Week before last, just in time to coincide with the release of the new Beck album, a friend of mine commented to me as I fawned over Beck's latest material that there had been no truly great records released since the turn of the century. Postulating that the last purely classic record to be released was Radiohead's 1997 opus, OK Computer, he went on to say that he felt bands and artists today weren't even attempting to make great records, and that the music industry would soon violently implode because of this fact. I quickly retorted that not only had there been many great records released since the untimely demise of the '90s, but that some of them would age like fine wine; their greatness and relevance only revealed with the passage of time. He chuckled, then asked me to reveal the list. I happily and chronologically obliged:
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)\nThe new millennium started off with a deafening boom when Eminem's sophomore record landed in stores. The rap world hadn't seen anything as gleefully explicit since 2 Live Crew, and nothing so literate, humorous or frighteningly impressive since the heyday of the Notorius B.I.G. It has yet to be topped in terms of unrelenting audacity.
Radiohead - Kid A (2000)\nBefore the Strokes and their minions ushered in a sort of retro-rock semi-revolution, Kid A was seen in some circles as the future of rock as we would come to know it. Some of us still wish that was the case, as there is far more emoted by way of the lush arrangements and abstract lyrics on this record than a million Is This It's could express. Long live the grinning bear.
Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)\nUsing '70s soul and rock soundscapes as his template, Jigga pieced together an album that not only made all his detractors and enemies seem worn-out and weak, but almost single-handedly crowned himself the king of rap, at least for the time being. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was the hit, but "Takeover," "Jigga That Nigga" and "Hola' Hovito" propelled Jay-Z into his current stature as an untouchable icon.
Beck - Sea Change (2002)\nMost people feed a nasty breakup with alcohol or uncontrolled weeping. Beck chose to write and record 12 of the most affecting songs of his career -- and I'm sure his ex feels sick about it. Now happily married with children, Beck may have left his depressive side behind him, but he may never top this album filled with haunting elegies and lovelorn laments.
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)\nPre-Paltrow nuptials, Chris Martin made an attempt at yet another British invasion with this disc full of uplifting ballads and propulsive love songs. He succeeded, considering five tracks became singles, and the other six were just as good if not better. Just try and listen to "Warning Sign" or "Amsterdam" and not feel like you're on cloud nine.
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (2002)\nFrom 30 seconds into the album onward, Songs for the Deaf refuses to let up. Furious riffs and stunning solos hook up with Dave Grohl's insistent drumming, all striving for some sort of rarely achieved rock utopia. Had frontman Josh Homme been less humble upon the release of this disc, he might have borrowed a page from the Clash and declared his Queens the only band that mattered.
Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band - The Rising (2002)\nForget the laughable gung-ho posturing of Toby Keith. The Boss is the only entertainer that has yet been able to express most rational Americans' profound emotional response to Sept. 11 and its aftermath. Tracks like "Into the Fire" and "Nothing Man" deal eloquently with the grief and renewed loss of national innocence, while the title track and "My City of Ruins" showcase moments of distilled hope.
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)\nA disc so inventive the record company refused to release it only to be slapped in the face when it became a critical darling, Yankee shows just what a great band is capable of when it defies convention and makes exactly the album it wants to make. "Poor Places" and "Ashes of American Flags" are modern classics.\nThe White Stripes - Elephant (2003)\nFor three full-length LPs, Jack White tried his best to prove that he was a virtuoso of sorts. He didn't even need bass, and his ex-wife could just pound out beats more basic than Ringo's. It was still exciting, but the formula didn't come to full fruition until Elephant, on which White proves himself an electro-bluesman, balladeer and sonic innovator.
Green Day - American Idiot (2004)\nAs if revitalizing the rock opera and spearheading an ultimately unsuccessful last-minute bid for governmental change weren't exhausting enough ventures for the SoCal punk-pop trio, they also managed to squeeze out some of the most memorable music in recent years, all the while restoring credibility not only to themselves, but to rock music in general.
I'm not sure if I convinced my friend that any of the albums on my list were worthy of excess praise, but at least I defended my point that the music industry is not in fact imploding, and that a select few bands, artists and rappers are still doing their damnedest to keep the popular music landscape relevant. Finally, I clued my friend in to several albums set for release later this spring that he might want to keep tabs on, those being:\n• Bruce Springsteen, Devils & Dust -- April 26\n• Nine Inch Nails, With Teeth -- May 3\n• Dave Matthews Band, Stand Up -- May 10\n• Weezer, Make Believe -- May 10\n• Coldplay, X&Y -- June 6
