From Blown Speakers

Wednesday, December 22, 2021
i'm sick of this brave new world

2001 - Spoon - Anything You Want

Spoon and also the Walkmen (who have a couple These were close) are two of my favourite bands that, for a long time, I never would've identified as two of my favourite bands. They just sort of existed, kinda quietly putting out solid records. Spoon's still doing it.

A note on one of my other favourite songs from '01: I haven't listened to a lot of Ryan Adams since all that shit about him came out. No shade if you still do. It's not like he's R. Kelly or something. But when I started listening to all my LPs A-Z last year, I just kinda skipped over his solo records. Especially with most of the songs being mopey love songs, it was hard not to think, "ok, but this guy's a fucking asshole!" But Liz and I were at an outdoor party in the Summer and "The Ballad of Carol Lynn" came on what I'm pretty sure was just some Spotify "alt-country" playlist and man, do I still love that song.

These were close: Whiskeytown - The Ballad of Carol Lynn, Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Art Star, Constantines - Young Offenders, The Strokes - Someday, The Avalanches - Since I Left You

2002 - Wilco - Jesus, Etc.

I was working in the (aforementioned) Music World in Landsdowne Mall when the actual physical version of this album was released. We used to be able to bring home the promos once they left the rotation that Music World's head office set. But also, my manager sent me home with this about 6-weeks before it was supposed to rotate because I played it so much when I was on shift, that she was sick of hearing it.

I didn't really know anything about Wilco before Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, even though they'd been a band for 7 or so years before, but I just immersed myself in their catalogue after hearing this record. They remain one of my absolute favourite bands and I can't even remember how many times I've seen them (or Tweedy solo) in the two decades since.

These were close: LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge, The Walkmen - We've Been Had, Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen-Year Old Girl, Clipse - Grindin', Destroyer - Hey, Snow White

2003 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

"Bang" and "Art Star" both still rock, but they were both so brash (and funny!) that I wasn't really ready for "Maps" (or even "Y Control" for that matter) ringing in the last half of Fever to Tell. There was still that hypnotic drumming and the weirdo guitar lines, but also this sweet lil' love song that got tons of MTV play (their 2004 MTV Awards rendition is still one of my favourite TV performances of all time).

A note on one of my other favourites from '03: "Young Lions" is easily the song I've walked down the street bellowing in the wee hours of the morning, while extremely drunk... which is a weird thing to know and I can't think of what would be second, but I can remember (kinda) multiple occasions where I stumbled home belting it out.

These were close: Cat Power - Good Woman, Songs: Ohia - Just Be Simple, The New Pornographers - Testament to Youth in Verse, Constantines - Young Lions, Jason Collett - Bitter Beauty, The Exploding Hearts - Sleeping Aides and Razor Blades, The Concretes - You Can't Hurry Love

2004 - The Killers - All These Things That I've Done

I don't really even like the Killers that much (though I certainly don't actively dislike them) and "Mr. Brightside" is pretty obviously the better song, but this one's gone from "sounds enough like an upbeat Spiritualized ripoff" to a song I can't get enough of.

I think I had "The Rat" penciled in here first and then realized that I've listened to "All These Things..." way more the last couple years, which is probably something I would've been embarrassed about back when I used to write here more, which is the embarrassing thing now, to be honest.

These were close: The Walkmen - The Rat, The Hold Steady - Positive Jam, The Streets - Fit But You Know It (remix), Autlolux - Turnstile Blues, Saturday Looks Good to Me - Since You Stole My Heart, Mirah - We're Both So Sorry, Mastodon - Blood and Thunder, Kanye West - We Don't Care, The Icarus Line - Party The Baby Off, Feist - Mushaboom, Elliott Smith - Angel in the Snow

2005 - Sleater-Kinney - Modern Girl

The Woods is still my favourite record of all time and this is my favourite song on it.

These were close: Bright Eyes - Landlocked Blues, The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend, The New Pornographres - Jackie, Dressed in Cobras, Fiery Furnaces - Here Comes the Summer, Wolf Parade - This Heart's on Fire, Leah Abramson - Letters to B., Constantines - Soon Enough, Cadence Weapon - Oliver Square, Ciara feat. Ludacris - Oh

now playing: The Walkmen - The Rat

posted by Quinn @ 2:19 a.m. Comments:0

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