top five albums of the last decade, part one: 2000 & 2001

This will be a five-part series to celebrate the musical awesomeness that was the naughties, now that they're just about over. The new millenium has become a tween, how exciting! I originally divided this up into country of origin, but decided to do a top five list by year instead because it was easier. It's also good this way because I can include both nostalgia albums and great albums that I didn't discover until years after their release.

2000

5. Country Grammar - Nelly

First rap album I ever had, and I still rock out to it when my itunes shuffles it on. Andale, andale, mama EI, EI! Don't judge.

4. The Moon And Antarctica - Modest Mouse

I've never been a huge Modest Mouse fan, but this was the album that everyone always told me to get if I wanted to try to get into them. So I finally got it and realized that yeah, its actually pretty good! I still don't love the band exactly (although I did get-and like-We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank because of Johnny Marr), but this is one of those CDs that should be in any music fan's collection.

3. Parachutes - Coldplay

I've gone through several stages with Coldplay. I actually remember hating the band around this time. They played "Yellow" on DC101 radio all the time, and I thought it was whiny and dull. It wasn't until A Rush Of Blood To The Head came out and my sister played it over and over again that I started to like them and rediscovered this album. Since then, they have both grown and...shrunk on me, but this is still a fantastic debut album from an iconic band of the 00s.

2. Mass Romantic - The New Pornographers

The debut album from one of my favorite bands. It's not as good as Twin Cinema, but I still love it. The title track is one of the best on the CD, and I also love "Jackie", which is slightly strange but fun.

1. Kid A - Radiohead

First Radiohead album of the decade, and it was certainly a good one. It was definitely boundary-pushing with it's weird electronic feel, which is one of the reasons it is so memorable. Another reason is that it produced one of the best songs to be performed live in "Idioteque". The crowd turns into a giant rave dance floor and Thom Yorke does his crazy dance.


2001

5. Room For Squares - John Mayer

I don't listen to this album much anymore, but whenever I do, I get serious flashbacks to ninth grade. Katie and Alex, my two gym/health class buddies, introduced me to it when we were supposed to be watching a Kevin Costner baseball movie. It wasn't one of the good ones, so we were bored. So I spent a few months listening to it through Alex's headphones, then got it for Christmas and it didn't leave my CD player for ages.

4. Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds

I was introduced to Ben Folds by my best friend from high school, who is a pianist so gets excited when any artist uses the piano in their music. We saw him in concert at the beginning of junior year during his Songs For Silverman tour, and it was amazing. Only the second concert I ever went to but it was still one of the best because he is such a great performer. I love this album because it is a mix of silly Ben Folds Five-esque songs and more mature songs, like the father's anthem "Still Fighting It".

3. Up The Bracket - The Libertines

I didn't know about The Libertines until right about the time that they broke up, but this was one of the first British indie bands that I heard that really sparked the whole obsession. I like this album better than their second, because it's kind of rough and loud and weird, like how The Clash would sound today. Pete Doherty grosses me out a little, but he and Carl Barat really were a great songwriting team and I miss them together.

2. Oh, Inverted World - The Shins

I also got this album from Emily, right around the time when we were discovering good music. The Shins became one of my favorite bands then, and they remain so now. I now like Chutes Too Narrow a bit better, but this holds a special place in my heart because it was my introduction to a fantastic band, and it was my favorite CD for a very long time. "New Slang" is of course a gorgeous song and probably their most well known, but the whole album is full of great songs.

1. Origin of Symmetry - Muse

Oh Muse. I still miss the Muse of this era, even though I have grown to like their new sound. Absolution was the first of theirs that I got, but Origin of Symmetry was always my favorite after I discovered them all. This album wasn't even released in the US until 2005, but my sister's boyfriend at the time had a UK copy of it, so we were in luck. "Citizen Erased" is still my favorite song of theirs (specifically the live version that was on Hullabaloo, but the album version is great too).

the american public strikes again

I'm a little behind on my So You Think You Can Dance episodes, so I didn't see who was voted off last week until today.

Nathan is gone and I am sad.

I hate Mollee, she is so annoying and she needs to go. Like yesterday. She and Nathan never should have been paired together, and Nathan got voted off because he didn't get much of a chance to show his stuff with a better partner. He also seemed like kind of a douche, so maybe that's why people didn't vote for him, but he's still an amazing dancer.

Okay, the real reason I like him is because he danced his LA audition to Made Up Lovesong #43. Guillemots are <3 and so is this song.

