"Spring Back to the Past": The Top 100 Albums of the 2000s (90-81) Jan 14 '10 (Updated Jan 21 '10)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line Chaostamer: Officially more indie than you. (100-91) (90-81) (80-71) (70-61) ------------------- In case you missed it last time, here's what you need to know: go read it yourself!  I linked you to it; I can't do everything for you! And if you think I'm a pretentious hipster now, you're just gonna hate me by the time I reach the end.  Sorry. ------------------- 90.  Violent by Design by Jedi Mind Tricks (2000) Lyrically, there aren't a whole lot of redeeming factors in Violent By Design.  The lyrics are often vulgar and violent--sometimes to the point of outright hatefulness and intolerance.  And there's no topical diversity whatsoever; it's just battle raps, battle raps, battle raps.  And all of this would make for a pretty bad album if it wasn't such an enjoyable, guilty pleasure of a listen.  Not even at the height of his production skill (which, unfortunately, wouldn't come until Vinnie Paz's rapping went straight to hell), Stoupe laces these tracks brilliantly, packing the album with menacing strings, haunting keys, pounding bass, and aggressive horns.  The verses are equally great; featuring a guest list of some of the brightest names in underground hip-hop at the time taking turns to lyrically murdalize* you.  A  benchmark underground album, Violent by Design is like pop music for the hardcore hip-hop fan. * Murdalize (verb): to murder, only more 89.  Guero by Beck (2005) Beck.  Artist.  Slacker.  Balladeer.  Melancholy.  Funky-fresh.  Diverse.  Rockin'.  Downtrodden.  Upbeat.  Off-beat.  Sun-eyed.  Cyanide?  Scattershot.  Exciting.  Breezy.  Heavy.  Bluegrass.  Hip-hop.  Psychedelia.  Bilingüe.  Earnest.  Ironic.  Rambling.  Singalong.  Dust Brothers.  Jack White.  Colorful.  Brilliant.  Guero. ... Hell yes! 88.  Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (2007) In his own decade's end write-up, my buddy Mike placed this album at #1, so I think I owe a bit of an explanation for its considerably lower placement on my own list.  Plain and simple, this is a record that I appreciate more than I love.  Don't get me wrong, though: Amy Winehouse is rather brilliant.  The music, bridging jazz and R&B, is vintage soul and Amy might have the biggest voice I've ever heard out of a white girl from London.  The title track is particularly stunning--a story of the dissolution of an affair with all the requisite anger, heartbreak, and despair--but the album as a whole is still a powerful affair.  Amy's voice trembles with self-righteous rage and fights to hold back tears in all the right places.  It's only a few years old, but I can see this going down in history as one of the great breakup albums. 87.  tracheotomy with a mont blanc pen by [synecdoche] (2009) I doubt many have heard of this album, the debut of the art-folk-rock collective [synecdoche], which is a bit of a shame, because this is quite an impressive piece of work.  Written and performed almost exclusively by multitalented frontman Sven Arvid Tadhg, the album is a highly personal affair, the songs performed with tenderness, but a quiet intensity.  The shorter tracks have a sense of urgency and palpable sincerity, while the longer ones are products of a level of ambition almost unheard of in today's music scene.  "entr'acte: around the lake, around the bay" is particularly impressive; imagine sitting by a lakeside, staring out at still waters, and realizing that your whole life is collapsing around you.  Yeah.  Now set it to music.  [synecdoche] sounds like a cross between Sigur Rós and Radiohead wanting so badly to be Sufjan Stevens, and with its raw, emotional lyrics and elaborate instrumentation, tracheotomy... is a sprawling, compelling album well worth the $1.42 price tag.  Pick it up and keep an eye on this band. "We cannot act like all we want is just to exist."   86.  Splitting Image by Kam Moye (2009) I've only heard a few verses from Supastition (Kam Moye's alias)--verses that showcased a brash, hungry punchline rapper--so Splitting Image surprised me.  Using his birth name this time, Kam Moye approaches his songs with everyman humility.  Sure, he does his share of bragging, but he sounds more determined confident in himself than arrogant.  It's the other songs on which he shines, though.  "Let's Be Honest" is a warm song of appreciation for the life he has and "Imani," finds him meeting the woman of his dreams, only to learn that she's pregnant by another guy.  