The indie-tastemaking Web site people love to hate, Pitchfork, spent the past few days counting down what it considers the 200 best albums of the 2000s. Last night, the curtain was lifted on the top 20. You can see them here.
Spoiler alert: Radiohead’s “Kid A” is No. 1. Just kidding; you can’t spoil something everyone knew was coming.
So … what do you think? Good call at No. 1? Bad call? Who cares, because Pitchfork SUX? (As I said on Twitter: The incessant slagging of Pitchfork has become far more annoying than the site itself.)
(Speaking of Twitter: #indierockconfessions I have never listened to “Kid A.” I’ve heard a song or two, but don’t own the album and have never heard most of it.)
So yeah, most of the top 10 is pretty predictable (that’s not to say off-base), but I’m surprised to see the Panda Bear album that high. I think it’s an interesting listen, but there’s no way it’s the ninth best album of the past 10 years. Just no way.
I’m also surprised TV On The Radio didn’t crack the top 20. And the idea that “Kala” is M.I.A.’s best album? Over “Arular”? That’s just crazy talk.
What else, what else … um … I’m working on my own list for Frequency and I think there are four albums on Pitchfork’s list that might make my Top 20. Can you guess which four?
OK … enough prodding. Basically, I love, love, love discussing music, so if you want to discuss music, leave a comment. If not, that’s cool. (*sniff*)
Tags: Pitchfork
I’ve never been a huge Radiohead fan.
Gasp! The horror!
I know, I know. Not liking Radiohead, in certain circles, is sacrelige. I get as much grief about that as I used to get when I said I didn’t like Bob Dylan.
Gasp! The horror!
I’m no huge Radiohead fan, either.
Not sure I even qualify as a fan, though I have great respect for them, and I do think “OK Computer” is a great album. “The Bends” is, too. And I liked “In Rainbows.”
But the whole “Kid A” / “Amnesiac” / “Hail to the Thief” run … I just never heard a track from any of those that made me want to run out and hear the rest of the album.
I call it the Pearl Jam Syndrome: Lots of records. People say they’re solid. But when I hear the singles or individual tracks, they don’t stick with me.
(But sh-sho: You should give “OK Computer” some more time. It’s gooooood.)
Nothing nerdier than debating top album lists but I am a colossal nerd, so…
Also never really got in to Radiohead. Too lazy to come up with a formal list, but…
In my most humble of opinions, Einsturzende Neubauten’s Perpetuum Mobile and Alles Wieder Offen are easily the two best albums of the 2000s. For top albums of the decade, I’d also throw in
The Breeders – Mountain Battles (took a long, long, long time to grow on me but now it’s only behind those Neubauten albums for favorite of the decade)
Napalm Death – The Smear Campaign
The Melvins – Hostile Ambient Takeover
Wilco – A Ghost Is Born (being a Wilco fan and ranking Yankee Hotel Foxtrot behind this, Being There and Summerteeth gets you some funny looks, but there you go)
Venomous Concept – Retroactive Abortion
Bjork – Volta
Ween – White Pepper
Ohgr – Welt
Frank Black – Fastman Raiderman
Frank Black & The Catholics – Show Me Your Tears
Charley Horse – Unholy Roller
Yes! Scott brings not only nerdiness but also a little bit of heaviness to the discussion! Napalm Death, the Melvins … thunderous! (I don’t know if Venomous Concept, “Retroactive Abortion” is a heavy band/album, but it seems like a safe assumption.)
So … that Breeders album is good, huh? I was absolutely *shocked* at how good they were in May 2008 at Les Schwab Amphitheater, but never picked up “Mountain Battles.” It’s hard for me to imagine loving it, but maybe I should give it a shot?
Nice to see some “Ghost Is Born” love too. I think it’s underrated — and better than “Sky Blue Sky” — but I couldn’t rank it above “YHF,” “Being There” or “A.M.,” for that matter.
Scott: Be sure to check out my recap of MusicfestNW Day 3 for a little bit on Frank Black. Short version: He was not good. But he also didn’t have a band with him.
