Best albums of the decade?

musicismylife78

What are your top picks?

Hard to put a number rating to it, so I will just list some of my favorites

Modest Mouse-Moon and Antartica, Good News

The Shins-Oh Inverted World, Chutes too narrow

Iron and Wine-Our endless numbered days

Bright Eyes-I;m Wide Awake

Death Cab-Trans, Plans

Coldplay-Rush of Blood

The Postal Service-Give up

Arcade Fire-Funeral

Radiohead-Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail, In Rainbows

Damien Rice-O

The Killers-Hot Fuss

Mars Volta-Comatorium, Frances the Mute,

Tool-Lateralus

Aesop Rock-Labor Days, Bazooka, None Shall Pass

El-P-fantastic Damage

Cannibal Ox-Cold Vein

Sole-Bottle of Humans, Selling live water

Jay-Z-Black Album

Dangermouse-Grey Album

Atmosphere-God Loves Ugly

---

and on and on!!!

South of Seattle

Madvillain - Madvillainy

Dr. Dre - Chronic 2001

Ed Vedder - Into the Wild

Dangermouse - Grey Album

Outkast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below

Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

The Strokes - Is This It?

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP

Elliott Smith - Figure 8

My Morning Jacket - Z

The Roots - Game Theory

Modest Mouse - WWDBTSES

Tool - Lateralus

Radiohead - Kid A

marcos

I almost forgot that the Jay-Z album was this decade it was so good. I feel that was his best album. I agree with most of your choices. I would also add The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan. Overall not a good music decade in comparison to the 90's and every decade before that. Eddie might say it was Bush's fault.

tcaporale

Good list.

I'm too tired to come up with my own list, but I'm listening to LCD Soundsystem's Sound of SIlver right now, so I'd add that to the mix.

Oh, and I think The Blueprint is better than The Black Album, even if the latter has what most likely is his best song in "99 Problems".

SVRDhand13

My List:

1. White Stripes- Elephant
2. Radiohead- Kid A
3. Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
4. Beck- Sea Change
5. Jay Z- Blueprint
6. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion
7. Arcade Fire- Funeral
8. Radiohead- Amnesiac
9. TV on the Radio- Dear Science
10. Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
11. Bob Dylan- Love and Theft
12. My Morning Jacket- Z
13. Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
14. Fugazi- The Argument
15. Mars Volta- De-Loused in the Comatorium
16. Jay Z- Black Album
17. The National- Boxer
18. Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
19. Radiohead- In Rainbows
20. Kanye- Graduation
21. St. Vincent- Actor
22. Tool- Lateralus
23. Sonic Youth- Murray Street
24. The Roots- Game Theory
25. Immortal Technique- Revolutionary (Vols. 1 and 2)
26. TV on the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
27. Q-Tip- Kamaal the Abstract
28. Kings of Leon- Because of the Times
29. Queens of the Stone Age- Rated R
30. The Postal Service- Give Up

eeriepadave

(not including this years)

1. White Stripes- Elephant (2003)
2. The Strokes- Is This It (2001)
3. Queens Of The Stone Age- Songs For The Deaf (2002)
4. Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
5. System Of A Down- Toxicity (2001)
6. The Vines- Highly Evolved (2002)
7. Radiohead- In Rainbows- (2007)
8. Kings Of Leon- Because of The Times (2007)
9. White Stripes- Icky Thump (2007)
10. Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand (2004)
11. Green Day- American Idiot (2004)
12. Kings Of Leon- Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
13. System Of A Down- Hypnotize/Mezmerize (2005)
14. The Killers- Hot Fuss (2004)
15. My Morning Jacket- Z (2005)
16. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- B.R.M.C. (2001)
17. Arcade Fire- Neon Bible (2007)
18. The Raconteurs- Consolers Of The Lonely (2008)
19. Muse- Black Holes & Revelations (2006)
20. Radiohead- Kid A (2000)
21. The Hold Steady- Stay Positive (2008)
22. The Dirtbombs- Dangerous Magical Noise (2003)
23. The Shins- Wincing The Night Away (2007)
24. Queens Of The Stone Age Lullabies To Paralyze (2005)
25. Filter- The Amalgamut (2002)

