The Single Best Album of the Past 10 Years

[Mr MidFi]

I got into this discussion with my sister last night. She is saying PJ Harvey's Stories of the City, Stories of the Sea is the best album, 1995-2005. I don't think I have a good answer. I'd certainly put that one on my top 10, but I'm not sure I have a #1.

Probably Wilco (either Being There or YHF), or possibly even Built to Spill's Ancient Melodies of the Future.

What's your #1? It's a tough question...

[BEETLEMAN]

I would have to say DREAM THEATER, FALLING INTO INFINITY.. one of my favorites and man can these people play. my 2 cents

[Duds]

man, what an album...

seriously though, Tool's Aenima or Lateralus

I got into this discussion with my sister last night. She is saying PJ Harvey's Stories of the City, Stories of the Sea is the best album, 1995-2005. I don't think I have a good answer. I'd certainly put that one on my top 10, but I'm not sure I have a #1.

Probably Wilco (either Being There or YHF), or possibly even Built to Spill's Ancient Melodies of the Future.

What's your #1? It's a tough question...

[Slosh]

Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I

Of course, everyone who picks anything else is entitled to their wrong opinions

[Davey]

Yeah, tough one. Probably one of these 20 mostly anti-mainstream indie elitist hipster snob minor classics ...

Laika - Sounds of the Satellites
Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
Black Heart Procession - 2
Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
Notwist - Neon Golden
Califone - Roomsound
Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs
Spoon - Girls Can Tell
Tricky - Maxinquaye
Cat Power - Moon Pix
Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life
Silver Jews - American Water
David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights
Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Yo La Tengo - Electr-O-Pura
Bjork - Homogenic
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea
Tindersticks - II

Whaddaya mean that's cheating? Ok, Ok. Perfect From Now On. But yeah, your sister sounds hot. How old is she

[Slosh]

Yeah, tough one. Probably one of these mostly anti-mainstream indie elitist hipster snob minor classics ...

Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
Black Heart Procession - 2 Amore del Tropico
Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
Notwist - Neon Golden
Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs All Is Dream
Spoon - Girls Can Tell A Series Of Sneaks
Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea
Radiohead - OK Computer

Whaddaya mean that's cheating? Ok, Ok. Perfect From Now On

Aren't you glad I cleared that up?

[Davey]

Aren't you glad I cleared that up?

Yeah, thanks! I knew it didn't look right

I need to pull out OK Computer more often. Got kind of tired of it around the turn of the century and hardly ever listen anymore. Got kind of detached from it, although it's kind of made to be listened to a little detached. And then it seemed like everyone was trying to sound like Radiohead, and talk like Radiohead, and walk like Radiohead, and be like Radiohead, and I got kind of sick of Radiohead. But I feel a spiritual renewal coming sometime in my future.

[Davey]

Yeah, tough one. Probably one of these 20 mostly anti-mainstream indie elitist hipster snob minor classics ...

Laika - Sounds of the Satellites
Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
Black Heart Procession - 2
Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
Notwist - Neon Golden
Califone - Roomsound
Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs
Spoon - Girls Can Tell
Tricky - Maxinquaye
Cat Power - Moon Pix
Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life
Silver Jews - American Water
David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights
Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Yo La Tengo - Electr-O-Pura
Bjork - Homogenic
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea
Tindersticks - II

Whaddaya mean that's cheating? Ok, Ok. Perfect From Now On. But yeah, your sister sounds hot. How old is she

Wow, funny how you can look back on all the hairstyles and wardrobes you've been through over the years, and all the things you wish you never said (or should've said), all the obvious mistakes, but then you look back and realize you still listen to pretty much the same music

Well, except that Another Desert, Another Sea by Three Mile Pilot obviously hadn't yet become the classic it is now in my mind, and I must've been high cause there's no mention of Dusk at Cubist Castle by Olivia Tremor Control, can't imagine that now. Not to mention Richard Buckner, guess I hadn't yet realized we were inseparable, Devotion + Doubt has probably changed my DNA. No Sixteen Horsepower or Woven Hand, don't know what happened there, goes to show that you can know someone else but not really know yourself. And I listen to Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People all the time, pretty much lives in my car deck, but no mention in 2005? Hmm, fun to revisit another time. Has your indie-elitist-snob rating changed much in the last 7 years, or your perception of the modern music world, or your list of favorite records by your favorite artists? And can we find out what Mr. MidFi's sister now picks as her favorite record of the last decade?


Edit: And now that I reflect some more, Quicksand/Cradlesnakes should be there too, even if there is already some Califone on the list. Just listened and loved today. In my mind, a slightly off-kilter bookend to Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which I intentionally left off due to the anti-mainstream nature of my original post, but which definitely belongs in a best of the 1995-2005 decade(+) list. And some Songs:Ohia too, from that same amazing year (Magnolia Electric Co.), and the one before (Didn't It Rain). So many more. That Spiritualized record mentioned by Snowbuns is an obvious one too. And Giant Sand's Chore of Enchantment remains a charmer, as does the Mekons' Journey to the End of the Night. And Joe Henry had a couple favorites, as did Josh Ritter. Bad time for sound quality, as everybody began ramping up the levels until it was just a distorted mess, but still one of my favorite times for music.

[Mr MidFi]

The funny thing is... I don't remember starting this thread, but I do remember the conversation with my sister that prompted it!

No idea how I would answer this question today. Let me give it some thought...

