This is a collection of 100 of my favorites spanning from Jan. 1, 2000, to Nov. 30, 2009. Some of them are just flat-out great records and a few are here because they're so special to me. From Nos. 100 through 26, we go in alphabetical order.
Ryan Adams, Gold, 2001, Lost Highway
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion, 2009, Domino
Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam, 2007, Domino
The Antlers, Hospice, 2009, Frenchkiss
Antony and the Johnsons, I Am a Bird Now, 2005, Secretly Canadian
Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine, 2005, Clean Slate/Epic
Badly Drawn Boy, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, 2000, Twisted Nerve/XL
Devendra Banhart, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, 2007, XL
Andrew Bird, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, 2005, Righteous Babe
Björk, Vespertine, 2001, Elektra
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, B.R.M.C., 2000, Virgin
Blackalicious, Blazing Arrow, 2002, Quannum
Bright Eyes, Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, 2002, Saddle Creek
Cat Power, The Greatest, 2006, Matador
Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002, Capitol
D'Angelo, Voodoo, 2000, Virgin
Dave Matthews Band, Live Trax, Vol. 7: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA December 31, 1996, 2006, RCA
Death Cab for Cutie, Plans, 2005, Atlantic
The Decemberists, Picaresque, 2005, Kill Rock Stars
Deftones, White Pony, 2000, Maverick
Steve Earle, Jerusalem, 2002, E-Squared/Artemis
Explosions in the Sky, The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place, 2003, Temporary Residence
The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, 2002, Warner Bros.
Feist, The Reminder, 2007, Cherry Tree/Interscope
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes, 2008, Sub Pop
Flogging Molly, Swagger, 2001, SideOneDummy
Gorillaz, Gorillaz, 2001, Parlophone/Virgin
David Gray, Life in Slow Motion, 2005, ATO/RCA
Green Day, American Idiot, 2004, Reprise
Iron & Wine, The Shepherd's Dog, 2007, Sub Pop
Isis, Wavering Radiant, 2009, Ipecac
Jay-Z, The Blueprint, 2001, Roc-a-Fella/Island Def Jam
John Butler Trio, Sunrise Over Sea, 2004, Jarrah/Lava/Atlantic
Jack Johnson, Brushfire Fairytales, 2000, Universal
Norah Jones, Come Away With Me, 2002, Blue Note
Kings of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak, 2005, RCA
Ray LaMontagne, Trouble, 2004, RCA
Aimee Mann, Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo, 2000, SuperEgo
The Mars Volta, De-Loused in the Comatorium, 2003, Universal
Mastodon, Crack the Skye, 2009, Reprise
John Mayer, Continuum, 2006, Aware/Columbia/Sony
Paul McCartney, Memory Almost Full, 2007, Hear Music
Metallica, Death Magnetic, 2008, Warner Bros.
Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, 2004
The National, Boxer, 2007, Beggars Banquet
Nine Inch Nails, Year Zero, 2007, Interscope
OutKast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, 2003, LaFace/Arista
Pearl Jam, Riot Act, 2002, Epic
Phish, New Year's Eve 1995 — Live at Madison Square Garden, 2005, JEMP
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, 2007, Rounder
The Promise Ring, Wood/Water, 2002, Anti
Queens of the Stone Age, Rated R, 2000, Interscope
Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Live at The Wetlands, 2002, Dare
Red Hot Chili Peppers, By the Way, 2002, Warner Bros.
R.E.M., Accelerate, 2008, Warner Bros.
Damien Rice, O, 2003, Vector
Josh Ritter, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, 2007, V2
The Roots, Phrenology, 2002, Geffen
Xavier Rudd, Food in the Belly, 2005, Anti
Jill Scott, Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, 2000, Hidden Beach
Sigur Rós, Ágætis byrjun, 2001, Fat Cat
Elliott Smith, Figure 8, 2000, Dreamworks
Bruce Springsteen, The Rising, 2002, Columbia
Sufjan Stevens, Illinois, 2005, Asthmatic Kitty
System of a Down, Toxicity, 2001, American
Tool, Lateralus, 2001, Volcano
TV on the Radio, Dear Science, 2008, Interscope
U2, All That You Can't Leave Behind, 2000, Interscope
Under Byen, Samme Stof Som Stof, 2006, Paper Bag
Various artists, O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, 2000, Mercury
M. Ward, Post-War, 2006, Merge
Kanye West, The College Dropout, 2004, Roc-a-Fella/Island Def Jam
The White Stripes, White Blood Cells, 2001, V2
Amy Winehouse, Back to Black, 2006, Universal Republic
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Live at The Fillmore East, 2006, Reprise
This is a collection of 100 of my favorites spanning from Jan. 1, 2000, to Nov. 30, 2009. Some of them are just flat-out great records and a few are here because they're so special to me. From Nos. 25 through 1, we count down to my favorite of the decade.
25. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000 [Aftermath/Interscope] — A showcase for Shady's linguistic talent, its pop culture references are dated, but the beats aren't.
