What music has shaped this decade for you?

[Vitalstatistix]

Yer Pitchfork has been doing a wide-ranging review of the noughties in music. Here.

The decade in Pop and decade in News features I found excellent, and the Best Videos one is quite entertaining. The top 500 tracks is a bit shite. They've just started the big one - Top 200 albums, and they're about half way.

It's pretty hit and miss, as you would expect.. But, it makes one think.

How have your musical tastes evolved since 2000? What trends hit the spot for you?

What are your favourite tracks and albums of this decade? Do you think there's a definable theme to be grasped?


_{I'll write some more stuff when my own thoughts are clearer.}

[confettiinmyhair]

Could it be argued that Pitchfork themselves have dictated of what is popular / successful through their own status as taste makers, and in a way replacing the Print Music Press which has pretty much died since the turn of the millenium?

Therefore one might simply say Pitchfork have shaped what music has shaped this decade.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Their number one song of the 00s is some kind of joke, surely?

I dunno, I think there's as much good music around now as ever but I've just not really bothered to delve into it, as there's so much out there and access to it is so easy. The only bands that have really pricked up my ears are Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, Bat for Lashes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Shins.

[Serge]

I was thinking of starting a thread like this. The new Uncut magazine has an article where they pick their 150 best albums of the last 10 years, and reminded me of a few which still fall within the last decade ('Sophtware Slump', apparently, I was convinced that was late '90s.) They put my favourite album of the last ten years - Iron & Wine's 'Our Endless Numbered Days' at about 145, the bastards, and top the poll with

Spoiler alert

'White Blood Cells'

[close]

, which is a pretty good album, but might not make my top ten, if I came up with such a thing*. Though

Spoiler alert

Jack White

[close]

has been a pretty large figure in the music world over the last decade, so fair enough. I'm off out in a few minutes, so I'll have to come back to this later.

*I have come up with such a thing.

[Vitalstatistix]

My music habits this decade have been largely influenced by downloading. 2000's Kid A (one of the most important albums for my tastes) was also one of the last albums I physically bought.

As me and my friends' Stoner Rock fixation faded, I got into "IDM" big-time for a while, discovering all the obvious stuff like Squarepusher, Aphex, Boards.... My fave album of this bunch remains Hard Normal Daddy, which is actually from 1997, but which I've been blasting all decade.

I dabbled in post rock, but find most of it pretty boring these days. From Monument To Masses is a band whose stuff I still like to kick it with, though.

IDM changed to proper dance music for me as I started raving, and lots of hit and miss music was danced to (Drum'n'bass, electro, house) and lots of amazing music was downloaded which I love lots (Daft Punk, Luomo, Isolee, Kompakt etc).

The last few years have been marked by a breakdown of normal scenes and trends, as the internet so easily introduces you to sounds from everywhere and everybody.

Mad leftfield indie like Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors has me excited, as does some hip hop (MF DOOM may be my man of the noughties), and stalwarts like Radiohead, PJ Harvey and Sonic Youth have continued making music which I come back to.

I wasn't taken with that whole 'new garage' hype, but second and third generation groups such as The Walkmen, The National and Okkervil River have done stunning things within the constraints of the 'rock band'.

My two favourite albums of this decade are probably..












The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows

and




Madvillain - Madvillainy


Also this was the decade in which I discovered legendary and classic music from before my time (The Kinks, Curtis Mayfield, Fela Kuti and Talking Heads have all changed the way I listen to music.)

_{Oh I should probably mention I was pretty heavily into Tool for a while there}

[unky herb]

My idea of what has been the chart and TV performance theme of the 00's:

Weak R&B, terrible guitar music, grime, occasional quality pop like Girls Aloud, annoying singers being promoted as "next big thing" like fucking Adele and Duffy.

Also what with the popularity of X Factor, the return of appalling stuff like Leona Lewis and other people who give Simon Cowell a stiffy due to their 'emotion'. Seriously, who fucking keeps buying this shit? Is it just because you see them go through a few rounds on TV?

