The 55 Best Albums of 2014 (1-11)

At the end of the day, the top albums came down to the ones I found myself listening to the most.  There were albums I respected but I never had the urge to play, so they ended up lower on the list.  These were the albums that kept finding themselves in my heavy rotation.  These albums deserve top billing. Probably the biggest surprise here is the U2 album.  I have no idea why so many people criticized its delivery method.  People have been complaining that the old system doesn't work anymore; labels and bands need to try new things.  U2 did. They gave the fans exactly what they asked for and the people still complained.  People didn't complain this much about Zooropa (which deserved it). My favorite criticism of the band is now they're corporate.  I hate to break it to you all, any band on a record label is corporate. U2 took a risk and I commend them for it. I'd rather a band take a risk and fail then play it safe and be ordinary.  If people stopped complaining and listened, they might actually be surprised. Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2014 (1-11):

1.  Broken Bells - After the Disco
2.  Antemasque - Antemasque
3.  Eagulls - Eagulls
4.  TV On The Radio - Seeds
5.  White Sea - White Sea
6.  Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
7.  Cheatahs - Cheatahs
8.  Jack White - Lazaretto
9.  James Vincent McMorrow - Post-Tropical
10. Run The Jewels - RTJ2
11. U2 - Songs of Innocence

  Buy all of these albums and more...now!!  

The 11 Best Songs By TV On the Radio

It's December, which means it's time for the onslaught of best of lists.  They've been pouring on hot and heavy over the past few days.  I will get to my annual best of list this week...including my massive 111 best of list with help from all you pretty people.  But I like to wait a couple weeks and scour other "best of" lists in case there's an album out there I've missed.  You never know...the new Smashing Pumpkins and Charli XCX are supposedly pretty epic.  Here's the last of my catch-up list My first introduction to TV on The Radio was on a bachelor party trip about 10 years ago.  Strangely, that marriage is over but TVOTR is still rocking stronger than ever.  When I first heard the feedback-laden caterwaul that would become TVOTR's staple sound it made my skin crawl in the way a trailer for an exciting new movie can give you a rush.  (think the Millenium Falcon racing onto the screen in the new Star wars trailer)  Sadly, I was the only one on the trip who loved what we were listening to.  After three songs from Desparate Youth, the guys in the car voted to remove the CD and move onto something more palpable like...Dave Matthews (yes, it was hell).  All I wanted to do was get home so I could listen to the album...but I was stuck at the bachelor party enduring fancy dinners, drinking, and strip clubs.  Even though Tom Petty may disagree, the waiting isn't always the hardest part. Here are the 11 Best Songs By TV On The Radio:

1. Dancing Choose (Dear Science)
2. Wolf Like Me (Return To Cookie Mountain)
3. Staring at the Sun (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
4. Crying (Dear Science)
5. Second Song (Nine Types of Light)
6. Dreams (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
7. DLZ (Dear Science)
8. Hours (Return To Cookie Mountain)
9. No Future Shock (Nine Types of Light)
10. Halfway Home (Dear Science)
11. Don't Love You (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

Buy TV On The Radio's new album, Seeds!!! Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!  (featuring TV On The Radio)

The 11 Best songs By TV on the Radio

I had a long discussion with a co-worker at the perks of buying a CD and why it means something.  He hates CDs and thinks they're a waste of space.  Why should he buy 12 mediocre songs when he only wants the 1 good song he likes?  I suggested maybe he should stop listening to bands who only have one good song.  That didn't go over too well.  But this is my reason for buying a CD or vinyl.  Owning a CD is like owning a physical piece of the band.  It's a physical connection to the music.  It's your personal portal into the world the band created.  And that piece of the band is always mine.  No one can ever take that away.  It's almost like owning a piece or art.  As much as it means something to hold it in your hands, it's a visual companion to the music.  The pictures, the lyrics,...most of which can always be found online...but the construction of the booklet, even the CD package itself...it means something.

The era of the album isn't dead.  It'll be back.  CDs may disappear...but something will come to take their place.  Music changes and evolves...so will the industry that distributes it to our ears.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By TV on the Radio:

1.      Wolf Like Me (Return To Cookie Mountain)

2.      Dancing Choose (Dear Science)

3.      Staring At the Sun (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

4.      Stork & Owl (Dear Science)

5.      Dreams (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

6.      Hours (Return To Cookie Mountain)

7.      DLZ (Dear Science)

8.      New Health Rock (New Health Rock EP)

9.      Crying (Dear Science)

10.  Blues From Down Here (Return To Cookie Mountain)

11.  I Was A Lover (Return To Cookie Mountain)

Buy TV on the Radio's new album, Nine Types of Light...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By TV on the Radio

It seems to the be the year of the side project/solo album:  Gayngs, Tired Pony, Broken Bells, Dead Weather, Junip, S. Carey and about a dozen more solo albums.  Looks like TV on the Radio does not want to be left out of the trend.  David Sitek has put out his own side project called Maximum Balloon.  After a few listens, this might the best one yet. 

