Best Albums of the Noughties

Free, Rivermaya (2000). First great album of the century. Thanks to the internet, fans who weren't lucky enough to get a physical copy, may still enjoy this in all its 320kpbs glory.

 

Is That Ciudad? Yes, Son, It’s Me, Ciudad (2003). This is just perfect from start to finish, the Cutterpillow for the zeroes, one of those truly rare gems in the local music scene.

 

Sa Wakas, Sugarfree (2003) This is Circus for the noughties, only more radio-friendly. 

 

Formika, Narda (2005). Narda, one of the best band to grace the local indie scene, underwent many line-up changes, went from indie-pop to disco, and released 4 EP’s and two full-lengths all in span of five years. Too bad they never got popular beyond that Kamikazee song.

  

Flowerfish, Sheila & the Insects (2005). This is arguably the best album by arguably the best band from the south.

 

Flipino, dongabay (2006). Every nineties kid knows most of the songs from Yano. It’s a shame not every indie-kid from the noughties heard of Flipino.

Tangina Mo Andaming Nagugutom sa Mundo Fashionista Ka Pa Rin, Radioactive Sago Project (2007). “Mahaba ang kay Mikey Amistoso, pero mas mahaba ang kay Marcus Adoro. Pero pinakamahaba sa lahat ang kay Lourd. At lahat sila tigas.”

Behold! Rejoice! Surfernando Is Here Nah!, Markus Highway (2008). The best among albums by any post-Eraserheads band, a tough call between this and Wildlife, but this is definitely better than any by Sandwich, but doesn’t mean Sandwich albums were necessarily bad.

Peryodiko, Peryodiko (2009). Just when every rock record was leaning towards the-louder-the-better sound, Robin Rivera and Peryodiko went for dynamics in this album (ditto with Flipino and Tala-Arawan). Of course, Vin Dancel’s songwriting’s top-notch here, which shows he’s really Ebe’s older brother, as in wiser. 

Nut House, Hilera (2009). Another Cutterpillow, no, this is Fruitcake. Yes, but better than Fruitcake.

Runner-ups:

Hello! How Are You, Mico the Happy Bear?, Ciudad (2000)

Probably Not But Most Definitely, Imago (2002)

A Poscard From/Suwerte, Narda (2002)

Noontime Show, Itchyworms (2005)

Wildlife, Pupil (2007)

Moonlane Gardens, Orange & Lemons (2007)

Is Love, Out of Body Special (2007)

Todo Combo, Moonstar88 (2007)

Bipolar, Up Dharma Down (2008)

Travel Advisories, Archipelago (2009)

This Year (Moonstar88, 2012)

This Year, Moonstar 88’s answer to their fans, is either a very long EP or a short LP. Or rather it’s more like a second disc to a repackaged Todo Combo. Only you don’t have to purchase the same album again (in case you already have it) just to get the bonus disc. Nor their label needs to repackage the album to sell more, because that album has already sold out. And while I initially thought of this as a teaser to their next full length, it is actually not. This is their new full length album, their first in five years. Reportedly, it took them two years to finish recording. Counting the songs, they came up with only half as much as we got from its predecessor. Sound-wise, they just stuck with what made Todo Combo worked so well. Some may call it staying in their comfort zone. But I think being a little too adventurous were among the pitfalls of their first two albums. Go check their songs “Gilid” and “Ligaw”, if you like what you hear, the rest of this mini-album would hardly disappoint. Mini-album, wow, that’s so K-Pop. ***

Sticker Happy (Eraserheads, 1997)

Sticker Happy is one hell of a record. Not the band’s best, but definitely their craziest, and the one with best damn cover art. It’s a cacophony of many things. This is the Eraserheads, both old and new, at their wackiest – a strange brew of guitar pyrotechnics, pop songs, techno, sex and rock &roll – one mess of a record spinning around violently, destroying everything in its way. The release of Eraserheads’ supposed proper follow-up to Cutterpillow, marked the time when their albums stopped selling like hot cakes. Well, it was probably the time when most fans started to have second thoughts on every new Eraserheads album. By the time Sticker Happy came out late in 1997, most people have already established the gold standard for local alternative rock – it’s either Circus or Cutterpillow. Most fans were expecting another Cutterpillow, but Sticker Happy wasn’t it. After listening to it, a friend of mine said that they’ve changed – along with some puny remarks – as if the best band in the land released their first bad album. But the band couldn’t just keep writing the same old songs for cheescakesakes. They had to inject new things to their craft.  ****

The Colour and the Shape (Foo Fighters, 1997)

This is how rock music should be, or precisely, how I liked it to be. Loud guitars, propulsive drumming, hooks and catchy choruses – these were the things I’ve always wanted but never got among the records I had at that time. Then came The Colour and the Shape, and it’s got more than what I’ve been looking for. It has parts loud, abrasive, and unruly and parts quiet and tender. It’s got Monkey Wrench, Hey Johnny Park, Everlong, and more importantly, it’s got Dave Grohl. Grohl, who not only wrote the songs, sang and played guitars, he also played the drums on almost all of them. It’s chock-full of post-grunge goodies that comes in big radio-ready packages, some of which would become Foo Fighters’ biggest hits. ****