The 50 Best Albums of the 2000s: Numbers 26

The 50 Best Albums of the 2000s: Numbers 26 – 25

December 16th, 2009 MUSIC Cory Maidens

The double oughts are about to be over. Featured author and music obsessive Cory Maidens takes a look back at the first decade of the 21st Century in music, and lists his picks for the 50 best records to be released during its ten years

26. Gallows – Grey Britain (2009)
Despite all the hype and praise for their debut Orchestra Of Wolves, Gallows seemed like just another modestly talented group of Brits benefitting from that country’s overwhelming enthusiasm for native music. Two years later, the band’s second album arrived without the fanfare of its debut but Grey Britain is a true masterpiece blending the best elements of punk, thrash and hardcore with haunting atmospherics and a knack for rock songwriting . The searing guitar lines have risen to match the intensity of vocalist Frank Carter’s disturbingly primal delivery. Grey Britain comes across as the modern heir to Paul Dianno-era Iron Maiden, a dirty, hopeless declaration of death and destruction that never forgets it has an audience to bring along. In spite of its abrasive style and tone, Grey Britain is beautifully produced (by Garth “GGGarth” Richardson) and full of single tracks that would be any other hard rock album’s standout.

25. Alkaline Trio – From Here To Infirmary (2001)
From the morbid crime scene metaphors of album opener “Private Eye,” it is immediately evident that Alkaline Trio’s From Here To Infirmary might not be for everyone. The band’s wicked sense of humor is blacker than pitch and lyrical pessimism frequently leads to out and out nihilism. Heady material like this would later infringe upon the group’s pop aesthetic, but Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano’s Lennon/McCartney songwriting relationship hit its stride on this 2001 album. The band’s brand of punk rock follows in the vein of Jawbreaker and the Smoking Popes, whose original drummer Mike Felumlee was actually in the band for the recording of this album. The juxtaposition of either Skiba’s bitter sarcasm or Andriano’s wistful passivity against the backdrop of the band’s upbeat music generally highlights the former’s sinister side and the latter’s lovable sad sack nature. From Here To Infirmary is appealing because it promotes catharsis by embracing basic emotions like fear, hatred and depression and knowingly indulging them to excess. The concept might seem immature or even counterproductive but Alkaline Trio’s From Here To Infirmary is great because it creates a series of sketches that the counterproductive child in everyone can identify with. It doesn’t hurt to drink a case of beer and sing along with them either.

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Cory Maidens

Cory Maidens is a proud son of the American Midwest, a man of letters and an incorrigible bastard. Since acquiring his BA in English Literature, he has proudly avoided non-comic books as an apathetic eye-roll at intellectual elitism. He thinks that arguing is highly underrated as sport and engages in it more often than might be advisable to compensate for that perceived deficiency. He believes in gay marriage, The Daily Show and Bruce Springsteen. He enjoys hearing Southern voices read Civil War-era correspondence aloud.

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