Good Riddance (00's)

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Exhausting. This one word pretty much summarises my experience making this series. Every week, devoting hours of valuable time to a task that nobody really cares about (if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of only ten). But that hasn’t dismayed me one bit, for now that I have finished, I have a completed product to cherish forever. It seems however that nobody else cares for 5 songs stuffed into one file. No, they want individual files to claim as their own and while illegality of that is even greater, that is the direction I will be taking when I go back to new music at Open Your Eyes. So in other words, I will no longer be creating, just offering. All personal involvement has been severed and at the end of the day my effort will go uncredited. It’s sad I know but the collective ‘they’ haven’t spoken…..which is speak in itself. But thankfully this series, with the timeless content it contains, will live on forever….well at least until my free web space provider gets sick of me. In this final issue, the range spreads from veteran ensembles, to newly emerging wonders and finally to stars that shone a little too bright. But what amazes me though it really shouldn’t, is that despite being the 4th episode of the decade, contained here are some of the best bands to play over this, at the time of writing this, incomplete decade.

Death Cab For Cutie – We looked like Giants
It’s kind of sad that to achieve popular recognition you pretty much need the backing of a major record label. The ideal world would be one where record promotion was banned and all records are released on equal footing. That way the masses, well at least their MTV’s would have to listen to the songs and choose on merits, not just what the big 4 give them. However such a world does not and will not exist and unless we rally behind them, many bands will be forced to cross to the dark side. Such is the case with Death Cab For Cutie – same band, same music and yet there latest album, released on a major label, did far better than they’re previous. I choose this song not only because it’s good but to honour the material that ‘most’ failed to honour

Interpol – Evil
Interpol have the tendency to invoke feelings of darkness in me. Perhaps it’s the disturbing nature of the filmclip for this song. Or maybe the parallels in vocals I can’t help but make with Ian Curtis. Either way, most of their songs just sound depressing. I say this like it’s a bad thing but it’s not. What better way to cheer yourself up than to listen to someone who’s depressed and realise how much happier you are? Regardless, the music they create is great, with two out of two albums so far being top quality

Cake – Commissioning A Symphony In C
Cake are completely unique, no band (of notable worth) even comes close to the sound they create. The Distance, an early song of theirs, was a childhood favourite of mine and many years later I discovered and fell in love with their 2001 offering, Comfort Eagle. It’s a well-crafted, all-round album, one better remembered as a whole than for it’s individual songs, always a sign of quality. Cake have the skill of making their music funny, often for reasons I cannot explain, which is always welcomed

Queens Of The Stone Age – Go With The Flow
I suppose I should get this out in the air, this is not one of my favourite bands. But, probably to the disgust of many of their biggest fans I much prefer the newer stuff to the older. This is probably because over time their sound evolved from a self described “heavy sound, based on a solid jam and just pounded into your head” to a more innovative sound, which is what captured my interest. Rather than go for a song off their new album I’ve picked Go With The Flow, a gem off Songs For The Deaf containing the best elements of both new and old.

The Libertines – The Good Old Times
The Libertines – what a band. To put it simply, their history goes like this drugs – forgiveness – drugs/theft/jail – forgiveness – more drugs – end. The main offender on all accounts here was Pete Doherty. But believe it or not over the 4 rocky years of their existence they released two absolutely amazing albums. While the second received more commercial success, I maintain that Up The Bracket was the greatest, containing so much variety and catchy melodies it’s invigorating. But my respect for The Libertines did not come instantly. On first listen I couldn’t stand the slurred vocals and frequent lack of structure, it’s just didn’t go down well. But through determination I warmed to them and really began to appreciate their style. This song is particularly suitable, a prelude to their later demise and plus it sounds great.