Brainstorming for "Best of the 2000s"

[ewok20t3]

(I would worry about my psychological health if I did in some instances).

Haha, I worry about people who listen to Cannibal Corpse, Gwar, and Pig Destroyer because they relate so strongly to it.

[murlough23]

Relating to something doesn't mean I feel the way the songwriter or the character in a song feels. It just means that I can understand the feeling that's being expressed. This description obviously doesn't apply when a song is more about the sound of words or something abstract, but what isn't spoken can often still match my "mood".

I've found that the things I respect most artistically tend to line up with my favorites as well, but being that there's great art that appeals to me on a personal level and great art that doesn't, I'll generally give the first option the advantage.

[ewok20t3]

Relating to something doesn't mean I feel the way the songwriter or the character in a song feels. It just means that I can understand the feeling that's being expressed. This description obviously doesn't apply when a song is more about the sound of words or something abstract, but what isn't spoken can often still match my "mood".

Good point. I think it's the same for me, otherwise I probably wouldn't enjoy Explosions In The Sky as much as I do. I probably do still tend to favor music that I relate to personally more than music where I relate to the artist's expression of his feelings.
For example, Jimmy Eat World's Futures is number 6 on my list while Bleed American is number 49. They're both on pretty close to the same level artistically (Bleed American might have a slight edge). I relate to the feelings and emotions expressed in both albums pretty well. So what makes Futures rank so much higher for me? It's probably the fact that "23" helped me realize I needed to make a move on the woman that is now my wife. It's that I have a been in a relationship with a co-worker that ended up being a horrible idea, therefore I relate to the song "Work". Instances like that seem to cause me to like an album more. But albums I relate to on that big of personal level only come around once or twice a year, so other albums fall into place by how well the artist is expressing their feelings and emotions to give me a connection. That's how Bleed American ends up on my list. I do relate to it, but I don't have the kind of personal relation to it that I have to Futures.

I hope that makes some kind of sense. 

[murlough23]

There are several songs that might otherwise be artistically unremarkable, which stick with me for similar reasons. They were in the right place at the same time. They do usually express the situation in a more interesting way than your generically written pop song, which also seems to be the case with the JEW songs you cited. (I wanted "23" to be one of my favorite songs by them. It's my favorite number. But with JEW I tend to go with the obvious picks like "The Middle" or "Pain". Then again, I both relate to "Drugs or Me" and find it artistically pleasing, and no, I've never taken drugs.)

A lot of the songs I put on mix CDs for myself are because they relate to my life situation at the time. Though some are just fun, and there are plenty of cases where well-written breakup songs made the cut despite the CD being made at a time when I was happy in a relationship (and later on, in marriage).

NP: "Hope on Fire (live)", Vienna Teng

[ewok20t3]

A lot of the songs I put on mix CDs for myself are because they relate to my life situation at the time.

Yeah, that's probably the best way to have a collection of songs that mean something personal to you. Which is why when an album comes along full of songs that I relate to in that way, it makes that album so special to me.

[plvarona]

I've finally settled on my "Favorite Albums of the 2000s" list.  I'll go ahead and start revealing it now.  I'll be revealing my list in segments, and just keep editing this post as I unveil more of my list.

