1000. Guero

Guero
Beck
2005

Tracks
1. E-Pro
2. Que' Onda Guero
3. Girl
4. Missing
5. Black Tambourine
6. Earthquake Weather
7. Hell Yes
8. Broken Drum
9. Scarecrow
10. Go It Alone
11. Farewell Ride
12. Rental Car
13. Emergency Exit

Oh my god, 1000 albums! I can't believe I have written 1000 entries about music. I guess I will wait to digest that until the next entry.

This isn't the greatest Beck album, but it was still pretty good. This was likely included by the Listmakers because Beck is a pretty safe choice, and they were struggling at the end to identify the albums that will have staying power. Guero is perfectly listenable, due in large part to the creative use of sampling.

But it doesn't have the distinction of Odelay, and doesn't leave the strongest impression. Probably removed in later editions.

RATING: 3/5

998. Aha Shake Heartbreak

Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon
2004

Tracks
1. Slow Night, So Long
2. King Of The Rodeo
3. Taper Jean Girl
4. Pistol Of Fire
5. Milk
6. The Bucket
7. Soft
8. Razz
9. Day Old Blues
10. Four Kicks
11. Velvet Snow
12. Rememo

Kings of Leon are back, and this time it's even less personal. I feel like their music lacks intimacy or innovation. I enjoyed their previous entry on the List, but I don't think they needed another one.

The Listmakers probably panicked toward the end here, and I would guess that these last few entries have all been replaced by other entries in subsequent editions. That's not to say they are bad albums, but they are bit repetitive and showcase artists who have already been represented with superior albums.

Such is the case with the Kings of Leon, who don't really grow or do anything different from their previous album. Listenable music, but one album from this band was probably sufficient.

RATING: 3/5

996. Who Killed...The Zutons?

Who Killed...The Zutons?
The Zutons
2004

Tracks
1. Zuton Fever
2. Pressure Point
3. You Will You Won't
4. Confusion
5. Havana Gang Brawl
6. Railroad
7. Long Time Coming
8. Nightmare Part II
9. Not A Lot To Do
10. Remember Me
11. Dirty Dancehall
12. Moons And Horror Shows

Here we have a band try to imitate The Coral, which is actually perfect for me, because I quite like The Coral.

Of course, that means this album doesn't win many points in the originality department. But they do produce some catchy songs and it's pretty entertaining to listen to throughout.

Only five more albums to go...I would be even more excited right now if a cat wasn't currently digging her claws into my legs, but such is the price of love.

RATING: 2/5

994. A Grand Don't Come For Free

A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
2004

Tracks
1. It Was Supposed To Be So Easy
2. Could Well Be In
3. Not Addicted
4. Blinded By The Lights
5. Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
6. Get Out Of My House
7. Fit But You Know It
8. Such A Twat
9. What Is He Thinking?
10. Dry Your Eyes
11. Empty Cans

Artists are really interesting in telling stories in their album lately, and this one is no exception. In this story (which is much easier to follow than the plots about witches or comatose drug addicts), the protagonist loses £1000 and tries to make his money back. At the same time, he starts a relationship with a girl named Simone. 

I like the concept behind this, and how every track was essentially a chapter in the story (with "Could Well Be In" being my favorite). It does make it feel like you are listening to the soundtrack of a musical, which I know won't appeal to everybody. I am not sure how well the songs work on their own. It ends up being an enjoyable novelty album without much incentive to listen to it twice. 

Not enough happens in the story to make it entirely compelling throughout, so it gets a bit wearing by the seventh track. The protagonist is pretty obnoxious. Still an intriguing idea though.

RATING: 3/5

993. They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Liars
2004

Tracks
1. Broken Witch
2. Steam Rose From The Lifeless Cloak
3. There's Always Room On The Broom
4. If You're A Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?
5. We Fenced Other Houses With The Bones Of Our Own
6. They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids
7. Read The Book That Wrote Itself
8. Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway
9. They Took 14 For The Rest Of Our Lives
10. Flow My Tears The Spider Said

We've haven't had much luck with the concept albums lately, but this was actually pretty fun. And a story about witches is very appropriate right now, with tomorrow being Halloween.

By the way, there are many Harry Potter subreddits devoted to answering the question posed in the fourth track. The answer we accept as headcanon is that only a trained Healer can specialize in that kind of magic. 

Sorry, my nerdiness was showing again. Moving on to the album....

This was fairly enjoyable and effective in casting a dark spell over its listener. There are way too many gimmicks and sound effects to make me want to listen to this on the reg, but I enjoyed it as a seasonal novelty.

