Music is my radar completes today the flashback to the zeros, which begun last February. After the list of my favorite 100 singles of the last 10 years, see the relevant list here, the time has come for my favorite 100 albums of the 00's. The album I enjoyed the most in the decade that ends in 24 days, is last year's Third by Portishead, with which the band returned 11 years after their homonym album in 1997. The truth is that although their previous two releases were also masterpieces, I did not expect such an amazing album that does not really deviate from the sound of the band from Bristol we are used to. They received contradicting critics for Third but the truth is that a masterpiece is always controversial…
Franz Ferdinand are the rock band of the decade, especially for Britain. There was great interest about them by British press since the release of their first single, Darts of pleasure in 2003, until now. Within the last six years, besides their dynamic homonym debut in 2004, they gave us two more, very good releases and we hope for that path to continue.
In 2001 Mercury Rev released All is dream which I consider the best album of their long career and which kept me good company with its dreamy melodies, such as Little rhymes, The dark is rising, Nite and fog, A drop in time etc.
Blur released Think Tank in 2003,
their seventh and last studio album so far, following the way of their musical growing demonstrated in their discography. Radiohead with Kid A and Amnesiac in 2000 and 2001 respectively, escaped the sound that characterized them in the 90’s. They added synths and modified vocals to their recordings, they released two exceptional albums which sounded different, but were almost equivalent to Ok Computer that marked the 90’s.
White blood cells is the third album by White Stripes since 2001, with which Jack and Meg White became famous to a wider audience. Especially Jack White comprised one of the most significant artists of the zeros. The White Stripes evolution within the next years was very bright, as they revived the plain rock sound, based on guitar and drums.
The Canadians Arcade Fire are perhaps the most influential band of the zeros that set off within the decade. Their first appearence took place with the album Funeral in 2004 and three years later they released their even better second album, The neon bible. Their imposing compositions, framed by stringed and wind instruments, as well as drums, along with the passionate performance by Win Butler are hard to ignore.
Strokes came across a great hype in 2001 and their album Is this it hit the highest place in the lists of the best that year, for most of the musical press. Still, their evolution was rather declining. The list of my favorite 100 albums of the zeros follows:
