Best of the Decade

lauravand: RT @Julz422: "I wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy..." Who doesn't?

Ah, Twitter. It has quickly become a mainstay in our blip-enduced culture. I figured I would include that reference so that you would

a) Follow us on twitter. We're the up and coming commentary on pop, I can feel it.

b) because I did, in fact, wake up feeling like P. Diddy this morning. I braved the snow-pocalypse last night to go Julia's Christmas party (the bond amongst pop bloggers is a strong one) and woke up in my party clothes. I imagine this is the way P. Diddy feels on a regular basis. (However, unlike P. Diddy I don't have a G-5 at my beck and call. Shoutout here to amazing friends who helped dig my car out of the snow.)

and

c) It's symbolic and stuff. You'll see.

Upon reading Julia's albums of the decade, I was having difficulty writing my own. Singles of the decade, I could do. Emerging artists of the decade? Yes.

There have been several articles that have debated about what to call this decade of the (200_'s) Among names suggested are the Oughts, the Noughts, the Oh's, the Two Thousands, and more cutesy ones like the "Oughties" or the "Noughties".

The one I especially liked was a suggestion called the Singles. Not just the single digit years, but also a commentary on our music scene as well. With the availability of iTunes, Shazaam, Pandora, and song-tagging, it's become much easier to pick and choose single tracks. What was the last album that you bought a hard copy of? How often do you actually open the CD case and put in a whole CD? Why not just plug in someone's iPod? We're a culture that skims, no longer reads. We've been Twitter-fied.

Are you still with me?

On the occasion that you DO buy an album, it feels intimate. It's a commitment. You are hearing the unreleased songs, the songs that 96% of the public is not hearing. And if the artist writes their own material, it's an almost voyeuristic look into what has happened to them, the way that they think, the way they put things into words.

And so, as we near the end of this decade, I think it's only right to pay tribute to the albums. It's not clear for how much longer they will be our chosen format.

In no particular order...

1. Eminem- The Eminem Show.

Eminem AKA Slim Shady AKA Marshall Mathers quickly established a public persona that was rebellious and vulgar in the late nineties. But reading through the lyrics on this album, it was evident that he took all of his issues and poured them with a vengeance into his songs. They are masterfully crafted, and powerfully executed. Dealing with everything from his messy relationship with his wife, to the pressures of the spotlight, to his evident abouding love for his daughter, this album paints a picture of a complex, self-aware artist that keeps his business very close to the surface. There's the gangster that will shoot you. There is the jilted, bitter lover. The doting father. Not only did I find myself thinking of him as a good guy who's gone through a lot, but his lyrical prowess is unmistakeable.

Although not from the same album, it should also be mentioned that the song "Lose Yourself" went on to become the longest-running rap single. So awesome to see an underdog master the artform and become the new standard. They study his lyrics in songwriting classes at Berklee. The man is a genius.

2. John Mayer - Room For Squares

Who can forget "No Such Thing" - (Shoutout to Dylan Galvin and Steve Colvin here) or "Your Body is a Wonderland"? His breathy voice and sweet lyrics made ladies swoon the world over. Little did we realize he was just putting us on with this album, and is actually an accomplished blues guitarist - don't even get me started on him. It also must be mentioned that Dylan and I (come see him open for the Understudies on March 3 at Wonderland Ballroom! #ShamelessPlug) covered every single song on this album, every week one summer at a bar we were too young to get into. Viva the Bad Fish Bar on the pier of Solomon's Island.

3. The Drumline Soundtrack

No really. This is a GREAT ALBUM. I did not purchase it, but I did borrow it. And it never left my player from the day I got it to the day I returned it. Nick Cannon, JC Chasez, Alicia Keys, the Jackson 5, and more. Great dance album. Also, the drum-battle arrangements make marching band seem like the most badass thing ever. Hmm... looks like I have a little iTunes credit left...

4. Parachutes by Coldplay

This album put them on the map with "Yellow." With songs like "We Never Change", "Trouble", "Don't Panic", "Shiver", and "Parachutes", this album is still my favorite one they've done. It's a quieter version of their now stadium-rock, but with everything we love about them still intact.

