The 11 Best Albums of 2015 (so far)

It's too early in the year to really get a chance to digest which are the best albums, so right now it's more about which albums I find myself listening to on repeat. Here are the 11 Best albums of 2015 (so far):

1. Jamie XX - In Colour
2. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love
3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
4. Hot Chip - Why Make Sense?
5. Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass
6. Title Fight - Hyperview
7. American Wrestlers - American Wrestlers
8. Faith No More - Sol Invictus
9. Susanne Sundfor - Ten Love Songs
10. Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$
11. Modest Mouse - Stranger To Ourselves

     

The 11 Best Seattle Bands

  Today is the Super Bowl. The day when we celebrate what it means to be American.  We eat, drink, watch sports and pass out.  Here's our pre-game warm-up for all you Seahawk fans. Here are the 11 Best Bands from Seattle (or close by):

1. Nirvana
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3. Pearl Jam
4. Soundgarden
5. Modest Mouse
6. Alice In Chains
7. Death Cab For Cutie
8. Foo Fighters
9. Heart
10. Sunny Day Real Estate
11. Mother Love Bone

   

The 11 Best Rumored Albums of 2013

One of the best things about a new year is a whole set of new speculation about what albums could possibly be coming our way.  I've collected the best of them...let's see how many come true.

Here are the 11 Best Rumored Albums of 2013:

1. U2 (July) - Mercury Records announced the new album was coming in 2013...but no word yet from the band.
2. My Bloody Valentine - Album #3 (June) - Twenty-two years in the making, Kevin Shields claims the new album was completed on December 21st.  But will he let us hear it?
3. Arcade Fire (September) - The band's in the studio now with James Murphy, eyeing a late fourth quarter release.
4. Pearl Jam (October) - The band keeps saying they're working on a new album but no time line has been solidified.
5. Modest Mouse (August) - The mouse does everything at a glacial pace but they've been writing and recording for a couple years now.  Along with playing many new songs live...the time seems right.
6. MGMT - MGMT (June) - The band has been working on the album since 2011 and has said the release was imminent since then.
7. The National (September) - They've been playing new songs live and have stated they're looking at a 2013 release.
8. Portishead - Fourth (October) - Barrow claimed to start work on a new album in Sept 2011.  While two years is a normal pace for most bands...this is Portishead...it could mean ten years.  Here's to being optimistic.
9. Vampire Weekend (May) - They've been playing new songs and are claiming a new release this spring.  Looks promising.
10. Rilo Kiley (April) - With an obscure Facebook update...it could only mean one of two things.  New album or Coachella appearance.  Okay, three:  both.
11. Wolfmother - Gatherings (March) - The band claimed that a new album would be coming in March.  But they said this last year, too.

Bonus:  Dr. Dre - Detox (November) - Sometimes wishes are granted.

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Fall 2012

There's no telling if any of these albums are coming out this year...it's all a massive guess...all for fun.  Some of these may come out before Fall...some after...but rumors are flying.

Here are the 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Fall 2012:

1. Tool - TBA (Nov.)
2. Stone Roses - TBA (Oct.)
3. Pearl Jam - TBA (Oct.)
4. No Doubt - TBA (Nov.)
5. U2 - TBA (Oct.)
6. Green Day - TBA (Dec.)
7. The xx - TBA (Oct.)
8. Modest Mouse - TBA (Nov.)
9. Black Sabbath reunion - TBA (Oct.)
10. Phoenix - TBA (Oct.)
11. Dr. Dre - Detox (???????????)

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (45-55)

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (45-55):

45. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank (2007)
- Add one of the 80s greatest guitar forces (Johnny Marr) to one of the most exciting alternative rock bands of the decade...and what do you get? Pure rock brilliance. (Invisible)

46. The National - Boxer (2007)
- Like a 2000-ton steel train slowly rolling down the tracks. It may not move at record-breaking speeds...but it's a force to be reckoned with. (Start A War)

47. My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves (2003)
- A mammoth album when it comes to alternative country. I assume that this album so good, the band knew they would never top it...and decided to move in other directions. (Golden)

48. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (2007)
- Tweedy & a bunch of other guys put together a record that sounds like someone created a radio that allows you to hear music from the 1970s. One of the perfect lazy afternoon records.