Okay, so I'm a little scared of them. That doesn't mean my rating isn't fair.

RATING: 3/5

989. The Libertines

The Libertines

The Libertines
2004

Tracks
1. Can't Stand Me Now
2. Last Post On The Bugle
3. Don't Be Shy
4. The Man Who Would Be King
5. Music When The Lights Go Out
6. Narcissist
7. The Ha Ha Wall
8. Arbeit Macht Frei
9. Campaign Of Hate
10. What Katie Did
11. Tomblands
12. The Saga
13. Road To Ruin
14. What Became Of The Likely Lads

Once you know what a mess this band was and how horrible the bandmates were to each other, it kind of loses its fun. Not that it was trying to be much fun to begin with.

So this is one of those moody early 2000s album that is very mopey, with just a dash of punk. It's reminiscent of those really fucked up bands in the 70s. I hope Pete Doherty is able to turn it around. 

Not terrible music, but the quality isn't good enough to justify their abusive relationship.

RATING: 3/5

987. Heroes to Zeroes

Heroes to Zeroes
Beta Band
2004

Tracks

1. Assessment

2. Space

3. Lion Thief

4. Easy

5. Wonderful

6. Troubles

7. Out-Side

8. Space Beatle

9. Rhododendron

10. Liquid Bird

11. Simple

12. Pure For

I've been really impressed with the albums lately, so naturally, we were due for a not so great entry. This isn't actually terrible, but compared to the caliber of the recent entries it seems worse than it is.

It's just sort of bland. I guess they were going with a Belle and Sebastian type feel, but they were not as interesting. It was still entertaining to listen to, but there was nothing particularly wow-inducing about it.

So a middle of the road album, which is not what I demand from 2004 (between Arcade Fire and Nick Cave, I'm spoiled). 

RATING: 3/5

981. Penance Soiree

Penance Soiree
Icarus Line
2004

Tracks
1. Up Against The Wall Motherfucker
2. Spit On It
3. On The Lash
4. Caviar
5. Spike Island
6. Kiss Like Lizards
7. Getting Bright At Night
8. Big Sleep
9. White Devil
10. Meatmaker
11. Virgin Velcro
12. Sea Sick
13. Party The Baby Off

Icarus Line gives us an interesting rock album that is on theme with our current trend. I feel like rock music in the early 2000s wasn't really trying to be too innovative. They just want to capture the sounds of older bands. 

This makes for entertaining albums, even if they aren't revolutionary works of art. It does drag on a bit longer than I'd like with nine or six minute tracks, but it didn't ruin the album for me.

I had never heard of Icarus Line before. I don't know if I will be revisiting them, but I'm glad the List introduced us.

RATING: 3/5

974. Wonderful Rainbow

Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
2003

Tracks
1. Hello Morning
2. Assassins
3. Dracula Mountain
4. 2 Towers
5. On Fire
6. Crown of Storms
7. Longstockings
8. Wonderful Rainbow
9. 30,000 Monkies
10. Duel In the Deep

Well, they really leaned into the noise aspect of noise rock. This is just a relentless onslaught of noise, and it's difficult to even make out the vocals.

I didn't hate it, but I think I did begin to tune it out after awhile. Consequently, it did not leave the strongest impression. Still enjoyable though.

It's a very repetitive album but it still manages to entertain.

RATING: 3/5

972. Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Get Rich or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
2003

Tracks
1. Intro
2. What Up Gangsta
3. Patiently Waiting
4. Many Men (Wish Death)
5. In Da Club
6. High All The Time
7. Heat
8. If I Can't
9. Blood Hound
10. Back Down
11. P.I.M.P.
12. Like My Style
13. Poor Lil Rich
14. 21 Questions
15. Don't Push Me
16. Gotta Make It To Heaven

Damn, that album cover has certainly brightened up my morning. Stupid broken glass. If he could just scooch a little to the left I'd be happy.

So I actually enjoyed this a bit. He has really good singles, with a slow and soft delivery. This might be because he was shot 9 times and not necessarily an artistic decision, but I still appreciate it. 

50 Cent was recently harassed by his ex Chelsea Handler into renouncing his endorsement of Trump. That's the kind of ex girlfriend I aspire to be.

