2000 to 2009 The Best Music From The Worst Decade Ever

This past decade has truly been an abysmal age. From The Strokes to Paramore with too much George Bush givin us the “what what in the butt” in the all around. All the horrible 1980's materialism and shallow fashion addiction that we had worked so hard to smash up and run out of town resurrected as spandex survivor's guilt. Reopening the floodgates of racist, sexist, anti-intelligent crap onto the world. What's worse is that there shall forever be a generation who looks back on all this horror with nostalgia.
I'm just glad we can finally take this dying, mangy, mutt out back and with one slug, release it from it's sad, mortal coil. And released we all shall be. The advent of Youtube, Ubuntu, bit torrents, and (insert favorite social network here) have given Earth's people unprecedented access and insight into to each other. The long result will grow to a thriving media environment where great works will be made without regard to (but still including) profit or fame will be the norm. Not soon enough. In far too many way, these past ten years have simply been wasted time that we will never get back. Still, there were some high points, some great nights spent as drunken, huddled masses. Days when we thought we could scream away war and bigotry, and moments when we almost did.

This is a rough sketch of the few hours of this decade that were worth living through.

Best Records
Beetles, Jay-Z, DJ Danger Mouse vs The Record Industry - The Grey Album
The official opening salvo of mash up culture. Something my dad I can enjoy for the next 20 years. The one saving grace of an otherwise depressing era is this kluster-sonic joyride through what you thought you knew.
84 Nash – A Secret Reward
The last great stand of the last great Dayton band. When the Nash broke up, God melted the mold with it. Thanks goodness they managed to release this most hummable opus before the end came.
Defiance Ohio – Share What You Got
Hands down, the official motion picture soundtrack of every raging party worth going to. Smelly kids, broken hearts, and escapist politics. Seriously, I had crush on Sherri when I was 15 and she was a crazy eyed bike messenger. I did a techno cover of “Chad's Favorite Song” for a Christmas compilation a couple years ago.
Silver Jews – Bright Flight
I'm so, so glad Dave Berman decided to grace us with his unhealthy wit. Really great interviews didn't come until the later albums, but this one has some real jukebox standards.
Sword Heaven – We Of The Fucking Mountains
I don't get the whole noise movement that took over the world for three or four years in the middle of the decade. My best guess is that it was somewhere between an attempt to sonically represent the anti-senseable quasi brutality of the day and the best attempts of those who like to talk a lot to present their inability to create as creation itself. Either way, this record stands out as the opposite of all the rest of that. Actually inspired, biologically rhythmic, and louder than God.
Beat The Devil - Self Titled
This NYC based trio always put on a great show, something Tom Waits himself may have gotten jealous of from time to time.
Columbus Needs A Mountain V/A
I can't believe how much mileage this compilation is still getting. The last leftover of a real effort to build a mountain in Columbus, Ohio.
Lifter/Puller – The Soft Rock
Warnings, therapy, and the best riffs ever. I tried to drown out the pain of the millennium with women, drugs, booze, and insomnia...after all of that failed this album was there to hold my hair back, kick me in the jaw, and send me back out with at little something to look forward to.
Times New Viking – We Were High/We Were Not High
The shotty 5 song EP that started it all. Still their best record to date
The Mighty Boosh – Season Two
I know these guys aren't a real jazz-funk band, but these guys are 8000% more of a real band than some of the stuff I had to put up with on the radio is the past ten years. And unlike the White Stripes, they actually have sex with each other!!

Best Bands That Came And Went
Fat Girls By The Snack Table -cbus
Bunkbed Nights - g rap
Chicks On Speed - germany
The Sewing Terrorists - g rap
Welcome To Concrete -cbus
The Scarlets -g rap

xoxo Miles

that was deep bro

I would vote 1340-1350 as wost decade ever.

I don't believe in that - even the shittiest moments of your life are not wasted if they move you, teach you, and get you off your ass to rectify whatever it is you find shitty.

To use an analogy, The Oughts are like when you find yourself puking your guts out after drinking all night - sure, that sucks at the time, but it's (a) a consequence of your own actions which you hopefully can learn from, and (b) you'll feel better the next day if you puke it out now.