24. Coldplay, Parachutes, 2000 [Capitol] — Never again would they sound this earnest.
23. Mastodon, Leviathan, 2004 [Relapse] — A metal reimagining of Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" that can be distilled down to four words: "White whale! Holy grail!"
22. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism, 2003 [Barsuk] — Ben Gibbard's lyrics match his ambition on their most polished record to date.
21. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago, 2008 [Jagjaguwar] — Melancholy falsetto blankets an album as frosty as its icy cover.
20. Pete Yorn, Musicforthemorningafter, 2001 [Columbia] — Reflective and rocking, this Jersey boy broke strongly into the big time.
19. Bob Dylan, "Love and Theft", 2001 [Columbia] — Bluesy, folksy and chock full of great songs, this set the table for his next two releases this decade.
18. Modest Mouse, The Moon and Antarctica, 2000 [Epic] — All their eccentricities packed into a somber, ambitious package.
17. The Strokes, Is This It?, 2001 [RCA] — Singularly responsible for sparking the garage rock revival and catchy as all get out.
16. Radiohead, In Rainbows, 2007 [Self-released] — British rockers show their tuneful, solemn side.
15. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend, 2008 [XL] — Being a rich college student was never so fun.
14. PJ Harvey, Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, 2000 [Island] — As vulnerable as we'd seen her, she rocks and rolls with a newfound confidence as a songwriter.
13. The National, Alligator, 2005 [Beggars Banquet] — Matt Berninger's rich tenor glides over 13 moody rockers.
12. Beck, Sea Change, 2002 [Geffen/Interscope] — Heartbroken after a breakup, it's a tender, reflective side we haven't seen before or since.
11. My Morning Jacket, It Still Moves, 2003 [ATO] — A melding of their outer-space country roots and their second reincarnation as big-time rockers.
10. Dave Matthews, Some Devil, 2003 [RCA] — Free of the band, Matthews explores a glassy, contemplative, rockier edge.
09. Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker, 2000 [Lost Highway] — Rarely has sadness sounded so comforting.
08. The White Stripes, Elephant, 2003 [V2] — The Strokes might've resurrected garage rock, but Elephant defined it.
07. Sigur Rós, ( ), 2002 [Fat Cat] — No song titles? No real lyrics? No clear album title? No problem.
06. Josh Ritter, The Animal Years, 2006 [V2] — The finest, most prose-laden slice of Americana this decade.
05. Arcade Fire, Funeral, 2004 [Merge] — Canadians emerge from the loss of family and friends with 10 incredible rock nuggets.
04. Dave Matthews Band, The Lillywhite Sessions, 2001 [Unreleased] — Officially issued a year later as Busted Stuff, these demos are the raw, unpolished gem it could've been.
03. My Morning Jacket, Z, 2005 [ATO] — Exploring new territory and psychedelia with a forceful blast of churning guitar.
02. Radiohead, Kid A, 2000 [Capitol] — Who needs guitars when your keyboard weirdness is this brilliant?
01. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2002, [Nonesuch] — And to think it almost never was released. Written before 9/11 but released after, it somehow captured exactly what we were feeling: Shaken, shattered, angry and reflective.
This marks the ninth in a 10-day series of posts on For Those About to Rock celebrating the year and the decade in film and music. Today's installment is the last of five essays during my 10-day series. It is an examination about sound quality and the so-called "loudness war" in the 2000s. Tomorrow, the 10-day series concludes with a list of my favorite albums of the decade ...
You owe it to yourself to watch the YouTube clip before you start reading. My words are good, but to truly get a handle on this somewhat nerdy and geeky subject, that helps. Plus, it does what I can't, which is give you a chance to hear the difference for yourself better than I can explain it.
Go ahead. I'll wait here.
Done?
OK.
Here's another way to look at it. Picture a glass of water. Let's say the glass is half full. That means there's room for a lot more water, right?
Now, picture the same glass three-quarters full. There isn't as much room.
The space between the water line and the top of the glass is the space where you see the difference. Think of the extra space as the crests and valleys between the louder and quieter parts on a record. If there isn't as much space to add water, you're not going to notice the difference as much. "When there's no quiet, there can be no loud," as the video states.
This is what's so bad about the "loudness war" — its effect on dynamics.
So what's the big deal? Well, if you're a music dweeb and an audiophile like me, I want to enjoy music as much as possible. I don't wanna just hear good music. I want it to sound great, too.
I'm a big audiophile geek. I have an issue with MP3s and the move toward digital downloads and digital music as the primary medium because those files are frequently one-tenth the size of a CD. The missing nine-tenths is shedding almost all of the information about the texture, timbre, tone and quality of the sound.
But that's a separate issue about the corruption of sound quality. I want to try to stay focused on the "loudness war" here.
The "loudness war," as this battle as called, reached its apex during the 2000s. For some, the first time it came on the radar was in Bob Dylan's interview with Rolling Stone magazine before the release of 2006's Modern Times.
"The records I used to listen to and still love, you can't make a record that sounds that way," he said. "I don't know anybody who's made a record that sounds decent in the past 20 years, really. You listen to these modern records, they're atrocious, they have sound all over them. There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like — static. Even these songs probably sounded 10 times better in the studio when we recorded 'em. CDs are small. There's no stature to it. I remember when that Napster guy came up across, it was like, 'Everybody's gettin' music for free.' I was like, 'Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway.'"
