The best albums 2000 - 2024, 4 of 10

Today we go from number 40 to number 31 with half of the albums being not from the U.K. or the U.S. which may be quite unique for this list.

40. Hoofdkaas. De Kift (2008)

And then you find that one of your favourite albums by De Kift is already sixteen years old. What stage decoration was Hoofdkaas presented in? The water organ, the percussion vehicle that drove up to the stage with the band as a marching band behind it? Fact is that musically Hoofdkaas was another step forward for the band originally from Oost-Knollendam. An ever evolving collective that continues right up to today. The band is never afraid to experiment and collaborate. With the title song and the way it is presented live by drummer Wim ter Weele, De Kift added one of its most beautiful songs to its oeuvre. It is certainly one of the most beautiful songs of the century so far.

39. A Certain Trigger. Maxïmo Park (2005)

Another band that never lived up to the promise it made with its debut album. Everything after simply wasn't as good as this. Maxïmo Park followed into the shoes of bands like Franz Ferdinand and Dogs Die In Hot Cars and played up tempo post punk. This album contains some classic songs the band produced. On top of these is 'Apply Some Pressure', without a doubt the song it will end shows with until the day it calls it quits. The energy, weirdness and spunk of just this song is sufficient to deserve a spot on this list. The rest of the songs assures this position.

38. Jump Rope Gazers. The Beths (2020)

So many bands and artists from New Zealand crossed my path since I discovered the newsletter of Auckland's Flying Nun record store. Though not on the store's record label, Flying Nun Records, the band came to me that way. Alternative rock with a twist like they only seem capable of in New Zealand. As I wrote a few times, there's something in the water there that everyone else in the world misses out on. The band around singer and songwriter Elizabeth Stokes blows up her songs to giant proportions without losing sight of what is important, the song and the singer. Guitarist and producer Jonathan Pearce can play solos as if he flies totally of the rails only to land on his feet within the song once again. And then the album contains 'I'm Not Getting Excited', one of the best songs of the past years, as a bonus.

37. Where The Spirit Rests. Chris Eckman (2021)

Chris Eckman had released some solo albums through the years, but they never made a real impression on me. And then came Where The Spirit Rests. I was once again swept off my feet by the power of his songs and voice. It had been close to ten years, collaborations aside, that he released new solo work. It was well worth the wait, because Where The Spirit Rests is great and beautiful album. Eckman's voice resonates deeply into my brain. The accompaniment is sober. There's nothing more than strictly necessary and it is enough. This album was a great return to form.

36. Always Ascending. Franz Ferdinand (2018)

To this day Always Ascending is Franz Ferdinand's latest studio album. The title and opening song is so incredibly strong. It was a return to the band's best songs from the first years of its career. The rest of the album is almost just as good, until the final few songs. Otherwise it would have been a Fra Fer classic. I went to see the band for the second time live, which was great fun. The band delivers new songs in a slow fashion but when it does, it delivers the right kind. The fact that only 'Tonight: Franz Ferdinand' is missing in this list, tells all, doesn't it? FraFer is always ascending/delivering alright.

35. Koper. De Kift (2001)

And once more De Kift. The album Koper has a song called 'Nauwe Mijter' on it, a song that is so extremely good that it deserves a spot even if the rest was not up to par. The rest is, rest assured. Again with art work that is different from everything regular bands make. It is not even complete. You could order extra cards to complete it. (I never did.) Koper was the first De Kift album, I liked as a whole. Its predecessor 'Vlaskoorts' contains a few of the band's most beautiful songs, but is not a great album as a whole. Koper is. Several things seemed to get together for the band at the time. although it would be a few years before ti became this good again..

Nice to know. Coincidentally Franz Ferdinand and De Kift are underneath each other in this list. Do you know they released a single together? Both bands play a song of each other on this single. You may still be able to order it on De Kift's website.

34. Adelantando. Jarabe de Palo (2007)

I was shocked when I saw Pau Dones in a new video just before Jarabe de Palo released what turned out to be its final album. A few weeks later he had succumbed to cancer. That was 2020. Let's go back to happier times when the Barcelona band released its 2007 album Adelantando with its happy and energetic songs bringing together Spanish, Latin, rap and rock music in its own perfect blend. Jarabe de Palo was on the top of its game and playing live in my country every once in a while. I love all of the band's albums but some are far better than others and Adelantando is one of them.

