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Best Rock Albums Of 2000Aug 19 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line 2000 was a year of amazing debuts (Doves), brilliant new directions (Yo La Tengo), and promising advances (Modest Mouse).
Yes, I admit, August 2001 may be a little late to be doing a list of the 'Best' rock albums of 2000. I suppose it is better late than never. And honestly, it's something that had to happen, 2000 was undoubtedly one of the most rewarding years in popular music. 10. Sonic Youth - NYC Ghosts & Flowers I can think of no album, since perhaps Lou Reed's Metal Machine that has generated such widespread difference in opinion. Certainly no conventional rock and roll album has, in recent memory, created such a rift in critical analysis. It has been declared the worst album in the history of rock, as well as Sonic Youth's greatest triumph. Alas, I find myself attracted more to the latter camp. Aided on the boards by post-rock mastermind Jim O'Rourke, Sonic Youth has created a small gem in this 42-minute, eight track release. Angels fly along New York City streets to heaven, memories are made and forgotten, and the feeling of 3am desperation is perfectly captured and immortalized. 'free city rhymes' - complete with beautiful, virtuosic guitar work, whispered vocals, and a mad, static-ridden ending - ranks as one of their finest tracks (ever) and the title track can be felt seething with raw energy. Indeed there are missteps: 'nevermind (what was it anyway)' contains some of the worst lyrics ever penned by a member of Sonic Youth (in case you haven't yet heard) and 'streamXsonik subway' is sketchy, at best. Taken as a whole though, NYC Ghosts & Flowers should stand among the best in their discography (Daydream Nation, Washing Machine), as one of the finest examples of Sonic Youth's unique blend of avant-post-punk rock. 9. Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows Spin declared them the 'Best Band You Haven't Heard" in 2000, but thanks to a new American distribution agreement, you'll be able to pick them up at your friendly local record store. Thank goodness, these Scottish rockers and their finely honed Brit-rock (in the very best sense of the word) deserve to be heard. These young gentlemen prove themselves worthy of praise, providing infinitely memorable melodies with some no frills energy. Think of early R.E.M. with the raw spirit that Blur has shown in the last three or four years. Americans will have the lucky pleasure of also receiving videos for two of the album's finest songs: 'Little Discourage' and 'Roseability' (featuring some Gertrude Stein name-checking). Most surprising when listening to 100 Broken Windows is the realization that this is only their sophomore album. 8. Air - The Virgin Suicides (score) It seems that Air had fans beyond the critics who (quite correctly) praised their debut lp Moon Safari, after all. Sophia Coppola (yes, the daughter of the one and only) asked the French duo to lend some of their trademark organic space pop to her film debut - the dreamy, hauntingly beautiful, Virgin Suicides. The mood is decidedly different from previous Air efforts, but this is attributable to its function as a score for the film. The fun, easy-listening vibe of earlier works is set aside for disturbing repetition and a remarkably toned-down, psychedelic, seventies aesthetic. The affair is decidedly minimal in parts, wildly exuberant in rare instances, but always dark. Only three of the tracks last longer than two minutes (two are around six minutes), which works nicely to speed the pace, and keeps the atmosphere alive. Among the highlights is 'Bathroom Girl' which begins with muted strings before swelling into a slow guitar solo with vibraphone ornamentations. 'Dirty Trip' features a shadowy freak out worthy of Pink Floyd and 'Dead Bodies' marches with a violent piano backing lingering, synthesized strings and a devastating bass line. The score ends with 'Suicide Underground', which provides sound clips from the film, an excellent introduction for future viewers. The Virgin Suicides is a film about teenage existence, a time when no one knows who they are or what they will be; a time of experimentation. Here, Air seems to be envisioning itself as a late-seventies rock super group. Where they go from here is anyone's guess. (note: Air has released a new album, 10,000 Hz. Legend) 7. Doves - Lost Souls There was once a group of Britons who formed a group named Sub Sub. They made dance music and released it, generated a hit in their native land of Britain. They got tired of that game and changed their name to