Musically Drunken Achievments of the Decade

I love music. It's always been my support system. A girlfriend for me when I'm single, a shoulder to cry on when I needed one, and an outlet that captures any sort of mood. It is truly the power of music that has affected me, made me feel more emotion than almost any person could. And that's why I've put together a list of the Best 10 Albums of 2000-2009. It won't be my favorites...that would be a laughable list (to some) of pop-punk hooks and little else. These are the best musical achievements. The ones that are so full of emotion they couldn't possibly be ignored. There will be no hip-hop, for that may make you want to dance but it is not achievement. The 10 Best Albums of 2000-2009



10. Relient K-- mmhmm (2004)
Best Songs: "Be My Escape," "High of 75," "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "Live your life for fools that you love" (The One I'm Waiting For)
The Album: Christian rock? Who in God's name cares? Relient K's mmhmm is as sunny as it gets. Every song mixes in soft lyrics about love, happiness, and just trying to be a good person. Their album probably transcends what the band believed the album was about. Relient K has always been a bit on the silly side of music, but with this album, the band put out a perfect album of hope that any age group could identify with. It may be pop-heavy, but sometimes when it's dark and dreary outside and your feeling down, you just want a little sunshine in your headphones.

9. Say Anything - ...Is a Real Boy (2004)
Best Songs: "Alive With the Glory of Love," "Woe," "Admit it!!!"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "That boy, he, that boy's got woe." (Woe)
The Album: Say Anything is clearly not a band for everyone. But Max Bemis' lyrical output on ...Is a Real Boy is something that most songwriters wish they could accomplish. He may not have the best voice in the world, but the album is full of clever lyricism and "We're Gonna Get You Hooked, No Matter How Disturbing You Feel Afterwards." It's really about a boy going through a lot of shit, but it's what he's gone through that drives the album. Because without problems and shortcomings, the great things in life, like this album, might not exist.

8. Taking Back Sunday- Tell All Your Friends (2002)
Best Songs: "You're So Last Summer," "Cute Without the E," "Timberwolves at New Jersey"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "This song was only wishful thinkin'..." (Cute Without the "E")
The Album: The album that, through my teenage years, best described the way it felt to be miserable in love during that period. It's certainly not a happy album--but that's not what gives it feeling. It's a break-up album. A "you never loved me" album. It's angry but it's that catchy anger that made it loveable, even if it was only pumping your stereo because of loss in the first place.

7. Something Corporate- Live at the Ventura Theater (2004)
Best Songs: "I Woke Up in a Car," "Hurricane," "Konstantine," "Walking By"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "And these nights I get high just from breathing, and when I lie here with you, I'm sure that I'm real." (Walking By)
The Album: Perhaps cheating by putting a live album on the list, I really don't care. Something Corporate (more so Andrew McMahon) has been one of my favorite bands for the entire decade. I feel like they were always one or two songs from putting together a really complete album...so I chose one that combines their best. Besides having "Konstantine," a song that is so good it should have it's own planet, the album shows why people have basically started a cult to the band's lead singer, Andrew McMahon. Whatever songs you hear through your headphones are one hundred times better live. It's not the most mature set of songs--but it doesn't make me feel every word any less.

6. Fountains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)
Best Songs: "Hey Julie," "All Kinds of Time," "Bright Future in Sales"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "I tried to change, but I changed my mind" (Mexican Wine)
The Album- I've always been sad that Fountains of Wayne have never gotten more popular, and this album is a fine example of how awesome some of their lyricism and catchy hooks can be. Besides their big hit "Stacey's Mom," the album is full of indie-pop goodness that begs for you to sing along. Every song, from the ridiculously catchy "Hey Julie" to the slower, but serene "All Kinds of Time," brings something unique and quirky, yet still able to bring out emotion while driving down those empty roads.

5. The Postal Service- Give Up (2003)
Best Songs: "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," "Such Great Heights," "Sleeping In," "Clark Gable"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "And when you scan the radio, I hope this song will guide you home." (Such Great Heights)
The Album: I never really expected that an album like this could sneak into this list, but this decade has really changed some of my musical tastes. The album is very electronic, more so than I usually enjoy. But as a lover of Ben Gibbard of Death Cab, it really changed my mind and allowed me to see how beautiful this album really can be. The lyrics aren't always top-notch but it's the emotion and reality in Gibbard that makes the album really come alive and become beautiful, depending on how you're listening to it.