Phil's Top 100 Albums of the 2000s:
100. The Evan Anthem: Sens
99. The Normals: Coming To Life
98. Robert Randolph & The Family Band: Unclassified
97. Jars of Clay: The Long Fall Back to Earth
96. John Reuben: The Boy vs. The Cynic
95. PfR: Disappear
94. Eisley: Combinations
93. The Myriad: You Can't Trust a Ladder
92. John Reuben: Word of Mouth
91. Leigh Nash: Blue on Blue
90. Inside The Outside: Inside The Outside
89. Flogging Molly: Float
88. Switchfoot: Nothing is Sound
87. Fair: The Best Worst-Case Scenario
86. NEEDTOBREATHE: The Outsiders
85. Daily Planet: Hero
84. Jars of Clay: Redemption Songs
83. The Normals: A Place Where You Belong
82. Alli Rogers: The Day of Small Things
81. Andrew Peterson: Resurrection Letters, Vol. II
80. The Elms: The Chess Hotel
79. Paper Route: Absence
78. Matthew Perryman Jones: Swallow The Sea
77. Mars ILL: Pro*Pain
76. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
75. The Violet Burning: Drop-dead
74. Seabird: Rocks Into Rivers
73. Andrew Osenga: The Morning
72. Anberlin: Never Take Friendship Personal
71. Wavorly: Conquering The Fear of Flight
70. Nichole Nordeman: This Mystery
69. Bethany Dillon: Bethany Dillon
68. Caedmon's Call: Overdressed
67. Derek Webb: The Ringing Bell
66. Relient K: Forget and Not Slow Down
65. Sleeping at Last: Storyboards
64. Derek Webb: I See Things Upside Down
63. Lifehouse: No Name Face
62. David Crowder Band: A Collision
61. Anberlin: Blueprints For the BlackMarket
60. Rebecca St. James: Transform
59. Eisley: Room Noises
58. Jennifer Knapp: The Way I Am
57. Doves: Kingdom of Rust
56. Jon Foreman: Spring and Summer EPs
55. David Crowder Band: Church Music
54. Over The Rhine: Drunkard's Prayer
53. Copeland: Eat.  Sleep.  Repeat.
52. The Pool Boys: My Time Alive
51. Kevin Max: The Imposter
50. Coldplay: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
49. Relient K: mmhmm
48. Caedmon's Call: Long Line of Leavers
47. downhere: Ending is Beginning
46. Justin McRoberts: Deconstruction
45. Sixpence None The Richer: Divine Discontent
44. The Listening: The Rock N' Roll Worship Circus Becomes ... The Listening
43. Shaun Groves: Invitation to Eavesdrop
42. Switchfoot: Hello Hurricane
41. Derek Webb: She Must and Shall Go Free
40. Thrice: Vheissu
39. Nichole Nordeman: Woven and Spun
38. Switchfoot: Learning to Breathe
37. Jars of Clay: Who We Are Instead
36. Edison Glass: A Burn or a Shiver
35. Brooke Waggoner: Heal For The Honey
34. Jill Paquette: Jill Paquette
33. Andrew Peterson: Carried Along
32. Mute Math: Mute Math
31. Shaun Groves: Twilight
30. Sufjan Stevens: Michigan
29. Switchfoot: Oh!  Gravity.
28. The Reign of Kindo: Rhythm, Chord & Melody
27. Shaun Groves: White Flag
26. Edison Glass: Time is Fiction
25. Patty Griffin: Children Running Through
24. Deas Vail: All The Houses Look The Same
23. Jars of Clay: The Eleventh Hour
22. The Myriad: With Arrows, With Poise
21. Deas Vail: Birds and Cages
20. Anberlin: Cities
19. mewithoutYou: It's All Crazy!  It's All False!  It's All a Dream!  It's Alright
18. Cool Hand Luke: The Fires of Life
17. Andrew Peterson: The Far Country
16. Monarch: Lowly
15. Sleeping at Last: Ghosts
14. Steven Delopoulos: Me Died Blue
13. Cool Hand Luke: The Sleeping House
12. Derek Webb: Stockholm Syndrome
11. Iron and Wine: The Shepherd's Dog
10. Mae: The Everglow
09. Justin McRoberts: Grace Must Wound...
08. House of Heroes: The End is Not The End
07. Caedmon's Call: Share The Well
06. Switchfoot: The Beautiful Letdown
05. Steven Delopoulos: Straightjacket
04. Over The Rhine: The Trumpet Child
03. Sufjan Stevens: Illinois
02: Sleeping at Last:Keep No Score
01. Jars of Clay: Good Monsters

[murlough23]

Jars of Clay: The Long Fall Back to Earth
Eisley: Combinations
John Reuben: Word of Mouth
Switchfoot: Nothing is Sound
Jars of Clay: Redemption Songs
The Normals: A Place Where You Belong

We have these in common so far.

[plvarona]

^Actually, I scrolled through your list recently, and we have quite a few albums in common.  Furthermore, I saw several albums that you had ranked in roughly the same range I did.

As for the rest of my list, albums #20-#11 will be revealed tomorrow, and I will finally reveal my top 10 on Sunday.

[ewok20t3]

24. Deas Vail: All The Houses Look The Same
21. Deas Vail: Birds and Cages

I find this interesting because I LOVE All The Houses Look The Same but I was extremely let down with Birds and Cages. I know it took them almost three years to get the album out, but it still seems rushed or incomplete to me.

[murlough23]

I find this interesting because I LOVE All The Houses The Same but I was extremely let down with Birds and Cages. I know it took them almost three years to get the album out, but it still seems rushed or incomplete to me.

I found B&C to only be a slight step down from their first album, but still incredibly solid. The first album just had highlights that seemed almost impossible to top.

[ewok20t3]

The first album just had highlights that seemed almost impossible to top.