I know it's just me getting old, I know there was terrible music flooding the airwaves in the 90s, but it feels like there was more to pluck out back then.

I am just glad for popjustice and their knack of being aware of how shit most pop is but being honestly appreciative of the good stuff.

Although I would say that a lot of my favourite music ever has been from the 2000s, it's almost entirely been through my own effort of scraping blogs and lists and whatnot. Whereas in the 90s it all seemed to fall into my lap.

My favourite new band of the 90s is probably Metric, followed by Girls Aloud. I am sometimes a bit taken aback by how much I admire Xenomania's songwriting team and the production. I do worry that I have stopped enjoying pop innocently and now enjoy the technical side of it, but that's because I'm not 12.

Favourite single would probably be Umbrella, unless I'm forgetting something.

Favourite album is most likely Happy Songs for Happy People by Mogwai. Too many good tunes on that to be normal. Plus Hunted By a Freak is probably in my top 5 of the decade.

Personally I was glad to see house music go away from the mainstream, get some originality back into it soon, hopefully.

I wish that The Arctic Monkeys, Noah and the Whale, and a thousand other cunts would just retire from the music business, something's got to give with all this terrible 'indie' music.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

'R&B' doing nothing, saying nothing, standing for nothing.
Nothingy solo artists that are overhyped and fizzle out
Nothingy indie bands that are overhyped and fizzle out
Record companies realising they no longer have the power to decide on 'the next big thing' and simply resorting to ressurrecting dead/old bands who have a proper fan base.

Electronic sounds coming back into mainstream music in the later half as it's got over being 'so last decade' and become accepted as simply another way to make sound.

[CaledonianGonzo]

My favourite album of 1999 was probably The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips.

My most recent post in Oscillations prior to this was about Embryonic, the new album by the same band.

Therefore, for me, I posit that nothing has really changed.  I mean, my favourite single from that year was probably Northern Lites (or maybe Svefn-G-Englar) and I'm off to see the Super Furries for the umpteenth time in about 10 days.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Probably XTRMNTR by Primal Scream and Rated R by Queens of the Stone Age, as they influenced me to seek out more rocking sounds.

[Lee Van Cleef]

Probably Dillinger Escape Plan, Katatonia and Will Oldham.

What's happened to my taste in music.  It's diverged, drastically, I think I crave new sounds now as opposed to specific genres.  I want to hear something new and refreshing all the time, which is quite a switch up for me.  I like hearing all sorts now, basically.

[Marvin]

Jethro Tull, Wizzard and Gerswhin.

[Serge]

I can't think of any actual 'trends' which have consumed me, but then, there never have been, my likes and dislikes are as random as my thought processes tend to be. Although I'd say I'm not keen on the fact that 'going electro' has been such a big thing to do over the last couple of years and the only hip-hop artist to have made records I like during the past decade is Missy Elliott.

So, what have I liked? Primal Scream were one of my favourite bands throughout the nineties, and started the decade by releasing the marvellous 'Xtrmntr', which I'd probably put in my top ten records of all time. But then it all went downhill. 'Evil Heat' had its moments (particularly the Neu! influenced 'Scanner Darkly'), but the last two albums have been utter cack.

Super Furry Animals have also gone downhill in my eyes, but at least they started the decade well, with the low-key 'Mwng' and my personal favourite of their albums, 'Rings Around The World'. 'Phantom Power' was the last album I really liked, and then they were hit with the Curse Of The Best Of - everything they released after the singles compilation didn't grab me as much as everything they'd done before. (See also Saint Etienne a few years earlier.) Then they succumbed to the other Curse, that of the Side Project, which spread too few ideas over too many records (see also Jack White.)

