My Favorite TV Series of 2008

Though derailed by the Hollywood writer’s strike, there was plenty of good TV to be had in 2008. Here’s a look at my nine favorite series (keep in mind: not all were actually broadcast in 2008).

9. "Pardon the Interruption"
Tony and Mike are big TV stars now because of this show, so it's ironic that's exactly what's hampered the vehicle that got them there. It may not be as good as it used to be, but "PTI" remains daily viewing for me, a way to catch up on sports news of the day in 20 minutes and laugh at the same time.

8. “Undeclared”
Between the first-season cancellations of this excellent college-freshman comedy and his previous high school dramedy “Freaks and Geeks,” it’s no wonder producer extraordinaire Judd Apatow gave up on TV and started making movies.

7. “The Office” (Season 4/5)
Though this series’ 2008 began with an all-time classic episode (“The Dinner Party”), it was a steady decline over the rest of the calendar year. "The Office" can still be counted on each week for moments of utter hilarity (Andy vs. Dwight in a college interview death match!), I’m worried the writing staff may just plain be running out of ideas of absurd things to do in an office, so they’re left to focus on things like love triangles and out-of-the-building trips. Still a must-see for me each week, but showing signs of age.

6. “Bones” (Seasons 3/4)
Perhaps the hardest hit by the strike of any show on this list, “Bones” was forced to ram its Season 3 serial killer storyline home in a hurry, which was unfortunate. Still, Booth and Brennan have the best chemistry of any team on TV, and the writing staff continues to provide an offbeat procedural with a deeper level of character and emotion than its contemporaries. Season 4 to this point has been a bit too focused on the bones and not enough on the hearts of its two leads, but that just makes the eps that go the opposite way that much more meaningful.

5. “WWE Monday Night Raw”
Though I’ve been a professional wrestling fan since elementary school, my fervor for the sports entertainment showcase has come and gone over the years. In 2008, it was back with a vengeance, as “Monday Night Raw” offered one of the most exciting stretches of its long run. I don’t know if it was a ploy to buoy ratings or simply a reaction to the boneheaded decision to give mid-carder CM Punk the championship belt (probably a combo of both), but this fall “Raw” was suddenly offering matches on a weekly basis typically saved for big pay-per-view events.

The lion’s share of the credit goes to the man who used to be known as “Lionheart,” Chris Jericho. The formerly flamboyant superstar’s monotone heel turn has been one of WWE’s best-ever moves, as Jericho turned everything—and everyone—he touched this year into gold. His feud with Shawn Michaels was one of the best I’ve ever seen; when it ended, Jericho didn’t miss a beat, moving on to ratchet up the intensity with the likes of Batista, John Cena, and whoever else came across his path. “Raw” really was Jericho this year.

4. “How I Met Your Mother” (Seasons 1-4)
I devoured this show on DVD in 2008. Alternately hilarious and touching, Ted, Barney, Robin, Marshall, and Lily gave me some of the biggest laughs of the year. Offering up episodes on everything from Slap Bet to Swarley to Woo Girls, this is the latest in a (short) line of worthy “Seinfeld” descendants. It’s my favorite sitcom on TV today, and from week to week is as consistently funny as any show I’ve seen in a long time.

3. “Survivor: Micronesia/Gabon”
I’m not an every-season “Survivor” watcher; of its 17 iterations, I think I’ve watched six. But the two seasons aired in 2008 had me hooked from the beginning and all the way through—at several spots, the action was downright riveting. This is the only reality show I watch with any regularity, and a lot of the credit goes to longtime host Jeff Probst, one of the best personalities on TV, reality or otherwise.

2. “Lost” (Season 4)
When a show is as consistently brilliant as “Lost,” its greatness can become almost commonplace, expected, routine. But in preparation for this past week’s return, I re-watched the final three episodes of Season 4, and was reminded anew how there has never been another show like this—so ambitious, intricate, and epic—in the history of TV. Sure it can get buried beneath its own mythology at times, but this, the first of “Lost’s” final three shortened seasons, proved now that the producers have an endpoint in sight, they’re moving toward it at breakneck speed.

1. “Dexter” (Season 2)
Though it seemed impossible, the producers behind one of television’s best series managed somehow to surpass their debut season with an even more tense, dramatic, and entertaining sophomore run. It became less about whom Michael C. Hall’s serial-killer-with-a-code would slice and dice each week, and focused more strongly on an edge-of-your-seat storyline that left my heart pounding and my mind spinning. Superb.

An Album That Shouldn’t Be Left Behind: How to Evaluate an ‘Atomic Bomb’

The hype machine is in full effect for U2’s new album, “No Line on the Horizon” (due March 3—love that title!), with numerous magazine features and what not. The intensity went up a few notches Monday, when the album’s lead single, “Get on Your Boots,” hit the Internet (though not as exciting on first listen as “Vertigo” was in 2004, “GOYB” gets better with each play).

The PR onslaught of a new U2 release brings all sorts of hyperventilating and hyperbole by media and fans alike; I’m no less susceptible to this than others, so I thought it would be worthwhile to reexamine the band’s most recent album, 2004’s “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” to find a little perspective in the this-is-the-best-U2-album-ever hysteria that is about to descend upon the world.

With the new album, I predict some revisionist history will occur regarding the band’s previous work this decade, especially the last album. While “Atomic Bomb” received, in general, good to great reviews from the press, somewhere along the line it became cool for a vocal portion of the U2 fan community to bash the living crap out of the record. I’m thinking with “No Line on the Horizon,” there’s going to be a lot of stuff about getting away from the “old U2,” or the “tentative” and “safe” tendencies of the previous two albums, like they weren’t any good or something.

Overall, I still stand by my A- review of the album; I would certainly listen to arguments to drop it maybe to the B range, but I think it’s otherwise unfairly vilified by a vocal faction of the U2 community. Though its low points have become harder to overlook, its great points still soar just as high for me today as they did originally and more than make up for a few lackluster tracks. The fact that U2 can still write songs that live up to their own legacy is quite a feat, indeed.

Here’s a track-by-track look:

“Vertigo”
So what if it was on an (undeniably cool, iconic) iPod commercial? This remains one of the band’s most ferocious tracks of their entire career. Go back and listen again for when Edge explodes back into the song after the bridge. The lyrics are underappreciated, as well, as Bono examines the struggle between heart and head, and maintaining faith in an age that seeks to make the word meaningless. This 21st century can indeed make you feel dizzy, and “Vertigo” starts a conversation about faith and living in this world of ours that runs through the entire record.
5 STARS

“Miracle Drug”
From the very first time I heard it, “Miracle Drug” has always sounded like a “Beautiful Day” knockoff. Plodding along, it’s U2 trying to be U2, which is never a good thing. Bono’s lyrics are weak, his delivery even weaker; his slow cadence throughout just drags the entire thing down. It’s the first of several state-of-the-world songs on this album that fall rather flat.
2 STARS

“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”
The hands-down high point of the record, this track still makes me just stop and listen. It demands attention, refusing to be relegated to background music. The “siiiiiing” moment may seem like not as big a deal now, but it’s easy to forget that prior to “Atomic Bomb,” Bono’s voice had been slipping dangerously away into ragged nothingness. He hadn’t sounded this strong and clear in a decade, and “Sometimes” is one of Bono’s best-ever performances, as both a writer and a singer.
5 STARS

“Love and Peace or Else”
Boy, Bono was all over the place early on in this CD. Here a solid, sinewy rocker is wasted on his vapid lyrics. The millennia-long conflict in the Middle East is just a bit too complicated for a five-minute rock song.
2 STARS

“City of Blinding Lights”
As opposed to “Miracle Drug,” this is epic U2 at its best, an absolute freight train of a song. The chorus, especially, is as roof-rocking as the band’s ever been. And as is the case throughout the album, Bono’s lyrics come much easier and more natural when he’s writing about his own experiences, rather than addressing global issues. “City of Blinding Lights” encapsulates the overall theme or the record, as here he refers back to the issues addressed first in “Vertigo” and again in “All Because of You,” with themes of lost ideals and innocence, his head distracting him from a heart open to God, and God striving to drag him back from the vortex of this world and return to a place of childlike faith. A tremendous song.
5 STARS

“All Because of You”
The second case on “Atomic Bomb” where a loose, easy rock song belies the intensity and insightfulness of the lyrics. This homage to The Who packs a spiritual punch equal to a Pete Townshend guitar squall, as Bono continues his career-long conversation with the Almighty. Go back and read the words; they’re really quite brilliant, right down to the “I am” line, which could be either Bono addressing the great “I Am,” or saying “I am” what I am thanks to you, Lord. After all this global icon and has seen and done, “All Because of You” serves as a powerful reaffirmation of his faith—again, hidden inside a blistering “throwaway” rock and roll song.
5 STARS

