Here they are. This still doesn't make much sense to me, either, but it was fun in the making. For the sake of my sanity, I discounted all live albums, compilation albums, and EPs. So that discounts Alive 2007, After Dark, and Heron King Blues, among others. I don't want to copy/paste everything, so I'm starting with #1. Sorry. And I only wrote what I felt needed explanation.
When I was making this list, I discovered that most of the albums here fit into one of a few categories of music, which roughly describe my evolution of taste of the decade. They are:
“Alternative Rock” - Bands like Beck, The White Stripes, Wilco, The Strokes: stuff that magazines like Spin would cover early in the decade. I was listening to this stuff in high school, and the best of these albums stuck with me to today.
“Indie Rock” - Bands like Wolf Parade, The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene: stuff that pitchfork and myself were into around the middle of the decade. I discovered most of this stuff as an undergrad, and while some of this stuff has aged well, the more cutsey stuff has not.
“Dance” -Bands like Hot Chip, Chromeo, Hercules and LCD Soundsystem. I listened to these starting in late college, when my attitude toward music became less emotional or whimsical and more pragmatic; I wanted music that was fun and made me want to dance. To a large extent this is still my attitude towards a lot of music I listen to, or at least the music I want to go see live. I am generally tired of going to see sad bastards or noise experiments.
“Minimal/Drone” - Bands like Sunn O))), Pantha du Prince, Espers: As a grad student, “good background music” has ceased to be a perjorative description. I find myself listening more and more to ambient compositions, minimal techno, and drone metal. This kind of music is great for reading/writing, or even just setting the mood for the rest of my life. I also like the inclusion of noise or avant-garde elements; I'm not just listening to smooth jazz here.
Top 50 Albums 2000-2009
1.Brian Wilson-SMiLE (2004)
I know that lots of people would discount this as an album of the 2000s, since it was supposed to be recorded/released in the late 60s. But I'm pretty sure I would not like the “real” Smile nearly as much as I LOVE this album. The old, broken Brian Wilson gives the descriptor “teenage symphony to God” a whole new meaning; his breaking voice gives the sad overtones that I read into lots of bubblegum-y Beach Boys songs. One of the two sublime experiences of my life involves this song; it was a dream that took the form of a rock film (a la The Wall) to this album. (At the time I was listening to it multiple times a day, every day). Needless to say, this album transcends “just good music” for me and comes to be as close as I have to evangelical religious beliefs. I can't say enough.
2.Daft Punk-Discovery (2001)
3.Junior Senior-Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (2005)
Yes, it has staying power. Every song on this album (besides the into, but I like that too) has been my favorite song. I have choreographed dances to these songs in my bedroom. One of my favorite capital-P Pop albums ever.
4.Beck – Sea Change (2002)
Ranks up there with Blood on the Tracks as one of the best break-up albums ever. I'm not sure why this didn't age well in the critical consciousness; it sounds so timeless and perfect to me.
5.Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2000)
6.The Strokes-Is This It (2001)
7.Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker (2000)
8.Broken Social Scene-You Forgot it In People (2002)
9.Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
10.Okkervil River-Black Sheep Boy (2005)
My relationship with this album is not rational, and probably not healthy.
11.Clipse-Hell Hath No Fury (2006)
At the end of 2006, I put this new release on my year-end list unsure whether it would drop or rise after more listens. The latter was definitely the case. For some reason rap albums usually don't age well with me, but this has had such staying power that I love it more now than ever.
12.Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)
13.The Avalanches – Since I Left You (2000)
14.Jens Lekman-Nights Over Kortedala (2007)
15.Belle and Sebastian-The Life Pursuit (2006)
It's a little strange that the highest album by what may be my favorite band didn't crack the top 10, but I think that just speaks to B&S's history and consistency.
16.Hot Chip – The Warning (2006)
17.Spoon – Kill the Moonlight (2002)
So many Spoon albums, so few spots.
18.M83-Dead Citites, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts (2003)
19.JJ – No. 2 (2009)
This is my highest album for 2009. I know that this process is not fair to recent albums, which haven't had time to percolate and attain classic status. I just couldn't justify placing any album higher than this, although I believe that 2009 is one of the better music years of the decade (along with 2001 and 2005).
20.Elliott Smith-Figure 8 (2000)
21.Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
Seems low? I just don't have the religious attitude toward these guys that lots of people do. That doesn't mean that I don't think this album is fantastic, though. Perhaps more offensive would be universally loved albums that are not anywhere on this list (Sufjan, CYHSY, Bjork).
22.Antony & the Johnsons – The Crying Light (2009)
23.Lindstrom and Prins Thomas – S/T
24.Air – The Virgin Suicides
I count this “soundtrack” because it is all original music by a single artist. And it is fantastic. Air's best output of the decade. Much better than a pretty good movie.
25.Animal Collective – Feels
Highest AC album. Does this make sense to anyone else? Why should I have to order these?
26.Spoon – Gimme Fiction
27.Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
Is this my favorite Yo La Tengo album? Yes. But it doesn't even really sound like Yo La Tengo! I know, and it is a wonderful digression, perfect for driving around suburbs on summer nights.
28.LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (2007)
29.Hercules and Love Affair – S/T (2008)
30.Pains of Being Pure at Heart – S/T (2009)
31.The Concretes – S/T (2003)
32.The Shins-Oh Inverted World (2001)
33.Fleet Foxes – S/T (2008)
34.Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
35.Ryan Adams-Gold (2001)
36.Johnny Cash - American IV: Man comes Around (2002)
Do I love this album more than I should?
37.Broken Social Scene – S/T (2005)
I think that this album is pretty criminally underrated. I even forgot about it for a while. I think this has to do with just how epic and timeless their previous album is, and how messy this one is. But it's a beautiful mess.
