The KillersHOT FUSS
Almost every song gets regular rotation for me, they took me by surprise with "Somebody Told Me" and every subsequent song delivered. Good stuff.
The AvalanchesSINCE I LEFT YOU
Fantastic by all means. Not something I can listen to all the time but it makes for great driving music, great loving music, great party music... hell it really works for just about every occasion.
KasabianKASABIAN
By far one of the trippiest albums I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. I don't remember how I came across it but I'll never forget the first time I gave it a full listen. Leaves you feeling high with or without psychedelics. Wonderful album.
Girl TalkFEED THE ANIMALS
What can I say. I am a fan of the remix / mash-up scene and nobody has stepped up to the plate more than Greg Gillis the past decade with Feed the Animals. It was ridiculous fun the first listen through and continues to impress me more and more every time I hear it. (Great for psychedelics.)
The Arcade FireFUNERAL
Someone else said it, and they mentioned it peters out toward the end, which is debatable, but I certainly agree that it's one of the better albums of the last decade. "The crown of love, has fallen from me..." remains my favorite lyric but I'm also partial to "I'll dig a tunnel, from my window to yours."
MewAND THE GLASS HANDED KITES
Someone described the Secret Machines earlier and their description reminded me of Mew's album. As far as individual songs go it's not the best ever but as a whole it's a wonderful work. I really enjoy 'Zookeeper's Boy' and 'Chinaberry Tree.' This is more of an honorable mention because it works as a whole but not every song can be considered great.
my favorite album of the last decade (hands down):
The Mars VoltaDE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM THE MARS VOLTADe-loused in the Comatorium
It's a concept album that, in my opinion, could not be more perfect. I don't know if I'll ever like another Mars Volta album anywhere near as much, or if I'll ever like another album as much. Every single song fits into the concept and as a whole it's a behemoth of beautiful noise.
the hour-long tale of Cerpin Taxt, a man who tries to kill himself by overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison. The attempt lands him in a week-long coma during which he experiences visions of humanity and his own psyche. Upon waking, he is dissatisfied with the real world and jumps to his death. The story of Cerpin Taxt is based on the death of El Paso, Texas artist (and Bixler-Zavala's friend) Julio Venegas.
I live in Arizona. Currently in Scottsdale which is more of a city area, but was going to high school in Cave Creek when I first got my hands on the album. At first, I didn't get The Mars Volta. I didn't like it. I wanted it to stop. My friend urged me to give it another listen and the second time around I fell in love. Driving through Arizona with this album going is perhaps the best experience I've ever had with music. It's just so unique and mesmerizing. After 100+ listens, this is, in my mind, without any doubt, the best album of the past ten years. I'll never believe a soul who disagrees but that's the beauty of opinion. Below are some selected lyrics...
Favorite line: One day this chalk outline will circle this city...
Clipside of the pinkeye flight
I'm not the percent you think survives
I need sanctuary in the pages of this book
Gestating with all the other rats
Nurse said that my skin will need a graft
I am of pockmarked shapes
The vermin you need to loathe
are you peaking in the red
perforated at the neck
what of this mongrel architect
a broken arm of sewers set
past present and future tense
clipside of the pinkeye fountain
now I'm lost
it's been said
long time ago
you'll be the first and last to know
you'll never know
Made its way through the tracks
Of a snail slouching whisper
A half mass comute through umbilical blisters
Spector will lurk
Radar has gathered
Midnight neuces from boxcar cadavears
Do you recall it's name
As it suggested beck and call
This face and heel
Will drag your halo through the mud
Ash of pompei
Erupting in a statues dust
Shrouded in veils
Because these handcuffs hurt too much
Scalpeing these ticketless applause
And when they drag the lake there is nothing left at all.
I've been waiting for so long
For someone to
Mend all the blame
Ive been searching for so long
For something to
anonymous
avenge my name
anonymous
avenge my name
you came here on time
I just hope that it's not to late
I've seen you at night
Biteing the frost of silence
Can you cure us of this fate
Mock the litany in its face
Is that you moatilliatta
The house half the way
Fell empty with teeth
That split both his lips
Mark these words
One day this chalk outline will circle this city
Was he robbed of the asphalt that cushioned his face
Pull the pins
Save your grace
Mark these words
On his grave
You should have seen
The curse that flew right by you
Page of concrete
Stain walks crutch in hobbled sway
Autodafe
A capulary hint of red
Everyone knows the last toes are
Always the coldest to go
Buckethead - Decoding the Tomb of Bansheebot is probably the only album I've listened to the entirety of a dozen times, so I guess it wins by default. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step is a close second.
Christ, this thread is like a lesson in how to have horrible, wrong opinions. I'm still not finished cleaning vomit from my keyboard from the Limp Bizkit post.
If it's not Circulatory System, it's definitely this one:
This is easily my favorite album mentioned in this thread, but I feel that something as niche as stoner/doom metal is hard to proclaim "album of the decade." I don't agree with the guy who thinks a great album should be easily accessible for everybody, but Dopethrone requires a pretty specific taste.
Oh, I know.
It's like it was made in an awesome alternate universe where rock music is like 36 times more interesting.
I would have to agree with LavaKnight and BurtleBoy in saying In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is the best. Every time I give it a listen, it just gets better and better. Jeff Magnum's voice may be pretty strange at first, but once it grows on you, you realize that it fits perfectly with the songs.
