That's Mr. Vek not Beck

Number 30

'We Have Sound' by Tom Vek

Trotter’s Top Ten position : 4 in 2005

UK Chart high : 73 in 2005

In an alternate universe, the whole of the world loves Tom Vek's debut album and he goes on to heady heights of well deserved success.  Unfortunately in this universe all he has is a nod from me at Number 30 and a UK chart position of 73, but hey, that's better than nothing (slightly)!  Coming across like a younger bro of Beck, this album came out just when I was losing patience with the 'older sibling'.  It's an inventive, dancey, indie hotchpotch of a record held together by Vek's absolute enthusiasm for doing what he so obviously loves - messing about with sounds.  Yes, it's a bit 'bedroom' but then I reckon that's actually to its benefit - nothing sounds too under-produced or unfinished.  It also came out the same year as LCD Soundsystem's debut which similarly proved that white guys could at least do a passable impression of funk!  Doesn't exactly set a velodrome on fire like Sir Chris Hoy though (see 'Nothing...' below as evidence).

Look at Nothing But Green Lights ; C-C (You Set the Fire in Me) ; If You Want ; I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes
Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version

Top Fifty Albums of the Noughties : 31-40

Jeez it seems a lifetime ago that I started this...hope you're still awake.  Back in the Middle Ages we'd just ushered in Norah Jones at Number 40 and now we're bang up to date with Radiohead at 31.  Definitely a set of ten ruled by either boys with guitars or girls with keyboards (or sometimes both in the case of Metric) but at least this lot are a bit more spread out across the years than the first ten - not that that really matters does it?  So, as a reminder, here are our fourth-best set of ten!

40 ‘Come Away With Me’ by Norah Jones (2002)
39  'Santogold' by Santogold (2008)
38 'Ladyhawke' by Ladyhawke (2008)
37 'Franz Ferdinand' by Franz Ferdinand (2004)
36 'Get Behind Me Satan' by The White Stripes (2005)
35 'Origin of Symmetry' by Muse (2001)
34  'Live It Out' by Metric (2006)
33 'Ten New Messages' by The Rakes (2007)
32 'Baby 81' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (2007)
31 ‘Amnesiac’ by Radiohead (2001)

As well as the Spotify playlists with a selection from each album so far (31-40 and 41-50), there's also a shorter one for those of you like me with short attention spans (Noughties Shorts) here.

Er...what's the album title again?

Number 31

'Amnesiac' by Radiohead

Trotter's Top Ten position : Top Ten in 2001

UK Chart high : 1 in 2001

I have to declare here how much of a Radiohead fan I am.  It's hard to imagine a music scene without them and their willful boundary-pushing.  They could have easily gone the U2 route after 'OK Computer' in 1997.  Instead they deconstructed, experimented...and almost split up when some of the band were wondering if they would actually play on any of their new songs.  'Amnesiac' was the 'second born child' from the sessions which had also produced 'Kid A' a year earlier.  In a way, like any second offspring, there's no getting away from comparing to the elder child and being slightly less impressed when they take their first steps and do funny things.  It does suffer slightly from being odd at times for its own sake and being too happy to be noodling away.  However, going back and listening to the album again, it's surprising how accessible a lot of the tracks actually are.  And perhaps that's a credit to Radiohead for having taken us with them on their musical journey.  'Knives Out' and 'I Might Be Wrong' would have been massive if they'd been on 'The Bends' or 'OK Computer', 'Like Spinning Plates' is a genius track, looping backwards and forwards constantly.  It is 'Pyramid Song' though that is the standout tune, loaded with atmosphere and that touch that Radiohead often have of conjuring up something special that's more than the sum of its parts.  Phil Selway's drumming here is absolutely tremendous too.  Radiohead released four albums in the Noughties...there's a clue there.