[Davey]

Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I

Of course, everyone who picks anything else is entitled to their wrong opinions

Last edited by Slosh : Today at 01:42 PM. Reason: beer

Boy, you must be sloshing down a lot of it today if you can't even post a 1.5 line message without fuckin' something up

[Slosh]

Boy, you must be sloshing down a lot of it today if you can't even post a 1.5 line message without fuckin' something up

But I can make a cup of coffee.

[Slosh]

1995-2005

psst - that's eleven years

[Mr MidFi]

psst - that's eleven years

Details, details. This is the sort of foolishness up with I shall not put. ;-)

Have a great weekend. I must drink now. Maker's & Bass for me!!!

[Davey]

Have a great weekend. I must drink now. Maker's & Bass for me!!!

Yumm, just picked up some Bass last night. Might have one or two myself. Is that Maker's bourbon? And you mix it with the Bass like instead of Guinness? Or do shots and then Bass chasers? Yea, that's probably what you mean. Hmm, sounds like that might be good. Or maybe not

[Mr MidFi]

Yumm, just picked up some Bass last night. Might have one or two myself. Is that Maker's bourbon? And you mix it with the Bass like instead of Guinness? Or do shots and then Bass chasers? Yea, that's probably what you mean. Hmm, sounds like that might be good. Or maybe not

Sorry it took a long-ass while for me to get back on this thread, but yeah...Maker's Mark shots with Bass Ale chaser is a match made in heaven. Or maybe it's hell. Certainly feels that way the next day.

And while I'm all off-topic and everything...how 'bout them Chicago farking Bears!!!

NP: Spoon, "Small Stakes"

[C-Z]

I have been out of it the last year or so as far as keeping up with new music, and I am craving new (for me) stuff. In that spirit, I'm gonna take the suggestions listed here and buy myself holiday gifts of 10 or 20 CDs.

And while I'm all off-topic and everything...how 'bout them Chicago farking Bears!!!

I grew up going to Bears games, starting when they were still at Wrigley field with Butkus and Sayers. Took all three kids to a restaurant last night to eat and watch da bears kick some falcon booty. My girls were wearing my 20+ year old T-shirts that had never been worn before - one from 1984 (central division champions), and the other, 85/86 super bowl champs. Good to see them strong again.

CZ

[audiobill]

Tough question.

Although I haven't listened to these recently, I'd have to say either:

Modest Mouse - Moon & Antarctica

or

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea


Destined to be classics in an indie sort of way, 5years from now and 25 years from now.

My independent opinion, of course,

audiobill

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Tough question.

Although I haven't listened to these recently, I'd have to say either:

Modest Mouse - Moon & Antarctica

or

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea


Destined to be classics in an indie sort of way, 5years from now and 25 years from now.

My independent opinion, of course,

audiobill

Bill has it EXACTLY CORRECT. Well done!

I'll go one step further and pick In The Aeroplane Over the Sea as the best album of the last 10 years. Cut! Print! That's a Wrap!

[caniac]

Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory
Fear Factory - Obsolete
Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done


And Bass is the friggin ####.

[Dusty Chalk]

Gosh, so many:

The Mess We Made, Matt Elliott (simply phenom)
Neon Golden, Notwist (their previous two aren't bad, neither, and I think make it into the time frame) -- just some of the greatest songwriters
(), Sigur Rós
Garbage (barely makes it into the timeframe, as it was released in August 1995) and Version 2.0
Darkest Days, Stabbing Westward -- I still listen to this as a test disk, and gets my foot tapping and my head nodding every time (no, not puts-me-to-sleep nodding, headbanging-in-my-chair nodding...stop that)
The Fragile, Nine Inch Nails -- under-rated
Hindle Wakes, In The Nursery -- gorgeous beyond words

I'm sure I'm forgetting some more metally and alienny (?sp [?word]) disks...

[Davey]

Gosh, so many:

The Mess We Made, Matt Elliott (simply phenom)

Yeah, glad I finally pulled the trigger on that one. Very nice.

[BinFrog]

Pearl Jam - No Code or Yield
Rush - Vapor Trails (damn mixing engineer!), Different Stages
The Bad Plus - These Are The Vistas
Vital Tech Tones - VTT2
Joe Satriani - Strange Beautiful Music
Incubus - S.c.i.e.n.c.e. (everything since has been WELL below par)
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
Tommy Emmanuel - Only


And I'll cheat:
All of the Phish and Pearl Jam live releases

[audiobill]

Bill has it EXACTLY CORRECT. Well done!

I'll go one step further and pick In The Aeroplane Over the Sea as the best album of the last 10 years. Cut! Print! That's a Wrap!

We are not only like-minded Canadians, but like-minded musical brethren X-LionTamer.

[-Jar-]

Hum - DOWNWARD IS HEAVENWARD

runners up

Built to Spill - KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET
NMT - IN THE AEROPLANE..
Red House Painters - SONGS FOR A BLUE GUITAR
Sigur Ros - Ágætis Byrjun
Tom Waits - MULE VARIATIONS

-jar

[Davey]

Hum - DOWNWARD IS HEAVENWARD

runners up

Built to Spill - KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET
NMT - IN THE AEROPLANE..
Red House Painters - SONGS FOR A BLUE GUITAR
Sigur Ros - Ágætis Byrjun
Tom Waits - MULE VARIATIONS

-jar

Yeah, some nice choices there Jar. I remember posting about the Hum album over at obner and got what I thought was a surprising number of obnerites who felt almost like you, that it was one of their favorites of all time. And then of course, a few who thought it stunk. I do like it a whole lot, and whenever I play it, I play it a lot too. Think it might get a spin or three this weekend

http://www.obner.org/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11420