A decade of music: The best albums from the last 10 years 2003-2005

2003: Switchfoot- The Beautiful Letdown



Switchfoot were a band who were getting kind of used to wallowing in the suburbs of indie music, releasing three albums to low-key receptions before coming to the end of their contract with re:think Records. For most bands this would spell the end of their music careers, they would start seeking a different day job whilst having a big fat question of “what if?” hanging over their heads for years to come.
However, Switchfoot took this opportunity to sit back and enjoy their music without the pressure of a record label breathing down their necks. It made them feel like four regular guys, doing what they loved doing the most, but most importantly giving them the time and space to write the music they wanted to write.

The resulting outcome? The Beautiful Letdown. Contrary to what the title suggests, it wasn’t a letdown, however they did indeed create something beautiful. What was unique with Switchfoot on this album was that even though they wrote songs that meant so much to them, they have that special quality where the songs feel like they were wrote specifically for us, the fans.
The legacy? A major label debut breakthrough, countless weeks spent on the Billboard Hot 200, over 2 million album sales in the US and the priceless spot in the mainstream they had been yearning for. They also had two songs, “Meant To Live” and “Dare You To Move” on the film soundtracks for Spider-man 2 and A Walk To Remember respectively, further pushing their music out to a larger audience.

There’s also a very diverse mix of songs on The Beautiful Letdown. It offers you songs that really touch your heart, but before you can well up with emotion you’re bouncing off the clouds to the next song, accompanying your tapping foot with a massive grin on your face.

For this very reason I find myself often coming to the conclusion that The Beautiful Letdown is exactly like a best friend, a lot of fun at times but also very touching.

Highlight tracks: Dare You To Move, Meant To Live, Adding To The Noise.

Did you know? Even though it took 3 years to release The Beautiful Letdown after their previous album, they only spent 2 weeks actually recording it.





2004: Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand



Franz Ferdinand arrived on the scene in 2004 determined to influence music, exactly like their namesake did with the Austrian army. The boldness of this album made people sit up and take notice and see that Franz Ferdinand’s pulsating songs told a story that they were here to stay.

It just oozes coolness, with Alex Kapranos singing as if it’s not just a song but a statement to society, a fashion trend that people need to urgently pick up on. He also seems to have an uncanny knack of sounding clever yet steering clear of conceit, and has that aura about him that isn’t dissimilar to that of the popular kid at school that everyone wanted to hang around with.

They’re brash but not in-your-face, their lyrics are wild and intrepid yet it’s easy to listen to. The music sounds distantly like something you’ve heard before but the sound is distinctively Franz Ferdinand. The guitar has a funky feel to it, the drums feel disco inspired and the piano is so corny it could double up as an everyday breakfast cereal. If anything else, Franz Ferdinand will have introduced a whole new world of dancing to people who were once as rigid as a telephone, with many of the tracks forcing your body into a routine that sways in time with the heartbeat of the album.

The band ended up winning the 2004 Mercury Music prize, and although this is always a coveted award that bands take pleasure in winning, it all but confirmed Franz Ferdinand’s status as the hottest indie band at the time.

It was Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination that initiated World War I and like for like it was the band’s personal mission to kick start the post-punk revival in Britain. With this masterpiece of an effort it’s safe to say that they were successful in their attack on the music scene.

Highlight tracks: This Fire, Take Me Out, Cheating On You.

Did you know? Their debut led to the band receiving two BRIT awards to accompany the Mercury Music prize that they had already won.





2005: Kanye West- Late Registration




For a while, when I thought of rap music I thought of it being rather drab and dull, with it all sounding the same like one big bland mess. However, after catching a glimpse of Kanye’s single “Touch The Sky” on the radio one morning, I was instantly hooked. I hastily bought Late Registration later on in the day and I remember not being able to put it down for days, at my homework’s expense.

It’s never what I imagined a rap album to sound like. It’s as if Kanye West has grabbed the genre by the scruff of the neck and injected a shedload of soul into whilst adding a splash of swagger. West takes the bare bones of rap music and adds sprinkles of string arrangements, poignant harmonies and thumping beats to create a new face to the genre, one that extends boundaries and produces a stunning piece of music.

Of course, the production of the record is impeccable as well, and this can only be down to the genius of Jon Brion, but it is Mr West and his band of friends who have orchestrated it’s undeniable quality. Notable mentions include Adam Levine, Jay-Z, Jamie Foxx and The Game, who all seem to add something extra to this bubbling pot of an album.

Yes, Kanye West’s head has ballooned to new extremes, but it is his egotism that draws people to his music, and with this effort his doting audience has also grown to the same level as his self-esteem. West also craftily works his songs to fit the impressive cast of MCs he has hired to join him in his quest to bend and break the barriers of rap music.

The accolades followed, with the album winning two Grammy awards and oodles of critical acclaim with many people labelling it classic. I’m inclined to agree with them and so would West himself but no one can doubt the way he has gone about expanding rap music, and in line with his aspirations he has touched the sky with Late Registration.


