At The Barbecue: Best Of The ’00s, Part 1

Combining simplicity and sonic marvel, Wilco transcends so many genres you lose track after the first three songs. With the feel (and sometimes signal calls) of a late-night radio show, the mood ranges from the slow warble of I am Trying to Break Your Heart to the unbelievably catchy Heavy Metal Drummer. The ironic thing is that now, nine years later, an entirely different lineup with a totally different approach is still kicking ass and playing these YHF songs every night.

Jon McLennand: Gorillaz – Demon Days

In 2000, Kid A captured the paranoia revolving around the teetering manner in which our global society was lurching forward into the new millennium – new technologies in our hands, new ways to abuse it, and new (old) ways to lose yourself (completely). Ultimately though, it is Gorillaz’ 2005 masterpiece Demon Days that epitomizes the pastiche of sonic stylings that defined the decade, while conveying the damaged, yet still hopeful in the face of daunting realities, psyches held by us all in the post-9-11/Iraq invasion era.

The mantra of the album’s intro, “who put me down at the fresh end of the food chain?” sets a foreboding tone. Then there’s the despair of Kids with Guns, of brainwashed children in the middle east on their paths to becoming terrorists. In Dirty Harry, the mindset of a soldier in Iraq under constant stress who didn’t sign up for this scenario of occupying an unwilling country filled with hidden dangers, when all (s)he wants to do is dance.  And that is what you will do with this album…you will dance. That is one of the most important messages you can take away, acknowledge the fucked up world around you, but look inside yourself and find the beauty and your strength, then get all your pent-up energy out on the dance floor.

Oh yes, the music.  The production is impeccable, with each song taking a life of its own. The lineup of guests, that augment without ever dominating a track, is damn near unprecedented (Dennis Hopper, MF Doom, Ike Turner).

The lessons Damon Albarn learned from the first Gorillaz album, which he then applied to Blur’s stellar, but overlooked, Think Tank, become fully actualized with Danger Mouse at the helms behind the production.

The climactic closing suite begins with Fire Coming Out of a Monkey’s Head, the spoken word piece performed by Dennis Hopper, a tale of innocence betrayed by greedy outsiders [closing with a not-so-subtle jab at the ignorance of small-town U.S.A. and their encouragement of the Iraq War without understanding the consequences], which dissolves into Don’t Get Lost In Heaven/Demon Days. The choir is angelic, with a swelling string section building up the tension until it drops into a slow-reggae groove to take us all home (where the heart is), concluding with these words of wisdom…

Well these demon days are so cold inside
It’s so hard for a good soul to survive
[…]
When lies become reality
You numb yourself on drugs and TV
Pick yourself up it’s a brand new day
So turn yourself round
Don’t burn yourself, turn yourself
Turn yourself around to the sun to the sun to the sun…….

Don de Leaumont: Drive-By Truckers – Brighter Than Creation’s Dark

Trying to narrow down a favorite album of this past decade is much like trying to pick a favorite child but even when you have multiple children and love them all unconditionally, one always stands out a bit more than the others.  I had a friend ask me what my favorite album was and I knew that the first one I named would be it.  That album was Brighter Than Creation’s Dark by Drive-By Truckers.  I couldn’t think of any other album that came out this past decade that grabbed me like this album did and hearing it was like going home. Going to a place where emotions run deep in the good, the bad and all that lies between.

This album covers all the bases.  You get balls out weekend rock songs like 3 Dimes Down and Self Destructive Zones. You get the mellow and gorgeous I’m Sorry Houston and Purgatory Line and you get the gut wrenching story telling of Checkout Time In Vegas.  Throw in some political/social commentary with The Man I Shot and You and Your Crystal Meth and you’ve still got room to move.  This album is a true rock and roll classic and as corny as it sounds has a little something for everyone. Versatility, strong songwriting, strong delivery and great production make this not just my favorite of the past 10 years but one of my favorites of all time.  This album is an instant classic without a doubt.

Dan Alford: Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band – Season of Changes

It’s impossible to talk about Brian Blade without talking about the vast territory he’s covered, playing with jazz grandmaster Wayne Shorter for just shy of a decade and a host of other luminaries, from Joshua Redman to Bill Frisell to Wolfgang Muthspiel (Hey, Europe has its own jazz scene too); but he’s also had a longstanding relationship with producer extraordinaire Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, as well as played on Bob Dylan’s seminal Time Out of Mind. As a drummer he is subtle, bombastic, shocking and soothing, each in turn, and as an artist he’s tied to something deep at the heart of Americana.

Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band’s 2008 release Season of Changes is a stunning document expressing just that connection. The songs, like the opening quietly muscular Rubylou’s Lullaby or the slow, moody waltz Stoner Hill, or even the 12 minute title track, are tightly composed, but played with the calm comfort and confidence of mastery. The band includes pianist John Cowherd, bassist Chris Thomas, saxophonists Melvin Butler and Myron Walden and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, all working in some semblance of perfect balance – everyone focused on creating single but richly textured and potent tone (although Rosenwinkel’s exploding fireworks guitar on Most Precious One > Most Precious One (Prodigy) is especially sweet). Season of Changes is like your favorite Dylan album, full of stories and characters, tragedy and joy, only without the words. Although the album was well heralded at its release as a pillar of next generation jazz, 10 years from now its true timelessness will be a piece of common knowledge among music aficionados; required listening and a benchmark moment in jazz and American music both.

Matt Andrews: moe. – Wormwood

Never too far from my CD changer since its release, moe.’s 2003 epic Wormwood, represents the best of what moe. is as a band. The majority of the tracks were recorded live on their 2002 summer tour and then taken into the studio for generous helpings of tweaking and sweetening. Clocking in at roughly 60 minutes, the album typifies a strong live set with studio sheen and captures the essence of a live show. The album answers the age old question ‘can a jamband record a good studio album?’, with an emphatic yes! The twin dueling guitar work of Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier is prominently featured throughout, cartwheeling and jabbing; bobbing and weaving. Rob Derhak’s steady, penetrating and throbbing bass lines coupled with Vinnie Amico’s and Jim Loughlin’s tasteful percussive accents and vibe work make this mother groove along.

The songs on the album flow with liquid ease and segue into one another making this cohesive effort a shape shifting and gliding masterpiece. The album offers a lot of fun in the form of Okayalright and Kids, the former would have definitely been a stoner’s anthem in the ’70s and the latter displaying a Fire On The Mountain hook. The title track languidly oozes out of the album’s opener, Not Coming Down which features some excellent vocal harmony work. The reggae tinged Crab Eyes is moe. at their most inspired, as is Bullett. Both are on the money and feature explosive tension and release structure. The centerpiece on the album is Kyle’s Song which displays dueling guitar pyrotechnics with its multi-textured structure, offering layers of sounds and studio effects. It could be said that there is almost too much to digest in one listen, but that’s where the greatest payoff lies, the complete piece. But watch out, this thing has teeth and balls.

Carla Danca: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – Nothing But the Water

When I began to think about my favorite album of the decade I found myself with two major issues. First, was favorite album for what? It’s obvious that different styles of music suit different occasions – from Sunday mornings recovering on the couch to all out sweat fests at the gym there are a lot of reasons to listen to music.

So I tried to think of my favorite multi-purpose album, something that would keep me company on a long drive through holiday weekend traffic or would be perfect to greet guests showing up at a party and that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to listen to in front of my mom. My second issue was figuring out what albums actually came out between January 2000 and December 2009 – there have been a few too many years in between there for me to do this with out a little help from Wiki.

Now, I don’t know if I did this right, but before I picked the album I actually decided that I wanted to go with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. GPN changed a lot of my attitudes about music this decade. Blending jam and indie – different styles that at times have seemed at odds with each other – as well as reminding me that just ’cause you have a pretty face it doesn’t mean you can’t play. The ’90s and 2000s saw lots of female pop artists but Grace Potter brought back the female rock artist.

It was hard for me to choose between 2005’s Nothing but the Water and 2007’s This is Somewhere but in the end I think my final decision is Nothing but the Water since those songs will always remind me of a special someone that I met at the 2007 Green Apple Fest in New York City. Perhaps I put too much into the emotional connection I have to this album, but technical merit has never really been all that important to me. All I know is that I am happy that her next release Medicine isn’t coming out till fall cause then I might have an even harder decision to make.

So what’s your favorite album from the last ten years? Leave your thoughts in the comment section, and make sure to check back next Friday as the rest of the HT Gang reveal their choice.