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RentI'm always rightFuckin' deal with itRegistered Userregular
edited December 2008
I'm going to have to go with
Not just because it's one of the greatest abums I've ever heard (because it is) but also because of the way it was able to sum up a whole generation's anger against the sitting president and to tell a cohesive story St. Jimmy.
All in all, if fucking ROCKED.
My initial choice was Kid A, but that's been mentioned to hell and back, so my runners-up would probably be Panic at the Disco's Pretty. Odd, Daft Punk's Alive 2007, and AFI's Black Sails in the Sunset.
NiN hurt is better than Cash's hurt and I will argue this to the death
Especially in concert. An entire close-to-sold-out-arena singing along, while positioned front "row", General Admission, is goddamn powerful. Best concert I've ever been to, hands down.
But let us back up a bit, shall we? We're getting a bit derailed.
Gotcha. So we have to have an album that is priceless; the number on the sticker is meaningless, the psychological value voids all material cost. It's a collection of singles that are glued together, ribbons and bows on top? Should it inspire you? Does it unravel the mysteries of the flow of life and death, or merely take a curious glance at it? Does it paint a tragic picture? Any colour you like, really - one, all, or some.
In reality, agreeing on a single cut isn't feasible, we all have our unique tastes. What is nectar to me is venom to you - it doesn't even have to be ingested. Objectively though, if we can put genre aside and try to find a work of art that meets this criteria, we'll still be here when we celebrating Valentine's Day.
Nevertheless, I still have my own opinion, right?
Tool - Lateralus
It's not where do I begin, it's how do I begin.
It's such an existential work. If you're sharing some time between only you and Lateralus, it's hard to not question consciousness, driving you into that path's depths until you reach absolute, unhealthy nihilism. The leading single, if I recall correctly, Parabola, (besides making me sound like a soapbox lunatic explaining this) examines pain. Pain is an illusion. Really? What is pain but not an electrical response that something is wrong? Can we really overcome the facade (fancy c) neurologically? Pointy but elegant. I don't have the time at the moment to explain (the song) Lateralus; nothing less than a paper would explain it in full, anyway.
Musically, MJK's voice adequate - not overly plesant-barbaric i.e. Vedder or rock hard a la Hetfield, but a delightful, fluctating balance. The guitar work is impressive. Solid riffs are displayed, but they don't overstay their welcome. Some incredible sections are casually tossed away, a drop of honey that makes you crave more and more. Drums - Carey impresses as always, changing the beat, showing prowess, someone find the video of him doing the closing of Lateralus. And those "filler" songs - you can't have great highs without the lows, and they serve a double, almost contradictory purpose to build something akin to tension. I can't listen to Parabola without Parabol flowing seamlessly before.
But the intro! Just an opinion, really. A founded, structured, opinion? Maybe, I'm not sure I'm making sense at the moment (a bit tired). Forgive me if I'm not. If we do want some tangible fruits along the rails laid by the OP, divide it into genres. Rock, ill-defined pop, etc etc.
Isn't Tool disqualified anyway? They fit too perfectly into the constraints, might be because of the OP's name. Cough.
I know it's early days for this album, but it's bee a long time since an album as hit me so hard on first listen as Self Titled by Scott Matthew and still continued to blow me away on each listen to this day. The lyrics, the delivery, the instrumentation and the strings. It's all just flat out beautiful.
Alternative votes go to:
Moving Mountains - Pneuma EP
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Ghostface - Fishscale
Sigur Ros - ( )
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Radiohead - Kid A
My choice of 'Frames' by Oceansize, goes far beyond the inherent content of the album. If you look at Oceansize's past efforts, you can really see their development, and at least for me, Frames is the final culmination of their talents. There is a perfect balance between polish and friction, which I believe is integral to the tone an album sets, and indeed the entire album works to set the tone; the songs seem to all be chapters in the same story. Normally, I'm more of an instrumental music fan, but the lyrics for Frames were so especially good I can't let that go without saying...
I ran a trail of fire through the meadow paths,
Guided by the river banks, trees from which they'll have me hang,
Keep running away from the fire,
Keep running away from the light, ‘til it’s gone...
Are all our summers at one with the ground?
And everything I loved you for, a trail of fire from the door,
That leads me to a hiding place,
And locking me inside...
And how loud this blade of grass, and how long ‘til eventide,
The dark that shrouds your loving neighbor, he's the one who lit the paper,
While the reason's unexpressed and the sources undetermined,
The innocent are voiceless, the voiceless are innocent,
Should I cut that middleman? Just dig a hole and throw me in,
Say a prayer to my loving savior,
He's the one who lit the paper,
Say a prayer to my loving savior,
He's the one who lit the paper...
From them I strip the title, extinguished and misused,
And all our engraved memories are unsuccessful remedies,
I’m sick of papering the cracks, extinguishing the fire tracks...
Though flawed by design, I’m torn from the strife,
That did pile at the door but is feared no more,
Though I once wedded her and her want was to play,
As another's arms held took her wanting away...
Questions, on top of questions,
Don’t think that answers even here.
There are a bunch of runners up though, including The Mars Volta's 'Frances the Mute', Between the Buried and Me's 'Colors', and basically every album by Kayo Dot. They were all transcendent glory.