RATING: 3/5

971. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Outkast
2003

Tracks

Disc: 1

1. Intro
2. GhettoMusick
3. Unhappy
4. Bowtie Featuring Sleepy Brown & Jazze Pha
5. The Way You Move
6. The Rooster
7. Bust Featuring Killer Mike
8. War
9. Church
10. Bamboo (Interlude)
11. Tomb Of The Boom
12. E-Mac (Interlude)
13. Knowing
14. Flip Flop Rock
15. Interlude
16. Reset
17. D-Boi (Interlude)
18. Last Call
19. Bowtie (Postlude)

Disc: 2

1. The Love Below (Intro)
2. Love Hater
3. God (Interlude)
4. Happy Valentine’s Day
5. Spread
6. Where Are My Panties?
7. Prototype
8. She Lives In My Lap
9. Hey Ya!
10. Roses
11. Good Day, Good Sir
12. Behold A Lady
13. Pink & Blue
14. Love In War
15. She’s Alive
16. Dracula’s Wedding
17. My Favorite Things
18. Take Off Your Cool
19. Vibrate
20. A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre

Boy, this album has a lot of gull for being two and a half hours when we are only 30 albums away from finishing this thing. Really, no album should be that long, even if the music is enjoyable it loses some of its charm after the second hour.

Setting aside the length, this is actually a pretty good album. It had a good blend of hip hop and soulful rap. But with such a long album there are inevitable dull stretches. Huh, I guess I can't set aside the length after all. 

At least it had a few standout singles.

RATING: 3/5

967. Boy in da Corner

Boy in da Corner
Dizzee Rascal
2003

Tracks
1. Sittin' Here
2. Stop Dat
3. I Luv U
4. Brand New Day
5. 2 Far
6. Fix Up, Look Sharp
7. Cut 'Em Off
8. Hold Ya Mouf (Feat. God's Gift)
9. Round We Go (Ain't No Love)
10. Jus' A Rascal
11. Wot U On?
12. Jezebel
13. Seems 2 Be
14. Live O
15. Do It!

Well, that was aggressive. Not necessarily in subject matter, but those beats felt like they were coming for me. But that might be my album madness talking.

I actually liked Dizzee Rascal before this, and my good will survived this listening experience. Yes, it was a little irritating, but there was so much dark energy behind the album that it was difficult not to get swept up in the sound.

And it's cool to hear a UK rapper, especially when he pulls in garage and rock elements. 

RATING: 3/5

965. Permission to Land

Permission to Land
Darkness
2003

Tracks
1. Black Shuck
2. Get Your Hands Off My Woman
3. Growing On Me
4. I Believe In A Thing Called Love
5. Love Is Only A Feeling
6. Givin' Up
7. Stuck In A Rut
8. Friday Night
9. Love On The Rocks With No Ice
10. Holding My Own
11. Makin' Out

Well, this came as somewhat of a surprise. I actually enjoyed a glam metal album, which is a genre I thought I was incapable of appreciating. I mean, it wasn't my favorite album, but I wasn't tempted to bang my head against the wall like I normally am with a metal album.

I definitely wouldn't make the argument that this is a masterpiece, but it is entertaining and pretty retro, although I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed listening to the bands they are paying tribute to. They had really good hooks, and 38 minutes wasn't long enough for the vocals to grate.

Not essential listening, but fun nonetheless.

RATING: 3/5

958. Sea Change

Sea Change
Beck
2002

Tracks
1. The Golden Age
2. Paper Tiger
3. Guess I'm Doing Fine
4. Lonesome Tears
5. Lost Cause
6. End Of The Day
7. It's All In Your Mind
8. Round The Bend
9. Already Dead
10. Sunday Sun
11. Little One
12. Side Of The Road

One of the down sides of the List is that artists you thought were so original are merely imitating somebody else, who was probably imitating somebody else. Such is the case with Beck, who I now realize is trying to be Nick Drake. 

For the most part, I like Nick Drake though, so I'm fine with it. It's a pretty mopey album, but it's a dreary Monday in November, so I'm fine with the aesthetic. It's not as good as his clear influences, but he's still talented.

Add this to the pile of fair to decent albums we've had lately.

RATING: 3/5

957. Phrenology

Phrenology
The Roots
2002

Tracks
1. Phrentrow
2. Rock You
3. !!!!!!!
4. Sacrifice
5. Rolling With Heat
6. Waok (Ay) Rollcall
7. Thought @ Work
8. The Seed (2.0)
9. Break You Off
10. Water The First Movement/ Water The Abyss/ Water The Drowning
11. Quills
12. Pussy Galore
13. Complexity
14. Something In The Way Of Things (In Town)

After Missy Elliott dared to be different, we are back to the same old, same old with our hip hop music. Well, maybe that is not completely fair, as they are trying to blend some genres here. But songs like "Pussy Galore" are pretty boring at this point.

The Roots attempt to pull in some rock and ambient influences. I enjoyed the more rock centric tracks, but I don't think the ambient songs really worked. Of course, this may just be because I don't like ambient music in general, but I thought "Water" was pretty dull.

