Disclaimer: Years are fairly arbitrary time periods. The only thing that makes a decade is the human conditions’ odometer fetish. Unfortunately, like you, I’m human as well and fall prey to these tendencies. I can’t claim to know everything, I’m just an educated observer; and here are my educated observations. They are not perfect and neither you nor I will completely agree with them in a years time, but that is the fun of lists.
This year was all about the Flaming Lips. I don’t care how old I get, I will still sing along to Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. It’s such an absurdly happy/melancholy trip, that I can’t turn away. Give me confetti and giant balloons and dancing naked girls, I’m going to enjoy this. Please check out The Flaming Lips – “If I Go Mad” because it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done and it’s never been released. It originally popped up on the Yoshimi bootleg that got leaked a few months before the album and was never heard from again.
I almost forgot how good that Books album is. My favorite song off of it, “Contempt”, is a play off my favorite Jean Luc-Goddard film (sigh… damn I’m a pretentious asshole).
In related news, I had to put “Losing My Edge” by LCD Soundsystem high on this list, there was no way around it. I mean if you’re putting together a list of 1000 songs hand chosen by you for public consumption, what better than a sarcastic song about how you’re musical taste is better than everyone’s. But then again, the Justin Timberlake album was really really good. I am large, I contain multitudes.
Top 10 Albums of 2002:
10. Justin Timberlake – Justified
9. O.U.T. H.U.D. – S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.
8. Sigur Ros – ()
7. The Decmberists – Castaways and Cut-outs
6. The Books – Thought for Food
5. Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights
4. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3. Cornelius – Point
2. Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People
1. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Top 100 Songs of 2002:
100. Ultimate Fakebook – “Inside Me, Inside You” (video)
99. Iron & Wine – Lion’s Mane (video)
98. Radio 4 – Our Town
97. Enon – Count Sheep
96. The Decemberists – Leslie Anne Levine
95. RJD2 – Ghostwriter
94. Cornelius – Point of View Point (video)
93. The Mountain Goats – No Children (video)
92. Foo Fighters – All My Life (video)
91. Elf Power – Let the Serpent Sleep (video)
90. Q and Not U – So Many Calls
89. Boards of Canada – Music is Math (video)
88. Mclusky – To Hell With Good Intentions (video)
87. Minus the Bear – Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!
86. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (video)
85. Wilco – Ashes of American Flags (video)
84. Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head (video)
83. And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead… – Another Morning Stoner (video)
82. Mates of State – A Duel Will Settle This
81. Liars – Every Three Hours with a Ducks Fan
80. Broken Social Scene – Lover’s Spit (video)
79. The Books – Motherless Bastard (video)
78. The Libertines – Vertigo
77. The Ghost – Death By the Bay
76. The Notwist – Pick Up the Phone (video)
75. The Decemberists – July, July!
74. Radio 4 – Start a Fire
73. Sigur Ros – Untitled 1 (video)
72. Queens of the Stone Age – No One Knows (video)
71. Badly Drawn Boy – Silent Sigh (video)
70. They Might Be Giants – I Am Not Your Broom (video)
69. The Walkmen – Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone
68. Beck – The Golden Age (video)
67. The Mountain Goats – First Few Desperate Hours
66. Cornelius – Fly (video)
65. Interpol – NYC (video)
64. Mclusky – Lightsaber Cocksucking Blues
63. The Coral – Dreaming of You (video)
62. The Sea and Cake – Four Corners
61. The Streets – Weak Become Heroes (video)
60. Broken Social Scene – Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl (video)
59. Ladytron – Blue Jeans (video)
58. The Secret Machines – We Used to Be French
57. RJD2 – The Horror (video)
56. Metro Area – Dance Reaction
55. Ultimate Fakebook – When I’m With You I’m Ok
54. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (video)
53. Boards of Canada – 1969 (video)
52. Kylie Minogue – Come Into My World (video)
51. Wilco – I Am the Man Who Loves You
50. Enon – In This City (video)
49. Q and Not U – Soft Pyramids (video)
48. Queens of the Stone Age – Go With the Flow (video)
47. The Books – Enjoy Your Worries, You May Never Have them Again
46. The Walkmen – Wake Up (video)
45. Broken Social Scene – Stars and Sons (video)
44. Sonic Youth – Disconnection Notice (video)
43. Tom Waits – Kommienezuspadt
42. The Decemberists – Cautionary Song
41. Gogogo Airheart – When the Flesh Hits (video)
40. The Hot Snakes – I Hate the Kids
39. Ugly Casanova – Things I Don’t Remember (video)
38. Cornelius – Smoke (video)
37. Interpol – Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down (video)
36. Hot Hot Heat – Bandages (video)
35. Radio 4 – Save Your City
34. Justin Timberlake – Rock Your Body (video)
33. Pretty Girls Make Graves – Speakers Push Air (video)
32. LCD Soundsystem – Beat Connection
31. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead… – Relative Ways (video)
30. Sigur Ros – Untitled 3
29. Iron & Wine – Upward Over the Mountain
28. Enon – Disposable Parts
27. O.U.T. H.U.D. – Dad, There’s a Little Phrase Called Too Much Information
26. Kylie Minogue – Love at First Sight (video)
25. The Flaming Lips – If I Go Mad (Funeral in My Head)
24. Wilco – I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (video)
23. The Secret Machines – Breathe
22. Interpol – Roland (video)
21. The Mountain Goats – Best Ever Death Metal Band out of Denton
20. Beck – Lost Cause (video)
19. Liars – We Got Cold, Coughed, and Forgot Things
18. Broken Social Scene – Almost Crimes (video)
17. The Decemberists – Legionnaire’s Lament
16. The Books – Contempt
15. Ladytron – Seventeen (video)
14. The Streets – Don’t Mug Yourself (video)
13. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead… – Baudelaire (video)
12. Wilco – Heavy Metal Drummer (video)
11. Justin Timberlake – Senorita (video)
10. Simian – La Breeze (video)
9. Interpol – Obstacle 1 (video)
8. Cee-Lo – Closet Freak (video)
7. The Notwist – Pilot (video)
6. The Flaming Lips – Do Ya Realize? (video)
5. Cam’ron – Hey Ma (video)
4. Cornelius – Drop (video)
3. Broken Social Scene – Cause=Time (video)
2. Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River (video)
1. LCD Soundsystem – Losing My Edge (video)