Dondante

With our love of lists and rankings, this should stir up some debate. Wilco in at 72!!

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?ie=UTF8&docId=1000431011

okonokos has to be included in this list.

Spoon, Califone, and The White Stripes should be on this list.

create your own list, maybe than we can tally up the numbers and come up with the vc forum top ten list based on averages (not that i'm volunteering).

That's a great list, Dondante. I'd also make arguments for Beck, Califone, Feist, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Marah, Lucinda Williams, M.I.A., Ryan Adams, Ron Sexsmith, Jack White/White Stripes, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen. But it's hard to disagree with any of your picks.

yeah, it's tough to narrow any kind of list relating to music down to 10, but at least this is easier than choosing albums. my honorable mentions would be yo la tengo, bob dylan, new pornographers, white stripes/jack white, of montreal, flaming lips, grizzly bear, pearl jam, the strokes, animal collective and the drive-by truckers.

now that the decade is almost over, i thought it'd be a good time for a top ten list. post your favorite artists of the decade based on their output between 2000-2009. there are no wrong answers, but try and keep it to artists who have released more than 1 album in the decade.

1. neko case

furnace room lullaby (2000)

blacklisted (2002)

fox confessor brings the flood (2006)

middle cyclone (2009)

2. my morning jacket

at dawn (2001)

it still moves (2003)

z (2005)

evil urges (2008)

3. wilco

yankee hotel foxtrot (2002)

a ghost is born (2004)

sky blue sky (2007)

wilco (the album) (2009)

4. sonic youth

murray street (2002)

sonic nurse (2004)

rather ripped (2006)

the eternal (2009)

5. broken social scene

feel good lost (2001) - i think this was originally released in '99

you forgot it in people (2002)

broken social scene (2005)

kevin drew - spirit if... (2007)

brendan canning - something for all of us (2008)

6. bright eyes

fevers and mirrors (2000)

lifted or the story is the soil keep your ear to the ground (2002)

digital ash in a digital urn (2005)

i'm wide awake it's morning (2005)

cassadaga (2007)

7. the shins

oh, inverted world (2001)

chutes too narrow (2003)

wincing the night away (2007)

8. radiohead

kid a (2000)

amnesiac (2001)

hail to the thief (2003)

in rainbows (2007)

9. arcade fire

funeral (2004)

neon bible (2007)

10. m. ward

end of amnesia (2001)

transfiguration of vincent (2003)

transistor radio (2005)

post-war (2006)

hold time (2009)

led zeppelin is extremely overrated

riot act was pearl jam's best album this decade...and it's better than yield

elvis presley was a joke

nirvana was average at best

So as some of you probably know, Pearl Jam is playing a string of four dates this week to close out the Spectrum in Philadelphia. This Saturday's Halloween show will be the last performance ever in the building as it's being demolished soon after.

 

And apparently at last night's show, Ed said that the band was going to play "everything they know" this week, wrapping up at 2 am on Halloween.

 

Needless to say I just got a bit more excited to leave for Philly....

yeah, this is going to be amazing. i'll be going to the shows on friday and saturday. it seems pretty likely that the 2 am curfew is legit, not to mention that the clocks are turning, so we will be gaining an hour.

also very likely that we will get a special guest.

anyone in the philly area, or within a 3 hour drive should definitely go to this show. just tellin ya know, even if you aren't a pj fan. it's going to be incredible.

that was tougher than i thought i probably missed a bunch. in no particular order...

1. wilco - being there

2. pearl jam - no code

3. sonic youth - goo

4. pavement - slanted and enchanted

5. wilco - summerteeth

6. nas - illmatic

7. flaming lips - soft bulletin

8. pearl jam - vitalogy

9. oasis - definitely maybe

10. my morning jacket - tennessee fire

11. yo la tengo - i can hear the heart beating as one

12. belle and sebastian - if you're feeling sinister

13. fugees - the score

14. pearl jam - vs

15. pearl jam - ten

16. oasis - what's the story morning glory

17. bob dylan - time out of mind

18. wu-tang - 36 chambers

19. sonic youth - washing machine

20. nirvana - nevermind

gotta mention harvest moon and the chronic as well

forgot all the blind melon albums as well, especially nico...and the bends and ok computer. i suck at this game.

not sure what the criteria is, but there were a lot of bands, and some that i will list that didn't come out in the 90's, but had a strong output during the decade

anyway, for me it's pearl jam, but there were quite a few that i think should be mentioned, some have been already...

