Top Albums Of The Decade

By Zak Jason, Kristen House, and Ethan Stevenson

Published: Thursday, November 19, 2009

Updated: Thursday, November 19, 2009

1. Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)

Crisp, lurid, simultaneously morbid and awe-inspiring, Funeral marks the most complex, layered, and soul-shaking album of the decade. Blending baroque instrumentals with modern angst and the devasting croon of Win Butler, Arcade Fire’s debut can cater to myriad settings: studying, mourning, running, rebuilding your life.

2. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

Enough dramatic, overarching comments have been written about Kid A’s importance that its critical hype has made it easy to forget all the record’s orgasmic moments. This is the moment when Radiohead broke out of its previous classic rock mold. The Bitches Brew-influenced horns in “The National Anthem,” Thom Yorke’s fearful wailing atop glitchy electronics in “Idioteque,” and even the punctuality of “Treefingers,” make Kid A an indisputably seminal piece of rock in the digital age.

3. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)

Sufjan Stevens’ quest to create an album for each state remains stalled at No. 2, but if it stays so, we still have this quirky, impassioned assemblage of 22 gorgeous songs with titles stretching into paragraphs. From the Charlie Brown piano riff of the album’s title track to the rolling rounds of “Chicago,” to the longing flutes of “The Predatory Wasp,” Illinois plays like the most tuneful history lecture you’ve ever heard

4. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)

After entering the MTV world with White Blood Cells, The White Stripes seized the opportunity to rattle mainstream music in Elephant. The album thrashes through with some of the most demonic, catchy guitar riffs of the century, in everything from “Seven Nation Army” to “Ball and Biscuit” to “The Hardest Button to Button.”

5. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

The alt-country favorites took what many called an “experimental” turn in 2001 on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Wilco created the gorgeously bleak record amid a tumultuous label dispute and changes in producers. Jeff Tweedy’s nondescriptly disparate lyrics and swirling instrumentation pushed Yankee Hotel beyond its peers.

6. The Strokes - Is This It? (2001)

Eleven songs, and barely a half-hour long, Is This It? marks the shortest album of our list, the most bare-bones, but maybe the most innovative. Five of the coolest, grittiest guys from New York emerged in 2001 with their signature sound of hyper-modern garage rock. From the fuzzy whispers of “Is This It” to the lo-fi screaming of “Take It Or Leave It,” The Strokes’ debut will reign as a minimalist masterpiece.

7. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

Indie rock’s New York blow-up manifested in the success of Turn On The Bright Lights. Both an homage to and a creative turn from Joy Division and other late ’70s rock, Interpol’s earnest post-punk debut eclipsed the four New York 20 somethings. TOTBL shined a – now permanent – spotlight on indie rock in the brand new era of the Internet.

8. Coldplay - Viva la Vida (2008)

Say what you will about Coldplay – many have, including The New York Times, who called them “the most insufferable band of the decade” – but Viva La Vida successfully wiped away many doubts about their talent. Coldplay’s re-worked French Revolution aesthetic is luminescent and positively regal, making creative use of bells and violins in the title track, for example. Other gems include “Lost!,” “Lovers in Japan,” and “Violet Hill.”

9. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)

The feel good, sing a long record for the digital age, Discovery is the most fun album on this list. Daft Punk created the perfect balance between electro-pop and dance music, and thanks to artists like Kanye West, will be immortalized. More than anything else, Discovery is an album upon which the fiercest critics and the least educated ear can agree.

10. Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun (2001)

Writers often describe bands as genre-less, but the label has never been more appropriate than when describing Sigur Rós. The Iclandic quartet honed their craft on 2001’s Agaetius Byrjun: a majestic blend of grandiose post-rock and dynamic ambient pop under delicate vocalist Jónsi Birgisson’s lyrics in his invented language.

11. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)

Aside from maybe Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade defined indie rock in the second half of the decade. Dynamic and bizarre, the Montreal band drew upon its predecessors’ melody and cleverly cryptic lyrics, but added frantic tempo changes and quirky yelps to produce a cult classic.

12. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

Perhaps no artist has captured what it feels like to walk through a modern city better than James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. The layered beats and ’80s synths of “Get Innocuous” capture the coldness and machine-like life of the urban setting this decade. “Someone Great,” and “All My Friends” mark two of the saddest electronica songs ever recorded. Though a complex album, Murphy has fun with the rowdy yet political “North American Scum.”

