A Grievance
I had the misfortune of running into an old colleague from my school newspaper on Wednesday. It was, by all accounts, a perfectly normal occasion. A few of us seniors got together to chat and hang out. However, the conversation soon turned to this blog, upon which I was subject to a ruthless attack.
Former Editor in Chief Daisy Grant accused me of laziness. She pointed out that my blog last week seemed rushed and unimaginative. Now, it’s not the first time that she’s ceremoniously shit on my writing, but that one stung. To be fair, she might have had a point. I did sort of chuck it together last minute before an intramural game (3-1 win, I scored the first, assisted the second, then got turned inside out and sent for an ice cream for the opposition’s goal.)
I suppose, then, it’s time to prove her wrong.
So, here’s a blog that took some effort. This took RESEARCH. This took PLANNING. This took CAREFUL THOUGHT.
(Also, please read The Diamondback)
THE BRACKET.
I’m cool. I have a cool taste in music. My taste in music is cooler than yours because, as previously stated, I’m cool. It had been posed to me that I could perhaps validate my coolness by doing some kind of musical series. So, here goes...
What’s the best year for music since I’ve been alive?
That’s a fun question, one with no universal right answer.
But I’m going to try.
Here’s the way this works. I was born in 1999, and music was always on growing up. Now, despite my supreme intelligence, I’m going to disqualify everything before 2003. That’s because I was 3 years old and my Dad was probably just listening to Exile on Main Street anyway (meanwhile my mum wouldn’t turn off Jeff Buckley in her tiny Fiat.)
To make this particularly fun, I’m going to do everything based on ALBUMS. I’m going to consider what I believe are the five best every year, put them in some sort of bracket, and then go nuts every week. Now, you’re probably going to complain and say there are numerous instances of great singles from overall mediocre albums (the one that currently comes to mind is “When You Were Young” off an otherwise frighteningly average second Killers album.)
My answer to that is: deal with it. It’s my bracket.
*disclaimer*
This is going to be biased. And if you haven’t stopped reading, you’re going to disagree with some of these. That’s the point. I will make vague attempts at fairness, though. For example, I love Eden’s I Think You Think Too Much of Me — it’s a fantastic album and was the soundtrack to late 2016 for me. But I’m not going to say it’s among THE best of the year.
Final thing: if I didn’t listen to an album AT ALL, it’s not going to go in there. That’s partially me being a snob, but mostly in the interests of defending myself when someone inevitably disagrees. For example, Jay-Z’s 4:44, critically and commercially acclaimed, isn’t on there because I was probably too busy listening to Bon Iver or something.
Right then:
2003
Elephant by the White Stripes
Hail to the Thief by Radiohead
Sumday by Granddaddy
The Black Album by Jay-Z
Speakerboxx/The love below by Outkast
2004
Funeral by Arcade Fire (one of my faves ever, and will probably weight this year far too much)
Now Here is Nowhere by the Secret Machines
The College Dropout by Kanye West
Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand
Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings of Leon
2005
Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Demon Days by Gorillaz
I’m Awake, It’s Morning by Bright Eyes
Takk. by Sigur Ro´s
Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
2006
Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not by The Arctic Monkeys
The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
Everything All the Time by Band of Horses
The Trials of Van Occupanther by Midlake
Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
2007 (strong contender.)
In Rainbows by Radiohead
Graduation by Kanye West
For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace by Foo Fighters
Sound of Sliver by LCD Soundsystem
2008
808s and Heartbreak by Kanye West
Dear Science by TV on the Radio
The Seldom Seem Kid by Elbow
Viva La Vida by Coldplay
Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
2009
Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons (hasn’t aged gracefully but for making everyone thinking they should stomp and go “AHHHH”, it gets credit)
Manners by Passion Pit
XX by The XX
Man on The Moon: The End of Day by Kid Cudi
Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack by pretty much everyone (but notably Thom Yorke, Death Cab for Cutie, St. Vincent, Bon Iver, etc.)
2010
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
High Violet by The National
Plastic Beach by Gorillaz
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Brothers by The Black Keys
2011
Bon Iver, by Bon Iver
Take Care by Drake (over Watch The Throne because of consistency… just)
House of Balloons by The Weeknd
Metals by Feist
SBTRKT by SBTRKT
2012
An Awesome Wave by Alt-J
Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar
Bloom by Beach House
Lonerism by Tame Impala
2013*
Yeezus by Kanye West
Trouble Will Find Me by The National
Acid Rap by Chance The Rapper
Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
Pure Heroine by Lorde
*This might win. Also in 2013: AM (Arctic Monkeys), Modern Vampires of the City (Vampire Weekend), Reflektor (Arcade Fire), The Bones of What you believe (CHVRCHES), Overgrown (James Blake), the 1975 (the 1975), Because the Internet (Childish Gambino), Mechanical Bull (KOL), Beyoncé (Beyoncé). Fuck it, even JT released a good album in 2013.
2014
Lost in a Dream by The War on Drugs
Singles by Future Islands
Hozier by Hozier
1989 by Taylor Swift
The Take Off and Landing of Everything by Elbow
2015
In Colour by Jamie XX
To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens
Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes
Currents by Tame Impala
2016
22, a million by Bon Iver
Blonde by Frank Ocean
Konnichiwa by Skepta
The Colour in Anything by James Blake
Lemonade by Beyoncé
2017
Sleep Well Beast by The National
I See You by The XX
Melodrama by Lorde
DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
Yesterday’s Gone by Loyle Carner
2018
A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships by The 1975
Boygenius by Boygenius
Be the Cowboy by Mitski
Astroworld by Travis Scott
Singularity by Jon Hopkins
2019
Psychodrama by Dave
Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka
Immunity by Clairo
I,I by Bon Iver
MAGDELENE by FKA Twigs
2020
Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
Folklore by Taylor Swift
Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa
Shore by Fleet Foxes
The Slow Rush by Tame Impala
That was exhausting. It was also very fun. What next, you ask?
Well, next time I’m going to make a bracket and come up with some way of putting them head to head, March Madness/World Cup style.
Feel free to disagree. A lot.
I’ve just looked at so much music that I can’t conjure a Dad song of the week.
This is a nice tune though:
You’ve got too much time on your hands Thomas. Time you got a job. And as for 2018, woeful choices. The rest was splendid though.
Drake. Hmmm.