“A Man and a Woman”
Certainly the most lyrically dense track on the album, this one’s a little tough to get my arms around. I interpret it as another reaffirmation from Bono, this time to his wife, promising he would never sacrifice the true love they share for the fleeting pleasures available to the world’s biggest rock star. A nice, mature change of pace leading into the second half of the record.
3.5 STARS

“Crumbs from Your Table”
One of The Edge’s best riffs of the album goes by the wayside here as Bono once again goes on the global warpath. I’ve always read this as Bono chastising America—or at least all wealthy nations—for not doing enough to help the poor. Save the preaching for the podium. Still, it’s really solid otherwise—Chiming Guitar Edge in fine form, familiar but not a rehash.
4 STARS

“One Step Closer”
If a track would’ve been trimmed off “Atomic Bomb,” this should have been the one. Not great, not bad, just rather blah on all fronts. How this surefire B-side made the cut and “Mercy” did not is beyond me.
2 STARS

“Original of the Species”
Now we’re talking. “Original of the Species” is the bright spot of the second half of “Atomic Bomb,” a beautiful, soaring, sweeping pop song about the wonders of parenthood. Bono returns to the themes of authenticity and truth, found first in “City of Blinding Lights,” as he speaks as a father to a child.
4.5 STARS

“Yahweh”
There’s a good song here, but it’s buried beneath layers of cheesy, ham-fisted production. The stripped-back acoustic version of this song U2 played on tour was far superior. A kneeling motif runs throughout “Atomic Bomb,” and though Bono doesn’t actually use the word here, this song is all about kneeling before God in prayer—“Take this heart/And make it break,” he says. Too bad the strong lyrics were robbed of their power in the studio.
2.5 STARS

***

One of the most interesting things I’ve discovered as part of my “Albums of the Aughts” project is that despite dominating much of my musical life for the past decade, U2 failed to record one of my 10 favorite albums in that span (that list is still coming, by the way!). Cull the best of “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” and “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” and you have a collection of tremendous songs that I cherish. But the band for whatever reason didn’t have enough umph to put together enough of those tracks on one release and deliver a truly classic album. Maybe that’s asking too much of a group of soon-to-be 50-somethings trying to hold their place at the top of a young man’s game.

That’s kinda the point, though, isn’t it? How many other bands at this stage in their respective careers are still relevant to the culture at large, to multiple generations, and expected to produce classic albums? The fact that U2 remains essential pop culture today is as impressive as anything they’ve ever done. Only a few bands in the history of rock and roll have been able to produce a record of the quality of “The Joshua Tree”; even fewer have followed it up with something like “Achtung Baby.” If U2’s output from this decade hasn't quite reached those peaks, I can live with that. They’ve done more than enough to make us believe—or hope, anyway—that maybe they can find that magic again with “No Line on the Horizon.”

‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’

The most curious thing to me about “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is why it’s getting so much praise.

This is the type of movie that will make you think about it afterwards, but in all the wrong ways; the more you ponder it, the more it falls apart. Credit that nifty trick to screenwriter Eric Roth, who plagiarizes his own Oscar-winning material by essentially re-presenting “Forrest Gump” in a slightly different—and much lesser—format.

By now you’ve all heard in broad strokes what this film is about: Brad Pitt plays the title character, who is born with the characteristics of an old man (wrinkled skin, arthritis, etc.) while still a baby; his body ages in reverse as he grows, well, older. The story unfolds just like “Gump,” as we follow Benjamin through his life as a series of flashbacks told by a present-day narrator. Some of the experiences Benjamin encounters are straight out of Forrest’s box of chocolates:

—He’s raised by a single mother in a communal home
—He has trouble walking
—He falls in love with a girl when they’re just children, but she moves away to experience the world
—He hooks up with a surly older man who shows him the ropes while the two set out to sea on a boat; this includes his first sexual encounter (hello, Lt. Dan!)
—He becomes independently wealthy, through no real doing of his own
—And the woman he loved as a child comes back to him later in life—for awhile, anyway

I think I could even live with all this heavy Gump-lifting, but unfortunately the one element “Button” doesn’t borrow from Forrest is his heart. What made “Forrest Gump” such a triumphant film was not just the way Roth and director Robert Zemeckis worked the title character into so many historical events, but how much we ended up loving the man, and how all of his life’s events led him to what ended up mattering to him the most: his son. The best, most memorable scene in “Gump,” to me, is right at the end, when Forrest talks to his dead wife, his dearest Jenny, about their son; there is no such moment in “Benjamin Button.”

The film provides a fascinating-at-times tale that ultimately leads nowhere, other than a waterfall of tears—the final half hour is so depressingly sad, it’s like Roth wasn’t satisfied until he had exhausted every last option for twisting the knife in your heart. It comes off as all the more manipulative, though, because unlike Gump, Button leaves no legacy behind, other than pain and heartache. I got to the end of this film and wondered, “What was the point of all that?”

What props this “Curious Case” up, of course, is the exceedingly fine production, direction, and acting on display throughout from every corner. Leads Pitt and Cate Blanchett are excellent, and director David Fincher delivers the kind of arresting scenes that have defined his career and made him one of my favorite filmmakers. It is certainly an impressive feat of technical wizadry to watch Pitt age in reverse. The talent infused in this movie from everyone but the writing staff turns a deadweight D+ script into a somewhat likable film with enough high points to garner a C+ … just as long as you don't try and think too much about it along the way.

The Future Is Now

William Gibson started writing about the present because he said reality has caught up with science fiction's future.

When I read the sentence "Mind-control games may be the coming thing" in the USA Today, I understand exactly what Gibson's talking about. That proclamation comes from this article about a Star Wars-themed toy due out this year that will allow you to use brain waves to manipulate a small ball—with your mind.

And then, elsewhere in the paper, there's this story about LG unveiling a video cell phone that you wear on your wrist.

I can't decide whether these developments are awesome or scary as all crap.

I don't want to live in William Gibson's future. Or, come to think of it, his present.

Albums of the Aughts: 2007

In case you couldn’t tell from this whole “Albums of the Aughts” thing, I’m an album guy. Always have been, even when albums turned into cassettes, and cassettes turned into CDs. I don’t cherry pick. If I hear a song I like, I don’t buy that song, I buy the album it’s on. If a song goes on my iPod, its surrounded by the songs the artist intended it to be surrounded by. A completist (which means I’m concerned about the death of the album, but that’s another story for another post on another day).

So that made things a little difficult looking back at 2007, which turned out for me to be a year marked more by individual songs than entire records. For some reason, there’s a whole batch of CDs here that have some incredible tracks—some of my favorites of the decade—but have some holes on their resumes, as well.

Consider Feist’s “The Reminder,” for example: It has several catchy numbers as good as you’ll find from this year, but the album’s last four songs blend into a big mush. Same thing happens with Ryan Adams’ “Easy Tiger” or the “Once” soundtrack: Amazing high points, but too many skippable tracks to be considered favorite albums on the whole. The Arcade Fire produced two of my all-time favorite songs in 2007, “Keep the Car Running” and “No Cars Go,” but I don’t feel the need to listen to the rest of “Neon Bible” all that much anymore the way I do their 2004 debut, “Funeral.”

So, the list of honorable mentions this time around is especially potent; I can’t believe some of the artists relegated to such status from this year, but I just can’t justify picking one over the others when they all suffer from the same problem. Knocking those potential slot-fillers out of the running leaves me with just eight favorite albums from 2007 …

“Sink or Swim,” The Gaslight Anthem
Labeling “Sink or Swim” a “great debut” is probably the understatement of the decade. It’s a punk classic for this millennium, as the New Jersey quartet channels Bruce Springsteen, Joe Strummer, and R&B and soul legends of the ’60s through the filter of modern-day punk rock. Though the band would refine their sound to great effect the following year, “Sink or Swim” still stands as one of my favorite albums of the decade, an effort of near perfection from a band who made it readily apparent they were destined for greatness.
Favorite Track: “We Came to Dance”
[original review]

“Because of the Times,” Kings of Leon
“Knocked Up,” the first track on this, the Tennessee misfits’ third album, is seven minutes long. That right there is all the signal anyone ever needed that the Kings had turned a corner and weren’t looking back. Whether you like the new direction or not I guess depends on whether you like your bands to stay in the same frame for their entire careers or not; I prefer the latter, and “Because of the Times” is my favorite KOL album to date. The term “arena rock” has been turned into a pejorative over the years, due I guess to way too many imitators to the crown bands like U2 and Pearl Jam carry with ease. But the Kings effectively made the transition with this album, especially great shootin’-for-the-upper-deck tracks like “McFearless,” “Black Thumbnail,” and my …
Favorite Track: “Fans.”

