Table of Contents:
Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
A band of lads from Sheffield become overnight legends through word of mouth on the internet.
If The Strokes’ Is This It was the defining American rock album of the 2000s, then Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was the U.K.’s equivalent.
Becoming overnight sensations from word of mouth buzz and the online sharing of their now famous Beneath the Boardwalk demo, Arctic Monkeys were the next big thing and one of the first major bands to become famous from the internet.
Inspired by the garage rock and mythos of The Strokes, WPSIATWIN chronicles the lives and experiences of young British men (in lieu of American), and the experiences encountered in their city and its nightlife.
The album begins with the all-out assault of The View From the Afternoon, which displays Matt Helders’ abilities on the drums, the northern English vocals and mannerisms of Alex Turner and has some call and response-type guitar interplay between Turner and other guitarist Jamie Cook. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor was an unlikely mega hit, considering how heavy and punkish it is, but the early to mid 2000s was the perfect time for guitar rock revivalism, following years of post-grunge and boy bands; music listeners were hungry for raw, aggressive rock music, the exact type that the Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age and now Arctic Monkeys were bringing to the table.
Fake Tales of San Francisco expels the scorn of Turner, with his glare directed at chronic liars who will tell any fib to feign being the most interesting guy in the room. Dancing Shoes details Turner’s frustrations with club girls. You Probably Couldn’t See for the Lights But You Were Staring Straight at Me wins the award for longest song title. Still Take You Home has an ever-so cynical Alex, who acknowledges how vain and conceited most girls are at the club, and despite the fact that he finds them repulsive on the inside, he still can’t take his eyes away from them and wants to take them home with him.
Riot Van is a change of pace from the rest of the album, slowing things down into more subdued territory and tells the tale of troublesome teenagers on the run from the police for underage drinking and mischief. Red Light Indicates the Doors Are Secure, is driven by a groovy bassline from Andy Nicholson and recounts yet another tale from the nightclub, this time when some other guy comes along to steal the girl you’ve been trying to flirt with all night.
Mardy Bum is named after an English slang term for a moody person, who, no matter what you try, won’t allow themselves to smile — in the context of this song, its about a lover, who despite everything the narrator does, only focuses on the negatives of the relationship, being quick to argue, but never quick to love. Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But… sees a savage Turner calling out fake fans, who act like they are there to support you, but are (not so) secretly hoping you’ll fail.
When the Sun Goes Down is a story about an unsavoury character, a pimp, whose willing to put the lives and health of his girls at stake for his bottom dollar. From the Ritz to the Rubble brings things back to the nightclub, and has Alex Turner turning his loathing towards bouncers who will do refuse entry, not for any particular reason, but for the power trip it brings them. A Certain Romance ends the album, with a song that summarizes the experience of being a young lad in Sheffield (or the country in general), without necessarily romanticizing it, nor condemning it, but just painting a picture as an observer — it’s the perfect ending to a perfect album.
WPSIATWIN went on to become the fastest selling debut album in British history and with good reason. All thirteen tracks are absolutely amazing works of art and expression from young lads who were just barely out of school. Frontman Alex Turner was wise beyond his years, and one of the greatest lyricists of his generation.
One of the greatest debuts, not just in modern history, but of all time.
10/10
Arctic Monkeys – Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?
Arctic Monkeys capitalize on the hype and success of their debut LP, with a cheeky-named EP.
Coming only three months after Arctic Monkey’s landmark debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? extended play brings four more killer tracks into the band’s fast-growing canon.
The EP starts with The View From the Afternoon, which is a bizarre choice, considering that was the opener of their debut LP; I understand that this song was supposed to be the album’s third single (following I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and When the Sun Goes Down), but in the context of this EP, it was a strange choice.
Cigarette Smoker Fiona is a heavier track that was on the band’s legendary Beneath the Boardwalk demo, but didn’t make it onto their debut. Despair in the Departure Lounge is a tender ballad with nothing but Alex Turner’s voice and guitar, and yet it still captivates. No Buses is a lighter track in the vein of Mardy Bum or Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts.
