Defining albums of the naughties.Music

[Prosthetic]

I personally think Mastodon's - Leviathan (2004) has to be up there.

After this album many other hard rock bands with progressive influences started to take hints from Mastodon to appeal to a larger audience. Although it was an amazing album it started an ugly trend. Either more bands wanted to a bigger audience or they wanted to be as awesome as Mastodon who knows but it surely had a huge effect on the scene.

 

[Alex.]

Right here goes:

Lady GaGa - The Fame
The Killers - Sam's Town
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Eminem - Encore
Greenday - American Idiot

 

[Public'sTwin]

Right here goes:

Lady GaGa - The Fame
The Killers - Sam's Town
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Eminem - Encore
Greenday - American Idiot

I would agree with a couple of those, but I honestly can't think of one person who likes, respects, or thinks Encore has any resonance at all.

IMO, The Eminem Show was much more relevant. On another note, I think GaGa will come to be more associated with the 2010s, as she was virtually unknown in 2008 and only came to prominence around May of '09. (Hardly representative of 00's - I see her as more of a byproduct of the pop kings/queens of Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Brittney Spears, Gwen Stefani etc & the rise of indie music as an actual genre. In case no one knows, she's a total hipster at heart.) Also, insert random Muse album here.

 

[Alex.]

Fair enough man. I need to make sure people know I'm not listing my personal favorites there too! I just seem to remember people going crazy about the ones I posted, perhaps with the exception of Viva la Vida

 

[Sureboss]

I think Viva did quite well, but maybe not as defining as X&Y from Coldplay.

I'm going to nominate In Your Honour by the Foos as a defining album from the noughties. Two very distinctly different sounds with the 2nd side being completely acoustic, this part is the bit I want to highlight, with some performances from Norah Jones and JP Jones in the acoustic side they create some exceptional acoustic tracks, showing a very different side to a very talented band.

The Best of You is iconic and the video for it was very emotional and clever.

The call, earlier, of Origin of Symmetry by Muse is good, too.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I third Origin of Symmetry and would add Resistance by Muse also. American Idiot I also second.

 

[Public'sTwin]

Fair enough man. I need to make sure people know I'm not listing my personal favorites there too! I just seem to remember people going crazy about the ones I posted, perhaps with the exception of Viva la Vida

I would concur - these are albums I would list as the most talked about or publicized. People were hailing Viva La Vida as some small milestone in rock, but it quickly fell out of favor. I would put it in a "defining" list simply because of the amount of hype it received. Personally, I can't think of many "defining" albums that I also happen to like. I'm not sure what that says about my tastes or the state of pop culture at the moment. . .

 

[ExigeEvan]

I think Viva did quite well, but maybe not as defining as X&Y from Coldplay.

I'm going to nominate In Your Honour by the Foos as a defining album from the noughties. Two very distinctly different sounds with the 2nd side being completely acoustic, this part is the bit I want to highlight, with some performances from Norah Jones and JP Jones in the acoustic side they create some exceptional acoustic tracks, showing a very different side to a very talented band.

The Best of You is iconic and the video for it was very emotional and clever.

I love Foo Fighters, but really? The acoustic stuff may have shown that hey, they can play acoustic stuff, but it was in my opinion mostly uninspiring. I appreciate more of the acoustic stuff you find mixed into ESP&G (for example Stranger Things have Happened).

And Best of You... well....

 

[TopHat]

Nominating the ludicrously good album Scrambles by Bomb The Music Industry. Anyone who wants in on that mess, it's available for free at quoteunquoterecords.com. Seriously, go download it now if you like punk at all.

 

[Only_in_f1]

I think St. Elsewhere 2006 by Gnarls Barkley was a very popular album. I remember the song 'Crazy' being everywhere for a period of time.

Lungs 2008 by Florence and the Machine has come more to prominence recently but its a rather old album.