Talking of Jack White, I do have to mention The White Stripes, who came up with a wonderful string of albums. I never got into 'Elephant' at the time, but it has grown on me, and, contrary as ever, I loved 'Get Behind Me Satan'. But too much Raconteurs and Dead Weather bollockology seems to be sapping his creative powers. Get back to Meg!

Folky/Americana-y sort of things seemed to get very big, although both became a catch all term for anyone who wasn't playing straight-ahead rock or electronica. Most of the bands associated with this, I wouldn't give the time of day - An*mal C*llective, Fl**t F*xes, B*n Iv*r, etc etc. And if D*vendra B*nhart comes within a hundred yards of me, I won't be responsible for my actions. But, as I mentioned previously, possibly my favourite album of the last ten years was Iron And Wine's hushed masterpiece, 'Our Endless Numbered Days'. I'm also extremely keen on Laura Veirs, whose song 'Galaxies' (admittedly from one of her weaker albums - check out 'Carbon Glacier' and 'Saltbreakers' for the full glory of Veirs) is possibly my favourite song of the last ten years.

Actually, my favourite act of the last ten years would probably be LCD Soundsystem. If I had an iota of musical talent, I like to think I'd sound like James Murphy. 'Sound Of Silver' channels the spirit of Kraftwerk and Talking Heads, amongst many other favourites of mine, and does it brilliantly. '45:33' is also first class.

M.I.A. is someone else I have to mention. 'Arular' and 'Kala' are two of my favourite records of the decade (especially the latter), and if the people she's influenced (notably Santogold and Terri Lynn) haven't yet managed to pull off a whole album of greatness, there are enough great moments on their albums to make them worth investigating.

The Nu-Disco thing has come up with some interesting records, Lindstrom and occasional collaborator Prins Thomas amongst them. Also Subway, Eine Kleine Nacht Musik and The Emperor Machine are all worth checking out. All of whom also betray a decidedly krautrocky bent, and the ready availability of many of the great krautrock classics from the seventies has been a good thing as well.

Alright, I'm not going to go on, but I'll name a few more highlights of the past ten years: Earth and Sunn O))), and many other out rock favourites. The Hold Steady, especially for 'Stay Positive'. The Streets, who also had a song with that title, and managed to make two good albums but unfortunately ended up inspiring a load of mockney followers. C.S.S., the majesty of whose first album shouldn't be overshadowed by the mediocrity of the second. Tinariwen and Amadou And Mariam, not to mention the comeback of Tony Allen. Benga, Luke Haines solo albums, Acid Mothers Temple, Espers, Holy Fuck, The Horrors and yes, David Bowie's last two Visconti - produced classics are all worthy of a mention too. I'm sure there are others, but I'll come back and fill in the gaps later. It's not been a bad ten years for music, really, has it?

[Ja'moke]

Also what with the popularity of X Factor, the return of appalling stuff like Leona Lewis and other people who give Simon Cowell a stiffy due to their 'emotion'. Seriously, who fucking keeps buying this shit? Is it just because you see them go through a few rounds on TV?

Or it could be because Leona Lewis is actually a very good singer? She's pretty much the only X Factor winner to stick around, sell millions of albums and have international succes, so it certainly isn't just because people saw her "go through a few rounds on TV".

You're championing Girls Aloud, so it is a bit rich to deride Leona Lewis.

Anyway, to keep it kind of on topic; I do think shows such as Pop Idol/X Factor and their international counterparts have very much shaped the trend of music of this past decade. Mr Cowell made redundant the battle for Xmas No 1 - Millions of people watch these shows - Millions of people download the songs released from shows - Millions of people download the original version of the songs because of these shows.

Whether this is a good or bad thing is up for debate. I personally think it's a bad thing, but that doesn't mean that once in a while a talented performer can't emerge, such as Leona Lewis or even, as pointed out, Girls Aloud, who do from time to time make catchy pop records.