I know a number of people laughed and thought Dylan was an old man talking out of his keister, but I was glad someone of his stature had the nerve to finally say what I'd been hearing for years. At least since I first heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication, anyway.
It's not that the music's bad. The quality of the music isn't the issue.
The issue is how it sounds. Loudness and dynamics are not mutually exclusive and should not be confused. When you mess with the former, you ruin the latter.
Case in point:
Here's a look at Dave Matthews Band's 1996 track "Too Much" from the album Crash. The two lines are the left channel and right channel, what is heard in each ear. If you look at the top of each waveform, you'll see lots of thin, sharp strips of white space. This is where the music breathes between drummer Carter Beauford's distinct, animal attack on the kit. Compare that with ...
"Why I Am" from this year's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Comparatively, the two channels look like big walls of blue and have no space to breathe. This appearance is what mixers and audiophiles refer to as "brickwalling."
Here are some easy signs you're listening to "brickwalled" music. When you're playing a CD at home or in your car or wherever you listen to music, is there the temptation to turn it down?
This is how I first noticed there was a problem with Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. I like my music loud when I can. It's fun. It makes it an experience.
But I noticed that nearly every time "Why I Am" came on, I instinctively reached for the volume knob and turned that sucker down. That means the album was delivered at too high a volume.
Another suggestion you might be listening to an album that's been brickwalled is that you simply have to take a rest from hearing it. It's your ears sending signals to your brain that it's processing things as noise rather than music because of the lack of dynamics. It's music to your brain, but your ears are processing it as a jackhammer that won't turn off.
I experienced this phenomenon the first time I listened to The Mars Volta's 2008 album, The Bedlam in Goliath. There are some neat songs on the record. However, it took me three sittings to listen to the record for the first time. That's because my ears and my brain were exhausted. There are few quiet moments on the record anyway, but when the audio quality is wretched, that doesn't help either.
If Dylan brought the issue to the forefront, it was the release of Metallica's Death Magnetic in 2008 that made it a big story.
What raised eyebrows most of all was the fact that those who downloaded the record via the online store with the video game "Guitar Hero III" found it sounded better than the CD version. A comparison of the two using "The Day That Never Comes." Pay particular attention to the strength and snap of the drums.
The work on Death Magnetic is so bad, the individual who mastered it, Sterling Sound's Ted Jensen, said he was "not proud to be associated with this one." Ouch.
I think the loudness war is a contributor to the resurgence in LPs. Vinyl sales doubled from 2007 to 2008 and are set to increase again by around 50 percent. There is a small but dedicated group of listeners who prefer records in this fashion.
This is bit of luddite snobbery, but there is a legitimate point to be made about audio quality. Due to the physical constraints of the medium, vinyl records can't be mixed and mastered to oblivion. The size of the grooves on the records can only contain so much information for the stylus to read. An engineer can't crank the volume in the studio before it's ever pressed to a CD because the information will never fit on a vinyl disc.
This loudness war makes me worry what music will sound like in the 2010s. I fear that things could get worse for audio quality, though I don't see how. There does reach a point of diminishing returns, where pushing the collective levels any higher will overwhelm the listener with poor, distorted sound. Think of a bass speaker that's been blown out but keeps on fuzzing and bubbling each time a note's hit. No one wants to hear that.
I hope things get better because I don't just want to listen and hear beautiful songs — I want them to sound as good as they should, too.
This marks the eighth in a 10-day series of posts on For Those About to Rock celebrating the year and the decade in film and music. Today's installment is a list of my 100 favorite movies of the decade. Tomorrow, a look at audio quality and the "loudness war" ...
Movies 10 to 1
10. Waking Life [2001]
Starring Wiley Wiggins, Kim Krizan and Ethan Hawke
Directed by Richard Linklater
Wiley Wiggins plays the main character wandering through a dream-like series of conversations, dissertations and philosophy. Linklater filmed the entire picture and then digitally rotoscoped the film to make it look animated, adding to the lucid-dream effect at which the title hints. It's non-narrative, but it gives the viewer a lush palate and plenty to contemplate.
Starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen
Directed by Alexander Payne
Two college buddies reunite for a trip to Santa Barbara wine country in the week leading up to one's wedding, both guzzling wine, wooing ladies and exposing their flaws in this dark comedy misadventure. A sardonic take on the buddy picture.
Starring Ellen Page, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner
Directed by Jason Reitman
Minnesota teen Juno (Page) decides to bring her unplanned pregnancy to term and put the child up for adoption, but while growing into newer pants, she can't escape the limitations of her own age and life inexperience. First-time screenwriter Diablo Cody earned an Oscar for delivering a piece that is witty, charming and funny. The light touch makes this delightful rather than dreadful.
Starring Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet and Kirsten Dunst
Directed by Michel Gondry
Joel (Carrey) decides to have his memory wiped clean of Clementine (Winslet), but as the procedure takes place, he wishes he hadn't and desperately clings to each disappearing moment with her. Their relationship unfolds before our eyes in this piece that is unmistakably from the pen of crazy genius Charlie Kaufman.
Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie Anne-Moss and Joe Pantoliano
Directed by Christopher Nolan
A film told in reverse has Leonard (Pearce), a man incapable of making new memories, tracking down the killer of his wife in a surreal, complicated whodunnit where the viewer gets the conclusion and then finds out the why. Ambitious and intricate, "Memento" stands with "Dark Knight" as Nolan's finest.
Starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino and Seu Jorge
Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund
A western suburb of Rio de Janeiro grows into a crime-riddled slum in this gritty, riveting drama following Rocket (Rodrigues) as he struggles to find where he fits in with childhood friends who turn out to be murderous drug kingpins (Firmino, Jorge). We follow him from one dangerous turn to the next as forces far beyond his control shape his life.
Starring Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda and Lola Duenas
Directed by Alejandro Amenabar
Javier Bardem embodies Ramon Sampedro, a quadriplegic fighting for his right to be euthanized after 28 years. Despite being bedridden, the film never feels claustrophobic. Bardem is every bit as good here as he was in No Country for Old Men, somehow turning a back-and-forth debate with a quadriplegic priest about the right to live/die into a somewhat humorous tennis match. Touching on a subject many filmmakers would shy away from, Amenabar makes gold.
Starring Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo and Joaquin Phoenix
Directed by Terry George
A parable about live, war and cruelty, George's film borrows from real events in Rwanda in 1994 and digs into the viewer's psyche and survival instinct. Paul (Cheadle) resorts to bribery, blackmail and coercion to keep himself, his family and the visitors to his hotel safe to the best of his ability, fighting a race against time for a peace that seems unlikely or an escape that seems even less probable.
Starring Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis and Harvey Pekar
Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
"Splendor" is daring — it's not a traditional biopic about Harvey Pekar because it also stars him. It elevates his comic book's own self-reflection to a level just below parody, but simultaneously does the source material justice. The directors threw out the conventions of both comic-book movies and biopics to create something more distinct and satisfying.
Starring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and Giovanni Ribisi
Directed by Sofia Coppola
Inspired by real events, Sofia Coppola weaves a complicated relationship between two lonely spirits whose paths cross in a Tokyo hotel. Their lives are irrevocably changed by their chance encounter, even if we don't hear the parting advice. The scenes of Tokyo are breathtaking — Bob (Murray) and Charlotte (Johansson) are trapped in the hotel looking out on the beauty of the world, hinting at their own emotions beneath the surface about life and marriage.
Thanks for reading the previews. And now, your feature presentation ...
Movies 11 through 100 in alphabetical order
• Adaptation. starring Nicolas Cage, Tilda Swinton and Chris Cooper, dir. Spike Jonze [2002]
• Almost Famous starring Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson and Billy Crudup, dir. Cameron Crowe [2000]
• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate and Paul Rudd, dir. Adam McKay [2004]
• The Aviator starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and John C. Reilly, dir. Martin Scorsese [2004]
• Babel starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Adriana Barraza, dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu [2006]
• Best in Show starring Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, dir. Christopher Guest [2000]
• Big Fish starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney and Helena Bonham Carter, dir. Tim Burton [2003]
• Bowling for Columbine starring Michael Moore, Charlton Heston and Marilyn Manson, dir. Michael Moore [2002]
• Brokeback Mountain starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams, dir. Ang Lee [2005]
• Capote starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Kenner and Clifton Collins Jr., dir. Bennett Miller [2005]
• Cast Away starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt and Chris Noth, dir. Robert Zemeckis [2000]
• Closer starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, dir. Mike Nichols [2004]
• Coraline starring Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher and Ian McShane, dir. Henry Selick [2009]
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, dir. Ang Lee [2000]
• The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart, dir. Christopher Nolan [2008]
• Decasia: The State of Decay, dir. Bill Morrison [2002]
• The Departed starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, dir. Martin Scorsese [2006]
• Die Fälscher (aka The Counterfeiters) starring Karl Markovics, August Diehl and Devid Striesow, dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky [2007]
• Dirty Pretty Things starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou and Sophie Okonedo, dir. Stephen Frears [2002]
• Donnie Darko starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone and Drew Barrymore, dir. Richard Kelly [2001]
• Doubt starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, dir. John Patrick Stanley [2008]
• Finding Nemo starring Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres and Alexander Gould, dir. Andrew Stanton [2003]
• The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara starring Robert S. McNamara, dir. Errol Morris [2003]
• The 40-Year-Old Virgin starring Steve Carell, Catherine Keener and Paul Rudd, dir. Judd Apatow [2005]
• Frost/Nixon starring Frank Langella, Michael Sheen and Kevin Bacon, dir. Ron Howard [2008]
• Gangs of New York starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis and Cameron Diaz, dir. Martin Scorsese [2002]
• Garden State starring Zach Braff, Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard, dir. Zach Braff [2004]
• Ghost World starring Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi and Scarlett Johansson, dir. Terry Zwigoff [2001]
• Gladiator starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen, dir. Ridley Scott [2000]
• The Good Girl starring Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly, dir. Miguel Arteta [2002]
• Good Night, and Good Luck. starring David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels and George Clooney, dir. George Clooney [2005]
• Gosford Park starring Kelly MacDonald, Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren, dir. Robert Altman [2001]