Both Calvin Harris albums 'I Created Disco' 2007 and 'Ready For the Weekend', 2009 more so the first, have been very influential in both pop and hip hop in recent years.

The Killers and Hot Fuss 2004 was a defining album for me. With such a fantastic debut by this American Band it stuck in minds and hearts for many a year. The follow up. Sam's Town 2006 sticks for many reasons, but I think with such a brilliant debut album that should be the defining one.

These Streets was also the debut of Paolo Nutini. 2006. It has a few song's which have been etched into the British culture.

Feeder have a couple of entries for this one. The breakthrough, Echo Park, 2001, the follow up, Comfort in Sound, 2002 or later along the line with Pushing the Senses 2005.
Echo Park was a very strong album from Feeder with songs such as Buck Rodgers and Seven Days in the Sun, however after the death of Jon Lee the drummer, Comfort in Sound was a very mellow album with Just the Way I'm Feeling, Comfort in Sound and Forget about Tomorrow.
Pushing the Senses contained such songs as Feeling the Moment, Tumble and Fall and Pushing the senses.
However maybe Feeders greatest contribution to the naughties will be the 'best of' album, The Singles, 2006.

I think Blink 182 are worth a mention. Despite not having success such as Enema of the State 1999, the last two album's, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket 2001 and the self titles Blink 182 did have a big contribution on the early naughties.

Origin of Symmetry 2001, Absolution 2003, Black Holes and Revelations 2006 and The Resistance 2009 need no introduction.
All 4 are masterpieces of their own introducing a new view of music. Plug in Baby, New Born, Stockholm Syndrome, Time is Running Out, Supermassive Black Hole, Stralight and Resistance. The list goes on. I think Muse have been a very influential band on the naughties.

I think Oasis and Heathen Chemistry 2000 deserves a mention as I believe it is let last good album they did and it seems to show the last of the 'BritPop' 90's era, despite this it is still a very good album.

Demon Days by Gorillaz and American Idiot by Green Day have been mentioned and are very worthy.

Eminem and Encore was a very definitive album too along with all 4 Coldplay albums, Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y and Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.

My final nomination will be Arctic Monkeys with Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 2006.
This album took the public by storm and saw a rapid rise to acclaim through unconventional means of the internet.

While I go think and search my itunes i'll leave you with the above.

 

[Alex.]

In my opinion The Resistance is muse's best album. Those 3 chaps really pushed the boundaries with that. Who the hell thought to make The Exogenesis Symphony...on a rock album? Matthew Bellamy I would imagine, God yes. Very worthy of a mention or 10 in this thread for sure.

 

[Max Powers]

Radiohead - Kid A

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

Jay-Z - The Black Album Not his best work, but it set a mold for mainstream rap for a while.

Jurassic 5 - Quality Control Just as the black album set the mold for mainstream rap, J5 paved the way for the non gangsta rap in the 00s

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP His most complete album IMO. Combined a lot of mainstream appeal and just as much controversy.

Blink 182 - Enema of State Yeah, it was in 99 but they spawned so many pop punk bands over the years, and brought the bubblebum punk genre into the mainstream. Albums don't have to be great to be defining.

Yeah I'm sure I can come up with a ton more but that's just off the top of my head.

 

[astrosdude91]

The defining albums of the naughties? Hmm...
My choices:

Arcade Fire- Funeral:

Arcade Fire- Neon Bible:

Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix:

Red Hot Chili Peppers- By The Way:

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Stadium Arcadium:

 

[stumpydino]

its quite easy to confuse this with a 'favourites of 00s', but trying to stick to this, some of these im not too fond of but i did think they were significant.

queens of the stone age - songs for the deaf

death from above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
one album band with cult following, mostly after they split

arctic monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

the mars volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
really really gone down hill since but it did seem totally fresh this one.

snow patrol - Final Straw
something bearable in the charts, whatever next

tenacious d!
who doesnt know all the words?

the killers - hot fuss
some huge huge songs on this

mgmt - Oracular Spectacular
wasnt really fond of most of the album but these guys and empire of the sun had a neat sound

sigur ros - takk
seemed to bring more people around to the idea of peaceful but powerful post rock

i did think the klaxons - Myths of the Near Future, and the editors - The Back Room and a perfect circle would do better but i couldnt really think of much hype or influence they created, despite doing good music.