Believe it or not this is the third side project from TV on the Radio.  Kyp Malone put out his band's debut last year called Rain Machine.  Tunde Adebimpe has CD/DVD out under the name Fake Male Voice.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By TV on the Radio:

1.  Wolf Like Me (Return To Cookie Mountain)
2.  Dancing Choose (Dear Science)
3.  Staring At the Sun (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
4.  Stork & Owl (Dear Science)
5.  Dreams (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
6.  Hours (Return To Cookie Mountain)
7.  DLZ (Dear Science)
8.  New Health Rock (New Health Rock EP)
9.  Crying (Dear Science)
10.  Blues From Down Here (Return To Cookie Mountain)
11.  I Was A Lover (Return To Cookie Mountain)


Buy the debut album from Maximum Balloon....now!!

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (34-44)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (34-44):

34. TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (2006)
- No album felt as obscure as TV's sophomore release. And no obscure album ever rocked this hard. It was like the band knew that rock was growing stale and they were going to show us all how it was done...the right way.

35. Feist - Let It Die (2005)
- Feist's debut played like a classic album. With one half original work and one half covers, Feist followed in the footsteps of her vocal idols who commonly did this on their albums. The result was an emotionally rich tapestry that had as maturity as it did youth.

36. Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales (2000)
- Since JJ's break into commercial success, I think everyone has forgotten how much indie cred he scored on his debut. This was one of those albums that spread through word of mouth...in the way good music is supposed to succeed. Years after its release it was still gaining momentum. none of his other albums are as true as this one...and the reason why this one lands so high on this list.

37. Coldplay - Viva La Vida (2008)
- If the 80s had Joshua Tree...then the 00s get Viva La Vida. Yeah...that's right, I'm comparing the epic 80s U2 album to Coldplay. Like JT, VLV was a statement. It was Coldplay thinking big and not holding back. One million people logged into the website at 4 in the morning to grab the first song, "Violet Hill." If you get that much buzz doing anything, you're doing something right.

38. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (2006)
- There's no argument that Amy is a trainwreck and maybe she's one of those people who shouldn't be a star. That doesn't mean her album sucked. Quite the opposite. Most people were blown away after first hearing her...especially when they found she was a Jewish kid from England...and not some songstress from the Bronx. Her vocal range puts to shame anyone who has stepped on the American Idol stage. Folks...this is how it's done.

39. The Frames - The Cost/The Once Soundtrack (2007)
- This is the only true cheat on the list. It was hard to choose between the two since The Once Soundtrack is really just a recreation of The Cost. And without the strength of the Cost...the movie Once would have never been as good or as successful...they would have never won an Oscar...making the Soundtrack more notable, which in turn helped the original album. Get it? (People Get Ready)

40. Danger Mouse - The Grey Album (2004)
- A true landmark album. Was it proof that the Beatles were the greatest rock band of all time...or that Jay-Z was the best rapper? Or was it a combination of a brutal one-two musical punch? It took balls for Danger Mouse to be so confindent to use the Beatles...and it took a lawyer to keep him from getting his pants sued off. It was one of those albums that everyone had to hear...and there was no way to hear it. But if you were lucky enough to find a friend of a friend who could burn it for you...you were not disappointed. (Encore)

41. Kings of Leon - Because The Times (2007)
- The Kings third album feels like a wild party. It starts off mild enough...but with every track, it escalates to a new level of rowdiness. There's a definitely drunken stupor that permeates through the tracks...and an uncertainity of which song will be coming up behind the next corner. This isn't just an album...it's an experience...and one that leaves you with a great feeling just like a wild party worth remembering.

42. Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)
- Though the brainchild of Damon Albarn of Blur...the truth is the band doesn't really exist. In fact, they are a purely virtual band...and the best selling virtual band of all time. (19-2000)

43. Weezer - The Green Album (2001)
- Very few bands are ever able to come back from the dead. But no one did it with more style and more pure kick ass lightning in a bottle than this Harvard alum. The whole album clocks in at a mere 28 minutes...shorter than most Timo Maas remixes. But it's not the size that matters...it's how you use it. (Photograph)

44. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (2002)
- Spoon really became indie rock's little brother over the decade. Though they came out of the underground...more than anyone. They've spent most of the deceade flirting with big time commercial success...but staying just under the surface. All the while, Britt Daniel continued writing rock solid songs. This second album on Merge exhibits the evolution of their style...that wouldn't stop here.