Highlight tracks: Touch The Sky, Bring Me Down, Hey Mama

Did you know? The success of his debut album The College Dropout enabled him to afford his very own string orchestra for Late Registration.



Check back in the next couple of days for part three, covering the years 2006-2008.

A decade of music: The best albums from the last 10 years 2000-2002

The last decade could be seen as one of anguish, with definitive events such as 9/11, the ongoing war in Afghanistan and even the breakdown in the economy meaning that a lot of people were remembering the last 10 years for all the wrong reasons.
However, what the last 10 years has also done is provide everyone with a wealth of great music, and many of us have used this music to shelter us from the storm of events that transpired.
As a result, with this being the first in a four part series of reviews, I have compiled a list of the best albums that the last 10 years has had to offer, year by year. So without further ado, read on and enjoy!





2000: Linkin Park- Hybrid Theory



By looking at the facts, it’s easy to see why Hybrid Theory has been my pick for the year 2000. At the time of writing it is still the highest selling debut album of the 21st century, it was given the unique honour of being certified diamond status in America, and was the highest selling album of the following year, 2001.

However if you look beyond the facts, then it’s even easier to see that Hybrid Theory has done so much more than shift a shedload of albums. It was a game changer. The subject of the “hybrid” is it’s diverse fusion of rap and metal, two genres that you think should be kept fiercely apart but on Hybrid Theory they blend together like they were made for each other. Chester Bennington’s raspy vocals team up with Mike Shinoda’s rapping, like a marriage between the world’s oddest couple that has blossomed into something truly exceptional.

At a time when pop boy bands were dominating the music scene it is testament to Hybrid Theory for ploughing nu metal into the mainstream, offering something completely original that people wouldn’t baulk at. The thrashing and crashing of the guitars and synths propelled “In The End”, “Papercut” and “Crawling” to the top of the charts, people celebrating a genre of music that had not quite heard of before.

Even when you listen to it now, it still seems fresh and unique, definitely not something that was released over 10 years ago, and I think this, above all, shows how much of a champion this album was.


Highlight tracks: In The End, Points Of Authority, One Step Closer.

Did you know? It is the second highest selling album of the 2000s, behind only to The Beatles’ 1.





2001: The Strokes- Is This It



You know when something simple is better left alone, where if it’s not broken then don’t try and fix it? Well with The Strokes’ debut effort Is This It this is one of these moments. This album is proof that stripped-back indie is one of the most beautiful sounds you will ever have the pleasure to hear. This CD could easily have hit the shelves back in the late 1970s and still wouldn’t have looked out of place, yet today it still seems so current, with the rawness of their sound meaning it will never mature and get old.

At the end of 2009 it made the top 5 in several critic’s lists of the album of the last decade, with NME voting it in at number one. With such high critical acclaim it could have been so easy for us to shrug it off and label these bunch of New Yorkers as “over-hyped”. However once you’re immersed in this record then it’s clear to see that even though New York is already renowned for churning out great bands, these guys are something special. The punchy yet elegant guitar, the simple production of an album that was recorded in a tiny basement and the constant reminders throughout to fans that music CAN be sexy are all factors that contribute to this being a stunning piece of artistry.

Another measure of a great album is how it inspires the next generation of performers, and bands such as The Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand will always be in debt to Is This It and the influence it has had on their sound.

Highlight tracks: Last Nite, Someday, Hard To Explain.

Did you know? The band deliberately left out the grammatically correct question mark from the album title because they believed that aesthetically it didn’t look right.





2002: The Libertines- Up The Bracket



Listening to Up The Bracket is like ordering a portion of rowdiness with a large side order of attitude. Everything about this album just epitomises British rock and roll. It’s loud, it’s noisy, it’s full of bad language, it’s careless and the band just sound completely smashed.

However it’s all these things that when they mish mash together they create a beautiful masterpiece. Quintessentially British, the brashness of this album means the band seem determined to include nuggets of the past 50 years or so of British rock history to make the most complete album of them all. Although in the long run it may not be considered the best British album of all time, they have definitely given it a good old stab.

Another thing that makes this album so brilliant is the glorious relationship that Carl Barat and Pete Doherty shared. T infamous bust up had dominated the headlines shortly after their second album was released, but during their time together in The Libertines their writing skills were unmatched.

They play their music as if they couldn’t care less, the guitar riffs sound like they’ve literally just rolled out of bed and some of the vocals sound a bit like that croaky voice you get when you first wake up but all of this just provides this album with a crucial jagged edge. They may not have made great waves in terms of sales or chart smashes but I honestly don’t think they were bothered at all, mainly because it just hasn’t mattered, but also because it just isn’t their style.

Highlight tracks: Horrorshow, Boys In The Band, The Good Old Days.

Did you know? The lead guitarist of The Clash, Mick Jones, was the producer for Up The Bracket.




Check back in the next couple of days for part two, covering the years 2003-2005.