wilco

sonic youth

radiohead

nirvana

pavement

yo la tengo

crowded house

nine inch nails

black crowes

oasis

blind melon

of montreal (someone mentioned them, i will too, but i don't think they made their best work until this decade)

flaming lips

primus

the cure

just listened to this album for the first time last night. first off, i'd have to say that i'm a casual lips fan, never really thought yoshimi and soft bulletin warranted the praise they received although i dug both albums. anyway, i got really stoned last night and threw this album on in the dark, and just listened to it straight through. it absolutely blew me away. i've only heard about 4 or 5 lips albums, but this is on another level than anything i've heard from this band. usually experimental stuff like this takes a few listens to sink in for me, but this one just hit me immediately. i'd have to say this is already one of my two favorites of the year along with middle cyclone. i have nothing much to say about individual songs, or favorite moments, just listen to this one straight through, that's the way it's supposed to be heard.

What's so great about long-career rock bands like Pearl Jam, is by the time you turn in your sixth album any fan's hierarchy of albums, or songs that they respond to starts to turn fractal. They're like finger prints, everyone starts to approach the band their own way navigating a catalog of over a hundred songs.

 

That said I think the best Pearl Jam albums are easily Riot Act, Binaural and Vitalogy. Riot Act might be the best. I suppose that makes me weird around these parts. That and I think Ten is awful.

 

One listen in and Backspacer sounds fun, serviceable, solid, and forgettable. Much like S/T. These guys work hard at what they do, with Eddie on the mic and Matt Cameron on the skins even B-Sides are pretty cool. This album could be a b-sides collection and I would enjoy listening to it. It's got nothing on my favorite PJ albums though.

 

I guess my thing with Riot Act, is much like No Code, it shows the full depth of the band. I like their rockin riffs, and powerhouse stuff, but I like when they play weird chords, when they throw in acoustic instruments, when they use more off-kilter rhythms, when they write tense songs that seem to build intensity but never boil over. Riot Act owns that mixture of facets to me. I don't care if it's 'experimental', I just like depth, not rock and roll paint by numbers. Even though PJ can paint by numbers better than almost anyone.

i'm with you on riot act. no code is my favorite, but riot act is right up there as well. i never understood all the hate for it. i think your analysis is pretty spot on.

as the thread starter here, i felt compelled to come back and say that my initial reaction to backspacer was a result of me being excited about hearing new pearl jam. after a few weeks now i can say i'm a little underwhelmed with the album. definitely not the best since 'no code' which i stated in my original post. if anything i'd say the only album i like this one better than is the last one. some good songs that will be cool to hear live, but as a whole, it's just not that spectacular....i think 'got some' is probably my favorite song here.

yeah

im not big on unthought known HATE the piano-coldplay anyone?

 

bummer about the 10c copy

 

Johnny guitar is my fav on this record. Vedder lets it rip on that song.

 

Seattle show tonight.

again you mention a coldplay comparison for "unthought known". are you deaf, or do you just think that a rock band incorporating a piano makes them sound like coldplay? surprised you like wilco, they use a lot of piano.

...sorry if that was a little harsh, not really trying to start a message board argument, but that statement is just ridiculous. it sounds like PEARL JAM! and that song is going to be epic live. easily a standout track on the album.

...i had to edit this, i didn't even read the whole thing, just saw the coldplay comparison again. anyway, i see now that you are going to the seattle show tonight? hopefully they play "unthought known". if they do, please come back and let us know how it sounded live.

i love big wave!

it's a fun song. however, it's b-side material to be brutally honest. wasn't really trying to hate on anything, just trying to make a point with speed of sound.

hardly a hater... it's just a very average album for Pearl Jam is all. it's enjoyable/pleasant, but i get very little feeling (good or bad) out of it. my overall reaction is basically indifference.

 

it has 3 pretty sweet songs (Got Some, Amongst The Waves, & Force of Nature), but Speed of Sound is one of the worst PJ songs in a long time.

that's exactly how i feel about wilco (the album)....not to compare the two of course.

everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not sure how you can hate on speed of sound to that extent. especially when pearl jam put songs like comatose and big wave on their last album.

