this is dudical.

On to part 7 of my 100 best albums of the aughts list.

You can find part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, and part 6 here.

	#40 Kings of Leon – Because of The Times (2007) RCA Kings of Leon’s gateway to full-fledged radio-ready arena rock; Because of the Times still has that southern grit (‘Charmer‘), but the brothers-and-cousin are clearly making the shift toward Cheap Tricky sheen here. ‘Knocked Up‘ and ‘Ragoo‘ are both excellent mashups of the band’s old and new tendencies.
	#39 Minus The Bear – Planet Of Ice (2007) Suicide Squeeze Records Planet Of Ice gets a little more proggy than previous Minus The Bear records…and its production sheen is nearly blinding (it works here, but was perhaps an early warning sign for the dreadful followup, OMNI). The blithely sexual lyrics remain; and amidst a sea of neo-prog guitar solos is an after-afterparty for those who don’t dig on LMFAO or 3OH!3.
	#38 The Organ – Grab That Gun (2004) Mint Records Grab That Gun—The Organ’s lone LP—is a voyeuristic joyride through every little sister’s teenage diary. The band’s namesake (yes, an organ) provides a warm breath of CPR for the album’s ultra-simplistic, razor-sharp guitar melodies and not-quite-drama-queen lyrics. Several blistering, hopeless jams from the outstanding Sinking Hearts EP appear—in updated, more fully realized forms—as well.
	#37 Brand New – Deja Entendu (2003) Triple Crown Deja Entendu contains all the trademarks of a post-hardcore record—narratives posing as song titles (e.g., ‘Good To Know That If I Ever Need Attention All I Have To Do Is Die‘); confessionalist songwriting and choked-up vocals; a focus on atmospheric aesthetics. But Brand New is also poppy, and that emo/pop-punk vibe means we can sing along and fake our tears at the top of our lungs. This record is pretty high on my nostalgia scale.
	#36 Spoon – Girls Can Tell (2001) Merge The first of Spoon’s albums to fire on all cylinders. (No single Spoon ingredient seems that great in and of itself, but together…together Britt Daniel’s dry delivery melts into churning rhythms, cymbal crashes dissolve into perpetual jams, choruses form what seem like endless grooves.) On Girls Can Tell, these parts are meticulously calculated, meaning this “whole” adds up to a whole lot—from classics (‘Everything Hits at Once‘, ‘Take the Fifth‘) to Spoon’s version of a ballad (‘1020 AM‘).
	#35 Auxes – Sunshine (2008) Lovitt Records Auxes bear heavy Les Savy Fav influence; but Sunshine isn’t just an LSV knockoff—it’s got punk charm (Dave Laney was an original Milemarker member). And Laney’s raspy vocals are a perfect fit for these lurching bits of hardcore-cum-punk. These tracks—13 in 34 minutes—stagger and jerk with just enough swagger to dance to. ‘Greeting Card Perfume‘ pays homage to Tom Waits, while anthems like ‘Brother‘ and ‘Radio! Radio!‘ recall Milemarker.
	#34 Black Lips – 200 Million Thousand (2009) Vice Records Notorious for puking and pissing and making out onstage, Black Lips’ music actually transitions surprisingly well to a non-live setting. 200 Million Thousand contains all the drug references you’d expect (e.g., ‘Drugs‘) and the vocals are AM-ready (check out the doo-wop of ‘Trapped in a Basement‘); Black Lips are well-versed in music history (knowledgable on African protopunk, attempting to tour the entire world—Iraq and China included) and it shows.
	#33 Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004) Merge It would be impossible to overstate the influence or the acclaim that followed the release of Funeral. A conceptual chamber-pop record about death—featuring a collective of Canada’s best musicians—comprised of high emotions and brilliantly composed songs. Yes, Win Butler and Co. became the critical darlings of the decade with this release, but this record (somehow both somber and uplifting) deserved every bit of praise.
	#32 Kings of Leon – Only By the Night (2008) RCA Only By the Night solidified Kings of Leon’s shift to full-fledged arena rock (you’ve heard Sex on Fire every time you’ve walked into an Urban Outfitters or American Apparel). I am probably in the minority on this, but I prefer the radio luster of these songs over the Taper Jeans Girls of earlier albums. The stadium-ready, starry-eyed opener ‘Closer‘ might be the best track in Kings of Leon’s arsenal.
	#31 Blonde Redhead – Misery is a Butterfly (2004) 4AD Kazu Makino’s voice is otherworldly—something between a dream and a birdsong—giving Blonde Redhead’s hypnotic music an enchanting dreamscape straight out of a Murakami novel. Misery is a Butterfly was the first Blonde Redhead album to seize on the band’s strong pop capabilities, and the result is startling and gorgeous; a murderous fairy tale.