4. Lucky Boys Confusion- Throwing the Game (2001)
Best Songs: "Fred Astaire," "Slip," "Do You Miss Me"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "Don't push so hard, nothing is ever easy." (Fred Astaire)
The Album: LBC is a band that will always have a special place in my heart. This album is definitely their best. It brought out their ability to combine their pop-punk sound with reggae and hip-hop, producing an extremely unique blend of rock-out party anthems. They sing about drinking, smoking, and Chicago because that's what they know. From the ultra-fast paced "3 to 10" and "Dumb Pop Song" to the slower, more emotional beats like "Slip" and "Not About Debra," the album come across with a ferocious, commanding presence that has one of the more unique sounds out there.

3. Death Cab for Cutie- Transatlantacism (2001)
Best Songs: "Transatlanticism," "Passenger Seat," "The Sound of Settling"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "To call at 7:03 and on your machine, I slur a plea for you to come home, but it's too late" (A Lack of Color)
The Album: Death Cab has never been afraid to switch up their styles and experiment. But it's on Transatlantacism where they are it's simplest and most serene. On tracks like "Passenger Seat" and "Transatlanticism," you can almost hear the pleas for lost love to return as if they were your own. They resonate so powerful, coming through lead singer Ben Gibbard's delicate voice. Everything comes through so personal. Numerous tracks on the album continue to give me chills, even as I listen to it for umpteenth time straight through. Their follow up's Plans and Narrow Stairs were great as well--but there's no beating this.

2. Radiohead- Kid A (2000)
Best Songs: "How to Disappear Completely," "High and Dry," "The National Anthem"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "I float down the Liffey, I'm not here, this isn't happening" (How to Disappear Completely)
The Album: Radiohead has cemented it's legacy in musical history as being one of the most influential bands of our time. OK Computer, done in the 90's, is simply one of the most brilliant albums ever put together. Kid A is another beautiful album put together from the band. "How to Disappear Completely" might be one of the most beautiful, saddening songs I've ever heard. But it's not the songs by themselves that make the album great...it's the album as a whole where you can really see how great it is. It's like a puzzle, interesting separated, but beautiful when put together.

1. Jack's Mannequin- Everything in Transit (2005)
Best Songs: "The Mixed Tape," "Dark Blue," "La La Lie"
Lyric That Best Describes It: "Fuck yeah, we can live like this" (Holiday from Real)
The Album: I know--it's not your favorite, or even something you'd put on your top 10. But I'm not you. Jack's Mannequin--more so it's lead singer/songwriter Andrew McMahon--has gotten me through so much. My break-ups, my new beginnings, my dreams, and my nightmares. Everything I've ever gone through could be described through this album. It's the happiest album when I want it to be and saddest when I need it to be. But it's there. Everything in Transit has become more than an album to me--it's become a friend. And the man who wrote it has become my role model. The great thing about music is this: this album might pass you by without a thought. But me? It's one of the most important things in my life.

You Know, When I Hear It Again, It Sounds Quite Nice

A few years ago, when this blog wasn't all about booze, I wrote a post about the World's Ugliest Languages. Now that I've a few years to look back on it, I've rethought my stance on these languages. And you know what? I was not influenced by anything or anyone to write it. Well. Maybe a Little. Here are The World's 5 Prettiest Languages.

5. Albanian
Language Type and Origin: Indo-Eburopean language derived from extinct Illyrian language that were spoken in the Baltics. The earliest known Albanian speakers were from the 2nd Century, AD.
Beauty Factor: What makes Albanian an favorable language is that it's a very aggressive language. There are many palatal stops and putting strong inflection on many letters, such as v, m, n, b, and many others. There are lots of words that also emphasize "sh" and with the accent they have it sounds heavenly. There are also verbs that are conjugated based on moods that people are in. Listening to the language, it seems like the Albanians are a very happy people.. Plus, I worked with Albanians for 2 years, so I was lucky enough to hear it on a daily basis.
Sounds like: A Greek person speaking a mix of Italian and Russian. Also sounds like someone in a constant state of awesomeness.
Here's Albanian singer Poni making me want to "Dil Moj Dil.":


