Willie's Top 100 Albums of the 00's

So, Rolling Stone recently published their list of the 100 best albums of the decade, which was as predictable and infuriating as most of the lists we've seen. To their credit, I agreed with about 2/3 of the list between the albums I actually liked and the albums I can't argue with, considering their status within their respective genres (Eminem, Kanye and Jay-Z are going to be included. No getting around it.) Of course, Radiohead's "Kid A" topped the list, as they've been prone to do on many similar lists.

Anyway, after responding to a Facebook post regarding the list, I got to looking through my CD collection. In the course of this, I found a lot of albums that got the shaft, for various reasons. Be they too heavy, too Canadian, and/or just plain too awesome, tons of great albums have been ignored. So, I thought I'd take it upon myself to blow the dust off the old Webhole (if only for a day), and post up a list that I can live with. Because as they say, if you want something done right, include Clutch.

100. DARKER MY LOVE - "2" (2008)
99. KASABIAN - "Kasabian" (2004)
98. MUDVAYNE - "L.D. 50" (2000)
97. TV ON THE RADIO - "Desperate Youth / Blood Thirsty Babes" (2004)
96. THE FLAMING LIPS - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (2002)
95. THE DEARS - "Gang of Losers" (2006)
94. THE HIVES - "Veni Vidi Vicious" (2002)
93. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - "Transatlanticism" (2003)
92. WOLF PARADE - "Apologies to the Queen Mary" (2005)
91. ARCTIC MONKEYS - "Favourite Worst Nightmare" (2007)


90. COLD WAR KIDS - "Robbers and Cowards" (2006)
89. MATT MAYS & EL TORPEDO - "Terminal Romance" (2008)
88. GLASSJAW - "Worship and Tribute" (2002)
87. WINTERSLEEP - "Untitled" (2005)
86. TOADIES - "Hell Below/Stars Above" (2001)
85. DINOSAUR JR. - "Beyond" (2007)
84. FOO FIGHTERS - "One by One" (2002)
83. METRIC - "Live it Out" (2005)
82. BRAND NEW - "Daisy" (2009)
81. WILCO - "Sky Blue Sky" (2007)


80. SPOON - "Gimme Fiction" (2005)
79. YEAH YEAH YEAHS - "Fever to Tell" (2003)
78. MUSE - "The Origin of Symmetry" (2001)
77. SILVERSUN PICKUPS - "Carnavas" (2006)
76. THE DECEMBERISTS - "The Crane Wife" (2006)
75. WILCO - "A Ghost is Born" (2004)
74. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - "Stadium Arcadium" (2006)
73. OPETH - "Blackwater Park" (2001)
72. TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS - "Living with the Living" (2007)
71. SPOON - "Kill the Moonlight" (2002)


70. MANIC STREET PREACHERS - "Journal for Plague Lovers" (2009)
69. THE SWORD - "Age of Winters" (2006)
68. SYSTEM OF A DOWN - "Mezmerize" (2005)
67. NINE INCH NAILS - "Year Zero" (2007)
66. THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM - "The '59 Sound" (2008)
65. TORCHE - "Meanderthal" (2008)
64. BEN HARPER & RELENTLESS7 - "White Lies for Dark Times" (2009)
63. NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!" (2008)
62. MY MORNING JACKET - "Evil Urges" (2007)
61. MACHINE HEAD - "The Blackening" (2007)


60. SILVERSUN PICKUPS - "Swoon" (2009)
59. MODEST MOUSE - "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" (2004)
58. INTERPOL - "Turn On the Bright Lights" (2002)
57. THE FRATELLIS - "Costello Music" (2006)
56. THE TRAGICALLY HIP - "In Between Evolution" (2004)
55. KINGS OF LEON - "Only By the Night" (2008)
54. AGAINST ME! - "New Wave" (2007)
53. PEARL JAM - "Backspacer" (2009)
52. THE HOLD STEADY - "Boys and Girls in America" (2006)
51. THE DANDY WARHOLS - "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia" (2000)


50. MODEST MOUSE - "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" (2007)
49. THE RACONTEURS - "Consolers of the Lonely" (2008)
48. GREEN DAY - "American Idiot" (2004)
47. THE HOLD STEADY - "Almost Killed Me" (2004)
46. DOWN - "Over the Under" (2007)
45. THE WHITE STRIPES - "Elephant" (2003)
44. KINGS OF LEON - "Youth and Young Manhood" (2003)
43. A PERFECT CIRCLE - "Thirteenth Step" (2003)
42. INTERPOL - "Antics" (2004)
41. RADIOHEAD - "In Rainbows" (2007)


