Covid Concerts: A Streamy Summer

What a half-year it’s been, eh? It feels like it’s only lasted for about a decade so far, with no end of the virus in sight, but in addition to less time commuting and more time at home with pets, there has been at least one other silver lining to all of this for music junkies around the world over the summer: free streaming concerts!

It became clear as far back as mid-March that live music would not be able to continue for some time, putting venues, artists, and many crew people in a very tough position. While research into when and how venues can re-open to resume live music continues, in the meantime, fans have been stranded at home without the ability to scratch that concert itch. Thankfully, several of the biggest and best artists and festivals in the world of rock have come to the rescue by releasing free, streaming concert performances on YouTube and other platforms for fans to enjoy while social distancing at home.

The trend began almost immediately with Dropkick Murphys sending out a live webcast in lieu of cancelling their annual St. Patrick’s Day show on March 17^th. They were back at the end of May with a second live stream, with a little help from Bruce Springsteen, broadcasting from an empty Fenway Park in Boston. Shortly after it became clear live music was down for at least the near future, rock legends and jam bands, especially, got things going with weekly archival shows from Phish, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, and their modern offshoot, Dead & Company. Dave Matthews Band were a little late to the party, but they have now released 17 full-length concerts over a 21-week span in their Drive-In series. While two to three hours of weekly content from these artists wouldn’t be overwhelming to their fans, the fact that they posted another serving of that length weekly for nearly 25 weeks now is certainly an impressive gesture and has allowed some groups a way to stay in touch with their followers even when touring is (temporarily?) grounded.

Hard rock, alternative, and classic rock artists also participated, but not always to the same degree. While Radiohead released full (or nearly full), previously unreleased concerts for 16 straight weeks, Foo Fighters simply uploaded three of their official live DVDs, footage many of their fans already own or have at least seen before. Both, however, tied their uploads to charity organizations, helping to raise money while fans enjoyed the music. Mike Patton’s Ipecac Records did something similar, streaming four of their official DVDs over a span of a month featuring Fantomas, Melvins, Kaada/Patton, and Isis. The Rolling Stones also featured previously released official material, but their Live Licks series ended up being 6 weeks of DVD bonus tracks from full length concerts or documentaries that can be purchased or streamed for a fee, of course, but the band did not share any of those full length pieces for free.

Pearl Jam could have at least posted some or all of their official DVDs as well but have now only recently announced they will stream a pay per view of a show Labor Day weekend from their 2018 summer tour (tied to charity) which is sort of baffling and disappointing considering the amount of time the group has been together and the years of filmed shows they could have chosen to share (and because they just released a new LP in March and could have seized the opportunity to promote it a bit better). Pearl Jam and other groups who frequently vary the songs included on any given set list are the best artists to share this high volume of material with such frequency, and it’s arguably surprising more such artists did not find a way to participate in the COVID-based streaming trend.

In the rock world, it’s hard to beat Metallica when it comes to consistency, quality, and volume of streaming material released, totaling out to 23 full length concerts (most in HD from the Met Club/5^th Member archives) which also functioned as charity fundraisers. Metallica Mondays became a weekly ritual for many rock fans in the spring, and the band only concluded the series last week after an extremely impressive run. While they also took the opportunity to promote new projects and content for sale, it’s interesting to see Metallica giving so much content away, but whether or not they are still trying to make up for their infamous anti-Napster stance 20 years ago, their weekly offerings were always something to look forward to in spite of the days and weeks of depressing news updates.

Some groups attempted to participate but ran into technical difficulties. They Might Be Giants offered a stream of a show from 2018, but it was plagued by a lengthy delay in starting and with synchronization issues once it began. Pink Floyd got in on the action by offering previously released video content, including their classic Live at Pompeii and Delicate Sound of Thunder concerts, but their uploads were only available for very limited amounts of time, ranging from one week to only 72 hours in one instance. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also raided its vaults and uploaded some amazing performances and induction clips from their 34-year history, but some of these moments would have been more enjoyable in the context of the full induction ceremonies, and the most interesting piece the organization posted, the HBO edit of The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from 1995, was only available to stream for a few days before it was taken down.

Festivals also got on board the stream train throughout the summer. While early-season fests like Coachella and Bonnaroo were seemingly unprepared to broadcast archival sets and/or new content in lieu of an in-person event, Lollapalooza put together a decent package that included both (old and new material), and many European festivals, such as Glastonbury, Pukkelpop, Lowlands, Exit, and Hell Fest released excellent sets from previous years. A few attempts were also made to hold all-star fundraising stream events, on par with tribute concerts and telethons such as those that aired following the 9/11/01 attacks and 2012’s Hurricane Sandy disaster. Those events, such as the Global Citizen Webcast, One World: Together at Home, were inconsistent and mediocre at best, partly due to the selection of artists who participated as well as the quality of the performances themselves, which varied depending on where they were being filmed and the type of equipment being used to film and record them. Similar issues were also seen in various musical performances on late night TV shows that have been broadcasting from home. There is a novelty to seeing The Rolling Stones perform a song together while each member is separated in their own (gigantic and expensive) homes, but compared to a studio or live recording, the quality just isn’t there. Post Malone put together an unexpected and surprisingly engaging set of Nirvana covers, performed with friends who were also isolating, and raised charitable donations on his own.

While the history we are living continues to unfold, the ability for fans and bands (and fans to fans) to connect and engage with each other online and with these concert streams has been a true lifeline for music junkies everywhere. The summer of 2020 will be remembered for many reasons, but in the world of rock and roll, the summer of streaming was unique and memorable in itself. (Now back to daydreaming about all the shows we will enjoy when all of this is over!!)

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Strange Music for Strange Times

A month or two into the pandemic, a fun “your favorite albums” tag was getting posted around Facebook, but my first thought was to choose albums that were not just among my favorites of all-time but were also on the weirder side of things, mainly just based on personal taste and preference. Weird music has always been a big part of rock history and of my own music collection, and there’s no better time for strange music than these exponentially strange times. If you aren’t already well-acquainted with the albums and groups that follow, they are all waiting to become your new favorites!
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Weird Al Yankovic-Dare to Be Stupid

First and foremost, all of Weird Al's records are great. Seriously. Some may be a bit better or a bit funnier than others, but they are all more than entertaining and, starting in the late '80s, progressively well-produced. This particular album not only introduced me to the brilliance of The Weird One, but it led me down the rabbit hole of novelty songs, parodies, and generally "funny music" that included so many wonderful songs and artists on the syndicated Dr. Demento radio show, especially in the early to mid '90s. Hits like the Madonna parody, “Like a Surgeon,” the classic Kinks parody, “Yoda,” and the unforgettable title track will stand out the most at first, but “I Want a New Duck,” “This Is the Life,” and “Cable TV” will become just as beloved as they each get hopelessly stuck in your head after even one or two listens. The finale, “Hooked on Polkas” was Al’s second polka medley but his first to feature comical arrangements of contemporary songs (obviously the best way they could be presented, of course) making this particular polka (and the medley from the following LP) a hilarious revue of many of the biggest hits of the ‘80s.

“But I want it WEIRDER!” Again, you can’t go wrong with any of Weird Al’s 15 albums, but don’t sleep on later era stand-outs like 2002’s Poodle Hat or 2011’s Alpocalypse, each including some of the most impressively arranged, performed, and produced funny music of all time and each with fun and notable guest appearances throughout.

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They Might Be Giants-Flood
Like many other people, I was introduced to the music of They Might Be Giants through an appearance of two of their songs on an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures. After learning they were not only a real band (what!?) but that their music was available outside of animated children’s TV, they quickly became a personal favorite that still sit high above almost everything else.