The title track provides a similar guitar sound to Fake Tales of San Francisco and has Alex Turner standing by his and the band’s musical integrity (“But we’ll stick to the guns, don’t care if it’s marketing suicide, we won’t crack or compromise, your derisory divides, will never unhinge us”) and taking the piss out of the hype surrounding the band (as evident by the EP/song title).
A welcome addition to one of the greatest albums of the 21st century.
8/10
Audioslave – Revelations
Audioslave releases their third and final album.
Arriving only one year after Audioslave’s second album, Out of Exile, Revelations sees the ex-Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine supergroup continuing to make their radio-friendly rock.
The title track is one of the band’s best singles, with a fairly funky riff and a classic Chris Cornell chorus. Original Fire is the sound of the band having lots of fun, though it’s definitely the band’s weakest single. Shape of Things should appease fans of the band’s heavier side.
Revelations offers more of the band’s healthy blend of riffs from Tom Morello, a reliable rhythm section from Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford, and the vocal melodics of Chris Cornell, though there are fewer memorable songs here than on its predecessors. While Audioslave is far less exciting than either of the member’s previous bands, it’s still some of the better rock music you’ll find on rock radio in the 2000s, but just don’t expect anything surprising on this record.
7/10
Beach House – Beach House
The birth of a dream pop duo.
Consisting of vocalist/keyboardist Victoria LeGrand and guitarist Alex Scally, and recorded on a 4-track recorder in Scally’s basement, Beach House’s self-titled debut is a modest, lo-fi affair with dream pop, indie and shoegaze stylings.
Beach House is a dreamy debut, with Master of None being a highlight, though the entire album is pleasant. The album can be rather slow and lethargic, if not a bit boring at times, and is held back by some dull production, but for a low-budget affair, it serves its purpose of introducing the duo and their sound to the world.
7/10
Beck – The Information
Beck works with Nigel Godrich for the third time
After previously working with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich on 1998’s Mutations and 2002’s Sea Change (two of Beck’s best albums), Beck reunites with the acclaimed producer once more for some hip-hop and electronic adjacent alternative rock.
Elevator Music is a fun opener that showcases the production that will inhabit the rest of the album. The three singles, Think I’m Love, Cellphone’s Dead, and Nausea, are all strong, but none of them are quite as memorable as a recent single like E-Pro was. Strange Apparition is a bit of an outlier, as it sounds as if it could have been inspired by The White Stripes’ most recent album, Get Behind Me Satan (after all, Jack White did appear on Guero). Dark Star and Motorcade are both groovers. 1000bpm is one of the weirder and more experimental tracks here. Movie Theme is a song with celestial synthesizers all over. The title track is another highlight.
The Information sounds great, thanks to Nigel Godrich’s sublime production, which definitely helps to elevate the songs, though the album could do with some editing to make the tracklist more concise, as it runs quite long at 15 songs. The Information may not be as good as the last two Nigel Godrich-produced albums were, but it’s still an excellent record all the same.
7.5/10
Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury
Clipse strikes back!
The Thornton Bros’ debut release, Lord Willin’, was a solid album with all-time bangers like Grindin’, which displayed the brothers’ penchant for rapping about their previous life of coke-pushing, their larger than life boastfulness and the Neptunes’ (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) playful production style.
On Hell Hath No Fury, the duo doubles down and ups the ante, crafting one of the best, most cocksure rap albums of the decade.We Got It for Cheap may as well be the duo’s theme song and starts the album off with shameless braggadocio. Momma I’m Sorry revolves around an accordion sample and features Pharrell Williams’ warm, buttery vocals. Mr. Me Too takes things into a somewhat darker musical territory than the preceding tracks. Wamp Wamp (What It Do) is built on a foundation of steel drums, giving it an exotic and tropical sound.
Hell Hath No Fury is an incredibly fun and varied rap album from the greatest brotherly duo in all of rap.
9/10
Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist
Deftones reach a near-breaking point as a band.