Look at Pyramid Song ; I Might be Wrong ; Like Spinning Plates ; Knives Out

Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version

Berlin, Leather and a Tsunami Baby

Number 32

'Baby 81' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Trotter’s Top Ten position : 5 in 2007

UK Chart high : 15 in 2007

Doing this countdown isn't easy you know.  For instance, I spent far too many hours agonising over which BRMC album should make it onto the list.  Would I go for their incendiary debut, their second with the brilliant 'Stop' or the acoustic 'Howl'?  Well none of those.  Instead 'Baby 81' makes the Fifty mainly because it built on all those previous albums, learning from the best of each.  You've got the literal call to arms of 'Weapon of Choice' (a great first salvo), the leather-clad cool of 'Berlin' but most of all the surprisingly fragile and heartfelt 'All You Do Is Talk' - my favourite song of theirs that proved they could do sensitive and melodic as well as full-on rock.  This was never a single so there's no official video.  Someone kindly did a 'Life on Earth' job for a video on YouTube though - which the band probably hate for its blazing colours and sentimentality - but it does work rather well.  Furthermore, choosing this album meant that I found out what exactly the Baby 81 story is.  Look it up, there's no way I can do it justice here.

Look at Weapon of Choice ; Berlin ; All You Do Is Talk
Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version

Rakes, Bombs and Tom Cruise

Number 33

'Ten New Messages' by The Rakes

Trotter’s Top Ten position : 7 in 2007

UK Chart high : 38 in 2007

Sadly The Rakes split up this year so there's no chance of them appearing in the next decade countdown but they do leave a couple of decent albums behind and a very good one in 'Ten New Messages'.  They steered clear of repeating the japes peppered through their debut 'Capture/Release' and instead wrote a follow-up that tried to get across the various moods in London after the July bombings.  Doesn't exactly sound like loads of fun, but thankfully the references weren't hitting you over the head and being overly sombre and tracks like 'The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect' and 'When Tom Cruise Cries' tell you all you need to know about their take on things.  Lyrically they could be compared to Pulp when they were at their best; such as in the three person perspective 'Suspicious Eyes' (featuring a newly discovered Laura Marling) detailing a tube journey and the emotions coming to the surface when an innocent young Muslim guy gets on.  Sharp, witty and inventive and also not outstaying its welcome - a bit like the band themselves really.

Look at We Danced Together ; The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect
Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version

Monsters, Saliva and Vespas

Number 34

'Live It Out' by Metric

Trotter’s Top Ten position : 3 in 2006

UK Chart high : Did not chart in 2006

Firstly, a couple of points to be made for the statistically-minded (well, you are reading a countdown after all).  This is only one of two albums from 2006 to make the Final Fifty - the other being fairly obvious and coming up much later and secondly, this is the first album listed here to not even have made the UK Top 100.  I mean, think about that for a second - the damn-fool public didn't even buy enough of this record in any one week to get it to 100 - a travesty!  We've established then, that Metric are criminally under-rated.  All the more surprising considering they are fronted by one of the most glamourous, cool and edgy frontwomen in the business in Emily Haines and can start a song with 'bam chikka bam, chikka boom boom boom, shalang shalang boom, shalang shalang boom' and THEN call it 'Monster Hospital' or have a line about 'fear of comparison shopping' on the expertly-titled 'Patriarch on a Vespa'.  'Live It Out' is a strange, sinister yet catchy affair straddling the mosh-pit and the keyboards and is made all the better by their inventive, twisted videos.  Even getting spat at in the face by a charming young lady when I saw them live couldn't stop them from getting this far up the decade review!

Look at Monster Hospital ; Poster of a Girl ; Empty

Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version

Number 35

'Origin of Symmetry' by Muse

Trotter’s Top Ten position : Top Ten in 2001

UK Chart high : 3 in 2001

Now there was a time when Muse hadn't taken to composing twenty minute three-part prog symphonies about cyberspace knights leading humanity into imploding supernovas; when they were really finding their feet and shaking off the 'Radiohead copyists' tag they had been unfairly stuck with on their debut.  'Origin of Symmetry' went in hard and fast, keeping the tunes short and to the point and the riffs front and centre.  Yes, they have always been obsessed with the grandeosity of space and other overblown topics (see the 'Bliss' video for instance) but on this album that wasn't at the expense of a catchy tune.  'Plug In Baby' is definitely a classic of our times with one of the most distinctive guitar intros and they even managed to pull off a cover of 'Feeling Good' without murdering it - and you have to be careful messing with Nina Simone in my house!  Their next couple of albums may have produced bigger (even sometimes better) singles but Muse haven't topped this release in terms of pace and consistency.

Look at Plug In Baby ; New Born ; Bliss ; Feeling Good
Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version