Decibels of the Decade
Some of my freelance writing is for the music website Resident Advisor. I recently was asked to pick some of my favorite albums of the past decade. In some ways, it was pretty obvious, but then some were not so. Sometimes there are those albums that are forgotten, the record sleeve gathering dust on the shelf. But every once in a while, the mind seeks the familiarity of sound and begins to process of rediscovery.
I find it very difficult to label the past decade as was the case with previous decades. There was no defining sound that “broke through.” Instead, new sounds evolved from old sounds and a new plateau has blossomed, an endless range of fresh arrangements and designs. Retro was reborn and restructured, new steps were reformed and stretched. The awakening was that anyone can do music with a computer, some sweat and, most importantly, some talent, and the entire spectrum of sound was utilized.
So I decided to share some samples from some of my picks for my own personal favorites from the 2000 – 2009. These are in no particular order.
Interpol – Stella Was a Diver and She was Always Down from Turn on the Bright Lights
Tim Hecker – Chimeras from Harmony in Ultraviolet
Radiohead – Everything in its Right Place from Kid A
Ladytron – International Dateline from Witching Hour
The Bug – Skeng from London Zoo
Burial – Archangel from Untrue
Ulrich Schnauss – Gone Forever from A Strangely Isolated Place
Bjork – It’s Not Up to You from Vespertine
