4
I worked really hard to try and come up with a decent list of the top albums of the last decade. I racked my brain for two months, even went so far as to make a list of them. It was too hard. There were too many albums for me to name, too many moments for me to overcome. This last decade was the decade I became who I am. So of course certain albums weigh heavier than others and I might leave out a bunch because they just weren't that important to me. For me personally Low Level Owl trumps Kid A everytime. And although everyone will disagree with me, they will never understand why. So Rather than try and justify how each album meant so much to me, I decided to go with bands and artists. And instead of going all over the place, I simplified it to four Because any more and I would have gotten picky, and any less I would have been remisce in mentioning others. These last ten years were my formative years and the years that made me into th adult I am today. I started off a 13 year old, horny, snot-nosed punk and came out a 22 year old defeated drunk. These were the bands that meant the most to me. These were the bands that kept me going. And in many cases, these were the bands that kept me alive. It's been a crazy fucking decade for me to grown up in, here are the bands that helped me through.

4.)Prurient

I have had personal idols before (check earlier entries for mentions of the big three), but until Dom came along, none of them every seemed accessable. Most of them were these monolithic figures I built up in my head that sustained on the premise of myth and legend. In many ways, they are almost bloated, but I guess I preferred it that way. When I met Dom, I had no idea what he was about, what he did, or how he would go about changing the landscape of music as I knew it. He seemed like a shy, geeky type of dude that was touring with Wolf Eyes. Dom introduced to me a world I knew nothing of. PE, Drone, harsh electronics, Prurient ran the gamut of all noise genres and was able to incorporate it within every single release without losing consistency or worse, a lack of identity. I did not have a musical identity until I heard Prurient. I can still remember Olson turning to me, "you've never heard Prurient before?" I was ashamed. Here one of my idols was asking me why I had never heard Prurient before, and I was but an eigtheen year old noob. I witnessed my first Prurient performanc and was on the verge of tears. I had never seen so much anger, so much rage, so much depression, in any performance of anything ever. And it was just Dom, his pedals, and his microphone. Over the years his sounds have changed drastically from release to release and it never ceases to amaze me how every album is equally as consistent in terms of quality but radically different in terms of its sonic variaions. The best part is, I know Dom. Dom knows me. He isn't some myth that I could never even dream of talking to. I walk into Hospital and he greets me and asks me how things are going. To me, the fact that someone who has had such an impact on me artistically knows, recognizes, and cares about what I have to say is one of the best feelings in the world. The last time he was in DC was when Cold Cave was playing (Dom is also in Cold Cave with Wes [1/3 of the three]). While I can't talk to Wes, I feel familiar enough with Dom where conversing comes easy. And it just so happens he is one of the most important musical figures to me ever. I gave him a huge hug and shooted the shit with him a while. Prurient aside from all the familiar reasons, is one of the greatest musical forces in music today. Each album represents an emotion that is rarely tapped into our hearts and many times considered taboo. There is a reason I listen to the music I listen to. There is a reason I make the music I make. There is a reason I make art in the first place. And most of it I owe to this man, Dominick Fernow. Prurient.

3.)Mates of State

Obviously there is a huge gap between Prurient and Mates of State musically, but in terms of years, not so much. Mates of State was my it band for this decade. I first heard them when I saw them live, at a show where they opened up for the Mars Volta (their second show together and no one knew who they were) and The Anniversary (who sucked live). They were the best thing I saw that night and at the ripe old age of 14, I knew I had found something special. Since then I have seen Mates of State more than any other band, a record 10, that's right TEN times. To this day, if they are in the city I am in, I will go and see them. Because no one makes me sing along more, dance, and act like a little teenage girl, more than this band. Mates of State was the gap between the midwestern emo I dug so much, and more artistic of indie bands that I was always so hesitant to get into. I could have put the Get Up Kids or the Promise Ring up here, but saying they were as important to me as Mates of State would be a lie. I have never seen neither of those bands. And MOS was it for me. They were my band. That was my thing. I knew all the songs. I Knew all the trivia and was a general fanboy for the periods of 2001-2005. Their catchy hooks, moody ryhthms and emo sensibility struck a huge chord with me and I could not get enough of them. I must have played "Our Constant Concern" at least over 1000 times on CD. For someone trying to find their way in relationships and trying to figure out what it meant to "grow up", the music was none more perfect. Kori and Jason still mean a lot to me and the next time I see them I will let them know. The fact that they were married also served as something extra cool for me. Like I knew out of everything that was so fucked up in the world, Kori and Jason would still be there, my surrogate parents, telling me it was okay to cry over a girl and not to be afraid to put myself out there again. It seems really lame, but I love this band to know ends, and would defy anyone else to find a band more loving, catchy, and familial. My family life was always so fucked, but at least I could escape with these two into my own world, where my family wasn't so manic, and everything was alright.

2.)Wolf Eyes

Okay, so where Prurient taught me everything I needed to know about artistic merit, raw emotion, and aesthetic sensibility in music, Wolf Eyes were always there to destroy it. I have never wanted to party so hard, drink so much, and be more of a punk-ass then when I listen to this band. The thing is, it's not just the band on whole. While Wolf Eyes as an entity is extremely important, the solo projects and albums have had almost more of an impact. And all of it is within this Wolf world. I think of everything that has mattered to me this decade, "Andrew W.K" "Olson's Beer's" "Dilloway's Concealed" all of these things are products of Wolf Eyes. I first became familiar with the ways of the wolves when I heard W.K's "Party Hard" and thought it was amazing. This girl I was trying to bone called me a poser for liking it, and one thing you don't call 14 year old Chris, is a poser. I ditched her and dedicated my life to learning the ways of W.K which eventually led me to his former band, Wolf Eyes. simply put in the words of Mr. Wilkes Krier himself, "WOLF EYES RULES". The first time I heard "Stabbed in the Face" I picked up my calculator and threw it through my window, shattering it, and causing my father to become irate. I paid for the window, but never apologized for what I did. This was noise. This was punk. This was how I felt, and I knew at that moment I would never be the same. Since then, I have followed the Wolf dudes religiously becoming friends with Olson and Connelley and making sure to pick up whatever I can from them as almost everything they release is of quality stature. Their major releases have gone from broken hardcore, to seething, spiteful and downright nasty noise hatred which has pretty much described my musical evolution from the age of 18 to now. I cannot think of a band this decade that has had more of an influence on the way I feel, the way I act, and the way I want to be more than Wolf Eyes. I will forever raise my arm in defiance everytime I hear Black Vomit. Clenching my fist in one hand and chugging a beer in the other, right before spitting it out on everyone. I love this band because they make me feel good. They gave me a place in this world as a young adult. They let me know that while partying is rad, so is being intellectual. Olson is one of the smartest cats I've ever met, and drinking and talking with him gaveme a better view of how I wanted to be as a person. Drinking is cool, but reading is so much cooler. The minute I heard Wolf Eyes, I wasn't so alienated anymore and I understood where I fit in this world. They make me feel good for who I am and I am not ashamed. As musicians and as artists, I'm sure they could ask for nothing more. And I ask for nothing in return, except to keep jamming, keep screaming and keep ruling. Yea, Wolf Eyes fucking rules man.

1.)At the Drive-In

So while all the other bands had personal effects on me, At the Drive-In was and ALWAYS WILL BE the MOST IMPORTANT MUSICAL FORCE TO ME IN THIS DECADE. They were primarly active in the nineties, but no album has had more of a profound influence on me the last ten years, the way Relationship of Command did. When I heard this album the musical flood gates opened up. I can honestly say if it weren't for this band, I would have never even given acts like Wolf Eyes or Prurient a chance. Musically, it was one of the most diverse things I had ever heard. And as I listened more and more to each of their previous efforts, I saw the progression from amazing post-hardcore outfit, to musical genius. This goes for everyone. Cedric and Omar unfairly get all the credit, but Jim Ward and the rest of the crew deserves just as much kudos for the impact this band has had on my musical taste. I was a young Mexican emo kid, not sure of where his musical senses were going to take him, when I saw a group of afro-haired Mexican dudes (much like myself), making the most aurally inspiring punk rock I had ever heard. I wanted to shout. I wanted to dance. I wanted to scream my love for this band from a mountain top. When all of sudden, it was all over. And you know what, I'm happy it was. Because I don't think they could have ever topped that in a million years. Sparta was ok and so was Mars Volta, but neither group compared to the majestic sound that came through speakers when "Cosmonaut" came on. Nothing compared to being "heavier than air". While ATDI may not have made very relatable music (god knows the lyrics were more convuluted than Lost plot lines) the actual sound that was produced was unlike anything I had ever heard before. It was the first time aside from Refused (my favorite band ever) that I felt I was listening to real, authentic, well-produced, well-crafted, music. It was the first time I appreciated musicianship on a record and to this day, it stands as a testament to some of the greatest muscians I have ever seen. The vocals, the guitars, the samples, the drums, everything about this band was amazing. It was loud, aggressive, and so different from anything I heard or would ever hear again. ATDI is the reason I became the person musically I am today and I shudder to think what might have happened to me if I had have never heard Cedric's shrill voice screaming at me to "send transmission".



That's it. I don't feel I did any of these artists justice. You can't really fit into words how important each of these bands are to me. I can write books on them. Just know that these were the four that did it for me. And these are the four you see in me, everytime you see me on the street begging for change.

- Cmo