13. Kanye West - College Dropout (2004)

Even though Kanye West is a total nuisance, he’s talented. After producing a number of tracks on Jay-Z’s fantastic The Blueprint, West finally got his first shot as an MC on College Dropout. West blended his knack for production and lyrical zealotry for one of the best rap releases of the decade.

14. The Killers - Hot Fuss (2004)

While The Killers seem to have drifted off into pretentious, neurotic oblivion, they once yodeled from the peak of the alternative rock mountain in the midst of their touching, festive, retro debut album. With funky lyrics like “Somebody told me/you had a boyfriend/who looked like a girlfriend,” coupled with rehashed guitar licks, Hot Fuss will remain a winner, regardless of what stunt Brandon Flowers pulls.

15. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2007)

Winehouse’s plaintive huskiness is not to be matched. There is no better authority on “Rehab,” or knowing that she’s “no good” than Winehouse herself. Though it’s nearly impossible to nail Winehouse down to a live performance amid the flurry of her personal life, Back to Black serves as a reminder of her abundant natural talent. With all the zest of a sexed-up ’60s pinup girl, Winehouse reminds us just how fun it can be to plunge deep into the Black.

16. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

Beyond pushing down genre barriers, Radiohead also refused to conform to industry standards.10 days before its release, guitarist Jonny Greenwood said, “Hello everyone. Well, the new album is finished, and it’s coming out in 10 days.” After completing their six-album contract with EMI, Radiohead opted to offer their album to fans at any price. Of course this approach won’t work for everyone, but the U.K. five piece delivered a firm back hand to the label that beleaguered them for over 10 years.

17. MGMT- Oracular Spectacular (2007)

It’s a souped-up party electronica at its best. Between “Kids,” “Electric Feel,” and “Time to Pretend,” each song has a pulsing beat that is effortlessly catchy. As soon as the opening beats of “Kids” comes on, an inner party animal is unleashed. It isn’t often you get to jam to nascent lyrics like, “You were a child/crawling on your knees for me/making mama so proud/but your voice was too loud.”

18. Beck - Sea Change (2002)

Both the most acoustic and morose album on our list, Sea Change is the breakup album of the decade. Often compared to Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, Beck’s mournful masterpiece, with its sad swells and heart wrenching, twangy melodies, will wear you down. If you’re ever at the end of a relationship, put on the trio of “Guess I’m Doing Fine,” “Lost Cause,” and “It’s All in Your Mind.”

19. Animal Collective - Feels (2005)

To only discuss Feels’ presence on this list is to deprive the project from a band that will probably have more impact in the next decade. Feels, Animal Collective’s nervous rock album, blends their Beach Boys revival pop with tender ambience and youthful exuberance. They will probably never use as many guitars as they played on Feels, but its loud choruses, wet reverb and gargantuan energy have become signature elements of their sound and those who they influence.

20. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)

One of the few albums of the decade you can listen to from start to finish – from the atmospheric “Like Eating Glass” to the languid “Compliments” – without getting bored for a moment. The British quartet burst out with an angsty, playful, pensive debut, rife with twirling, duo-guitar riffs, thick African beats, and in-your-face lyrics.

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Tom

Tue Jan 12 2010 20:23

One hip-hop album, wow BC is sooo diverse, haha this is a joke.

Your name

Mon Dec 7 2009 14:36

I don't even think the writers of this list believe themselves. LOL.

ben2.0

Tue Dec 1 2009 13:30

arcade fire made a great album, and i love it, but there is no way it should be #1...or even in the top 10 for that matter

also, i feel like many would consider viva la vida to be coldplay's WORST album (OK, maybe X&Y was worse). surely both Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head were FAR better albums

finally, there is no excuse for "futures" by jimmy eat world to not be on this list.

tonik666

Fri Nov 27 2009 23:48

Choosing "best" albums is heavily subjective. My list would look totally different and everyones else would as well.

Ben

Sun Nov 22 2009 00:00

It seems as though the vast majority of these albums are from "new" artists, save Beck, Radiohead. Either way, some older, legendary artists have put out arguably some of their best material in recent years. Bruce Springsteen-The Rising (2001) is extremely solid throughout its 15 tracks. Glad to see Wilco included as well.

Kayla

Thu Nov 19 2009 16:29

Tears for Fears- Everybody Loves a Happy Ending - check it

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