Being There is actually my favorite Wilco and a big favorite in general. Summerteeth too. I’d agree on ranking A Ghost Is Born behind the first three. I like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot plenty, but for whatever
reason it’s never been my favorite Wilco album.
Venomous Concept is pretty great. It’s an all star band; King Buzzo from The Melvins, the vocalist from Brutal Truth and one or two members (too lazy to look it up) from Napalm Death on bass and or drums. It’s them doing a tribute to the crustier side of their favorite early 80′s hardcore bands. Very much in the vein of Poison Idea, Discharge and early Black Flag. In an interview, Buzzo referenced the name as a tribute to Poison Idea. I felt foolish for not figuring it out myself.
And yeah. I like Modest Mouse but felt The Breeders absolutely blew them off stage. Of course I’m a huge Breeders fan and was super-geeked about them coming here, that might be bias. And yeah, definitely get Mountain Battles, but only if you’re in the mood for a grower. Even as a huge Breeders fan and guy who likes hard-to-get-in to music, I was ready to give up on it a few times as just being deliberate quirk for the sake of quirk. Was even quite angry at one point that they’d try and pass off forced weirdness as a real album. But I really wanted to like they new stuff when they played here and one evening it just clicked and now I love it and consider it one of the best albums of the decade. If you listen to it and find yourself thinking “that scott guy on the internet is an idiot,” don’t worry, it’ll grow on you. Entirely on its own time though.
And that’s too bad about Frank Black. Him doing his solo stuff can be quite magical. I’ve seen him three times overall; the first two Catholics tours and the Pixies reunion tour and of those times, the second Catholics tour, supporting Pistolero was far and away the happiest and most relaxed I’ve seen him on stage. He actually smiled through pretty much the entire set and even cracked a couple of jokes. Didn’t play any Pixies stuff, seemed to really enjoy delving in to his solo catalouge. Pistolero was a good album, he played a healthy chunk of stuff from Teenager Of The Year… actually a contender for favorite show I’ve seen. Absolutely stellar.
There are no doubt some top notch albums on this list – Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Sigur Ros. However, The Avalanches and Panda Bear are a stretch. I mean, we are talking the top albums of the decade here. This list is underwhelming if not disappointing.
If only Jeff Mangum had made another In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Ah…if only.
I’m actually wrestling with the Sigur Ros thing in my own list. Pitchfork put “Agaetis Byrjun” on their list, but I thought it was released in 1999. I haven’t done the research, but I suspect it was reissued in America in 2000. Still, I am counting it as a 1999 release to make my own list-making process that much easier! “( )” or “Takk” might make my top 30 … we’ll see.
As for Mangum … we can dream, right? Go see Bend’s The Sweet Harlots; they cover “Aeroplane.” It’s as close as you’re gonna get to seeing Neutral Milk Hotel in Bend!
This came out while I was out of town and have been meaning to comment. Ben, I can burn you the Amnesiac CD if you want. It is truly THE best album of the decade. Even my 16 month old has listened to it — well, in lullaby form. I’d be happy to enlighten you.
Scott, Summerteeth and Being There came out in 1990s.
I can’t wait to see Paste’s list.
“Scott, Summerteeth and Being There came out in 1990s.”
I know. I just put A Ghost Is Born in my top albums of the 2000′s and put in the remark that that I rank it, Summerteeth, (and honestly, even A.M.) above Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as a conversational aside, as it seems like a controversial (or at least controversial for nerds) opinion. I still like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot plenty, of course.
Also, as long as we’re on this game again, do soundtracks count? Because Bruno Coulais’s score for Coraline was pretty super.
Gents (I presume),
Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
Panics, The – House on a Street in a Town I’m From (2003)
Strokes – Is this It? (2001)
Muse – Origin of Symmetry (2001)
Animal Collective – Feels (2005)
National, The – Boxer, The (2007)
Spoon – Gimme Fiction (2005)
Pheonix – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (2009)
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
Augie March – Strange Bird (2002)
I also read the pitchfork top 200 and thought it was reasonable/good. This is my list and it’s based on what I appreciated most at the time. Hard to cull many records, but I think that this list is pretty strong.