Just Breathe = Grey's Anatomy montage song

 

just wait

not sure i understand the point in this statement. probably isn't one. but thanks for the insight.

i realize we have a long going pearl jam thread on here, but i felt compelled to add a thread specifically for the new album. i'm sure anyone who is interested knows that it has leaked, so lets share some opinions of it.

i'm loving it. i think it's the best since no code at the moment. time may change my opinion however, as i usually get pretty giddy over a new pearl jam album. it's definitely a return to form lyrically for eddie vedder, as i think the last two albums were a little too political in that department. the production is great and "just breathe" just might be my new favorite pearl jam song. i have a feeling that if the marketing for this one is able to get the reach they are hoping for, pearl jam is going to be gaining a lot of new fans with backspacer. there's something for everyone on it. a very easy album to enjoy. i think this one succeeds in everyway avocado failed.

the only songs i'm not digging are "gonna see my friend" and "supersonic"

It certainly is debatable as I'm about to prove with my debate:

 

Liam at least has some character to his voice. Imagine Noel trying to sing "What's the story" or something like that. It would suck bad. He does alright on the acoustic stuff but his voice is just bland to me. I do agree the first 2 albums are stellar but from what we have seen since, that may have been it. And if he is going to sing going forward, I'm out. And who is going to play tamborine now? They are both a couple of git's or Pratt's or whatever.

i don't have to imagine noel singing "morning glory" cause i've heard it, and it sounds great. anyway, i guess you just like liam's voice better, but that certainly doesn't mean he's the better singer. technically speaking, noel is a much more gifted vocalist, and that is the part that isn't debatable. anyway, i wasn't suggesting that oasis would carry on with noel as the frontman, after all, noel left oasis. i think with noel leaving his band, it will give him a chance to write songs more fitting to him, and that he otherwise may not have written for oasis. i actually think that most of the good songs from the past four oasis albums were the ones that noel sang. personally i think he's a great songwriter and has a bright future, as either a solo artist, or fronting a new band.

Liam can't write songs and Noel can't sing (compared to Liam), I suspect they will be back.

that's just not true. and it's not even debatable. noel has a way better singing voice than liam. liam has a recognizable voice, but that's about it. he really has no range, and it's gotten worse over the years from all the smoking. i think we have yet to hear the best from noel gallagher, assuming he continues his career in music without oasis....or maybe we have heard the best, (those first two albums were stellar) but i think he's better off on his own at this point. after all, he was really the only thing holding oasis together.

mmj - dondante

you definitely need to get lifted next. that's my second favorite behind i'm wide awake. great album.

The deal is you don't have to pay for AUD tapes. I have seen some recent Pearl Jam shows on bt.etree.org. I figure there is a Pearl Jam BT site out there somewhere. I would find that, and check there.

okay, well all i'm saying is that if it's a current bootleg that pearl jam is selling through their website, like the toronto show that was asked about, you'd be better off buying it through their website. i don't doubt that you could get a recording of the show elsewhere, but it's probably a sub-par audience recording or something of that sort. the ten club is usually pretty good about keeping their official bootlegs from floating around on the internet. the reason you can download the official 2000-2007 shows now is because they are no longer being sold through the ten club. if you don't care about sound quality then i guess it doesn't matter, but i just wanted to let the person know who asked that there is an option to buy professional recordings for the '09 shows.

Does anyone know if 2009-08-21 (Toronto) was taped? I don't see it on etree, and my dime account was toasted. Any help much appreciated.

yes it was. it should be available within a couple weeks. i don't know the deal with etree, but if anything you'd probably just get an audience recording from that site. pearl jam is doing official 2009 boots, keep checkin their website, you'll be able to buy a download in flac form, or purchase an actual physical copy of the cd once it's available.

pearl jam - not for you

Anyone have a specific concert to check out?

there's too many great ones over that span of time to really point out one show in particular, but a personal favorite of mine is pittsburgh '06. cincy '06 is worth checking out as well, it has the greatest rendition of crazy mary that the band has ever performed, and i own about 100 pearl jam bootlegs.

the state college show from '03 is pretty well known and was available in stores for a while, but if you've never heard that, download it now.

it's really hard to go wrong with any live pearl jam, especially considering how good the sound quality is on all of these recordings.

oh yeah, and the '05 shows were phenomenal. ottawa and philly in particular. long long killer set lists.

That's pretty strange. Blues Traveler apparently allows the torenting of the live cds they sell, as they only sell them at shows. Usually, when a band sells cds of a show, there are all sorts of warnings with regards to sharing them online.

 

I take it those files are Mp3 files.

i'm pretty sure the ten club is cool with people sharing those bootlegs online. there's a guy on the forums on pj's website in the given to fly (live) section who provided a direct sendspace link to every bootleg from 2000,2003,2005 & 2006. the thread is 100's of pages long and has been up for a while. the mods would've taken that down by now if it was against their policy. the files are mp3 by the way, or rar if that's any different.