Saturday Night Wrist finds the acclaimed alternative metal band at war with themselves, uncertain whether they’ll pull through or not, but despite this, there are some gems to be found here, amid the chaos and disharmony.
Hole in the Earth and its transparent lyrics of “I hate all of my friends” describes the the state of the band perfectly, with how frustrated vocalist Chino Moreno was with his bandmates. Cherry Waves is one of the band’s prettiest and most majestic songs. Mein features Serj Tankian of System Of A Down. U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start is an instrumental named after the famous Konami code. Pink Cellphone is one of the band’s most controversial songs, with a bizarre monologue from guest singer Annie Hardy, who profanely rambles about why the British have such bad teeth.
While it’s not as good as Around the Fur or White Pony, Saturday Night Wrist is at least as good as Deftones and contains some of the band’s best and most diverse songs, as well as a fascinating insight into a band in turmoil.
8.5/10
Trivia: The cover art features a collage of various stills from a 1970s adult film called Roxanna.
The Flaming Lips – At War With the Mystics
The Flaming Lips makes a return to a guitar-driven sound.
After releasing two back-to-back classics with The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips are now At War With the Mystics, which sees the band return to a more guitar-centric sound, mixed in with their more modern production sensibilities that they (and producer Dave Fridmann) have become known for.
The opening one-two of The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song and Free Radicals (with its falsetto vocals) may seem a little tacky, but then again, this is the band whose first big hit was She Don’t Use Jelly. Vein of Stars is one of the band’s most epic songs and there’s The W.A.N.D., with it’s fuzzed out monster of a guitar riff. Another highlight is Pompeii am Götterdämmerung, one of the band’s heaviest tracks, recalling the vibes of a song like Pink Floyd’s One of These Days.
At War With the Mystics may be lacking in some of that extra little magic and sense of cohesion that made its two immediate predecessors such watershed moments, but it’s still one of the band’s better albums.
8/10
Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death
Iron Maiden continues its resurgence into the 2000s.
Following Iron Maiden’s fantastic return to form, Brave New World, and the not quite, but nearly as good Dance of Death, A Matter of Life and Death continues to see the metal icons enjoying their second life, with some of their best songs since the 1980s.
The album begins with Different World, the shortest song on the album, with the most radio potential, though it was The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg that originally set the tone for the album when it released as the lead single. While not a concept album about war, some of the songs on A Matter of Life and Death deal with the subject, like These Colours Don’t Run and Brighter Than a Thousand Suns.
It’s hard for anything new that Iron Maiden releases to top their legendary run of albums from the 1980s, but A Matter of Life and Death is one of those albums that comes closest.
8/10
Trivia: A Matter of Life and Death was intentionally left unmastered to reflect a more raw, live sound.
The Killers – Sam’s Town
The Killers ditch the post-punk, new wave sound of their debut for a darker, more rural, Springsteenian sound.
After the massive success of The Killer’s debut, fans were expecting Hot Fuss II, but what they got instead was something less influenced by U2, Duran Duran and New Order and something more influenced by Bruce Springsteen..
Although Sam’s Town was seen as a disappointment when compared to the hit-making machine that was Hot Fuss, it did still feature When You Were Young, which is easily on the level of any of the big singles they had previously released and may just possibly be their greatest song yet.
The mini epic of a title track has a frustrated Brandon Flowers criticizing the judgements of others that have been cast upon him. Read My Mind is a gentle ballad, whereas For Reasons Unknown is an all-out rocker. Uncle Jonny is perhaps the band’s heaviest song (in terms of music and subject matter) and details the drug addiction of the titular character.
Where Sam’s Town may be lacking in the immediacy and gargantuan hooks of its predecessor, it makes up for in boldness and its sense of adventure. The Killers could have easily acquiesced and released the album that fans were expecting and hoping for, but the Flowers stuck to his guns and made the album he wanted to make, something I can never fault an artist for doing.
While it may have hurt The Killers’ popularity and slowed down some of the momentum of the band’s generation-defining debut, it gave me great respect for the earnest Brandon Flowers.
