Best of the Aughts: Albums

MUSIC LIST

by Slant Staff on February 1, 2010 Jump to Comments (15) or Add Your Own

80. The Cardigans, Long Gone Before Daylight. Sexual politics are fascinatingly evoked in telephone calls, horse races, and war on the Swedish group's fifth album Long Gone Before Daylight. "You've been aiming at my land/Your hungry hammer is falling," Nina Persson sings without any hint of cheekiness on "You're the Storm," which could be the soundtrack to Neve Campbell's character in When Will I Be Loved—a vixen who's also a slave to her vagina. The subdued music, almost country, puts Persson's potent heartache front-stage, where it belongs. PS

79. Goldfrapp, Black Cherry. It may not have started the electro-pop revolution, but Goldfrapp's second album made disco and new wave revivalism cool again. Of course, without Debbie Harry, there would be no Alison Goldfrapp, but without Black Cherry, there might be no Annie, Little Boots, or Sally Shapiro—what with its sleek, airbrushed synths and artfully braindead lyrics ("Touch my garden...all day long"). But the grumbling bassline of "Strict Machine," the group's enduring club classic, proves that even though they've since steered away from the dance floor, no one worships it with as much sheer force as Goldfrapp. PS

78. Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man, Out of Season. It might've seemed ill-fitting that the Portishead frontwoman would go on to record a folk record. But Beth Gibbons was always miscast as a grunge goddess—her lyrics are more elegiac than angsty—and she's perfectly at home in the warmth of these songs, which are more straightforwardly tinged with the jazz that influenced Portishead's first two albums (Gibbons is a dead ringer for Billie Holiday on "Romance," another example of her remarkable tonal range). These songs offer a more direct, almost umbilical connection to the singer's inner consciousness and deep despair. PS

77. Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose. Forty years into a career that had already earned her legendary status, Loretta Lynn finally released an album on which she sounds comfortable. Her rough-and-tumble narratives and feisty, powerful vocal performances fit perfectly into producer Jack White's stripped-down aesthetic, making for a harmonious and critically dense match between form and content. White's authenticity fetish sometimes results in over-reaching, but on Van Lear Rose, he managed to come up with an album that stands as career-best work for both himself and for the woman he's called "America's greatest songwriter." JK

76. Panda Bear, Person Pitch. In a decade that brought us a plethora of great ambient records, Person Pitch reigns supreme for its nerdy sense of repetition, overlapping textures, and grandiose symmetry, but also for its surprising bursts of soulfulness. Even in the Badalamenti-style dread that closes the magisterial "Comfy in Nautica," Noah Lennox's influences are almost impossible to detect: From the Beatles and Nina Simone to Aphex Twin and Kylie Minogue, he creates a highly personal, kaleidoscopic vision from the album's shape-shifting triumphs small ("I'm Not") and large ("Good Girl/Carrots") to evoke a dreamer traveling through life and experiencing its wonders and horrors high off the sense of possibility. EG

75. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America. If the Hold Steady were only about their stuck-in-your-head melodies paired with arrangements that sound like a classic-rock radio station exploding, Boys and Girls in America would still be one of the most deliriously enjoyable albums of the last decade. Craig Finn's drunken grumbling about literature, rock, and an expanding cavalcade of fictionalized losers with curiously epic names like Charlemagne and Hallelujah cements it as one of the greatest. With some obvious nods to Springsteen and Thin Lizzy, Boys and Girls is an absolute firecracker of an album that sounds like the world's greatest cover band trying to do their influences one better—and coming really damn close. JN

74. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend. A year ago, my Slant colleague Dave Hughes nicely summed up the racket over Vampire Weekend's debut by calling it "the best album about which to have stupid, pointless arguments in 2008," and as the heated discussions about colonialism, preppiness, and cultural appropriation renew their engines amid the release of the band's follow-up, it's worth remembering that the original fire-starter still sounds fresh, smart, and engaging. Some people may never be able to get over the considerable stumbling blocks to enjoying this record, but for the rest of us, Vampire Weekend are simply responsible for one of the most enjoyable slices of clean, mannered guitar-pop this side of Orange Juice. WM