Hmm... Seeing as "best" can be taken as favorite, I'll just list a couple that I haven't seen here that have stood my personal test of time.
fugazi - the argument
enon - high society
the dismemberment plan - emergency and i
tortoise - tnt (and standards)
botch - we are the romans
beck - mutations
My vote is for Josh Ritter, and if I have to pick an album, it would be The Animal Years. You don't hear timeless music like that nowadays let me tell you.
Love the concept, love the style, not too screamy/ growly, amazing artists.
Battles: Mirrored
Mind blowing. All I need to say.
Flobots: Fight With Tools
I really honestly don't like rap, but I love this band, they have an excellent style, their topics are great, and they flow so well.
Incubus: Make Yourself
Not a bad song on the CD, I always end up coming back to this album.
Korn: Follow The Leader
This CD has some pretty good songs on it, and I wish Korn would go back to this style more. Their new stuff seems so processed.
System of a Down: Toxicity
I love this CD. 'Nuff Said.
Honestly, my list is more just CD's I really like that any that I feel should be Best Album of the past 10 years. I don't think I could ever decide that.
clownfoodpacket pusherin the wallsRegistered Userregular
edited December 2008
My pick for best album of the decade has to be Buck 65 - Square
Profound lyrics and great beats. Very folksy lyrics with a pretty basic hip hop beat accompaniment, just enough to keep you bobbing your head. Remarkable considering it is Canadian.
Sample lyrics from Square One
I know a man who was born with his heart on the outside
Every mans worst fear he also had heavy hands
He couldn’t touch his lovers face
He couldn’t hold a baby
He would never desert them
But he was worried he would hurt them maybe
Mad at the world his face turned hot pink
The best he could do was just try to not think
But he was to bothered
So he would only try rarely
He read the last page of every book in the library
He lacked the charisma
Of a true revolutionary crime fighter
Would try to write but kept breaking his typewriter
He preaches manifesto militant radical
Was diligent but his greatest mistakes were gramatical
If he only spent more time rehearsing and preparing
There wouldn’t have to be so much cursing and swearing
Eyes on fire
His volume was blistering
No one had taught him about the power of whispering
He is dynamite
Blows kisses
Eats dirt
His mouth of a volcano
He is a t-shirt
He stands on stilts
But doesn’t stand for funny stuff
Ask me
He just hasn’t been around the sun enough
He paints self-portraits
With a roller
Only eats corn
And then tries to sell his own soul
On a street corner
He always remembers everyone’s numbers
And sometimes cries into his own cumbersome hands
Sample from Square Two
swimming upstream,
young men and women are fiending for
immediate intimacy with no limitiations.
alas, the skirts don't hide the shadows
cast by the bare ass on the dancefloor.
sexual warfare waits in the staircase
and therefore most of them probably
shouldn't even really be there in the first place.
unarmed soldiers of lust rub shoulders
with those older and more immature than them,
it's disgusting, yet intruiging to see
overachieving greasers unleashing themselves
upon the female species,
especially when the weather gets warmer and then
the whole entire wardrobe is normally informal.
for your information, the hats are worn backwards
and so are the morals when the girls wear overalls.
it's a sensitive issue involving insecurity
maturity levels, and lots of toilet tissue 'cause...
the girls are desperate,
but the boys are even hornier,
the rose smells sweet
but the stem is even thornier.
it's a match made in purgatory,
what more do you want to know? http://www.free-lyrics.org/4369-Buck-65.html
the girls get goosebumps and nipples to notice but
no one knows how to communicate it's useless when
lies are told with closed eyes and
everybody tries to disguise their own flaws when the guys go,
"we need females and we read details."
it's card tricks and hard dicks
and a beat that goes like "uh uh uh yeah, uh huh uh uh yeah."
the neat part of the meat market apart from the
darkness and lots of narcotics to me is the hard rocks,
no one needs to be told twice, there's plenty of cold ice,
just tight pants and old spice who take shots and roll dice.
the carpets are crumby with puke coming out of them.
it's putrid and stupid
why don't you make a contribution
to the plan-gathering, as a matter fact, word
what do you say, this thursday?
the girls are desperate,
but the boys are even hornier.
the rose smells sweet
but the stem is even thornier.
it's a match made in purgatory,
what more do you want to know?
it smells like everything inside of the hideout
but i doubt anyone really wants to know why,
oh my, goodness gracious, the place is basically bulging
with people indulging in, all kinds of fabric,
it's a magical buffet of pheromones and flesh
that defies all logic.
it's just like dodgeball, but instead of a ball
the contestants throw around the head of a doll
and i don't know what it means,
but it makes it worth the cost alone,
even with the overflowing load of testosterone.
the sexual appetites are salty, it's a circus,
the circuits are faulty, and everybody's uptight
with sweat stains and jet planes and hot rod love songs,
blistering kisses for every mister and misses,
in the same of time it takes for you to make a sandwich, love,
you can probably find someone for you to take advantage of.
'cause the girls are desperate,
but the boys are even hornier.
the rose smells sweet
but the stem is even thornier.
it's a match made in purgatory,
what more do you want to know?
