Table Of Contents:
- Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
- Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
- Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
- Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
- Kanye West – Graduation
- The Killers – Sawdust
- LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
- MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
- Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
- Paramore – RIOT!
- Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet
- Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris
- Radiohead – In Rainbows
- Rush – Snakes & Arrows
- St. Vincent – Marry Me
- The Stooges – The Weirdness
- Velvet Revolver – Libertad
- The White Stripes – Icky Thump
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
Animal Collective gets more vibrant and colourful than ever before.
BONEFISH
…And so begins Animal Collective’s first album on Domino records and their most psychedelic yet. As interesting and pretty as Sung Tongs and Feels were, Strawberry Jam drills itself deep into your brain immediately, with its candy-coated, funhouse production and its utterly creative songwriting.
Panda Bear had wanted to make an album that sounded the way jam looked and Avey Tare went on to design the cover artwork to match.
The aforementioned Bonefish begins with chaotic, static-like electronics, where the frequencies soon begin to be tuned-in, revealing harmonies, percussion and steel drums. Unresolved Mysteries takes the listener up into clouds of euphoria. For Reverend Green is perhaps Animal Collective’s single greatest song up until this point — it sounds as if your mind is on a carousel. The synths of #1 will hypnotize you into a daze.
One of the best neo-psychedelic albums of the decade and the band’s best album yet.
Music: 4.5/5
Artwork: 5/5
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Arcade Fire records their sophomore album inside of a church.
Following up the landmark indie rock album Funeral was no easy task, but Arcade Fire managed to release a sophomore album that was (nearly) just as good, all while avoiding retreading the same ground. With recording taking place in a church and making use of the pipe organs, Neon Bible definitely has a distinct flavour from its predecessor, but is just as rich and emotional.
In contrast to Funeral‘s uplifting opener, which evoked a sense of hope and romance, Black Mirror opens up Neon Bible with despair, with the band’s bleakest, most anxious song yet. Contrasting to that, you’ve got the title track, which is a subtle acoustic piece with the gentleness of the hum of neon lights and Intervention, which is accompanied by church organ that soars high into the heavens.
Ocean of Sound is one of the band’s most beautiful and grandiose pieces, with an absolutely cinematic climax. The Well and the Lighthouse sees a return of the post-punk elements found on Funeral. No Cars Go is a remake (and improvement) of a song from the band’s 2004 self titled EP. My Body Is a Cage is a powerful, heart-wrenching closer, with Win Butler singing from the deepest depths of his soul.
As perfect a follow-up as one could have hoped for from the influential Canadian indie rock band.
Music: 5/5
Artwork: 5/5
Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
The Monkeys quickly release a follow up to their legendary debut.
Arctic Monkeys’ debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, was released only one year prior, but Alex Turner still had plenty left to say with its quick follow-up, Favourite Worst Nightmare.
Where bands like The Strokes (one of Turner’s biggest influences) basically released a rehashed version of their debut as a second album (Room on Fire is still great though), Favourite Worst Nightmare sounds much more distinctive from its predecessor, while still retaining the punk-leanings and very english lyrics of its predecessor.
Brianstorm rages out of the gate with incredible drumming from Matt Helders. Teddy Picker sees the return of a particularly savage Alex Turner. Fluorescent Adolescent is a tale of lost youth and was used as a theme in the first series of the cult classic British comedy, The Inbetweeners. D Is for Dangerous, Balaclava, This House Is a Circus and the Wizard of Oz-referencing Old Yellow Bricks are some of the band’s heaviest songs and are bangers through and through.
The drumless Only Ones Who Know is one of the band’s most soothing songs, as gentle as a light ocean breeze. If You Were There, Beware sees the band experiment with psychedelia, especially on its trippy bridge. 505 matches the closer of the band’s debut album with a song every bit as mesmerizing as the generational anthem, A Certain Romance.
Alex Turner’s lyrics are sharp and witty as they were on their debut and his interplay with Jamie Cook is still amazing. Matt Helders’ drumming is exceptional and adventurous, and Nick O’Malley has replaced Andy Nicholson, bringing a different dynamic to the band with his bass guitar style.
One of the greatest sophomore albums of recent times, every bit as good as what came before it. The band handled the fame well and the rushed release of this album so soon after the first one was not an indication of quality, but of creativity, productivity and spontaneity.
Music: 5/5
Artwork: 4/5
Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters release their best album of the 2000s.