33. From A Basement On The Hill. Elliot Smith (2004)

Another artist who is dead. Elliot Smith died under circumstances that will never be totally cleared. Although many people will point to his late 90s album as his best, for me it is From A Basement On The Hill. Admitted, the album last two, three songs too long, but before that moment, there is so much ear candy. On top of it all the album contains his best song: 'Pretty (Ugly Before)'. At a certain period in my life it spoke volumes to me. It all came out well though, but my heartstrings are still touched every single time I hear this song.

32. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. Lana del Rey (2023)

Ms. del Rey's latest album and as far as I'm concerned her best to date. The spoken word interludes aside, she has never sounded so good over a whole album. She seems to bare it all in a few of the songs. They are not just mysterious but full of emotions and that combination is one she hadn't presented before. The cool, calm and collected Lana del Rey was left behind in that tunnel. Cracks appeared in the facade she always kept between herself and us. We are all better because of it. This is sheer beauty from a superstar, one of the biggest of the past fourteen years.

31. Veggie Patch In The Desert. Elenne May (2016)

Elenne May came into my life with an email asking me if I wanted to listen to the band's new EP, one of three that would make up this album over time. It turned out to be its the final album, as what should have been its last album was never recorded and left behind as a live performance an five digitally released songs. Veggie Patch In The Desert is an album that takes the listener through a host of emotions with songs that are all very much worthwhile listening to. I have seen the band live several times, including twice in my living room and this album came alive every single time. And then it was all over two years ago. A real shame as there was so much talent combined here. Unfortunately, too little people took notice.

Wout  de Natris - van der Borght

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 5 of 10

We are half way and start with number 50 ....

50. Remedies. Soup (2017)

Symphonic rock, alternative rock, progressive rock? What to call Remedies? A little of all is my best guess. It's easier to conclude that Remedies is the album with the best cover art of the century so far. Claiming it can't be far from the truth. Norwegian band Soup explores its compositions and follows the chord progressions into every hidden nook and cranny, resulting in an album that keeps surprising, even after many listening sessions. The light, the dark, life and death, love and sadness it all comes by, showing all the different phases of each. I have no idea what came after but with Remedies Soup made a great impression on me.

 

 

49. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. Franz Ferdinand (2013)

As I wrote recently, you had not seen the last of the band. With Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action the band set another great step in its career. With songs like 'Love Illumination' and 'Bullet' you can't go wrong. FraFer swings no little here and was still together in its original line up. This would not last much longer. For some time now there's only two left, Alex Kapranos and bassist Bob Hardy. Like many bands from the second punkfunk era, the band is great at making songs that are not easy sound like they are. FraFer finds the melody that can be sung along to with ease while the notes and chords played do not sound like the most obvious ones. That starts with the opening song 'Right Words' and ends with the last note on the album. Although the band never got as big as it promised at the start, it is still popular to this day.

48. Niemandsland. De Kift (2024)

Another album that time will tell how good it really is, but I'm impressed alright. Niemandsland is an album where De Kift goes off the deep end. All the anxiousness and fears of 2024 have gone into it. The environment, war, pollution, extinction, sorrows and woe, singer and text assembler Ferry Heijne has found pieces of text from all around the world to share his message. The band obliges fully but has never sounded more subdued than here. Niemandsland tells of the world crumbling apart with nothing we can do, as it is the hot shots of this world determining what it is that happens to us. Niemandsland is, even for those unable to understand Dutch, an album to take to heart. And the artwork you see here? It is 100% unique. There's not one the same. Only the concept and shape is.

47. Ompa Til Du Dør. Kaizers Orchestra (2001)

It was at least a year later before I learned of Kaizers Orchestra, but I can still see myself sitting in the record store on a Friday or Saturday afternoon, when I saw one of the fathers from school walk in. Whether he did anything with my advice I don't know, fact is, I was jumping up and down on my stool listening to the album. Kaizers Orchestra is one of my favourite bands of this century for certain. The Norwegians blend everything from rock and punk, to Balkans, gypsy music and Tom Waits and not to forget De Kift. Kaizers Orchestra is the punk version of De Kift. Everything is sung in the band's local dialect from Bergen. This album was followed by 'Evig Pint', that only just did not make to this list. Many other albums did as you will find out. The promise made in the album's title, unfortunately was not lived up to when the band broke up in 2013.