• Happy-Go-Lucky starring Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan and Alexis Zegerman, dir. Mike Leigh [2008]
• High Fidelity starring John Cusack, Iben Hjejle and Jack Black, dir. Stephen Frears [2000]
• Hot Fuzz starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Jim Broadbent, dir. Edgar Wright [2007]
• The Hurt Locker starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Guy Pearce, dir. Kathryn Bigelow [2009]
• I'm Not There. starring Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere, dir. Todd Haynes [2007]
• Insomnia starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank, dir. Christopher Nolan [2002]
• Into the Wild starring Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden and Jena Malone, dir. Sean Penn [2007]
• Junebug starring Embeth Davidtz, Amy Adams and Celia Weston, dir. Phil Morrison [2005]
• Kill Bill, Vol. 2 starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine and Daryl Hannah, dir. Quentin Tarantino [2004]
• The Last King of Scotland starring Forrest Whitaker, James McAvoy and Kerry Washington, dir. Kevin Macdonald [2006]
• The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe and Timothy Spall, dir. Edward Zwick [2003]
• Letters From Iwo Jima starring Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya and Tsuyoshi Ihara, dir. Clint Eastwood [2006]
• Little Miss Sunshine starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette and Abigail Breslin, dir. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris [2006]
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen and Ian McKellen, dir. Peter Jackson [2001]
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen and Ian McKellen, dir. Peter Jackson [2002 & 2003]
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen and Ian McKellen, dir. Peter Jackson [2003]
• Match Point starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson and Emily Mortimer, dir. Woody Allen [2005]
• Metallica: Some Kind of Monster starring James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett, dir. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky [2004]
• Michael Clayton starring George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson, dir. Tony Gilroy [2007]
• Milk starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and James Franco, dir. Gus Van Sant [2008]
• Million Dollar Baby starring Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman, dir. Clint Eastwood [2004]
• Miracle starring Kurt Russell, Patty Clarkson and Noah Emmerich, dir. Gavin O'Connor [2004]
• The Motorcycle Diaries starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna, dir. Walter Salles [2004]
• Munich starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Ciaran Hinds, dir. Steven Spielberg [2005]
• Mystic River starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, dir. Clint Eastwood [2003]
• No Country for Old Men starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones, dir. Joel & Ethan Coen [2007]
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? starring George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson, dir. Joel & Ethan Coen [2000]
• Pan's Labyrinth starring Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez and Doug Jones, dir. Guillermo del Toro [2006]
• Persepolis starring Gabrielle Lopes Benites, Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, dir. Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud [2007]
• The Pianist starring Adrien Brody and Thomas Kretschmann, dir. Roman Polanski [2002]
• Pollock starring Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden and Jennifer Connelly, dir. Ed Harris [2000]
• Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique and Paula Patton, dir. Lee Daniels [2009]
• Rachel Getting Married starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt and Debra Winger, dir. Jonathan Demme [2008]
• Ray starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington and Regina King, dir. Taylor Hackford [2004]
• Requiem for a Dream starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly, dir. Darren Aronofsky [2000]
• Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Michael Shannon, dir. Sam Mendes [2008]
• The Road starring Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Charlize Theron, dir. John Hillcoat [2009]
• The Savages starring Laura Linney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Philip Bosco, dir. Tamara Jenkins [2007]
• Sexy Beast starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley and Ian McShane, dir. Jonathan Glazer [2000]
• Snatch. starring Jason Statham, Brad Pitt and Benicio del Toro, dir. Guy Ritchie [2000]
• Spider-Man 2 starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina, dir. Sam Raimi [2004]
• Sugar starring Algenis Perez Soto, Michael Gaston and Ellary Porterfield, dir. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck [2009]
• Super Size Me starring Morgan Spurlock, dir. Morgan Spurlock [2004]
• Synecdoche, New York starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Michelle Williams, dir. Charlie Kaufman [2008]
• Syriana starring George Clooney, Matt Damon and Jeffrey Wright, dir. Stephen Gaghan [2005]
• There Will Be Blood starring Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano and Dillon Freasier, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson [2007]
• Traffic starring Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro, dir. Steven Soderbergh [2000]
• Training Day starring Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Scott Glenn, dir. Antoine Fuqua [2001]
• Up in the Air starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, dir. Jason Reitman [2009]
• V for Vendetta starring Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving and Stephen Rea, dir. James McTeigue [2005]
• Vanilla Sky starring Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Kurt Russell, dir. Cameron Crowe [2001]
• The Visitor starring Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman and Hiam Abbass, dir. Thomas McCarthy [2008]
• Waitress starring Keri Russell, Jeremy Sisto and Nathan Fillion, dir. Adrienne Shelly [2007]
• WALL·E starring Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight and Jeff Garlin, dir. Andrew Stanton [2008]
• Where the Wild Things Are starring Max Records, James Gandolfini and Lauren Ambrose, dir. Spike Jonze [2009]
• Wonder Boys starring Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire and Frances McDormand, dir. Curtis Hanson [2000]
• The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, dir. Darren Aronofsky [2008]
• You Can Count on Me starring Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo and Matthew Broderick, dir. Kenneth Lonergan [2000]
It's hard to talk about music in the Aughties without mentioning Fox's "American Idol."