Despite several of the biggest rock singles of the decade, recent Foo Fighters albums have been rather average compared to the band’s superior work from the 1990s. Outside of the two big singles, One By One was mired by mostly tired songwriting and some of the dullest production (seriously, this was the same year as Queens of the Stone Age’s immaculate-sounding Songs for the Deaf, which featured Dave Grohl on drums), and In Your Honor was an endurance-testing double album that probably could have been condensed into a single album.
On Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Dave Grohl & Co. make their best-sounding album in years, though it still suffers from a weaker second half and a general lack of innovation or experimentation.
The opening track and lead single, The Pretender, is probably the band’s best song of the decade, with an intro that quickly builds and an explosive chorus. Let It Die is another great song that starts off acoustic, before climaxing into electric guitars and Dave Grohl’s trademark screaming vocals. Long Road to Ruin (the second single) is another one of the band’s best songs from the 2000s, with the type of upbeat sound that made Learn to Fly so anthemic.
The instrumental Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners was written in response to a group of miners who were trapped in the Beaconsfield mine collapse, one of which had requested an iPod with the Foo Fighters’ In Your Honor on it — the song itself is slight, but the gesture is enormous.
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is close to being a great album, but it’s just not the most exciting thing to come out in 2007, a year that has seen some truly amazing albums. Still a good record with a few of the band’s best tracks on it.
Music: 3.5/5
Artwork: 3.5/5
Trivia: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace won Best Rock Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kanye West – Graduation
Kanye West performs a victory lap with a stadium-tailored album.
Kanye West set a high standard for himself with the releases of The College Dropout and Late Registration, so Graduation had a lot to live up to as the third and final album of the “College Trilogy”.
The Elton John-sampling Good Morning starts off like an alarm clock, getting you out of bed and ready for work, school or whatever mundane, adult responsibilities are awaiting you. Champion breathes new life into Steely Dan’s 1976 hit, Kid Charlemagne. Stronger takes Daft Punk’s already stellar Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and transforms it into one of Kanye’s biggest pop hits. I Wonder is truly full of wonder.
Good Life sounds very typical of mid 2000s pop, but I’d opt for it over thousands of other songs that are far less endearing. Can’t Tell Me Nothing finds balance between introspection and braggadocio. Barry Bonds has a Lil Wayne feature that I could do without, but the killer instrumental makes tolerating him worth it. The controversial Drunk and Hot Girls samples Can’s 1972 song Sing Swan Song.
The sexy Flashing Lights features glamorous synths, sensual female vocals, and a line only Kanye would think up, negatively comparing the paparazzi to Nazis. The emotional, piano-driven Everything I Am is emotional and soulful. The Glory features Kanye’s trademark use of sped-up vocal samples. Homecoming features Coldplay frontman, Christ Martin. Big Brother sees Kanye rapping about his nuanced brotherly relationship with JAY-Z.
While I wouldn’t say that Graduation is quite as flawless or poignant as its predecessors, it’s still a masterwork of pop songwriting, features some of Kanye’s biggest hits yet and is an important crossover in pop and rap.
Music: 5/5
Artwork: 5/5
Trivia: Graduation won Best Rap Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Killers – Sawdust
The Killers compile various rarities from their first two albums.
Consisting of b-sides, alternate versions of songs and outtakes from the Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town sessions, Sawdust shows just how prolific the Las Vegas band was in their first two years.
For new songs on the compilation that were released as singles, there’s the Lou Reed-featuring opener Tranquilize (one of The Killers’ strangest songs, children singing and all) and a cover of Joy Division’s post-punk defining Shadowplay.
There’s a decent cover of Dire Straits’ Romeo and Juliet. Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll (which originally replaced Change Your Mind on the U.K. version of Hot Fuss) makes an appearance here. Songs like All the Pretty Faces and Daddy’s Eyes show a heavier side of the band only hinted at briefly on their albums, like on Jenny Was a Friend of Mine and Uncle Jonny.
Nothing on Sawdust stacks up to the best songs from the band’s proper albums, but there’s still some decent deep cuts to be found here, if you’re craving more Killers.
Music: 3.5/5
Artwork: 3/5
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem expands upon the template introduced on their debut.
A sophomore album that improves upon everything that the strong debut had laid before it, Sound of Silver is next level LCD Soundsystem.
Get Innocuous! is an opener that will likely get you off your ass and dancing, at least for a few minutes. Songs like Time to Get Away, North American Scum and Us v Them all display an influence from NYC legends, Talking Heads. All My Friends gives off vibes of songs from Bowie’s late 70s albums “Heroes” and Lodger. The title track is full of all sorts of interesting synths and percussion. The final track, New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down stands out as a piano-driven ballad and lament/ode to New York, evoking a musical influence from David Bowie’s Five Years.