38.Jay Z – The Blueprint (2000)
39.Bob Dylan – Love and Theft (2001)
40.Modest Mouse – Moon and Antarctica (2000)
41.M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us (2005)
42.The Knife-Deep Cuts (2004)
43.White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)
I don't really listen to the White Stripes much anymore, but I can't help but smiling when “Dead Leaves and Dirty Ground” kicks off the album. It takes me back to high school.
44.Sonic Youth – Murray Street (2002)
45.Studio – Yearbook 1 (2007)
46.Cat Power- The Greatest (2006)
This album has dropped off quite a bit from when I listed it as my favorite album of '06. I'm not sure why; maybe I listened to it too much, or maybe my tastes have changed. Or maybe it was that awful use in My Blueberry Nights, or the other musical crimes that Chan Marshall has committed since then.
47.Outkast-Speakerboxx/Love Below (2003)
I'm white; it's my favorite Outkast album.
48.Animal Collective – Sung Tongs (2004)
49.Mum – Yesterday was Dramatic, Today is OK (2000)
50.Boris and Sunn O))) – Altar (2006)
This has really grown on me, to the point that it has become an essential winter reading/writing experience for me.
51.Burial – Untrue (2007)
52.Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)
53.Dandy Warhols – 13 Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000)
Nostalgia pick? I don't know. But this album is still intensely listenable to me.
54.Ratatat – Mixtape #1 (2004)
This is one of my most-listened-to albums of the decade. And yes, it's just a remix album, but the remixes are so consistent and also have a really unified sound. It sounds like an album, and the rappers give Ratatat an edge that I think they desperately need. My favorite Kanye West song becomes much better on this album.
55.Of Montreal – Aldhil's Arboretum (2002)
56.Chromeo-Fancy Footwork (2007)
I love this a lot more now than I did when I put it near the bottom of my year-end list at the time. Instant dance party.
57.Badly Drawn Boy – Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000)
58.Panda Bear-Person Pitch (2007)
Hasn't aged as well as I thought it would.
59.The Books – Thought for Food (2002)
How can I pick one Books album above the others? I take this as my representative.
60.Pantha du Prince-This Bliss (2007)
I didn't hear this album until the year after it came out, so it wasn't eligible for the year-end list. But I immediately fell in love with it when I heard it. This Bliss has what other minimal techno albums always seem to lack—that album feel. This also has a warm feel whereas other very-good albums by Ellen Allien and others feel really cold.
61.Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca (2009)
62.Jens Lekman – Oh you're so Silent Jens (2005)
63.Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)
64.Architecture in Helsinki – In Case We Die (2005)
Pretty huge fall for my co-album of 2005, the best music year of the decade. I think that my penchant for “indie” is pretty dead by now. That doesn't mean I don't still really enjoy this album, though; it's so intricate, catchy, and fun. They put on a surprisingly good live show, too, which sounds like what I hear Los Campesinos! do.
65.DFA79 – You're a Woman, I'm a Machine (2004)
66.Justice – Cross (2007)
I knew that blog-house was a fad even when I followed it religiously. But I think that fad-ness of the genre led me to disrespect Justice, who were by far the slickest and trendiest of all the blog-house icons. But after a few years and a lot of bad blog-house, I can finally recognize how great of an album this really is.
67.Califone – Roots and Crowns (2006)
68.M83 – Saturdays=Youth (2008)
69.Explosions in the Sky-Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die... (2001)
70.Coldplay – Parachutes (2001)
Seriously, this is a really good album. I don't care about all the negative musical trends that came out of it. I think it's funny that the biggest band of the decade could start out with an album so small and intimate in scope.
71.Jay Z - American Gangster (2007)
72.Tom Waits – Real Gone (2004)
73.Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)
74.The Rapture-Pieces of the People We Love (2006)
75.The Rapture – Echoes (2003)
I don't even know where to put these albums in relation to each other/the rest, but they definitely both make the list. When did the Rapture lose their hipster cred?
76.Lindstrom – Where You Go I Go Too (2008)
77.Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell (2003)
When this first came out, I was disappointed with the more mellow songs that dominated the second half of the album. That makes sense, considering how much I loved the EP. As the decade has progressed, though, I've realized that the album's genius is not in the snotty punk but those late ballads.
78.Espers – II (2006)
79.Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009)
80.Junior Boys – So This is Goodbye (2006)
81.Devendra Banhart-Rejoicing in the Hands (2004)
Which Devendra Banhart albums make the list, and which don't? It's an unfair process, especially for Devendra, who kind of exists outside my critical consciousness.
82.Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
Hasn't aged that well.
83.Stephen Malkmus – S/T (2001)
I really enjoy every Malkmus album when it comes out, but then I forget about them pretty quickly later. Except this one. Is it because it was the first, and I treated it more like a Pavement album?
84.Jason Forrest – Shamelessly Exciting (2005)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
85.Mogwai-Rock Action (2001)
86.Okkervil River-Stand Ins (2008)
87.Black Mountain – S/T (2005)
88.Spoon-Girls Can Tell (2001)
89.Herbert -Scale (2006)
90.Basement Jaxx – Rooty (2001)
91.Devendra Banhart – Cripple Crow (2005)
92.The Roots – Phrenology (2002)
93.New Pornographers – Electric Version (2003)
94.Grinderman – S/T (2007)
95.The xx – S/T (2009)
96.Bohren and der Club of Gore – Dolores (2008)
97.Asobi Seksu – Citrus (2006)
98.Ratatat-Ratatat (2004)
99.Sigur Ros – Takk... (2005)
100. Spank Rock – Yoyoyoyoyo (2006)
