Even before coming into this millennium, it had already been tainted with black clouds. The threat of Y2k, the threat of George W. and a serious lack of flying cars, I wasn't too enthusiastic about the whole thing.
Recently I've been seeing many journalists and reporters review this last decade of music, with little to no thought of what is really going on in music. MSN.com's list tops NE-YO, Avril Lavigne and Kardinal Offishall as all having tracks in the top 25 of the decade ... and that's really said. These are the same cats that are thanking god that Miley Cyrus managed to squeeze in "Party in the U.S.A.", just in time to add it to their shit list.
In a decade where mp3s, 'talent' shows, myspace.com and itunes took to the masses, any musician or half baked act could get heard. But what people don't realize is that the music industry is a lot like a giant baboon. Level with me here ... if you continue to poke and paw at it, steal it's spoiled child's toys, it will react by throwing large amounts of shit at you. And in this case we're not talking handful or buckets, we're talking galaxies worth of shit ... right at you .... right in your face.
So here's just a few tracks to keep in mind when reflecting on all that has been over the last ten years - and these tracks are nothing new, I mean, I'm not going to blow smoke up your ass by citing bands you'd never heard of like some backwoods progressive, art rock band from Iceland that play harps and performs magic during an 18 minute guitar/imported Egyptian bongo solo. I'll leave that to your neighborhood scenesters.
Radiohead | Bodysnatchers.> 2007.
After nearly a decade since the release of the epic 'OK Computer' record in 1997, Radiohead brought back a sound we had all thought got lost in the mind altering madness of 'Kid A'. The sound is basic in comparison, distorted guitar rifts and clever satirical lyrics that only Radiohead can produce ... and finally did. Not only that, but the beauty of this track - and record for that matter - is that Radiohead is one of the most influential and creative bands of our time and it's refreshing to know that when futurists look back on bands throughout our generation with actual longevity and "purpose", it wont just be lame that the billboard charts said carried merit like, Pearl Jam and the Jonas Bros. (*ps. - Gurm, if you're reading this we will never speak of it again)
the Strokes | Last Nite.> 2001.
I remember the first time I heard this track on the radio. My sister said something like "hey, I think you'd really like this song." We were sitting in a 7-Eleven parking lot with Big Glups in hand; and before the last note had even struck or my beverage had even been largely sipped, we were at the record store and 'Is This It?'was already in my mitts. This track reintroduced the world to a thing long since forgotten ... rock music. Gritty, danceable rock music. This track along with the band, helped pave the way for acts like Arctic Monkeys, White Stripes, the Killers, the Hives, Franz Ferdinand, and so on. With the release of the track 'Last Nite' the group managed to catapult themselves over several genres, not as lame as the Killers did it, but still, enough to rebirth the genre of dirty underground new york rock. The likes of which that hadn't truly been seen since perhaps the Ramones and CBGB outbreak of the late 70's and early 80's ... yeah, I said it.
Death from Above 1979 | Romantic Rights.> 2004.
I've praised these cats before as being one that, to me, helped spark an entirely new wave of musical taste. A grimy, clash of punk-rock and distorted electronica that aided in the popularity (in this country anyways) for groups like Boyz Noize.
Dr. Dre | Still D.R.E.> 2001.
The second installment of the 'Chronic' saga proves to be just as bumpin' and grindin' as the first. The original 'Chronic' took the best in west coast hard base driven funk beats; and the second record, and this song in particular, took the same idea but with a more modern approach and proves to be a great example of where hip hop was at the time, especially when it come from a dude who helped mold it. This to me was one of the last true mainstream hip hop tracks, still gangsta, but actually witty and smart.
Minus the Bear | This Ain't a Surfing Movie.> 2005
If you have never heard of MTB ... what is wrong with you. Minus the Bear is, again in my opinion, perhaps the best group in my lifetime. I know, it's a bold statement. But these guys continue to challenge themselves as well as the laws and physics of sound itself. You can pick up any, yes any, one of their records and not a single person would say, "yeah that's good but not as good as their older stuff," and that in itself is not only refreshing but unheard of with the majority of musicians over the last few decades, especially in more recent years. I know it's opinion but can you think of all the greatest acts in our time, can you really say that about any of them ... Nirvana? Nine Inch Nails? U2? Van Halen? T-Pain?
Franz Ferdinand | What She Came For.> 2009
Okay, I love Franz Ferdinand. I was waiting years for 'Tonight' to come out in January of this year. This song is a great example of everything that is these four lads for Glasgow. Its base lines, its tongue and cheek lyrics, its catchy rhythm and its overlapping rock and roll break down to finish. Franz Ferdinand helped bridge the gap between rock n' roll and synth. This track is a good showing of the bare minimum that franz brought to this decade of sound, and reassures all of us that no matter what remix records follow, they'll always know where their roots lie.
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