It's had quite an undeniable sphere of influence. Participants have won six American Music Awards, seven Grammys, more than 30 Billboard awards and even an Oscar.
Opposing network executives refer to the show as "The Death Star" because it's so formidable a force in the ratings.
It's routinely first or second in its time slot, especially the finale episodes.
It's made a household name of Simon Cowell, one of the show's acerbic co-hosts. (How he's going to work with the light and fun Ellen DeGeneres will make for interesting TV.)
What's most interesting to me is that, for as hot as the show is, the talent produced by it has had mixed results — especially its winners.
Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson are, hands down, the show's most successful winners. Both have sold more than 10 million copies of their records and won multiple Grammys.
Of course, winning a Grammy, frankly, doesn't impress me. They give out so many of them, I think they're on deck to become a Happy Meal prize.
There's a big drop off from Underwood and Clarkson to the next winner, season two's Ruben Studdard, who's moved 2.5 million total units so far. His last record hit the Top 40 and vanished, selling fewer than 40,000 copies.
It's almost as good to lose, though, than it is to win.
Runners up include Grammy nominees Mandisa, Josh Gracin, Ace Young, Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert and Jennifer Hudson.
Oh, and William Hung.
Mandisa and Young are Grammy nominees. Gracin turned in multiple hits on the country charts.
Daughtry had the best-selling rock album of 2007.
Adam Lambert recently released his first album and seems destined to remain the undeclared cultural winner despite coming in second to Kris Allen.
And Hudson may be the classiest of the bunch. An Oscar winner, she sang National Anthem at the Super Bowl XLIII months after the deaths of many members of her family.
If "American Idol" can so dominate television and even infiltrate the Academy Awards, that's a staying power that's sure to hang on a bit longer, even if it's just to see DeGeneres and Cowell duke it out.
100. Eminem featuring Dido, "Stan" from The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000
99. Kanye West, "Stronger" from Graduation, 2007
98. System of a Down, "Deer Dance" from Toxicity, 2001
97. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Don't Forget Me" from By the Way, 2002
96. Jay-Z, "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" from The Blueprint, 2001
95. OutKast, "Ms. Jackson" from Stankonia, 2000
94. Midlake, "Roscoe" from The Trials of Van Occupanther, 2006
93. Tenacious D, "Wonderboy" from Tenacious D, 2001
92. Jon Brion featuring Deanna Storey, "Little Person" from the Synecdoche, New York soundtrack, 2008
91. The Strokes, "12:51" from Room on Fire, 2003
90. Under Byen, "Den Her Sang Handler Om At Få Det Bedste Ud Af Det" from Samme Stof Som Stof, 2006
89. City and Colour, "The Girl" from Bring Me Your Love, 2008
88. Metallica, "Frantic" from St. Anger, 2003
87. U2, "In a Little While" from All That You Can't Leave Behind, 2000
86. Air, "Playground Love" from The Virgin Suicides, 2000
85. Mastodon featuring Neil Fallon, "Blood and Thunder" from Leviathan, 2004
84. Dave Matthews Band, "Bartender" from Live Trax 2008, 2008; originally released in 2002 on Busted Stuff
83. M. Ward, "Chinese Translation" from Post-War, 2006
82. Kings of Leon, "Taper Jean Girl" from Aha Shake Heartbreak, 2005
81. She & Him, "You Really Got a Hold on Me" from Volume One, 2008
80. Queens of the Stone Age, "No One Knows" from Songs for the Deaf, 2002
79. Death Cab for Cutie, "Soul Meets Body" from Plans, 2005
78. Stephan Smith, "The Bell" from The Bell EP, 2003
77. Elliott Smith, "Everything Reminds Me of Her" from Figure 8, 2000
76. Snow Patrol, "Run" from Final Straw, 2003
75. The Mars Volta, "Viscera Eyes" from Amputechture, 2006
74. Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy" from St. Elsewhere, 2006
73. Beck, "E-Pro" from Guero, 2005
72. Thom Yorke, "Harrowdown Hill" from The Eraser, 2006
71. Modest Mouse, "Dashboard" from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2007
70. Busta Rhymes, "Break Ya Neck" from Genesis, 2001
69. Sia, "Breathe Me" from Colour the Small One, 2006
68. Grizzly Bear, "Two Weeks" from Veckatimest, 2009
67. Nine Inch Nails, "The Hand That Feeds" from With Teeth, 2005
66. A Perfect Circle, "Judith" from Mer de Noms, 2000
65. My Morning Jacket, "Anytime" from Z, 2005
64. Pearl Jam, "Of the Girl" from Binaural, 2000
63. The White Stripes, "Fell in Love With a Girl" from White Blood Cells, 2001