He ends the song with an air of uncertainty that's altogether human.  Down-to-earth and relatable, Splitting Image is like listening to your best friend rap.   85.  Us by Brother Ali (2009) Let's get this out of the way: Brother Ali is the best rapper in the game today.  No one else has his dominating mic presence--his booming voice, his boundless confidence, his heart-on-sleeve sincerity.  And for what it's worth, virtually no one knows his way around a hook better than Ali.  Yep, a white, albino, Muslim, underground Minnesota rapper is writing hip-hop's catchiest hooks right now.  Go figure.  Us is Brother Ali's "storytelling" record and the songs range from comical (he burglarizes an obnoxious drug-dealing neighbor in "House Keys") to remorseful (the death-of-a-friend narrative of "Slippin' Away") to uncomfortable, "this-can't-be-true-right?" stories of human suffering ("The Travelers," Ali's favourite of his own songs).  It's not all dark here, though: "Fresh Air" is the happiest Brother Ali has ever sounded on record and he devotes jaw-dropping performances on "The Preacher" and "Best@It" to proving that no one else today can touch him--not even close. 84.  The Fix by Scarface (2002) Scarface is a rapper more consistent than most.  In his 20-year career, he's never really had a bad album.  The Fix, however, may be his best.  Clocking in at a cool 45 minutes, not a track is wasted as Scarface proves not only that he's a top-notch storyteller, but also that his weathered, expressive voice is one of the dopest in hip-hop.  Songs of ghetto credibility and destroyed friendships (including an excellent collaboration with Nas) are all well and good, but the highlights are the summertime street-corner jams "On My Block" and "Guess Who's Back" and the existentialism-meets-love-song "Heaven".  Scarface sure as hell isn't the only great rapper from the South, but The Fix shows that Scarface didn't get the popular "King of the South" title for nothing.  Even if it is a largely East Coast-dominated album. 83.  Is This It by The Strokes (2001) I'm not even going to get into the decade of hype and conflict surrounding this album.  At its core, Is This It is a collection of excellent, catchy guitar-pop songs, concise and memorable.  Sometimes good music doesn't have to be complicated. 82.  The Cool by Lupe Fiasco (2007) Sure, Lupe Fiasco's debut was a good album, but it sort of felt like alternative-rap-by-numbers.  The Cool showcases the "breath of fresh air" that I never saw in Food & Liquor.  Sure, the intended concept flopped and the album is sort of a mess, but it works.  Lupe's technique has improved a bit here; he experiments with his flow and his lyrics seem to roll off the tongue more so than in his debut.  The real charm of this album, however, comes in his concepts.  Something of a cross between pop-rap and gothic hip-hop (the subgenre that never was?), there's a little bit of everything here.  Hit single fodder?  "Superstar".  A nerd's take on the culture of materialism?  "Gold Watch".  Tales of struggling to make it in the music industry?  "Hip-Hop Saved My Life".  Political activism-by-proxy?  Take your pick.  Hell, the album even packs a triple-cadence, gun-totin' narrative and arguably the most intellectually-elitist rap song put to record.  All the album needs is a concept song about food or something and it'd be--oh, wait. 81.  Ys by Joanna Newsom (2006) Honestly, this album would have probably made the cut just by virtue of the fact that it's primarily a harp-driven record.  Because harpists are just that awesome.  The fact that it's filled with beautifully orchestrated, medieval-leaning, classical-folk songs with lyrics that read like poetry is just an added bonus.  Joanna Newsom's voice may be rather...different (imagine a female Bob Dylan and you've got the point), but her singing has its charms, and definitely gives the album a little extra texture and personality.  More importantly, she certainly knows her way around a composition.  Even as a prog fan, I can sometimes have trouble sitting through longer tracks.  That Newsom can write a seventeen-minute song that is completely spellbinding throughout is a testament to the greatness of Ys. ------------------- Next time: It's only going to get more interesting from here on out.  Experimental hip-hop running rampant, a promising debut, and a couple late-career gems.  Stick around.

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