bubbling under:
Pearl Jam- Binaural
The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
White Stripes- White Blood Cells
311- Evolver
TV On The Radio- Dear Science
Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
Raconteurs- Broken Boy Soldiers
Beck- Guero
The Datsuns- The Datsuns
Coldplay- Viva La Vida
Jet- Get Born
Jerry Cantrell- Degradation Trip
Gnarls Barkley- St. Elsewhere
Gorillaz- Demon Days
Tool- 10,000 Days, Lateralus
Kings Of Leon- Youth & Young Manhood
Franz Ferdinand- You Could Have It So Much Better
NIN- just about any of them ( Year Zero, With Teeth, The Slip)
Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga G

boroff89

Here's my list.

1. Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
2. The Shins- Chutes Too Narrow
3. Green Day- American Idiot
4. Modest Mouse- The Moon and Antarctica
5. Arcade Fire- Funeral
6. Beck- Sea Change
7. Incubus- Morning View
8. The Mars Volta- Frances the Mute
9. Pearl Jam- Pearl Jam
10. Thrice- Vheissu
11. Wilco- A Ghost Is Born
12. Radiohead- In Rainbows
13. Dashboard Confessional- The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
14. Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American
15. Rise Against- The Sufferer and the Witness
16. The Shins- Oh Inverted World
17. AFI- Sing the Sorrow
18. Bright Eyes- I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
19. Incubus- A Crow Left of the Murder
20. Modest Mouse- Good News for People Who Love Bad News

tcaporale

You guys all have great taste in music.

Some more albums I haven't seen mentioned:

Liars - Drum's Not Dead
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Beck - Modern Guilt
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Elbow - Asleep in the Back
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Portishead - Third
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part 2
Opeth - Damnation
Blur - Think Tank
Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
Animal Collective - Feels
D'Angelo - Voodoo

jimed14

20 albums from different bands that have not been mentioned ...

Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
The Duke Spirit - Cuts Across the Land
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak
Doves - Last Broadcast
The Sheila Divine - Where Have All My Countrymen Gone
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Devotchka - How it Ends
Decemberists - Hazards of Love
British Sea Power - The Decline of ...
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
South - From Here on In
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
The Futureheads - S/T
The Long Winters - When I Pretend to Fall
Placebo - Meds
The Stills - Logic Will Break your Heart
The Wedding Present - Take Fountain

ok ... 19 ... and mybe one or two bands were mentioned, but I did this quickly.

As for the person who put Death Cab, both Transatlantacism and Plans ... tough pill for me to swallow. Trans is probably in my top 3 of albums of the decade and Plans is by far their worst album, just horrible overproduced rubbish. It's everyone's opinion, I know ... but, even Narrow Stairs, the one they jsut released, is far better than Plans ... IMO.

musicismylife78

its kind of interesting to read everyones list. Its interesting to note as we come to the close of the decade, the mainstreaming of indie. All our lists reflect that. Most of these picks, my list, and your lists all feature pretty hip and current bands, but 15 years ago, I cant imagine any of these bands achieving mainstream success. Something happened, I dont know what, but something happened, and we live in sort of a twilight zone. A month back I heard a radio ad for mcdonalds, and they mentioned indie music on the ad, and of course the biggest movie of the year, new moon, has a soundtrack composed of almost entirely indie artists. Great lists folks, just odd to see it

dimitrispearljam

South of Seattle

musicismylife78 wrote:

its kind of interesting to read everyones list. Its interesting to note as we come to the close of the decade, the mainstreaming of indie. All our lists reflect that. Most of these picks, my list, and your lists all feature pretty hip and current bands, but 15 years ago, I cant imagine any of these bands achieving mainstream success. Something happened, I dont know what, but something happened, and we live in sort of a twilight zone. A month back I heard a radio ad for mcdonalds, and they mentioned indie music on the ad, and of course the biggest movie of the year, new moon, has a soundtrack composed of almost entirely indie artists. Great lists folks, just odd to see it

That may be true for a lot of people, but If I were asked this question 15 years ago in 1994 my list would have looked fairly similar.