46. Uut De Bron. Broeder Dieleman (2015)

By far the most experimental album on this list, my co number 1 of 2015. Co, because it should not be there in a musical sense. This was all about experiencing pure senses as Tonnie Dieleman, who is Broeder Dieleman, mixed so much into his music. Sound scapes, atmospherics and spoken word, in which he tried and succeeded to capture his heritage of the Zeeland towns, marshes, religion and people. This is not music perse but so much more and so impressive. His other albums are not here but they are all very much worthwhile.

45. American Idiot. Green Day (2004)

With 'Dookie' American Dream is the album of west coast punkers Green Day. The band's reaction to George Bush JR's presidency. One hit after the other came off the album making it without doubt the band's most successful. The album that makes Green day fill the biggest venues and being the main act on festivals to this day. It is also the band's most ambitious album and that paid off. It proves that punk can be more than either just anger or having a good time and pogo the night away.

44. I Am The River, The River Is Me. Jen Cloher (2023)

I was surprised I did not let 'Jen Cloher', her eponymous album, make this list. Choices are tough, I can tell you. Her latest album is played regularly to this day. After her breakup with indie darling Courtney Barnett, conspicuously absent here, she went back to her New Zealand roots and returned with this even better album that shows so many sides to her musicality. In that she's so much better than Ms Barnett. The Maori chants really enrich some songs but overall I Am The River, The River Is Me is a very strong album.

43. Forever. Cracker (2002)

Cracker still exists yet seems to have faded away completely. The band's list of great albums stopped with Forever in 2002. The mix of country(rock), pop and music somewhere in between the two, that is part serious and part in jest, is of the kind that makes me want to sing along. For the whole of the time. I hadn't played the album for some time, as I always put on Cracker's first three albums. When I did, I found there was not one song I could not sing along to and enjoyed them so much. I was lucky to be able to have seen them twice live in small venues, incredibly loud, okay. Live the band is totally professional. The albums show the band's other side, the fun stuff.

42. Aces Eights & Heartbreaks. The Shang Hi Los (2023)

Rock and roll from 2023 that could have been made anywhere in the past 50 years. Boston bands and singers move in and out of bands and collaborations and The Shang Hi Los is one such constellation. The best I've heard to date. With an opening song like 'Takes One To Know One' a slot on this list is already guaranteed. With the songs that follow the rest is a piece of cake. The voices of Jen D'Angora and Dan Kopko seem to have been made for each other, while together they make great records. Kopko's band Watts came close with its latest album, in this constellation things are simply better.

41. A Band In A Box. Zita Swoon (2005)

A live album and the only one in this list. Zita Swoon is (was?) a Belgian band around singer-songwriter-guitarist Stef Kamil Carlens. Zita Swoon has a drummer who seems more like a mathematician than percussionist. A band that makes square songs round. That makes difficult things sound easy and even more importantly beautiful. Supported by a host of great musicians, among whom the late Tom Pintens, and three female singers, the songs on A Band In A Box surpass the original versions. Although a live album, recorded without audience, it is the distilled version of all the albums that came before and the highlight of the band's oeuvre.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Merry Christmas

 

 

 

 

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 6 of 10

And then I thought, I'm missing albums here. Luckily, it turned out that I skipped this list of 10 in my list of draft posts. Not that you will notice, it just gave me a fright that despite rigorous checking album I by accident skipped some albums. I hadn't, pfff, so here is numbers 60 to 51.

60. Rough And Rowdy Ways. Bob Dylan (2020)

My album of 2020 is not found that high in this list. I can't say that I've played it a lot since then. Despite that, it remains a return to form for the old bard. The album has a great mood and most of the songs are very strong. I can't say that it would end in the top five of my favourite Bob Dylan albums. They are simply so much better. Rough And Rowdy Ways is the album no one expected to come any more and surprised in various ways. That is what makes it so good and exceptional.