The partnership between vocalists/multi-instrumentalists, John Linnell and John Flansburgh, traces back to their high school days but began in earnest nearly 40 years ago and continues today. Blending elements of influences that included Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and The Ramones along with artier and experimental groups like The Residents, TMBG fused the early days of hip hop, electronic, and new wave into intelligent and ironic pop songs that referenced any and all genres of music.

Flood, the band’s third LP, is their most well-known, significant, and popular album, and while it only represents a portion of the brilliance of this project, it still serves as a perfect introduction to what they do, how they sound, and what they're all about. While often described as "alternative rock," "college rock," or "new wave," TMBG are true originals and their creative experimentation and wit make them one of the very best "weird" bands you'll ever have the pleasure to encounter. Flood includes some of TMBG's biggest songs, including "Birdhouse in Your Soul," "Particle Man," and their cover of the 4 Lads', "Istanbul," but every note and lyric are nearly perfect throughout the LP.

“But I want it WEIRDER!” Many of TMBGs songs blend both the sane and insane alike, so plenty of strangeness can be found on any of their 22 LPs or collections, but some of the weirdest of all can be found on 1992’s Apollo 18, 2004’s The Spine, and 2007’s The Else, not to mention 2005’s Venue Songs (a collection of original songs written about the many places the band was performing on their 2004 summer tour, while they were on the tour), and don’t shy away from their excellent children’s albums which contain some of the weirdest tracks they’ve ever released!

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System of a Down
In the world of heavy rock and metal, being "weird" is not particularly common (and usually doesn't work very well). It takes a very special set of ideas and combination of players to really pull it off and do something interesting musically and/or lyrically on top of it. By time Nu Metal rose to prominence in the late '90s and into the early '00s, one such band emerged as not just the best "weird" heavy band among the lot, but arguably the very best in their sub-genre, "weird" or otherwise.

My first memories of System of a Down were seeing them at Ozzfest '99, early in the day on the main stage, and feeling completely confounded about their changes, time signatures, insane presentation, and fusion of so many other types of music, including jazz, polka, and traditional, middle eastern melodies and references. Standout songs like "Suite-Pee," "Sugar," and "DDevil" are immediately and completely engaging and sound nothing at all like the band's contemporaries (which helped them stand out even more among the pack of newer, heavy bands around the turn of the century).

Between the Rick Rubin production, the tight performances, and the thought-provoking themes and lyrics throughout, the band's self-titled debut is unlike anything before it, in metal and beyond, and while their style was perfected even more on their subsequent LPs, this album best represents everything they are about and laid the foundation for a band that ended up creating some of the best heavy music of the 21st century (so far?). A few listens through the band’s self-titled debut LP will either hook you hard or send you running in the other direction, but you’ll definitely know how you feel about their style and music!

“But I want it WEIRDER!” If you’re new to SOAD and checking things out for the first or second time, moving right into the band’s second (and best) album, Toxicity, makes the most sense, but if you’re looking for their strangest songs, go a step further and try Steal This Album! which includes songs that were essentially considered too weird for Toxicity but were written and recorded around the same time. Upon visiting the studio during the recording process, guitar god, Tom Morello, referred to the tracks as, “crazy people music.”

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Mr. Bungle-California

Mr. Bungle's California is insane. The group, one of many featuring Faith No More vocalist, Mike Patton, began in the early ‘80s, when its members were in high school, but seized the opportunity to issue their madness on major label releases throughout the ‘90s. Released in 1999, just months before they broke up, this album features about as much of the musical universe as can possibly be packed into 10 songs. Everything from light rock, surf, cartoon scoring, death metal, polka, world music, free form jazz, and all blends of rock fusion weave in and out of each track, making not just each song sound like it's by a different band, but it quickly gets to where each song sounds like it features sections from 2 or 3 different bands, punching in and out at different points. The skill and discipline needed to not only write and record but also perform these songs over and over on stage is mind boggling, and with each member of the group throwing multiple instruments, samples, and vocals into the mix throughout, it becomes quickly hard to discern who is doing what, how they're doing it, and, eventually, WHY they are doing it! It's even more impressive to discover that such madness was written and recorded without chemical dependence or enhancement, in spite of seeming evidence otherwise here and there in the lyrics and production, not dissimilar to much of Frank Zappa's most challenging and experimental work, also made drug-free. This album is note-perfect from top to bottom, and considering the complexity and cacophony of some of these pieces, that’s saying a lot! It is unlike any other album by any other project, including other bands that feature members of Mr. Bungle, and it is unique among Bungle's albums as well. If you have not yet had the absolute pleasure to treat your ears and brain to Mr. Bungle's final album, do your soul a favor and check it out!

“But I Want It WEIRDER!” When you’re ready to take things a step further, try 1991’s Mr. Bungle, the band’s major-label debut which leans more on funk and metal within the insanity, and 1995’s Disco Volante which sees the band attempt their own brand of demented jazz-fusion and is arguably their most challenging work to hear and to digest.

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention-We’re Only in It for the Money
The musical world of Frank Zappa is an experience unlike that of listening to any other artist. Having released more than 60 LPs in his own lifetime (with nearly as many that having now been released posthumously), Zappa's catalog has a density virtually unseen outside of Bob Dylan, They Might Be Giants, and Guided By Voices. His fusion of classical influences with modern sounds and styles functioned at times as a reverential tribute or sincere attempt to compete with the legendary composers and at other times as biting satire, political muckraking, or social commentary on contemporary American life, albeit from Zappa's perspective.

Way back in 1968 (only 9 months after The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper), the band with which Zappa first found success, The Mothers of Invention, released their 3rd LP, We're Only in It for the Money, a 19-song musical freak out that satirizes the late-'60s counterculture while simultaneously participating in it (in present tense as it was still growing).

The album makes no sense from the moment it begins and almost goes out of its way to both start and end in ways that challenge the listener to bear with the false starts and excessive noise that could last for two seconds or several minutes. Who knows!? :) An awkward bit of studio dialog repeats twice within the first three songs, making the listener wonder whether they're partying a bit too hard, have a skip in their record, or both. The use of varying tape speeds on many of the vocals (also pioneered by Lennon-McCartney) plants the seeds for groups like Ween, Big Dumb Face, and many of Mike Patton's projects to sprout from in future decades. With songs that come down on the cops, the parents, and even the hippies themselves, the lyrical tone is extremely critical or tells strange tales about strange characters to illustrate many of those same points. Beyond all of this, the mix and the arrangements are generally very weird, can sometimes be disorienting, and change in abrupt, choppy ways at awkward moments that make the album feel spliced together with little care (or by an amateur) and make the album flow often seamlessly from song to song. Without the lyric sheet in front of you (also included), it's hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins in some sections, supporting the idea of a concept album while making fun of the very first and most famous concept album of all time.

We're Only in It for the Money is not the best Frank Zappa album (or maybe even his best work with the original Mothers, though I might argue otherwise) but it was my gateway into the enormous, engaging, and brilliantly bizarre world of his music. First-timers are probably better off starting with the early '70s LPs, Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe, but this album represents his '60s sound and style as well as any of the others from that era and with that band, and it is a complete trip (in just under 40 minutes)!

“But I Want It WEIRDER!” There is certainly no shortness of weirdness in Zappa’s catalog, but one of his greatest, experimental achievements was the early collage album, Lumpy Gravy, which is book ended by Civilization Phase III, released just after his death. The side-length song suite, “Billy the Mountain” (from 1972’s Just Another Band from L.A.) might be Zappa’s most impressively weird long song, but the flabbergasting, 8-sided LP, Lather, compiling both live and studio recordings from the late '70s, but only released in 1996, contains a little bit of almost everything Zappa did best stretched out over a long, long listen!

