Pop Music in the Naughties

Every other Friday, I get killed with a long day of work and 250 miles of driving. This is one of those Fridays, but, in spite of my exhaustion, I feel compelled to post something.

I once mentioned making a list of favorite pop discs from the first half of the "naughties" (again, not sure what we call the 00s, but I'm pushing for "naughties").

My main criterion is a simple question:

What from 2000 to 2004 am I still listening to?

Many a disc is appealing the first few times around, but many a disc, like fish and company, smells in three days.

Here are five discs from 2000-2004 that make the cut, in random order.



First, Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast. In spite of his overconfidence, Damon Gough is a talented fellow who makes great music. As heretical as it might seem to some fans, it's a tough call for me between this one and the About a Boy soundtrack. Favorites include The Shining with its french horn and the wa wa guitar in Once Around the Block.

Coldplay's second usually garners a higher rating, but Parachutes is my favorite. Yes, Yellow was played to death, but that's one of the reasons I rarely listen to the radio.

John Mayer's Room for Squares. After all these years, I still love No Such Thing, Why Georgia , Neon, 83 and the rest of the tracks. One talented individual. Saw Graham Colton + Counting Crows + John Mayer in concert a few years ago--amazing show.

I saw Pete Yorn play Musicforthemorningafter at the tiny 7th Street Entry (attached to 1st Ave) in 2001. An excellent disc with Life on a Chain, Strange Condition, Black and many other great tracks.

In my possession are three of Beth Orton's discs, and I've heard all of her releases a number of times. In a contest, Central Reservation gets my vote. Never heard it? At a minimum, I think Stolen Car and the title track demand a listen.

There are more, I may even be able to get to ten, but for now, I'll leave you with these five.

Not sure what the PFM folks would say about this, but, imho, if ever there was a definition of unduly pretentious... If you want to be more pretentious than Harold Bloom, at least move out of your parents' basement first. :)