Tuesday Top Ten: EPs of the 2000s

Somewhere between love and madness lies obsession, and somewhere between a single and an album lies the EP. It's an oft-forgotten form of music these days, but bands do in fact continue to release EPs every now and then. In the past ten years, there have been some pretty good EPs put out, and I intend to list my favorite ten.

Just so we're all clear, this list only includes EPs that I own. To include others would be an injustice to the words "extended play."

Because the freecreditreport.com band has not yet released an EP, here are the best of the rest:

10. V Sparks - EP (2006?)
I saw this band a few years ago at the Kinetic Playground, and I picked up their EP while I was there. It's '70s glam-tastic, inspired by T. Rex, Bowie, and Mott the Hoople.
Favorite song: "Red Love Suicide"

9. Catfish Haven - Please Come Back (2006)
I saw these guys a few years ago opening up for The Hold Steady, and I immediately went home and bought this EP. It turns out they are a local Chicago band. The lead singer looks like an urban yeti, but sounds like an old bluesman. The band's sound combines garage rock, CCR, the blues, soul, and something I can't quite put my finger on.
Favorite song: "Madeline"

8. One Day as a Lion - One Day as a Lion (2008)
This was the one-off project for Rage Against the Machine lead singer Zach de la Rocha and former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore. It sounds a lot like Rage (and the subject matter is just as politically tinged), so it's good.
Favorite song: "If You Fear Dying"

7. The Greenhornes - East Grand Blues (2005)
Of course, you know of The Greenhornes because two of their members (Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler) are also in The Raconteurs. Before all that, they were Cincinnati's finest garage band, and East Grand Blues was a solid effort. As with much of their material, if you didn't know it was made in the 2000s, you would think it was straight from the mid to late '60s.
Favorite song: "Pattern Skies"

6. The White Stripes - Walking With a Ghost (2005)
This EP is more of a single with a bonus. The White Stripes more than ably covered Tegan & Sara's "Walking With a Ghost," and some live versions of White Blood Cells' "Same Boy You've Always Known," their eponymous debut album's "Screwdriver," and Get Behind Me Satan's "Denial Twist" and "As Ugly As I Seem."
Favorite song: "Walking With a Ghost"

5. Stillwater - Stillwater (2001)
Yes, this is an EP by the fictional band that stole our hearts in the movie Almost Famous. It came with the special edition DVD, and it's fantastic. In addition to their signature hit "Fever Dog," which is also on the soundtrack, the EP contains the other songs the group plays throughout the film. There are songs written by Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson (the latter of whom, as you may know, is filmmaker Cameron Crowe's wife) and Peter Frampton, among others.
Favorite song: "Fever Dog"

4. The Answer - Never Too Late (2008)
This is The Answer's US debut release (before their full length album, Everyday Demons), and it is pretty damn good, ball-busting hard rock. And, as a bonus, the EP comes with a live DVD.
Favorite song: "Highwater or Hell"

3. The White Stripes - Conquest (2008)
In addition to the title track, which is from the Icky Thump album, this EP contains a few fun-loving b-sides and a mariachi version of "Conquest." The White Stripes are awesome.
Favorite song: "It's My Fault for Being Famous"

2. Township - Township EP (2007)
This is Township's first output, and it's fantastic. It picks up where lead singer Marc Pinansky's former band, Runner & The Thermodynamics, left off, harkening '70s rock. From the "108/200" on the CD, it would appear that only 200 copies were made available.
Favorite song: "Lady Ann"

1. The Black Keys - Chulahoma (2006)
This EP is a collection of covers of song by late bluesman Junior Kimbrough, and the boys from Akron bring it, adding fuzz and Rust Belt soul to Kimbrough's music. In a moment that is both touching an eerie, the EP ends with a message left by Kimbrough's widow on lead singer Dan Auerbach's answering machine telling how much she's proud of the duo's work and how they sound like Kimbrough.
Favorite song: "My Mind is Ramblin'"

Next Tuesday: The Top 10 Albums of the 2000s