“Boxer,” The National
It seems to me The National spent the aughts building to this dark masterpiece. Each of the band’s previous three albums took steps in “Boxer’s” direction, stretching their sound in new directions before unveiling in 2007 this sweeping, majestic, orchestral stunner. Frontman Matt Berninger has a rich, canyon-deep voice you can drown in, and his measured tones mix with Bryan Devendorf's melodic drumming to carry the album to melancholy perfection. This is an arresting effort you listen to with purpose (preferably on long drives through a dark night), and after pushing play on opening track “Fake Empire,” it’s basically impossible to find a place to stop. “Boxer” marked back-to-back albums produced by The National with nary a weak track; it flows perfectly from up- to down-tempo, electric to acoustic, as devastating with a whisper as it is with a bellow—all in a decidedly minor key.
Favorite Track: “Slow Show”

“Raising Sand,” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
The biggest surprise of the decade? Gotta be. Seriously, whoulda thought the hedonistic former frontman of Led Zeppelin and bluegrass belle with the voice of an angel could find any common ground whatsoever, much less meld their voices together like they were born for one another? The results are simply, purely magnificent, however. Led by T. Bone Burnett, Plant and Krauss glide in and around one another over the course of these 13 tracks with a generosity that never pushes too hard or forces the issue—they just let the songs unfold naturally, easily, wonderfully. Listening to “Killing the Blues,” for example, it’s not hard to imagine the two of them looking across the studio at each other, saying as much with their eyes and ears as with their voices. When it’s all sung and done, “Raising Sand” just feels … right. It brought Krauss more attention than she’s ever had outside her home genre, and for Plant the album was a return to relevance he hasn’t had since John Bonham died nearly three decades ago. An instant classic—and, hopefully, the start of a long, long journey.
Favorite Track: “Please Read the Letter”
[original review]

“Into the Wild,” Eddie Vedder
This one took a long time to grow on me, requiring I just get over the fact it wasn’t the true solo album I was hoping for but, first and foremost, a movie soundtrack. I still wish several of the songs were given full-track treatment, but I’ve come to love the first four entries—“Setting Forth,” “No Ceiling,” “Far Behind,” and particularly “Rise”—kinda as one long song in four parts, like the rock operas Vedder loves so much. “Guaranteed,” meanwhile, took on new meaning for me seeing it performed live during EV’s two solo shows in D.C. in August. And the entire venture is worth it if nothing else than for my …
Favorite Track: the beautiful and stirring “Hard Sun,” one of Vedder’s best vocal performances.
[original review]

“Icky Thump,” The White Stripes
Jack White abandoned his unfortunate detour into marimbaland from two years earlier and returned to what he does best—melting faces—with this blood-boiling guitar manifesto. Opener “Icky Thump” is a call to arms on the six-string, and it’s followed by some of the heaviest rock-and-blues tracks the band’s recorded to date (“Bone Broke,” “Little Cream Soda,” “Catch Hell Blues”). But “Icky Thump” is more than just a return to the band’s original template. Elsewhere White taps his considerable influences to great effect on songs such as country-tinged stomper “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You’re Told),” the Irish folk tale “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn,” and the Flamenco-hammer of “Conquest.” This all culminates literally and figuratively with “Rag & Bone,” a call-and-response blues extravaganza recalling Jack and Meg’s more playful days that has the dynamic duo flaunting their ability to meld all these various pieces of musical history into a new tapestry for this millennium.
Favorite Track: “A Martyr for My Love for You”
[original review]

“Sky Blue Sky,” Wilco
With more than a year to reflect on Wilco’s most recent album, I’d best describe it as … solid. And, perhaps, a missed opportunity. That doesn’t sound like all that good a reason to be listed as a favorite album of the year, but such is the standard set by obviously one of my all-time favorite bands. There are plenty of songs to love on “Sky Blue Sky,” most notably the double shot of “You Are My Face” and “Impossible Germany.” What holds this record back, to my ears, is the confining production, which seems to dampen the sound and spirit of these tracks. It’s all a bit close for my taste, especially coming off the sonic palettes of the band’s previous two albums. Still, all that said, “Sky Blue Sky” is a good listen from start to finish, and that’s enough to push it above some of the other more scattershot albums of 2007. There’s something to be said for consistency.
Favorite Track: “You Are My Face”
[original review]

“Is Is,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Rolling off the success of 2006’s tour de force “Show Your Bones,” this five-song EP may be even better than its predecessor. The YYYs followed the same template of complicated, menacingly ethereal songwriting, blistering their way through 17.5 minutes of some of the best angular rock and roll of the decade. And this release didn’t even include the trio’s tremendous contribution to the “Spider-Man 3” soundtrack, “Sealings,” which may have just been their best song of the year! The EP made a strong showing during the aughts; “Is Is” is a testament to the format’s ability to punch you in the gut and leave you desperately wanting more.
Favorite Track: “Down Boy”
[original review]

HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Easy Tiger,” Ryan Adams
“Follow the Lights” [EP], Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
“Neon Bible,” Arcade Fire
“Favourite Worst Nightmare,” Arctic Monkeys
“The Meanest of Times,” Dropkick Murphys
“The Reminder,” Feist
“Once” [soundtrack], Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
“Kala,” M.I.A.
“Magic,” Bruce Springsteen

Albums of the Aughts: 2006

By far and away, this was my favorite year of the decade for music—at least half the records on this list are all-time favorites. I could write a whole other post just from my honorable mentions! There were so many great CDs, in fact, I’ve broken my own rule and made this a top 11, instead of a top 10. I just can’t leave any of these treasures to the side …

“Decemberunderground,” AFI
This was the album A Fire Inside had been building to for 15 years: A pure masterpiece from start to finish. Though maintaining the band’s hardcore roots, “Decemberunderground” is an expansive, genre-bending work with mainstream appeal and punk cred that flows seamlessly from one essential track to the next. Two years later, it still seems as fresh and exciting as it did on the first spin.
Favorite Track: “Prelude 12/21”
[original review]

“The Gold Record,” The Bouncing Souls
Another instant and career-culminating classic, “The Gold Record” is the Souls’ most accomplished, mature, and well-crafted album of their career (which hits 20 years in 2009). It’s a unifying, uplifting celebration of the best that music has to offer to anyone—artist and audience alike. The album plays like a humble acknowledgment of how lucky they are to be doing what they’ve been doing for so long, and how grateful they are for the opportunity. They speak for me and so many others when they holler, “We wanna say thanks to the music in our lives.”
Favorite Tracks: “So Jersey,” “For All the Unheard”
[original review]

“The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me,” Brand New
What a journey Brand New took over this decade, going from the pop/punk frivolity of their 2001 debut “Your Favorite Weapon” to this churning barnburner of an album. With its ebbs and flows and segues, “Devil and God” is meant to be heard all in one piece, punctuated by multiple highlights including “Sowing Season,” “Millstone,” “The Archers Bows Have Broken,” and …
Favorite Track: “Jesus”
[original review]

“American V: A Hundred Highways,” Johnny Cash
Cash and producer Rick Rubin saved the best for last with this posthumous American Recordings release. Though the Man in Black’s voice quavers more than it thunders, his utter defiance in the face of imminent death bleeds all over this record. It’s downright heartbreaking in several spots (“On the Evening Train,” “Help Me”), absolutely thrilling in others. Essential tracks abound, such as the foreboding Springsteen cover “Further On Up the Road” and life-defining spiritual “I Came to Believe.” But the shining moment is the thundering …
Favorite Track: “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
[original review]

“St. Elsewhere,” Gnarls Barkley
Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo blew everyone’s minds with this, one of the landmark discs of the decade. It had twists and turns, moments of grandeur and little idiosyncrasies doled out in equal parts as it broke boundaries amongst genres and listeners alike. Sure everyone remembers smash crossover hit “Crazy,” but there was much more to this album than just one awesome track, like Violent Femmes cover “Gone Daddy Gone,” “Smiley Faces,” “Go-Go Gadget Gospel,” and my …
Favorite Track: “Just A Thought.”

“Ben Kweller,” Ben Kweller
The wunderkind once again sounds mature beyond his few years on this self-titled effort in which he embraces his inner Springsteen and, amazingly, plays every single instrument. Pop, rock, country, blues—it’s all here on the singer/songwriters best work yet. Everything comes together perfectly on his open-road masterwork, one of the best songs of the decade and my …
Favorite Track: “Penny on the Train Track”
[original review]

“Pearl Jam,” Pearl Jam
I’ve written so much about this album over the past couple years (here and here, especially), I don’t know what else can be said. “Pearl Jam” remains as vibrant for me today as the first time I heard it (though I’m backing off calling it my all-time favorite PJ album, I think). It remains their most cohesive work from end to end since “Ten,” and, much like U2’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” stands as an assimilation of some of the best pure rock and roll produced over the past two decades. This was a make-or-break album for the band; its success will hopefully propel them into further greatness in the years to come.
Favorite Track: “Life Wasted”
[original review]

“Carnavas,” Silversun Pickups
This L.A. quartet exploded onto the scene in 2006 with a blast of fuzzy guitars and swirling riffs. With not a single track clocking in under four minutes, “Carnavas” unspools in measured, patient waves, from grinding “Well Thought Out Twinkies” to lead single “Lazy Eye” to the massive “Little Lovers So Polite” to my …
Favorite Track: the sprawling “Rusted Wheel.”

