Definitely Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP". I believe it's the best work he's ever done. Every word he spits is thrown at the listener's head dripping with venom and spite. It was Em's reaction to his newfound fame and how nothing really worked out the way he expected. It's one of those albums I can listen to over and over again, and remains my go-to album for whenever I have a bad day.
Alexi Laiho's peak. Masterful songwriting, incredible tones and an unbeatable atmosphere. One of those disks, that stays forever in your library. I could listen to it for an eternity.
Its a tie between Kanye West's College Dropout or Jay-Z's The Black Album. Both are arguably the epitome of both artists' career...though Kanye's most recent album is growing on me every day I listen to it. Kanye's College Dropout came out of nowhere for me. I didn't really follow music news much, so the fact that the producer of alot of the tracks I had grown to love during my elementary and junior high years was making an album never made its way to me. I still remember coming home from school though and hearing Through The Wire for the first time. The style of sampling was not new but it seemed so when I heard that track. From then on, every single single released topped the previous until the album finally made its way to store shelves...or in my case, bootlegger's blankets. Here was a rapper I could relate to in some way as I was thinking of college myself and whether or not it was right for me. Not only that, but his style was comical with some sincerity peppered into each song. His punchlines weren't amazing, but he managed to hold your attention and keep you listening. The first time Two Words came on, I must have listened to it 100 times on the way home from school. I've already spoken on Jay-Z's Black Album but one of hip-hop's greatest legends releasing his "final" album? How could it not be a hit.
" Definitely Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP". I believe it's the best work he's ever done. Every word he spits is thrown at the listener's head dripping with venom and spite. It was Em's reaction to his newfound fame and how nothing really worked out the way he expected. It's one of those albums I can listen to over and over again, and remains my go-to album for whenever I have a bad day.
"
Definitely - and you summed up why pretty soundly too.
The one thing you left out is that lyrically it was probably the most mind-blowing thing I ever heard. I don't know anyone that wasn't put into a daze of amazement by how thickly rhymed that shit was. The only time I remember being so floored lyrically was Wu-Tang Forever.
@Everyones_A_Critic: I love that album to but I think that Recovery is slightly better. But that's like saying that $1,000,000 in gold is better than $1,000,000 in diamonds. Anyway you're right that's the best album of the 2000s unless 2010 is part of that then I would argue for Recovery
Most of my albums are from the 2000's. I just checked and only 150 or so songs are not from the 2000s, which is crazy to me. I suppose at this moment in time I would say the following.
2006's The Sufferer and the Witness, by Rise Against. This album is, by far, my most played ever. This album represents the pinnacle of Rise Against's music to me - not least because it includes my favorite song from the band. That is song number thirteen... Survive. It is a song that simply appeals to me on every level - it is melodic and has meaningful lyrics. Plus, the picture it paints of being caught in the middle of something is something I always find impressive. The album seems to deal with a lot of different concepts, or at least I take it as doing so. It deals with the concept of oppression in the song 'Bricks', as well as drug usage during ' Injection'. Honestly, I think this album is probably the only album I have truly looked deep into, and I feel that it was a worthwhile experience considering the amount of listening pleasure I have derived from it. Looking at each song individually suggests a story in themselves, but I think that together, the album seems to build up a larger story based around something larger than one person. Looking at it from my standpoint it almost seems to chart a collapse of a nation or something in places. Meh, it's an unusual way to look at it I guess, but it's the way I look at it at least.
The amount of plays from this album alone should be significant enough - it is, by far, my most played album ever. The closest albums are probably Siren Song of the Counter Culture, and Appeal to Reason. Great albums, but not to the same extent as The Sufferer and the Witness. Undoubtedly, the album of the decade in my opinion.
" @Everyones_A_Critic: I love that album to but I think that Recovery is slightly better. But that's like saying that $1,000,000 in gold is better than $1,000,000 in diamonds. Anyway you're right that's the best album of the 2000s unless 2010 is part of that then I would argue for Recovery "
Interesting. What about Recovery do you think elevates it above MMLP? I'm curious, because I've never heard anyone say they prefer his newer stuff to his original three albums. Is it the fact that he's just a lot more mature on Recovery? I don't think Recovery is any slouch, mind you, I just think that MMLP is a tighter package all around. Recovery does have some great lyrical content though.
These are some of my favorites that I can think of off the top of my head.
1. Hospice - The Antlers
2. Discovery - Daft Punk
3. Actor - St. Vincent
4. Turn On the Bright Lights - Interpol
5. The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem
6. Funeral - Arcade Fire
And no offense to anyone here who enjoyed Recovery, but if you think that that cd is even in the same fucking LEAGUE as The Marshall Mathers LP, well, you're probably taking some of the stuff Em was on during Relapse.
@BulletproofMonk: For sure. I just had to pick one, otherwise 6DOIT, TOT, Octavarium and BCSL would be on my post. Can't choose!
In the Name of God is one of my favourite DT tracks of all time, so thats the decider, it edges out over Octavarium and Glass Prison or the 6D suite for me.
There's quite a few. A lot of stuff has already been mentioned in this topic, so I'll go with a somewhat obvious one. The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Traveller
And if I don't copy others from this topic (at the time of posting), I would say most of my others would be Slough Feg albums as well.
Down Among the Deadmen Hardworlder Ape Uprising (I'll never understand the hate for this album by most fans)
To try and add some things not from Slough Feg: Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet Megadeth - Endgame Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant EP Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
My #1 favorite/most listened to album of the 2000s is probably Illinois by Sufjan Stevens. Other personal favorites/most listened to include Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs, Michigan and Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens, and Songs and Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor.
Sufjan and Bird are still making awesome music, but I feel like Regina Spektor has lost something after Begin to Hope. It's like she's not even trying anymore.
There are only a few QOTSA songs that I don't care much for (basically every song that has Nick Oliveri on lead vocals; I don't like screamo). Era Vulgaris came out after he was removed from the band and there isn't a song on it that I dislike.
" Alexi Laiho's peak. Masterful songwriting, incredible tones and an unbeatable atmosphere. One of those disks, that stays forever in your library. I could listen to it for an eternity. "
I would be lying if I didn't say the Gorillaz's Demon Days. It isn't the best album ever, but it is the one that introduced me to some of my now favorite artists, Danger Mouse and MF Doom, as well as music as whole pretty much. I don't remember really listening to music before then. I mean I probably did, just not as intently.
Opeth - Ghost Reveries (2005)
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