Soundgarden - Superunknown

NIN - The Downward Spiral

Weezer - Blue Album

AIC - Jar of Flies

Green Day - Dookie

Beck - Mellow Gold

NaS - Illmatic

Outkast - Southerplayalisticadillacmuzik

Beastie Boys - Ill Communication

Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary

Pearl Jam - Vitalogy

By looking at this list, it's fairly indie and it was all done without the likes of downloading, pitchfork, itunes etc . .

intodeep

12. Radiohead- Kid A
11. White Stripes- Elephant
10. Queens of the Stone Age- Songs for the Deaf
9. Ryan Adams- Cold Roses
8. Mastodon- Blood Mountain
7. Sleater Kinney- The Woods
6. Modest Mouse- Moond & Antartica
5. National- Boxer
4. At the Drive In- Relationshp of Command
3. ...Trail of the Dead- Source Tags & Codes
2. Arcade Fire- Funeral
1. Wilco- YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT

PJGARDEN

I don't have time to type out a list but my number one album of the decade is Soulsavers Broken. For me, its the best album since Yield.

jimed14

musicismylife78 wrote:

its kind of interesting to read everyones list. Its interesting to note as we come to the close of the decade, the mainstreaming of indie. All our lists reflect that. Most of these picks, my list, and your lists all feature pretty hip and current bands, but 15 years ago, I cant imagine any of these bands achieving mainstream success. Something happened, I dont know what, but something happened, and we live in sort of a twilight zone. A month back I heard a radio ad for mcdonalds, and they mentioned indie music on the ad, and of course the biggest movie of the year, new moon, has a soundtrack composed of almost entirely indie artists. Great lists folks, just odd to see it

I think it's pretty obvious that the explosion of the internet is the main reason we see so many bands. But, it really feels that while there are many, MANY bands out there getting famous, the amount of bands hitting superstar/legend status are dwindling ... and that's because people don't have to go to one or two sources, the radio and TV, to get their music fix. This is why music festivals have become far more popular ... there are just a lot fewer bands that can carry an arena tour these days.

It's much easier for any band to be heard now. Every band has a myspace or facebook page. Sites like allmusic and Pandora make it easy for you to find other bands of "similar style" to your preferences. There are tons of online radio stations which are dissecting music genres down into more specific niches.

Also, in this A.D.D. world we live in, everyone is trying to find the newest next best thing. So many blogs run by pompous asses who want to be so cool to be the first person on their block to talk about the band no one has heard of. Bands that have been around for 4 - 5 years are viewed upon as been there/done that.

Music is just another product following all other products in the internet age getting closer and closer to 1-1 marketing. It’s only going to get more diversified as we go on.

Got a hard hard head

Radiohead - Kid A
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Pearl Jam - Riot Act (can't understand the lack of love for this album)
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue (I know it's very recent, but it's quality).

craigb

IN no particular order:

Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth
Oasis - Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
White Stripes - White Blood Cells
White Stripes - Icky Thump
White Stripes - Elephant
White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Jet - Get Born
Jet - Shine On
Sonic Youth - Murray Street
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Pearl Jam - Riot Act
Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Pearl Jam - Binaural

Lifted

here's my list, there's a few artists that have released a masterpiece on just about every try this decade in my opinion.