73. Sigur Rós, ( ). Its threshold for suspension of disbelief may be uncommonly high for a pop record, but Sigur Ros's ( ) makes up for its pretentious gimmickry with its nearly peerless degree of songcraft. With their subversion of traditional notions of "pop" and their insistence that meaning is the sole domain of the individual listener, the band may be the ultimate one-trick pony. And ( ) is perhaps the finest execution of that trick, an uncommonly beautiful song cycle that offers no limitations on possible interpretation. JK

72. Aaliyah, Aaliyah. From the time she was a teenager, Aaliyah had a distinct talent for collecting talented producers (R. Kelly, Timbaland, Missy Elliott) and labels (Jive, Virgin) like furniture. And on Aaliyah, she was able to use those collaborations to create her own sound, a smoldering, sophisticated, and decidedly adult R&B. She lets Timbaland guide, not hijack, the album (he only produced three tracks, one of them being the standout lead single "We Need a Resolution"), but what's most memorable today is the voice of Aaliyah herself, who had long ditched teen coquettishness for a slinking sexiness ("We can be like Bonnie and Clyde") that only hinted at the full-blown artist she might have been. PS

71. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver. Because my hopes of making a case for Brian Eno's Another Day on Earth as one of the most tragically underrated triumphs of the last decade were dashed, I come to Sound of Silver—so lovingly indebted to both Eno and David Byrne's experiments in sound—with a bit of a wounded heart. It's a less personal and risky record than Eno's, but the marriage of James Murphy's playfully summersaulting dance-rock beats to his intriguingly, almost pathologically detached vocals (he sounds like the cagey little brother of Art Brut and Zooropa-era Bono) still stuns, especially on the haunting wonder of "Someone Great." That song alone is enough to mend a wounded heart. EG

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Comments

JRHG1 on February 1, 2010, 09:26 PM

I'm guessing Radiohead, Missy Elliott and Erykah Badu have three albums each on the list. We already have two Radiohead albums (Kid A likely is on the way), and one each from Elliott and Badu. Would be cool if two Madonna albums made the list, but I have a feeling if it coes down to one, it will be Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Mike321 on February 2, 2010, 03:39 PM

It would have been great if the release date (year) was inserted in brackets or something beside each entry. I'm just saying...

adamant_cocoon on February 2, 2010, 10:27 PM

"the songs stutter and spit and entirely change direction with such abandon that it's nearly impossible to feel entirely comfortable listening to it unfold"...indeed, with incredibly ineffectual abandon. Consider this the pockmark on your list. Mama's Gun is a brilliant enough choice, though.

JRHG1 on February 4, 2010, 10:56 AM

Nice to see Music also on the list. It received decent acclaim on year-end lists for 2000, but has not fared as well on decade-end features. Good on Slant for remembering it. Music took things a step forward from the sound of Ray of Light, but American Life was kinda samey to Music, which is why (in part) it suffered (the material, in general, also wasn't as strong). Confessions on a Dance Floor was a nice return to form, but then she didn't quite deliver as Madonna should with Hard Candy. Going by the trend of the last four albums (in terms of quality), the next one should be a doozy. :) (hopefully)

adamant_cocoon on February 5, 2010, 05:41 AM

It was wise of you guys to place Vespertine 3rd on the list (I largely prefer it to Kid A, in that Bjork chronicles saintly amour and quiet ecstasy so beauteously); you almost got me there. I still think valleys abound in your decade-in-retrospect, which are nonetheless redeemed by 30 truly fantastic albums. Haphazard choices fare worse (No Doubt? Higher than...well, most of the list and dozens of better prospects?!!) and I'd wish Kala trumped Arular even on your watch.