It's the cynicism and manipulation behind these shows however that destroy credibility. If you are genuinely talented can you make it big in the music business these days? Are shows like The X Factor offering opportunities that otherwise are unavailable? Or is it all just a giant cash cow for Simon Cowell?

Either way music talent shows have very much played a significant part in the 'noughties', but I'd like to see how the music industry does without them in the next decade.

[unky herb]

You're championing Girls Aloud, so it is a bit rich to deride Leona Lewis.

I just don't groove on those vocal aerobics over lifeless tunes. It's like hearing Mariah Carey sing over a Westlife instrumental.

It doesn't make sense to me that I like the output of Popstars: The Rivals, but it was just a handy business decision that they hired Xenomania and well, you can't argue with your ears. Or something.

Anyroad - hopefully in the 2010's (is there a nickname for the next decade yet? I recall people called the 00's the naughties quite early and it stuck just because nothing better came along) songwriting will come back to (chart) pop, rather than latching onto a trendy production trick (autotune etc) and just sounding similar to everything else then getting played.

[PaulTMA]

Anyroad - hopefully in the 2010's (is there a nickname for the next decade yet? I recall people called the 00's the naughties quite early and it stuck just because nothing better came along)

It became known as "noughties" probably because it sounds like "naughty" and we allowed such a nickname forced upon us by the tabloid press, who favour cheeky crapness over anything that stretches beyond a terrible media buzzword.  Who said it has to be a two-syllable word that rhymes with "tee" anyway?  Judging by this, the next decade will hereby by known as the "Teenies".  Just you fucking wait.  10 years of The Teenies.  Amazing.

[El Unicornio, mang]

The "tens". "Noughties" was just a British thing I think, as we're the only country who use the word "nought", although I never heard an alternative.

[ThickAndCreamy]

I also hate the term noughties yet have no other alternative name. When I first read people writing it a few years back I believed it referred to the 90's and it annoyed me, but now it does seem like the official term for this decade, gah.

I can imagine in a few years The Sun et all referring to the 2000's as the "indie" years with long hair, silly tight jeans and indie rock with real lyrics.

[Sony Walkman Prophecies]

'ironic' electro-clash. Nothing in other words, the whole decade's been a complete write-off as far as innovative music goes - indie bands are still falling over each other to sound like the jam, and electronic music has been severely lacking too. Ok, we've had 'dubstep' but that's just circa 1998 techstep slowed down about 50bpms and noone knows how to dance to it anyway.

We either need 1. new drugs. or 2. a radically new technology

[vx]

'ironic' electro-clash. Nothing in other words, the whole decade's been a complete write-off as far as innovative music goes - indie bands are still falling over each other to sound like the jam, and electronic music has been severely lacking too. Ok, we've had 'dubstep' but that's just circa 1998 techstep slowed down about 50bpms and noone knows how to dance to it anyway.

We either need 1. new drugs. or 2. a radically new technology

which might be why Im now listening to delta 5, peking opera, and relics of detroit techno. slit my wrists and pass the first suede album please.... Im ready for this decade of music to end.

_{edited not be a complete cunt about it:} I would say for me new music this decade has been about Tujiko Noriko and just about everything on the brilliant finnish label Fonal. I could also add Dengue Fever to that list, although I didnt like their latest much. 

overall this has shifted my tastes to more female artists and female fronted bands (which is new for me, as before it was mostly underground hiphop, metal, and idm, go figure...) world music has become a very significant trend in my listening habits. and I think this is a direct result of the lack of any innovative sounds or quality new music in recent years. this really sparked my quest into the varying soundscapes of world music, whether it be thai pop, indian ragas or african field recordings. world music seems a bit wide as a genre, but perhaps thats why I can say it has consistenly provided me with the most satisfying listening experiences over the last several years.
again that is what has shaped music for ME personally, I havent a clue about what goes on in the mainstream - I just dont have the stomach for it.

p.s. I fucking loathe pitchfork. it highlights everything that is wrong with modern music crit. it is unmatched in its ability to arise in me complete and utter disgust, along with the impulse to inflict violence on whichever pompous trustfund hipster fucks are writing the reviews.

