Alright, so we just finished wrapping up the 00s, and it’s left some of us (namely me) feeling a bit nostalgic for a decade that went by way too quickly. It left me thinking about things I ruined or things I succeeded in, but most of all, it’s left me reflecting upon the most disappointing moments in my life. Oddly, I deflect my own animosity for my life, and turn to the world of music. Below is the five most disappointing things for me, musically, in the decade that passed. Some have a chance at redemption, but others, well, you blew it big time.
5. Ben Gibbard stole my girlfriend
Look, I know that this happened only recently, but I also have come to believe that Zooey‘s hotness has only increased exponentially in the past few years. All that aside, it’s not just that Ben stole my girlfriend (really, he did!), but he stole the dreams of me and my many like-minded friends. Out of nowhere, he popped up his now skinny head, and crushed the dreams of many. Shame on you Ben Gibbard.
4. The Wrens don’t put out another album
The Wrens put out Meadowlands, which is absoltuely one of my all time favorite albums, and that feeling of joy when I put the needle to the record will never fade away. What did fade away was the feelings of joy I had in regard to The Wrens. Lead man Charles did a little bit of work, most recently with Will from Okkervil River, which means dudes were getting work done. Why didn’t I see any of it at all? Why did they leave me just as I was falling in love? Nearly a decade with no new tunes? You fail.
3. Wilco couldn’t replicate Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
You go against the odds and record one of the most brilliant masterpieces in modern pop music, one which everyone still talks about, but then you slowly decline all the way towards 2009s Wilco, the Album. You can’t entirely blame the guys, as they lost Jay Bennett (as did we all, RIP), but they went from such great heights to such a low. Not only this, but people somehow kept believing in them, as if they could bring back the magic. I admit it! I was a sucker; I fell for it. Never again Wilco!
Sure, this is the age-old debate about whether or not you deem it okay to allow your favorite secrets to better themselves and move their careers forward. My answer? No! Modest Mouse had the control of the indie world after Lonesome Crowded West; they could do no wrong. Sure, a lot of people think Moon and Antartica was their best, but those people are wrong! Modest Mouse went to the majors, lost their luster, and they lost a fan (though I know I’m not the only one).
I’ll admit that I was a little bit late jumping on the Ryan Adams train, but I jumped all the way on. It baffles me how the guy that made Whiskeytown brilliant, then put out Heartbreaker, can rush down the hill of mediocrity so quickly. I know he landed Mandy and all, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that I willingly sat down to listen to things like 29 or Cardinology. Ryan Adams was my biggest disappointment.
Look, I know you all disagree with some of these, and I get that, but I had to let you know how disappointed I was in these things; isn’t time to be reflective, at least for another week? If you had a bigger disappointment, or want to tell me why I am wrong, we’re all for it! Leave a comment.
Long have I loved The Wrens, who released one amazingly flawless LP, Meadowlands. They’ve hinted time and time again at new music, but we’ve only gotten glimpses over the past decade. Today, Stereogum released a track via Epitonic, and I got that warm feeling all over again. Listening, it has that same brooding/builiding element, forcing you to anticpate the eventual eruption of joy. Spolier alert: that eruption doesn’t come, as one might expect, but there’s still an element that harkens back to the days of the band’s first album, which immediately makes me smile. A gentle haze, steady drumming, and that guitar sound. I love it, and I hope you do too.