broken social scene - you forgot it in people, bss, feel good lost
wilco - ghost, yankee, sky blue sky
my morning jacket - at dawn, it still moves, z
neko case - furnace room, blacklisted, fox confessor, middle cyclone
bright eyes - wide awake, lifted, cassadaga
the shins - chutes too narrow
arcade fire - funeral
pearl jam - riot act
eddie vedder - into the wild
m. ward - post war, transfiguration of vincent
monsters of folk
kevin drew - spirit if...
grizzly bear - vecketamist
the strokes - is this it?
flaming lips - yoshimi, ebryonic
yo la tengo - i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass
sonic youth - murray street, rather ripped, the eternal, sonic nurse
radiohead - hail to the thief, in rainbows
the antlers - hospice
deer tick - war elephant
bon iver - for emma forever ago
bob dylan - love and theft, modern times
of montreal - hissing fauna, satanic panic
animal collective - merriweather post pavilion
dan auerbach - keep it hid
cat power - you are free
the cure - bloodflowers
dragonslayer - sunset rubdown
kanye west - college dropout
new pornographers - twin cinema
the killers - hot fuss
white stripes - elephant
queens of the stone age - songs for the deaf
fiona apple - extraordinary machine
califone - roots and crowns
deerhunter - microcastle
heartless bastards - mountain

...probably forgetting some. but that looks about right.

Bremerton

Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
Coldplay - Parachutes
My Morning Jacket - Z
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Tool - Lateralus
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Strokes - Room on Fire
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Death Cab for Cutie - We Have All the Facts and We're Voting Yes

Thoughts_Arrive

dimitrispearljam wrote:

I agree.

toodee

musicismylife78 wrote:

its kind of interesting to read everyones list. Its interesting to note as we come to the close of the decade, the mainstreaming of indie.

Given it's domination over rock music over the past 10 years, and its ability to convert alternative bands to the mainstream, I'm surprised no one has mentioned any emo bands on their lists (somebody did mention At The Drive In, but their emo status has never been confirmed)

Anyway, I'm too old to be an emo kid, so why should I care if there is no Fall Out Boy (et al) mentioned on this forum

pretext

I can list a few as definitively my favorites, and then it's a crapshoot.
1. Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)
2. Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs
3. Kris Delmhorst - Songs for a Hurricane
4. Nerissa & Katryna Nields - The Town is Wrong
5. The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music

Andrew Bird - Weather Systems, Armchair Apocrypha, Noble Beast
The National - Boxer
Arcade Fire - Funeral, Neon Bible
Natalie Merchant - Motherland
Beth Amsel - Kindling
EV - Into the Wild
PJ - Riot Act, Binaural
Josh Ritter - The Animal Years, Hello Starling
Erin McKeown - Distillation
Richard Shindell - Somewhere Near Paterson, Vuelta
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky, YHF
Winterpills - S/T
Peter Mulvey - The Trouble with Poets, Kitchen Radio
Patty Griffin - Impossible Dream
Old 97's - Drag It Up
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Marah - Kids in Philly
Lou Barlow - EMOH
Iron & Wine - The Shepard's Dog
Gomez - Spilt the Difference, In Our Gun
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
David Mead - Indiana
Dar Williams - The Green World
Daniel Lanois - Shine
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

soulsinging

musicismylife78 wrote:

its kind of interesting to read everyones list. Its interesting to note as we come to the close of the decade, the mainstreaming of indie. All our lists reflect that. Most of these picks, my list, and your lists all feature pretty hip and current bands, but 15 years ago, I cant imagine any of these bands achieving mainstream success. Something happened, I dont know what, but something happened, and we live in sort of a twilight zone. A month back I heard a radio ad for mcdonalds, and they mentioned indie music on the ad, and of course the biggest movie of the year, new moon, has a soundtrack composed of almost entirely indie artists. Great lists folks, just odd to see it

given that they're on national labels and have their music getting more airplay via commercials and soundtracks than any other major rock artist... how ecxactly are they indie bands?

15 years before nirvana, nobody would have believed grunge or punk-influenced bands could have mainstream success.

15 years before hair metal, nobody thought hard rock would make it out of the counterculture.

15 years before the doors, nobody thought acid rock could enjoy mainstream critical and radio attention.

15 years before elvis, nobody thought black music could go over with white america.

etc etc

see where i'm going with this? this indie thing is nothing special, just another shift in popular rock tastes.

jimed14

soulsinging wrote:

see where i'm going with this? this indie thing is nothing special, just another shift in popular rock tastes.

