Despite the fact that the end of 2009 was officially over last night, I am still going to finish my 20 favorite records of the decade list. I have been infinitely busy planning for what turned out to be a successful NYE DJ gig, but here are the next 5 for your reading pleasure.
Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild Soundtrack (2007 - J Records)For years leading up to this first solo release, EV has treated fans to uncountable occasions that featured him spilling his guts with an acoustic guitar or ukulele, usually in the form of stripped down Pearl jam classics or carefully selected covers of his idols live in concert. We all knew he could pull it off, and of course he did by putting together one of the most thoughtful and beautiful records of the decade. Everything about this record screams pack a bag, get in the car, press play, and just drive. From the gorgeous mandolin of “Rise” to delicate finger picked “Guaranteed” to the plugged-in “Hard Sun”-- it’s perfect! Some select songs were featured in my Hawaiian sunset beach wedding. Nuff said.
The Black Keys – Rubber Factory (2004 - Fat Possum)The first time I heard the Black Keys was actually at Bumbershoot on the Mural Amphitheater Stage. They were of course on tour in support of their new record “Rubber Factory”, a fine collection of catchy blues rock that instantly resonated. Of course, later on down the road stand out tracks like “10AM Automatic” would be used in iTunes commercials, but it was only a matter of time before the Akron, Ohio duo made it big, and they have. Their preceding records were of the same caliber musically but not necessarily in the song writing category. On this release they seemed to be firing on all cylinders and crafted a memorable and in my opinion still their best record to date.
Tool – Lateralus (2001 - Volcano)When digging in my mind trying to figure out what records still are relevant from the beginning of the decade only a few come to mind unfortunately. One of them is surely “Lateralus”, which came at a time of heightened confusion in heavy music. Nu-metal was being force fed and metal was sort of…well…soft. Then like a glowing sigh of relief news came of the next saga in the Tool discography. A long 5 year wait unveiled another heavy progressive rock album that may not have quite reached "Aenima" status but was surely a welcomed collection of untouched musicianship. Highlighted by tracks such as “Ticks and Leeches”, “The Grudge”, and “Lateralus” this record helped fill the quality heavy music void. Tool was all that mattered for months before its release courtesy of a bootlegged copy of their first show back in NYC and after its release with a string of shows that are still among my favorite to this day.
Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf (2002 - Interscope)If I were to rank my top 20 of the decade this record would definitely be number 1, after that it gets a little blurry hence no rankings. “Songs for the Deaf” is the almost perfect mix of stoney hard rock that propelled QOTSA from a critical darling to critical darling with mainstream appeal. This may be in part to the recruitment of Dave Grohl on drums, but the songs on this release have been unmatched thus far due to Josh Homme’s superb guitar work, and one the catchiest riffs of the decade contained in ”No One Knows”. After two descent records since “Songs” it has become apparent how much of an influence vocalist/bassist Nick Oliveri had on the group as a song writer as well as a performer, so this record stands as their masterpiece and will continue to be that nagging voice in the back of Josh’s head. I also love the fact that the record became such a huge hit with a mainstream audience even despite Queens’ signature odd arrangements. I bet the folks who were drawn in by “Go With the Flow” had no idea they would be hit over the head with awesome tracks like “First It Giveth” and “The Hanging Tree”.
Kinski – Down Below, Its Chaos (2007 - Sub Pop)Seattle band Kinski was all but perfect on their most recent release on Sub Pop records. The band seemed to hit stride releasing a great record of fuzzed out driving stoney rock infused with psychadelia. Kinski’s duel guitar attack led by Chris Martin allows for some dense layering and of course a massive power chord attack great for any occasion. The opening combination of “Cryout Baby” and “Passwords and Alcohol” hits the sweet spot every time, and “Dayroom at Narita Int’l.” is still one of my favorite songs of the last few years. “Down Below, It’s Chaos” is a must for your turntables, and believe me almost nothing is better than these songs played at extreme volume.
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