with a DJ on 10, what's the plan with that? Daft Punk's Discovery, which was a mile backwards from Homework on 12? I second the call for Amnesiac as a weaker companion to the mighty Kid A and certainly not over Hail To The Thief. The Fiery Furnaces are just below my tolerancelevel (only surpassed by Joanna Newsom's solo-'effort'), Missy Elliott certainly was more down-pat with Under Construction that anything Ghostface could throw up and he still scored above her....what the hell does Tv On The Radio's Young Liars EP on 46 whilst Desperate Babes is by far the more balanced and less angsty effort? Godspeed (41) should have been top ten, thank God that Pitchfork has the good sense to list the utterly brilliant 2Many DJs on 68, Basement Jaxx (65-66) are utterly crap, Cat Power's You Are Free (63) should've been replaced by Moon Pix and there are too many of these fey-kinda indie-guitarbands with one-syllable names in this list...seemingly nothing heavier than 95 dB too so my conclusion is that Pitchfork have lost their balls, I'm afraid.

[ScottsyII]

Well stated Maarts! I am afraid that list read far too all over the place for my liking and almost reeked of "If we write this we will appeal to a whole wide gorup of readers" syndrome... I can't seem to summon up the zeal for that list or for pitchfork itself lately... I only like to read it when they completely bag out an album now, it's kinda fun reading, even if it is an unfair review that I disagree with. It's one of the only time they get honest... when they really tear apart something without hitting the poser buttons. Lately have been noticing that most of their reviews hover around the 7 out of ten mark too... seems almost arbitary to throw that rating on something they are indifferent to but don't want to alientate readers over...

[maarts]

I used to think that the Pitchfork-writerstaff was more diverse than the sum of this product. Look, it's their choice and I can't really blame them for liking what they like but whilst there's heaps of great music being made, Pitchfork has managed to whittle it down to college indie, college-hiphop and the alternative folkie-circuit. Outside of Fugazi, Boredoms and Lightning Bolt (never heard anything by them, only read about their not-being-onstage-live-antics), there's hardly any solid guitarhell on that list. No industrial, which was their hobbyhorse for so long? No punk/core/metal or electro?
I don't think it's a particular 'appealing to someone's taste'-list, it's a tally of preferential votes as cast by the writers. The list does read like a 'oh coooooll, look what we're into'-kind of affair but I say that's what Pitchfork has morphed into. And yeah, you can bounce like a rubber ball against a wall when you read this list but I remember when submitting lists for the former RS-boards and seeing how most of my top selections never made the top 100 of any tally as I seemingly am like a nomad in the desert, shouting in against the wind...now who's being hypocritically 'cool'?

Pitchfork's reviews are terrible, hideously written. I just shudder at lines like:

"This record is full of moments that sound ridiculous when taken out of context, the kinds of flourishes that never should have flown in our cynical 00's"...

"Remember, how you say, "dancepunk"? That was cute, huh? Gawd! We're so over that, right? Dancepunk is dead! Long-live freakfolk! "

"The critical schism between gang-bangers and backpackers, if you believe the propaganda, seems to be to pit monosyllabic street smarts against smart-ass book learnin'" (I read that sentence 3 times and I still can't the gist of this....a prime WTF-moment)
"

[ScottsyII]

but I remember when submitting lists for the former RS-boards and seeing how most of my top selections never made the top 100 of any tally as I seemingly am like a nomad in the desert, shouting in against the wind...now who's being hypocritically 'cool'?

You echo my feelings so well on that one! I am sure a good 90% of my posts go past quite a few people... mainly because I like alot of local stuff, which I *try* not to alienate people too much by ranting about...lol... but I often find myself feeling rather "nomadic" too.

I used to have a bit of a code when buying music, and for some years it was very much an "if they play it on Triple J or review it on pitchfork or if someone from the boards says it's cool in an underground - ish sort of way" sorta code... Now I can't say i have completely diteched that way of looking at things or buying music... but if you look at my choices for my best albums of last yearquite alot of it didn't fall into any of the above categories, so to a degree, think I am flying the ship myself now, and making choices much less influenced by others... and you know what?! I'm finding what I buy enjoy more anyways, I'm not buying things like "Relationship of Command" or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" which i ran out to get because all of my sources recommended it...

Those are two albums that sorta let me down on first pla after so much hype.

I've become more wise and discerning now, i think it comes with knowing myself and my tastes and how they are evolving better than i did before.

