Top Ten Albums of 2000 and 2001

For whatever reason I've been in a hugely musical mood as of late. This, coupled with the fact that I recently realized that I never officially cataloged my Top Ten Albums for the first two years of the aughts, has compelled me to pull together two more top ten lists for your viewing pleasure. This way when the decade comes to a close, I'll have complete top ten lists from every year from which to cull my "Top 100 Albums of the Decade" post. Of course, that presumes that this blog will still be around in 2010, which seems unlikely, so depending on whether I continue to stay on this music kick, perhaps I'll do a premature "Best Albums of the Decade" list through the present day.

Anyway.

Top Ten Albums of 2000

10) Eve 6: Horrorscope - An album with a handful of excellent songs, although it has more than its share of weak spots. Unfortunately I don't have anything else to place in the tenth slot.

9) Mest: Wasting Time - A near carbon-copy of Showoff's outstanding also-produced-by-Goldfinger's-John-Feldmann eponymous debut from the year prior, Mest's debut was nevertheless a brillaint exercise in hyper-catchy pop-punk, filled with insanely addictive melodies and choruses. Sadly, everything they've released since has pretty much been pure garbage.

8) NOFX: Pump Up the Valuum - An outstanding effort following 1997's relatively weak "So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes," this record shows why NOFX is still one of the all-time greats at disgustingly catchy pop-punk.

7) Yellow Second: June One - The debut album from the band that released my favorite record of 2005 (and almost certainly one of the top five discs of the decade, I might add), "June One" finds Yellow Second honing their unique power-pop sound. It's a tad rough around the edges and not quite the masterpiece that "Altitude" is, but it's still a terrific debut that sets the stage for the band's excellent sophomore record, "Still Small." You know a band is special when you can toss their first three albums on shuffle and be outrageously happy song after song after song.

Interesting sidenote: According to Yellow Second's MySpace and Wikipedia pages, they are apparently playing a reunion show on May 9 in Denver, which is mind-blowingly awesome. If anyone can provide any further information, i.e. whether this means the band is officially getting back together and recording more music, and/or plans to attend the show and can somehow record it or at least provide a rundown of events, please let me know.

6) Caviar (self-titled) - This album was not on my radar in 2000, but came to my attention two years ago and very much deserves a spot on this list. See my mini-review here.

5) The Drowners: Is There Something on Your Mind - A huge find. For some reason this record was sitting in one of the listening stations in the Circuit City in Union Square, and something compelled me to give it a whirl. From the opening one-two punch of "Think of Me" and the title track, I was hooked almost instantly. Sadly the band's never really come close to this level of brilliance on its hard-to-find subsequent releases.

4) New Pornographers: Mass Romantic - It took a little while to fully appreciate, as I'd never really heard anyone who sounded quite like the New Pornographers before, but as anyone who's heard this brilliant power-pop tour-de-force can attest to, it's pretty fucking spectacular.

3) Tsar (self-titled) - Another amazing debut album, chock full of catchy-as-hell power-pop songs with an emphasis on the power. Lead singer Jeff Whalen's voice is amazing on this record, and the pop hooks are equally huge. I saw this band open for Marvelous 3 at Bowery Ballroom in September of 2000, and I can still say to this day that it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Sadly, the group's long-awaited 2005 follow-up was pretty awful, making Tsar's eponymous release yet another debut album on this list in which the band failed to follow through on its incredible promise.

2) Deathray (self-titled) - This was another record that took several spins to latch onto my brain, but once it did, it never let go. The entire album, spearheaded by Cake's Greg Brown, is outstanding all the way through, highlighted by album opener "My Lunatic Friends," the Beatlesque brilliance of "What Would You Do," the poppy pleasantness of "Now That I Am Blind" and awesome album closer "Happy New Year." Basically, if you're into power-pop in any way shape or form, this album needs to be in your collection.

1) Marvelous 3: ReadySexGo! - The final album from the quintessential late-90s power-pop band, Butch Walker & co. deliver a balls-to-the-wall power-pop manifesto, featuring some of the catchiest rock songs you'll ever find. While maybe not quite as hook-laden as predecessor "Hey! Album" (although really, the catchiness bar was set so damn high with that one that it's unlikely to ever be surpassed), "ReadySexGo!" is still astounding. Kicking off with the rollicking "Little Head" and culminating with one of the best album closers of all time, "Cigarette Lighter Love Song," the record is near-flawless, and makes one pine for the days when Butch Walker was actually good.