Sample from Square Three
i was raised on a dirt road
ghost town, stray dogs
whole nine, the gold mine closed down
i knew the woods like the back of my hand
and i would shoot the breeze
with the roots and trees
i'd go by the river
and watch the way the devil dances
but never took his hand
even though i did have several chances
everybody slept
when the morning dew turned to frost
darkness moved in
and somebody burned a cross
a girl named stella cuwin
was prettier than you`d imagine
the town should've given her the crown
for the beauty pageant
but instead
some local pinhead started spreading rumors
about the cuwins being inbreds
and what's worse, people believed it
cause the family was dirt poor
and down on their luck
so that made it hurt more
picking up garbage and mowing the grass
at this point stella stopped going to class
you know how they ridicule a kid in school
and this shit's enough
to make anybody feel like a misfit
she made herself invisible
and hid inside a house of mirrors
whenever the fear stops
so did the tear drops
but fear is forever
and lies become legend
and eventually growing
slowly, exponentially
she should've been a cover girl
treated like a princess
but she's an enigma
haunted by the stigma of incest
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes
one horse town
known for the most softness
little old schoolhouse
burned down post office
blueberries and bulrushes
a tree with a tire swing
volunteer fireman's fair
the whole entire thing
stella was heartbroken
decided to start smoking
bad taste in her mouth
she grew into a sad face
her few friends were worried
but her parents were always pround of her
but she never escaped from under the cloud cover
a woman reduced
she was eaten by a monster
and after all these years
the past, it still haunts her
it whispers her name
when she's trying instead
to just listen to music
while she's lying in bed
now the story of stella
is one that every child knows
but the witch in the woods
is more like a wild rose
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes.....
If you haven't heard this CD yet, you are really missing out.
Whoa, goddamn. Lateralus feels like so long ago. I didn't realize it was 2001...
To be perfectly honest, my OP probably was rushed. I did it at 8 in the morning without having slept that night, so my meaning was not as... elaborated on as it could/should have been.
I did not mean to try to simply get away with "lyrics should be meaningful", and I didn't mean the album should consist of singles. What I meant was the thematically, as a statement, every song could stand alone with its own message, but as a whole, the songs form an ever greater message/theme/whatever. Like a chorus.
And as for meaningful, I mean, among other things, that there are no filler lines. Nothing is a bigger intellectual turn off in a song than when it is apparent that there are some words or entire lines in a song cast in simply to fit rhyme and meter. They mean nothing, they're just supposed to fit to the music. It doesn't mean the song can't be awesome. See: "In The Air Tonight" Phil Collins openly admitted that the words mean nothing, they were simply written because they sounded good with the score he composed. In fact, the lyrics being deep has nothing to do with whether I can enjoy the song as a piece of music.
But as for "greatest album of the past 10 years", I'm looking for far more than just quality ear popcorn. I want the music to be good, but I want that good music to be set to something substantial.
Lateralus is probably a contender. I know for one the songs are amazing, and I think MJK at least believes his songs are deeper than Mariana's Trench, recently, however, I myself find that perhaps they could not be.
Random trivia: Maynard grew up in the very small Scottville Michigan, where his dad still teaches at the high school there.
I only know this because that town in about 5 minutes away from me, hell I've delivered pizza's to his old school. I know a ton of people who used to hang out with him "back in the day."
Deftones - The White Pony - I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to put this, the self-titled album, or Saturday Night Wrist in this spot. I thought they were all brillianr, but I think the White Pony is the one that has the most consistent level of excellence and the most powerful and memorable songs. It's also one of the most bizarrely erotic albums I can think of, yet it's probably one of the best make-out albums I've ever experienced. Digital Bath, Change (In the House of Flies) and Passenger being the prime examples. In terms of just raw energy, I've never heard another song like Knife Party.
The runners up
Amon Tobin - Chaos Theory
I never, ever thought I would put a video game soundtrack on the short list for best album of a decade, but this is no ordinary video game soundtrack. Incredible textures, fantastic sound quality, frenetic, tension-filled rhythms. Glorious reverbs and echoes, just everything good about AT's style in one package.
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
It's just a powerful album, full of emotion and expressiveness, very heartfelt performances from the entire band, and some really pointed lyrics. The Pioneers is one of the most powerful songs I've heard.
Modest Mouse - Good News...
I don't know how to describe it other than it's kind of a quaint and eclectic journey, but it's one that I've taken over, and over again and have always enjoyed. Ocean Breathes Salty is pretty high on my list of favorite songs of all time.
Based on just my first thought, this is, to me the best album of the last decade
Other possibilities (I know the electronic ones probably fail in the "has something to say" bit, but still):
The Postal Service - Give Up, Deepsky - In Silico and DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
Whoa, goddamn. Lateralus feels like so long ago. I didn't realize it was 2001...
To be perfectly honest, my OP probably was rushed. I did it at 8 in the morning without having slept that night, so my meaning was not as... elaborated on as it could/should have been.
I did not mean to try to simply get away with "lyrics should be meaningful", and I didn't mean the album should consist of singles. What I meant was the thematically, as a statement, every song could stand alone with its own message, but as a whole, the songs form an ever greater message/theme/whatever. Like a chorus.
And as for meaningful, I mean, among other things, that there are no filler lines. Nothing is a bigger intellectual turn off in a song than when it is apparent that there are some words or entire lines in a song cast in simply to fit rhyme and meter. They mean nothing, they're just supposed to fit to the music. It doesn't mean the song can't be awesome. See: "In The Air Tonight" Phil Collins openly admitted that the words mean nothing, they were simply written because they sounded good with the score he composed. In fact, the lyrics being deep has nothing to do with whether I can enjoy the song as a piece of music.
But as for "greatest album of the past 10 years", I'm looking for far more than just quality ear popcorn. I want the music to be good, but I want that good music to be set to something substantial.