One of the defining modern dance rock albums.
Music: 4.5/5
Artwork: 4/5
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
MGMT become an indie pop phenomenon.
What initially started as a couple of students from Wesleyan University goofing off and having fun, has turned into one of the most influential and beloved duos of the 2000s.
This album is front-loaded with ear worms, like Time to Pretend, Weekend Wars, The Youth, Electric Feel and Kids, with more experimental songs like 4th Dimensional Transition and Of Moons, Birds & Monsters being reserved to the second half of the record. Dave Fridmann’s production throughout the album shines.
Oracular Spectacular is a lightning-in-a-bottle psychedelic pop album that made MGMT the next big thing and has overshadowed them since.
Music: 4.5/5
Artwork: 4/5
Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
NIN makes their most political album yet.
Compared to the self-hatred, depression and nihilism of earlier NIN albums, Year Zero isn’t focused inwards, but outwards instead — a politically-charged-charged album in response to the political climate of post-911 America, foreign policy and the Bush administration.
The band continues to make its idiosyncratic industrial rock on songs like Survivalism, Capital G and Vessel, with Trent Reznor’s sobriety helping to focus on problems bigger than his own. While it’s not on the level of their seminal work from 1989-1999, it’s still an excellent project along the lines of their previous album, With Teeth.
Music: 4/5
Artwork: 3.5/5
Paramore – RIOT!
Paramore improves upon their debut with this superb sophomore album.
In the two years since Paramore’s debut album, All We Know Is Falling, the band has tightened up on their already tight musicianship, improved upon the songwriting and even started penning some fantastic song titles (the titles on their debut were fairly generic), like the opener, For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic and Misery Business.
Speaking of which, Misery Business is the best thing Paramore has written yet, with its memorable hooks and a great guitar riff to match — easily their signature song. Crushcrushcrush is another key track here, and has the clever chorus of “They taped over your mouth, scribbled out the truth with their lies”. That’s What You Get is also an earworm and a showcase of Paramore’s pop sensibilities. Fences is interesting for having a vastly different sound from the rest of the album, reminding me of The Smiths’ Rusholme Ruffians.
While I’m still not and will never be a huge fan of pop punk or emo, I can attest that this does the genre justice, and that it houses some absolutely killer tracks.
Music: 4/5
Artwork: 5/5
Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet
Porcupine Tree release their magnum opus.
The Public Enemy-referencing Fear of a Blank Planet finds Porcupine Tree at the height of their powers with their most concise and effective album yet.
A concept flows throughout Fear of a Blank Planet about kids growing up in the technological age, and the effects that constant stimulation (technology, sex, drugs) have on their developing minds.
The title track has some of Steven Wilson’s best guitar work, along with lyrics about parental resentment, XBOX and anxiety meds. My Ashes is a ballad with symphonic elements. Anesthetize is the band’s towering achievement, a nearly 18 minute, melodious epic with three distinct sections, some of the band’s heaviest riffs, and a nearly minute-long guitar solo from Rush guitarist, Alex Lifeson.
If it wasn’t enough to have one prog legend cameo, there’s also Robert Fripp of King Crimson working on soundscapes for Way Out of Here, which has the band sounding a bit like Tool, along with an impressive Wilson vocal. Sentimental has some of the band’s best-written hooks. Sleep Together sounds out of this world with Richard Barbieri’s ominous keyboards and has the band sounding dark and moody as ever.
A masterpiece and one of the best prog rock albums of all time.
Music: 5/5
Artwork: 5/5
Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris
Queens of the Stone Age embrace a raw, rusty, mechanical grittiness.
Not as accessible as the preceding albums, largely due to the filthy, rusted production, but that very reason is what makes Era Vulgaris a stand out album in the band’s discography. Just look at the cover, there’s ring wear around the record. This is like tossing away an MP3 player for a Walkman. Like swapping out a CD for a vinyl record. Like going from digital high definition, back to 1970s grindhouse cinema, with lots of film grain.
Turnin’ on the Screw reintroduces an extra mechanical QOTSA, and is all kinds of cool. Sick, Sick, Sick is one of the band’s most feral tracks and features Julian Casablancas of The Strokes on additional vocals and synth guitar. I’m Designer is tongue-in-cheek and comes off as an anti-My Generation, with brilliant lyrics such as “…like diamonds in shit”. Into the Hollow sounds like it could have been written during the Lullabies to Paralyze sessions, with its forestal psychedelia.