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Fantomas
After getting well into Mike Patton's work with Mr. Bungle and deeper into Faith No More and Tomahawk, when I finally made it to checking out Fantomas, I thought I was well prepared and that even if it was really crazy, I wouldn't be shocked. Wrong.

It must be challenging to be the kind of musician that would be in a band like Fantomas (also featuring members of Slayer, Melvins, and Mr. Bungle) because there would always be a drive to do something weirder and more original with every new song and release. I'm not sure one could get much weirder than any of Fantomas' four LPs, but their self-titled debut from 1999 is just as good a place to start as any, and it certainly summarizes the band's sound and style, which is to say there is one, but that's another discussion.

Fantomas pushes it to the greatest degree at all times. Primarily a dark or even goth-based heavy metal band, songs can range from only a few seconds to several minutes in length. They rarely repeat musical segments or sections and are constantly changing throughout, with references to cartoon scores and various samples within the metal. Nearly every song contains vocals, but only cover songs contain lyrics as Patton's mad-jazz vocal attack runs amok during and between the dynamic musical spikes. The band leaves a lot of the work up to the audience. Their first album's songs are simply titled page numbers in a comic book (literally pages 1-30); the second album contains original arrangements of classic movie and TV scores; the third is an 80-minute album with only one track; and their fourth is a salute to the month of April, 2005, with a song for each day of the month (while also serving as a tribute to Looney Tunes composer, Carl Stalling).

This is certainly not music for everyone, and it will get rid of an average crowd quickly if you need to clear a room, but if you're into metal, prog, math-rock, jazz fusion, or avant garde art rock, there's a lot to appreciate and take in on each of the band's releases. I still don't think I've yet encountered a band with music more insane than this.

“But I Want It WEIRDER!” all of Fantomas’ albums are approaching maximum-weirdness as it is, but to add a bit of visual accompaniment to their production, check out their two official live DVDs, The Director's Cut Live: A New Year's Revolution and Live from London 2006 (w/the Fantomas/Melvins Big Band). There may never be another opportunity to see the band live, so these filmed performances might be as close as you can get.

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The Mars Volta-Frances the Mute

What a sound and style The Mars Volta had, and while this album (their second, from 2005) is their most accessible (arguably), it is still full of the psychedelic-prog fusion for which they are known, and each track challenges the listener to journey into new and different musical, artistic, and emotional territories throughout.

Essentially the partnership between guitar whiz, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, and vocalist, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, a rotating cast of majorly-talented supporting players were also featured throughout the group's tenure, including Queens of the Stone Age drummer, Jon Theodore, and the late keyboardist, Ikey Owens, both of whom are also featured on Frances the Mute. Musically, the group was an openly drug-fueled blend of punk, psychedelic rock, salsa, Mexican folk, jazz, and electronic music with songs that varied in tone, genre, and dynamic on each of their 6 albums. Frances the Mute highlights the best elements of the project while keeping the changes varied and regular enough to make most tracks engaging even as they stretch into and beyond 10 minutes, as they regularly do here. (On stage, some of these songs morphed from 13 minutes to as many as 45, depending on the show).

This record is so long and dense that they couldn't fit all 7 songs onto a standard CD, so the prologue to the vague concept album was released on a separate single alongside the LP. Those 13 optional minutes set the stage for the rest which often leans hard into extremely fast and frantic energy or slows briefly for haunted reflection. Lyrics switch between English and Spanish so regularly that the difference becomes unnoticeable after the second or third listen, and once you take the time to look up or translate the Spanish, you'll see it is just as abstract and seemingly nonsensical as the English lyrics! Zavala's words and titles evoke and musically represent the surreal dreamscapes of the legendary artist, Salvador Dali, as much as they directly reference any other influential poet, lyricist, or musician. This all works well within the prog-rock angle of the band's style, but it makes it damned tough to truly understand what the hell these songs are about most of the time, if anything at all!

The 32-minute closer, "Cassandra Gemini," packs just about everything into one long song and serves well as a climax and conclusion that eventually ties back to the prologue, nearly in the style of Pink Floyd's The Wall, also a major influence to The Mars Volta. With guest appearances from Flea and John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers to round out the top-tier playing and production, Frances the Mute is one of the most engaging and weirdest prog or psych-rock albums to come along so far this century.

“But I Want It WEIRDER!” There’s no shortage of strangeness in The Mars Volta’s catalog, but their weirdest music of all was featured on the two releases that followed Frances the Mute. Scabdates, an 80 minute live album that contains only three actual songs, was released later the same year (though it was recorded prior to Frances the Mute) and is full of even crazier production, sampling, and audio collage. 2006’s Amputechure is probably the band’s most challenging LP, collecting a set of lengthy, dense, psych-prog songs with haunting acoustic tracks to bookend them, continuing to explore the many tones and styles they developed on Frances, but with the weird button cranked up to 11!

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Gorillaz
Originally a side project for Blur singer, Damon Albarn, and his cartoonist friend, Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz was first created to comment on the vapid pop music from the turn of the century, but it's the way they did it that makes the project so interesting, as it now rolls into 20 years of existence.

All 4 members of Gorillaz are cartoon characters, and when cartoons attempt to write or perform music, they can usually play and sound like just about anything, which is the real genius of the band and especially of their first album. Emerging just before mash-up songs became a fad in the '00s, Gorilliaz themselves are a mash-up of influences, styles, and sounds from every corner of the musical landscape. Rather than limiting it to only rock or hip hop elements, pieces of electronic, jazz, and world music weave in and out of each song as well, allowing a long and impressive list of guests to appear on each of the band's records, all contributing to the sounds and vocals of the cartoon characters.

Over time, an elaborate back story for the characters was developed that is still ongoing, and most of the artwork, music videos, and other media appearances fit into this narrative in some way. Following those details is not at all important to enjoying the music, but the extras are there for those who wish to dig into them.

The musical blending of sounds, styles, and eras set the stage for other fusion acts that emerged in the years following, but Gorillaz continue to adapt to the latest sounds and production techniques while blazing their own trail into the dense jungle of music all around the world. Each album is different, and 2010's Plastic Beach is their masterpiece, but the debut LP is still the "weirdest" of the bunch and stands out as one of the most unlikely and unique art rock albums to crossover to mainstream success in at least 20 years.

“But I Want It WEIRDER!” With a project like this, it’s surprising to discover there is a fair amount of official and original material outside of the group’s LPs. Since most of the songs selected for the main albums tend to lean toward more vs. less accessible in style, digging into the supplemental material (such as on the G-Sides and D-Sides compilations) adds another level of depth to what Gorillaz are all about, and many of those tracks also get pretty weird. Their many remix collaborations with various DJs and electronic artists is yet another fusion, this one between modern dance sounds and culture and the dance mix fad portions of ‘90s rock.

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Gnarls Barkley-St. Elsewhere
By 2006, all bets were off when it came to what to expect of a new band or project, regardless of the genre or style. The arrival of Gnarls Barkley, and their inescapably brilliant debut single, "Crazy," set another standard for ground-breaking creativity with equal parts of weirdness. This seemingly random pairing of Goodie Mob and solo MC/singer/songwriter, Cee Lo Green, and production whiz/DJ, Danger Mouse, led to the duo's top-tier debut LP, St. Elsewhere, which was created by sending files back and forth via email and ended up becoming one of the most interesting new alternative albums of any kind since its release (in a rare, proper usage of that genre tag).