I think my quote got buried on the bottom of the last page but ...

jimed14 wrote:

I think it's pretty obvious that the explosion of the internet is the main reason we see so many bands. But, it really feels that while there are many, MANY bands out there getting famous, the amount of bands hitting superstar/legend status are dwindling ... and that's because people don't have to go to one or two sources, the radio and TV, to get their music fix. This is why music festivals have become far more popular ... there are just a lot fewer bands that can carry an arena tour these days.

It's much easier for any band to be heard now. Every band has a myspace or facebook page. Sites like allmusic and Pandora make it easy for you to find other bands of "similar style" to your preferences. There are tons of online radio stations which are dissecting music genres down into more specific niches.

Also, in this A.D.D. world we live in, everyone is trying to find the newest next best thing. So many blogs run by pompous asses who want to be so cool to be the first person on their block to talk about the band no one has heard of. Bands that have been around for 4 - 5 years are viewed upon as been there/done that.

Music is just another product following all other products in the internet age getting closer and closer to 1-1 marketing. It’s only going to get more diversified as we go on.

Zoso

YHF - wilco
kid a - radiohead, in rainbows
Z - MMJ
B&G in america - The Hold Steady
Funeral - The Arcade Fire
binaural
accelerate - r.e.m.
fleet foxes
okkervil river - black sheep boy
silverchair - diorama
heartbreaker, cold roses - ryan adams
plant & krauss - raising sand
boxer - national

Yarden

a few of my favorites of the past decade:

Pearl Jam - Riot Act
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Kate Bush - Aerial
Sibylle Baier - Colour Green
Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild
The Breeders - Mountain Battles
Alela Diane - To Be Still
Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
Connie Converse - How Sand, How Lovely
Vashti Bunayn - Lookaftering
Hope Sandoval - Bavarian Fruit Bread

bennett13

Alison Krauss & Robert Plant - "Raising Sand"
The Legendary Marvin Pontiac - "Greatest Hits"
Widespread Panic - "Ball"
Ryan Adams - "Gold" / "Heartbreaker" / "Cold Roses" (can't decide)
Wilco - "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
Tom Waits - "Real Gone"
Steve Earle - "Transcendental Blues"
Bob Dylan - "Love and Theft"
Gillian Welch - "Time (The Revelator)"
My Morning Jacket - "It Still Moves"
David Gray - "White Ladder"
Lucinda Williams - "World Without Tears"
Johnny Cash - "American IV: The Man Comes Around"
Pearl Jam - "Riot Act"

thefixer9

1. The Killers- Sam's Town
2. Eddie Vedder- Into the Wild
3. Pearl Jam- Backspacer
4. The Raconteurs- Consolers of the Lonely
5. U2- All That You Can't Leave Behind
6. The Swell Season- The Swell Season
7. Cold War Kids-Mine is Yours
8. Blue October- Approaching Normal
9. Tom Petty/Hearbreakers- Mojo
10. Tres Mts- Tres Mts

tremors

Lots of bands and albums mentioned that would be in my best of the last decade, the only different artists I would add are:

Florence and the Machine - Lungs (2009)
Hundred Reasons - Ideas above Our Station (2002)
The Spinto Band - Nice and Nicely Done (2005)
Roots Manuva - Run Come Save Me (2001)
La Roux - La Roux (2009)
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (Live at the Hollywood Bowl) (2009)
Bruce Springsteen - Magic (2007)
Ian Brown - The Greatest (2005) (bit of a cheat as it's a compilation - but still.....!)
Hard Fi - Stars of CCTV (2005)

Along with:

Radiohead - In Rainbows, Hail to the Thief
Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
The Duke Spirit - Neptune, Cuts Across the Land
Elbow - Asleep at the Back, Cast of Thousands
Beck - Sea Change
Bloc Party - Intimacy
Shins - Chutes too Narrow, Oh Inverted World
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head
Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
Ryan Adams - Gold
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain