Tag Archives: Decades 2001

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Song of the Day #3,983: ‘Last Nite’ – The Strokes

The biggest critical splash of 2001 came courtesy of New York rockers The Strokes and their debut album Is This It. The record was named the year’s best by many critics and placed second (behind Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft) on the annual Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll.

The Strokes were hailed as saviors of rock-n-roll, carriers of the garage rock and post-punk banners. They pointed to the Velvet Underground as a primary influence, and many breathless critics predicted they would be equally influential on popular music.

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Song of the Day #3,982: ‘Hidden Place’ – Björk

I wrote last week about how few women cracked my top ten albums of 2001 (few as in one, Lucinda Williams). Is that because I wasn’t as open to female artists back then or was it not a great year for women in music?

Probably more the former than the latter, but I will submit that the most acclaimed release by a woman that year was Björk’s Vespertine, and I’ve heard enough of it to know that it definitely wouldn’t have won me over then, and it sure isn’t going to win me over now either.

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Song of the Day #3,981: ‘Fell in Love with a Girl’ – The White Stripes

The White Stripes’ third album, White Blood Cells, was released in 2001 to universal acclaim and a rising tide of publicity. Music critics were going gaga over the “brother/sister” band that was actually a former married couple, who wore only black, red and white, who performed with guitar and drums but never a bass, and who made a living resurrecting the blues.

The scrutiny was wearing on Jack and Meg White during the recording of White Blood Cells, and they nodded to it with the album’s cover photo, which depicts them surrounded by shadowy figures wielding cameras and microphones.

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Song of the Day #3,980: ‘Bootylicious’ – Destiny’s Child

My musical landscape was so narrow at the turn of the millennium that Destiny’s Child somehow completely escaped my attention. The trio’s 2001 album Survivor was a massive hit but not one I listened to even once.

One great thing about the streaming era is the freedom it gives you to listen to any number of different genres without the monetary risk. In fact, the more new music you consume the more of a bargain you’re getting for the $10-15 per month you’re spending with Apple, Amazon or Spotify. Back in 2001, I wouldn’t have dropped $12 to buy an R&B album on spec. Today, I’d at least give it a shot.

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Song of the Day #3,979: ‘Darker With the Day’ – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

After counting down my own favorite albums of 2001, I now turn my attention to ten albums from that year that I don’t know well. This is the part of the Decades series that is usually both reassuring and disappointing for me.

The fact is, I almost never unearth any albums in this process that break into my regular rotation. So that tells me I must be doing a pretty good job rooting out the things I like in the first place. But on the flip side, I’d really like to find some new gem that has a real chance of cracking my own list of favorites.

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