FattTony on February 5, 2010, 06:50 PM

Well, this is admittedly a decent list (I should stress that I only own 18 of these albums at present, and 5 others I listened to but did not feel the need to either buy or keep, though I may now buy Kala from my local second-hand dealer, and give a second listen to others I had ignored or dismissed); I'm grateful to the compilers/reviewers for alerting me to various artists whose talents I was unaware of or unfamiliar with—though I tend to agree with 'adamant' that Rock Steady has been slightly overrated, and I'm prepared to state under oath that I believe Since I Left You to be INSANELY overrated, and that In Ghost Colours would have been INFINITELY more deserving of a place on this list—but good job overall, gang; you do a fine service for us music fans who don't have time for everything but don't want to let the best slip through our radar!

P.S. Sorry Mr. Keefe, but regardless of opinion, you should at least get your facts straight; namely, that The Disconnection did NOT get Christgau's 'dud' rating; if you actually examine his Consumer Guide with a bit of care, you'll see that he listed it as an Honourable Mention, and that he wrote an informative three-star-out-of-five review for Rolling Stone; rather than 'dismissing' the album with a single throwaway line, he was summarising his feelings about the music in the manner in which he does with every other Honourable Mention...by all means disagree with him, and you make good points about his wordplay and choice of comparisons (I love and admire him but he can be an annoying son-of-a-gun!) but how about trying to avoid making outright mistakes in your writing? (because it's otherwise pretty good!)

Jonathan Keefe on February 5, 2010, 09:24 PM

Making a list of this sort is an exercise in collective memory. In this case, I was so certain that I remembered that "dud" rating from Xgau's Village Voice "Consumer Guide" column that it didn't even occur to me to review his archives. Though the blurb in question has been amended, now this comment thread and Google cache will preserve our memories of that error. Super.

Carrie on February 6, 2010, 05:14 AM

I really liked this list!! But i thought that it was missing two albums. The first is Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, what happened guys? After that mind blowing review, 4.5 stars and such a masterpiece, the best of her career, and that means something, since Blacklisted and Middle Cyclone are terrific too. The other one is Joanna Newsom's Ys. It was called a masterpiece, it received 5 stars and yet it was not in the list, while The Milk-Eyed Mender (a terrific album by the way and one of my favorites of all time), that wasn't even reviewed by Slant made it. I'm pretty sure that was enough space to both (you guys placed to M.I.A. & Madonna albums inside the top 40) and even if it wasn't i would totally pick Ys over Mender any day. Without Ys, Mender wouldn't make this list, maybe Pitchfork's and others's since they actually gave it some attention back in 2004. Glad to see Aimee Mann and so many other records that we can only find over here in Slant's list. And Bjork inside the top 3 was awesome, and Polly Jean Harvey inside the top 20, even better. After that 3 stars review that you guys gave to Stories, a top 20 placement is awesome. I though White Chalk would make the list too, it was rated a 5. Beach House's Devotion was rated a 4.5 and didn't make it either! Speaking of Beach House you guys need to review their new album Teen Dream! But anyway solid list, i love it, i love the new website, i love Slant!

alexbwolf on February 7, 2010, 02:09 AM

Cool to see Music and Rock Steady on the list. I was surprised Rolling Stone had forgotten them in the decade 100 since both were in their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Carrie on February 7, 2010, 12:45 PM

Slant, i'm so glad you guys released the top 101-250, the albums i was complaining about not being included and others i love too were there! I'm even happier now! Slant keep doing more lists more often. The favorites from the 90's, the 80's, the 70's, the 60's (don't forget about Laura Nyro on that one!). You guys are also REALLY GOOD, i mean REALLY REALLY REALLY good when it comes to singer/songwriters, especially female, a list containing the 100 essential records or the best female albums ever would be the most awesome thing ever! I love you Slant staff! I need to come down now, sorry!

Ang on February 10, 2010, 09:34 AM

Thank you for this list. I really appreciate Slant's diverse choices. I visit this site on a regular basis and commend them for being inclusive of different genres and musicians. I made my own top 10 album list of the Aughts (it wasn't easy) and seven of the ten are on this list! I would have liked to see Neko too, and Fever Ray's debut album (2009) floored me.