“Eyes Open,” Snow Patrol
Here Snow Patrol finished the arena rock transition they started three years earlier, delivering one of the most enjoyable records of the decade. “Eyes Open” finds a perfect balance between straightahead rock and roll (“You’re All I Have,” “It’s Beginning to Get to Me”) and tender ballads (“Chasing Cars,” “You Could Be Happy”). So I guess it’s fitting I find I can’t possibly pick between the two categories when determining my …
Favorite Tracks: “Hands Open” and “Set the Fire to the Third Bar.”
[original review]

“We Shall Overcome,” Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen’s career has taken some wild turns over the past 35 years, but perhaps none was more unforeseen than this inspired set of folk songs for the new millennium. Springsteen filtered the classic yarns through his own rock and roll prism and arrived at one of my favorite records he’s ever produced. By directing his huge Seeger Sessions Band on the fly during rambunctious recording sessions, “We Shall Overcome” has a freewheeling, adventurous spirit Springsteen hadn’t managed to capture on a record in more than 20 years. The amazing results are alternately infectiously fun and deadly serious, from “Old Dan Tucker” and “John Henry” to “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep” and my …
Favorite Track: “Mrs. McGrath.”
[original review—sorta]

“Show Your Bones,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
In just one record, the New York trio transitioned from its thrashy, trashy garage rock roots into a full-fledged sonic extravaganza. The upgrade in songcraft is clear right from the outset with powerhouse lead track “Gold Lion.” Lead singer Karen O rightfully receives much of the attention for her dynamic, charismatic vocal power and prowess, but the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are equally fueled by the guitar wizardry of Nick Zinner; it was the latter’s shredding on tracks like “Phenomena,” “Fancy,” “Cheated Hearts,” and “Mysteries” that put the band on a new plane and turned “Show Your Bones” into an album of the decade.
Favorite Track: “Gold Lion”
[original review]


HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not,” Arctic Monkeys
“B’Day,” Beyonce
“Modern Times,” Bob Dylan
“Whiskey on a Sunday,” Flogging Molly
"Another Fine Day," Golden Smog
“Boys and Girls in America,” The Hold Steady
“Inside In/Inside Out,” Kooks
“Idlewild,” Outkast
“Highway Companion,” Tom Petty
“Broken Boy Soldiers,” The Raconteurs
“Return to Cookie Mountain,” TV on the Radio

Albums of the Aughts: 2005

“Cold Roses,” Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Adams returned to his country roots with this double-disc gem, which ranks in my personal top three of his career. Perhaps even more important than the record itself, though, is the addition of The Cardinals as Adams’ official band, which over time seems to have helped settle the erratic singer/songwriter into a solid groove in the years since. Their work on “Cold Roses” is outstanding throughout, spurring Adams on to some of the finest work of his career. Standout cuts include “Magnolia Mountain,” “Easy Plateau,” “If I Am A Stranger,” and …
Favorite Track: “Let It Ride,” one of my all-time favorite Adams songs.
[original review]

“Shine,” Trey Anastastio
Phish doesn’t do all that much for me, but Anastasio’s first post-jam band release struck a real chord with its power pop/rock and thankfully lack of, well, jams. Dude can play the heck out of a guitar, especially on songs like “Tuesday,” “Come as Melody,” the title cut, and …
Favorite Track: the romping “Air Said to Me.”

“The Alternative to Love,” Brendan Benson
Speaking of awesome pop/rock, here’s another example from he-who-would-become-a-Raconteur, Brendan Benson. Though I love his work with Jack White, Benson shouldn’t give up his other day job, either, because this album is stellar through and through with entries such as the title cut and my …
Favorite Track: "Cold Hands (Warm Heart).”

“The Warrior’s Code,” Dropkick Murphys
This is the record that can match any mood: Ebullient, depressed, pissed … its boundless bagpip-fueled energy will lift your spirits and inflame your heart no matter what. The boys from Boston do their city proud on anthems like “The Warrior’s Code,” “The Auld Triangle,” “Sunshine Highway,” “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen,” “The Green Fields of France,” and Red Sox hymn “Tessie.” The shining light of them all, though, is …
Favorite Track: “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” The “Departed” theme song, with its malevolent string part, jaunty mandolin riff, and rousing chorus, is without question one of the songs of the decade.

“Curtain Call,” Eminem
Em’s full-lengths are too visceral to get through in one sitting, but this collection effortlessly demonstrates why he became the best rapper alive around the turn of the century. I still wish he had channeled those considerable talents more often for serious fare, because he’s absolutely brilliant on tracks like “Sing for the Moment,” “Like Toy Soldiers,” and especially “Stan.” But even lighthearted throwaways like “Without Me” and “The Real Slim Shady” offer mesmerizing twists of language. In the end, though, nothing compares to my …
Favorite Track: “Lose Yourself,” another challenger for the title of Song of the Decade.

“From Under the Cork Tree,” Fall Out Boy
Before the screaming woo girls and the magazine covers and the Ashlee Simpson pregnancies, this heretofore little known quartet delivered one of the best pop/punk albums of the decade. They went huge with good reason after this.
Favorite Track: “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down”
[original review]

“You Could Have It So Much Better,” Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand pulled off an amazing double whammy in 2005, releasing this outstanding record just one year after their breakthrough self-titled smash. This effort might be even more impressive, because even without the surprise factor the band managed to sound just as fresh and exciting. In fact, based on the strength of “Do You Want To,” “I’m Your Villain,” “Eleanor Put Your Boots On,” “Evil and a Heathen,” and …
Favorite Track: “The Fallen,” this album might be even better than the first. Here’s looking forward to the long-awaited third CD in 2009!
[original review]

“Alligator,” The National
I guess it speaks to this record's greatness that after listening to it for just a few months, it has already becoming one of my favorite releases of this or any other year. The National seem to be one of those bands that took awhile to find their true sound; they flirted with it on the previous album, but here it’s out in full force (probably because this is the first one they wrote as full-time musicians). There’s not a bad track on this CD, and several are spectacular, such as “Secret Meeting,” “Lit Up,” “Abel,” “Mr. November,” “All the Wine,” and my …
Favorite Track: the breathtaking “Daughters of the Soho Riots.”


“The Woods,” Sleater-Kinney
The trio from the Great Northwest called it quits soon after, but they couldn’t have gone out any better with this, their best record. “The Woods” delivered some of the most memorable songs of the year, including “What’s Mine Is Yours,” the 11-minute epic “Let’s Call It Love,” and …
Favorite Track: “Modern Girl.”
[original review]

“Kicking Television,” Wilco
With this double-disc release, Wilco accomplished what few other bands can: Deliver a live album as good—or maybe even better—than their original LPs. “Kicking Television” marks the peak of Wilco’s post-alt-country powers. It takes the dense and challenging songs from the band’s previous two albums and opens them up to their full potential, thanks in large part to drummer Glenn Kotche and newcomer Nels Cline, guitarist extraordinaire. You could make the argument the band has never sounded better before or since.
Favorite Track: “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”

HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Silent Alarm,” Bloc Party
“X&Y,” Coldplay
“Demon Days,” Gorillaz
“Employment,” Kaiser Chiefs
“Devils & Dust,” Bruce Springsteen

‘Livin’ in … Maryland’: Wilco, Live at Baltimore's Lyric Opera House, 12.14.08

It doesn’t happen all that often, but I love catching bands when they’re not touring on an album. Freed from the obligation of trotting out new material, these types of shows lend themselves to a more freeflowing setlist, where the group plays what it wants, not necessarily what it feels it ought to.

Such was the case Sunday night at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, where Wilco made a headlining pit stop in between opening gigs for Neil Young (I love the fact they like playing live so much they make use of their off days). Over the course of more than two hours, the Chicago sextet allowed a wonderful run of songs to unfold organically, showcasing tracks from all phases of their long and storied career.

I don’t know if this was the intent or not, but the show seemed to divide into three basic segments, opening with a run of mellow (but intense, as always) choices starting with the beautiful “Sunken Treasure” in near stage darkness. That was followed by “You Are My Face,” my favorite song off last year’s “Sky Blue Sky"; it was even more mesmerizing in person than on the record, with its great change-of-pace middle and elegant harmonies.

The fabulous Nels Cline then took the place over for a couple songs, first shredding his guitar solo on “Handshake Drugs,” then powering the rumbling crescendo of “Impossible Germany”; the latter was a definite highlight of the night as it continues to ramp up the intensity to a fantastic finish.

The band then hit the way-back machine for a trio of oldies—much to the crowd's delight—before using “Jesus, Etc.” as a transition to its more avant garde material from Wilco’s middle years. They used the combo of “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” transitioning into the sprawling “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” as the centerpiece of the show; the melding was cool, but I just have never been that big a fan of “Spiders,” and felt on a we're-playin'-everything kinda night its 10 minutes could be better used with three other Wilco tracks I’d like to hear a whole lot more. That said, the songs went well together, and the transition was quite impressive. They finished this section on a splendid high note with “Shot in the Arm,” which was as expansive and powerful as I’ve ever heard it. Even at 10 years old and innumerable plays through that time, the song still seems envigorating as ever.