Misfit Love, Battery Acid and Run Pig, Run are nasty, fuzzed-out bangers. 3’s & 7’s is one of the band’s greatest singles and has an excellent grindhouse-style music video. The other most famous track here is the sensual Make It Wit Chu, which began its life on The Desert Sessions Vol. 9, preceding the album version by 4 years.
For those who still aren’t convinced that this is a great album, try adding the bonus tracks (Era Vulgaris, Running Joke and The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died) into the tracklist and it certainly elevates the album higher — those are some of the best tracks the band had written and it’s a shame they were relegated to being rarities unheard of to those outside of the fandom, but that’s also what makes these songs all the more special, I suppose.
Vastly underrated.
Music: 4.5/5
Artwork: 4.5/5
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Radiohead releases the first major “pay-what-you-want” album on the internet.
Being the first major rock band to release an album with a pay-what-you-want model, In Rainbows is not only revolutionary for its novel digital release, but is also a masterpiece on par with OK Computer and KID A.
After Thom Yorke took a break from Radiohead to focus on recording his first solo album, The Eraser, the band got back together and was as reinvigorated as ever. Ten years after redefining alternative rock music in 1997 and again in 2000, came yet another masterpiece from the critical darlings from Oxfordshire. This time though, instead of basking in the harsh coldness of tomorrow, Radiohead brings it back into the soul and crafts their warmest-sounding batch of songs yet.
Philip Selway’s drums that start off 15 Step are unbelievable, as Thom Yorke questions why he ends up where he started. Bodysnatchers is the all-out rocker of the album, but also knows when to take the foot off the gas. Originally called Big Ideas, Nude sees the realization of a song that’s been in development since the late 1990s and is one of the band’s most captivating and beautiful compositions, featuring Thom Yorke’s falsetto at its most tragic and angelic and some truly melodic bass playing from Colin Greenwood. Weird Fishes / Arpeggi features some of Jonny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien’s most challenging and prettiest guitar interplay committed to tape. All I Need is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Creep, with its lyrics of yearning and lust, infatuating over a woman from afar.
Reckoner is a good Litmus test to determine one’s humanity. House of Cards is one of the band’s loveliest and sweetest songs, with Yorke singing “I don’t want to be your friend, I just want to be your lover”. Jigsaw Falling Into Place is a tense track about searching for love at the bottom of a glass, and features an astonishing climax. Videotape ends the album with one of Radiohead’s most somber moments, in this piano-driven lament.
It’s really easy to see why In Rainbows is already considered to be one of the best albums of all time.
Music: 5/5
Artwork: 5/5
Trivia: In Rainbows won Best Alternative Music Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.
Rush – Snakes & Arrows
Rush works with producer Nick Raskulinecz on their 18th studio album.
After 2002’s Vapor Trails, a decent album which was mired by an over-compressed, brick-walled production, Rush decides to work with Nick Raskulinecz, who had previously worked with Foo Fighters; fortunately, Snakes & Arrows does sound significantly better than its predecessor.
Far Cry starts the album out on a high note, and is one of the band’s best singles of the past 20 years. Armor & Sword is accentuated by that late 70s/early 80s new wave guitar sound that Alex Lifeson made famous in the band’s heyday. Workin’ Them Angels is another great song that could have been a single. For those who aren’t fond of Geddy Lee’s vocals, you can always count on a great Rush instrumental, and there are three here: The Main Monkey Business, Hope and Malignant Narcissism.
Snakes & Arrows finds Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart still displaying expert musical precision on their respective instruments, and sure, Geddy Lee’s voice has aged a bit, but for being released a third of a century after their debut, this is a fantastic album with lots to offer from the veteran prog rockers.
Music: 3.5/5
Artwork: 4/5
St. Vincent – Marry Me
Annie Clark releases her first album as St. Vincent.
Named after a running-joke from an American sitcom, Arrested Development, Marry Me is Annie Clark’s introduction to the world as solo artist, St. Vincent.
Opener Now, Now is a whimsical opener, and despite how twee it can be, it offers enough rich and vibrant production to keep itself palatable. Jesus Saves, I Spend is similarly tacky, with it’s “bum bum bum bum” singing and some pitch-shifted backing vocals that sound like a baby cooing, but the title alone is hilarious enough to warrant a pardon.
Your Lips Are Red is one of the most exciting tracks here, with Talking Heads-like weirdness and showcases Clark’s impressive guitar skills. Paris Is Burning is another of the most attention-grabbing tracks here, with a lot of interesting and kinetic ideas on display; sounding like some mad version of a ballet song. Unfortunately, the rest of the songs weren’t quite as gripping for me.
While there is still room for improvement, Marry Me shows glimmers of the unique talent that Annie Clark possesses.