5. Little Voice - Sara Bareilles (Yep, Julia, You called this one.)

My initial impression of her was bubble-gum pop. "Love Song" was played on every radio station and the opening piano chords are instantly recognizeable. Liking her voice a lot, I looked at 30 second clips on iTunes and gravitated towards the song "City", which was sparse and thoughtful. I decided to purchase the whole album, which was THE best decision of the decade. Her accompaniment is complex, thoughtful, and masterful, yet never overpowers her text.

Have you ever come across a songwriter that is saying things you completely identify with? I actually stopped writing songs for a while after hearing this album. I felt she'd already said everything I wanted to say. Only she did it far more eloquently. And sexy to boot.

6. Mr. A-Z by Jason Mraz

Although by no means his biggest album, this one has some gems on it. Besides the singles of "Wordplay" and "Geek In The Pink", it was obvious he was writing this at a time when he was in love with singer-songwriter Tristan Prettyman. (Also one of my favorites.) And it seemed all of the songs looked at different sides of being in love. He explored the transcendent and spiritual in "Plane". The urgent and sexual in "O. Lover". The lonely and yearning in "Mr. Curiosity". Although they never hit the airwaves, these songs remain some of my favorites of his.

You should check out Jason and Tristan's duet "Shy That Way" - (off of Tristan's album twentythree.) It's easy to see how they're styles complemented/influenced one another's. Sadly, they are no longer dating. Not so sadly, this might be because he is destined to marry me.

7. Anna Nalick- Wreck of the Day

You remember "Breathe(2 A.M.)" But the rest of this girl's album was pretty darn good. Her voice, while not always polished, was always honest. And back in the days of AIM away messages that are pink and have cryptic song lyrics (oh-HO yes, 2005) her lyrics seemed to particularly echo my own mentalities. The whole album had a theme of "I haven't gotten it right yet, but by George, I'm trying." It was self-deprecating and optimistic at the same time. Although she never had anything else hit the radio, this album didn't leave my CD player for a long, long time.

8. Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope

"Fidelity"! Ahh! "Samson"! Mmmmm. "Apres Moi"! Oooo. This girl is all about making noises with her voice. Forget prettifying anything. Her piano accompaniments are sometimes epic, sometimes scant, but always make her point. I feel connected to her and proud when her avant-guarde material hits the public eye on talk shows and movie soundtracks. She's got a lifelong fan in me.

9. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black.

Have you ever heard the saying "You've gotta suffer to sing the blues"? I think Amy Winehouse epitomizes that. She's got a lot going on (and if you read all of her lyrics about alcohol, cheating, etc., you probably weren't surprised). But she pours all of it into this voice that is unmistakeably soulful. Her somewhat nasal placement is balanced by her deep open throatiness to give us a voice that cannot be stopped and hearkens back to Motown. Listening to this album granted me the epiphany that I didn't have to try to "prettify" my voice or my songs. I can very clearly tell whether songs I've written are pre- or post-Winehouse.

10. Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor.

I don't even need to explain this one. A win for classically-trained, singing-songwriting, piano-playing girls everywhere. I hope she continues to go big, big places.


Every time I think about this post, I get stressed out that I'm missing something huge. I loved Justified by Justin Timberlake. And Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American. Zach Braff's Garden State Soundtrack introduced me to some new favorites like the Shins, and Colin Hay, which I have yet to fully catch up on. (Come to think of it, what was I thinking putting the Drumline Soundtrack on this list?? There, you see how stressful this is?) I discovered several albums IN this past decade that were actually recorded earlier, like some by Lauryn Hill and Alice in Chains. I'm enamored with Gaga, Kate Nash, and the Fray, but I confess I don't have their albums. So I'm stopping here, wishing everyone a happy 2010 (How do we say it? Two thousand ten? Twenty-ten?) and hoping for several more amazing albums to come.

Now as for the singles?

"Easy" by Paula DeAnda is my #1, top-played guilty pleasure iTunes purchase of the decade. I'm not ashamed. #SongsIHaveNoReasonToLike

Now, let me go tweet this link.