 

[Fastas]

Right here goes:
....Coldplay - Viva La Vida.......

I think Viva did quite well, but maybe not as defining as X&Y from Coldplay.

I think of all the Coldplay albums the first one - Parachutes was the most influential. The appeal of this album was massive and bridged every generation. It made their name and produced a handful of top selling singles too.

I think the group lost something after this album and rode the success from it for the whole decade. They never really moved on from it musically and ended up churning out the same-sound on subsequent releases When they weren't ripping off other peoples tunes).

 

[Prosthetic]

tenacious d!
who doesnt know all the words?

Me.

 

[stumpydino]

i meant of course, apart from mr happy.

I think of all the Coldplay albums the first one - Parachutes was the most influential. The appeal of this album was massive and bridged every generation. It made their name and produced a handful of top selling singles too.

I think the group lost something after this album and rode the success from it for the whole decade. They never really moved on from it musically and ended up churning out the same-sound on subsequent releases When they weren't ripping off other peoples tunes).

i agree, total pap by viva la vida

 

[Smallhorses]

Sadly as much as we all hate it, the defining sounds of the noughties, and the stuff that's had most radio airtime and chart success, is bundled under the kind of dross produced by one of Simon Cowell's many "crap-pop" production lines such as "Pop Idol" or "X-Factor". However, as much of a money-spinner as these are temporarily, there's no longevity to their music and I doubt they'll be looked upon as favourably in decades to come.

That said, here's a list of some of my favourite, and I believe defining, sounds of the noughties:

Keane - Hopes And Fears (2004)

A different kind of pop sound emerged when Keane arrived, sans guitars and quickly became popular for their piano-driven tunes.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (2004)

One of the frontrunners of the neo-Punk musical movement, their original album, and the 2 subsequent offerings have been a delight to listen to and indeed to behold live too.

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (2003)

Sometimes tranquil, sometimes frenetic but always a compelling listen. There's no vocals, but the mood of the music tells a story by itself, from the quiet beginnings through screaming crescendos and emotive climaxes.

Thievery Corporation - The Richest Man In Babylon (2002)

Awesome mellow vibe from the East Coast DJs.

Glasvegas - Glasvegas (2008)

Picture the raw musical emotion of Explosions In The Sky but with lyrics performed by The Proclaimers and you're somewhere close! The Noughties was a great decade for Scottish music and Glasvegas are yet another offering. No-one else quite has their strong 'Wegie accents, or at least if they do, they don't sing in them!!!

Doves - Lost Souls (2000)

Born from the '90s dance act Sub Sub, the band was formed in 1998 and debuted with Lost Souls in 2000. Fantastic guitar-driven music continuing a long tradition from Manchester.

Orbital - Blue Album (2004)

Their last release before they split (though they've now reformed and are playing live again, and are well worth seeing if you get chance!) this album represents some of their best work, especially the epic "One Perfect Sunrise". Perfect electronica from some of the Gurus of this genre.

Easy Star All-Stars - Dub Side Of The Moon (2003)

Take a previous decade-defining album and add a Reggae/Rasta twist to it, won't be everyone's cup of tea, and some die-hard Floyd fans may call it sacrilege, but well worth a listen. (I'm a huge Floyd fan by the way, and I appreciate the fun side of this project.) The All-Stars also produced a version of Radiohead's "OK Computer" album called "Radiodread" in which they do a pretty good job of putting a happier dub-reggae slant onto the somewhat morose (but great) original Radiohead sound.