Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

I can't believe I made it all this way through the 2000s without including anything by Spoon, but I think this album (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga) is as good as any of the others. Here's another top notch 2007 musical performance from the Letterman show.

Boxer

Onward to 2007!



The second album after Boys And Girls In America that restored my faith on 21st century rock was Boxer by the National, another one of my nominees for band of the Naughties.

I saw the National perform most of the Boxer songs the first time I saw them live in late 2006, and was almost immediately transfixed. They reminded me of early R.E.M. with the added urgency of Joy Division. Matt Berninger's vocals were nearly as inscrutable as Michael Stipe's, but they complemented the band almost perfectly, just like the other five members complemented Matt's singing. They were like different parts of a jigsaw puzzle that were all in the right place.

Here's Boxer's opening track "Fake Empire", performed live on Letterman's late show for the National's national television debut (too many possessives!).


Note that Dave is holding up the LP of Boxer. I have this record on vinyl, and it sounds phenomenal. There are a lot of bad things about the LP format, since it's inconvenient and non-portable, but it makes bands like the National shine. Even on my cheap stereo, it's like they're right there playing in the room with you.

Boys And Girls In America

My final album of 2006, and another favorite of this decade is Boys And Girls In America by the Hold Steady. This album (from late 2006) and my next one (from early 2007) helped to restore my "faith in rock and roll" when it was on life support.

Hearing them play the songs live before I heard the album helped me to understand what the Hold Steady were about, and why they appeal to so many people. Here's "Stuck Between Stations" on Letterman.

That Striped Sunlight Sound

I usually agree with the general consensus by the powers that be that live albums "don't count" when ranking top records of the year/decade/epoch, but I'm making an exception for That Striped Sunlight Sound by The Go-Betweens. I like this live album (and DVD) even more than the three G-Bs studio albums during the 2000s.

This album was released in early 2006, just before Grant McLennan died, and documents the Brisbane homecoming show on the final Go-Betweens tour. Grant & Robert and their backing band (bassist Adele Pickvance and drummer Glenn Thompson) go through 16 songs from the Go-Betweens catalog, from early singles like "Karen" and "People Say" through tracks from their mid-80s heyday and solo eras, all the way to their final album Oceans Apart.

The latter G-Bs played the early songs even better than the original band did. I like this stripped-down version of "Clouds" even better than the original, which was one of my all-time faves off 16 Lovers Lane.



The DVD version also adds ten bonus tracks of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan alternating selections from each of their albums. I bought the disc at a Tower Records blowout sale shortly after Grant McLennan passed away, and nearly broke down during the interview segment when he said he thought "our best work is still ahead of us". It would have been too. Here's Grant's kitchen table version of "Bye Bye Pride".

What If It Works?

Another 2006 album by the Loud Family and Anton Barbeau. I don't think I could list a best of the decade without anything by Scott Miller or Anton Barbeau, and this gets a slot for both of them.

My post from a couple months ago called this album "fun and listenable, but hardly earth-shattering", so it may not be best of the decade material, but I can't imagine this decade without What If It Works?. Plus it gives me an excuse to post this video for "(Kind Of) In Love" (the one Scott/Anton co-write on the album).



Double cute kid alert!

Field Music

The self-titled debut album by Field Music (the band) came out in 2005 in the UK, but didn't come out until early 2006 in the USA. The American album had a few bonus tracks, including this one ("You're Not Supposed To"), which is probably my favorite FM track.



The updated US version of Field Music was my favorite album of 2006. I think those three extra bonus tracks turn a pretty good album into a great/classic one that might be my favorite album of the 2000s (more on that later!).

Descended Like Vultures

Another great album from 2005 is Descended Like Vultures by Rogue Wave. Here's the video for "Publish My Love".