 

59. A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Coldplay (2002)

One of two albums by Coldplay in this list. After A Rush Of Blood To The Head things went downwards musically quite fast. Not financially or where the band's success is concerned. I had heard the songs of this album before it was released. The Paradiso show was rescheduled to the, then, "beer hall" in Amsterdam. From 1200 to 5000 people, the demand was a lot larger than expected. The strength with which the show and later the album kicked off, 'Politik', said it all. Coldplay was going to rock harder and did. Masterpiece 'Clocks' led the way as well. The band's first big hit. Not the band's best album but still a well deserved spot in this list.

58. Love What You Do. The Hackensaw Boys (2005)

The second and last The Hackensaw Boys album in this list. In that first show I saw, see 'Keep It Simple', there was this song that made shivers run down my spine. It was on this album and is called 'Alabama Shamrock'. It is also the album that contains 'Cannonball' not the band's best song but certainly the closest it had to a hit, as it made everyone sing along in shows. Love What You Do also showed to me that this band changed members faster than the change of seasons occur. In 2024 there's only one constant left, David Sickmen, the rest are anonymous band members. My friends, are all (long) gone. What remains is an album like Love What You Do. It's the band's best.

57. Not God. Finom (2024)

A band that changes its name per album is a disaster, seen from a marketing point of view. Musically though I can't complain. Where the album under the name Ohmme was left behind on the long list, the most recent album by Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart under the name Finom is incredibly good. From the staccato way of playing and singing right up to the exuberance on display, Not God is an album to undergo completely. In 2024 there were a few albums by women that I cherished but not a single one comes close to Not God. Whatever the name of the band is next time, if the quality is this good, who cares?! The one thing is, I need to pay attention.

 

56. Origin Of Symmetry. Muse (2001)

Muse was the last band I discovered in the 20th century. Coming home from band practice on Thursday evenings I always had to unwind before being able to sleep. I always watched 'Alter 8' for a while on MTV and it showed a song by Muse, 'Muscle Museum'. The next day I bought the album. This is the band's second album with a host of strong singles, starting with the fantastic 'Plug In Baby' with its signature riff longer than the road to Rome. Origin Of Symmetry in everything was the boss over the band's debut album 'Showbiz'. With further singles like 'New Born' and 'Bliss' Muse became a household name in alternative rock, slowly climbing to the stadium act it already is for years.

 

55. Push The Sky Away. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2013)

My first Nick Cave album and one I bought as an LP a few years later. Why did Cave all of a sudden touch me? Good question. Most likely because I decided to download the album from The Pirate Bay because of a review I'd read. Four of the songs really got to me. Songs like 'Jubilee Street' and 'Higgs Boson Blues' just did it. It made me start listening to the man and his band for the first time. I haven't stopped since but also have not bothered to look back so far, with one exception, 'Dig Lazarus Dig'. Who knows, if I run into something second hand, I might buy some more. Push The Sky Away keeps coming by regularly, so deserves a spot here, despite not making it to my year list in 2013.

 

54. Ghosteen. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2021)

And yet another Nick Cave album. His mourning album for his 15 year old son Arthur, who fell of a cliff. Not much later he lost a second son. Ghosteen is an impressive album but also hard to listen to, not as hard as Lou Reed's 'Berlin' but you have the picture. The album is so quiet for the most part that The Bad Seeds could well have stayed at home. Cave is pouring his heart, mind and grief out over us. Shows became therapeutic sessions for singer and audience. Musically he grew to great heights though as Ghosteen is a monument.

53. Somos. Jarabe de Palo (2014)

Somos is Pau Dones last studio album before he became ill and left the music business to die at the age of 54. On Somos he is the exuberance itself. Somos is a celebration of fun to be had in and through music. My album of 2014 is not his best album, be patient, but is so deserving of having a place here. The band is in great form and the songs show why. Somos is party time and Jarabe De Palo shares it with the whole world. By then the band didn't bother to play up here any more. The latin part of the Americas lay at the band's feet by then. And then it all came to a tragic stop. One album was to follow, not unlike David Bowie released as a surprise just before Dones' death. Let Somos be the album to remember him by.

52. Rock n Roll. Ryan Adams (2003)

There were days that a new Ryan Adams album was released by the week it seemed, so many came out. Of inconsistent quality, o.k., but never bad. One of these albums stood out for me and here it is, Rock n Roll. To me it is the Ryan Adams album. As far as the Americana artist rocked, it is here. The album is extremely varied and brings together what I truly like about Ryan Adams. Part of that is his voice, the other half how he approaches his songs on this album. Rock n Roll comes across as far more direct and that pays off. Whatever happened to and more importantly because of Adams' behaviour in later years, he never surpassed this album for me.

51. Cluster Funk. Death Goldbloom (2014)

A totally obscure band from Vancouver B.C., Death Goldbloom brings us halfway of this list. Natalie Ramsay, a singer-songwriter from Vancouver was interviewed by me and pointed me to a guitarist she thought was great and here came Cluster Funk my way. Tim Claridge and drummer Tomek lay it all down on this rock album. Claridge is a guitarist extra ordinair. Just listen to all those lead and rhythm guitar parts he lays down on the album. His voice sounds not unlike the singer of Masters of Reality, Chris Goss. Death Goldbloom mixes classic rock with elements of desert rock and electric blues. The devil, 66(6), satanic, it is all pretty dark in the Vancouver of Tim Claridge. It pays off though, as Cluster Funk is a fantastic mini album of six songs. That darkness only distracts from how Claridge and Tomek are playing. They really rock out and can turn a soft blues into a sonic storm. And then there's '66th And Crimson' the absolute top song of Cluster Funk. Check it out folks. By the way, if I remember corrected it is Natalie Ramsay you hear singing background vocals on that fantastic song '66th And Crimson'.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Merry Christmas

 

 

 

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 7 of 10

Onwards we go. Today we count down from 70 to 61.

70. Lay Low. Lou Doillon (2015)

Two of three Lou Doillon's albums made it to this list, as I found I've slowly fell out of love with 'Soliloquy' lately. Two out of three ain't bad of course. It all started with Lay Low for me. Not long after finding out about the album I bought it on vinyl. She recorded this album with Canadian Taylor Kirk of Timbre Timber. It is very clear that the two got the best out of each other. The album has that distinctive Lou Doillon mood and not just because of her voice. Despite working with different producers, all her albums have her mark, just like e.g. Lana del Rey's, someone Doillon can certainly be compared to and on a very positive level. Lay Low is the proof of the pudding.

69. Superior. Tim Christensen (2008)

What happened to Tim Christensen after 2012? I have not heard of him since. All his four solo albums are great to listen to. It is the last two that can be found here. always released long before I could pick them up here in The Netherlands. On Superior his sound has evolved, the songs better and the use of a mellotron gives it all a touch of mystery. Moving between loud rock and soft, even tender ballads, Christensen moves his listeners on different levels. Where have you you gone, Tim Christensen?

68. Elephant. The White Stripes (2003)

All The White Stripes albums have their moments, but there's not a single one I rate as a truly great album. Let's say that Elephant is in this list as a sort of amalgam of all the albums of this century. The Jack White histrionics are present, in voice and guitar. And don't let anyone tell me that Meg White is a bad drummer. If you can follow everything White comes up with to a t, then you're good. Meg used to be a powerful, inventive and flexible drummer, a big part of what The White Stripes were. Why Elephant and not another album? For one reason: 'Seven Nation Army' of course, a song that got a life way beyond the alternative, blues based rock of The White Stripes.

67. Cartoon Darkness. Amyl and the Sniffers (2024)

Amy Taylor and her Sniffers' third album really hit the jackpot. The Melbourne based punkers have truly found their own. With a female singer who impersonates Johnny Rotten better than he can himself these days. There's a slight, a snarl, a cry and plain anger in her voice when she needs it, and something bordering on tenderness in the few ballads the album contains. The band plays tight but allows some great guitar solos in the mean time. With Cartoon Darkness this band has a career in front of it.

66. Rammstein. Rammstein (2019)

Rammstein is Rammstein, also after a decade of silence where new music was concerned. And then came that very controversial video of the song 'Deutschland' and the world knew: Rammstein's back. 'Rammstein' easily fits in with the best albums of the band, 'Reise Reise' and 'Mutter'. Yes, it is metal maybe even industrial, but there's also melody in abundance. This combination makes Rammstein a band that, even in countries that do not speak nor teach the German language at schools, is huge. This is an album every band making a comeback dreams of making.