Lateralus is probably a contender. I know for one the songs are amazing, and I think MJK at least believes his songs are deeper than Mariana's Trench, recently, however, I myself find that perhaps they could not be.
Brings up another good point: the cut should have some value of replayability. You have to be able to throw this album on repeat, and be entertained for hours, like a Slinky. Well... urgh... I guess if it is a contender for a "great album", the nominator has to have listened to it > 1 time? Blarg, nevermind, I defeat my own point.
And I understand what you're saying about the depth of MJK. The songs are so deep and abstract that they really could mean... nothing? So abstract that there isn't a handhold for reality. You can synthesize one, saying this song is about "lost loves," but it fits equally with the subject of "death." So deep it's shallow.
Brings up another good point: the cut should have some value of replayability. You have to be able to throw this album on repeat, and be entertained for hours, like a Slinky. Well... urgh... I guess if it is a contender for a "great album", the nominator has to have listened to it > 1 time? Blarg, nevermind, I defeat my own point.
And I understand what you're saying about the depth of MJK. The songs are so deep and abstract that they really could mean... nothing? So abstract that there isn't a handhold for reality. You can synthesize one, saying this song is about "lost loves," but it fits equally with the subject of "death." So deep it's shallow.
Also, good morning.
Well, personally, replayability is actually a rather low priority for me. It's nice, and god knows I'll listen to the same song over and over if I need to (Purple Rain), but if the piece is so powerful the first time through?
In all reality, the chance of finding something of that sort that I've never heard of? That I've never heard anyone mention before? Low low, but then again, I didn't actually hear about The Postal Service until... a few weeks ago. So I'm pretty ignorant to new stuff.
And I think you've more or less captured the thing about his lyrics that just... tilts my head a little, quirks my eyes. Sometimes they almost seemed... manufactured obscurity. Something produced from a template. The music is amazing, and Tool was always a fantastic band when it came to different music, particularly in tempo, so I'm not trying to disparage the band all that much.
My initial choice was Kid A, but that's been mentioned to hell and back, so my runners-up would probably be Panic at the Disco's Pretty. Odd, Daft Punk's Alive 2007, and AFI's Black Sails in the Sunset.
One more vote for Alive 2007. It may not be for everyone... But it has so much energy.
Tinche on
We're marooned on a small island, in an endless sea,
Confined to a tiny spit of sand, unable to escape,
But tonight, it's heavy stuff.
Nimrod shuffles from incredibly inventive to godawful mundane.
I give American Idiot the best Green Day album.
So,
American Idiot.
I was going to say In Utero but thats to late, then The Blue album. Man I need to get into new music.
What? No. God no. A thousand times no. Unless Dookie NEVER HAPPENED.
Its pretty much a tie for me but you know LOL opinions.
I guess for me it's more that Dookie seemed like they were hardly trying and became unfathomably cool/wonderful but with American Idiot they're trying way too hard. I even agree with most of their 'message' but I just can't stand them on that album.
edit: And while, yes, that still means the album could contain artistic merit, the 'forced feeling' kills it for me.
I had a really hard time choosing between Relationship of Command by At The Drive-in and The Fragile by NIN. I think I'll go with The Fragile because it's more of an awesome album than just an awesome collection of songs.
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TavIrish Minister for DefenceRegistered Userregular
I had a really hard time choosing between Relationship of Command by At The Drive-in and The Fragile by NIN. I think I'll go with The Fragile because it's more of an awesome album than just an awesome collection of songs.
Relationship of Command was only released in 2000? I thought it was waaaay older for some reason.
Posts
Tool - Lateralus
7 years after release I'm still going back and finding new things in this album and enjoying it even more.
The Killers HOT FUSS
Almost every song gets regular rotation for me, they took me by surprise with "Somebody Told Me" and every subsequent song delivered. Good stuff.
The Avalanches SINCE I LEFT YOU
Fantastic by all means. Not something I can listen to all the time but it makes for great driving music, great loving music, great party music... hell it really works for just about every occasion.
Kasabian KASABIAN
By far one of the trippiest albums I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. I don't remember how I came across it but I'll never forget the first time I gave it a full listen. Leaves you feeling high with or without psychedelics. Wonderful album.
Girl Talk FEED THE ANIMALS
What can I say. I am a fan of the remix / mash-up scene and nobody has stepped up to the plate more than Greg Gillis the past decade with Feed the Animals. It was ridiculous fun the first listen through and continues to impress me more and more every time I hear it. (Great for psychedelics.)
The Arcade Fire FUNERAL
Someone else said it, and they mentioned it peters out toward the end, which is debatable, but I certainly agree that it's one of the better albums of the last decade. "The crown of love, has fallen from me..." remains my favorite lyric but I'm also partial to "I'll dig a tunnel, from my window to yours."
Mew AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES
Someone described the Secret Machines earlier and their description reminded me of Mew's album. As far as individual songs go it's not the best ever but as a whole it's a wonderful work. I really enjoy 'Zookeeper's Boy' and 'Chinaberry Tree.' This is more of an honorable mention because it works as a whole but not every song can be considered great.
my favorite album of the last decade (hands down):
The Mars Volta DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM
THE MARS VOLTA De-loused in the Comatorium
It's a concept album that, in my opinion, could not be more perfect. I don't know if I'll ever like another Mars Volta album anywhere near as much, or if I'll ever like another album as much. Every single song fits into the concept and as a whole it's a behemoth of beautiful noise.