In the end, an uneven album that I didn't hate listening to. I'll take it.

RATING: 3/5

956. Stripped

Stripped
Christina Aguilera
2002

Tracks
1. Stripped Intro
2. Can't Hold Us Down (featuring Lil' Kim)
3. Walk Away
4. Fighter
5. Primer Amor Interlude
6. Infatuation
7. Loves Embrace Interlude
8. Loving Me 4 Me
9. Impossible
10. Underappreciated
11. Beautiful
12. Make Over
13. Cruz
14. Soar
15. Get Mine, Get Yours
16. Dirrty
17. Stripped Pt. 2
18. The Voice Within
19. I'm OK
20. Keep On Singin' My Song

I really didn't expect a Christina Aguilera album to show up here. But the Listmakers are hip, dammit, although thankfully they protected us from her "Genie in a Bottle" phase.

The only song I was familiar with was "Fighter" which is still a banger. After listening to the entire album, that is still probably my favorite. Her vocals aren't quite as annoying as Mariah Carey's, but she has that same tendency towards unnecessary vocal runs and obnoxious inflections. And this album was much too long to have to put up with that.

That being said, it was still an enjoyable collection of songs, and she clearly has more to say than she was previously given credit for. 

RATING: 3/5

953. The Last Broadcast

The Last Broadcast
The Doves
2002

Tracks
1. Intro
2. There Goes The Fear
3. M62 Song
4. Where We’re Calling From
5. New York
6. Satellites
7. Friday’s Dust
8. Pounding
9. Last Broadcast
10. The Sulphur Man
11. Caught By The River

I feel like there is a very generic "early 2000 rock" sound that is used by U2, Coldplay, and now The Doves, to fill stadiums. It's not a terrible thing, but it's not the most interesting music either.

This makes for a pretty solid collection of songs that don't really lag, but don't really do anything new. Actually, I think I enjoyed this more than U2 or Coldplay, just because it wasn't tinged with self-righteousness. 

So a good, but not very memorable, album.

RATING: 3/5

952. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Flaming Lips
2002

Tracks

1. Fight Test
2. One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21
3. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1
4. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 2
5. In The Morning Of The Magicians
6. Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell
7. Are You A Hypnotist??
8. It's Summertime
9. Do You Realize??
10. All We Have Is Now
11. Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)

Flaming Lips has been making headlines, as they performed a concert where the audience and musicians were all in separated in plastic bubbles. I have always wanted to go Zorbing, but I don't think a Flaming Lips concert is where I want to make my debut.

So this music sounds different, but not because it is particularly new. It's just nobody's played this style of music since Genesis. But hipsters will enjoy this throwback to prog rock and I'm sure will roll their way to whatever venue Flaming Lips visits.

I guess Flaming Lips is shaping the future of music, and that makes me a little uncomfortable.

RATING: 3/5

949. A Rush of Blood to the Head

A Rush of Blood to the Head
Coldplay
2002

Tracks
1. Politik
2. In My Place
3. God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
4. The Scientist
5. Clocks
6. Daylight
7. Green Eyes
8. Warning Sign
9. A Whisper
10. A Rush Of Blood To The Head
11. Amsterdam

I think we can all agree that Coldplay got worse as the years passed. Maybe there is some disagreement about when that decline took place. But a strong case could be made for this album. 

Once again, I am irritated by the entire vibe of this band, which is very self righteous. But the cockiness isn't diluted here by great music, this was mediocre at best. If I had to pick a favorite track, I suppose it would be "Clocks" but even that wasn't particularly impressive.

Parachutes was good, this was not. I'm not sure why the List deemed this essential listening. One album from this band was enough.

RATING: 2/5

948. Come Away With Me

Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
2002

Tracks
1. Don't Know Why
2. Seven Years
3. Cold Cold Heart
4. Feelin' The Same Way
5. Come Away With Me
6. Shoot The Moon
7. Turn Me On
8. Lonestar
9. I've Got To See You Again
10. Painter Song
11. One Flight Down
12. Nightingale
13. The Long Day Is Over
14. The Nearness Of You

I had never heard of Norah Jones before, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I turned on this album. I was pleasantly surprised to hear some really pleasing pop music, although the songs were pretty hit or miss.

In the hits column, we have "Feelin' The Same Way" and "The Nearness of You." The misses weren't quite so bad, they just passed by without leaving much of an impression. 

I think a lot of female singers have imitated this in the intervening years, with not as good results. So maybe not essential listening but enjoyable nonetheless.

RATING: 3/5