Building on the Gorillaz musical fusion approach, but with more focus on American than world music, Gnarls Barkley's sound was simultaneously a blend of rock, hip hop, R&B, and EDM while not really being any of them, making it confounding that pop, rock, alternative, and hip hop radio all took notice (a feat shared with Outkast's "Hey Ya!" just a few years prior). "Crazy" was the big hit, but songs like "Smiley Faces," "Just a Thought," and "Who Cares?" best carry the album's themes of loneliness, self-doubt, and heartbreak (usually paired with either relaxing or up-tempo music, not unlike many of TMBG's greatest songs), and Gnarls' cover of The Violent Femmes', "Gone Daddy Gone," is that rare tribute that is at least as good as the original version.

While much of the pop and hip hop of the past 15 years or so has utilized and reflected a variety of influences and styles, Gnarls Barkley's debut (and their nearly-as-good follow up, The Odd Couple) was the last time music this weird was so popular.

“But I Want It WEIRDER!” Unfortunately, Gnarls Barkey’s catalog is pretty small (though it’s all weird to some extent). Adding some visual to the music increases the strangeness, however, both by enjoying the group’s official music videos and checking out some of their creative filmed live performances. (Roskilde ’08 is the best for musicianship and sound quality, but live performances from ’06-’07 generally featured everyone in the band in some sort of themed costume and often performing under a pseudonym.  Odd indeed!)

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The Flaming Lips-Zaireeka
Wrapping up my list of 10 awesomely weird favorite albums, I could not possibly leave out Oklahoma's most famous psychedelic punks, The Flaming Lips! After discovering the band in the early '90s, it took me nearly a decade to really dive into their work, and once I did, I was surprised at the variety and density of the catalog, which stretches back to their self-titled debut EP in 1984 and continues today (meaning they've been around just about as long as Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few). Their sound started as an ode to Butthole Surfers but began to go different directions by the late '80s, later incorporating grunge and eventually EDM and sounding like two or three completely different bands along the way.

While The Flaming Lips' peak stretch of The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and At War with the Mystics (1999-2006) is arguably their best work, the seeds for those records were planted on 1997's Zaireeka, an 8-song/40 minute LP that is already full of weird music and sounds anyway, but it must be played on 4 separate CD players simultaneously in order to be properly heard! (The band experimented with as many as 100 different cassette tapes being played out of car stereos in a parking garage to whittle down what was needed for such an idea.) With 4 CD players required, and at least two people needed to operate them so that all 4 discs/tracks begin at the exact same time, it forces the listener into a social situation where they probably need to call a friend and have them bring a CD player or two just to listen to the record! (or you can listen to them in different combinations to customize the mix.)

Even with practice and attempted perfection, it's interesting to note that the album never truly sounds the same twice because CD players spin at slightly different speeds (even if they are the same make and model), so songs go from being out of sync, to properly lined up, to out of sync again regardless of the people or machines involved. (For best results, try to restart the sync process at the beginning of each new song.)

If you have the means and know someone with a copy, I promise you Zaireeka will be one of the weirdest music listening experiences you'll ever have (and the rest of the band's gigantic catalog ain't too bad either!!)

“But I Want It WEIRDER!” The Flaming Lips are one of those bands that, because they have been around so long and have released so much material, once you dig into the darker, stranger corners of their catalog, it may be hard to find your way out! Take, for example, an EP entitled, Two Blobs Fucking, which updates the idea of Zaireeka by expecting listeners to play it on 12 separate IPods simultaneously. There is also The Strobo-Trip EP, which contains two “normal” songs book-ending a song that is literally 6 hours long, or the craziest of all, 7 Skies H3, which is one song that lasts for 24 straight hours (which came packaged in a scale replica human skull with melted chrome on the top). The Lips have released music in chocolate human hearts, gummy fetuses, and marijuana-flavored gummy skull heads as well, but you can’t necessarily hear all of that in the music. Well, in a way, I suppose you can.
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They Might Be Giants Celebrate 30 Years of Flood in Detroit!

Celebrating the 30^th anniversary of their breakthrough LP, Flood, the twin quasars of rock, They Might Be Giants, and their expert backing band thoroughly rocked a sold-out crowd at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre last Sunday. Tickets sold so quickly that a second show was also performed the following night, which sold out as well. The unique style of the Flood album, being both the band’s most popular and well-known in their nearly 40 years together, has appealed to a wide swath of listeners since its release, and the announcement it would be performed in full throughout the tour brought fans from all corners, from grizzled veterans seeing the group for the 20^th or 30^th time to young teens attending their first or second-ever concerts with their parents. Everyone in attendance had fun sharing an amazing night of music and nostalgia.

 

John Linnell (vocals, keyboards, accordion, etc.) and John Flansburgh (vocals, guitar, etc.) have been blazing a trail of original and engaging rock music for decades and have been working with the same backing band for over 16 years, so it’s no surprise that the professionalism and musicianship they bring to the stage is consistently top notch time and again. Guitarist, Dan Miller, peppered the evening with impressive leads and solos that accented the peaks in each song while bassist, Danny Weinkauf, kept the bottom end solid and grooving throughout the night while also nailing the awkward nuances of some of the less-conventional songs that were included. Marty Beller, on the drums, has a highly animated and energetic style that makes him look and sound like a cartoon character most of the time (perfectly suiting the band's musical style), and horn player, Curt Ramm, a supporting band member in the studio for over a decade and on tour for the last three years, has become a mainstay and highlight of the band’s performances. While TMBG focused more on celebrating Flood and spotlighting a variety of fan favorites and deep cuts from their legendary catalog rather than including any new or unreleased material, it is rumored their next LP will be coming later this year.

 

 Even in the late winter, the venue got pretty warm as the show went on though this night was nowhere near the inferno that raged there during TMBG’s 2005 show in the heat of July. The Majestic Theatre is a great venue for a Giants show in size, vibe, and most other respects, and compared to the band’s previous Detroit show at Saint Andrew’s Hall, The Majestic is an overall better fit for the style of the group and for their audience. TMBG had journeyed to The Motor City from Chicago after playing two big shows there last weekend, so in addition to changing time zones, they also experienced the beginning of Daylight Saving Time during the trip, which they comically commented on during the show. While the shows in Detroit, Chicago, and all other cities on the tour each sold out, the band had to postpone the last couple weeks of shows due to the recent virus outbreak, with Detroit ending up as one of the final cities prior to that decision.

The show itself, an evening with They Might Be Giants, meaning two sets from the headliner with no opening acts, was similar to the one they began to promote I Like Fun in the winter of 2018, but it has been tweaked to focus more on Flood and a few more hits with a bit less of the “quiet storm” section and less recent material. The entire first set consisted of songs from Flood, but they were performed in a random order, unlike previous such tours where the songs were performed in their original running order, a backward running order (last track to first), or even in alphabetical order, keeping both the fans and the band engaged and on their toes by making the presentation less predictable. Up-tempo numbers like, “Your Racist Friend” and “Twisting,” kept fans dancing and singing along, and the classic, “Particle Man” saw them clapping on the back beat through smiles and lyrics they’ve known by heart for decades. Another notable moment came when the group went to perform “Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love,” before which they explained they had (for no particular reason) learned how to play and sing backwards (!) which they proceeded to do, rendering the 90-second song nearly unrecognizable, but if recorded and played backward essentially matches the album recording from 30 years ago.