[The Boston Crab]

The decade began with the dying embers of French house which Discovery finally killed. I loved it all the same but I never got that excitement again like the first time I listened to those Roule/Crydamoure records. They soundtracked some of the best times of my life as well, heavy nostalgia factor. House went into shitty fashion-show electro and 80s pads. I was bored. I saw The Strokes around the same time and went crazy for 'Is This It'. I didn't listen to it for a few years but dug it out the other day and derivative what what what etc the tunes are fucking awesome. I played the N*E*R*D* album to death and some White Stripes but they never really hit the spot for me. I don't think it was a great time for music, lots of 'The' bands followed and they were mostly shit. I did get big into The Coral's first record, though. Again, dug it out the other day, some brilliant songs, 'Shadows Fall' is still a tremendous bit of dub-shanty-pop. Well done, boys. Then they went shit.

I can't remember much shortly after. I think I ploughed on with the drips and drabs of the dying French scene and came across SebastiAn's 'Smoking Kills EP' on Pedro Winter's new Ed Banger label. It was seriously good stuff. Heavy, heavy, dark, glitchy but dancefloor and somehow translated (stole) the Daft Punk production warmth. I kept an eye out for him over the next few years where he went from promising to amazing and then began to repeat himself without ever putting out an album. I wonder where he's gone. Justice followed him with some brilliant remixes and original tracks as the Ed Banger hype machine and the 'blog house' thing took off. I quickly found Pedro's bunch nauseating with their trucker caps and World Gak & Groupies Tour and the Justice album quickly disappeared from my stereo. In between I'd gone through a lot of IDM/Aphex/VSnares etc. which was fun but didn't satisfy me in any significant way.

Then I heard Animal Collective. I don't quite get what other people don't see in them but it doesn't matter. I've toned it down on here because I know it's probably annoying and pointless to wank on. The months building up to Merriweather Post Pavilion were some of the most fantastic I've had for music. Devouring everything they'd done, all the bootlegs, old and new, digging for info, exploring all their records. Some, I still don't like much, only 'Essplode' off Danse Manatee every gets an airing but for the most part, I love them. I love their attitude. I love their approach to making music. I love their themes. I don't think they're great lyricists or musicians but their performances and tunes enthrall me more than any other band.

I'm currently mad on all things Kompakt/deep house/ambient and I'm getting back into that side of things, the dancefloor. I'm 29, living my last clubbing hurrah, in Central China...Will be some good memories.

[alan nagsworth]

1998 techstep slowed down about 50bpms

140bpm

and noone knows how to dance to it anyway.

What a half-arsed opinion. You've obviously not been to any dubstep nights. And don't come out with that "well okay they know how to dance to it but it looks stupid" because that's true for pretty much all forms of dance music, as the key factor in dancing to electronic music is not giving a toss about who is watching you.

With regards to progression in musical styles: Pretty much all music these days is an offshoot of something from the past, but as time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to derive new genres. Dubstep has grown extremely fast as soon as Skream and Benga turned up, and look at all the different forms it's taken: there are several types of ambient dubstep that incorporate garage or techno, not to mention Caspa and Rusko's easily accessible 'party' style and the abrasive/IDM-inspired dubstep artists on the Planet Mu label. The genre itself is not exactly original but the focus that has been drawn to it and the possibly obvious but nevertheless dedicated routes it has taken are definitely worthy of merit.

[The Boston Crab]

It's got one of the best genre names in a while, though I just prefer tech-step. I don't listen to either though, frankly.

[vx]

I dont think anyone should ever say dancing looks "stupid" - all the parties I went to in boston were horrendously fucking boring b/c everyone was too worried about looking cool to just drop the pretentious hipster act and really enjoy the music. it was so frustrating for me that I eventually stopped going to clubs there altogether.

the problem I find with dubstep is that you really need the proper setup to fully enjoy it. try listening to that shizz on your laptop? its just aint happening.
so for me its more of a problem with accessibility.