49. Girl Talk - Night Ripper (2006)
- If you don't think you can create your own music...just take all the best music of the past 30 years and mash them all together in one big remix. Greg Gillis takes mash-ups to a whole other level with this epic tour through the history of commercial radio. It takes talent to steal something this good.

50. Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008)
- I'm crazy to include this, right? And not just to include this in my list...but to make the top 50. Just say it. Say I'm crazy. Well...here's my reasoning: During this decade, no album has been talked about, written about, discussed, downloaded, leaked, speculated, even rumored more than this album. It was a tour de force before it even came out. And when it did come out...it had no chance. As many people who wanted to hear...just as many wanted to hate it. And many hadn't even listened to the record. But now, almost a year after its release, the record remains unique but solid effort. The album plays more like a movie score than a rock record. It challenges the concept that every song on a rock album should sound the same. It takes some gutsy chances, it pushes boundaries...sometimes with enormous payoff...sometimes not. But isn't that what great rock is supposed to be about? About challenging the norm? I honestly wish more albums sounded like this...I think rock would be alive and well if they did.

51. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2008)
- If GNR set the stage for the future, MGMT is that future. With an album that had more nooks and crannies than your grandmother's house, they rocketed on the scene with the uber catchy "Kids" even though the rest of the album sounded like something that might be featured on the next Nuggets box set.

52. Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)
- If freak folk defined the indie scene this decade...I&W is the grandpappy. With the ultimate lo-fi production, it was like being transported back into time to a more peaceful era...where sitting on the porch drinking lemonade actually meant something.

53. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
- If you're looking for albums that weren't just great but helped shaped the decade...DP's album was the album that set the standard for club music. From the likes of Kanye West to Justice to Beck...this was the album that influenced anyone and everyone to bust a move.

54. Feist - The Reminder (2007)
- With a voice like Feist's...she could sing TV jingles and still be captivating. And with 1,2,3,4 as the perfect indie pop song...she had everyone...including pre-schoolers...singing along with her.

55. Hot Chip - The Missing (2006)
- It wasn't dance record...but it had more moves than most club albums could have dreamed for. Like the bastard offspring of Thom Yorke and Beck, it was tantilizing good time. (Colours)

Buy these albums now...right here!

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (100-111)

With very few new releases of note coming out these next few weeks...I'm jumping the gun and heading into the uber list that every blogger has been waiting for since blogging was invented. Yes...that's right. It's the best of the decade...and this will be the first decade where bloggers get to weigh in on the count. Even though there's "Nevermind" or "OK Computer" this decade...there was a much stronger middle. Even chipping the list down to 111...I've left well over a 100 albums of equal quality and importance sitting on the sidelines.

And even though we have a solid 4 months of releases coming, there's no telling whether these albums will truly be the best of the decade for at least another few years. I mean what's left Jay-Z? Detox? Strong contenders...but in all honestly...only time can tell.

Here are the 111 Best Albums of the 00s (100-111):

100. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free (2004)
- Mike Skinner's concept rap album was clever, inventive and unlike anything we'd heard....and have yet to hear. (It Was Supposed to Be So Easy)

101. Madvillain - Madvillany (2004)
- One of MF Doom's many monikers found the hip-hop rapper/producer re-inventing what a song should or could be. (Fancy Clown)

102. TV on the Radio - Dear Science (2008)
- Last year's newest offering from this dynamic group didn't have the impact of their previous release (spoiler) but it still pushed the boundaries of where music could go.

103. Common - Be (2005)
- For years, Common was known as the rapper with a conscious. Content at being just underground. But on this release...he merged his smart style with bigger production and created genre-bending classic.

104. Modest Mouse - Good News For People who Love Bad News (2004)
- Isaac Brock and crew dump their artistic side and shoot for commercial success. In doing so, they become the last of the Seattle greats. (Bukowski)

105. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (2009)
- Still a bit early to figure how mighty this album is...but its praise hasn't slowed yet.

106. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of the Bewilderbeast (2000)
- Though Damon Gough's career has been uneven over this decade, his first offering is still a solid offering, paving the way to the freak folk bands to follow. (The Shining)

107. Radiohead - Hail To The Thief (2003)
- The Head's anti-Bush album did very little to stop him from being re-elected, or invading Iraq...but it did provide us with some great music. (There There)

108. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (2006)
- CYHSY is the first of the next generation in rock bands. Their success is laid at the feet of the bloggers who spread the praise of their debut album to their readers. They are the first true success story of the blogger-age...and it's a damn fine album to boot. (Yellow Country Teeth)

109. Sufjan Stevens - Illnoise (2005)
- Soulful folk backed by orchestras? Who could have thought that would sound good? One man made it work.