62. Pete Yorn, "Crystal Village" from Day I Forgot, 2003
61. Johnny Cash, "Hurt" from American IV: The Man Comes Around, 2002
60. Badly Drawn Boy, "Once Around the Block" from Hour of Bewilderbeast, 2000
59. PJ Harvey featuring Thom Yorke, "This Mess We're In" from Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, 2000
58. Queens of the Stone Age, "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret" from Rated R, 2000
57. John Legend, "Ordinary People" from Get Lifted, 2004
56. Devendra Banhart, "Seahorse" from Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, 2007
55. The Avalanches, "Frontier Psychiatrist" from Since I Left You, 2000
54. Gary Jules, "Mad World" from Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets, 2004
53. Wilco, "Jesus, Etc." from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2002
52. Shawn Smith, "Wrapped in My Memory" from Shield of Thorns, 2003
51. Jimmy Eat World, "The Middle" from Bleed American, 2001
50. Modest Mouse, "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" from The Moon and Antarctica, 2000
49. Kimya Dawson, "Tire Swing" from Remember That I Love You, 2006
48. Ryan Adams, "Come Pick Me Up" from Hearbreaker, 2000
47. Fiona Apple, "Extraordinary Machine" from Extraordinary Machine, 2005
46. Sufjan Stevens, "Casimir Pulaski Day" from Come on, Feel the Illinoise, 2005
45. Nirvana, "You Know You're Right" from Nirvana, 2002
44. Coldplay, "Yellow" from Parachutes, 2000
43. Steve Earle, "Jerusalem" from Jerusalem, 2002
42. Green Day, "Jesus of Suburbia" from American Idiot, 2004
41. The Faint, "Agenda Suicide" from Danse Macabre, 2001
40. John Butler Trio, "Zebra" from Sunrise Over Sea, 2005
39. Ray LaMontagne, "Burn" from Trouble, 2003
38. Animal Collective, "My Girls" from Merriweather Post Pavilion, 2009
37. Wilco, "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" from Kicking Television: Live in Chicago, 2005; originally released in 2004 on A Ghost is Born
36. Radiohead, "The National Anthem" from a recording made on Aug. 22, 2008; original released in 2000 on Kid A
35. The Shins, "New Slang" from Oh, Inverted World, 2001
34. Dave Matthews, "Stay or Leave" from Some Devil, 2003
33. Tool, "Schism" from Lateralus, 2001
32. Sigur Rós, "Svefn-g-Englar" from Ágætis Byrjun, 2001
31. Pearl Jam, "I Am Mine" from Riot Act, 2002
30. Vampire Weekend, "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" from Vampire Weekend, 2008
29. My Morning Jacket, "Wordless Chorus" from Z, 2005
28. Josh Ritter, "To the Dogs or Whoever" from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, 2007
27. Dave Matthews Band featuring Carlos Santana, "Sugar Will" from DMB Live Trax, Vol. 2: Golden Gate Park, Sept. 12, 2004, 2004
26. My Morning Jacket, "The Way That He Sings" from At Dawn, 2001
25. Ben Harper, "Better Way" from Both Sides of the Gun, 2006
24. Bob Dylan, "Things Have Changed" from the Wonder Boys soundtrack, 2000
23. The National, "Secret Meeting" from Alligator, 2005
22. Sigur Rós, "Untitled #8 (Popplagið)" from ( ), 2002
21. Radiohead, "Videotape" from In Rainbows, 2007
20. R.E.M., "Final Straw" from R.E.M. Live, 2007; originally released in 2004 on Around the Sun
19. Tool, "10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)" from 10,000 Days, 2006
18. Flogging Molly, "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" from Drunken Lullabies, 2002
17. Bon Iver, "Blood Bank" from the Blood Bank EP, 2009
16. The Decemberists, "The Mariner's Revenge Song" from Picaresque", 2005
15. Pearl Jam, "Man of the Hour" from Big Fish: Music From the Motion Picture, 2004
14. The Roots featuring Cody ChesnuTT, "The Seed (2.0)" from Phrenology, 2002
13. Ryan Adams, "New York, New York" from Gold, 2001
12. Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" from Funeral, 2004
11. Dave Matthews Band, "Loving Wings" from a fan recording made on Sept. 7, 2008; originally released in 2004 on The Gorge
10. Iron & Wine, "Such Great Heights"
From the Such Great Heights single, 2003
I've been shouted down by many friends and co-workers that this version is not superior to The Postal Service's original, but I don't care. This rendition makes you ache, with a longing and sadness that isn't intended to be present in the original. "I hope this song will guide you home," resonates a lot deeper against the pull of a lone, melancholy acoustic guitar twang then a looped, percussive keyboard rhythm. No offense intended here — you can't have the former without the latter, and this means Ben Gibbard wrote two songs in my top 10 — but for as positive as it aims to be, this version carries more emotional resonance.