[Philemon]

Should I buy The Strokes' Is This It ?

It was released in the 00's, right ??

[ScottsyII]

I liked it enough to listen to every now and again but right now its a bit of a dust collector...lol! Fun album but one of my more "influenced" than spirited orinspired purchases... but hey that's just me! It's a good fun rock and roll record, basic and fun!

[pissin2]

no, don't buy the strokes. why would you even think that would be a good thing?

[luke]

The Strokes are awesome. Way awesome. But not for Phil, no, I don't see how that could work.

[strawman]

got to agree with luke...The strokes are OK..just seems like its "de riguer" to dislike them now....fuck it, I liked the simple rock then of Is This It...and guess what...I still like it. I can't say I've given their latest due consideration, one day I'll play it a bit more...it just seemed same old, same old...

As for any top 100 lists...it's really only top 100 relatively mainstream top 100 after all...if the album never got a release in say the US...pitchfork, RS or anyone are not going to rate it....FWIW, any top 100 post 2000 that excludes Giant Spheres by Sleepers Union is just wrong....

yeah now if Pitchfork cast its net a little wider even I might be impressed by their diversity...however....hey I get to hear their mainstream indie...as well as the NZ indie, so I do feel qualified to comment....

[ScottsyII]

I know that bashing the Strokes has become something of an international sport, but I really just couldn't get into them. Their album was nice to listen to for a few times and then it all just sorta started to wear off for me... I''m not into needlessly hacking into a band, especially if other people lovem 'em, but it just all became kinda neither here nor there for my ears whilst listening to the strokes...

[melon1]

The Strokes rule! Especially "Automatic Stop"

[Adam]

I prefer the Room on Fire album over Is This It but, whatever works...

[luke]

I'm also one of the few who prefers Room on Fire. But yeah, whatever works.

I'm going to give this a shot, but I'm sure this list will be desperately lacking some of my favorite albums. Eh well. Just hungover entertainment on a Saturday morning...

The Strokes- Is This It
The Strokes- Room on Fire
Ours- Precious Lullabies
Red Hot Chili Peppers- By the Way
Tool- Lateralus
Radiohead- Hail to the Thief
Local H- Whatever Happened to PJ Soles?
Local H- Pack Up The Cats
Stone Temple Pilots- Shangri La Di Da
Bjork- Vespertine
At the Drive In- Relationship of Command
Mars Volta- De-Loused in the Comatorium
Broken Social Scene- You Forgot It In People
Slayer- God Hates Us All
The Roots- Phrenology
Beck- Sea Change
The Darkness- Permission to Land
Ugly Cassanova- Sharpen Your Teeth
Modest Mouse- The Moon and Antactica
ZWAN
Primal Scream- XTMNTR
Pete Yorn- musicforthemorningafter
The Killers- Hot Fuss
Franz Ferdinand
Velvet Revolver- Contraband
New Order- Get Ready

Okay, that got really boring. Think I'm going back to bed...

[Kensterberg]

Best albums of the nuthin's … well, here’s 33 “rock and roll” albums that I think are pretty good and that were recorded/released in this decade … includes live recordings.

1. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Rising.
2. Bob Dylan, Love and Theft.
3. Joe Strummer, Streetcore.
4. U2, All That You Can't Leave Behind.
5. U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
6. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
7. O Brother Where Art Thou (Original Soundtrack)
8. Brian Wilson, Smile.
9. Pearl Jam, Live in Milan.
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers, By the Way.
11. R.E.M., Reveal.
12. Radiohead, Hail to the Thief.
13. David Bowie, Reality
14. David Bowie, Heathen.
15. Elvis Costello, When I Was Cruel.
16. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Live in NYC.
17. Pearl Jam, Binaural.
18. Paul Westerberg, Come Feel Me Tremble.
19. Paul Westerberg/Grandpaboy, Stereo/Mono.
20. Paul Westerberg, Folker.
21. Grandpaboy (Paul Westerberg), Dead Man Shake.
22. Sleater-Kinney, One Beat.
23. The Strokes, Is This It?
24. Peter Gabriel, Up.
25. Radiohead, I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings.
26. New Order, Get Ready.
27. Joe Strummer, Global A Go-Go.
28. Billy Bragg and Wilco, Mermaid Avenue Vol. 2.
29. Midnight Oil, Capricornia.
30. Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head.
31. Paul Weller, Days of Speed (live).
32. British Sea Power, The Decline of British Sea Power.
33. Tom Petty, The Last DJ.