8.5/10
The Mars Volta – Amputechture
The Mars Volta ditches the art of Storm Thorgerson for Jeff Jordan.
Arriving only a year after Frances the Mute, Amputechture could have signalled some creative burnout for guitarist extraordinaire Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, but defies that notion with a strong continuation of the band’s idiosyncratic sound. John Frusciante also returns.
The original album cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson (of Hipgnosis), who had designed the artwork for De-Loused in the Comatorium and Frances the Mute, but the band instead chose the art of Jeff Jordan. Although Thorgerson nailed the first two covers, I agree with the band’s decision to switch artists, as Jeff Jordan’s artwork feels right for Amputechture.
Vicarious Atonement is a calming opener, focused on atmosphere and feeling. Tetragrammaton is a ~17 minute-long, kinetic epic, with unpredictable time signature changes (even by the band’s standard) and bold musicianship that never lets the long runtime feel bloated. Meccamputechture and Day of the Baphomets are both 11 minute epics that see some fantastic drumming from Jon Theodore, along with those Spanish flourishes that the Mars Volta is known for.
Asilos Magdalena is a stripped back acoustic track sung in Spanish — a welcome change of tempo and pace, after several tracks of pure chaos. Vermicide is the album’s shortest track, being the closest thing the album has to a conventional single, though the nine and a half minute-long Viscera Eyes ended up being released as a single instead.
Though it might not quite have attained the status of its predecessors, Amputechture is still a great record, that sees the Mars Volta doing what they do best.
8/10
Mastodon – Blood Mountain
Mountain climbing.
Like it’s predecessor, Leviathan, Blood Mountain is another concept album, this time about climbing a mountain, with encounters of strange beasts that try to hunt you down as you try to survive — also like its two predecessors, there is an elemental theme (Remission was fire, Leviathan was water), with earth being represented this time. Blood Mountain also sees a greater focus on melodic vocals, though the harsh vocals of its predecessors aren’t completely absent.
The Wolf Is Loose a fast-paced and hectic opener. Sleeping Giant is slow and packed with sludge. Bladecatcher is one of the more experimental songs, due to its incomprehensible, sped-up vocals. Unlike Mastodon’s first two albums, there are a handful of guests on Blood Mountain, including Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) on Colony of Birchmen (one of the best tracks on the album), Scott Kelly (Neurosis) on Crystal Skull, Cedric Bixler-Zavala (The Mars Volta, At the Drive-In) on Siberian Divide and Isaiah “Ikey” Owens (also of The Mars Volta) on Pendulous Skin.
Blood Mountain and its concept can’t quite top Leviathan, but this is still a fantastic record from Mastodon, making the band three for three at this point in their career.
8.5/10
Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
Muse performs a hat trick, with their third classic in a row.
After releasing a strong debut and two modern classic, Muse continues their domination within the alt rock scene, sprinkling in some extra accessibility and pop sensibilities this time around. Black Holes and Revelations sees an extension of the sound the band has been cultivating for the past several years, but adds in some additional spices into their sonic recipe.
The cinematic opener, Take a Bow ,begins the album with Queen-like guitars and synthesizer arpeggios that could rival the coolest synths from Origin of Symmetry. Starlight has a glistening piano riff and sees the band successfully blend some more pop elements into their sound. The funky Supermassive Black Hole is one of the band’s sexiest songs and one of their most popular singles yet, even making appearances in nightclubs. Map of the Problematique sounds like an Absolution-era track, Soldier’s Poem is a gentle acoustic track. Invincible is driven with a marching band-style drum beat. Assassin is one of the heaviest tracks on the album, with plenty of guitar pyrotechnics on display. The defiant Exo-Politics has Matt Bellamy feeling particularly political. City of Delusion is exotic, with its Spanish guitars and trumpets. The centrepiece of the album (or rather, the endpiece) is Knights of Cydonia, a spaghetti western epic with the defiant sing-along chant of “No one’s gonna take me alive, the time has come to make things right, you and I must fight for our rights, you and I must fight to survive!” — the song is one of Muse’s all-time greatest accomplishments as a band.