65. Suck It And See. Arctic Monkeys (2011)

The first of four Arctic Monkeys albums on this list. Three did not make it, including the two latest. Suck It And See is the album that is very good but sort of falls through the cracks because of them other three. I will always play them and not this one. Yet, it has a strong collection of songs and it was the right move to make after the weaker 'Humbug'. Today, I have no idea any more what to expect of the band. Suck It And See promised greatness that in the end was not delivered in my humble opinion.

64. Resist. Midnight Oil (2022)

Speaking of comeback albums. Midnight Oil called it quits in 2022, once again, but went into retirement with a bang. Resist is a fabulous album and in direct competition with 'Diesel And Dust' or 'Earth And Sun And Moon'. The album opens with songs that haunt my head regularly. 'Rising Seas', 'The Barka-Darling River', 'Tarkine', most bands would kill to open an album like that. Not everything after this is that good, but most of the music is very consistent, with singer Peter Garrett as the ever energetic frontman. Midnight Oil is no more, but we have Resist.

63. Sing Loud, Sing Proud. Dropkick Murphies (2001)

It all started with a free compilation cd with punk songs if I remember correctly and my seven or eight year old picked out one of the songs. The Irish folk punk or punk folk, whatever you prefer, of Bostonians Dropkick Murphies. I went out to listen to the album and was taken by it immediately. The mix of punk with folk traditionals, ulleian pipes and tin whistles next to the ironclad voices of the two singers does it all. From the local pubs to the larger venues, it happens all the time. Sing Loud, Sing Proud indeed.

62. Fast Forward. Joe Jackson (2015)

And there, out of the blue, Joe Jackson appeared into my musical life once again. I had stopped listening to his new work for decades, with the exception of 'IV' when the old band reconvened. Fast Forward returned the Joe Jackson I had come to love listening to in the middle of the 1980s with his superb albums 'Night And Day' and even more so 'Body And Soul'. Fast Forward has it all as well. So does the follow up album 'The Fool' but Fast Forward is better (and was more surprising). Sixteen great songs were added to my list of favourite Joe Jackson songs; yes, that's the whole album. Each side of the double LP pointed to a specific city, recording studio and mood. And then there's bassist Graham Maby of course.

61. Baby Darling, Doll Face Honey. Band of Skulls (2009)

My album of 2010 and then I found it's from 2009. Mistakes happen. Just like I recently found that the band had split when I noticed bass player and co-singer Emma Richardson surfacing in Pixies. No, the whole album is not that good but the songs that are justify this position. The light and the shade in a song is taken to new extremes here. Band of Skulls can be sweet as a purring kitten sitting in your lap, only to turn within seconds into the bearded devil itself. The Hulk or Mr. Hyde are play toys compared to the fury unleashed in the best songs on Baby Darling, Doll Face Honey. It's a fair point to make that this album is The White Stripes with superb bass parts. That takes nothing away from the fact that this band has 'Death By Diamonds And Pearls'. Afterwards the band certainly had its moments but it would never be this good again.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 8 of 10

We continue the list at number 80 and work up towards number 71.

 

80. In Rainbows. Radiohead (2007)

There has to be a Radiohead album in here, shouldn't there? Admittedly, I have no active recollection of In Rainbows, just the feeling that it is really good. I promise to play it again in the coming days. That will tell if my choice was correct and if not, in which direction my mistake must be found.

79. Serpentine Prison. Matt Berninger (2020)

The slow voice of The National's singer shines even more on his solo album. On an album produced by soul legend Booker T. Jones, Berninger shows himself more than on his band's albums. I could also say that Serpentine Prison was my way in to The National's recent oeuvre. (I never made it back past 2013 yet.) Serpentine Prison wins out easily though. An album to play late in the evening when nothing else is called for except for a cup of tea or a glass of red wine. Usually the first. This albums really winds me down in a very positive way,

78. Life On Other Planets. Supergrass (2002)

Supergrass was always more about enthusiasm than really it was good and producing consistent albums. Until Life On Other Planets, as far as I'm concerned. 'Zazazaza', I just love how the band sings together. This is the pinnacle of its career. 'Road To Rouen' followed and perhaps one or two more, but this was it for me. Several realy great singles in the 90s and Life On Other Planets. 

