A decade worth of musical influences
Song of this post:
Kings Of Leon - Closer
With the first decade of the 21st century drawing to a close, I've seen "best of the decade" lists pop up in various places. Since I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while already, I'll use the occasion to show off my own list of those albums that had the biggest impact for me since the year 2000. It's not a "best of", really, since I was only able to reconstruct the year of release for albums and not the time when I discovered my taste for a particular artist ... so don't be surprised if you see a bunch of different styles/types of music mixed together.
I'm not entirely done with the comments for all albums, but I'll add them over time.
Here goes nothing:
2000
One of the bands that I discovered close to the actual release of the album rather than later on, I realized I still remember most of the lyrics to 'Kryptonite' and 'So I need you', which were my 2 favorite songs back then.
I actually stumbled across Thievery Corporation only a few years later, in late 2005 or so, via a tip/recommendation from one of the regulars at the pub I worked back then; I remember browsing the net for their discography, and among the 40 or so songs they had released at the time (not counting remixes), 'Le Monde', 'Lebanese Blonde' and 'The Mirror Conspiracy' stuck with me and are still among my favorite songs.
2001
Jack Johnson was another "late discovery". I believe I found him after a friend's recommendation some time during 2006 or 2007, while I was abroad in Finland, and instantly took a liking to the relaxed vocals.
If I recall correctly, Quantic was a complete freak discovery when I did something I usually don't do and randomly went through several layers of "Similar Artists" links somewhere on the web; at some point I ended up at Quantic, listened to a few samples and decided to go for the album. Whenever I put it on my mp3 player, it's destined to be played daily.
2002
30 Seconds to Mars was another late discovery, probably some time around late 2005. I remember putting together a mix CD for the pub I worked at and it contained a few songs from their debut album.
Kettcar was the kind of music I listened to during my last year of school, and I probably was first introduced to the band by my then-girlfriend, who is to "blame" (;)) for my general introduction to German pop music.
Another artist in general and album in particular that I came across long after its release, and another one of those "pub encounters". We had (and still have) this CD on the rack in the pub, and it's still guaranteeing good mood and cheers from the regulars.
Having been a Metallica fan since the late 90s, I went and got their new album as soon as I could, and I most certainly liked it, despite many arguments about the album being "not really Metallica".
Definitely a late find too, but I have no clue anymore when I came across The Streets, although it probably was around the time I first listened to Mattafix. 'Original Pirate Material' is their best album IMO, although their other albums are pretty nice as well.
2003
Yet more pub-found music; I think I first came across Billy Talent earlier this year, but instantly took a liking to his then 2 albums. I had it playing on my mp3 player in a more or less constant loop, and only lately have I grown somewhat fed up with listening to it continually.
Dashboard Confessional was the non-German counterpart to bands like Kettcar and like them belongs to my last year of school and the following 2-3 years.
Another band I only consciously started listening to a few months back, but instantly took a liking to. Blackout has been on my "most played" list for months now, 'Bastards On Parade' and 'As One' being my favorite songs of the album.
2004
Despite my declining interest in their music after their second album 'Out Of Exile', I still enjoy listening to the debut album a lot, and they definitely deserve a spot on this list for well-done drums-and-guitar-driven rock music.
I had been a long-time fan of the Beastie Boys when I found out they were to release a new album in 2004 ... and were actually stopping with their "Pageant" tour in Düsseldorf, only half an hour from where I had just moved to during summer. Their gig was awesome, and so's the album!
Yet another part of the re-emerging German pop-culture, the debut album contained a lot of very nice songs, some with quite thoughtful or funny lyrics. The hit single 'Die perfekte Welle' (German for 'The perfect wave') caused some controversy in Germany in late 2004, when South-East Asia suffered from the catastrophic tsunami disaster, and was taken out of rotation for several weeks.
I only found this compilation earlier this year, but since it contains most of the songs I like by KoRn, it takes the spot on this list. After having seen KoRn perform at Rock am Ring 2009, they rock just so much more.
Slipknot somewhat rekindled my love for the more aggressive parts of metal music in early 2005 or so when I finally took the chance of buying their latest album despite only knowing one of the songs, the single 'Duality'. I never regretted buying the album, and soon after bought their debut album as well.
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
posted by --CT @ 17:42
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