Black Holes and Revelations is yet another instant classic from Muse, with yet another iconic Storm Thorgerson album cover.
10/10
Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam releases their self-titled album.
Pearl Jam’s self-titled album finds the band sounding somewhat revitalized since their last album (2002’s Riot Act), with lots of upbeat rockers and few acoustic songs and ballads.
Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide and Comatose are all lively rock songs, with the type of positive energy that initially separated them from the gloomier bands of the 1990s Seattle grunge scene and there’s also a few relaxed moments peppered into the tracklist, like on Parachutes, Inside Job and Gone.
Pearl Jam may not revolutionize the band’s sound or add anything new into their formula, but it’s a sign of good health from Seattle’s last surviving band from the big four of grunge.
6.5/10
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers make a double album.
Following two blockbuster albums, which signalled a renaissance for the band as they entered a new millennium, Red Hot Chili Peppers up the ante with the ambitious 28 song-long, Stadium Arcadium.
Dani California was an obvious choice for a lead single, though it’s chord progression has been the subject of a plagiarism suit, for its similarities to Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker’s 1993 hit, Mary Jane’s Last Dance. Snow (Hey Oh) is the Chili Peppers at their most melodic and has some of John Frusciante’s most impressive fret work, with all those hammer-ons and pull-offs. Hump de Bump feels like the vintage, fun-loving, funked-up Chili Peppers of the 1980s, before they ever tried to be poignant. The title of She’s Only 18 is quite ironic, considering Anthony Kiedis is known for having an appetite for girls younger than that. Tell Me Baby was another single and is this album’s By the Way. The music for Readymade is some of the band’s grooviest, though the lyrics are some of Kiedis’ worst (e.g. “I’ve got a sister making babies with a Black and Decker blowtorch, we’re gonna fop it all night in the middle of the back porch”). If is a gentle song without percussion, giving Chad Smith a moment away from his drum kit.
The Rick Rubin production here is about on par with By the Way, so while it isn’t the best production on a modern rock album, it’s still leagues better than his infamous brickwalled production on Californication. As for the band, Flea never disappoints, nor does John Frusciante, and Chad Smith is as competent as ever. Anthony Kiedis is still the weakest link in the band, with his voice not always working on the more emotional songs, but he’s still come a long way since the band’s early days and admittedly fits the band’s aesthetic.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of those bands who don’t know how to edit an album down in the CD age (their last album under an hour was 1989’s Mother’s Milk), making their albums somewhat of a chore to listen to in one sitting, so the two hour-long Stadium Arcadium is certainly a test of endurance, but as a selection of songs, it’s quite consistent and has many highlights, without any real stragglers in the tracklist.
7.5/10
Slayer – Christ Illusion
Dave Lombardo returns to Slayer.
Following the release of their last truly classic album, 1990’s Seasons in the Abyss, drummer Dave Lombardo had left Slayer and was soon replaced by Paul Bostaph by the time of Divine Intervention four years later. In this time, the band had navigated a changing metal landscape by experimenting with then popular nu metal (much to the chagrin of thrash metal fans).
From the disturbing artwork that’s reminiscent of the cover of Reign in Blood, to the old school thrash sound and the return of Dave Lombardo behind the drum kit, Christ Illusion feels like vintage Slayer or at least South of Heaven or Seasons in the Abyss era Slayer (they never topped Reign in Blood in speed or intensity).
It can be argued that the album is regressive by returning to a comfortable sound and aesthetic, but with a band like Slayer, just let them do what they do best.
7.5/10
Tenacious D – The Pick of Destiny
Tenacious D’s releases their soundtrack to the movie of the same name.
Where Jack Black and Kyle Gass’ debut album as Tenacious D was the result of their short-lived, cult classic HBO TV series, The Pick of Destiny sees the band aiming higher and entering the theatrical world.
