18 Crucial Albums of the Past Decade to Supplement the Editor's Picks
December 26th, 2009 • Commentary, Op-Ed
I’ve seen a lot of ‘Best Of..’ lists, and Doug has already done a pretty good job of providing a musical overview to the past decade, but I feel these albums were super-crucial for my musical development and enjoyment, and I had to say something.
The following 18 albums, sometimes missed or overlooked on retrospective lists, but deserve some mention of worth.
1. Fugazi — The Argument/Furniture Ep
The last simultaneous releases from Fugazi also happen to be their best. Fugazi has been such an important band for the independent music scene, and these two recordings truly display the band’s ability to convey their ethos and message into a powerful musical form. The band’s impressive 15 year span culminates in these two final masterpieces.
2. Animal Collective — Water Curses
It was hard for me to pick between Water Curses or Feels, so I decided to go by my play count in iTunes. I think Water Curses is Animal Collective’s most dynamic, complex, and innovative recording to date. While their current pop direction is great, I do long for their freaky folk days. Additionally, the lyrical quality is much, much better than their latest releases. Street Flash and Cobwebs are standouts. If it wasn’t for Feels, then I would say that this is the best Animal Collective album by far.
3. Q and not U — Different Damage
Dance punk from DC. This album is much more subtle than their previous release, benefiting their sound to a huge extent. The energy is still there, but in a less frantic form. It has direction, velocity, and as a result, more force and power, exemplified in These Are Flashes. Another innovative punk album from our nation’s capital, but this one reigns above the rest.
4. Modest Mouse — Moon and Antarctica
One of my favorite Modest Mouse albums and their last great recording before they lost the air in their tires. Shows what a great band can do when backed by high production values on a major label. Too bad they blew it afterwards. This album, though, continues to blow my mind.
5. Destroyer — Destroyer’s Rubies
It’s all I listened to for 4 months straight this one time.
6. Deerhunter — Microcastle
An experimental album which at the same time carries a classic rock twang to it, creating this fascinating, psychedelic hybrid. It’s constantly screaming ‘instant classic!’ Great replay value on this record.
7. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
This album is such an emotional journey through mania and depression. And it’s a seamless record too! Cato as a Pun and Gronlandic Edit are two of my favorite songs, ever.
8. Elliot Smith – Figure 8
Yes, Elliot Smith released stuff in the 2000′s. This should be on every single decade retrospective. It’s Figure 8 for crying out loud! Is there anything else to be said?
9. Rage Against the Machine — Renegades
This album, specifically their cover of Minor Threat’s In My Eyes, is solely responsible for my introduction to early hardcore punk. And I am forever grateful. Also: Pistol Grip Pump and Kick Out the Jams are rendered incredibly. Too bad it was never intended for release and resulted in the band breaking up soon after. Mixed blessings.
10. Mountain Goats – All Hail West Texas
When it comes to stories and tales, no one does it better than the Mountain Goats. I got this album in high school and listened to it incessantly in the darkroom while making pictures. I know it so well that I can listen to it at any period and get right back into it. great for sleeping.
11. Bill Callahan – Sometime I Wish We Were An Eagle
Jim Cain is probably one of the coolest songs I’ve heard in a long time. This album is full of songs with a clear purpose and message. Callahan’s baritone delivers a soothing tale so clearly, telling us about relationships and existential contemplations. Fantastic album.
12. Black Eyes — Cough
Oh man! The most innovative punk I’ve heard in a long time and of course it comes from D.C. (released on Dischord, obviously). It takes the free-jazz from the Nation of Ulysses and others into a much more holistic form of approaching punk. Lots of energy and defiance against conformity in the underground: “And all of the boys on 17th Street, they all wear the same thing/They used to talk about visibility but they don’t see a thing” This is, well, was, until they broke up, the new punk rock.
13. Bright Eyes -I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
The most mature and sensible Bright Eyes release, in my opinion. A great acoustic folk album, heavily listened to my junior and senior year of high school.
14. Dan Deacon — Bromst
When this album came out last April, I was still studying in Copenhagen. Once I heard it, I made sure to always listen to it so I would be flooded with images of the city to this incredible soundtrack. Great, fun album with nice arrangements and build ups. Good for biking around a city in the spring.
15. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Tyranny of Distance
I listened to this record when I was learning how to drive. I saw Ted Leo at the 9:30 club in DC when I was looking at colleges. His music was a big part of my adolescence, and I listen to it today, though not with such frequency. Still, I believe that there’s nothing like great power/pop-punk.
16. Against Me! – As The Eternal Cowboy
Much for the same reason as #14, there was one summer spent singing a lot of Against Me! driving around in cars. While I don’t really listen to the band nowadays (and their newer music blows), it still holds an important place in my musical experience for this past decade.
17. Re-Up Gang – We Got it 4 Cheap, Vol. 2
Best mixtape of 2005. There was a summer when this is all my friends listened to. You’d hear, pulling up in their cars, “CLI-CLI-CLI-CLLINTON SPARKS”
18. Dinosaur Jr. — Farm
Great comeback album. Perfectly released at a time when my musical cache was lacking some rock. J. Mascis shreds like no other.
-Peter Senzamici
Peter Senzamici is the co-host of That’s Amore, Thursdays at 8 PM-12 AM Eastern Time on WRBC.