BEST OF THE '00s: JIM JAMES

This one will surprise some of my friends, and it even surprises me. But when I was thinking of the artists who had a great decade, I definitely thought of My Morning Jacket. I remember reading about them in a British magazine.  Apparently the opened for Eyes Adrift (the short-lived band that featured Krist Novoselic) and Dave Grohl went to one of the shows, caught MMJ and really liked them. I picked up their album It Still Moves, and honestly, wasn't that impressed. But following thier career a bit, they are really ambitious and creative, and yet they don't mind writing a total pop song like "I'm Amazed." The way they embrace pop and more avant-garde type stuff reminds me of The Beatles a bit. I definitely really enjoyed thier last album, 2008's Evil Urges.

But frontman Jim James has done a lot of cool stuff outside of the band: he had a bit role in the Bob Dylan-based film I'm Not There, and did a cool version of "Goin' To Acapulco" (backed by Calexico) on the soundtrack. He also did an EP of Geroge Harrison covers (under the name "Yim Yames"). And, he is part of the indie-rock supergroup Monsters of Folk (with M. Ward and Bright Eyes members Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis). I'm not as big of a fan of Jim and My Morning Jacket as I am as the other artists who made my "Best Of The '00s" series, but I gotta give dude respect.

More Best Of The '00s: Bob Dylan
Willie Nelson
Aimee Mann
Jeff Tweedy
David Johansen
Levon Helm
The Beatles