Opening track Kickapoo is one of the duo’s most epic songs and features not only Meatloaf as Jack Black’s god-fearing, rock n roll-hating father, but Elf/Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Dio vocalist Ronnie James Dio as well. Classico sees a hilarious and vulgar reinterpretation of Bach. Master Exploder sees JB screaming like a banshee over some killer guitar licks. Dude (I Totally Miss You) is the ultimate song for broken bromances. Beezleboss (The Final Showdown) has Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl playing Satan and being bested by JB and KG with their writing of best song in the world (which they forgot and wrote Tribute about). The Metal is one of the band’s heaviest songs and a genuinely great metal song.
As for the film, Tenacious D’s box-office bomb The Pick of Destiny is one of the greatest music films ever made, with so many memorable cameos (Meatloaf, Ronnie James Dio, Dave Grohl, Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller); it is absolutely essential viewing for any metalhead. It’s a tragedy that this film performed so poorly (it barely made back half of its $20 million budget), but it will live on as a cult classic.
One of the greatest soundtracks to one of the greatest rock n roll films.
8/10
Thom Yorke – The Eraser
Thom Yorke releases his first solo album.
After six highly successful and influential Radiohead albums, Thom Yorke decided to branch off into solo territory, where he could indulge more in his electronic side, leaning more heavily into the realm of Aphex Twin, than what a recent project like Hail to the Thief would have afforded him.
The title track is one of Yorke’s best solo compositions, with a tasteful 8-bit outro. Analyse sounds like a holdover from the sessions of Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief that didn’t make the cut (that album was already quite full at 14 tracks). Atoms for Peace is a track that revels in its minimalism. Black Swan reminded me of an alternate take on his main band’s 2001 single, I Might Be Wrong.
While not quite as complex or layered as a Radiohead album, Thom Yorke still does a lot to make The Eraser an interesting album, despite the absence of his usual bandmates. Here, Yorke demonstrates just how crucial he is to their sound and experimental nature.
8/10
TOOL – 10,000 Days
TOOL continues and expands upon the sound of Lateralus.
The one downside to TOOL evolving so much between Ænima and Lateralus, was that it felt like the band had reached the pinnacle of their sound. They had perfected their progressive/alt metal style and that begged the question of, where do they go from here? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
Named after the approximate amount of time it takes for Saturn to return to its position in orbit from when you were born (roughly 27 years), as well as the amount of time between vocalist Maynard James Keenan’s mother’s debilitating stroke and death, 10,000 Days deals with Keenan’s most personal lyrics yet.
The album boasts three of the band’s biggest singles, including Vicarious, a critique of people living vicariously through the news and the media, getting a sort of thrill from the pain and suffering of others. There’s also the chugging Jambi, an emotional rocker named after the Peewee’s Playhouse character of the same name, and The Pot, which is perhaps the band’s most radio-friendly song they’ve ever released. Epics like The Wings for Marie suite, Right in Two and Rosetta Stoned are all phenomenal compositions that sound like you’ve taken mushrooms.
Although it doesn’t quite reach the heights set by the two preceding albums or shake up the band’s formula too much, 10,000 Days is still a triumphant album all the same.
9/10
The Who – Endless Wire
The Who returns after a 24 year hiatus.
As The Who’s first new studio album in a quarter of a century and their first without bassist John Entwistle (who passed away in 2002), Endless Wire had one of the longer gaps between albums from a classic rock band, so how does the band sound so longer after, and without half of their original members?
Comprised of two halves, including Wire & Glass: A Mini-Opera, Endless Wire is another foray into rock operas for The Who, and though it obviously falls short when compared to previous conceptual albums like Tommy and Quadrophenia, Endless Wire is still bolstered by mostly strong performances from Roger Daltrey, as well as some excellent acoustic guitar playing from Pete Townsend. It’s Not Enough is a fairly strong single, with other songs like Sound Round and We Got a Hit evoking the band’s trademark hard rock sound. Elsewhere, there are plenty of acoustic tracks, that seem to be absent of much of anything else outside of the guitars and vocals.
Endless Wire is a dignified return from The Who, but the lack of both Keith Moon and John Entwistle, as well as most of the songs consisting of spares acoustic songs, makes for the band’s most boring and inessential album yet.
6/10
FIN
Brett Nippard