 

 After 17 of the album’s 19 songs had been performed, TMBG took a 20 minute intermission and returned with a short three-song set of tracks performed in stripped-down and quieter arrangements that allowed for them to be seen and heard in a slightly different light and usually featured only three to four of the six members of the touring group. The rarely performed, sci-fi themed, “2082,” fell apart before it began but was executed well once it got going. After a short video interlude while the crew adjusted the equipment on stage, the full band returned and powered through a mix of hits (“The Mesopotamians,” “Ana Ng,” and “New York City”), live favorites (“Older,” and  “Damn Good Times”) and deep cuts (“Wearing a Raincoat,” and “Let Me Tell You about My Operation”). The second set ended with the final two Flood songs, noticeably absent from the first set, a dynamic, horn-filled rendition of their signature cover of The Four Lads', "Istanbul,” and the super-short but much beloved, “Theme from Flood,” which Linnell and Flansburgh commented was the exact length of time you’re supposed to wash your hands, so you can sing it to yourself while doing so in place of “Happy Birthday.” The concert ended with a strong double encore that included the song-suite parody, “Fingertips,” and the hit single, “The Guitar,” both from 1992’s, Apollo 18, as well as the live standard, “Doctor Worm,” continuing to provide a climactic energy that has been part of the band’s shows for over twenty years now.

 

 While the members of the band are certainly looking older, they continue to sound very sharp, and moments of joy throughout the night mixed with a few rough spots also elicited laughter among the players on stage. There was less banter between John and John than usual, and many segues between songs allowed the next to start on the same beat or note as the previous one ended (possibly allowing the band to pack more songs into their allotted time. All told, the group played 35 songs in just over 2hrs, 20 minutes (minus all breaks), and even after all of that, the crowd would have kept rocking even longer had TMBG returned for a third encore!

Looking back on it a week later, which now feels like a lifetime ago, it’s clear TMBG’s recent Detroit performances will resonate deeply with those who were lucky enough to attend them, especially now that the timetable for returning to venues for live music remains unknown.

They Might Be Giants set list, Detroit #1 (3/8/20)

(“Gypsy” intro)
Dead

They Might Be Giants

Twisting

We Want a Rock

Minimum Wage

Your Racist Friend

Particle Man

Hearing Aid

Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love (Stilloob version)

Letterbox

Lucky Ball and Chain

Hot Cha

Women and Men

Someone Keeps Moving My Chair

Whistling in the Dark

Birdhouse in Your Soul

Road Movie to Berlin

------------------------------------(intermission)-------------
(Godzilla intro)
Music Jail (parts 1 & 2) (quiet)
2082 (quiet)

Wicked Little Critta (quiet)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Underwater Woman (video during set change)

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Wearing a Raincoat

The Communists Have the Music

Let Me Tell You about My Operation

Older

The Mesopotamians

All Time What

Ana Ng

Damn Good Times

New York City (Cub)

Istanbul (The Four Lads)

Theme from Flood

-----------------------------------------(encore break)--------

Fingertips (parts 1-21)

Doctor Worm

-----------------------------------------(encore break)--------

The End of the Tour

The Guitar

--------------------------------------------------------------------

THE 25+ Best Albums of the 2010s

The decade of 2010-2019 was filled with more artists, more songs, and more variety in every genre of music than ever before, and modern rock itself was no exception. With more choice, and the ability for more people to record and release their own music, every listener was in complete control of what they wanted to hear at any time. The turnover of newer artists compared to established veterans was high in most styles of music as well, making it hard for many newer groups to stand out, though there were many new acts trying different and interesting things or fan favorites continuing to grow into a deeper catalog.

Compiling a list like this is a challenge. It would have been easier to list 50 or even 75 albums, not worry about the order, and call it good, but that’s now how these things work! So many excellent albums have been released over the past 10 years that it’s easy to forget about some of the best. Stone Temple Pilots released their excellent, self-titled album in 2010, both a reunion with singer, Scott Weiland, and the last music they would ever release together. The Mars Volta’s Noctourniquet was one of the best psychedelic-fusion albums of the decade and capped an impressive 10-year run from the group in 2012. Rock legend, David Bowie, released his excellent final album, Blackstar, just days before his passing in 2016. Eminem continued to release long records with several singles throughout the decade, but 2013’s The Marshall Mathers LP2 was the best blend of the styles featured throughout his second act as an elder, sober, legacy artist. Beck’s Morning Phase, from 2014, won the Grammy Award for album of the year and featured a more mature and fully realized take on the tones he included on Sea Change and other reflective ballads that stretch back 25 years. Newcomers like Courtney Barnett and innovative collaborations, such as the Claypool Lennon Delirium, also contributed new textures to classic sounds.

The always prolific psych-rockers, The Flaming Lips, continued to issue a variety of strange music and engaging pieces, including edible, gummy skulls, chrome fetus Christmas tree ornaments, and a 24-hour-long song (seriously!) but their 2017 LP, Oczy Mlody, was arguably the best of the bunch and was quite far out, man. Eagles of Death Metal’s Zipper Down, from 2015, ended up being their only new, original material this decade, full of their trademark fun and humor, but also overshadowed by the tragedy of their infamous Paris concert that fall. The always busy, always interesting Maynard James Keenan released new music with all three of his bands over the past 10 years, with A Perfect Circle’s 2018 return, Eat the Elephant, and Puscifer’s Conditions of My Parole, from 2012, being the best of the many releases from that project this decade. Veteran rock and roll crazy man, Mike Patton, resurrected Tomahawk, with members of Helmet, Jesus Lizard, and Mr. Bungle, for Oddfellows in 2013, and he also reunited with Fantomas/Slayer drummer, Dave Lombardo, to launch Dead Cross, whose 2017 self-title debut was one of the decade’s very best metal albums.

It was also hard to choose personal favorites over the best of each artist, and in some cases, it was not possible to regard one album as “lower” than several others just because the same people made several great records. While albums by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and Weird Al Yankovic all appear in the 25 best of the decade, those artists released multiple LPs and EPs over the last 10 years, and they are all worth a listen.

A survey that includes the most-played or biggest-selling albums, streams, or downloads will always lean toward pop, and even in that genre, this decade was more diverse than ever. Any inclusion vs. exclusion of a particular sound or style will yield different results on a list like this, but understanding that rock itself and its closest-related forms is and always will be the very best of all kinds of music, certain artists and albums stand above the others that were released over the last 10 years. One possible order of the 25 best is as follows:

25. Weird Al Yankovic-Alpocalypse (2011)

The all-time king of funny music released two excellent albums last decade, and while Mandatory Fun received more critical acclaim and better chart performance, its predecessor is stronger in production, humor, and song selection for both the traditional parodies (“Perform This Way”, “Party in the C.I.A.”), the recurring polka medley (“Polka Face”), and the originals in the style of other artists (“Craigslist”, “CNR”). Yankovic himself has become a veteran producer of his own material and figured out the perfect balance of vocals and instruments long ago. The fun of a Weird Al record continues to be how much the same five musicians can make each song sound like the artist they are referencing. His band are truly unsung heroes of rock history, and they shine throughout this hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable LP.

24. Red Hot Chili Peppers-I’m With You (2011)

The first of only two albums to feature recently-departed guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer, it was an act of bravery and defiance for the band to make after the departure of the legendary John Frusciante (who has just recently rejoined the group, for a third time, overall). Fortunately, as Klinghoffer was a disciple of Frusciante and had already been working with the band, the transition in membership allowed RHCP to maintain the sound they had been cultivating since 1999’s Californication, as well as to build on themes and styles featured on 2006’s masterpiece, Stadium Arcadium. Singles like “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” “Monarchy of Roses,” and “Look Around” represented the style and sound of the album well, but the band also became more adventurous on other tracks and added additional percussion and electronic elements to further the development of their sound. 2016’s follow up, The Getaway, was not quite as consistent throughout, but both are worthy companions to the Chili’s many other great albums.

