Demise Of A Decade, or, Wilson Loves The 00s
Year-by-year reviews:
2000 - 2001 - 2002 -
2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009
Instant Retro! Probably the last decade that CDs will actually matter, so I guess I can admit now that I never really liked the format: unlike cassettes, too big to slip into your pocket, but unlike LPs, too small to get a good look at the cover art.
(DBW)
The Top Ten
1. Sleater-Kinney, All Hands On The Bad One (2000)
2. N.E.R.D., In Search Of... (2002)
3. Cris Williamson, Ashes (2001)
4. Mary J. Blige, Growing Pains (2007)
5. Trivium, The Crusade (2006)
6. Olga Tañón, Una Nueva Mujer (2005)
7. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Resistance Is Futile (2002)
8. The Red Chord, Fed Through The Teeth Machine (2009)
9. Bubba Sparxxx, Deliverance (2003)
10. Joan Armatrading, Into The Blues (2007)
Yes, this means I picked Deliverance as hip hop record of the decade - ahead of Tha Carter III, Survival Skills and The College Dropout - and no, I'm not entirely comfortable with that. However, I am as crazy about all of these records as I was the day I rated them.
The Next Fifteen
11. Cynic, Traced In Air (2008)
12. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III (2008)
13. KRS-One & Buckshot, Survival Skills (2009)
14. Janis Ian, Folk Is The New Black (2006)
15. Opeth, Deliverance (2002)
16. Col. Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, The Big Eyeball In The Sky (2004)
17. Kanye West, The College Dropout (2004)
18. Erykah Badu, Mama's Gun (2000)
19. Los Van Van, Arrasando (2009)
20. The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ire Works (2007)
21. Porcupine Tree, Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)
22. Ivete Sangalo, Festa (2001)
23. Sonic Youth, Rather Ripped (2006)
24. Wu-Tang Clan, 8 Diagrams (2007)
25. Mitch Marcus Quintet, The Special (2007)
Eleven of the 25 records are from the past three years, which may reflect a recency bias or just that 2007 was an unusually good crop (6 entries, more than any other year). By genre: five indie rock (including N.E.R.D. and C2B3), five metal, five hip hop, three singer-songwriter, two jazz, two R&B, one salsa, one songo and one axé. By gender: 8.25 female (Kim Gordon is the 1/4), 16.75 male.
Also Excellent
Arch Enemy, Wages Of Sin
Alex Bellegarde, Caminando
Miri Ben-Ari, The Hip-Hop Violinist
Ruben Blades, Mundo
Mary J. Blige, No More Drama
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, BTNHResurrection
Andrea Brachfeld/Phoenix Rising, Remembered Dreams
Buckethead, Bermuda Triangle
Buckethead, Pepper's Ghost
Matt Criscuolo, Lotus Blossom
Ghostface Killah, Bulletproof Wallets
Ghostface Killah, FishScale
Chris Greene Quartet, Soul And Science 2: Electric Boogaloo
Janis Ian, Live: Working Without A Net
India, Soy Diferente
Joe Jackson, Rain
Enrique Lazaga y La Ritmo Oriental, Los Tocadores De Güiro
Eugene Maslov, The Fuse Is Lit
Marisa Monte, Memories, Chronicles, And Declarations Of Love
Kalyan Pathak & Jayho Jazzmata, The Shape Of Ragazz To Come
Prince, One Nite Alone... Live!
The Red Chord, Clients
Avery Sharpe, Extended Family III: Family Values
Wayne Shorter, Footprints Live!
Son Cuba Y Puerto Rico
Bubba Sparxxx, Dark Days, Bright Nights
Tiemann-Belzer, Crypto
Wing, Wing Sings All Your Favorites
Neil Young, Prairie Wind
Best Concert I Saw: Stevie Wonder at MSG, 17 November 2007
Best Book (Music Division) I Read: Daniel J. Levitan, This Is Your Brain On Music: The Science Of A Human Obsession
"Sounds Of Silence" Award: Àngela Winbush and Sly Stone