That, actually, aptly describes the entire evening. Frontman Jeff Tweedy was in an especially good mood, offering up just the right amount of charming banter throughout the night (and, amazingly, zero politics—hooray!). The highlight came in the encore when he started cracking wise with a person up front who was wearing a neck brace; Tweedy donned the brace for “Kingpin” to great comedic effect. The entire show was loose, lively, upbeat, and, most of all, a ton of fun. It was a nice balance of playfulness and intensity—still committed to putting on a great show, but not pressing, just letting it flow.

Following “Shot in the Arm,” the remainder of the night—spanning the end of the main set and two glorious encores—shifted into a string of more straightforward rock songs. The “Sky Blue Sky” double-shot of “Hate It Here” and “Walken,” along with their album brethren from earlier in the show, proved to me my primary frustration with that record’s rather subdued, almost claustrophobic production. In the concert setting, these songs are as vivacious as anything in the band’s catalog, but that doesn’t really come across on the rather careful studio versions.

The first encore was about as good as it gets, leading off with the always welcome “Via Chicago,” followed by the, well, always welcome “California Stars.” And Sunday’s version of “Kingpin”—complete with the nice “livin’ in … Maryland” lyrical adjustment—was just right; not too much banter and tomfoolery, but not clipped short, either.

Finally, the second encore … wow, what a way to close a show: Five songs, finishing with a “Being There” trifecta. “I Got You” and “Outtasite” are two of my favorite Wilco songs, and this was a combination I was really hoping for in anticipation of the night. They brought the house down, and sent me off into the pleasantly warm December night with a huge smile on my face.

Sunday was my third Wilco show in the past six years, and what struck me this time was the sheer breadth of their material. As mentioned earlier, to me the well-crafted setlist had three basic movements: mellow, avant garde, and flat-out rockers. The band could easily pick any one of those three styles and do an entire show from just that category; blending them all together with such effortless grace and movement was special to behold, all of it with an underlying commitment to craftsmanship that makes them one of my favorite live bands.

And one last note about the Lyric Opera House: I’d never seen a show here before, but I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s very nice on the inside, with a good-sized auditorium that still feels intimate; we were up on the right tier, providing an excellent view of drummer Glenn Kotche’s fiendish and highly entertaining hammering. More than anything, though, the sound and acoustics were absolutely perfect. Everything was crystal clear and mixed exactly right—one of the best-sounding concerts I’ve attended.

Wilco
Lyric Opera House
Baltimore
12.14.08
Show Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

MAIN SET
Sunken Treasure
You Are My Face
War on War
Handshake Drugs
Impossible Germany
It’s Just That Simple
Forget the Flowers
Box Full of Letters
Jesus, Etc.
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart -->
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Hummingbird
Shot in the Arm
Hate It Here
Walken
I’m the Man Who Loves You

FIRST ENCORE
Via Chicago
California Stars
Kingpin

SECOND ENCORE
The Late Greats
Heavy Metal Drummer
Red-Eyed and Blue
I Got You (at the End of the Century)
Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Albums of the Aughts: 2004

“Funeral,” Arcade Fire
Maybe the best debut album of the decade, this Canadian band of melancholy multi-instrumentalist troubadours weaves together more musical influences than I could possibly hope to identify into an unclassifiable ethereal mixture of passion, poetry, poignancy, and power. Part requiem for family members, part celebration of music’s ability to heal open wounds, “Funeral” remains a stunning achievement. Memorable tracks abound, including “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels),” “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out),” “Haiti,” “Rebellion (Lies),” and my …
Favorite Track: “Wake Up,” which U2 used so effectively as their walk-on music during the 2005 Vertigo tour.

“Make A Sound,” Autopilot Off
Not much to say about this little known band from New York, other than this hard-charging pop/punk album really struck a chord with me because its chunky guitars and pounding drums sound great in the car. Also, frontman Chris Johnson’s alto sounds similar to Saves the Day lead Chris Conley, and in 2004 I was desperate for that kind of sound following STD’s 2003 mess “In Reverie.” Autopilot Off filled that void nicely.
Favorite Track: “Make A Sound”

“Rubber Factory,” The Black Keys
If Jack White is this generation’s Jimmy Page, then The Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach is Stevie Ray Vaughn with a little Hendrix thrown in on occasion, offering up thick, groovy, toned-down melodic blues of the finest caliber. Auerbach’s (mostly) restrained fuzzed-out bravado is matched by the band’s lone other member, drummer Patrick Carney, who can thunder away with the best of them behind the kit. The band’s best album is a classic of the decade with so many great songs, it’s nearly impossible to pick a …
Favorite Track: but I’ll go with closer “Till I Get My Way.”

“The Grey Album,” Danger Mouse
Like a lot of people I’m guessing, Danger Mouse’s underground classic was my first exposure to the art of true mashups. Jay-Z doesn’t do much for me on the whole, but Mouse pairing his vocals from “The Black Album” with the music from The Beatles’ “White Album” was pure genius. There isn’t a skippable track on the whole thing, what with “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” combined with “Julia,” “December 4th” over top of “Mother Nature’s Son,” “Encore” mixed with “Glass Onion,” and my …
Favorite Track: “What More Can I Say” mashed with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

“Within A Mile of Home,” Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly’s first three albums were very appropriately named: “Swagger” was full of that very thing, and follow-up “Drunken Lullabies” sounded just like, well, a bunch of drunken lullabies. “Within A Mile of Home” followed suit, showcasing more of the band’s Irish heritage than ever. Sure, they still raved up with all their considerable hellfire and brimstone power on excellent tracks like “Screaming at the Wailing Wall,” “Tobacco Island,” and “The Seven Deadly Sins,” but there’s a lot more variety here on Flogging Molly’s best album. Its heart lies in quieter numbers like “Factory Girls” (featuring Lucinda Williams), the title track, and …
Favorite Track: the heartbreaking “Whistles the Wind.”

“Franz Ferdinand,” Franz Ferdinand
This Scottish quartet set the music world on fire in 2004 with this dance/rock extravaganza. Fun, fiery, and funky all at once, Franz Ferdinand made an indelible impression, updating New Wave and making it cool again. Catchy hooks and choruses are scattered all over the self-titled disc, from “40’” to “This Fire” to
Favorite Track: the unforgettable “Take Me Out.”

“American Idiot,” Green Day
Though I disagree COMPLETELY with the politics of this record, there’s no denying its epic greatness. My goodness, what an album—from start to finish a punk rock masterpiece. I never thought the guys who named their breakthrough album “Dookie” had it in ’em, but this rock opera revival for the 21st century is an ambitious project the likes of which we hadn’t seen in years. If I were a liberal, this would definitely be one of my favorite albums of the entire decade—maybe of all time (the great Bruce Springsteen tried to match its political intensity three years later—and failed). But, personally, my heart can’t get past the rhetoric.
Favorite Track: “Are We the Waiting”

“Van Lear Rose,” Loretta Lynn
Just as Rick Rubin reintroduced Johnny Cash to my generation, Jack White did much the same by collaborating with his country music idol on this fabulous throwback gem. White only takes lead vocal on one song, “Portland Oregon,” preferring to stay in the background as musician and producer on the entire album. His work adds a definite edgy intensity to the project and draws the best out of Lynn. The legend is in fine form throughout, particularly on “Van Lear Rose,” “Have Mercy,” “High on a Mountain Top,” “Mrs. Leroy Brown,” and my …
Favorite Track: the touching “God Makes No Mistakes,” which actually reminds me of a Cash song.

“How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” U2
Though not the flat-out rock extravaganza Mr. Hype Machine Hewson predicted, “Atomic Bomb” did drop a few bombshells in 2004, starting with “Vertigo,” one of the band’s best-ever singles, while “All Because of You” was a pleasant Who homage and “City of Blinding Lights” blinded us with its epic-ness (in all the right ways, as only U2 can do it). But some of the best parts of this album were in its quieter moments, like the touching “Original of the Species,” the contemplative “A Man and a Woman,” and my …
Favorite Track: the still-goosebump-inducing opera in 5 minutes, “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own.”
[original review]

“A Ghost Is Born,” Wilco
And I thought “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” took a long time to sink in! It took nearly two years to finally get to a point where I enjoyed listening to this dark-cloud disc. Seeing the band live in spring 2006 finally helped me appreciate excellent songs like “At Least That’s What You Said,” “Hummingbird,” and “Handshake Drugs,” but it was …
Favorite Track: “Company in My Back” that originally broke the seal earlier that year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Let It Die,” Feist
“The Futureheads,” The Futureheads
“The New What Next,” Hot Water Music
“Aha Shake Heartbreak,” Kings of Leon
“20,000 Streets Under the Sky,” Marah
“Now Here Is Nowhere,” The Secret Machines
“Straylight Run,” Straylight Run
“Where You Want To Be,” Taking Back Sunday

Why?

