Finer Feelings: My Favorite Albums of the ’00s, #100-91
So it’s come to this. Another decade is coming to a close, and music enthusiasts everywhere are using it as an excuse to pull together yet another best-of list. For a decade that people aren’t even sure what to call (the “Aughts”? Really?), 2000 to 2009 has been an unusual sort of time span. Thanks to a number of factors, there haven’t been as definable trends as in past musical decades, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I took some time a few weeks ago to organize a list of my personal favorite albums of the past 10 years, which I’ll be presenting here over the next few weeks. I’ll start off with writing a line or two about each album for the bottom half, and get more philosophical and nostalgic as we get closer to the top. This has been an unusual experience, as the ’00s were the first decade where I really cared about music from beginning to end. What follows is not just a look at my favorite music of the decade, but a look into my listening habits and evolving taste from my first year of high school until my last year of college.
Damn, I just made myself feel old.
100. Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
A heart-aching listen and a fitting farewell to the Man In Black that was nearly compromised in 2006 thanks to Rick Rubin’s greed.
99. The Brian Setzer Orchestra – VaVoom! (2000)
Hardly his best album, this record still got a lot of play as Setzer refused to make anything better until just this year.
98. Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005)
Fun and funky, Gorillaz would still do themselves good with a compilation album someday.
97. Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat (2005)
A lovely recording made ever-so-slightly hard to listen to given what musical whitewash Jenny has been up to since.
96. Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)
A rare Air album in which most of the songs are actually really damn good.
95. Fountains Of Wayne – Traffic And Weather (2007)
Smart, catchy power-pop from one of the finest bands who make it. Played to death leading up to their appearance at XPN’s 2007 festival.
94. The Puppini Sisters – Betcha Bottom Dollar (2006)
Charming revival of Andrews Sisters-esque harmonies. Throw in some gimmicky ’80s covers and you’re set!
93. Arthur & Yu – In Camera (2007)
Lee & Nancy-ish psychedelic country pop from some adorable indie kids. A great unearthing of a classic sound.
92. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (2006)
Indie pop’s beloved chanteuse gets baroque, sings about birds and other things.
91. Albert Hammond, Jr. – Yours To Keep (2006)
Considering how much I don’t like The Strokes, the guitarist’s breakaway record is a great work of classic pop craft.
…on to Part 2!!
I expect this to be quite a nostalgic ride. I had already forgotten about Fountains of Wayne.