I live in Arizona. Currently in Scottsdale which is more of a city area, but was going to high school in Cave Creek when I first got my hands on the album. At first, I didn't get The Mars Volta. I didn't like it. I wanted it to stop. My friend urged me to give it another listen and the second time around I fell in love. Driving through Arizona with this album going is perhaps the best experience I've ever had with music. It's just so unique and mesmerizing. After 100+ listens, this is, in my mind, without any doubt, the best album of the past ten years. I'll never believe a soul who disagrees but that's the beauty of opinion. Below are some selected lyrics...
Favorite line: One day this chalk outline will circle this city...
This is easily my favorite album mentioned in this thread, but I feel that something as niche as stoner/doom metal is hard to proclaim "album of the decade." I don't agree with the guy who thinks a great album should be easily accessible for everybody, but Dopethrone requires a pretty specific taste.
Oh, I know.
It's like it was made in an awesome alternate universe where rock music is like 36 times more interesting.
Not just because it's one of the greatest abums I've ever heard (because it is) but also because of the way it was able to sum up a whole generation's anger against the sitting president and to tell a cohesive story St. Jimmy.
All in all, if fucking ROCKED.
Especially in concert. An entire close-to-sold-out-arena singing along, while positioned front "row", General Admission, is goddamn powerful. Best concert I've ever been to, hands down.
But let us back up a bit, shall we? We're getting a bit derailed.
Mhmm. Go on...
Gotcha. So we have to have an album that is priceless; the number on the sticker is meaningless, the psychological value voids all material cost. It's a collection of singles that are glued together, ribbons and bows on top? Should it inspire you? Does it unravel the mysteries of the flow of life and death, or merely take a curious glance at it? Does it paint a tragic picture? Any colour you like, really - one, all, or some.
In reality, agreeing on a single cut isn't feasible, we all have our unique tastes. What is nectar to me is venom to you - it doesn't even have to be ingested. Objectively though, if we can put genre aside and try to find a work of art that meets this criteria, we'll still be here when we celebrating Valentine's Day.
Nevertheless, I still have my own opinion, right?
Tool - Lateralus
It's not where do I begin, it's how do I begin.
It's such an existential work. If you're sharing some time between only you and Lateralus, it's hard to not question consciousness, driving you into that path's depths until you reach absolute, unhealthy nihilism. The leading single, if I recall correctly, Parabola, (besides making me sound like a soapbox lunatic explaining this) examines pain. Pain is an illusion. Really? What is pain but not an electrical response that something is wrong? Can we really overcome the facade (fancy c) neurologically? Pointy but elegant. I don't have the time at the moment to explain (the song) Lateralus; nothing less than a paper would explain it in full, anyway.
Musically, MJK's voice adequate - not overly plesant-barbaric i.e. Vedder or rock hard a la Hetfield, but a delightful, fluctating balance. The guitar work is impressive. Solid riffs are displayed, but they don't overstay their welcome. Some incredible sections are casually tossed away, a drop of honey that makes you crave more and more. Drums - Carey impresses as always, changing the beat, showing prowess, someone find the video of him doing the closing of Lateralus. And those "filler" songs - you can't have great highs without the lows, and they serve a double, almost contradictory purpose to build something akin to tension. I can't listen to Parabola without Parabol flowing seamlessly before.
But the intro! Just an opinion, really. A founded, structured, opinion? Maybe, I'm not sure I'm making sense at the moment (a bit tired). Forgive me if I'm not. If we do want some tangible fruits along the rails laid by the OP, divide it into genres. Rock, ill-defined pop, etc etc.
Isn't Tool disqualified anyway? They fit too perfectly into the constraints, might be because of the OP's name. Cough.
Alternative votes go to:
Moving Mountains - Pneuma EP
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Ghostface - Fishscale
Sigur Ros - ( )
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Radiohead - Kid A
My choice of 'Frames' by Oceansize, goes far beyond the inherent content of the album. If you look at Oceansize's past efforts, you can really see their development, and at least for me, Frames is the final culmination of their talents. There is a perfect balance between polish and friction, which I believe is integral to the tone an album sets, and indeed the entire album works to set the tone; the songs seem to all be chapters in the same story. Normally, I'm more of an instrumental music fan, but the lyrics for Frames were so especially good I can't let that go without saying...
There are a bunch of runners up though, including The Mars Volta's 'Frances the Mute', Between the Buried and Me's 'Colors', and basically every album by Kayo Dot. They were all transcendent glory.
fugazi - the argument
enon - high society
the dismemberment plan - emergency and i
tortoise - tnt (and standards)
botch - we are the romans
beck - mutations
Battles: Mirrored
Flobots: Fight With Tools
Incubus: Make Yourself
Korn: Follow The Leader
System of a Down: Toxicity
Honestly, my list is more just CD's I really like that any that I feel should be Best Album of the past 10 years. I don't think I could ever decide that.
Profound lyrics and great beats. Very folksy lyrics with a pretty basic hip hop beat accompaniment, just enough to keep you bobbing your head. Remarkable considering it is Canadian.