Also, every generation or sub-sub-culture thinks every other generation looks completely retarded, and in some ways they are right, but they forget the freedom of not giving a shit that most young people have as they try to find their own voices. In other words, yeah those spandex-clad s look like wankers and are probably douchebags, but they're having fun, so we may as well just all enjoy it on some level or another cause they are. And I'm sure the big hair spandex-clad people 25 years ago thought the same thing about flannel-wearing grungesters when they came on the scene.

Actually, they still do, don't they Ned?

I love you.

now i gotta puke . . .

Maybe you're right, etc.

I still would prefer to be as far away from drunken, huddled masses as possible. Far far away.

So we won't be seeing you around here anymore?

No, I can deal with drunken individuals behind computer screens. It's the masses I have an aversion to.

Unless they're massing to honor me. Then I extend my embrace.

I hear Love Culture has more intra-band sex than The White Stripes, The Boosh, early Superchunk, and Fleetwood Mac combined.

hahahaha oh that's just a silly myth.


but seeriously tho...I mean, have you seen us? Why would we have sex with anyone else?

there are some keepers from the 00's, but i disagree with almost your entire list. bottom line is there are only a handful of bands that stepped out this decade that i think will last much into the next. the 00's sort of feel like the 70's when there really wasn't much of a defining sound, just a bunch of bands kind of doing their own thing. there are some good ones, and some that will be laughed at as time goes on.. then 20 years from now will be cool again.. it's funny like that.
i saw the 20 yr anniversary release of 'bleach' by nirvana yesterday and wondered when kids were gonna start donning plaid shirts and combat boots again lol...
you see bands getting indoctrinated into the RR HOF.. bands like metallica, u2, ac/dc... big rock bands.. not that it really matters, but can you think of who from the 00's would receive the same "honor" of getting into the HOF? the only one i can think of is maybe the white stripes.. maybe foo fighters? i don't know cause a lot of the big acts from the 00's is crap like britney spears and timberlake.. i just heard artie talking about that on howard stern and thought it was a interesting question. maybe the place will be like a museum no one gives a shit about anymore...

What planet was this on again? And is that a bad thing? I think the bands doing their own thing is a fallout effect from the DIY upswing and the fall of the record companies, and good riddance.

sorry did i say that was bad

The sad thing is, hat they will be putting timberlake and some other of his crappy co hort us the Hall O Famo, cus 20 years from now, they be inducting some 20 year old peice of junk into the hall of fame, and you can count on it not being anything of substance.

BTW, how drunk where you when you wrote that. Not that I can talk...actually..shit, I am sober right now. I'll see you later.

I'm glad the preteens are over too.
Can we grow up now?

When I sell-out at the end of the 10s, we'll be a shoe-in for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by the 30s. Can't wait. You should join us. Play for another 10 years and then start writing some hits, for once- some really crappy ones that are catchy.

ugh.. i made a huge mistake. i was up in cleveland last saturday, took my kid to see the 'school of rock' grunge concert.. unless you have kids you won't get it. yes it's dumb but at least he was interested in music...
anyways...
i took him to the RR HOF afterwards just for something to do.. cause we were in cleveland and we kept the 'rock' theme going. i think sucked worse than i remember. it is a huuuge waste of time and money. a few things i looked at i went.. oh that's kinda cool. but 98% of it was just boring shit. totally not worth a visit.

I vote for Beethoven's ninth symphony...the 1820's totally blew.

I love this thread.



I learned a similar lesson around the time it opened. 1996ish. I don't think I could describe a single thing I saw, even if you tortured me.

I won a free trip there around 96 or 97, and yes they flew me (which took longer than driving). I do remember some cool stuff, like the scrawled lyrics and costumes, and being amazed at just how tiny your average rock star is. Like, I knew Prince and Madonna were, but not that EVERYONE is. Do they do this to save on set-building materials? It kind of killed my dream of ever making it big, so to speak.

Speaking of set-building materials: I'm making the drum riser for Alice In Chains' Black Gives Way To Blue 2010 tour, and man, is it wimpy..

You have no incentive since Jeff Goldblum already ensured that your likeness will end up in some wax museum or other.

True. Did I tell you that Jeff Goldblum was mistaken for me recently?