23. Soundgarden-King Animal (2012)

Returning after a 16-year hiatus, the grunge gods dropped some seriously heavy tunes on the world with King Animal. The rocking lead single, “Been Away Too Long,” announced their return, and “By Crooked Steps” and “Halfway There” brought an almost-forgotten style back to modern rock radio for a brief time. Largely written by singer/guitarist, Chris Cornell, Soundgarden’s trademark fusion of psychedelic metal and punk builds into prog at times on songs that reflect a weary wisdom that is an evolution of the tone the band left behind when it originally split in 1997. Sadly, even after such an unlikely reunion, this album would also be Soundgarden’s last, after Cornell’s untimely passing 5 years after King Animal’s release.

22. Green Day-Uno! Dos! Tre! (2012)

The veteran punk trio’s first music of the decade was its most ambitious yet. Following two rock opera/concept albums (including the legendary American Idiot, in 2004), Green Day released a triple LP heavy on variety and melody but split each disc into its own album and released all three over a span of weeks in late 2012. Received well by critics but not as much by fans, the band’s decision to over-write and not self-censor led to a mostly-strong triple album with a varied ending that could have arguably been paired down to a phenomenal double LP by shuffling three or four songs into the first two discs’ running orders. Standout tracks included the zippy singles, “Let Yourself Go,” and “Stray Heart,” rocking deep cuts like “Wild One” and “Baby Eyes,” and the more experimental tracks, such as “Kill the DJ,” and “Dirty Rotten Bastards.” This material was also the last Green Day released before singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong’s much-publicized break for rehab, and the small amount of material the band has released since has not matched the honesty or intensity of these songs or their previous releases.

21. Faith No More-Sol Invictus (2015)

Another powerful reunion album, Sol Invictus saw rock fusion pioneers, Faith No More, releasing new material for the first time in 18 years. While the group has famously had a rotating membership at different points in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the musicians that appeared on this record and its successful tour are the same who recorded Faith No More’s previous release, 1997’s Album of the Year. Continuing to push boundaries and to experiment with unique and sometimes odd topics, metaphors, and musical connections, songs like “Motherfucker,” “Superhero,” “Sunny Side Up,” and “Cone of Shame” sit well along side the band’s other excellent 20^th century work. Vocalist, Mike Patton, brings his years of experimental experience to the table as founding members, Billy Gould, Mike Bordin, and Roddy Bottom, sustain a tone that runs both through the album and through the band’s discography.

20. Radiohead-The King of Limbs (2011)

Radiohead’s work this decade exists outside of traditional or mainstream sounds, both in production as well as performance, and the band continued to blaze their own trail into the unknown with both this and another album era, five years later. Adding layers of drums, guitars, and electronics that would require members of the group to jump between instruments, and for the addition of a second drummer in order to perform the songs live, this short but dense album packs a blend of reflective but uneasy tones into its 8 songs, most notably on the minor hit, “Lotus Flower,” but also heard on tracks like, “Bloom,” “Codex,” and “Give Up the Ghost.” Vocalist, Thom Yorke’s, fragile ache throughout the album is supported with beds of musical texture from the rest of the band on these songs and the many related singles and bonus tracks that were released around it.

19. Beastie Boys-Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011)

Returning to vocal-based hip hop after a jazz-funk instrumental album in 2007, the legendary Beastie Boys present themselves as the wise elders they were by this time, cracking jokes about their age and dated references but with an old school execution missing from most 21^st century hip hop. Joined by guests like Nas and Santigold, but predominantly focusing on the interplay between MCA, Mike D, and Ad Rock (and their DJ, Mix Master Mike), this collection of songs was finished nearly two years prior but continued to be reworked and remixed by the group while MCA underwent cancer treatment. Tracks like, “Make Some Noise,” “Too Many Rappers,” and “Long Burn the Fire” introduce modern production and mixing to the group’s traditional musical styles, creating a sort of digital psychedelia, possibly by accident. Unfortunately, the Beasties were unable to tour to support the album, and MCA passed away under a year after its release, making it the group’s final work.

18. Pearl Jam-Lightning Bolt (2013)

The only album released in the 2010’s by these legendary Seattle rockers carried with it heavy emotion and commentary on both aging and the passage of time but also the frustration and dissatisfaction with many elements of modern life, making it not dissimilar to most of Pearl Jam’s other releases. Aside from rockers like, “Mind Your Manners,” and “Lightning Bolt,” the album’s strongest moments come in the form of love songs from a wiser, experienced perspective, including “Sirens,” “Sleeping by Myself,” and the gorgeous closer, “Future Days.” As Eddie Vedder and company embark on a new album era in 2020, and continue to experiment with newer, modern sounds, albums like this one, made up mostly of traditional rock elements, may continue to appreciate even further.

17. Radiohead-A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

Radiohead’s hauntingly beautiful ninth and most recent album, A Moon Shaped Pool, reminded the music world of what they can do and dug deeper, emotionally, than ever before. Aside from the opener, “Burn the Witch,” and the live favorites, “Ful Stop,” and “Identikit,” the album’s other eight songs present soft, quiet meditations on loss, painted densely with unease and reminding other artists who dabble in this sort of electronic alternative rock who did it first and best. “Daydreaming” is one of the most chilling tracks the band has ever produced, and the long-awaited studio treatment of a live standard for many years, “True Love Waits,” could not cut any deeper. Johnny Greenwood’s continued experimentation with guitars, percussion, and various electronics lays sonic groundwork upon which others will undoubtedly build, and Thom Yorke’s falsetto floats above and through each song like a vocal specter.

16. Nine Inch Nails- EP Trilogy (2016, 2017, 2018)

Returning after three years that followed 2013’s Hesitation Marks, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross presented Not the Actual Events, the first EP in a trilogy that would see release over the two years that followed. Each varying in tone and texture, the three collections combined add up to a strong and far-reaching album’s worth of music, most of which harkens back to Nine Inch Nails’ grungy, industrial ‘90s material. Dave Navarro and Dave Grohl join Reznor and Ross on the first EP, which includes the intense, “Branches/Bones” and the slithering, “She’s Gone Away.” 2017’s, Add Violence, rocked with “Not Anymore” and with the electronic, “Less Than.” The final installment, 2018’s, Bad Witch, saw the tone reach to the stars and into the darkness of the unknown on “God Break Down the Door” and “I’m Not from This World,” recalling some of David Bowie’s excellent, later work. While Nine Inch Nails will certainly return to a standard album format, hopefully very soon, this EP trilogy will remain a creative and unique chapter in the project’s colorful history and was the best industrial rock of the decade.

15. Metallica-Hardwired…to Self-Destruct (2016)

The thrash metal legends’ only new material last decade was a much-anticipated double LP (that is short enough to fit onto one CD), which saw them building on the style they re-established on 2008’s superior, Death Magnetic. The more-accessible production and writing on Hardwired…to Self-Destruct led to a stronger reception from fans and rock radio alike, with “Hardwired,” “Atlas Rise,” “Moth into Flame,” and “Now That We’re Dead” all receiving ample airplay. The core team of Hetfield and Ulrich led the way through the album in all respects but are well supported by guitarist, Kirk Hammett, and bassist, Robert Trujilio. The album’s second half isn’t quite as strong as it’s first, but Metallica saves the fastest and most brutal track, “Spit Out the Bone,” for last, similar to the way they ended two of their classic ‘80s albums. The rock and metal worlds alike welcome new Metallica music whenever they can get it, and this particular album was easily one of the very best metal records of the decade.

