Top Albums Of The 2000s

This whole thing feels a little arbitrary now that I’ve assembled a “Best of the Decade” list but, what the hell, everyone else is doing it and they’re leaving off some of my favorite records. After combing all of the records that I’ve enjoyed over the past decade, I came up with a ‘long list‘ of sixty albums. Ranging from Boris to Bon Iver and all over the map I’ve re-listened to many but the best need no re-acquaintance. The final list, you’ll notice, leans heavily on songwriters but not entirely. The greatest merge the two tasks of a songwriter, lyrics and composition and do more than compile a bunch of songs; they’ve created albums that endure as a whole. Or at least I think that have. So, here we have it: a subjective listing of not ten or twenty but fifteen of my favorite albums from 2000-2009.

15. Elliott Smith – Figure 8

Appropriate that this list begins with a songwriter. Not only are the words heartbreaking, the melodies lift your spirit and dashes it back to the ground. Elliott’s life seems to have been an emotional roller coaster. This record picks you up and gives a ride through a piece of that ride.

14. Ryan Adams – Gold

This album hit with an energy and urgency that seems almost an illusion of clouded memory but it really did and I still burst with excitement when I hear the opening chords of “New York, New York”.

13. The Wrens – The Meadowlands

These guys sneaked onto my radar after a live performance on KEXP. I picked this up on vinyl and it blew me away. Still does. “Hopeless”, “She Sends Kisses”, “Boys, You Won’t” are such great songs and the guitars jangle in just the right way…

12. Elliott Smith – From A Basement On A Hill

Released posthumously but recorded fully by Elliott before his tragic death. This reminds me of XO. A little like Lennon in his melodic sensibilities but far more desperate, Smith pulls no punches but does it all so beautifully.

11. Radiohead – In Rainbows

Radiohead explores love, relationships, alienation (surprised?) and more on a gorgeous record.
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Phish Fall Tour Recap

Phish 2009-12-05 by rowjimmy

During rowjimmy.com’s little “break” since Festival 8, there was a little thing that we like to call Phish Fall Tour 2009. Your lovable and reliable bloggers (sophist and rowjimmy) managed to take in a couple shows apiece and listen to the rest diligently. Someone’s got to do it, right? So now, we present to you a run down of the entire tour, night by night, for your entertainment and reference.

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Best Albums of 2009: Honorable Mentions

So many albums, so little motivation to blog ’em all… We’ve been through my top ten albums but there were several that missed the cut for that list. Today we’ll run down a few of those (in no particular order.)

Dark Was The Night – Various Artists

This 2-LP compilation was assembled by  to benefit the Red Hot Organization and features a who’s who of the indie rock scene. David Byrne, Feist, Bon Iver, The National, The Decemberists, The Arcade Fire, Conor Oberst, Riceboy Sleeps, Iron & Wine, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and more contribute a wide ranging but cohesive collection of songs. Grab this and throw it on your iPod and whether you play it straight through or ride the shuffle this one is bound to please.

Jonsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps

Wordless and entrancing, this side venture from Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi Birgisson features less of the Icelandic bombast and more subtle textures. Any fan of Sigur Rós or ambient music should check this out for a fascinating piece of middle ground.

More after the jump…

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Top Ten Albums Of 2009

It’s that time again where every music blogger on these here intertubes sorts his iTunes by year and selects their favorite albums of the year. Naturally, we at rowjimmy.com wouldn’t want to miss out on that so we’ve come out of hibernation to give you our obligatory list.

Unmap

10 – Volcano Choir – Unmap

This dreamy collaboration between Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Collections of Colonies of Bees began several years ago but didn’t get recorded until late last year. Merge Vernon’s low key vocal style with a bit of quiet, electronic, math rock and you get a striking, contemplative record that is hard to ignore.

Around The Well

09 – Iron & Wine – Around The Well

Largely acoustic with occasional bouts of electric guitars, percussion and more, this record firmly cements the singer songwriter atop the heap of the current crop of folkies. Check this out on a snowbound Sunday morning.

Embryonic

08 – The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

Even before its release, I might have guessed that this record would make this year’s list but I had no idea that it would be such a dark throwback to the earlier bizarreness o the Lips. Instead of easing up the popular path laid by “Yoshimi” and “Mystics” the band re-explored its history and produced a record of marvelous cacophony, melody, and heart with less of the slick, overdriven, nonsense (“Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” anyone?) If you are a Flaming Lips fan that likes anything prior to “Yoshimi” you should dig into this record.

More after the jump…

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Festival 8

fest8

For those of you playing along at home, Festival 8 has begun…

The campgrounds are open, The Bunny is on the air and they even played a soundcheck last night.

I’m not there but I’ll be following closely from home (and wherever else I go this weekend) and I thought I’d offer up a few links and whatnot so that you too, the random reader of this oft-neglected blog, can stay informed.

So… Campgrounds. As you probably know, the campgrounds are named for albums that remain on the Phish Festival Eight site. If you are avoiding knowing the albums at all, don’t click on this link HERE. that’s a pdg of the festival map. It’s pretty sweet.

As for The Bunny(!) they’re live from the site now and will be doing so all weekend. Their website features a spot for requests and a twitter stream so you can follow the action.

Now, if you want to hear the Phish sets, your best bet is to fire up your Sirius/XM radio and… What? You don’t have a satellite radio subscription? Me neither. Head over to their website and hook up a free, online, streaming 7-day demo. then tune in at the following times:

  • Friday 6PM ET (9hours)
  • Saturday 6PM ET (9hours)
  • Sunday 3PM ET (9hours)

Update: Sirius/XM streaming is during the sets ONLY.  They do not stream The Bunny at all and they do not start at the times shown on their schedule. Tune in at the set times posted below. This is the best capacity stream for the sets.

Actual set times are as follows (these are Pacific Time):

  • FRIDAY (10/30)

7:30PM Set 1
10:00PM Set 2

  • SATURDAY (10/31)

3:00PM Set 1
7:30PM The Halloween Set
10:00PM Set 3

  • SUNDAY (11/01)

12:00PM Acoustic Set
5:30PM Set 2
8:30PM Set 3

Otherwise, The Bunny is streaming in a more limited capacity. Phish.net has the scoop on that here. (By the way, have you checked out the new Phish.net? It’s great. )

Update! Now you can stream it via LivePhish Radio!

Follow setlists via Phish’s website here.

This being the 21st Century,  Twitter has got more info that you need. Check the #Phish and #Fest8 tags. You can follow rowjimmy.com on twitter as well and I’ll try to keep folks abreast of any points of interest that I hit upon during the weekend. Look for updates after the jump.

Oh, and Happy Halloween!
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