If you missed it, I named my Top Ten Albums of The Decade last week. Volume Two-Five of Albums of the Decade will contain my next forty favorite albums but in no particular order. So, here is Volume Two of SAL’s Albums Of The Decade…
Andrew Bird “The Mysterious Production of Eggs” (Righteous Babe – 2005)
The Mysterious Production of Eggs was my first introduction to Andrew Bird and wow, I was smitten from the start. I saw Mr. Bird on tour in support of this album and it only strengthened my respect for him and my love for his craft. Bird is quite simply one of the most talented musicians I have ever seen perform.
At The Drive-In “Relationship Of Command” (Grand Royal – 2000)
I hate putting albums in these lists that everybody else already has as well. With that being said it is impossible to dismiss Relationship Of Command. The album is a powerful look at a band that burned so bright they had no choice but to fade away.
Broken Social Scene “You Forgot It In People” (Arts & Crafts – 2002)
Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People is a wonderful and eccentric mixture of art and indie rock that recalled genre greats like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. while maintaining a unique personality of its own. The album is all over the place but in an amazingly cohesive kind of way.
Liars Academy “No News Is Good News” (Equal Vision – 2001)
No News Is Good News is one of the most underrated albums I can think of during this decade. Liars Academy rose from the ashes of Cross My Heart (3/4 of XMH to be exact) and put out this gem to little fanfare and mostly ho-hum reviews. The band took what Cross My Heart was doing in the indie/emo realm and just basically picked up the tempos. I’d also suggest Cross My Heart’s last album, 2000’s Temporary Contemporary, to get a feel for how the two bands related to one another.
Ryan Adams “Heartbreaker” (Lost Highway – 2000)
The debut that made Ryan Adams into something more than that guy from Whiskeytown. Unfortunately Adams has never quite lived up to this excellence since. Granted he’s put out some great material post-Heartbreaker but this is the one that lacks any filler whatsoever.
Ted Leo/Pharmacists “The Tyranny of Distance” (Lookout – 2001)
The Tyranny of Distance falls just outside of my decade top ten. This is quite simply Leo’s masterpiece and shattered any work he had been associated with before. I find myself returning to this album time and time again. The album stands out to me from Leo’s later work cause it has such a romantic and emotional quality to it that seems to be missing from his other material.
The Jealous Sound “Kill Them With Kindness” (Better Looking – 2003)
In regards to The Jealous Sound I always hear people say “well, Knapsack were better” and sure, they would be correct. But to dismiss The Jealous Sound is extremely short-sighted. Kill Them With Kindness may not have been the second coming of Knapsack but it was pretty damn close and proved that Blair Shehan was a songwriter that deserved more recognition.
The Mountain Goats “Tallahassee” (4AD – 2002)
While I heard Mountain Goats material before this, Tallahassee is the album that hooked me completely. Darnielle’s storytelling lay front and center here as he tells the intimate story of a deeply troubled relationship. It’s as gripping as an album can possibly be and Darnielle makes you feel like an awkward fly on the wall throughout it all.
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start “And Nothing is #1″ (OHEV – 2003)
As readers of SAL should know I have always been a huge proponent of Up Up Down Down even after they called it quits. And Nothing is #1 was the band’s debut full-length and an overlooked gem by the group with the worst band name ever. I still don’t know how to describe these guys after all these years and maybe that’s why they were so damn good!
Waxwing “Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns” (Second Nature – 2002)
Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns is the last Waxwing album and it is just as good as the first two and maybe even better. Which of course made the band’s break up that much harder to take. Granted I love Rocky Votolato’s solo work but I’m still clamoring for that elusive Waxwing reunion.
Smoking Popes