Doves. Most of the cool rock bands at the time were changing their sounds to be 'electronic' but Doves was trying to make some rock music after years of work in the electronic arena. The British press went mad over their initial singles and declared them 'the next big' thing. Uh oh, the cautious indie music lovers of America thought, the British press is at it again. A few bought their debut album, which had been imported to America. It turned out that the British had been right! Sounding a bit like the Verve, including some very Spiritualized-ish moments, but with a sound uniquely their own, Doves are more than ready to open your mind with their dark, lush tales of loneliness and loss on their epic, 72-minute debut (complete with three above average bonus tracks on the Astralwerks U.S. release). The songs are filled with melody and layer-upon-layer of guitar, piano, whispers, and enigmatic flourishes of sound. Every track is a keeper. These guys are going to be around for a while. 6. Belle and Sebastian - Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant You've certainly heard the news by now. Belle and Sebastian has lost its edge, Stuart Murdoch (the group's leader) is letting the other band members write; the sky is falling. Worry not! The rumors of B&S's impending demise have been grossly overstated. Stuart Murdoch continues to churn out brilliant little works like the quiet, piano-bouncing 'Women's Realm' and the charming 'The Model', utilizing a clever looping harpsichord track. Sure, one has to agree with the detractors, much of the album is typical Belle and Sebastian affair: hushed, four minute pop tunes, with quaint string arrangements. Indeed, the style remains the same, but it could hardly be argued that the group is repeating itself. The contributions of the other members are mixed. While 'Beyond the Sunrise' is probably the worst of the lot, 'The Wrong Girl' hops along in a stripped down, almost country sort of way, and Sarah Martin's 'Family Tree' is a heartfelt meditation on the expectations of family. Even with all these sparkling tracks, the album is worth buying for 'Don't Leave The Light On Baby' alone, definitely one of the best Murdoch tracks of all time, which glides along with a solid keyboard and some creative, understated percussion. Fold Your Hands... may not be the best place to start for a new listener, but for anyone with even a casual interest in their blend of twee pop, it is a must have. 5. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven Godspeed You Black Emperor is one of those rare bands that really must be heard to be understood. Orchestral-avant-post rock (probably the best titles one could ascribe to them) don't really conjure up a lot of specific sounds. This, the nine piece's (usually consisting of about three guitars, two basses, French horn, strings, and whatever else they want to throw in) third major release, finds the group collecting all their previous ideas and venturing into new territory. The album is split onto two cd's, with a total of four tracks (with many parts), totaling about eighty minutes. Their trademark crescendos and spaced-out expanses of sound are put to good effect here - there are moments of incredible beauty, of reflection on love and sadness - but it is a much less political effort than in times past. Rants about the state of the American Empire are replaced with musings on Coney Island's past. And the album is better for it: the eighty minutes fly by in one perfectly constructed emotional pilgrimage. 4. Sleater-Kinney - All Hands On The Bad One With their fifth album in about as many years, the trio of Sleater-Kinney have released the most cohesive and accessible album of their career. While not eschewing their penchant for political lyrics, the girls have decided to loosen up a bit from their previous effort, The Hot Rock. '#1 Must Have' asks in the always delightful riot grrl tone, "... will there always be concerts where women get raped[?]," before declaring, "Watch me make up my mind instead of my face / The Number One Must Have is that we are safe," but later the girls cheerfully announce that, "... all the boys in the band know how to get down / fill our Christmas socks with whiskey drinks and candy bars." The songwriting has improved, the dual guitar styling are more refined, and an extra dose of pop sensibility has been added. But - it's the same, brilliant Sleater-Kinney. 3. Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out Yo La Tengo has long been the indie world's ideal band. At a fairly regular pace, the outfit released albums of consistent quality, each one usually better than the one previous. They evolved, but never strayed too far from their indie principles or their superb melodies and artful feedback experimentation (often utilized to excellent effect in the same song). It was, then, a strange wonder to find 'Our Way To Fall' (one of the finest tracks on this release) on a Starbucks (yes, the coffee company) compilation cd. Upon listening to the album, though, you'll find that they've changed nothing to gain exposure; apparently Yo La Tengo (at least quiet Yo La Tengo) has become hip for the $5.00 espresso crowd. And Then Nothing... is a departure from previous efforts, in that, yes, the volume has been turned down considerably. Highlights come on 'You Can Have It all', a remake, of the original disco song, of unparalleled beauty, and the aforementioned 'Our Way To Fall' provides a dream-like reminisce about falling in love: "I remember a summer's day / I remember walking up to you / I remember my face turned red." Yo La Tengo, to their credit, does turn on the amps and busts out the distortion pedals on 'Cherry Chapstick' and, in doing so, crafts one of the album's most memorable moments. If the past holds, and as long as us in the legion of fans are still lucky, Yo La Tengo will continue to release lp's at a space of about two years. Considering all the new territory hinted at on And Then Nothing... they've made the wait, and all the speculation associated with it, far more interesting. 2. Radiohead - Kid A Kid A is the defining moment in Radiohead's career. The U.K. hipsters' fourth release shows a band moving farther away from the rock-centric ideas and sounds that dominated their early years. The album begins with the hypnotizing organ of 'Everything In Its Right Place' (complete with looped vocals from Thom, "Yesterday I woke up sucking on a lemon") before slipping into the electronic bleeps and heavily altered vocals of the title track. There are few, if any, references to the Radiohead of OK Computer. 'The National Anthem' begins with an absolutely huge bassline and devolves into an all-out free jazz explosion in the final moments, 'Treefingers' is Radiohead experimenting with ambient music, and 'Idioteque' can only be described as a schizophrenic, apocalyptic dance track, "Women and children first ... / Ice age coming ... / We're not scare mongering / This is really happening." Radiohead has entered a new era. Now we're just along for the ride. 1. Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica Isaac Brock, Eric Judy, and Jeremiah Green have created a masterpiece. All worries about a possible sell-out after their shift to major label status on Sony can now be officially shelved. Modest Mouse has lost none of their trademark sound, nor their tendency for their rather lengthy epics. What has changed is the production, and for the better. The group has never sounded so fresh and alive. Nor have their albums ever sounded this connected, so perfectly immersed in a single concept. The Moon..., purportedly based on ramblings sent to Isaac from a fan known as 'Ugly Casanova' (also Isaac's solo moniker), takes Brock's philosophical (and some would say extremely pretentious) lyrics to new extremes. Its a tale of the meaning of life, the universe, and death; never boring. In a single, perfect hour the Seattle trio has covered all the emotional bases. The style here is slightly more understated than some other Modest Mouse releases, as they concentrate more on their acoustic side, than on their more often showcased spastic Pixie-ish leanings (that's not to say they aren't there, they just appear a little less often). 'The Cold Part' is a haunting lullaby to hopelessness, "So long to this cold, cold part of the world / So long to this bone bleached part of the world," and 'The Stars Are Projectors' proves to be typically monumental Modest Mouse material, Brock intones, "All the stars are projectors, yeah / Projecting our lives down to this planet Earth / Everyone wants a double feature." Not your everyday Modern Rock concepts. The potency of each song has increased immeasurably from previous releases as sublime guitar tracks, organs, strings, and unusual percussion blend together. I'm not usually one to end a review with a demand that the reader go purchase an album, but this requires a deviation for the norm. The Moon and Antarctica is unquestionably the finest album of the year and deserves your attention. Close Calls PJ Harvey - Songs From the City, Songs From the Sea Death Cab For Cutie - We Have the Facts, and We're Voting Yes Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast  |
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