The Oklahoma state rock song and a doozy at that. A dreamy slice of rock, emphasizing synthesizers and a cheery guitar strum, lead singer Wayne Coyne contemplates the fragility of existence. Written after his father's death, while bandmate Steven Drozd was trying to kick his heroin addiction, Coyne was inspired to write this poignant cut. "Do you realize that everyone you know some day will die?" Feeling grandiose and getting a push toward sweeping with help from an orchestral arrangement, considering a cumbersome topic such as mortality never sounded so sticky sweet.
I'll be the first to admit I don't know jack about jazz fusion, but I know a hot groove when I hear it. This thing is more infectous than swine flu. It took me most of the decade to learn it's built around Dave Brubeck Quartet's legendary "Take Five," which might explain why I love it so much. Throwing in a Marlena Shaw example ("I want you to get together / Put your hands together one time"), the trumpet and baritone solos are the highlight, but the drum/piano groove is scalding. It lasts seven minutes and I would probably take 10 more without complaint. Frenchman Ludovic Navarre set the bar impossibly high for himself with this one.
"Talk is often cheap and filled with air," croaks Jim James in his distinct Southern, earthy drawl on this plaintive country track. Though its placed on the band's major-label debut, it evokes the sound of the group's first two records with its slow, jangly country drawl and pillars of reverb. Mortality hangs out in the distance, but James is telling us about himself and his bandmates plans for what they'll do before they get there first. "We'll go through this thing together and on heaven's golden shore, we'll lay our heads."
Washington's Death Cab blossomed from indie darlings to commercial successes during the 2000s, but you won't hear this number on the radio. As soon as the escalating, melancholy piano phrase cues up, you know this song isn't headed anywhere as optimistic as "I Will Follow You Into the Dark." Depicting days spent in a hospital caring for a terminally ill friend, the final lines leave the lyrically dexterous Gibbard at his depressing best with a conclusion you see coming the entire time. So what, exactly, did Sarah say? "Love is watching someone die." Death Cab may have more successful and ambitious material, but nothing packs the emotional wallop of this one.
For a time in the early Aughties, rap albums were selling more copies than rock 'n' roll for the first time since either genre's inception. But not if Jack White had anything to say about it. In less than four minutes, with seven notes, one of the baddest groves ever devised and his ex-wife Meg driving the beat, Elephant was the siren call of rock's return. Solidifying garage rock as a viable mainstream phenomenon was one thing, but in the subsequent years, this song has shown its staying power with Jack White's soaring, fuzzy solos and biting vocal delivery. Who ever sounded so enthusiastic about going to Wichita, Kan.? It's trendy, but I really don't care — no hard rock song in the 2000's importance was matched by its quality like this.
On an album with "Lua," it's easy for the poignant political statement to get lost. Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst does get a little heavy handed on this State of the Nation address, but less than two years after the War on Terror moved to Iraq, talk of making love while the television sputters noisely about the battle in the background also told a certain honesty about our fears and our dreams. "In the deafening pleasure, I thought I heard someone say, 'If we walk away, they’ll walk away,'" he sings hopefully. Oberst recruited Emmylou Harris to share lead vocals here, and her pretty voice jars against Oberst's signature warble in a wonderful way. The message might go a little too far by including a bit of "Taps" on this folksy crooner, but it reads like a prayer for a nation fighting against itself while saying the same thing as its angrier cousin, "When the President Talks to God." This is actually a re-recording of "One Foot in Front of the Other" from the Saddle Creek 50 compilation.
It is said that after hearing the first 30 seconds of this song, leadership at Reprise Records decided they wanted to drop Wilco from the label. Based on that critieria, one might expect a horror to make the late G.G. Allin blush, but this is nothing of the sort. Opening against a droning wall of sound and slowly layering in drums, an alarm clock and keyboards before starting full bore, Jeff Tweedy gets sappy and poetic as Wilco shows their country days are firmly behind them with this alt-rock experiment. With former Sonic Youth member Jim O'Rourke in the control booth, this song redefined Wilco as a band willing to try anything, suggested they were one of the best American groups of the '00s, and served as the opening salvo on their 2002 magnum opus.
This song couldn't live up to its title less. Absolutely nothing sounds like it's in the right place, and that's just the way Radiohead wants it. The best track on Kid A and the clever, snarky Brits put it first. For anyone expecting a rock-driven follow-up to 1998's massively successful OK Computer, putting Kid A in the player and hearing this instead was a swift kick to the head. The Ondes martenot — think keyboard — lays down the spooky melody while voices and loops swirl around the disjointed lyrics of Thom Yorke. It's to Radiohead's credit as one of the best bands of its generation that this song is even listenable, let alone memorable.
Lethal, metaphorical and, if you want to hear what America felt like in the post-9/11 era, this is it at its rock/folk best. "Bringing justice to the enemies not the other way round / They're guilty when killed and they're killed where they're found," states Ritter as the bass and drums pound out a beat that encourages the urgency and speed of his fiery delivery, sometimes trying to jam more syllables than should fit in a line. At nearly 10 minutes and with five prose-laden verses, the song demands repeat listens, but it's so rich and open to interpretation that it earns it. I've listened to it hundreds of times and seen it in person a few more and it's arresting every time. Simply an awing musical document of life in the 2000s.