Gila on February 14, 2010, 12:42 AM

As per usual when these kinds of retrospective lists come out, I try to seek out a lot of the albums listed. Thanks to Slant for introducing me to Goldfrapp's debut which is shockingly good- I had no idea they made an album that sounds like this. A left-field pick, but a good one.

I just wish there could have been some room made for at least one of Neko Case's albums (a second Goldfrapp album, more than 1 Liars album, and Neon Bible, I could live without) or Joanna Newsom's Ys in the Top 100.

Some Guy on February 17, 2010, 10:46 AM

I'm just curious: why didn't the Pet Shop Boys' Fundamental make it into the top 100? It's a fantastic album that, if not outright placement in the upper section of this list, deserves at least to be ranked higher than the stillborn Release.

T-Money on February 18, 2010, 01:18 AM

Pretty awesome list! Damn, I have to say that several of my favorite albums made the cut, and I'm glad to have been introduced to some new ones.

Some albums I thought would be deserving of this list would have been...

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Despite the generally downward trajectory that Bloc Party have taken in recent years, this album remains a gem in British indie/post-punk. An absolutely stunning album.

Zero 7 - Simple Things

While Thievery Corporation may be the most recognizable name in the low-fi electronic genre, this album is one of the most mellow and smoothest sets produced.

Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street

Now I may be alone on this one, but the track "Cayman Islands" is the closest we have gotten to Simon and Garfunkel in quite a while. This is beautiful album, perfect for that rainy day when you want to curl up with your hot chocolate in hand.

Mastodon - Leviathan

When you need to rage and get every motherfucker in the room's attention, this is the AK47 of your musical arsenal. The concept album, inspired by Moby Dick, is epic. The final track, "Hearts Alive," is nothing short of glorious.

fjraz on March 1, 2010, 10:53 AM

T-Money: I absolutely agree with Zero 7 and Kings of Convenience... truly standout albums.

Now, if I could recommend a little something, these two albums by (in my opinion) the finest Asian music exports would have made the list:

Anggun - Luminescence (2005)

This did not get a release outside of Europe, but it's a fantastic pop record nonetheless. Simply classy and demure... pop at its finest, much like her very underrated (hell everything about her always seems underrated) 1997/1998 international debut, "Snow on the Sahara". But "Luminescence" packs in more confidence, attitude and soul... had it been released in North America it would have been a massive hit record.

Key tracks: "In Your Mind", "Undress Me", "Breathe in Water", "Saviour" and the acoustic version of "Captivity".

2. Utada - Exodus (2004)

Released in the US in late 2004, it didn't do much outside of the club scene. Timbaland co-wrote 2 and produced 3 tracks here: the sweeping, ethereal-sounding (and standout) "Exodus '04" as well as "Wonder 'Bout" and "Let Me Give You My Love" (remember, this was pre-"Loose" and "FutureSex/LoveSounds"). Yes it comes off downright silly at times (especially on the album's lead single, "Easy Breezy"), but heck, there's some other gems to be found here. She released an English follow-up last year with "This is The One": a lot mainstream-sounding, but still great. Nevertheless, this *is* actually the one.

Key tracks: "Devil Inside", "Exodus '04", "Hotel Lobby", "Animato", "Kremlin Dusk"

Branching out a little further...

Sugababes - One Touch (2000)

The edgiest album ever to come out by any girlband, and by the most successful girlband of the 21st century not many in North America know about. Never mind about the line-up changes, how none of the original founding members are not even in the band right now or even their more mainstream-sounding follow-ups, this is a standout debut that never got quite the recognition it deserved. Moreover, this is actually the band's only album to feature all three original members.

Key tracks: "Overload", "New Year", "Soul Sound", "Lush Life", "Run for Cover"

Siobhan Donaghy - Revolution in Me (2003)

Exactly. The first member of the Sugababes to leave and perhaps the best one. Now we all know who was the mastermind of One Touch's left-field pop, offbeat moments. A very impressive solo debut that went very underrated (#117 in the UK). Well, she's anything but "overrated".

Key tracks: "Overrated", "Nothing But Song", "Revolution in Me", "Twist of Fate", "Iodine"