Why can't NBC mix its live bands well?

The Gaslight Anthem played "Conan" last night, but I refuse to post a YouTube link here because they sounded awful, through no fault of their own, and I would hate for that performance of "The '59 Sound" to be anyone's first impression of the band. Because that was not the band I love; it was some doppelganger created by the horrendous mixer at the NBC board.

I don't watch a lot of these talk-show performances, just for this very reason. But every time I do, whether it's Leno, Conan, or "SNL," the music almost always sounds terrible (Letterman, on the other hand, typically does it right, at least when Pearl Jam's on, anyway). The vocals are way too high in the mix, the lead guitars are pushed too far back, and the bass is just banging around somewhere in the middle. Whether it's U2, Metallica, Saves the Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or The Gaslight Anthem, NBC perpetually screws it up.

Good for TGA getting such exposure, but I hope it didn't do more harm than good.

Albums of the Aughts: 2003

“Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” 50 Cent
My favorite rap album of all time, and it’s not even close. Fitty may not be the most talented turner of phrases out there (that honor goes to Eminem, who makes an unforgettable guest appearance here on “Patiently Waiting”), but his menacing Southern drawl is captivating. Too often rap albums are a few great singles wrapped in 40 minutes of filler, but there’s almost none of the latter on “Get Rich,” which consistently offers some of the best beats I’ve ever heard.
There’s no way I can endorse this album for anyone, because I’m convinced 50 Cent is an evil man, and his lyrics in several places are utterly vile. But sometimes an evil man is what’s called for in certain situations: When I was assigned to cover the trial of a hideous serial rapist and murderer for the entire month of January 2004, I ended up putting “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” in the CD player every single night on the half-hour drive back to the office. The utter rage Fifty unleashes on this album on tracks like “What Up Gangsta,” “Many Men (Wish Death),” “Blood Hound,” and the aforementioned “Patiently Waiting,” to name a few, was amazingly cathartic, allowing me to vent all the emotions pent up from a tense, dark day in the courtroom and clear my head for the difficult story I would write each evening.
Favorite Track: “If I Can’t”

“Sing the Sorrow,” AFI
Has a punk band this century unleashed an opening salvo to match what AFI does with the first six songs off this, their mainstream breakthrough record? I don’t know, but it would be tough to beat the stretch of five-star tracks, starting with gothic intro “Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)” into smash hit “The Leaving Song, Pt. 2,” and culminating with “Girl’s Not Grey” and my …
Favorite Track: “Dancing Through Sunday.” And, oh yeah, the rest of the songs are pretty awesome, too.

“Dangerously in Love,” Beyonce
Though it’s a bit scattershot the further into the album you go, “Dangerously in Love” proved Beyonce wasn’t just the standout in Destiny’s Child, she was an exploding superstar all her own. This release offered a quartet of outstanding singles (and accompanying memory-burn videos): “Baby Boy,” “Me, Myself and I,” “Naughty Girl,” and …
Favorite Track: the unmistakable landmark hit, “Crazy in Love.”

“You Are Free,” Cat Power
The only reason I bought this album when it came out—and the only reason I’d even heard of Cat Power—was because Eddie Vedder provided guest vocals on one track. To my initial disappointment, Vedder’s contribution can barely be heard in the background of “Good Woman”; but over the years, the CD’s stark, arresting presence wormed its way into my consciousness and has become a standout album of that year.
Favorite Track: “Speak for Me”

“A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar,” Dashboard Confessional
This album marked the pinnacle of Chris Carrabba’s return to his electric, punk roots. Over the previous D/C releases, he had been slowly adding instrumentation to his acoustic-guitar-and-a-stool dynamic; “A Mark” saw him going all in, not only with a full band, but plugging in for the first time in a few years. The results were outstanding, matching his heartfelt songwriting while embracing his considerable power-pop talents. The first song I heard off this record was in summer 2002, when D/C opened for Weezer, and I was blown away at the time by "Rapid Hope Loss," which just exploded off the stage when compared to the quieter acoustic stuff surrounding it in the set. There isn’t a weak entry to be found here, and picking a …
Favorite Track: is like choosing a favorite kid. Today it’s album closer “Several Ways to Die Trying.”

“Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers,” The National
Here The National begin the journey that would eventually lead to their two outstanding albums later in the decade. “Sad Songs” begins to move away from the rootsy vibe of the band's debut and into more rich, orchestral territory, relying more on the electric guitar and allowing drummer Bryan Devendorf to take a more prominent role. Though they still do gorgeous country-tinged ballads just fine (“Lucky You”), there’s more of a straightahead rock feel here, best heard on my …
Favorite Track: “Murder Me Rachael.” And the best was yet to come.

“Lost Dogs,” Pearl Jam
Every Pearl Jam fan’s dream came true in 2003 when the band released this double-CD compilation of b-sides. Sure, not every single little thing was on there, but it was enough. Some of the tracks included had been around for awhile—especially classic “Ten”-era cuts like “Wash,” “Alone,” and “Yellow Ledbetter”—but it sure was nice to have them all in one place and in good playing condition. In PJ’s true warts-and-all tradition, there are some downright bad songs included here (“Don’t Gimme No Lip,” “Black, Red, Yellow,” “Sweet Lew”). On the other hand, “Lost Dogs” offers some of the band’s best work, too, such as “Hard to Imagine,” “Fatal,” “Down,” and “Footsteps.” Then there’s …
Favorite Track: “Sad,” which is so phenomenal, I could write an entire post about it alone; how one of the band’s best tracks was left off “Binaural” I’ll never understand. "Sad" makes “Lost Dogs” one of the most important releases of my decade all by itself. That and the liner notes, which offer up explanations and a timeline for the songs. Oh, and the make-PJ-fans-drool double-truck picture of the Pearl Jam Recording Vault. … See? “Lost Dogs” is great.

“Final Straw,” Snow Patrol
Here the Irish band took big steps out of their quirky earlier days into the larger world of arena rock, paving the way for their big-time breakout smash three years later. “Final Straw” balances the two sides of Snow Patrol’s sensibilities masterfully, with idiosyncratic marvels like opener “How to Be Dead” and especially the beautiful slow-burner “Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking.” The album’s first half builds to a rumbling fervor that finally explodes in the galloping “Spitting Games.” “Games” is the first of a trio of five-star songs that serve as both the album’s literal and metaphorical heart, as it’s followed by the chiming “Chocolate” and my …
Favorite Track: the epic “Run.”

“Elephant,” The White Stripes
Nobody was quite expecting it, but in 2003 Jack and Meg White grew up. In a hurry. “Elephant” is a take-no-prisoners opus that saw the Stripes shed some of their playfulness in creating a masterwork for the rock and roll ages. Oh, and they did it in two weeks. White doesn’t mess around, either, dropping his career’s most iconic riff right at the album’s outset as the intro to “Seven Nation Army” (the lick so often misinterpreted as a bass line—it is not). From there “Elephant” offers the blistering “Black Math,” sonic boom “There’s No Room For You Here,” and stunning reworking of Burt Bacharach’s “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself.” The Stripes take a three-song breather in the middle of the record with a trio of quiet numbers (including Meg’s memorable lead vocal on “In the Cold, Cold, Night”) before unleashing what might still be White’s fiercest blues track, “Ball and Biscuit.” Then the remainder of the album flashes by amidst a whirlwind of fiendish guitar riffs and pounding drums. Five years on, it’s still as exciting as ever.
Favorite Track: “Seven Nation Army”

“Mary Star of the Sea,” Zwan
Oh, how I wish Billy Corgan would’ve stuck it out with this rebound project and left well enough alone with The Smashing Pumpkins. This excellent post-Pumpkins one-off held the essence of what I loved about Corgan’s former band, but liberated from the expectations and mythology. The dour frontman sounds downright weightless on “Mary Star of the Sea,” offering an hour of lush, forceful guitar pop/rock in the vein of “Stand Inside Your Love” that he does so well—or did, anyway. There may be a couple clunkers here (“Baby Let’s Rock!” ugh), but Zwan had all the right elements going for it. What a shame.
Favorite Track: “Lyric”

HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Anchors Aweigh,” The Bouncing Souls
“Deja Entendu,” Brand New
“Unclassified,” Robert Randolph and the Family Band
"We're a Happy Family: Tribute to Ramones," various artists
“Between the Never and the Now,” Vendetta Red
“Fever to Tell,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Albums of the Aughts: 2002

Looking back, 2002 was definitely one of the sparsest years of the decade for me. Maybe it’s because I got married that year and thus didn’t pay as much attention to what was going on in the pop culture world at large, or maybe there just wasn’t that much great stuff out there at the time. Whatever the reason, it took multiple trips through the CD rack to come up with these 10; I stand by them all, but only a few would rank near the top of an all-decade list.

