Transtemporal Albums: as one decade of music ends, another begins. But when precisely does this change actually happen?

So here we are, more than a month into a brand new decade. Recently, I have been trying to reflect upon some of the most popular albums of the last decade (I accept that in this digital age, the very concept of "album" is becoming more and more obsolete, but they do, I believe, just about still exist –no doubt more discussion about this at a later time), in a foolhardy attempt to create a set of thematic trends and labels, with which one could paint the music of the "noughties".

This task was no doubt born out of the undeniable truth that although this past musical decade is closest to where I am now in terms of time, in other more meaningful ways, it is actually (relatively) quite far from where I actually am. A chance to discover brand new worlds on my very own door-step. Knowing from personal experience that some of the best holidays turn out to be the ones that you really didn't want to go on.

However, the complexity of the task and seemingly impossible resolution of the stated aim became all too apparent from the outset. And in any event, even the hidden rationale for the project was flawed to its core, for the truth is... there are quite a few "noughties" albums that I love. And so (quite naturally) I decided to give up - and focus my energies on other things.

Whist formulating the initial plan, and voyaging back through musical history to see what thematic colours are emblazoned upon previous decades, I stumbled upon an interesting paradox... some albums can both simultaneously signal the end of an old decade as well as herald the beginning of a new one.

Moreover, these 'Transtemporal' (for want of an actual word) albums can be created and released at the end of the decade that they are bringing to an end (before the start of the decade that they are set to influence), or they can be created at the beginning of the decade after the one that they are symbolically bringing to an end.

Cases in point: "Abbey Road" (1969) and "The Stone Roses" (1989) can be seen as significant departures from the sounds of the respective decades in which they were released, as well as directly influencing scores of albums made afterwards in the 1970’s and 1990’s.

Conversely, David Bowie’s "Scary Monsters [and Super Creeps]" (1980) and Marvin Gaye’s "What's Going On?" (1971) defined complete waves of music that were to follow, and yet bore hardly any resemblance to what had preceded them, both from their respective creators or creators’ contemporaries.

Transtemporal Albums: As one decade of music ends, another begins. But when precisely does this change actually happen? Well, obviously, there is not a single change. There are a vast multitude of changes. Most of these changes are subtle, many are medium in size. Some however can be described as 'seismic', and when these seismic changes take the form of an entire album, then that album can indeed be described as 'Transtemporal'.

To put it another way; a couple of years either side of the actual 'nexus' date where one decade moves into the next (December the 31st of a year that ends with a nine), a series of musical doors are being opened and closed. Some albums, released either side of this nexus, are simultaneously opening and closing these doors. Transtemporal Albums. I have named a few. Can you?