Quarterly Review: The Best of 2010’s Fourth Quarter
January 14th, 2011
I know I’ve been dogging it this year, but the final quarter of 2010 was unreal. The top five albums on this list are all on another level. Stay tuned for more lists.
Quarterly Review: The Best of 2010’s Third Quarter
October 26th, 2010
I’m back! Wooohooo! So many things to exclaim!
Anyway, here’s a quarterly review I just crapped out. It’s not so great, but it’ll do. Running a blog is hard. I still like music, though. Heck, I might even update this again some day before the next quarterly report (in two months).
Quarterly Review (Deluxe Edition): The Best of 2010’s First Half
August 13th, 2010
Boy that big list threw me off my schedule. Focusing on the last decade really prevented me from listening to anything new (or at least listening to it properly). I missed my first Quarterly Report and I’m two months late on the second one, so here’s a deluxe edition, which covers everything up until the end of June. Now it’s time for a big breath and getting back to regular, non-list writing.
“God don’t make no trash!” The 10 Worst Songs from the 2000s’ Best Albums
August 6th, 2010
As good as I believe the albums on my Top 100 list are there’s really no such thing as a “perfect” album. There’s always at least a moment that just doesn’t seem “right.” In the case of these 10 tracks, there are complete songs that set the album back. Suffice to say, had these songs not sullied their respective albums, the albums would have placed a bit higher on my list. No one is safe. A special shout out to all pointless intro tracks. You make me mad and you rarely serve a purpose. Go away.
The Best Closing Tracks From V&B’s Top 100 of the 2000s
July 28th, 2010
Finishing your album on a strong note is an oft-overlooked skill, especially in an age where albums seem to be increasingly front-loaded to appease shortened attention spans. It would almost seem that the back half of even some of the greatest albums are meant for filler and the last song is usually meant for forgettable tracks or painful extended jams that needlessly extend an album’s running length.
These 10 tracks, however, are different. They emphasize the concept of an album as a united whole, something to be viewed as a single entity. The provide the lingering resonance that makes an album truly something to cherish. You could say that these songs are the last of a dying breed.