The Bad Plus: 00s Most Important Albums

 Album: The Bad Plus: These Are the Vistas

Composition: An enjoyable and proficient modern jazz album. It doesn’t have the smoothness and welcome familiarity of classic jazz but does not misstep into overly eccentric avant-garde jazz that tries too hard to be different.

Performance: Well executed.

Lyrics: None; the spatially perplexing title not withstanding.

Impact on the music world: I would think that this propelled jazz into a “relevant” space for an audience they was not ready to engage older jazz. A helpful addition.

Timeless or rooted in the decade: I lean toward timelessness for this album. I’m not sure how the landscape of jazz will change in the coming decades but this sounds like a chapter in the book of jazz history.

Arcade Fire, 00s most important recordings

 Arcade Fire: Funeral

Composition: A thoroughly enjoyable progressive rock feel with little hesitation for experimentation and digital effects.

Performance: The vocal performance is offered with a slight affectedness which becomes a trademark for the band. If you lost that voice you would lose the essence of the band. The vocals are slightly reminiscent of Modest Mouse.

Lyrics: Fairly typical rock lyrics with a bit of angst. Nothing to complain about and nothing to sit in awe about.

Impact on the music world: This is a classic sound of 00s rock. I’m not sure if it was the first but it carries the trend.

Timeless or rooted in the decade: I think this will always be an album to which you could listen and think, “this is a good 00s album.”