77. Heavy Flowers. Blaudzun (2012)

My first Blaudzun album and favourite. More good albums followed. In fact, the 'Jupiter' series was one of the final albums to not make it to this list. On Heavy Flowers everything seemed to come together for Blaudzun. This album should have made him a household name in a lot of countries. The album is varied, has passion, and the songs show it. Listen closely, and you will hear the influences from which Johannes Sigmund built his signature sound but you also soon forget about them, as Blaudzun is Blaudzun. A close to unique sound.

76. Skinty Fia. Fontaines DC (2022)

A late addition to the list, in part because I cannot really judge yet how good 'Romance' is going to be in some years. That put me on the tail of Skinty Fia and that it deserved a spot in this list. Two years after its release, I'm still returning to it, more than to 'A Hero's Death'. (I never got into 'Dogrel'.) Skinty Fia can still be called postpunk but you can hear a band searching for what it wants to be. In some of the lyrics the band is repeating lines like it has come in fashion for some in this decade. The message is rammed home. Looking back on the band's career so far, it may be that we are looking at postpunk's "winner", the band that will grow bigger and bigger. Skinty Fia is a significant step in that process.

 

 

75. Please Describe Yourself. Dogs Die in Hot Cars (2004)

The band that came and went. Although there was a mysterious online album, if I remember correctly. I do not think it as good as I did twenty years ago, but after Franz Ferdinand, this was my latest hot band at the time. That U.K. mix of pop and rock with an alternative post punk twist really tickled my fancy. Great songs to sing along to, to wonder about, "how did they do this"? Although the final songs on the album are not as good as the rest before it, the band has scored a few classic songs that should be heard on the radio regularly, but are not. 'Lounger' and especially 'I Love You Cause I Have To' are among the finest songs this century so far. If you don't know this band, check it out.

74. Ultraviolence. Lana del Rey (2014)

One of the superstars of the 10s and 20s, is the mysterious Lana del Rey. On her second album, under her alias, she worked together with The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. It paid off, as this is an album where she comes forward more directly. It can't be called rock, but in Ms del Rey's universe it is. Auerbach made her explore a side of herself she must dislike, as she never went back to it. The albums afterwards are becoming more interchangeable, but as you will find out, there's one that is not.

73. Keep It Simple. The Hackensaw Boys (2002)

There is not a band that I came closer to ever than The Hackensaw Boys, once from Charlottesville, Virginia. Visiting backstage, hang out together in the streets, my then 10-year old being taught 'Blackbird' in the dressing room and playing it in another circa ten years later after David Sickmen returned to the band. Played on the same guitar a well Friends is a big word, but certainly close. It all started with a show in the Q-Bus in Leiden, two years after the release of Keep It Simple. Bluegrass in a mix of traditional and modern, fast and slow, like an engine's pistons pumping. Keep It Simple holds it all. Many of its songs still highlight the band's shows today. The title song, 'Jonah, 'Ruby Pearl', 'Dance Around' and 'Nashville' are great songs.

72. Everyone Smiles. The Maureens (2024)

The Maureens' second album on this list. The most recent and its best. The songs simply are next level. The blend of music seems to come together just this little bit more, the melodies are stronger, the harmonies even better. The band took its time releasing the new album, but said goodbye to its lead-guitarist after the recordings. The years it took to make this album were well spent, as Everyone Smiles is an album that puts a smile on the face of everyone listening to it.

71. The Nightly Disease. Madrugada (2001)

Madrugada's second album. Although I only got to know the debut album 'Industrial Silence' this century, the official year of its release is 1999. On The Nightly Disease the band's sound is just more suave. The recording better. Not that it is perse the better album. However, with songs like 'Dead End Mind' on board, a place in this list is secured. The show following this album, I think in the Melkweg in Amsterdam was the best I ever saw by the band. The sound was so well balanced and not too loud, that all shows afterwards were a little disappointing because of it. Four more albums followed, including the comeback album of a few years ago. They all did not make it to this list, although for two it came very close.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght