12/27/09 A decade of cool entertainment on The Counter Project

As we bring this first decade of the twenty-first century to a close—what’s this decade called, by the way? The Aughts? The Double-Os? The Naughts? The Pre-teens?—we thought we’d take a look back on those things that have entertained us over the past ten years: Movies, television, people and music. And what better way to sum up an entire decade than by compiling lists?

Of television, music and movies, we most appreciate good music. Without it, you often wouldn't have good tv or films. So we put most of our effort into finding the best music of the past decade-- a decade which may, in fact, be the last for the "album" as we now know it. With listeners spending more money downloading songs piecemeal, rather than buying an artist's entire album, we may see the industry start catering to such purchases. With that being said, we've compiled a list of our favorite albums of the past ten years.

The Counter Project staff has spent the past several weeks compiling the Fifty Coolest Albums of the 00s. We voted, debated, and finally settled upon a list that we think is pretty, uh, cool. These are albums that we're proud to own and proud to crank in our cars. No "guilty pleasures" here. Plus, as a special bonus, we’re giving you our Ten Coolest TV Shows, Ten Coolest Movies, and Ten Coolest Entertainers. Enjoy.

The Counter Project's coolest albums of the decade

1. Amy Winehouse, “Back to Black” Rolling Stone magazine described Wine

house as “a nervy, witty songstress whom indie rockers, pop fans and hip-hoppers can dig.” So we figured putting this album atop our “Coolest Albums” list was a safe bet. Plus we all just dug the hell out of it. It’s a safe bet that almost every type of music fan will find a jam on this joint to dig. From the defiantly soulful opener “Rehab” to the funky jam “You Know I’m No Good,” we pretty much loved them all. There’s a timeless quality to her music, which is no doubt aided by her brilliant sampling of Ray Charles’ “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” on “Tears Dry on their Own.” This 2006 release pretty much sums up the bad-girl vibe (Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Amy Reid, Pam Anderson, Paris Hilton et al) that dominated the funny papers these past ten years.

2. White Stripes, “Elephant” This was the fourth studio album by Detroit’s own White

Stripes, but it was their first major label release. Released in 2003, it was critically lauded, and seemed angrier and darker than any of their previous work. The jam of the album (and also their coolest video to date) is the opening track, the unrelenting “Seven Nation Army.” And in the video for “Army,” when Jack White uses his open palm to point to his hometown, an in-state reference we’ve all made use of, who among us didn’t feel a bit of hometown (and homestate) pride?

3. Gnarls Barkley, “St. Elsewhere” When hip-hop superfreaks Cee-Lo Green and DJ

Dangermouse get together to make an album, there’s bound to be some magic. This 2006 release was a combination of soul, alt rock and hip-hop, and the first single off this album helped usher in a new era in popular music: “Crazy” was the first single to be certified #1 (UK) based solely on downloads. It was such a surreal album, but that's what made it so fascinating to listen to. It was proof that hip-hop could be fun, playful, alternative and intelligent.

4. Beck, “Sea Change” The hot beats and samples found in Beck’s earlier alb

ums were replaced by simpler, more melodic jams on this 2002 release. Critics hailed this as displaying a truly sensitive side to Beck, and our second-favorite track off the album, “Guess I’m Doing Fine,” impresses us with its C&W flavor. Our favorite track, “Lost Cause” is a heart-wrenching ode to a failed relationship. “Sea Change” was one of only two albums to receive five out of five stars from Rolling Stone in 2002.

5. Alicia Keys, “Songs in A Minor” Alicia Keys’ debut album hit the music scene like a

force in 2001, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200. Her first single “Fallin” was the catalyst for her meteoric success, as she performed it on “Oprah” before the album was released, and pre-sales doubled overnight. The soulfulness of Keys on this album sounds way beyond her (at the time) 21 years.

6. Johnny Cash, “American Recordings IV: The Man Comes Around” When Trent Reznor first heard Johnny Cash wanted to record his song “Hurt,”

the Nine Inch Nails frontman thought it was a silly gimmick. But when you heard Johnny singing the words “Everyone I know/Goes away in the end/And you could have it all/My empire of dirt/I will let you down/I will make you hurt,” you knew these words could truly only be sung by Johnny Cash. Trent’s version could only sound weak and pretentious in comparison. This was the final album released in Cash’s lifetime, and it let Johnny go out by releasing some of his demons through song; hell, most of the album felt like a funeral dirge. When his quivering baritone bellowed out the songs “Personal Jesus,” “In My Life,” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” you knew he was hurting, and at the end of his time on earth.

7. The Killers, “Hot Fuss” Wow, what a debut! If the year 2004 had a soundtrack, the

songs from this album would definitely dominate. From the pounding “Somebody Told Me” to the cheeky “Mr. Brightside,” these glammy Las Vegas post-punk alt-rockers (enough adjectives for you?) took the pop, rock, and college radio markets by storm with this album, and haven’t let go yet.

8. Danger Mouse (featuring Jay-Z and the Beatles), "The Grey Album" When Jay-Z

released his "Black Album" in late 2003, there was a simultaneous release of an a capella version, which was meant to encourage remixes and mashups. Hip-hop producer Danger Mouse spent pretty much the better part of a year combining Jay-Z's words from the "Black Album" with the music and beats from the Beatles' White Album. What resulted was one of the coolest underground mashups ever to surface-- a 20th-century-meets-21st-century musical masterpiece. A few of the dopest tracks on the album include "Change Clothes" (sampling "Piggies" and "Dear Prudence"), "Encore" (sampling "Glass Onion" and "Savoy Truffle"), and "99 Problems (sampling "Helter Skelter"). It's hard to find copies of this album anymore, since the Beatles' label, EMI, raised a huge stink over Danger Mouse's unauthorized usage of the Beatles' music. Several of the tracks can be still found on YouTube, including "The Grey Video" which has the Beatles and Jay-Z performing "Encore" (and features a breakdancing John Lennon).

9. Wilco, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” Wilco’s never been the huge, mainstream success they

could be—and that’s fine with them and their fans. But this 2002 release is hailed by many music critics (and Wilco fans) as the best album of the decade. This was the Chicago-based band’s biggest commercial success, selling over 500,000 copies. This is what happens when you take alt-country roots, rocking guitars, creepy synths and pianos, great story-telling songwriting and mix it all together with constant in-band tension. Jeff Tweedy sings to us with his whiskey-soaked voice at the end of the album “I've got reservations about so many things but not about you.” Likewise as our staff put this “Coolest Albums” list together we had debates and doubts about so many of the selections, but we had no reservations about this album. If you only buy one album off this list, buy this one; it’s the one that will still sound as great in 10 years as it does right now.

10. “O Brother Where Art Thou?” Soundtrack This album made bluegrass and old

timey country music not only cool, but popular. A few of our staffers have been saying for years that bluegrass and old C&W music is the coolest shit on the planet, but the “O Brother” soundtrack brought that knowledge to the masses. Leave it to George Clooney, huh? Put this album on, and try not to sing along. Seriously, we dare you. “You Are My Sunshine,” “Keep on the Sunny Side,” “Big Rock Candy Mountain”… even if you don’t know the lyrics when the CD starts spinning, these simple classics are easy enough for even the grungiest and rockingest headbangers to pick up and enjoy. In fact, believe it or not, these songs contain the very early seedlings of today’s rock ‘n’roll. Listening to these old songs (even if they’re sung by modern-day artists) is like taking a gander into your favorite music’s family tree; it helps you figure out from whence your Fall Out Boy came.

And the rest of the top 50:

        11.   Franz Ferdinand, “Franz Ferdinand” (2004)
        12.   Kanye West, “The College Dropout” (2004)
        13.   Radiohead, “Amnesiac” (2001)
        14.   Bruce Springsteen, “The Rising” (2002)
        15.   Evanescence, “Fallen” (2003)
        16.   Green Day, “American Idiot” (2004)
        17.   Queens of the Stone Age, “Songs for the Deaf” (2002)
        18.   The Fratellis, “Costello Music” (2006)
        19.   OutKast, “Stankonia” (2000)
        20.   Weezer, “Weezer (The Green Album)” (2001)
        21.   Madonna, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005)
        22.   Jay-Z, “The Blueprint” (2001)
        23.   Modest Mouse, “Good News For People Who Love Bad News” (2004)
        24.   Radiohead, “Kid A” (2000)
        25.   Maroon 5, “Songs About Jane” (2002)
        26.   Jack Johnson, “In Between Dreams” (2005)
        27.   White Stripes, “White Blood Cells” (2001)
        28.   Eminem, “The Marshall Mathers LP” (2000)
        29.   Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Stadium Arcadium” (2006)
        30.   Nelly, “Country Grammar” (2000)
        31.   Jack Johnson, “Sleeping Through the Static” (2008)
        32.   Kid Rock, “Rock n Roll Jesus” (2007)
        33.   Justin Timberlake, “FutureSex/LoveSounds” (2006)
        34.   Lady Gaga, “The Fame” (2008)
        35.   NSync, “No Strings Attached” (2000)
        36.   OutKast, “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” (2003)
        37.   Jet, “Get Born” (2003)
        38.   Kelly Clarkson, “Breakaway” (2004)
        39.   Justin Timberlake, “Justified” (2002)
        40.   Black Eyed Peas, “Elephunk” (2003)
        41.   Pink, “Misundaztood” (2001)
        42.   Taylor Swift, “Fearless” (2008)
        43.   Kanye West, “Late Registration” (2005)
        44.   Usher, “Confessions” (2004)
        45.   Missy Elliot, “Under Construction” (2002)
        46.   Rhianna, “Good Girl Gone Bad” (2007)
        47.   Coldplay, “A Rush of Blood to the Head” (2002)
        48.   Pink, “Funhouse” (2008)
        49.   Britney Spears, “Circus” (2008)
        50.   Gwen Stefani, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” (2004)

Ten Coolest TV Shows

Ten Coolest Movies

Ten Coolest Entertainers

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Member Opinions:

By: marcus on 12/28/09
Well I don't know about Amy Winehouse going in at #1, I'd probably have put Bruce Springsteen in that spot, but I'm a big fan of The Boss.

I also don't know how Justin Timberlake got two spots on the list(3 if you count the Nsync album), AND Britney Spears? I guess you guys define cool differently then me.

By: Celestine on 12/28/09
I actually own 7 of the top ten. Probably the first list of this ilk that I've owned so many in the top ten, so...great job! The rest of the list I must admit leaves something to be desired. Timberlake? Lady Gaga? Maroon 5? NSync? Britney? RHIANNA? Seriously?

By: Fargus on 12/28/09
Holy crap, everyone needs to watch that Grey Video they linked to from Dangermouses's Grey Album. That is some awesome shit!!! Beatles and Jay-Z..that is a crazy awesome combo. How have I never heard about this album before, and how do I get me a copy of it????

By: TimothyT on 12/28/09
Man do I feel out of it. The only CDs I own are the Jack Johnson ones and Coldplay's "A Rush Of Blood To the Head." And I don't have an Ipod, so I can't even use that as an excuse for not owning more of these.

By: PnkGrly on 12/28/09
funny, I's tinkin J.T. is way too low on th list! And why in't Britneys In the Zone album on there?? That was better than Circus!!

By: Violet on 12/29/09
I am with you TimothyT I have all of Jack Johnson's cds but none of the other top 50. I do love the grey albumn even if I don't have it.

The list just shows everyone likes different music!

By: Hanson on 12/29/09
I don't know if I'd put Gnarls Barkley in the top ten. They seem a bit like one hit wonders to me.

By: Bababooey on 12/31/09
I just saw a guy from Rolling Stone magazine on the Today show talking about their albums and songs of the decade. They had Radiohead's Kid A as the album of the decade, and "Crazy" by Gnarlz Barkley as the song of the decade.

By: Hanson on 12/31/09
So Rolling Stone gave the song of the decade title to a one hit wonder? Wait, did they pick "Macarena" is the song of the decade for the 90s?

By: triscuit on 1/3/10
I question how more than a few made this list, but the inclusion of Taylor Fucking Swift makes me want to puke.

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