Sample lyrics from Square One
Every mans worst fear he also had heavy hands
He couldn’t touch his lovers face
He couldn’t hold a baby
He would never desert them
But he was worried he would hurt them maybe
Mad at the world his face turned hot pink
The best he could do was just try to not think
But he was to bothered
So he would only try rarely
He read the last page of every book in the library
He lacked the charisma
Of a true revolutionary crime fighter
Would try to write but kept breaking his typewriter
He preaches manifesto militant radical
Was diligent but his greatest mistakes were gramatical
If he only spent more time rehearsing and preparing
There wouldn’t have to be so much cursing and swearing
Eyes on fire
His volume was blistering
No one had taught him about the power of whispering
He is dynamite
Blows kisses
Eats dirt
His mouth of a volcano
He is a t-shirt
He stands on stilts
But doesn’t stand for funny stuff
Ask me
He just hasn’t been around the sun enough
He paints self-portraits
With a roller
Only eats corn
And then tries to sell his own soul
On a street corner
He always remembers everyone’s numbers
And sometimes cries into his own cumbersome hands
Sample from Square Two
young men and women are fiending for
immediate intimacy with no limitiations.
alas, the skirts don't hide the shadows
cast by the bare ass on the dancefloor.
sexual warfare waits in the staircase
and therefore most of them probably
shouldn't even really be there in the first place.
unarmed soldiers of lust rub shoulders
with those older and more immature than them,
it's disgusting, yet intruiging to see
overachieving greasers unleashing themselves
upon the female species,
especially when the weather gets warmer and then
the whole entire wardrobe is normally informal.
for your information, the hats are worn backwards
and so are the morals when the girls wear overalls.
it's a sensitive issue involving insecurity
maturity levels, and lots of toilet tissue 'cause...
the girls are desperate,
but the boys are even hornier,
the rose smells sweet
but the stem is even thornier.
it's a match made in purgatory,
what more do you want to know?
http://www.free-lyrics.org/4369-Buck-65.html
the girls get goosebumps and nipples to notice but
no one knows how to communicate it's useless when
lies are told with closed eyes and
everybody tries to disguise their own flaws when the guys go,
"we need females and we read details."
it's card tricks and hard dicks
and a beat that goes like "uh uh uh yeah, uh huh uh uh yeah."
the neat part of the meat market apart from the
darkness and lots of narcotics to me is the hard rocks,
no one needs to be told twice, there's plenty of cold ice,
just tight pants and old spice who take shots and roll dice.
the carpets are crumby with puke coming out of them.
it's putrid and stupid
why don't you make a contribution
to the plan-gathering, as a matter fact, word
what do you say, this thursday?
the girls are desperate,
but the boys are even hornier.
the rose smells sweet
but the stem is even thornier.
it's a match made in purgatory,
what more do you want to know?
it smells like everything inside of the hideout
but i doubt anyone really wants to know why,
oh my, goodness gracious, the place is basically bulging
with people indulging in, all kinds of fabric,
it's a magical buffet of pheromones and flesh
that defies all logic.
it's just like dodgeball, but instead of a ball
the contestants throw around the head of a doll
and i don't know what it means,
but it makes it worth the cost alone,
even with the overflowing load of testosterone.
the sexual appetites are salty, it's a circus,
the circuits are faulty, and everybody's uptight
with sweat stains and jet planes and hot rod love songs,
blistering kisses for every mister and misses,
in the same of time it takes for you to make a sandwich, love,
you can probably find someone for you to take advantage of.
'cause the girls are desperate,
but the boys are even hornier.
the rose smells sweet
but the stem is even thornier.
it's a match made in purgatory,
what more do you want to know?
Sample from Square Three
ghost town, stray dogs
whole nine, the gold mine closed down
i knew the woods like the back of my hand
and i would shoot the breeze
with the roots and trees
i'd go by the river
and watch the way the devil dances
but never took his hand
even though i did have several chances
everybody slept
when the morning dew turned to frost
darkness moved in
and somebody burned a cross
a girl named stella cuwin
was prettier than you`d imagine
the town should've given her the crown
for the beauty pageant
but instead
some local pinhead started spreading rumors
about the cuwins being inbreds
and what's worse, people believed it
cause the family was dirt poor
and down on their luck
so that made it hurt more
picking up garbage and mowing the grass
at this point stella stopped going to class
you know how they ridicule a kid in school
and this shit's enough
to make anybody feel like a misfit
she made herself invisible
and hid inside a house of mirrors
whenever the fear stops
so did the tear drops
but fear is forever
and lies become legend
and eventually growing
slowly, exponentially
she should've been a cover girl
treated like a princess
but she's an enigma
haunted by the stigma of incest
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes
one horse town
known for the most softness
little old schoolhouse
burned down post office
blueberries and bulrushes
a tree with a tire swing
volunteer fireman's fair
the whole entire thing
stella was heartbroken
decided to start smoking
bad taste in her mouth
she grew into a sad face
her few friends were worried
but her parents were always pround of her
but she never escaped from under the cloud cover
a woman reduced
she was eaten by a monster
and after all these years
the past, it still haunts her
it whispers her name
when she's trying instead
to just listen to music
while she's lying in bed
now the story of stella
is one that every child knows
but the witch in the woods
is more like a wild rose
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes
she tried to hide the scars
her name reminds me of the stars
i saw diamonds divide
in the corners of her eyes.....
If you haven't heard this CD yet, you are really missing out.
Edit: Or Neon Bible - Funeral. Or, and I know I am going to get a lot of hate for this one, My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.
but they're listening to every word I say
To be perfectly honest, my OP probably was rushed. I did it at 8 in the morning without having slept that night, so my meaning was not as... elaborated on as it could/should have been.