40. THE STROKES - "Is This It" (2001)
39. THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - "Ire Works" (2007)
38. MUSE - "Absolution" (2003)
37. THE WEAKERTHANS - "Reconstruction Site" (2003)
36. A PERFECT CIRCLE - "Mer de Noms" (2000)
35. MASTODON - "Crack the Skye" (2009)
34. JOHN BUTLER TRIO - "Sunrise Over Sea" (2004)
33. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - "Era Vulgaris" (2007)
32. MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA - "Mean Everything to Nothing" (2009)
31. THE BLACK KEYS - "Rubber Factory" (2004)


30. THE MARS VOLTA - "De-Loused in the Comatorium" (2003)
29. BARONESS - "Blue Record" (2009)
28. MODEST MOUSE - "The Moon and Antarctica" (2000)
27. THE ARCADE FIRE - "Funeral" (2004)
26. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS - "Decoration Day" (2003)
25. ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - "Source Tags and Codes" (2002)
24. BLOC PARTY - "Silent Alarm" (2005)
23. LIARS - "They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top" (2002)
22. THE DEADLY SNAKES - "Porcella" (2005)
21. MASTODON - "Blood Mountain" (2006)


20. JERRY CANTRELL - "Degradation Trip" (2002)
19. THE WHITE STRIPES - "White Blood Cells" (2001)
18. AT THE DRIVE-IN - "Relationship of Command" (2000)
17. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS - "The Dirty South" (2004)
16. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - "Songs for the Deaf" (2002)
15. THE WHITE STRIPES - "Icky Thump" (2007)
14. CLUTCH - "From Beale Street to Oblivion" (2007)
13. RADIOHEAD - "Kid A" (2000)
12. MASTODON - "Leviathan" (2004)
11. MATTHEW GOOD BAND - "The Audio of Being" (2001)


10. LIARS - "They Were Wrong So We Drowned" (2004)


9. BRAND NEW - "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me" (2006)


8. SYSTEM OF A DOWN - "Toxicity" (2001)


7. THE ARCADE FIRE - "Neon Bible" (2007)

6. WILCO - "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (2002)


5. THE MARS VOLTA - "Frances the Mute" (2005)


4. ARCTIC MONKEYS - "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (2006)

3. WINTERSLEEP - "Welcome to the Night Sky" (2007)

2. CLUTCH - "Blast Tyrant" (2004)



1. TOOL - "Lateralus" (2001)


That is all. Discuss.

The Playlist: Five Songs You Need to Hear Now!

ONE DAY AS A LION: "Wild International"

This, kids, is BIG. Not just because it's a collaboration between Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha and former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore. And not just because it's a Morelloesque effects laden solo away from being a Rage track. It's mostly because this project has been kept so quiet, you probably didn't even know it existed.

"Wild International" is taken from One Day as a Lion's self titled EP, in stores this week.

THE BRONX: "Knifeman"

The Bronx's manic noise rock has garnered them plenty of attention over the last few years; Year in Rock recipients in 2006 may recall the utter insanity of "History's Stranglers". Well, they're back with a new, self titled album (third in a row; this, at least, they have in common with Peter Gabriel) in September. To tide us over, they've offered up "Knifeman", a strikingly normal track as compared to "History's Stranglers", as a free download on their myspace page. Listen to it and snag a copy for yourself here.

As a bonus, the video for "History's Stranglers", because it really is a phenomenal work of art.









MATT MAYS & EL TORPEDO: "Rock Ranger Record"

Upon listening to Matt Mays' previous studio efforts, one got the sense that there was a great rock singer/songwriter hidden somewhere inside the Haligonian, waiting to be unleashed. With "Terminal Romance", his second record with El Torpedo, those expectations are not only realized, but obliterated. Considering the laid back vibes that permeated all of Mays' prior work, it's shocking that "Terminal Romance" rocks with such urgency and consistency. Sure, there are a few more subtle moments to be had, but most of this record finds Mays in overdrive. This is the best example...











THE HOLD STEADY: "Constructive Summer"

While "Stay Positive" might not be the band's creative apex, it's certainly still one of the year's finest records. A little less conceptual, a little further reaching musically, many tracks are off-putting more for their stylistic detours than for their unwillingness to tie up loose ends in the narrative. "Both Crosses", in particular, is unlike anything in the band's canon. I, for one, applaud the Hold Steady's courage in changing things up. Granted, that applause is easier to give when they balance out the experimentation with a rip-roaring throwback to their earlier work like "Constructive Summer". (That's a link to their myspace, it should start playing directly.)






AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE: "Get to the Choppa"

Austrian Death Machine is a side project courtesy of As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis. The album is out this week. But that's not why you need to hear it. The entire album is a "tribute" to Arnold Schwarzenegger, right down to the song titles (also contains the hits "Come With Me if You Want to Live", "It's Not a Tumor", and "If it Bleeds, We Can Kill It").

What more do you need to know?







Served.

WillieTV
(it's like a TV show, but it really isn't)

Don't get excited, this is just a playlist of ten videos that I like at this moment for some reason or another. Basically, I figured out that I could pull this together in one window (as opposed to a bunch of separate ones) and thought, "Shit, you guys! I can make a video show like they used to have on the TV!".

Bear with me, I'm new at the web gadgetry. As such, this may not work at all. However, if it does, you're in for 48 minutes of random jank (music) video goodness. Go ahead; take a load off, kick back, rock out.

The videos:

1. The Dillinger Escape Plan: Milk Lizard
From last year's incredible "Ire Works"
2. My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges EPK
From this year's incredible "Evil Urges". This is an Electronic Press Kit, designed to give you a taste of the album, and the band as people. It's well done, and has clips from the record that might make you start to fathom its awesomeness.
3. Sons of Freedom: The Criminal
From 1988. Matt Wallace produced the Vancouver based band's self titled album right before doing "The Real Thing" with Faith No More.
4. Wintersleep: Oblivion
New single from the Haligonians' Polaris-prize nominated "Welcome to the Night Sky". I'm still serious when I say this is the best Canadian album released in the last five years.
5. The Gutter Twins: Idle Hands
From "Saturnalia". The Gutter Twins are ex-Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan and ex-Afghan Whig Greg Dulli. And this video has kids blowing shit up.
6. Carcass: No Love Lost
From the '94 metal masterpiece "Heartwork". Carcass' discography is currently being re-released with bonus DVDs and assorted other extra goodies. Get 'em before they decompose... huh-huh... get it?
7. Kyuss: Demon Cleaner
No matter how hard you try, you can't not love it. If, somehow, you actually do manage to not love it, I'm gonna have to check your papers.
8. The Mars Volta: Televators
One of the Volta's early videos, and easily their best.
9. The Black Keys: I Got Mine (Live on Letterman)
Catch 'em at Citadel Hill (along with Wintersleep and others) July 20, and you can get your ass kicked just like Dave did!
10. Tool: Parabola
Painfully long? Check. Pretentious? Check. Awesome? Double check.

On with the show...

Willie's Ginormous Canada Day Playlist!

Seeing as it's our nation's 141st birthday today, I thought it'd be fun to cull together a massive 141-song playlist, drawing from Canada's vast array of talent past and present.

You have no idea how difficult it was to think of 141 Canadian artists while ignoring Nickelback and its bastard inbred clones.

Naturally, a bunch of them are completely devoid of any web presence in the form of mp3's available for inclusion on this site (although I was blown away by some of the ones I was able to find; Sons of Freedom?!). And, with the new rules, I'm not bloody likely ripping and posting from my own collection.

Missing in Action:
Lee Aaron, Age of Electric, Barstool Prophets, Art Bergmann, Breach of Trust, BucketTruck, Change of Heart, Choke, Eric's Trip, Furnaceface, Glueleg, Grand Theft Bus, Haywire, Jet Set Satellite, Junkhouse, The Killjoys, Sass Jordan, Mudmen, Pluto, Slik Toxik, Stabilo, Staggered Crossing, Sunfish, Sven Gali, Tariq, 13 Engines, Wide Mouth Mason.

Oh well, the intentions were good, and all that. Enjoy this (still massive) 114 song playlist (minus any files that stubbornly won't play; not my fault, not my files). It's an eclectic, exhaustive, mercifully Nickelback-free mix.


SeeqPod - Playable Search

George Carlin: 1937-2008

The world just became a lot less funny. Details here.

During my younger days, I looked up to many different people, and for a variety of reasons. However, of all those I admired, none shaped my life quite like George Carlin. See, here's the thing; incredibly funny as he was, he also made a lot of sense. It's not often that a comedian makes you think as much (sometimes more) as laugh. It made Carlin one of the best, and makes me value comedy and intelligence equally. It's why whenever I do a PV, or make a snarky remark about whatever's pissing me off, I try to make you think and laugh simultaneously.

However, if you need irrevocable proof of Carlin's influence, one needs look no further than virtually any Pissing Vinegar, and all the naughty language contained within them. While Dennis Miller's famous rants were no doubt an inspiration, I can't deny that my work (and Miller's, for that matter) wouldn't be the same if not for this:



That, kids, is a motherfucking legend.