According to Redditors, Here Are The Best Albums of 2000

Photo from Wikipedia

Recently on the subreddit Music, dirkdiggin asked, "What are, in your opinion, the best 10 albums of the 2000s?" With over 200 responses, he then organized all the results into a list of albums that were mentioned multiple times.

The results being:

"

Most popular:
*Radiohead - Kid A
*The Strokes - Is This It?
*Arcade Fire - Funeral
*Kanye West - The College Dropout

Very popular:
*LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
*Gorillaz - Demon Days
*Radiohead - In Rainbows
*The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
*The White Stripes - Elephant
*Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
*Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
*Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
*Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
*Green Day - American Idiot

Popular:
*Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
*Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
*Madvillain - Madvillainy
*MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
*Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
*Daft Punk - Discovery
*Outkast - Stankonia
*Modest Mouse - The Moon& Antarctica
*Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not
*Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
*Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
*Interpol - Turn on The Bright Lights
"

I've included with each album, a link to them on Discogs or Amazon, which ever was cheaper at the time of this post, in case you wanted to add any of them to your collection. I know in my own I have Kid A, Funeral, Sound of Silver, Good News, Illinois, Discovery, Stankonia, In Rainbows, and Moon & Antarctica. You bet your buns I am looking to get my hands on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (if I can find it for cheap), College Dropout (lost multi ebay bids), Whatever People Say I am, Turn on The Bright Lights, and Wolfgang Amadeus. If you can get your hands on a copy of Demon Days, I tip my hat you. 

Hope these sparked back some past love affairs with artist. Happy hunting!

SOUNDTRACKED: David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

Although I like to shy away from classic albums, I made an exception in honor of the release of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. If I had the time I would do it on the 7" of Blue Swede's Hooked On A Feeling, which is available on Amazon for only $2. Instead I am doing it on David Bowie's alien rock star Ziggy Stardust and whose song is on Peter Quill's Mixtape in the Movie.

With so much history with this album, it's really hard to cover it all with just a post, so for more info check out it's wikipedia page for the Production, Back Story, and Reception of it all. But what's there to really say about this album. It opens with the solemn Five Years which tells the tale of the destruction of the Earth. Moonage Daydream can be found on Peter Quill's Mixtape, and maybe heard in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, a true glam rock song. The classic Bowie pop sound comes out with Starman. On the B-Side, you open with the beautiful piano playing of Lady Stardust. The rockabilly-esque sounds that drive Hang On to Yourself give the album a nice change of pace. Then your hit the big ones, Ziggy Stardust and Suffragette City, which you'll probably recognize right off the bat if you never listened to this album before. Ending the album is the what as known as the final collapse of Ziggy, Rock 'N' Roll Suicide, a perfect ending in his saga.

There's no need to convince you on why this is a great album since it's pretty much a classic. This album will probably set you back though, Amazon has it at $40.00 new, while most record shops have it for around $30. If you can swing it, it's well worth owning for your collection. And remember the back, it's "to be played at maximum volume."

PAIR WITH:

Original Artwork Brought To You By Fandango

This is an obvious choice, but you can check out the midnight showing of Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie stars Parks and Rec's Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Sci-Fi Princess Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Ex-Wrestler Dave Bautista as Drax, and Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper as the voices of Groot and Rocket Raccoon respectively. The movie is directed by James Gunn whose also done Silther and Super. It's easy to get lost in all the super hero movies, but if there's one thing Whedon's Avengers taught us is that, they make great summer movies. And be sure to check out Peter Quill's Awesome Mix Tape for more rock hits! Unavailable on vinyl (and more likely coming out on cassette), you can buy the mix cd on Amazon.

Check Fandango for movie showtimes and midnight showings in your area.

LOCALS ONLY: Free Omar Souleyman and De Lux Show Tomorrow

Photo From Wikipedia

As part of KCRW's Twilight Concert Series, Omar Souleyman and De Lux will be playing a free show tomorrow at the Santa Monica Pier. The show starts at 7:00pm but you'll probably want to get there an hour early to get a good spot and find parking. I haven't seen Omar Souleyman, but love his work. I have seen De Lux at First Fridays this year, and they put on a great show. De Lux is one of my new favorite artist as they really do feel like Talking Heads. Don't miss this show!