[Eight Taiwanese Teenagers]

The band that has truly influenced my decade has been... The Avalanches.

When Since I Left You came out, I was in my second year at university. I bought the album after a friend recommended it, as we had worked together on sample based music before. I remember loving Frontier Psychiatrist but not really being taken by the rest of the album.
A few months later, the single Since I Left You came out and was all over the radio, and I started to listen to the album some more. And more. And more.
At the time, I was the typical student, staying up late in a haze, playing Championship Manager and listening to music. I particularly liked Mary Ann Hobbs' Breezeblock show on Radio1. Every week a band/artist would produce a DJ mix for the show. Most were interesting at least - I particularly remember loving a Super Furry Animals one. But the Avalanches mix was in another league altogether. Fantastic choice of songs, both obscure and weird and unashamedly poppy, all mixed together in (at the time) unbelievable webbed layers of intricacy.
Instantly I was hooked.
I got hold of every Avalanches mix I could find, and anything else similar, and found myself drawn to the bootleg/bastard pop scene, and its primary website GYBO.
I did a few simple mashups myself, but was never really a 'natural' at it. I think the best thing I ever did was a fifteen minute mix with my friend JoolsMF called 'Twelve Drummers Drumming', when I spent a couple of days teaching him how to use the software.
So I was involved in the bootleg scene in London for a few years, which strongly influenced my musical tastes. I grew to appreciate more dance music and pop music. I am still bizarrely proud of the fact that I was the first person to upload the first Justice single to OiNK! (Don't tell the pigs.)
A friend made in those days used to DJ at a club called Buttoned Down Disco, playing the kind of music I liked, and one day he played a song which instantly made me ask what it was. He said it was Rocky Dennis, but after a bit of hungover googling the next day, I found out it was Jens Lekman.
He was everything I was looking for in music. Partly sample based and somewhat funky, cheekily derivative at times, clever lyrics and beguiling melodies. I spent 2007-2008 listening to almost nothing else and his concert at the Luminaire in December 2007 has to go down as my best ever. I'm not listening to him so much at the moment but eagerly await a new album.
Speaking of which, the Avalanches have supposedly finished the follow up to Since I Left You and are clearing samples, so it should be released soonish. I'll believe it when I see it...

[Eight Taiwanese Teenagers]

Currently, my single of the decade is Estelle with American Boy.

I doubt it will be for long though.

[Eight Taiwanese Teenagers]

re the above:

And now having read some of the Pitchfork top singles I see at number 40 The Avalanches - "Since I Left You", with a review that namechecks Jens Lekman.

[Serge]

Then I heard Animal Collective. I don't quite get what other people see in them.

Fixed.

_{Sorry, I couldn't resist, I am a weak man.}

[vx]

I'm 29, living my last clubbing hurrah, in Central China...

_{psst! the bleak thread is that way >>>>>>>}

[Whellybob]

I thought the Grouper album Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill was excellent.


Ordinary People by Neil Young finally made it onto an album.

The Drift.

Those Disintegration Loops.

The track Icefall off of the album Scope by Nobukazu Takemura.

Some ruminations upon the relationship of the artist to the music in electronic music were inspired by Ryoji Ikeda's Test Pattern


I thought that that whole noise thing found a new potency on the Magnetic Fields Distortion.


For all his occasional solipsism Mark Kozelek (under the name Sun Kil Moon) found, with April, something of a career high.
Sun Kil Moon - Lost Verses

The Stars of the Lid albums were great too.

[Serge]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor's 'Yanqui U.X.O.' came out within the last ten years, and is still a thing to marvel at. Some of Wilco's best stuff has been within the last decade too, though my personal favourite, 'Summerteeth' falls just outside.