4. Hindi
Language Type and Origin: Indo-Aryan Language evolved from the Sanskrit writing system. Comes from the Middle Age language families of Prakrit and Apabhramsha in or around the early 17th century.
Beauty Factor: No offense to other Indian languages, since English probably isn't a pretty language when spoken by Americans, but Hindi is just a gorgeous language. I'm sure you've all heard it, so what makes it so resplendent? The numerous amount of stop consanants that are inflected by pushing the tongue against the upper teeth. This makes for the pleasant sounds usually heard whenever you can smell curry, which is actually quite delicious. Many sounds that are much higher in pitch are found in Hindi as well. Don't be fooled though: this pitch gives it a unique, beauty that is rare and actually quite sexy.
Sounds Like: An rose petal falling from the sky and landing on the tip of a pretty girl's nose.
Hindi is better served with half naked attractiveness:


3. Danish
Language Type and Origin: A North Germanic language in the Germanic branch of Indo-European language family. Widespread use started around the 12th Century.
Beauty Factor: Danish is a very quaint language. The dialect almost pushes out words rather than speaking them, making it a very unique and special language. (By the way, what doesn't Denmark do?) There are many irregular verbs in the Danish language, which are very easy to conjugate, but often come out like Neil Patrick Harris in a closet. It's easier to write than pronounce, since many vowels and consanants from native speakers are silenced. The Danish "stod" phonology is what makes the lovely sounds, with almost every word emphasized. It makes the language very rough and manly. And I hear Copenhagen is just as pretty.
Sounds Like: The crispy sound of a heated up raspberry danish crackling between your teeth on a cold winter Saturday.
Not sure if the singer is attractive but the video surely will make you in the mood for some danish:


2. Dutch
Language Type and Origin: Western and Northern Germanic language, closely associated with English and German. Use began in the 5th century AD, when people didn't care about how ugly was your face was and saw all the inner beauty of everyone.
Beauty Factor: If you've never heard Dutch, then your ears have been unfortunately spared from "eardrum heaven." Almost every word ends with a "t" sound, with a hint of sunshine. There are lots of v's and d's, along with tons of stress, as Dutch is a stress language. Stress is sometimes the only difference between sex and the Dutch language. Presumably due to the years of legal marijuana smoking, coupled with cigarette smoking and techno music, Dutch people speak very fast and often silence letters for a better flow. Let me tell you something: three beautiful things flow in Holland, where Dutch is the official language: the canals and smoke into your lungs and the consonants that form pure bliss. There are words that end in 4 consonants that would make your head explode because of their sheer raw power. There are also many "fricative" consonants, which sound like the "ch" in Bach if you say it while your clearing your throat. The only reason pot is legal in Holland is because people want to hear intellectual conversations in Dutch more than anything ever. Even oral sex.
Sound like: The roar of the home crowd when your favorite team scores the winner.
Here's a perfect video: hot Dutch DJ Bridget Maasland kissing another hot dj with dutch speaking:



1. Hebrew
Language Type and Origin: A Semitic, Afro-Asiatic language founded on beauty, love, and pure, unadulterated puffy white clouds.
Beauty Factor: What a spectacular language! Ironically, words cannot describe the Hebrew language: it's that stunning. The dazzling inflection put on words gives a tone that might remind one of the angelic voice of Whitney Houston before she did crack. The alluring appeal of Hebrew can be found in the spectacular attention to vocal patterns and combining the right pitch with an even righter sexiness. It's why Jewish people are so successful in entertainment: they simply have the best voices. It's no joke ladies and mensch's: Hebrew is the most beautiful language. And instead of racially slandering the Hebrew language I'll tell a funny joke: How many Jewish people can fit in a Volkswagen Beetle? 6. The VW only has 5 seats but since Jewish people are so skinny and beautiful, they can fit one extra Jewish person in there.
Zing!
Sounds Like: Some pretty brunette kissing you on the lips that taste like strawberries and cream.
To be fair to the Jews, here's Natalie Portman speaking Hebrew, one of many people on Earth that can make it sound pretty:



I hoped YOU liked my rewrites. And YOU know who YOU are. But anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed and were thoroughly captivated by my spectacular prose. I must go. But I know I can go without worry, since I know now that you are thinking about Hebrew. And Hebrew is breathtaking. So catch your breath for now...and I'll be back in no time.