top 20 2000 - 2009 Number 3

3 - Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002, American Recordings).
Really, it had to be here didn't it. Has their ever been a more poignant album ever released? Jeez, this album came out and the poor bastard died! And every song is sung like he knows it's coming! From NIN's 'Hurt' to Roberta Flack's 'First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' to the finale of Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again' every track aches with that setting sun of a lifetime voice that Cash had at the end of his career! It's so sad that I feel like bawling my eyes out every time I listen to it. And really, I hate country music!! Genius, Rubin and Cash, just genius!
http://www.johnnycash.com/
James

Top 20 2000 - 2009 Number 2

2 - Converge: Jane Doe (2001, Equal Vision Records) Remember the '80's movie The Untouchables with Kev Costner and Bobby De Niro? Remember the bit where De Niro smacks some unsuspecting thug upside the head with a baseball bat? Or what about Bradley Pitt's One Punch Mickey in Snatch? Jane Doe is the aural equivalent of those things. Groundbreaking and genre defining are words that are thrown at this record all the time, for me it blends metal, punk, hardcore and everything in between into one almost overwhelming mix. The title track, Jane Doe, is an epic track that just completely blows you away and I can still remember the first time I heard this record in my uni halls when an old friend bought it over about 3am telling me I had to hear it. Thanks Ed. As with Isis' Oceanic, its a record that pushed them to the front of their genre, whatever it is, and are yet to better! Still looking forward to Axe to Fall this year though!
www.convergecult.com
James

Top 20 2000 - 2009 Number 1

1 - Isis: Oceanic (2002, Ipecac)
What is there to say about this record that hasn't already been said? It spawned a thousand imitators, launched Isis to the next level and divided their fans. Till this album Isis were a crushingly heavy band focusing on epic riffs. On Oceanic they found their melodic side.
Opener 'The Beginning and The End' sets the pace and from there the album continues into a sprawling beast that drags you down with it. Other-worldly tracks such as 'Weight' are aided by the added vocals of Maria Christopher from 27 and with this new sound also found new fans.
Terrorizer magazine named it their album of the year and still 7 years on it's not hard to see why. Isis's best record of their career so far without a doubt.
www.isistheband.com
James

Music of the Last Decade - 2000 - 2009

It's been a while since I've written anything here but starting today I'm going to compile a list of my top twenty records of the last decade, 2000 - 2009. The records will be in no particular order and will be mainly pretty heavy stuff. Enjoy!