14. They Might Be Giants-Join Us (2011)

New Wave stalwarts, They Might Be Giants, released 8 studio albums in the last decade alone (!), and considering their continued songwriting genius, narrowing those down to the best one or two is a challenge. The music TMBG wrote and recorded in the earliest days of the 2010’s became some of their most engaging and avant-garde ever, partly by design and partly by accident. A necessary period of rebirth that followed several years of focused work on children’s music projects, Join Us, and the related songs released shortly afterward, introduced the creative engagement of the band and their signature style to a new generation of college and alternative radio listeners. Upbeat tunes like, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down,” “Celebration,” and “When Will You Die?” are balanced by experimental numbers like, “Cloisonne,” “Protagonist,” and “Spoiler Alert.” Vocal effects and production tricks aside, the hooks and sprinkles of comical or ironic references throughout the album make Join Us one of the band’s strongest and most memorable records.

13. Desert Sessions Vol. 11 & 12 (2019)

Modern rock virtuoso, Josh Homme, often busy with Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Them Crooked Vultures, or any of a number of other collaborations, revived his long-dormant mix-tape series this year with two short but excellent volumes of new music featuring guests that range from Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Les Claypool of Primus to Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters and Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint. The punky drive of “Crucifire” makes it a perfect centerpiece of this set while the variety of the dynamic, “Move Together,” the random insanity of “Noses in Roses, Forever,” and the bizarre comedy of the awkward, “Chic Tweetz,” provide something for nearly everyone, with tones and vocalists changing every few minutes throughout. Both a worthy addition to the long-running Desert Sessions series and to Homme’s varied catalog, Desert Sessions Vol. 11&12 packs the most engaging, experimental variety into a short span of time of any of the decade’s best releases.

12. MGMT-Little Dark Age (2018)

The alternative, psychedelic, synth-pop duo returned from a five-year break in 2018 with Little Dark Age, 10 songs full of nostalgia, regret, and haunted reflection run through the filter of ‘80s pop production. Simultaneously returning to a more-accessible sound and taking their music down new and interesting roads, MGMT build something new out of some of their first musical memories. The sounds of “She Works Out Too Much” and “Me and Michael” provide the strongest throwback connections, but the slower-tempo of “James” and the closer, “Hand It Over,” also recall styles from bygone eras of top 40 radio. The equally strong “Little Dark Age,” “When You Die,” and “TSLAMP” blend these tones with psychedelic reflections on relationships, death, and cell-phone obsession. With Little Dark Age, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser provide a post-modern commentary on life from an elder millennial perspective through the classic styles of music from just after they were born.

11. Jack White-Lazaretto (2014)

One of the most consistently prolific artists of the 21^st century as a whole, much less the last decade, is Detroit’s own Jack White, who released 6 albums in total during the 2010s, with his many various projects, and this solo LP, his second, was a jagged blend of sounds and tempos. Blending blinding rock guitar and blazing solos with acoustic folk-influenced country and blues, Lazaretto remains engaging throughout, partly because the musical styles change from song to song. The rocking title track stands out the most, but “High Ball Stepper,” “Just One Drink,” and “That Black Bat Licorice” stand among White’s best songs (for any project). The quieter but curmudgeonly “Alone in My Home,” “Entitlement,” and “Want and Able” are more revealing of White’s personal life and outlook and are probably more autobiographical than anything he’d previously released. Short and focused, these 11 songs kept alternative rock going in the summer of 2014.

10. Kanye West-Yeezus (2013)

Kanye West, one of the most talented, creative, original, and yet divisive figures in modern music and culture, released his two strongest and best albums this decade, back-to-back. Before devolving into the post-post-modern parody of himself, the source of jokes and ridicule from all corners for various reasons, West plateaued with My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy (considered by some to be the album of the decade) and followed it up with Yeezus, a shorter, more-focused, and even more-daring and experimental look into the artist’s mind and heart. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album is built around a fusion of West’s trademark, often obscure soul, blues, and classic rock samples with avant-garde industrial and electronic sounds and production that recalls the 21st century work of Saul Williams, Nine Inch Nails and others more than the styles employed on any of his previous releases. Standout tracks such as “Black Skinhead,” “New Slaves,” “Blood on the Leaves,” and “Bound 2,” revisit themes of social and racial injustice, historical reflection, and West’s own perspectives on life early in the decade after achieving his slow-building, all-star status. Featuring collaborations with and contributions from EDM legends, Daft Punk, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, and Charlie Wilson, this 10-song set is both an exclamation point on the first ten years of West’s career and an unexpected final release of this nature, as West’s subsequent LPs and EPs have not received a physical format and have only been able to be streamed or downloaded, and none of them have come anywhere close to this challenging but brilliant album.

9. MGMT-Congratulations (2010)

 Defying expectations from fans and critics alike, MGMT’s second album goes a million different directions, almost at the same time, and none of them sound like their breakthrough debut LP, 2008’s Oracular Spectacular. Recorded with their sharp touring band, Congratulations engages throughout by being adventurous and by blending and switching between genres, often within the same song. “Flash Delirium,” the album’s lead single, was a distilled representation of the entire record, which kicks off with the colorfully disorienting, “It’s Working,” both presenting a modern, electronic-influenced psychedelia that advanced their sound while confounding some in their fan base. The highlight comes half-way through on “Siberian Breaks,” a 12-minute genre-hopping blur of song segments that recalls the great medleys of rock history but twists that concept to fit the MGMT style. The album closes with the title track, which sounds like a forgotten ‘70s slow jam with lush keyboards cascading over warm, rich bass and a crisp, dry drum kit. While each of MGMT’s releases ventures to new and interesting places, Congratulations is their most successful experiment, firmly imprinting an updated take on traditional psychedelia on the world of 21^st century alternative rock.

8. Jack White-Boarding House Reach (2018)

Always stretching for new heights and challenging himself with new restrictions, Jack White’s third and most recent solo album is the weirdest and most experimental of any album by any of his many bands. In spite of a heavy promotion upon its release, many were puzzled by the abstract nature of much of Boarding House Reach and its combination of hip hop and electronic elements along side traditional rock and blues sounds, interrupted by dialog and spoken word between and during various tracks, most notably on the funky rallying cry of “Corporation” and the confrontational, “Everything You’ve Ever Learned.” Singles like “Connected by Love,” “Over and Over and Over,” and “Ice Station Zebra” kept the rock elements of the album in focus, but experiments like “Hypermisophoniac” and “Get in the Mind Shaft” find White continuing to explore new sounds, textures, and technologies even 20 years into his professional career. The album closes with a quieter falling action in “What’s Done is Done,” a country ballad set to a plodding electronic beat, and “Humoresque,” a piano ballad originally thought by White to have been written by Al Capone while imprisoned in Alcatraz, but later found to have been simply performed by him and a band of other inmates there. Boarding House Reach is challenging but rewarding and full of variety and adventure that is sorely lacking from the albums by many of White’s contemporaries.  

7. They Might Be Giants-Glean (2015)

TMBG hit it hard in 2015, releasing a new song AND video once per week for the entire year! While fans could subscribe for MP3 delivery and other goodies, the band also uploaded each video to YouTube for free viewing the same day each week. As the year progressed, they also grouped most of the songs into three LPs, Glean being the first and best of the three. The songwriting on this album is some of the best of the band’s career, and the sharpness of the mix and production are constantly impressive throughout, especially on “Erase,” “I Can Help the Next in Line,” and “Unpronounceable,” each a chance for Keyboardist/mutli-instrumentalist, John Linnell, to show off his unique brand of witty and ironic lyricism set to often staccato or generally unconventional musical accents. Guitarist, John Flansburgh’s, best tracks include “Music Jail,” “All the Lazy Boyfriends,” and “Let Me Tell You About My Operation,” each featuring elements not found elsewhere on the record, making each one memorable. With over 50 songs to choose from when deciding which to feature here, this focused, 15-song collection stands among the best of the band’s catalog and maintained a high bar for the few remaining early ‘80s alternative rock projects to reach.

6. The Raconteurs-Help Us, Stranger (2019)

Returning after an 11-year break, The Raconteurs roared into a heavy garage rock mode last summer with their excellent third LP, producing singles like “Sunday Driver,” “Bored and Razed,” and “Now That You’re Gone,” whose distorted guitars and hard-hitting drums were some of the very few songs on the radio in 2019 to feature those once-standard sounds. Jack White’s collaboration with fellow Detroit singer-songwriter, Brendan Benson, and members of The Greenhornes, the band that was originally a White Stripes side project gained a following of its own with two successful albums in 2006 and 2008. Previously having featured a blend of styles, but generally leaning toward a blues-based folk and country sound, it is both impressive and refreshing to hear The Raconteurs work just as well, if not better, when focusing almost exclusively on their garage rock side. The heavier and faster songs, like White’s “Don’t Bother Me” and Benson’s “Live a Lie,” stand out the most, but the rocking cover of Donovan’s “Hey Gyp,” and the deeper, mid-tempo tracks throughout maintain a balance as well as a theme. The songwriting and the production are both essentially flawless, and even the imperfections come out perfectly.

5. Tool-Fear Inoculum (2019)

Alternative/psych-rock legends, Tool, finally returned with their first album in 13 years late last summer, and the epic, Fear Inoculum, did not disappoint. 11 pieces of music, but only 6 fully realized songs, the 97-minute collection was released in various formats, both physical and digital, and will undoubtedly take a decade or so for fans to really absorb and decode. The blazing title track and lead single set the pace for the album from the top, and the band explored all manner of tones, textures, and vibrations throughout. The deeply emotional and spiritual, “Pneuma,” represents the depth to which Tool has grown over their many years together, a topic seemingly at the center of “Invincible,” as ruminations on mortality shift in perspective from one song to the next. The album’s second half beings with the strong and rocking “Descending,” which allows the group to embrace their love of prog rock within the context of psychedelic hard rock (or even metal, as some might describe it). Drummer, Danny Carey, shines during his drum and synthesizer solo, “Chocolate Chip Trip,” and everything comes together on the closing number, the raging “7empest,” easily one of the best rock songs of 2019. Vocalist, Maynard James Keenan, keeps very busy with a variety of projects, both musical and of personal interest, but it all pales in comparison to the magic and the power of Tool’s unique sound and delivery, on their albums and especially on stage.

4. The Dead Weather-Sea of Cowards (2010)

The very best album of the decade by any of Jack White’s many projects was released only six months into it. The second album by The Dead Weather, White’s partnership with Alison Mosshart of The Kills, along with members of The Raconteurs and Queens of the Stone Age, is a much darker and sometimes even goth-leaning band, soaked in murk and existing almost exclusively in the palest of all possible blue and purple lights. White leads the group (and occasionally adds vocals) from behind the drum kit here, leaving most of the guitar duties to the multi-talented Dean Fertita, also a Detroit native. Likewise, most of the lead vocals are supplied by Mosshart, allowing White to continue to explore as a songwriter and producer without the pressure of being the front man, which leads to creative and very interesting results. The one-two punch of “Blue Blood Blues” into “Hustle and Cuss” set the tone for the album while taking the band’s sound into new territory, drawing on metal, goth, electronic, and blues elements throughout. The intensity of “The Difference Between Us,” “I’m Mad,” and “Jawbreaker” add a sense of unease, and White’s experiments later in the album, “Looking at the Invisible Man” and “Old Mary,” recall some of his stranger work with The White Stripes and simultaneously preview some of his more adventurous solo output to come. The focused catchiness of these songs, despite their darkness, makes them stand out long after listening and leads to repeat spins.

3. Gorillaz-Plastic Beach (2010)

Gorillaz, the partnership between Blur singer, Damon Albarn, and artist, Jamie Hewlett, began as a satire of the hollow pop music that had overtaken the charts in the late ‘90s and ended up becoming one of the most eclectic and forward-thinking acts of the 21^st century. In Gorillaz, no genre, era, instrument, or sound is off limits, and embracing the mash-up of hip hop and electronic elements with various world music sounds and guests from across the entire music spectrum fills each of their releases with a variety no other group or project can really match. The band itself, made up of four animated musicians, can, does, and has sounded like almost any kind of music one can imagine (cartoons can sound like anything, after all), which leaves the door open for amazing guest collaborations from track to track, including Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, De La Soul, Lou Reed, and members of The Clash, just on this record alone. This particular album, the Gorillaz third and best, overall, focuses on an environmental awareness theme that runs through each track, sometimes in serious, reflective ways, such as in, “On Melancholy Hill” and “Cloud of Unknowing,” and other times in a more sarcastic and satirical style, such as on “Sweepstakes,” and “Superfast Jellyfish.” In the very first year of the decade, among several excellent and notable albums by other artists, Plastic Beach stood out as the very best, setting a high bar that was almost impossible to beat.

2. Foo Fighters-Wasting Light (2011)

Only outdone by one other album, Foo Fighters came together to make the best of their 6 LPs released in the 21^st century, reuniting with Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, and Nevermind producer, Butch Vig in the process. Dave Grohl and company rip through 11 songs in 48 minutes, all rockers/no ballads, with a song cycle chronicling the stages of heartbreak (“Bridge Burning,” “Rope,” “Arlandria,” “These Days”…almost all of them, really!) bottoming out on “I Should Have Known” and closing with the optimistic epilogue of “Walk.” Husker Du’s Bob Mould guests on “Dear Rosemary,” but most of the tracks feature only the core members of the band, some of whom have worked with Grohl as far back as 1993, and each perfectly covering their positions. These songs, whether taken as a concept album or as individual tracks, represents some of Foo Fighters best work ever and contains a tone of honest vulnerability, sincere heartbreak, and courageous personal recovery, and the old school, analog production makes this album one of the last of its kind in an era when digital had already become the order of the day. Wasting Light is magnificent rock and roll and was nearly the very best album released in the 2010s.

1.  Queens of the Stone Age-…Like Clockwork (2013)

After considering everything else released in the past decade, it is clear that Josh Homme’s nearly flawless, post-grunge alternative rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, are responsible for the 2010’s best LP. The band’s sixth album overall and first of only two this decade, …Like Clockwork both summarizes the state of the project in 2013, with three different drummers participating in the recording, the inner conflicts and ruminations of singer/songwriter, Josh Homme, and considerations to possibly end the band, based on some of the lyrical themes and tones within the album and specifically, its conclusion. …Like Clockwork was also the first QOTSA album to feature contributions from bassist, Mikey Shuman, and guitarist, Dead Firtita, who had both joined the band in 2007, and from drummer, Jon Theodore, who joined as the recording sessions were wrapping up. Participation on a handful of songs from former drummer, Dave Grohl, one of which also featured former members, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan, served as a salute to an earlier era for the band while continuing to dive deeper into new and usually unsettling areas. Supported most by the singles, “My God Is the Sun,” “I Sat by the Ocean,” and “Smooth Sailing,” this 10-song, 46-minute album is note-perfect and arguably flawless. Guests on other tracks also include Trent Reznor, Jake Shears (of Scissor Sisters), Alex Turner (of Arctic Monkeys) and Sir Elton John, who contributed both vocals and piano to “Fairweather Friends,” contacting Homme originally to offer his services “as an actual queen.” Deep cuts such as “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” and “I Appear Missing” carry the emotional weight of the album, almost in a load-bearing way, one at each end of the record, and each track contributes to the overall, unclean feeling of the collection. Much like they did in 2002 on Songs for the Deaf, possibly the best album of the 21^st century so far, the often-witty lyricisms and blazing guitar work of Homme throughout put the finishing touches on what became the very best album of the 2010s.