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On to part 6 of my 100 best albums of the aughts list.

You can find part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here and part 5 here.

	#50 The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema (2005) Mint I haven’t been as excited about their recent releases, but The New Pornos brought it on this album. A.C. and Neko sound more at ease here (a lot of their later material seems forced to me). The charity-drive-anthem ‘The Bleeding Heart Show‘ could have been—perhaps ironically—the background music to every post-Mission Project wrap-up slideshow you’ve ever seen.
	#49 The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (2000) Capitol The Dandys are a perfect example of a postmodern band: tongue-in-cheek band name with witty song titles, self-indulgent music, clever in-song references, and a post-ironic attitude (seriously…two identical last names, Courtney?). That list may sound cynical, but its actually the reason I love this band. Taylor has a way of turning inside jokes into ridiculously catchy drugged-out singalongs that are both nonchalant and au courant.
	#48 The Sounds – Living In America (2002) New Line Another ultra-stylish neo-new wave band whose newer albums are lacking. In The Sounds’ case, the problem is the group’s attempt to move away from what made them so great—writing simple, modern takes on 80s synthpop anthems (and looking cool as hell). Sure, these aren’t the most technical songs—and the Blondie influence is everywhere—but you can’t deny that ‘Fire‘, ‘Riot‘ or ‘Living In America‘ will have you instantly shaking your ass on a sweat-drenched dancefloor.
	#47 Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People (2002) Arts & Crafts Critical darlings Broken Social Scene bottled up 40 years of pop music, put it in a blender, and released it to form this album. BSS utilize complex song structures, layers and layers of instruments, and shimmering choruses that are unpredictable, often brilliant, and always interesting. I haven’t been as enamored with other BSS projects (critics are), but this album is mesmerizing.
	#46 Moros Eros – Jealous Me Was Killed By Curiosity (2007) Victory Records Jealous Me Was Killed By Curiosity was the second and final album by Les Savy Fav disciples Moros Eros. Nothing too original here—Les Savy Fav had already broken these barriers years before—but originality isn’t the only requirement for a great album. These songs are ridiculously catchy, and they contain—by far—enough personality to merit their own successes.
	#45 Hot Panda – Volcano…Bloody Volcano (2009) Mint Records One of the more criminally overlooked records of the decade; Hot Panda defies description: some sort of schizophrenic take on Talking Heads-ish post-punk…with Little Tikes™-sounding keyboard riffs? ‘Whale Headed Girl‘ is a straight-up boogie, the breakdown is hypnotizing; ‘Cold Hands\Chapped Lips‘ births the devil in its chorus; ‘Gold Star Swimmer‘ ends on a Blue Album-era Weezer solo. All that, and this record manages to stay poppy and coherent. I have no idea where all the praise is.
	#44 Tom Waits – Blood Money (2002) Anti Tom Waits has an admittedly difficult learning curve, but once you’re in…you’re in for good. Blood Money features my three favorite Waits songs (‘Misery Is the River of the World‘, ‘God’s Away On Business‘, ‘Starving In the Belly of a Whale‘). As usual, Waits’ songs range from carnivals-in-Hell to Big Easy balladry; always complemented with brilliant lyrics and a jazz-educated, whisky-sipping vibe.
	#43 Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (2009) Domino Good Lord, Wild Beasts; gay-friendly lyrics, stylized falsetto, overtly sexualized, androgynous vocals (“This is a booty call; my boot up your arse hole. This is a Freudian slip; my slipper in your bits“)—all backdropped with the most intricate, haunting electronic pop imaginable. The line keeping Wild Beasts from Drag Queen Night at the bar is thin, but ultimately, Two Dancers knows exactly when to hit you and when to hit on you. Amazing.
	#42 A Place To Bury Strangers – A Place To Bury Strangers (2007) Killer Pimp With an arsenal of homemade effects pedals, Oliver Ackermann bridges the gap—20 years later—between MBV and JMC. With the possible exception of Glifted, I have never heard a band so perfectly meld those two bands into a coherent whole. Lost in the post-shoegaze shuffle was just how deafeningly loud those pioneering bands actually were. A Place To Bury Strangers helps remind us.
	#41 Frank Black and the Catholics – Dog In the Sand (2001) What Are Records? Frank Black’s strongest release in nearly a decade (since 1994’s Teenager Of the Year), Dog In the Sand harkened back ( ‘Stupid Me‘, and ‘St. Francis Dam Disaster‘ in particular) to the effortlessness of his early post-Pixies output. Black’s missteps have tended to come when treading too close to pure Americana—a pitfall he deftly avoids here.

