STACK #190 Aug 2020

FEATURE MUSIC

The Noughties were rich with stand-out releases from indie guitar bangers to delicate piano cuts, from big pop to phat (remember that one!?) rock.We look back at a few of the best. Words Zoë Radas TWO-THOUSAND-AND-GREAT: THE BEST OF THE NOUGHTIES

Dulcet, honeyed vocals and elegantly mellow piano in a jazz-inflected bun: not the kind of sound you’d imagine would take the world by storm. But that’s what happened when a bright-eyed 23-year-old from New York City, Norah Jones, released her debut album in 2002. Jones's especial brand of jazz-pop grasped the ears and hearts of listeners who loved her take on a very old genre. (Universal) The Killers, Hot Fuss (2004) When two twenty-something Las Vegas musos named Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning got together in 2001, they hadn’t a clue they were on a path to five chart- topping albums in a row – not even after

wanted to title Heartbreak Is A Motherf- cker ) is full of allusions to the fun-but- terrifying nature of life and love. Australians showed their love for the vocalist during the Funhouse tour: P!nk broke several (of her own) records when she sold-out 35 shows across the country (17 in Melbourne alone) and performed 58 shows in Oz in total. (Sony) Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) By the time Arctic Monkeys’ debut album came out, the Sheffield four-piece were

Delta Goodrem, Innocent Eyes (2003) The first time Australia heard Born To Try – the earnestly wholesome first single ever released by Delta Goodrem – we were confused:

The Killers

they penned a hell of a first song together: Mr Brightside . You couldn’t get through a day in 2004 without hearing Mr Brightside , Somebody Told Me , or the earwormy gang- vocal “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier” from All These Things That I’ve Done . All three of those tracks were nominated for Grammy Awards, and the album went on to spend 252 weeks in the UK albums chart. (Universal) The White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan (2005) Back in the days when we still weren’t clear on whether Jack and Meg White were siblings or romantic partners (they are in fact ex-husband and -wife, having

Delta Goodrem in Neighbours

this is the Neighbours girl? And she can sing higher than a dogwhistle? One year later Goodrem released her debut album Innocent Eyes , which was packed to the gills with piano-led pop hits. It debuted at #1 and stayed there for 29 weeks, breaking a record held by John Farnham’s Whispering Jack (1986). That same year, at the age of just 18, Goodrem was diagnosed with cancer (Hodgkin’s lymphoma) and then won seven ARIAs. She went on to kick cancer’s butt, and Innocent Eyes became the highest- selling album in Australia of the entire decade. (Sony) P!nk, Funhouse (2008) “I guess I just lost my husband/ I don’t know where he went,” P!nk shrugs in the opening of So What , the first track from fifth album Funhouse . It’s true that the popstar had just separated from longtime love Carey Hart, and Funhouse (which P!nk reportedly

Arctic Monkeys

already major bigshots thanks to their rollicking single I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (which frontman Alex Turner famously introduced at the clip’s beginning with a deadpan, “Don’t believe the hype” – clearly no one listened). The single landed bang on #1 in the UK (see ya, Sugababes’ Push The Button ) and the album became the fastest-selling debut in British music history, also picking up the Mercury Prize. (Universal) Norah Jones, Come Away With Me (2002)

married in 1996 and divorced in 2000), the world was a-broil with the lashing, enigmatic sounds of Get Behind Me Satan , the fifth album from the Detroit duo. Mining garage rock, punk and blues influences,

Norah Jones

TheWhite Stripes

the record’s smash singles (most notably the scuzzy Blue Orchid and the piano-led stomp of My Doorbell ) paved the path to the Best Alternative Music Album award at the ’06 Grammys. (Inertia)

P!nk

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