I did not mean to try to simply get away with "lyrics should be meaningful", and I didn't mean the album should consist of singles. What I meant was the thematically, as a statement, every song could stand alone with its own message, but as a whole, the songs form an ever greater message/theme/whatever. Like a chorus.
And as for meaningful, I mean, among other things, that there are no filler lines. Nothing is a bigger intellectual turn off in a song than when it is apparent that there are some words or entire lines in a song cast in simply to fit rhyme and meter. They mean nothing, they're just supposed to fit to the music. It doesn't mean the song can't be awesome. See: "In The Air Tonight" Phil Collins openly admitted that the words mean nothing, they were simply written because they sounded good with the score he composed. In fact, the lyrics being deep has nothing to do with whether I can enjoy the song as a piece of music.
But as for "greatest album of the past 10 years", I'm looking for far more than just quality ear popcorn. I want the music to be good, but I want that good music to be set to something substantial.
Lateralus is probably a contender. I know for one the songs are amazing, and I think MJK at least believes his songs are deeper than Mariana's Trench, recently, however, I myself find that perhaps they could not be.
I only know this because that town in about 5 minutes away from me, hell I've delivered pizza's to his old school. I know a ton of people who used to hang out with him "back in the day."
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Deftones - The White Pony - I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to put this, the self-titled album, or Saturday Night Wrist in this spot. I thought they were all brillianr, but I think the White Pony is the one that has the most consistent level of excellence and the most powerful and memorable songs. It's also one of the most bizarrely erotic albums I can think of, yet it's probably one of the best make-out albums I've ever experienced. Digital Bath, Change (In the House of Flies) and Passenger being the prime examples. In terms of just raw energy, I've never heard another song like Knife Party.
The runners up
Amon Tobin - Chaos Theory
I never, ever thought I would put a video game soundtrack on the short list for best album of a decade, but this is no ordinary video game soundtrack. Incredible textures, fantastic sound quality, frenetic, tension-filled rhythms. Glorious reverbs and echoes, just everything good about AT's style in one package.
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
It's just a powerful album, full of emotion and expressiveness, very heartfelt performances from the entire band, and some really pointed lyrics. The Pioneers is one of the most powerful songs I've heard.
Modest Mouse - Good News...
I don't know how to describe it other than it's kind of a quaint and eclectic journey, but it's one that I've taken over, and over again and have always enjoyed. Ocean Breathes Salty is pretty high on my list of favorite songs of all time.
I'm not decided yet, (there's so much awesome out there) but this definitely deserves a mention.
Other possibilities (I know the electronic ones probably fail in the "has something to say" bit, but still):
The Postal Service - Give Up, Deepsky - In Silico and DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
- "Proving once again the deadliest animal of all ... is the Zoo Keeper" - Philip J Fry
With Matter + Form and Futureperfect right behind it.
So much
How, it's still a rather personal album.
Please be reminded that this doesn't make it bad at all. And also, of course, these are simply my own definitions.
Brings up another good point: the cut should have some value of replayability. You have to be able to throw this album on repeat, and be entertained for hours, like a Slinky. Well... urgh... I guess if it is a contender for a "great album", the nominator has to have listened to it > 1 time? Blarg, nevermind, I defeat my own point.
And I understand what you're saying about the depth of MJK. The songs are so deep and abstract that they really could mean... nothing? So abstract that there isn't a handhold for reality. You can synthesize one, saying this song is about "lost loves," but it fits equally with the subject of "death." So deep it's shallow.
Also, good morning.
Well, personally, replayability is actually a rather low priority for me. It's nice, and god knows I'll listen to the same song over and over if I need to (Purple Rain), but if the piece is so powerful the first time through?
In all reality, the chance of finding something of that sort that I've never heard of? That I've never heard anyone mention before? Low low, but then again, I didn't actually hear about The Postal Service until... a few weeks ago. So I'm pretty ignorant to new stuff.
And I think you've more or less captured the thing about his lyrics that just... tilts my head a little, quirks my eyes. Sometimes they almost seemed... manufactured obscurity. Something produced from a template. The music is amazing, and Tool was always a fantastic band when it came to different music, particularly in tempo, so I'm not trying to disparage the band all that much.
And good morning.
Also, I nearly forgot Avalanche by Matthew Good.
Alkaline Trio did everything My Chemical Romance has done, ten years ago and better.
Can't bring myself to agree with Green Day though. They have a great image but I can't much stand the albums they've made. just me though.
That's funny, because I like some of the albums Green Day has made but I can't stand their image.
Nimrod shuffles from incredibly inventive to godawful mundane.
I give American Idiot the best Green Day album.
So,
American Idiot.
I was going to say In Utero but thats to late, then The Blue album. Man I need to get into new music.
One more vote for Alive 2007. It may not be for everyone... But it has so much energy.
Confined to a tiny spit of sand, unable to escape,
But tonight, it's heavy stuff.
What? No. God no. A thousand times no. Unless Dookie NEVER HAPPENED.
Its pretty much a tie for me but you know LOL opinions.
I guess for me it's more that Dookie seemed like they were hardly trying and became unfathomably cool/wonderful but with American Idiot they're trying way too hard. I even agree with most of their 'message' but I just can't stand them on that album.
edit: And while, yes, that still means the album could contain artistic merit, the 'forced feeling' kills it for me.
Relationship of Command was only released in 2000? I thought it was waaaay older for some reason.