-One freak’s commentary on one song (or decade) each week-
What follows is part 3 of my 3 part series on the albums that defined the last ten years. In case you’re just tuning in:
The Formative Years (2000-2003)
The Formative Years (2004-2006)
Today, I wrap up a decade of oddness. Starting with y2k and 9/11 and hurtling towards the election of our country’s first black president, nothing about the ’00s has been normal. As a matter of fact, this decade has been pretty damn confusing–music included. “Support the troops” magnetic ribbons or throw a loafer at the president? A Chevy Suburban with 24’s or a Toyota Prius with stock hubcaps? Justin Timberlake in N’Sync or solo? Electro-bangers or freak-folk? And why the fuck is The Simpsons still on the air? If only Socrates was alive today…
Luckily, I just write about music. That reminds me: Be sure to check in next week for a downloading smorgasbord of standout tracks from the standout year of 2009!
Allite, let’s get to it. This is ’07-’08:
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Chromeo – Fancy Footwork (2007)
Chromeo is an odd blend of human beings. Dave Macklovitch is tall, Jewish, a Ph.D. candidate for French Comparative Literature at Columbia, and the older brother to famous electro-hiphop DJ, A-Trak. Patrick Gemayel is a short, portly, Lebanese, certified public accountant. Both are Canadian and both channel 80’s dance-pop-funk like a mofo.
I’m a sucker for Hall & Oates, so Chromeo (who often draws the description of a modernized version of the crooning duo) was pretty much a lock for me. Like Spank Rock’s YoYoYoYoYo, Fancy Footwork was another one of those, “Yes! Finally! Why hadn’t anyone thought of this yet?” moments for me. The music is fun, hook-heavy, and danceable. It doesn’t take itself incredibly seriously and feels like a couple of guys who just love old 80’s records.Maybe inane, but always entertaining.
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Panda Bear – Person Pitch (2007)
There’s not a lot to say about Person Pitch that hasn’t already been said. It’s my favorite album from this segment of time, and perhaps even my favorite of the decade. In completeness, it outshines each of Animal Collective’s albums. On the album, Panda Bear finds his sound, and in tandem, it’s the defining sound of this mixed-up decade—one that focused on patience, and to appropriate from Eliot, lived with a whimper rather than a bang. Music of the 00’s was all about delivering a build-up that didn’t explode, but rather flourished, seeped, and spread, and no one did this better than Panda Bear. He defined a decade of nabbing from archival pop music and adding lift—more beat, more fuzz, more loftiness in lieu of finality.
Person Pitch offers something new with nearly every listen, and rewards those who’ve invested in a good pair of headphones. It’s not hard to build an argument against the authentic credibility (that is, separating it from the “buzz”) of a lot of “indie” music from the 2000’s, but this is an album that earns every accolade it receives.
Panda Bear – Comfy in Nautica*
Panda Bear – Bros*
Panda Bear – Take Pills*
*All files too big. Download the torrent, son.
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Dirty Projectors – Rise Above (2007)
While not as heavily lauded as 2009’s Bitte Orca, Rise Above remains the Dirty Projectors’ best work to date. A reinterpretation of Black Flag’s 1981 seminal album, Damaged, the Dirty Projectors take raw, youthful, punk frustration and turn it into virtuosic social scrutiny. Highlighting the band’s complex tempo-shifts, Dave Longstreth’s manic guitar picking, and the spiriting duality of his and Amber Coffman’s voices, Rise Above is instantly different, eventually haunting, and ultimately genius.
Dirty Projectors – Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
Dirty Projectors – Spray Paint the Walls
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Justice – Cross (2007)
While Person Pitch defined the dreamy, patient side of the ’00s, Justice’s Cross delivered on the other end of the spectrum—the “banger.” The latter half of this decade saw a return of dancing to the oft-head-nodding indie-rock crowd. Justice brought the grimy, punk-ish, electro riffs that would help define this revitalized era of jaunty dancing.
Two Frenchies graduated from the Daft Punk school of rock, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay created an album that became the “here we are” moment of the indie-electro scene. Cross (their first full-length release) is laced with crunching guitars, fades and filters, pounding bass, and ominous synthesizers. Its incredible attention to detail, fantastic production quality, and diversity made it a cut above similar acts who were trying to become the defining face of electro (i.e. Simian Mobile Disco, MSTRKRFT, Digitalism). In 2007 these chain-smoking, bible-reading Frenchmen redefined cool, brought back leather jackets, and molded the sound of the “banger.” There hasn’t been an indie-electro album as complete since.
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M.I.A. – Kala (2007)
Galang was fresh, catchy, and promising. M.I.A.’s sophomore release was a deal-maker. Rife with big beats, world vibrations, and political musings, Kala cemented M.I.A.’s place in the cultural landscape–proving her to be more than just a hip-hop novelty.
Co-writing compilations with Diplo, Switch, and Timbaland certainly helped this record build off the elements present on Galang, but what really set it apart was its globe-trotting spirit. M.I.A. not only thought globally, but she lived it as well–recording her album in different studios across several nations.
It will always remain most famous for “Paper Planes” which was given a serious boost by an inclusion in 2008’s Pineapple Express soundtrack, but a closer listening reveals a lot more than gun shots and Clash samples. M.I.A.’s real motive is to blend the international musical landscape–an effort that helped her produce one of the best albums of the new millennium.
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Other Notables:
Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings (2007)
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam (2007)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
!!! – Myth Takes (2007)
UGK – Underground Kingz (2007)
Hot Chip – Made in the Dark (2008)
Crystal Castles –Crystal Castles (2008)
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours (2008)
The Cool Kids – The Bake Sale (2008)