1. PORTISHEAD – Third
2. FRANZ FERDINAND – Franz Ferdinand
3. MERCURY REV – All is dream
4. BLUR - Think tank
5. RADIOHEAD - Kid A
6. RADIOHEAD – Amnesiac
7. WHITE STRIPES – White blood cells
8. ARCADE FIRE – The neon bible
9. STROKES – Is this it
10. ARCADE FIRE – Funeral
11. PRIMAL SCREAM – Xtrmntr
12. BADLY DRAWN BOY – The hour of bewilderbeast
13. PJ HARVEY – Stories from the city, stories from the sea
14. GORILLAZ – Gorillaz
15. WHITE STRIPES - Elephant
16. TV ON THE RADIO – Dear science
17. NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS – Dig!!! Lazarus dig!!!
18. ARCTIC MONKEYS – Humbug
19. RAINING PLEASURE – Flood
20. MORRISSEY – Ringleader of the tormentors
21. GNARLS BARKLEY – St. elsewhere
22. ΥΕΑΗ ΥΕΑΗ ΥΕΑHS - Fever to tell
23. GORILAZ – Demon days
24. OF MONTREAL – Hissing fauna, are you the destroyer
25. FRANZ FERDINAND – You could have it so much better… with
26. NICK CAVE – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
27. QUEENS OF THE STONAGE – Rated R
28. DJ SHADOW – The private press
29. CALEXICO - Feast of wire
30. YEAH YEAH YEAHS – Show your bones 30
31. RAINING PLEASURE - Forwards and backwards
32. UNKLE - Never never land
33. RY COODER – Chavez Ravine
34. DEATH IN VEGAS – Scorpio rising
35. OASIS – Dig out your soul
36. TV ON THE RADIO – Return to cookie mountain
37. UNKLE – War stories
38. PETER BJORN AND JOHN – Writer’s block
39. BADLY DRAWN BOY – Have you fed the fish
40. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – Lcd soundsystem
41. DAVID HOLMES – Bow down the exit sign
42. BAJOFONDO TANGO CLUB – Mar dulce
43. FLAMING LIPS – Yoshimi battles the pink robots
44. AMY WINEHOUSE – Back to black
45. RAINING PLEASURE – Who’s gonna tell Juliet
46. R.E.M – Accelerate
47. FRANZ FERDINAND – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
48. BLOC PARTY – Silent alarm
49. PAUL WELLER – 22 dreams
50. MORRISSEY – You are the quarry
51. LAST SHADOW PUPPETS – The age of understatement
52. MONIKA – Avatar
53. CLOSER – Suddenly comes
54. DOVES – The last broadcast
55. COLDPLAY – A rush of blood to the head
56. HIDDEN CAMERAS - The smell of our own
57. SCISSOR SISTERS - Filthy & Gorgeous
58. KAISER CHIEFS – Employment
59. JARVIS – Jarvis
60. MGMT – Oracular spectacular
61. TRICKY – Blowback
62. AVALANCHES – Since I left you
63. ORBITAL – The altogether
64. PRIMAL SCREAM - Evil heat
65. THE CORAL – The Coral
66. INTERPOL – Turn on the bright lights
67. SUEDE – A new morning
68. JACK PENATE – Everything is new
69. LES SAVY FAV – Lets stay friends
70. RADIOHEAD - Hail to the thief
71. KILLERS – Hot fuss
72. HOWLING BELLS – Howling bells
73. RED HOT CHILLY PEPPERS – Stadium Arcadium 2. FRANZ FERDINAND – Franz Ferdinand
3. MERCURY REV – All is dream
4. BLUR - Think tank
5. RADIOHEAD - Kid A
6. RADIOHEAD – Amnesiac
7. WHITE STRIPES – White blood cells
8. ARCADE FIRE – The neon bible
9. STROKES – Is this it
10. ARCADE FIRE – Funeral
11. PRIMAL SCREAM – Xtrmntr
12. BADLY DRAWN BOY – The hour of bewilderbeast
13. PJ HARVEY – Stories from the city, stories from the sea14. GORILLAZ – Gorillaz
15. WHITE STRIPES - Elephant
16. TV ON THE RADIO – Dear science
17. NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS – Dig!!! Lazarus dig!!!
18. ARCTIC MONKEYS – Humbug
19. RAINING PLEASURE – Flood
20. MORRISSEY – Ringleader of the tormentors
21. GNARLS BARKLEY – St. elsewhere
22. ΥΕΑΗ ΥΕΑΗ ΥΕΑHS - Fever to tell
23. GORILAZ – Demon days
24. OF MONTREAL – Hissing fauna, are you the destroyer
25. FRANZ FERDINAND – You could have it so much better… with
26. NICK CAVE – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
27. QUEENS OF THE STONAGE – Rated R
28. DJ SHADOW – The private press
29. CALEXICO - Feast of wire
30. YEAH YEAH YEAHS – Show your bones 30
31. RAINING PLEASURE - Forwards and backwards
32. UNKLE - Never never land
33. RY COODER – Chavez Ravine
34. DEATH IN VEGAS – Scorpio rising
35. OASIS – Dig out your soul
36. TV ON THE RADIO – Return to cookie mountain
37. UNKLE – War stories
38. PETER BJORN AND JOHN – Writer’s block
39. BADLY DRAWN BOY – Have you fed the fish
40. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – Lcd soundsystem
41. DAVID HOLMES – Bow down the exit sign
42. BAJOFONDO TANGO CLUB – Mar dulce
43. FLAMING LIPS – Yoshimi battles the pink robots
44. AMY WINEHOUSE – Back to black
45. RAINING PLEASURE – Who’s gonna tell Juliet
46. R.E.M – Accelerate
47. FRANZ FERDINAND – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
48. BLOC PARTY – Silent alarm
49. PAUL WELLER – 22 dreams
50. MORRISSEY – You are the quarry
51. LAST SHADOW PUPPETS – The age of understatement
52. MONIKA – Avatar
53. CLOSER – Suddenly comes
54. DOVES – The last broadcast
55. COLDPLAY – A rush of blood to the head
56. HIDDEN CAMERAS - The smell of our own
57. SCISSOR SISTERS - Filthy & Gorgeous
58. KAISER CHIEFS – Employment
59. JARVIS – Jarvis
60. MGMT – Oracular spectacular
61. TRICKY – Blowback
62. AVALANCHES – Since I left you
63. ORBITAL – The altogether
64. PRIMAL SCREAM - Evil heat
65. THE CORAL – The Coral
66. INTERPOL – Turn on the bright lights
67. SUEDE – A new morning
68. JACK PENATE – Everything is new
69. LES SAVY FAV – Lets stay friends
70. RADIOHEAD - Hail to the thief
71. KILLERS – Hot fuss
72. HOWLING BELLS – Howling bells
74. RILO KILEY – Under the blacklight
75. MUSE – Black holes and revelations
76. PULP – We love life
77. COLDPLAY - Parachutes
78. DOVES – Lost souls
79. RACONTEURS – Consolers of the lonely
80. VAMPIRE WEEKEND – Vampire weekend
81. JANE BIRKIN – Rendez-vouz
82. RADIO 4 – Stealing of a nation
83. RAZORLIGHT – Up all night
84. MORRISSEY – Years of refusal
85. COLD WAR KIDS – Robbers and cowards
86. POLYPHONIC SPREE – The fragile army
87. MYLO – Destroy rock’ n ‘roll
88. MORCHEEBA – The anditote
89. RACONTEURS – Broken boy soldiers
90. BEIRUT – Gulag orkestar 75. MUSE – Black holes and revelations
76. PULP – We love life
77. COLDPLAY - Parachutes
78. DOVES – Lost souls
79. RACONTEURS – Consolers of the lonely
80. VAMPIRE WEEKEND – Vampire weekend
81. JANE BIRKIN – Rendez-vouz
82. RADIO 4 – Stealing of a nation
83. RAZORLIGHT – Up all night
84. MORRISSEY – Years of refusal
85. COLD WAR KIDS – Robbers and cowards
86. POLYPHONIC SPREE – The fragile army
87. MYLO – Destroy rock’ n ‘roll
88. MORCHEEBA – The anditote
89. RACONTEURS – Broken boy soldiers
91. R.E.M. – Around the sun
92. HIDDEN CAMERAS – Mississauga goddam
93. RADIOHEAD – In rainbows
94. KLAXONS – Myths of the near future
95. VIEW – Hats off to the buskers
96. FEIST – Reminder
97. BAT FOR LASHES – Fur and gold
98. STARSAILOR – Love is here
99. (…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE) TRAIL OF DEAD – Source tags and codes
100. MASSIVE ATTACK - 100th window
92. HIDDEN CAMERAS – Mississauga goddam
93. RADIOHEAD – In rainbows
94. KLAXONS – Myths of the near future
95. VIEW – Hats off to the buskers
96. FEIST – Reminder
97. BAT FOR LASHES – Fur and gold
98. STARSAILOR – Love is here
99. (…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE) TRAIL OF DEAD – Source tags and codes
100. MASSIVE ATTACK - 100th window
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