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On to part 5 of my 100 best albums of the aughts list.

You can find part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here and part 4 here.

	#60 Thurston Moore – Trees Outside the Academy (2007) Ecstatic Peace Indie’s ageless leader takes less chances now (the cost of growing older?) than back in the Sister days, which means safer songwriting…and a little less reward (no Tuff Gnarls or Teen Age Riots here). But while Moore’s newer songs may be less risqué in Thurstonian terms, that doesn’t mean he’s lost that coolly detached moxie we’ve all grown to love; he’s still cooler than we’ll ever be. And he knows it.
	#59 The Ponys – Turn The Lights Out (2006) Matador I love the black-leather nonchalance of Jered Gummere’s vocals; very chic, very chill (à la vintage BRMC). Turn the Lights Out has less bite than Celebration Castle (no Steve Albini), but I generally prefer the ultra-hip detachment here (e.g., ‘Exile On Main Street‘ and ‘Harakiri‘).
	#58 Portugal. The Man – Waiter: “You Vultures!” (2006) Fearless Records Portugal. The Man are one of the most remarkably prolific indie bands around right now (five LPs in five years, with several EPs and an acoustic LP interspersed throughout). The danger of being an experimental prog rock band can mean occasional failure (Church Mouth), but the highs (It’s Complicated Being a Wizard EP, Waiter: “You Vultures!”) are worth it. I also love this album cover.
	#57 No Knife – Riot For Romance (2002) Better Looking No Knife’s distinct San Diego flavor channels everything from Pinback (‘Feathers and Furs‘) to the early British post-punk or Wire and Gang of Four. Its best songs (the title track, ‘Flechette‘, ‘The Red Bedroom‘) even bring a little Fugazi to the table; bridging the gap between post-punk and hardcore. Riot For Romance was sadly the band’s final album, but it’s an excellent curtain call.
	#56 The Strokes – Is This It (2001) RCA Indie rock’s retro garage-rock phase was short-lived, but The Strokes were kings while it lasted. Later albums trended toward Julian Casablancas’s growing infatuation with synthpop, which just don’t compare to the blasé enthusiasm and memorable choruses found on this debut. (That may be unfair to say; a modern Is This It probably wouldn’t have the same impact as it did in 2001—but regardless, this record was perfect for its time.)
	#55 Killing Joke – Killing Joke (2003) Zuma Recordings Not to be confused with their 1980 self-titled album—which is an entirely different beast—this is Killing Joke’s leap into the post-metal arena hinted at on 1996’s Democracy. A six-year hiatus must have been what Jaz Coleman needed to complete the transition; he brings the crazy as usual, and Dave Grohl throws down hammer-and-guantlet tribal beats as guest-drummer. Killing Joke may be a different-sounding band than they were in the 80s, but their roots are alive, and Coleman seems as confident as ever.
	#54 Built To Spill – You In Reverse (2006) Warner Bros. You In Reverse is a bit more understated than other Built To Spill albums; Martsch is so on point, so often, there isn’t much time for the quivering, meandering Dinosaur Jr-isms that characterize so many of Built To Spill’s best songs. The guitar solos are still alive—this is Doug Martsch, after all—but they seem to have a more functional purpose here. Sadly, the album cover is incomprehensibly awful.
	#53 The Wrens – The Meadowlands (2003) Absolutely Kosher The Wrens seem to come and go Salinger-style—armed with something mind-blowing whenever they reappear. I love the dirty-folk feel of this record—a toxic blend of Jersey Turnpike Pollution and maudlin folk-pop (perfect for cool October afternoons). Boozy epics like ‘Everyone Choose Sides‘ and ‘Boys, You Won’t‘ are captivating, transfixing.
	#52 Sparklehorse – It’s A Wonderful Life (2001) Capitol [RIP] Mark Linkous delivers the standard amalgam of hyper-surrealist bedroom pop—complete with guest-spots from P.J. Harvey, Tom Waits, Dave Fridmann, et al. Linkous’s already somber music is even more gloomy in retrospect, giving this record a haunting—even disturbing—vibe. The stunning title track is among the best songs Linkous has ever written.
	#51 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz! (2009) Interscope I wouldn’t say Karen O. has necessarily gotten softer with age, but her recent material is definitely (defiantly?) less abrasive than her art-punk roots would have predicted. With Karen, though, that’s not a bad thing; her Patty Smith-influenced, seXXX-charged vocals are a perfect fit for Nick Zinner’s churning guitar and the band’s newfound taste for new-wavy synth riffs. One of my all-time favorite album covers.

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