Gil Scott-Heron - Nothing New

Spoken word jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron has been an influence to many artists. I remember seeing him at Coachella '10 and then LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy dedicated Losing My Edge to him as we all screamed his name in unison. I will definitely cover his other albums down the line, but I wanted to talk about the RSD '14 release. Nothing New contains stripped down versions of his songs. It's a great intro album into his works, may he rest in peace.

The album is a XL Recordings release, the studio that put out Gil Scott-Heron's last studio album I'm New Here. It contains him doing re-recordings of stripped down renditions of his old songs with just him on the piano. It's hard to describe each song, as they are all soulful jazzier renditions of their original counterparts, filled with sorrow, pain, and beauty. Instead, I will go over the origins of each song. Opening is Did You Hear What They Said off the album Free Will. Better Days Ahead is from Secrets. Your Daddy Loves You is off of Winter In America. Pieces of a Man is off his debut album of the same name. Alien (Hold On To Your Dreams) is from a collaboration with Brian Jackson called 1980. 95 South (All The Places We've Been) is off Bridges. The Other Side is from Spirits and Blue Collar is from Moving Targets. Included are great little interludes of conversations between takes that make the album feel a little more alive. You can take this album almost as an Acoustic compilation that doesn't just focus on the greatest hits like The Revolution Won't Be Televised or Home Is Where the Hatred Is.

While this album was a Record Store Day exclusive, you can still find it various record stores and online. Amazon has it from unofficial (non-amazon) sellers for around $30 and also on eBay for around $24. This album is perfect for a rainy day or reading a book, and it's also a great intro into Gil Scott-Heron. 

LOCALS ONLY: Spoon Play Free Show at Amoeba

Hey LA!

If you missed out on tickets to Spoon's show at Hollywood Forever, you'll have another chance to see those Austin rockers! They're currently out touring for their new album They Want My Soul which will be released August 5th and will be playing Amoeba Hollywood on August 6th at 6pm. The line starts around 4pm on Ivar St and will probably fill up pretty fast. Amoeba has a pretty decent capacity, but they are known to turn away people for larger acts (I know my friends had trouble getting in late to see Iron and Wine play).

So if you can make it out early on a Wednesday, you should definitely check this show out.

FRESH OFF THE PRESS: Jenny Lewis - The Voyager

Sorry for the late post, but I just got back from Amoeba with this album in hand.

As everyone's favorite child actress turned folk indie rock Goddess, it's easy to see how Jenny Lewis has become pretty universally known. Since the hiatus of Rilo Kiley, Lewis has been busy working on solo albums, collaborations, tours and guest appearances. Excluding her 2010 duo album with boyfriend Johnathan Rice (aka the envy of all hispter guys and most girls) album I'm Having Fun Now, Lewis hasn't released a solo album since 2008. Where Acid Tongue left off with melodic down to earth folk, The Voyager comes back with enticing soulful pop that feels like a more experienced Rilo Kiley.

The album was produced by Ryan Adams (except Head Underwater and You Can't Outrun Them which was produced by Jenny and Johnny) and featuring guest spots from Lou Barlow (Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr.), Z Berg (The Like), Beck, the Section Quartet and many more. The opening song Head Underwater starts out as dreamy sorrowful pop song but then comes at you with enough energy to get your body moving or inspire a Kevin Bacon in a Warehouse dance breakdown. She's Not Mine has a bit of funk inspired grooves. The gender swapping single Just One of the Guys is a catchy dreamy song, and the music video is pretty great too. The rock anthem Slippery Slop feels very power driven. Late Bloomer really shows off her range and feels like a gritty ballad. On the B-Side, you start out with another gritty feeling song, You Can't Out Run 'Em, which could easily be a B-Side on Under the Blacklight. The New You is a great pop song that can fit right in the soundtrack of a coming of age chick flick (I say that as a compliment). Aloha & The Three Johns feels like something out of I'm Having Fun Now's b-sides, very playful. The simple beats and bass of Love U Forever will keep your feet taping. Closing the album is Voyager, which almost bookends what Head Underwater has opened up with another dreamy pop song that is a bit more up-lifting and more at peace with itself.