“American IV: The Man Comes Around,” Johnny Cash
Though a bit uneven when compared to other albums in the American Recordings series, this album’s a no-brainer for “Hurt” alone, which along with its tremendous video introduced the Man in Black to me and so many others of my generation. “American IV” offers much more than just that seminal single, though, with incredible covers of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” The Beatles’ “In My Life,” Sting’s “I Hung My Head,” and an updated take on Cash's own “Give My Love to Rose.” But my …
Favorite Track: is the foreboding, chilling, yet thrilling title track, a Cash original, “The Man Comes Around.”

“A Rush of Blood to the Head,” Coldplay
My brief flirtation with Coldplay is long gone, but this album is undeniably exceptional. No matter how frontman Chris Martin may annoy me in the past, present, or future …
Favorite Track: “Clocks” stops me in my tracks every time.

“Busted Stuff,” Dave Matthews Band
DMB were basically forced to release this album after its discarded original form, dubbed “The Lillywhite Sessions,” became one of the first widely spread bootleg albums on the Internet. That collection of songs was pushed to the side in favor of the wretched “Everyday” (more on this in a future post), so “Busted Stuff” was a bit of a make-good on behalf of the band. And it’s easy to see why these tracks were in such demand—“Busted Stuff” showcases DMB at its elemental best, perfectly balancing all the talented musicians instead of letting the band’s namesake take too much of the spotlight, which has been unfortunately the trend for the group’s other releases this decade. It’s tough to pick a …
Favorite Track: but I’ll go with “Grace Is Gone.”

“Drunken Lullabies,” Flogging Molly
The Ireland-via-California punk band rarely takes their collective feet off the gas on this scorching, rabble-rousing joy of an album. Definitely the CD of choice for anyone looking for a rush of blood through the veins.
Favorite Track: The iconic and unforgettable title track, “Drunken Lullabies”

“One By One,” Foo Fighters
The Foos have always been a bit too silly for me to care about them overly much, but when they get it right, they really get it right. This album is a tour de force, certainly up there with “Colour and the Shape” as their best work. From gatling-gun opener “All My Life” through to epic finale “Come Back,” this one’s a barnburner.
Favorite Track: “Come Back”

“Riot Act,” Pearl Jam
I debated back and forth about whether to include this album here or not, because it is without question my least favorite Pearl Jam release by a wide margin. Looking back over its tracklisting, maybe just half of the songs do I consider better than mediocre (or downright awful). That being said, it remains a Pearl Jam album, and thus had an impact on my musical life nonetheless. When I look at the other CDs included here from this year, it just wouldn’t look or feel right without PJ accounted for.
Favorite Track: “I Am Mine”

“30 #1 Hits,” Elvis Presley
I still say Elvis is the most overrated uber star in rock and roll, but I have a newfound respect for him, as an artist, performer, and just a sad, lonely man, after visiting Graceland this past year. His influence alone on so many bands I love was reason enough to pick up this collection, and it clued me in to what I'd been missing for so long.
Favorite Track: “Can’t Help Falling in Love”

“The Rising,” Bruce Springsteen
I listen through “The Rising” at least once a year as it is the definitive post-9/11 album for me, back when Springsteen knew how to be passionate about his country without resorting to cheap partisan demagoguery. Here he perfectly captured the wild mixture of emotions coursing through America at the time, from grief to anger to fear to even a bit of hope and a commitment to rebuild. That all seems like a very, very long time ago now, but songs like “The Rising,” “Lonesome Day,” “My City of Ruins,” "You're Missing," and “Further On (Up the Road)” are built to last. This is another of those albums where my …
Favorite Track: Continually changes. Any of those previous five would work, but more often than not I return to the haunting “Nothing Man.”

“89/93: An Anthology,” Uncle Tupelo
So as Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy struggled in 2002 to get his latest record released (see directly below), his former band unveiled this greatest hits collection, thereby showcasing exactly the rough-and-tumble greatness the record company was expecting from Wilco, I guess. Whereas Wilco songs tickle your brain as well as your heart, this set sings to your gut. Look no further for proof Tweedy and co-songwriter Jay Farrar were the Lennon and McCartney of alt-country; it’s a shame they couldn’t make it work for the long haul, but while they were together, nobody burned brighter. Nearly two decades old, these songs sound as fresh and wonderful as ever—there’s not a mediocre entry to be found here, much less a bad one.
Favorite Track: “Graveyard Shift”

“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” Wilco
“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” has become its own term in my musical lexicon, meaning: an album that takes awhile to sink in. It was months before I could say I liked this record; it would take years before I fully loved and appreciated its genius and beauty. Founder/frontman Jeff Tweedy set the bar so high with this dense, engaging, challenging, and, ultimately, gripping masterpiece, all the fine work he’s done since still sorta suffers by comparison. Such is the curse of a classic album where nearly every song could be considered a standout: “War on War,” “Ashes of American Flags,” “I’m the Man Who Loves You,” “Heavy Metal Drummer,” “Jesus, Etc.,” and …
Favorite Track: “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”

HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Caution,” Hot Water Music
“Electric Sweat,” The Mooney Suzuki
“We Are the Only Friends We Have,” Piebald
"Forty Licks," The Rolling Stones

Albums of the Aughts: 2001

Continuing in my month-long journey down memory lane, here are my 10 favorite albums from 2001 (plus a few extras), a year that marked my formal introduction to punk rock.

“Gold,” Ryan Adams
This album didn’t make Ryan Adams a household name, so I guess nothing he writes ever will. He apparently agrees, because in the years since he’s never tried to recapture the pop/rock mastery showcased with such ease on this record. “Gold” is Adams at his most palatable, his most accessible, and it provides a fascinating complement to the more raw emotion, songcraft, and production of the previous year’s amazing “Heartbreaker.” There’s a pleasant polish to “Gold” that’s unique among all his records to date (though 2007’s “Easy Tiger” came closest to recapturing it). I’m not saying this is necessarily Adams at his best, but it’s definitely one facet of his talent that’s been underutilized since. Ironically (or, perhaps, appropriately, given Adams’ prolific career) my …
Favorite Track: is "Gold" b-side “Rosalie Come and Go”

“From Here to Infirmary,” Alkaline Trio
This perfect album was my official introduction to punk, and rarely has it been bettered over the past several years. With only one track breaking the four-minute mark, every song is strong, intense, and catchy as all get-out. AT3 don’t deviate much from their basic hellfiery formula, but each entry is varied enough to keep you interested throughout its 38 minutes. I loved this album right from the start, and it launched me into the genre full force. I spent the decade investigating punk’s past and present (look down this list alone for proof); I didn’t like everything I found, but the trip started right here.
Favorite Track: The heartfelt “You’re Dead”

“Comfort Eagle,” Cake
There was a time when Cake was one of my very favorite bands. That period is long past, but “Comfort Eagle” serves as a good summary of everything I loved about them. I haven’t listened to this CD in years, and just looking at the song titles I start singing the choruses in my head instantly. It’s quirky, groovy, funny, full of memorable hooks and melodies, and will melt your face in spots, especially my …
Favorite Track: “Comfort Eagle”

“So Impossible,” Dashboard Confessional
2001 was a massive year for Dashboard founder/frontman Chris Carrabba. Not only did he break out with his second D/C album, “The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most,” and deliver his only album with previous band Further Seems Forever (see below), he also found time to release this incredible EP. Here’s what I wrote about it last year as part of my piece on fave EPs (it all still holds): A concept album in four songs, this release vividly describes all the nervous and exciting stages of newfound love—from the silent pining of “For You to Notice,” to the this-might-just-work hope of the title track, to the pre-date jitters of “Remember to Breathe,” to the triumphant glee of “Hands Down.” This is my favorite D/C release.
Favorite Track: “So Impossible”

“Love and Theft,” Bob Dylan
This album has the unfortunate circumstance of being released on the day of our country’s most devastating and violent attack, so it will always have a slight melancholy tinge to it. That being said, “Love and Theft” is a joy from start to finish, as Dylan unleashes his swashbuckling self all over the American songbook yet again. I’m no Dylanphile, but from what I understand this marked a resurgence for the troubadour that has led to quite a productive decade. It was my first foray into his work, and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to start.
Favorite Track: “Honest with Me,” which contains one of my favorite riffs of all time

“The Moon Is Down,” Further Seems Forever
Chris Carrabba said goodbye to the more traditional punk form of the early aughts with this incredible album—his one and only full-length as frontman of FSF—before focusing exclusively on Dashboard Confessional. But what a sendoff! Right from the opening track’s guitar explosion, this album never lets up with its angular riffs and soaring choruses. Ballad “Just Until Sundown” proved a Dashboard preview of sorts and Carrabba would later make shifts back toward his stronger FSF sound, but he hasn't rocked this hard since. Too bad, because it suited him well. “The Moon Is Down” is as fine a record as he’s ever produced.
Favorite Track: “The Moon Is Down” (made extra special for referencing “Ender’s Game”)

“10.9.00, Chicago, Illinois,” Pearl Jam
What better way to commemorate the best concert experience of my life than for the band to release an official bootleg of the entire show? There’s not enough time/room here to go into what made this night so amazing, but needless to say I was ecstatic to be able to relive it on a professionally recorded and produced CD. Once again, Pearl Jam proved innovators, trend-setters, and, most important, extremely fan friendly, as their ambitious 72-concert live series from the 2000 tour launched a thousand imitators.
Favorite Track: “Release”

“The Golden Hum,” Remy Zero
I found this band well after they were gone thanks to their inclusion as the main title theme for TV series “Smallville.” So while I came for glorious …
Favorite Track: “Save Me” …
I stayed because this is a fine album, one of several excellent swan songs from this decade. Though they were ripped for being Radiohead-lite, I can’t stand Thom Yorke, so that suits me just fine. A nice companion piece to the previous year’s “Unified Theory.”

