In the May 2005 issue of Esquire, Chuck Klosterman "celebrates twenty-one high-quality albums from the past three years" in an article, entitled "21st Century Rock", that imagines that it is clever, archly tongue-in-cheek, too-cool-for-the-room (but, in actuality, is often just smug, snarky, and condescending.)
Klosterman showcases what the cover declares are "21 great albums of the 21st Century" and they are ("in no particular order"):
Almost Killed Me -The Hold Steady
Guitar Romantic -The Exploding Hearts
It Still Moves -My Morning Jacket
Peanut Butter and Jelly Live at the Ginger Minge -Coachwhips
The Big Come Up -The Black Keys
Suffrajett -Suffrajett
Now Here is Nowhere -Secret Machines
Fire -Electric Six
Cream of the Crap! Volume 2 -The Hellacopters
So Much for the City -The Thrills
America's Sweetheart -Courtney Love
Southern Rock Opera -The Drive-By Truckers
Gallowsbird's Bark -The Fiery Furnaces
Gonga -Gonga
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot -Wilco
Maladroit -Weezer
From a Basement on the Hill -Elliott Smith
Dear Catastrophe Waitress -Belle and Sebastian
Electric Version -The New Pornographers
Baby I'm Bored -Evan Dando
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes -TV on the Radio
Man, we're just a few years into the new century and, if this list is accurate, already I'm way behind the curve when it comes to keeping up with the cool rock and roll...I've never heard of some of these bands and I only own four of these records (Wilco, New Pornographers, TV on the Radio, Drive-By Truckers.)
Rats. I guess this means I'm officially even more un-cool than I already thought I was :-)
7 comments:
Fret not; Wilco, New Pornographers, and Drive-By Truckers is a cool eclectic collection.
I know some guys who still think R.E.M. is a "new" band.
Fret not indeed, you definitely have the coolest items from that list. Especially Wilco.
Don't worry Michael, you really don't miss a lot. The only artist you could consider checking out is the late Elliott Smith. Now, he's something for a "best-of-list", indeed.
Yeah don't worry mate, I'm 23 and I've only heard of Courtney Love and Weezer. Mind you, I do have the excuse I'm English, and they sound like American bands.
You should definitely check out that Guitar Romantics album if you like power-pop. Easily one of the best of 2003, with a Paul Weller-influenced sound.
Wilco Rocks! Oh, that's sounds so dumb, but it's so true. A Ghost is Born is imho even better than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (which I ruined from over-listening and had to buy twice), and also won a Grammy this year!
BTW-how many blogs to you have? Every fifth blog-click, there's your face!
$!@$??? I love Klosterman, but Courtney Love's CD? Don't get me wrong, "Live Through This" is one of my favorite CDs (and I own over a thousand) but her new CD wasn't very good...
Definately check out My Morning Jacket if you haven't though.
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