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.
20. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000)
This is crazy - madness. I am actually in some kind of a dilemma for deciding to place The Hour of Bewilderbeast at a lowly number 20 for this countdown of 30 of the best (of the best) albums of last century. Because, now this may be a bit confusing so sit tight and try to hang on as tight as possible to the ride, this Baroque folk pop epic suite written and performed almost entirely by Badly Drawn Boy alone, a nom de plume for one Damon Gough, has got to be the greatest folk (or pop) album ever released. Yes, read that statement again carefully and you'll notice I've avoided the usual cliche "...one of..." and went straight for the grand prize. So what is it doing down here, languishing at number 20?
First of all, let us all try to decipher and find the meaning of the word 'bewilderbeast'. The only copy of dictionary that I have (Macmillan English Dictionary, International Student Edition, edition 2002) is way past its expiry date but is still pretty much reliable. A quick scan through to page 120 and the only thing I can find is 'bewilder', 'bewildered', 'bewildering' and 'bewilderment'. The next word is 'bewitch', so that's that. I have to come up with my own definition for it, judging on the content of the album: it is totally bewildering, and it is a giant humongous enormous beast. Not the blood thirsty carnivorous type, but the one that will make you go: "Holy shit! It's awesome!". Then it eats you.
It is exactly this lack of meaning to the word that actually highlights the true nature and characteristics of the album. I was left speechless, and furiously scrambling through my mind for the next best word to describe what listening to this album felt like, because it was something new, something radical, something that is too ambitious and too way ahead of its time. Even when I thought I have finally nailed it, the album keeps on dishing out more surprises. Even when I thought I have finally understood what this album is about and what it stands for, the next listen will just unravel a new mystery and suddenly it's all back to square one again.
The reason why this album is at number 20 is because I afraid I have yet to fully (and properly) appreciate this album, the genius of Damon Gough behind this monumental record. Even when I have already considered it to be brilliant.
P/S: This album was slated for the number one spot.
*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.
20. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000)
This is crazy - madness. I am actually in some kind of a dilemma for deciding to place The Hour of Bewilderbeast at a lowly number 20 for this countdown of 30 of the best (of the best) albums of last century. Because, now this may be a bit confusing so sit tight and try to hang on as tight as possible to the ride, this Baroque folk pop epic suite written and performed almost entirely by Badly Drawn Boy alone, a nom de plume for one Damon Gough, has got to be the greatest folk (or pop) album ever released. Yes, read that statement again carefully and you'll notice I've avoided the usual cliche "...one of..." and went straight for the grand prize. So what is it doing down here, languishing at number 20?
First of all, let us all try to decipher and find the meaning of the word 'bewilderbeast'. The only copy of dictionary that I have (Macmillan English Dictionary, International Student Edition, edition 2002) is way past its expiry date but is still pretty much reliable. A quick scan through to page 120 and the only thing I can find is 'bewilder', 'bewildered', 'bewildering' and 'bewilderment'. The next word is 'bewitch', so that's that. I have to come up with my own definition for it, judging on the content of the album: it is totally bewildering, and it is a giant humongous enormous beast. Not the blood thirsty carnivorous type, but the one that will make you go: "Holy shit! It's awesome!". Then it eats you.
It is exactly this lack of meaning to the word that actually highlights the true nature and characteristics of the album. I was left speechless, and furiously scrambling through my mind for the next best word to describe what listening to this album felt like, because it was something new, something radical, something that is too ambitious and too way ahead of its time. Even when I thought I have finally nailed it, the album keeps on dishing out more surprises. Even when I thought I have finally understood what this album is about and what it stands for, the next listen will just unravel a new mystery and suddenly it's all back to square one again.
The reason why this album is at number 20 is because I afraid I have yet to fully (and properly) appreciate this album, the genius of Damon Gough behind this monumental record. Even when I have already considered it to be brilliant.
P/S: This album was slated for the number one spot.
Labels: 30 Best Albums of the Last Decade (2000 - 2009), badly drawn boy
posted by Hafeez at 6:19 AM
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