The one defining aspect of Jenny Lewis is her amazing voice. She can do pop, country jams, soul, or folk. Hell, I'd buy a metal album if she decided to do one. I was really excited about this release since it was announced, and I was not disappointed. A solid addition to any collection. You can buy the album or bundle at Jenny's official Warner Brothers Store, but the bundle no longer includes the Vinyl which can be purchased almost anywhere, but on Amazon for 22.99

BONUS PAIRING - Tour Dates

Don't forget that Jenny Lewis is also on tour right now. Click here for tour dates! And if you're from LA, be sure to check out her show at the Wiltern Aug 09 before she plays SF Outside Lands Fest.

Happy Hunting!

$1 BIN MONDAY: War - Why Can't We Be Friends

Rock, Jazz, Funk, R&B, and Reggae. These are the many genres that War can fall in to. While they have a vast discography, Why Can't We Be Friends is a great $1 bin find and great intro to War. As you can see, my copy is less then pristine, the gold tooth is more a scratched off grey, and didn't come with the Poster. But it plays amazing non-the-less.

Opening with Don't Let No One Get You Down, which is a sensual slow groove. Lotus Blossom is a even more soulful track. Heartbeat starts to picks things up and provides the classic War sound. Then is the transformative Leroy's Latin Lament which starts off soulful, but then explodes into a energetic latin jam, and then back again into a soulful piano and horn instrumental. Flipping to the B-Side is where the singles off the album shine. It starts off with the elevator-esque Smile Happy, which as far as waiting music goes, isn't half bad. Then the most powerful song on the album, So, which can get to  anyone who's been recently heartbroken. At this point you'll be saying, Oh the George Lopez theme. That's right Low Rider, which no matter how many times I've listened to it, still makes me picture George Lopez slow-mo jumping on a trampoline. In Mazatlan is another slow moving latin funk, maybe my least favorite track on the album to be honest. Ending it all is the ever so great Why Can't We Be Friends? which really needs no explanation on why it's great.

While there are definitely better War albums out there, this album is still pretty great and for only $1 is an awesome find. If you're a fan of funky sounds like Rick James or Sly & The Family Stone, you should definitely check out War. I found mine at the 99 cent sale at The Record Parlour in Hollywood, which is quite possibly my favorite record shop in LA.

Happy hunting.

EOTE SUNDAY: The Carpenters - A Song For You

Every Sunday I want to feature something that's "Easy on the Ears" listening. A good listen to relax and unwind one last time before the work week.

The sibling duo of Karen and Richard Carpenter are considered to many as the greatest soft rock musicians of all time. With so many beautiful melodic hits, it's no wonder that The Carpenters were at one time one of the best selling artists.

If you aren't familiar with the Carpenters, you'll definitely know enough songs off this album to say, "Oh this is them!" But don't be alarmed if it sounds off, as this album contains several covers along with songs that have been covered several times. Top Of The World is probably one of the most popular songs on the album and ironically was thought of by Richard Carpenter as not "commercially appealing" until it hit number 1 in Japan, in which they later re-released it as a single. Hurting Each Other, which was originally written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell and prior preformed by many other groups including Chad Allan and The Expressions, who would later become The Guess Who (who reached mainstream popularity again in Superbad as Michael Cera "soulfully" sang These Eyes). It's Going to Take Some Time is a Carole King cover, which even Carole King thought was done so elegantly that she said her version sounded like a demo. The A-Side ends on an Intermission track, which is a short little harmony letting you know it's time to flip, a nice touch you don't really get in the era of iTunes. The B-Side features the theme to the movie with the same title Blessed the Beasts and Children. The playful piano playing give Flat Baroque it's wonderful charm, and it's no wonder, since it was originally composed by Richard and John Bettis when they worked at Disneyland. I Won't Last a Day Without You is so beautifully sung by Karen Carpenter, that it inspired covers by Diana Ross and Barbara Streisand. The album comes full circle with a reprise of A Song For You.