Nathan was really only my third fave guy (go Jakob and Russell!) so I'm not too cut up about it, but the fact that he got voted off before Mollee is just stupid. And I liked Noelle too! Ugh, just total voting public fail.

Last thought: I freaking love Sonya Tayeh's choreography. Almost as much as Travis Wall and Tabitha and Napoleon.


I had the exact same thought as Adam while watching that routine; it reminded me a lot of The Garden with Courtney and Mark from season 4, and I loved that one just as much.

Yay dance.

the starbucks or the starbucks or the starbucks...

I saw this for the first time yesterday and split my sides laughing. I don't live in Arlington, but I'm not far from it and I know lots of people from there, and truer words have never been spoken (or rapped, I guess) about a place.



EDIT: I just found the Fairfax response!



Ooh, it's on now! (Although the Arlington one is better...sorry Funfax.)



Mmmm, bulgogi.

finally!

After November weather in the mid-70s, I was so ready for winter to get here.

And get here it did!

After the Arsenal win, I walked to campus with the vague idea of getting food. Then I realized that it was the first snowfall of the season, and so I had to get a peppermint mocha from Starbucks. When I got downtown, I decided to pick two up and take one to my friend LA, who was holed up inside her apartment because she hates snow.

On the way over however, the snow went from a light but steady dusting to a blinding swirl of white, and by the time I got there, I was soaked. So I ended up staying the afternoon because I didn't want to walk back in the blizzard.

Home sweet home!

sotw: this is the one

I should probably change this segment to song of the month. Or song of the year, with the way this blog is going. Oh well, maybe my weeks are just super long compared to the rest of the world.

Anyways, on to "This is the One". (Side note: I found out a few years ago that they play this song at Old Trafford when the ManUre players are taking the pitch. This was far more upsetting news to me than it probably should have been. It makes sense, as the Roses are from Manchester and Brown is unfortunately a red, but ugh. It makes me angry that they get such an awesome song while we have Elvis. Not that I dislike Elvis exactly, but I mean, come on.)

The Stone Roses lyrics have always had a sort of understated beauty to them in my opinion. They aren't too complicated (although the word "brigantine" is used in Waterfall; how often do you hear that in a song?) but they manage to convey very stark images or emotions when you hear them put to music. Being a travel whore, the lines "I'd like to leave the country / for a month of Sundays / burn the town where I was born" have always seemed to stick with me. (This is the SOUND of my soul!) This track isn't really one of their greatest lyrical moments, as it does get repetitive at the end. But it doesn't really need a lot of words; the way it's composed makes it a very powerful song anyways.

Ian Brown's voice is nearly impossible to hear , let alone decipher, for the first minute or so. But I've always liked the way the voice blends with the music: rather than sitting on top of the melody, it integrates with the melody, almost like an extra instrument in its own right. And the way the song is very quiet at the start and then has these bursts of sound is not only cool, it's great to tap fingers and toes (or legs or any other body part) along to. Definitely the "Good Part" of the song (see: YLNT). I also love the jangling sort of guitar sound that is so indicative of late 80s Britrock. Overall great melody and great composition.

This whole album is fantastic actually; definitely one of my favorites. Most people point to "I am the Resurrection" and "I Wanna Be Adored" as the staple Stone Roses songs, and while both are great, my favorites have always been this song, She Bangs the Drums, and Waterfall. Check them out if you have no idea what I've been rambling about in this post.

singlehandedly keeping the american economy afloat

Shopaholic, thy name is Sarah.

I have spent lots of money on myself lately. When, you know, Christmas is in about a month and I really need to be spending money on OTHER people. Here are some of my latest acquisitions (yes, this isn't even all of it).

Purple knit top from Anne Taylor Loft:
Blue Tahari dress and black pointed Steve Madden pumps:

ModCloth dress and purple boots (these I actually bought a month or two ago, but I had to take the dress to the tailor to get taken in so I still spent money on it recently):
Anthropologie dress and CL by Laundry shoes:

And this sweet hat from Forever 21 (this was actually only $4 so I don't know if it really counts):

I'd make a vow to stop buying clothes, but I know that won't happen because my sister just got a job at Urban Outfitters so now I get 40% off everything in my favorite store. 'Tis the season of consumerism!

help!

I am thinking of getting a new Arsenal shirt (I feel like I just got one, but oh well. I have an obsession and a money spending problem) but I can't decide which name to get on the back. I love them all so much and this feels like I'm picking favorites! So I need input.

poll by twiigs.com