110. Brian Wilson - Smile (2004)
- A hard album to list here. Not that it's not a fantastic album...but does it really belong in the 00s? It was a hard call...there's never a bad time for Beach Boys bliss...but it edges in for purely not getting it fair shot years ago.

111. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - The Last DJ (2002)
- Though it was panned by critics...had minimal sales...and barely any radio play, TP's inditement of the radio/music industry now sounds like an eerie premonition of the decade that would come. Bashing the DJ-less radio playlists, rock stars created from game shows, and soaring ticket prices that milk kids of their last dime, The Last DJ sounds less like a prediction and more like a warning. Too bad no one heeded it. (The Last DJ)

Buy These albums now at Best of the 00s.

The 11 Best Modest Mouse Songs

I'm back from my extended hiatus of vacations...birthday parties...big work projects...and all night drinking binges in North Korea (seriously you have to try the Kanggye if you can). It's been a slow period for big releases...even Modest Mouse could only afford to put out an EP.

That said...probably the biggest news in music occurred this month. One of the greatest websites devoted to music (EMUSIC) has completely changed its operating proceedures. I could do a top 11 (or bottom 11) of all the changes that have impaired a once great pinnacle of musical hope. Prices have gone up...downloads per month have gone down. Sharing eliminated. Site runs slower. Site has more bugs. And what do we get in return? Catalogs by Pearl Jam, Michael Jackson, Modest Mouse and Bruce Springsteen. Whoopee...who didn't own all that stuff already? What a waste.

And why is making a list of the best Modest Mouse songs so hard? What are your lists people?!!

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Modest Mouse:

1. Trailer Trash (The Lonesome Crowded West)
2. Dashboard (We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank)
3. Custom Concern (This is a Long Drive)
4. Teeth Like God's Shoeshine (The Lonesome Crowded West)
5. The View (Good News For People Who Love Bad News)
6. Florida (We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank)
7. Float On (Good News For People Who Love Bad News)
8. Breakthrough (This is a Long Drive)
9. Spitting Venom (We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank)
10. Doin The Cockroach (The Lonesome Crowded West)
11. Fly Trapped in a Jar (We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank)

Buy the new Modest Mouse EP, No One's First, and You're Next.

The 11 Best Modest Mouse Songs

You know what kills me? You know when you're watching a basketball game on TV and your favorite player is in the game and for some reason, the announcer can't get the player's name right? The annoucer keeps pronouncing the name with a silent E that isn't silent or accents a vowel that is supposed to be more on the soft side? And there's no way you can tell the announcer that they are screwing up the name. You just have to sit there and listen to the butchering. The same thing is bothering when it comes to the newest Modest Mouse release.

For some reason, no one knows how many albums Modest Mouse has released. How come every article I read can't get the number right. Seriously, do any of you reviewers own a computer with an internet connection? Are you still writing your reviews on binder paper? Do some research before you publish. The newest album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank, is their official 6th full-length album. Though it is never counted, Sad Sappy Sucker was the Mouse's first official album. And if you want to include all the releases (Eps and rareities comps) then we're looking at 10 albums. I don't know why it's been annoying me so much. But I had to say something. So I said it. Now here's...

The 11 Best Modest Mouse Songs

1. Trailer Trash (The Lonesome Crowded West)
2. Breakthrough (This Is A Long Drive For Someone)
3. Doin' The Cockroach (The Lonesome Crowded West)
4. Float On (Good News For People Who Love Bad News)
5. A Different City (The Moon and Antarctica)
6. The View (Good News For People Who Love Bad News)
7. Trucker's Atlas (The Lonesome Crowded West)
8. Bukowski (Good News For People Who Love Bad News)
9. Bankrupt On Selling (The Lonesome Crowded West)
10. Whenever You Breathe Out (Building Nothing Out Of Something)
11. Tundra-Desert (This Is A Long Drive For Someone)

Songs will be coming back soon...I promise.