I think that's the root of my problem with B&C. It's obvious from the previous album that they can write almost a full album of standout songs, so it disappoints me that unless I'm listening to B&C, I can't tell you anything about it that stands out. Maybe I need more time with it. I just kind of expected it to hit me within a few listens like All The Houses Look The Same did for me.

[murlough23]

I think that's the root of my problem with B&C. It's obvious from the previous album that they can write almost a full album of standout songs, so it disappoints me that unless I'm listening to B&C, I can't tell you anything about it that stands out. Maybe I need more time with it. I just kind of expected it hit me within a few listens like All The Houses Look The Same did for me.

All the Houses was almost wall-to-wall highlights for me. You could go down to my #5 or #6 favorite on that album and I'd still be like "Wow, AMAZING song." I figure that's like lightning striking. Most albums, I get excited about a few songs, and if the rest are "pretty good", I'm satisfied. On Birds & Cages, the big ones for me are the two title tracks and "Sunlight". All of them took a few listens to fully stand out to me, because Deas Vail has this habit or morphing the structure of a song over the course of a song, which means I might remember a verse or chorus and not trace it back to the song it belonged to at first. However, I still think all the other tracks range from good to great, with maybe one or two seeming a little too convoluted to fully measure up to the high bar that the band has set. It's a slight disappointment if it registers as a disappointment at all.

But I'm still discovering more about this album as I dig deeper into the songwriting. I want to review it soon, but it's going to be a challenging review to write.

[ewok20t3]

All of them took a few listens to fully stand out to me

I'm sure I need to let the album sink in a little more. I have a bad habit of only listening to an album a few times and then forgetting about it if it doesn't do much for me at first.

[murlough23]

I'm sure I need to let the album sink in a little more. I have a bad habit of only listening to an album a few times and then forgetting about it if it doesn't do much for me at first.

I would have missed out on so many of my favorites (possibly including the first Deas Vail album) if I did that.

[ewok20t3]

I would have missed out on so many of my favorites (possibly including the first Deas Vail album) if I did that.

I buy more music than I have time to digest, so I don't know any other way to do it. I used to not be that way, but I can no longer wear headphones at work and that used bookstore opened up near me about two years and I go in there and buy around 10 albums a week. Between that and new releases I end up with more music to listen than I have time to listen. On top of that, I like to listen to playlists and old favorites at times, too. I'm open to suggestions on how to fix this problem if anyone has any.  

[murlough23]

Buy less music. You'll waste less money on stuff you don't really listen to, and get more value for the money you do spend. Better to listen deeply to a few things than shallowly to many.

[ewok20t3]

Buy less music. You'll waste less money on stuff you don't really listen to, and get more value for the money you do spend. Better to listen deeply to a few things than shallowly to many.

The thought of missing out on what could be a favorite album makes me anxious, though.

[murlough23]

The thought of missing out on what could be a favorite album makes me anxious, though.

But you're spending money on them and still potentially missing out on them. Seems better to miss out by saving money, doesn't it?

[ewok20t3]

But you're spending money on them and still potentially missing out on them. Seems better to miss out by saving money, doesn't it?

Yeah, you're probably right, but 80% of my purchases come from the dollar bin and it's really hard not to buy something for a dollar that I could potentially love.

[murlough23]

Yeah, you're probably right, but 80% of my purchases come from the dollar bin and it's really hard not to buy something for a dollar that I could potentially love.

Try this. If after 2-3 listens, something isn't grabbing you and you have reason to expect it to grab you based on the artist's past performance, post here and ask others what they like about it. That might give you a few tracks to zero in on. Of course, we won't all agree here, and there may be other folks who are useful sources for this. But that's when I do when others seem to like something and I'm just not feeling it.

And of course there are only so many times you can give something a try before admitting that you can't force yourself to like it. For me that threshold is usually somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7 listens.

[ewok20t3]

Try this. If after 2-3 listens, something isn't grabbing you and you have reason to expect it to grab you based on the artist's past performance, post here and ask others what they like about it. That might give you a few tracks to zero in on. Of course, we won't all agree here, and there may be other folks who are useful sources for this. But that's when I do when others seem to like something and I'm just not feeling it.

And of course there are only so many times you can give something a try before admitting that you can't force yourself to like it. For me that threshold is usually somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7 listens.

That sounds like a good plan.

I did listen to most of Birds & Cages today and it's starting to grow on me a little more. I listened to it on some different speakers and I noticed some good things that I hadn't noticed before in a few of the songs. I'm going to listen to it some more and see what happens. I never thought the album was bad or anything, I just thought it sounded too much like the first album, but with less memorable songs. As the songs are become more familiar to me, I think I'll like it more.