Music

OTBKB Music: Best Albums of the Decade, Part Two

The second half of my best of the decade list.  If you missed the first part, you'll find it here:

Matt-mays-and-el-torpedo-record-cover Matt Mays & El Torpedo – Matt Mays & El Torpedo (2005): First released in Canada, this
record produced a huge hit there for
the band in Cocaine Cowgirl. Finally released in the US on Halloween
2006, this album is straight ahead rock of the Neil Young – Tom Petty
school. And the fact that MM&ET may just be the loudest band I’ve
ever seen live is, in my book, a point in their favor.

Milton Milton – Grand Hotel (2008):  Milton is both the name of the lead
singer and of this New York City based band.  This album, the band's
third, shows them at their peak with their brand of rock, Americana and
even some alt country.  Everything here is extremely radio friendly,
the only problem being that radio as a means of exposing new music has basically ceased to exist.

Watsontwins-southernmanners The Watson Twins – Southern Manners (2006): An “Oh Wow” moment for me
came as I was sitting in the cafe at
the South by Southwest music festival and heard the Watson Twins do a
semi acoustic live set.  This eight song CD (which makes it either a
short album or a long
EP, take your pick) has the absolute standout Shoot the Lights Out,
which will make you utter the word gorgeous.  If you know the Watson
Twins (which is actually the name of the band) from Jenny Lewis’ album,
you only know a little of what they are capable.

Winterpills2-coverart-web-300x300 Winterpills – The Light Divides (2007): The second effort from the
band, this is a CD to which I listened again
and again.  You can call this music chamber pop; I've always described
this band's sound as quiet songs played loudly. Perhaps a bit more
polished than their debut album from
2005 because this was a studio set as opposed to the recorded at home
first set.   

Wynn_here Steve Wynn – Here Come the Miracles (2001):The leader of the 80s band
The Dream Syndicate, Steve Wynn played around with a variety of styles
in the 90s.  With this double CD, Steve finally returns to straight
ahead rock, finds his 21st century band and produces a double album
that is worthy of being a double album.

 –Eliot Wagner