You can score this album at a majority of your local record shops $1 bins. You can search online, but why bother. Half the fun of vinyl collecting is the hunt, so go out there and grab it.

Happy hunting.

Father John Misty - Fear Fun

Now this isn't the first release of J. Tillman. Aside from his work as the drummer of Fleet Foxes (be sure to listen to their self-titled if you haven't before) and Saxon Shore, he also has several solo albums under his name. But it really is Fear Fun that takes the cake.

The album is engineered by Jonathan Wilson, who brought us Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst Upside Down Mountain and played on albums like Jenny Lewis' Acid Tongue. The album features guest appearances from Keefus Ciancia, T-Bone Burnett collaborator, on the Piano and Sara Watkins (who's great, but what isn't she on) on the Fiddle. Also ex-band mate Casey Wescott of Fleet Foxes on bass and harpsichord. And I rarely talk about this, but another reason collectors love vinyl is for the album art, and this album really delivers (almost as good as his sweater). This really was one of my favorite albums of 2012.

Opening the album is slow but moving Funtimes in Babylon, which is about moving to Los Angeles, a great start to the album. The album itself is pretty LA-sentric, possibly about him leaving Seattle and to come down south. Hollywood Forever Sings is the haunting single, which to me, is very different then every other song on the album (in a good way). I don't know if he ever played Hollywood Forever as Father John Misty as that may be too on the nose, but it would be pretty epic non-the-less. Things get more playful with I'm Writing a Novel in both the tone and the lyrics. This is a great song to see live (and if you're lucky acoustic) as he is completely loose and free flowing with it. Flipping to the B-Side you start off with the beautiful ballad Only Son of the Ladiesman.  Now I'm Learning to Love the War is a great song about how you really can't win when it comes to being a saint. He gets super loose again with Tee Pees 1-2, a great rag time jam. Ending the album is the solum Everyman Needs a Companion, an testament to the loneliness that comes with LA after all the fun subsides.

If you like soulful folk pop, or live in LA this album is a must for your collection. You can get it on Amazon for $20 or ebay used for around $15. But this one should definitely be at your local record stores, so I would just pick it up there.

BONUS: A GOOD PAIRING (LOCALS ONLY)
A good pairing to buying this album would be seeing a movie and Father John Misty live and acoustic!

Friday Aug 8th at the Ace Theater in Downtown LA, Sundance Next Festival is showing Life After Beth, the zombie themed love story starting Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and Anna Kendrick. After the show, FJM will be doing a solo acoustic performance. I've seen FJM live 4 times now, twice with a band and twice solo, and I have to say that I loved him solo much better. He seems more loose and natural. But my friend who I went with to see him solo said he liked him better with his band. Regardless, he is an act you should definitely check out if you can!

More info here.

Also apart of this festival are Kumiko The Treasure Hunter and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night with a post show performance from Warpaint! Don't miss out.

LOCALS ONLY: LA Sales

Along with the Amoeba and Origami Vinyl sales this weekend, be sure to check out one of my favorite record shops, The Record Parlor, for their weekend sale:

"

SATURDAY, July 26^th

1. 1,000+ NEW ARRIVALS* coming out Tomorrow!

2. Bonus Buying Deals – While Quantities Last

• Spend $40 – Includes a FREE $20 Record Parlour 2014 Club Card
• Spend $60 – Includes a FREE $30 Record ParlourT-Shirt
• Spend $80 – Includes a FREE $40 Record Parlour LP Crate

3. FREE Concert Ticket Giveaways for Lucent Dossier on Saturday and Foxy Shazam next Thursday presented by Goldenvoice – Find them in our New Arrivals Section

"

They're great place to get awesome deals on used LPs. Super friendly staff and lots of great hidden gems (got a used ATLiens for $8!). I always go here after I get my haircut next door at Rudy's Barbershop. Their $1 bins have some really great finds!

