LISTED: 30 Best Albums of the Last Decade (2000 - 2009)
*As the year 2010 is about to draw its curtain close, it is the time of the year (of any year) for many music sites and blogs to come up with a top list of albums of the year. Yes indeed the year 2010 has seen many interesting releases worthy of at least a top 20 list. But here at The Genuine Mind Zine we decided to do things a bit different and take a look at some of the best (of the best) releases throughout the last decade. This may not be the most comprehensive list around, lack of hip hop records for one, but all the albums listed here are indeed the most precious of last decade's precious gems.
28. The Walkmen - Bows & Arrows (2004)
There is something infinitely amazing about the qualities of quiet romanticism. For one, you don't feel obliged to tug at your heart in assent heartfelt show of behavior, rather you savor the moment for what it was and appreciate the finer moment in life in its entirety. It has been such a long time since I last made my thoughts clear about this so I think now is time for a recap. Romantic, for me, is not really tied to the notion of romance - that is when you say something is romantic, it does not necessarily warrant you to hark back longingly at the moment when you're madly in love with a woman (or a man). A romantic song is not supposed to remind you of your lover, or give a basic idea, or a pretty straightforward instruction to lovers on what to do to show your affection and care towards your significant other. A romantic song is not one of those cheesy crappy ballads where even the moon, according to its' standard lyrics, is called pretty considering it's just a huge chunk of rock that looked as inviting as a cold scrotum. No - a romantic song is supposed to take you somewhere else on a mental journey where you've never been to before, and you wish that you could've. A romantic song is supposed to make you feel that - that you're not in the present, sitting alone in front of the hi-fi stereo listening to the song, but somewhere exotic, somewhere beautiful, somewhere where the air and the surrounding has that certain feel that you don't get anywhere else. And then there is quiet romanticism.
The Walkmen's sophomore effort, Bows & Arrows, is a mesmerizing effort at creating a quiet romantic moment, one that you will look back at it after ten years and enjoy the album back again like it was the first time you're listening to it. Certain albums, after several years down the road, grows old on the listener and that it didn't feel quite as fresh and exciting as it used to be. You will remember how that album used to thrill you for days or weeks, unable to get it our of your mind, and quickly deciding that it has to be THE album of the year, or the decade, or heck, the century. But not with this one though. The Walkmen has managed to come out with an album that is simply irresistible, even after you have been living with it for half a century. It does not expire on itself, it grows old along with you. The melody, the content of the album still stays the same, but it's the quality of the feel of the album that changes with you. It doesn't leave you and make you feel alienated after several years - it sticks with you through thick and thin. It feels for you, and you feel for the album in return. And this is why this album is among the finest record ever released in the last decade.
You can hardly find any other album that has the same characteristic with this one.
*As the year 2010 is about to draw its curtain close, it is the time of the year (of any year) for many music sites and blogs to come up with a top list of albums of the year. Yes indeed the year 2010 has seen many interesting releases worthy of at least a top 20 list. But here at The Genuine Mind Zine we decided to do things a bit different and take a look at some of the best (of the best) releases throughout the last decade. This may not be the most comprehensive list around, lack of hip hop records for one, but all the albums listed here are indeed the most precious of last decade's precious gems.
28. The Walkmen - Bows & Arrows (2004)
There is something infinitely amazing about the qualities of quiet romanticism. For one, you don't feel obliged to tug at your heart in assent heartfelt show of behavior, rather you savor the moment for what it was and appreciate the finer moment in life in its entirety. It has been such a long time since I last made my thoughts clear about this so I think now is time for a recap. Romantic, for me, is not really tied to the notion of romance - that is when you say something is romantic, it does not necessarily warrant you to hark back longingly at the moment when you're madly in love with a woman (or a man). A romantic song is not supposed to remind you of your lover, or give a basic idea, or a pretty straightforward instruction to lovers on what to do to show your affection and care towards your significant other. A romantic song is not one of those cheesy crappy ballads where even the moon, according to its' standard lyrics, is called pretty considering it's just a huge chunk of rock that looked as inviting as a cold scrotum. No - a romantic song is supposed to take you somewhere else on a mental journey where you've never been to before, and you wish that you could've. A romantic song is supposed to make you feel that - that you're not in the present, sitting alone in front of the hi-fi stereo listening to the song, but somewhere exotic, somewhere beautiful, somewhere where the air and the surrounding has that certain feel that you don't get anywhere else. And then there is quiet romanticism.
The Walkmen's sophomore effort, Bows & Arrows, is a mesmerizing effort at creating a quiet romantic moment, one that you will look back at it after ten years and enjoy the album back again like it was the first time you're listening to it. Certain albums, after several years down the road, grows old on the listener and that it didn't feel quite as fresh and exciting as it used to be. You will remember how that album used to thrill you for days or weeks, unable to get it our of your mind, and quickly deciding that it has to be THE album of the year, or the decade, or heck, the century. But not with this one though. The Walkmen has managed to come out with an album that is simply irresistible, even after you have been living with it for half a century. It does not expire on itself, it grows old along with you. The melody, the content of the album still stays the same, but it's the quality of the feel of the album that changes with you. It doesn't leave you and make you feel alienated after several years - it sticks with you through thick and thin. It feels for you, and you feel for the album in return. And this is why this album is among the finest record ever released in the last decade.
You can hardly find any other album that has the same characteristic with this one.
Labels: 30 Best Albums of the Last Decade (2000 - 2009), the walkmen
posted by Hafeez at 4:23 PM
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