“Stay What You Are,” Saves the Day
If “From Here to Infirmary” is Entry 1A in my modern punk education, then “Stay What You Are” is 1B. From the tremulous opener “At Your Funeral” through to the last gasp of “Firefly,” this is hands-down one of the best pop/punk records of the decade. Though Saves the Day would get tagged with the derogatory “emo” label and go completely off the rails running away from that genre, “Stay What You Are” remains a perfect moment in time.
Favorite Track: “At Your Funeral”

“White Blood Cells,” The White Stripes
The White Stripes may have broken into the mainstream with their hit “Fell in Love with a Girl,” but that shambling near-wreck of a song so turned me off, I almost missed out on what has become in the intervening years one of my all-time favorite bands. No, the strength of this record is, as usual, in Jack White’s guitar, which is on full display in just about every song but the lead single, from leadoff firestarter “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” to “I Can’t Wait” to the inescapably catchy “I Think I Smell a Rat.” “Blood Cells” also showcased the Stripes’ quieter, funnier side on cuts like “Hotel Yorba,” “We’re Going to Be Friends,” and “Same Boy You’ve Always Known.” And then there’s the song that balances these sides perfectly, my …
Favorite Track: “I’m Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman”

HONORABLE MENTIONS
"How I Spent My Summer Vacation," The Bouncing Souls
“The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most,” Dashboard Confessional
“Change,” The Dismemberment Plan
“Sing Loud, Sing Proud,” Dropkick Murphys
"The Argument," Fugazi
“Everynight Fire Works,” Hey Mercedes
“The National,” The National
“Live in New York City,” Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

New U2 for Christmas

Far be it for U2 to let the holiday shopping season go by without offering up some new little thing for people to buy (though rarely is this a new album), but this time around it's actually worthwhile.

Their new Christmas song (a cover) is quite extraordinary in its own simple little way. My favorite U2 blogger summed it up just perfectly (as per usual)—you can see the video and read her take on it here. More info about the song and Bono's new save-the-world idea here.

Albums of the Aughts: Recapping an Amazing Decade of Music

About a year from now, you’re going to be inundated with best-of lists for the decade, so I figured why not get out ahead of the pack? Over the next month, I’ll be revisiting my 10 favorite albums (maximum) from each year of the new millennium, starting today with 2000 (and, yes, I know technically the millennium started in 2001, but spare me Jerry Seinfeld). On New Year’s Eve (pending I actually complete this thing), I’ll compile the best of the best for the ultimate near-end-of-the-decade list. But first …

IN THE YEAR 2000 …

“Heartbreaker,” Ryan Adams
Could you ask for a better debut album? Cynics would say he’s never been better than this pure alt-country masterpiece (I am not one of them, however, as you will see). The newly solo singer/songwriter moves effortlessly from barroom brawlers to tender love songs, and it all works together perfectly.
Favorite Track: “Come Pick Me Up”

“Relationship of Command,” At the Drive-In
Speaking of heartbreakers, here’s one for the ages. This genre-defying classic marked both the peak and the end for these Texas firebrands, who split just as they were about to break huge. They all went on to form inferior bands (please don’t start with me about The Mars Volta), but at least they went out with guns blazing.
Favorite Track: “One Armed Scissor”

“American III: Solitary Man,” Johnny Cash
The Man in Black opens this album with the utterly appropriate “I Won’t Back Down,” backed by the song’s author, Tom Petty, and it’s off and running from there. No middle slump here in the new-classic stretch of five American Recordings albums from Cash and producer Rick Rubin. Highlights abound, including tremendous renditions of U2’s “One” and Nick Cave’s “The Mercy Seat,” but my …
Favorite Track: is the overpowering “I See a Darkness”

“The Swiss Army Romance,” Dashboard Confessional
Before he went and got all arena-rocky and infatuated with his own mythos, Chris Carrabba’s band consisted of his earnest voice, an acoustic guitar, and a stool. This album was downright revolutionary at the time, released amidst the malaise of Pearl Jam knockoffs and the awful nu-metal and rap/rock crazes (anybody still remember Limp Bizkit?). Carrabba would be credited—for better or worse—with helping launch the emo genre, and he was equally loved and despised. That, I think, is one mark of a great frontman.
Favorite Track: “Ender Will Save Us All”

“Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea,” PJ Harvey
With this record, Polly Jean wanted to see if she could write and record a more accessible rock album, and she succeeded in spades. A stone-cold classic, it marked the culmination of a decade of incendiary work. There isn’t a bad track on the entire thing, and even after eight years I still constantly change my mind on my …
Favorite Track: Today it’s “The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore,” but tomorrow it’ll probably be something different

“Binaural,” Pearl Jam
This release signaled the beginning of a new era for Pearl Jam, as it was the first album with former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron. Cameron’s aggressive style forever changed the tone of the band, and the debate still rages today if it was positive or negative. It also marked probably the peak of my Pearl Jam obsessive fandom; I saw them five times on this tour, in four different states. The Chicago show on 10.9.00 still stands as my favorite concert experience ever.
For me, this is Pearl Jam’s classic that got away when you consider “Sad” (one of the band’s best-ever songs) and “Fatal” were inexplicably left off the tracklist, while demo “Puzzles and Games” was reworked into the inferior (but still good, mind you) “Light Years.” That being said, “Binaural” still offers multiple treasures, such as “Grievance,” “Sleight of Hand,” “Of the Girl,” “Parting Ways,” and …
Favorite Track: “Insignificance”

“Renegades,” Rage Against the Machine
From the album-opening Tom Morello guitar salvo on “Microphone Fiend” to the closing sledgehammer of “Maggie’s Farm,” this is one, long adrenaline rush. Not just my favorite Rage CD, it’s one of my favorite records of all time, it's made all the more impressive because its made up of tracks from artists that influenced the band’s own landmark music. Thus “Renegades” has an underlying foundation of authenticity and accessibility that doesn’t necessarily occur in the band’s own rhetoric-to-excess work.
Favorite Track: “How I Could Just Kill a Man”

“De Stijl,” The White Stripes
Though I was first introduced to the Stripes in 2001 with their breakthrough “White Blood Cells,” this is the album that turned them into one of my all-time favorite bands. Jack White has gone on to write more intricate and well-crafted songs, but there’s something to be said for the raw, primal power of his fiery six-string on tracks like “Death Letter,” “Let’s Build a Home,” “Little Bird,” and “Hello Operator.” And like his heroes from Led Zeppelin, he also engages in a softer, gentler, folkier side on this record to great effect, including my …
Favorite Track: “I’m Bound to Pack It Up”

“All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” U2
Though it doesn’t hold up as U2’s “third masterpiece” (as Rolling Stone hyperventilated at the time), the first seven tracks of this comeback album of sorts are as solidly brilliant as U2 has ever been. Though it compares most favorably with the pop/rock accessibility of 1987’s iconic “The Joshua Tree,” “ATYCLB” wasn’t so much a return to 1980s form as a consolidation of all the music the band had produced to that point, forming a familiar but still new, modern sound that has carried them through the rest of this decade (though we’ll see what the next one sounds like early next year).
Favorite Tracks: “Beautiful Day,” “Walk On (UK Single Version)”

“Unified Theory,” Unified Theory
One of the best flash-in-the-pan bands I’ve come across, Unified Theory was formed out of the ashes of Blind Melon and stuck around just long enough to put out this incredible debut album that doesn’t offer a subpar track. Despite showing amazing promise, the band disbanded shortly thereafter. Great hooks, swirling guitar flourishes, and soaring vocals from charismatic frontman Chris Shinn, who I can’t believe hasn’t hit it big with some other group in the intervening years. I managed to catch them in a small club in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while they toured off this album, and the show still brings back a warm memory all these years later. What a pity.
Favorite Track: “Passive”

HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Almost Famous,” soundtrack
"B.R.M.C.," Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
"Best of Blur," Blur
"White Pony," Deftones
“Swagger,” Flogging Molly
“Veni Vidi Vicious,” The Hives
“MACHINA/The Machines of God,” The Smashing Pumpkins
"MACHINA II: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music," The Smashing Pumpkins
"Silver and Gold," Neil Young