Buy these albums now...yes...right now!!

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 Albums of 2008 (Part 5)

At the end of the day, my decision on this top 11 came down to one thing...listenability. Which albums held up to repeat listens... Which albums didn't get dated by the 3rd spin... Which albums still sounded fresh a month after the novelty wore off... Which albums I felt confident recommending to friends...

Bon Iver's album became that one album that stood above the others. It's the one album I kept going back to...the one album I could listen to on repeat...the one album that reminded me why I love music so much...

The 11 Best Albums of 2008:

1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Flume - Daytrotter)
2. Beck - Modern Guilt (only $5.00)
3. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
4. She and Him - Volume One (Get Free)
5. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (Dying Is Fine - Daytrotter)
6. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
7. TV on the Radio - Dear Science (only $5.00)
8. Coldplay - Viva La Vida (only $5.00)
9. Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
10. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
11. Little Joy - Little Joy

The 11 Best Songs of 2008

I'm excited to try out this Amazon Widget a bit more...so I'm jumping the gun on the Best albums of the year and moving forward to the Best Songs of the year. I've installed all the songs on the widget...so take a listen. The widget is the app in the right side bar that says "Best Songs of 2008." Just click it to listen.

Here are the 11 Best Songs of 2008:

1. Kids - MGMT (Oracular Spectacular)
2. Dancing Choose - TV on The Radio (Dear Science)
3. Grapevine Fires - Death Cab For Cutie (Narrow Stairs)
4. I Stand Corrected - Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend)
5. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon (Only By The Night)
6. Ghosts Under Rocks - Ra Ra Riot (The Rhumb Line)
7. Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady (Stay Positive)
8. Discipline - Nine Inch Nails (The Slip)
9. That Was Just Your Life - Metallica (Death Magnetic)
10. Everybody Here Is A Cloud - Cloud Cult (Feel Good Ghosts)
11. Viva La Vida - Coldplay (Viva La Vida)

I never do this but...Honorable Mentions:

Chemtrails - Beck (Modern Guilt)
Wreck My Flow - the dirtbombs (We Have Your Surrounded)
Hearts on Fire - Cut Copy (In Ghost Colours)
Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur - Sigur Ros (Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust)
Prostitute - Guns N Roses (Chinese Democracy)

I've also created my own MP3 store on Amazon...so check it out. I should have the widget up shortly. Many of the albums are only $5.00 right now (like Beck, Ra Ra Riot, Death Cab, Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Metallica, Killers, Fleet Foxes, Coldplay)

The 11 Best TV on The Radio Songs

I'm obsessed with bonus tracks. Any rare or unreleased track from a band I love, I will hunt to the end of the earth and pay thousands of dollars just to hear a 30 second clip. If I heard Nirvana covered Bruce Springsteen's Cover Me and it's only available on 8-track tape in Montana...I'd be checking flights to Helena within seconds. But I think lately bands are taking this specialty to an annoying end. This week sees the release of some major albums: Kings of Leon, TV on the Radio, the Cold War Kids and Jenny Lewis. All but Jenny have albums coming out with bonus tracks. But where can you buy these tracks? Itunes has many of them. But not all...TV on the Radio has an extra track Dogs of Light on itunes...but not amazon and instead has a song called Non-musical silence. Kings of Leon has one bonus track at itunes and a 2CD set at Target. Cold War kids has a bonus track at itunes...and supposedly a different one at emusic. The problem is that each track is exclusive...you can't buy the album at one place than the special track at the other. You want the bonus tracks...you have to buy the whole album! It doesn't make it more exciting...just more frustrating. And the record labels wonder why people illegally download music.

The 11 Best TV on The Radio Songs:

1. Wolf Like Me (Return To Cookie Mountain)

2. Staring At the Sun (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

3. Blues From Down Here (Return To Cookie Mountain)

4. Satelite (Young Liars)

5. New Health Rock (New Health Rock)

6. Dreams (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

7. Hours (Return To Cookie Mountain)

8. Snakes and Martyrs (Return To Cookie Mountain)

9. The Wrong Way (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

10. Dirtywhirl (Return To Cookie Mountain)

11. Province (Return To Cookie Mountain)

Buy TV on the Radio's new album, Dear Science.