Music: 3.5/5
Artwork: 3/5
The Stooges – The Weirdness
The legendary Detroit punk rockers return for the first time in over 30 years.
With 1973’s proto-punk classic Raw Power being the last studio album that was credited to The Stooges (though it was as Iggy & The Stooges), The Weirdness was one of the most anticipated albums of the decade, though I’m sure most fans were cautiously optimistic, considering Iggy Pop hasn’t dropped a great record since his pair of Bowie produced albums in 1977 (The Idiot and Lust for Life).
The lineup for The Weirdness includes original members Iggy Pop, Ron Asheton and Scott Asheton, as well as a guest appearance from Steve Mackay (the saxophone player from 1970’s Funhouse), Minutemen’s Mike Watt on bass and Steve Albini producing (Surfer Rosa, In Utero). What could possibly go wrong with all of these key ingredients?
Well, The Weirdness is indeed a weird album. Many people will be quick to point at how sophomoric this album can be throughout its runtime, with Iggy Pop’s immature and silly lyrics, as well as his generally half-assed vocal performances, and the band sounding like they are just some bang-average garage rock band, but then again, this is The Stooges, a band that was never known for their musical prowess, but for how real, gritty and wild they sounded.
As previously mentioned, the subject matter is quite bizarre here, whether Iggy Pop is singing about going to the ATM to withdraw cash on ATM, or that his idea of fun is killing everyone on My Idea of Fun, or that his girl has ran off with a Mexican guy on Mexican Guy… The thing is, some of these lyrics are absolutely hilarious, and it feels like Iggy Pop has regressed to 1970 and is 22 again, but I’m all for it. The Weirdness might lack the danger and urgency of their seminal early work, but it still sounds like these guys are having fun being together again, and perhaps that’s transported them to a more youthful state of mind, despite them being in their 60s.
As for the music, most songs follow a similar pattern of punk-ish power chords, but the title track slows things down a bit and Passing Cloud has Steve Mackay’s saxophone. Despite how same-y most of the album is, it’s still a lot of big dumb fun.
The Weirdness is not a great album and it has many glaring flaws, but I will admit that I enjoyed this far more than the average listener, but I am also a defender of Metallica’s St. Anger, so I suppose I’m more forgiving and can sometimes enjoy ugly, flawed things more than others might be able to.
Music: 3.25/5
Artwork: 3.5/5
Velvet Revolver – Libertad
The hard rock supergroup releases their second and final album.
After a fairly successful first album that fused together elements of Guns N’ Roses and Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver had potential to become one of the biggest supergroups around, but would the band be able to maintain the momentum of their strong debut? Would Scott Weiland’s unpredictable behaviour and substance abuse compromise the band the way he did with Stone Temple Pilots?
Where their debut had two giant singles in Fall to Pieces and Slither, the only first-rate song here is She Builds Quick Machines, with nothing else coming remotely close. Elsewhere, there’s a misguided cover of Electric Light Orchestra’s Can’t Get It Out of My Head and a whole lotta uninteresting filler.
Libertad feels like a step backwards from the quality of its predecessor and it’s not too surprising that the band broke up shortly after its release. There’s a couple of good songs here, but otherwise it’s just mostly boring.
Music: 3/5
Artwork: 3.5/5
The White Stripes – Icky Thump
The White Stripes release their final album.
It’s crazy to think that one of the most influential rock bands of the 21st century was only around for a decade before disbanding. Where a lot of band’s final albums find themselves at the verge of disintegration (see Pavement’s underrated, but unraveling Terror Twilight or Cream’s extremely disappointing and lazy Goodbye), Icky Thump has the Stripes feeling as united as ever.
The pro-immigration title track might just be an even better signature song than Seven Nation Army, which is saying a lot. Little Cream Soda is one of the band’s heaviest moments and my personal favourite of the “Little” songs that appear on every White Stripes album. Conquest is a cover of a 1952 song and one of the album’s most exotic tracks. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn and St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air) find the duo adding bagpipes into the mix. I’m Slowly Turning Into You may not be one of the band’s most famous songs, but it’s still a gem that deserves more attention.
One of the greatest last albums from a band and is in no way a sign that The White Stripes needed to call it quits but by doing so, Jack and Meg White helped to preserve the band and avoided the pitfalls that many groups find, where they drag things out with diminishing returns. A fitting end for one of the greatest rock groups of the 21st century.
Music: 4.5/5
Artwork: 3.5/5
Trivia: Icky Thump won Best Alternative Music Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.
FIN
Brett Nippard
