20: OutKast - Speakerboxx / The Love Below (2003)
One wants to be Tupac minus the whole death part, the other wants to be Prince minus the whole symbol part. Instead of trying to fit all of their ideas into one album of coolness, OutKast delivered a hip hop version of The White Album. When Stankonia blew the duo up into mega stars they knew that they had to put up or shut up on the next record. A double album is always risky business - but this is OutKast we're talking about.
Speakerboxx is Big Boi's disc of party tunes and groove-tastic funk. As opposed to a Jay-Z type beat where you feel pummeled with rhythm, every ounce of OutKast's music uplifts you and transports you to another world - one where Bush wasn't in office and you could look in the mirror and not loathe what you see glaring back at you. Top Tunes:(Ghetto Musick, The Way You Move, Church)
The ever colorful Andre 3000's The Love Below was a romantic foray into experimental pop with just enough old school sensibilities to please new and old fans alike. The intro sounds like something straight out of a soap opera only instead of listening to some whore bitch about getting the clap, you get over an hour of off the wall music that defies to be put into a box. Top Tunes:(Hey Ya, Roses, Prototype)
19: Blur - Think Tank (2003)
When founding guitarist Graham Coxon unexpectedly quit Blur while recording Think Tank, one could understand why this album would be doomed for the junk bin instead of low-fi dub rock glory. If any record draws its lineage to Radiohead's Kid A, Think Tank is the heir to the experimental British rock throne. Vocalist Damon Albarn exercised his thinking muscle, and with no guitarist, decided to blend Blur and Gorillaz to spectacular results.
Instead of bringing in a faceless session player to fill the void Coxon left, Albarn created a space for lush backing vocals, hypnotic drum loops, soft piano and mellow acoustic guitars to subtlely star in his magnum opus on paranoia. Blur had always been good, but the band had never really achieved greatness until their final album. It's better to burn out than to fade away I suppose. Top Tracks:(Out Of Time, On The Way To The Club, Sweet Song)
18: Mastodon - Blood Mountain (2006)
Just because you're in a heavy metal band and you can shred face doesn't mean you have to be devoid of substance. That is what the majority metal failed to realize for the decade. When generic crap rock like Creed faded away, generic crap metal took it's place. "Look we're so hardcore our band name is ABORTED FETUS! BRUTAL!!!!!!!!" Get over yourselves. Mastodon showed how thunderous riffs, pounding rhythm, screaming vocals and smart, technically savvy tunes win out in any genre - let alone metal (and they aren't even straight edge).
Blood Mountain is a loose concept album filled with wolves, ogres, sysquatches (a cross between sasquatch and a cyclops) lion slicers, and giants. This group of tattooed whiskey chuggers from Atlanta take you on a journey through mythology and metal, while bringing along a bag of tricks including shifting time signatures, bombastic blasts of guitar and chest crunching cymbal crashing. And they did it all without ever playing Warped Tour. Top Tunes:(Sleeping Giant, Colony Of Birchmen, Crystal Skull)
17: Fleet Foxes - Self Titled (2008)
Northwestern U.S. was famous for grunge and plaid in the 90s, but the 00s brought a new sound to the region - lush harmonious folk with some baroque thrown in for good measure. While the plaid still stayed, beards decided that they would crash the party too.
Fleet Foxes may not have been the first band to come out of the region and wave their folk flag high, but they certainly were the heavyweight champs. This rugged bunch of lumberjack wannabes wrote some of the most charming songs of the decade on their self titled debut. The Brawny Man meets The Beach Boys on a boy scout retreat. Top Tunes:(Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, He Doesn't Know Why, Ragged Wood)
16: Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago (2008)
Sure the story might seem a bit routine - boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl walks out leaving boy devastated. But the incredible intimacy and heart wrenching honesty without coming off as just another Dashboard Confessional rip off is truly a monumental achievement. When Justin Vernon (formerly of De-yarmond Edison) reached the height of his depression he hibernated in his father's hunting cabin in the woods of Wisconsin. When he emerged from the rugged terrain he brought along his kick ass beard and his suitcase full of therapeutic tunes.
For Emma Forever Ago is a somber experience. No sunshine or rainbows exist in this parallel universe of sadness and the only thing you have to keep warm is your own tough skin. While his lyrics may not be as accessible as you might hope for them to be, the pictures Vernon paints with his poetic verse are just as serene as the season. Top Tunes: (Re: Stacks, Blindsided, Flume)
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