LOCALS ONLY: The Internet Play Free Show Tonight

Hey LA,

Don't have anything to do tonight? Why not check out The Internet (aka Syd tha Kyd of Odd Future) play apart of FIGat7th Downtown Festival. Details Here.

Nothing like free live music on a Friday night! See you there.

FOLK FRIDAY: Steve Martin & Edie Brickell - Love Has Come For You

After starting this blog with two posts about some hard to find albums, I wanted to bring it back to its core with easy to find albums that don't break your wallet. Aside from that, I wanted to feature one of my favorite genres which I am dubbing Folk Friday, where I feature a folk/bluegrass/country/americana album.

You probably know Steve Martin from his movies The Jerk or Three Amigos, or his SNL or Muppets Show guest appearances. But way back in the beginning, Steve Martin used to do amazing stand up comedy with his trusty banjo. Check it out for yourself:

Any who, enough man-crushing on Steve Martin (not to mention Edie Brickell, wife of Paul Simon). Let's talk about the album.

The album mainly consists of Steve Martin on his Banjo and Edie Brickell's vocals, but also features a lot of guest appearances including Esperanza Spalding on bass, Sara and Sean Watkins on fiddle and acoustic guitar (respectively), and Robert "Waddy" Watchtel on electric and acoustic guitar! Opening things up is When You Get to Asheville, a beautiful song that puts a modern twist on long distance relationships. Also on this album is Love Has Come For You, which was recognized last year at the Grammys as Best Roots Song, a new award in which it was the first recipient. Yes She Did is a wonderful song (about suicide), and is a song you can hear Steve Martin doing back-up in. Flipping to the B-Side, you should check out Sun's Gonna Shine and Who You Gonna Take?

I could really go on about this album, or Steve Martin's work in general (check out his stuff with the Steep Canyon Rangers or his album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo [which is pretty hard to find on vinyl now-a-days]) but I think you should check it out for yourself. I was lucky enough to see Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers play with Edie Brickell at the Hollywood Bowl for 4th of July, and it was an amazing performance. This album is perfect for sitting on the porch, drinking sweet tea, or having a few friends over. On Amazon it runs for about $24.97 and eBay is just about the same, but if you can find a used copy at your local record store, you won't be disappointed.

LOCALS ONLY: LA Sales

Being an LA guy, I wanted to share a few sales going on this up coming weekend that you might want to try and jump on.

The first big one is the store wide sale at Origami Vinyl this Friday Saturday and Sunday (ignore the dates on the picture). 10% off the whole store and online store if you're not from LA. I know I'll be there checking to see what I can get my hands on. Origami Vinyl is one of my favorite record stores in LA (and my go to first store for Record Store Day). Friendly staff and great deals. Mostly filled with new pressings, they do have a great corner in the back from some older cheap vinyls to dig through. Also, KCRW members receive 10% off every purchase (though I don't know if that would be in addition to this sale). A must check out if you are in the area!

Also, this Sunday, as apart of Amoeba's on-going summer sale, you can get turntables for 20% off! If you need to update your small portable Crosby player, or want to even start collecting vinyl, you should definitely check this sale out and try and snag a great price on a turntable. This sale applies to all stores!

Hope you get some great finds this weekend!

Grizzly Bear - Horn of Plenty

Most fans of Grizzly Bear know them for their amazing album Veckatimest (which if you haven't listened to yet, you really should checked out), but I wanted to dive into their debut album, which some may have missed out on. Though it wasn't as widely received, it's still a great listen.