Top Ten Albums of 2001

10) Lit: Atomic - I don't think this album is quite as good as Lit's debut, but it's still an outlandishly hook-laden affair, and a great album to blast with the windows down on a beautiful sunny day.

9) Gwenmars: Driving a Million - This now-defunct band's last album; it's kind of tough to label, but you could probably call it power electro-synth pop. Hooky as hell, I've never really heard another record like it. As usual, AMG sums it up quite nicely: "Big choruses, big melodies, and big guitars -- nothing here is particularly discreet. To be sure, those looking for an unpretentious big rock sound will certainly not be disappointed."

8) Dashboard Confessional: The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most - As the years have passed I seldom listen to this album anymore, but when it came out I loved it, so I have to give it its due. A great collection of over-the-top emotionally sappy yet hooky-as-hell songs that - for a brief period of time - made it O.K. to sing along to some of the pussiest lyrics imaginable as loud as possible while you aimlessly drove around after being dumped.

7) Big in Japan: Destroy the New Rock - An extremely underrated pop-punk album from Zac Damon, former lead singer of seminal '90s pop-punk band Zoinks! Damon's surfer-dude voice always had a unique catchiness to it, and his ear for melody and pop songwriting chops have never been better than on this spectacular effort. Every song is a winner, and even though I barely listen to pop-punk anymore I can still toss this record on at any time. Listen to "New Dead Boyfriend" and "Everyone's a Scientist," and then try to get 'em out of your head. Don't say I didn't warn you.

6) Jimmy Eat World: Bleed American - This was my introduction to Jimmy Eat World, and they fucking blew the roof off with this album. I know a lot of JEW fans cite their first two albums as their best, but to me this is the quintessential Jimmy Eat World album - powerful, raw, emotional, and catchy-as-all-get-out. Super album all the way through, and as good as it is, follow-up "Futures" is arguably even better. Unfortunately last year's "Chase This Light" felt wholly uninspired, so it remains to be seen if the band can regain its former magic.

5) Steve Ward: Opening Night - Though I didn't discover Cherry Twister and the group's mastermind Steve Ward until 2004, this gem of a record is highly deserving of placement. This aurally beautiful power-pop feast is almost impossible to sum up succinctly, so I'll direct you to the fawning customer reviews page on Amazon - these folks say it just as well if not better than I could.

4) Actionslacks: The Scene's Outta Sight - Found these guys through Napster of all things, back when the site was providing free downloads of under-the-radar bands. Lead single "I Hope This Makes it Easier For You" was a nice pop-punky intro to the band, but the rest of the record revealed a far more mature and layered sound, and was dotted with introspective and emotional poppy tunes. Additionally, this was actually the first album I ever reviewed for The Brown & White at Lehigh, and the review is still up on the band's website (although you'll have to scroll nearly 3/4 of the way down the page to read it).

3) The Rosenbergs: Mission You - Another Napster special, I played the hell out of "Paper & Plastic" and the amazing Oasis-like "In Pursuit" back in 2001, but didn't get my hands on the full record until several years later. Still, this is top-notch power-pop of the highest order, and the only negative I can draw is that The Rosenbergs have shamefully only graced us with a mere two albums in their career, not including lead singer David Fagin's solo debut last year.

2) Pete Yorn: Musicforthemorningafter - This is where it gets hard. Having to choose between Pete Yorn's first album, almost certainly the best debut record in music history, and what I consider Pernice Brothers' - a band who musically can do no wrong - finest album, is essentially impossible. Though I've ranked them 2 and 1, respectively, you could easily flip them around and I wouldn't complain. Simply put, "Musicforthemorningafter" is a masterpiece. Every single song is utterly, jaw-droppingly incredible, and eminently re-listenable. I never get tired of hearing these songs, ever. I'm also not sure there's ever been a more apt record title, as "Musicforthemorningafter" sounds exactly like what it says it is.

1) Pernice Brothers: The World Won't End - Ah, "The World Won't End." This album came to my attention after a fawning review from The Onion AV Club (which sadly doesn't appear to have been archived), and from the moment I heard the opening strumming of "Working Girls," I knew I was in for a life-changing experience. Never had I heard a voice as heavenly as Joe Pernice's, all while singing some of the catchiest songs imaginable. The first four tunes on this album stack up against the best of anything ever recorded, and it's spectacularly solid throughout. I've often joked about how I could listen to Joe Pernice sing instruction manuals and it would sound great, but the man truly is a gift. And the fact that he uses his extraordinary talents to consistently arrange some of the flat-out best music being recorded today is a gift that is ceaseless.