Fans of Grizzly Bear's later work will see this as a more stripped down humble beginning. This psychedelic folk album won't really bring life to your party, but is great to throw on when you are unwinding from your day. The opening song Deep Sea Diver prepares you for the slow melodramatic, yet hypnotizing songs that will proceed. Don't Ask will bring back nostalgia of early Radiohead, while Alligator sounds like a lullaby with the sounds of heavy bass crashing as waves. My favorite song on the A-Side is probably Fix It, which is a bit more playful and has a great outro. Flipping to the B-Side is where the album really shines for me. Merge, A Good Place, and Service Bell are all great songs to listen to, that dive deeper with unique beats and percussion. While this whole album should really be listened to through headphones, you should definitely throw some on for La Duchesse Anne to get the full experience of the vocals. The album ends on high note (figuratively speaking) with This Song, which really shows what is soon to come from Grizzly Bear.

Now, I don't think this album is for all, but if you like early Radiohead or Animal Collective, I think you'd enjoy this album a lot. Another somewhat rare find online (Amazon has it for 73.99 New) and ebay doesn't seem to be much cheaper (again, I was lucky enough to get it for $10 on ebay). But if you stumble upon this at your local record store, I would definitely snatch it up!

The Pipettes - We are the Pipettes

This UK pop band's first album is full of catchy hooks that give a modern twist to a very dreamy sound. The version I am listening to is the US version, which was remixed by Cherrytree Records and includes two previously unreleased tracks Dance and Boogie and Baby, Just Be Yourself. The album starts off with the commanding anthem We Are the Pipettes, which tells you exactly what you're in for. Then you can't help but shake your butt to Pull Shapes, which is one of the singles off the album (other's include Dirty Mind and Judy). Another great song on the A-Side is Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me, which features a very soothingly haunting chorus. Switching things to the B-Side starts you out with the Mo-Town-esque Tell Me What You Want. ABC is another groove track that makes you want to do some sort of bop motion. And to close is a teen dream bonus track Baby, Just Be Yourself, which unwinds the album nicely.

If you like Phil Spector inspired pop, then you'll like this album. It's versatile enough that you can throw it on during a party or while your just sitting on the porch. Though it's a bit of a rare find now a days ($69.99 used on Amazon), you should search your local record store or scan ebay (which is where I got my copy for $4.00!)

First Post! The Back Story

Number 1 Record. That was my first vinyl. I bought it at Amoeba in Hollywood. From there, it's been a slow building addiction. From digging through $1 bins, to standing in record store day lines, to surfing ebay, to finding surprisingly cheap deals on Amazon.com, I've been building up my collection (which, after 2 years, is currently at 544 12" 2 10" and 14 7").

I love music, both live and recorded. Although it really didn't become a large part of my life until middle school. I would just listen to top 40 hits on radio (whatever Rick Dees was spinning) and it wasn't until middle school that I started to actively go out and search for new music. My first CD that I bought was blink 182's live album The Mark Tom and Travis Show. It was a combination of dirty lyrics and raunchy jokes that caused my 11-year-old self to barely listen to it all the way through without the fear of getting in trouble. Oddly enough, it was that feeling of "I shouldn't be doing this" that sparked my interest in music discovery.

I spent my adolescents in the era of the Emo/Softcore boom. Some of my favorite bands included, but weren't limited too, Brand New, Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, Mae, and Death Cab for Cutie. Along with this new genre came going to live shows, a place where my music library exploded to bands that I still enjoy today. Be it Frightened Rabbit opening for Pinback, Mates of State opening for Taking Back Sunday, Stars opening for Death Cab for Cutie, or Brand New covering Neutral Milk Hotel, I gained a more eclectic ear for music.

Fast forward to today. Living in LA, going to at least one show a month, big or small. Reading various blogs, attending free shows, and running around festivals to see as many acts as possible have given me my music knowledge today.

And so, not to take up anymore of your time, I wanted to share what I know and what I recommend, so that you can also build up your vinyl collection with albums you may or may not know. I am not claiming to be an Audiophile, I can't tell the difference between listening to a 180 Gram vs and a clean normal vinyl. I'm not a DJ, I don't have any special speakers, no pre-amp, no fancy head phones, but I do know what I like listening to. I just consider myself a fan of music, and a casual listener.  Though I don't think you should take my opinions unbiasedly and hope that you discover something new and interesting, refine your musical taste, and that some of my recommendations help build up your collection.

Thanks for reading!