My Soundtrack To A Decade

So, having been inspired by the pending massive aughties retrospective from Pitchfork, I've been trying to compile a list of my top 50 albums of the 2000s. And it is friggin' hard. I had initially planned on a top 20 but couldn't narrow the list down that much, so I blew it up to 50, and even then struggled to stay within my own stringent guidelines. I was even strict enough to discount awesome albums released in 1999 that I listened to for most of the early 2000s (see Blur's 13, Japancakes, Tristeza, Clem Snide's Your Favorite Music, etc.).

Each item and their placement within the list was given plenty of consideration, and all are deserving in my mind. Each listed artist/album was the subject of an intense obsession for me back in the day (or currently), and each is ranked by the duration and intensity of said obsession (i.e.) how often it monopolized our car stereo or iPod, presence on mixtapes, associataions with big events or road trips, comfort index, mind-blowability, resonance, etc. The list does not consider how each album still stands up at this - the end of the decade, because frankly some do not (having been sullied by subsequent releases, or dated production, or having been overplayed, or just due to changes in taste - and I'm not only talking about Coldplay here). Also, if an obsession with an artist carried across multiple albums, both were listed as one (see number one, and notable exception to this rule, number 31). Rules. Excuses. Whatever.

Other comments:
- The top ten were all no-brainers, and pretty middle of the road by music snobbery standards (eh - if it's good, it's good);
- I wouldn't have been exposed to much of this list if it were not for John Richards at KEXP, whom I listened to daily for two years of my Masters, or eMusic, which has been my source for new tunes for the last several years;
- There is a lot of music that I just didn't listen to, or really enjoy all that much, that will most definitely show up on most other such retrospectives (see Animal Collective, Burial, The Knife, Fleet Foxes, Justice, tons o' hip-hop, and Outkast) - but again, this is mah blog, thus, mah list;
- Admittedly, the list is pretty, er... white; aaaaand
- I'm sure I forgot lots of good stuff, and will be tempted to monkey with the order once it's posted, but I won't. Integrity, folks!

So, without further a-do, behold the longest and most self-serving post in this blog's history - sure to draw yawns and ire from those who only tune in to see pictures of Lydia. I welcome all comments. Peoples, my decade in music:

50 - Grizzly Bear - Yellow House, Veckatimest
49 - Calla - Scavengers
48 - Jolie Holland - Springtime Will Kill You
47 - Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
46 - Camera Obscura - Underachievers Please Try Harder
45 - Boards Of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
44 - …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
43 - Gorillaz - Demon Days
42 - Sunny Day Real Estate - The Rising Tide
41 - American Analog Set - Know By Heart



40 - Sonic Youth - Murray Street
39 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
38 - Caribou (Manitoba) - Up In Flames
37 - Stephen Malkmus - s/t
36 - Doves - Lost Souls, The Last Broadcast
35 - Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
34 - Stars - Set Yourself On Fire, In Our Bedroom After The War
33 - Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
32 - LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
31 - Radiohead - Hail To The Thief



30 - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
29 - M Ward - Post War
28 - Guided By Voices - Isolation Drills
27 - Joel Plaskett Emergency - Truthfully, Truthfully
26 - PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
25 - Plants & Animals - Parc Avenue
24 - Low - Things We Lost In The Fire
23 - Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
22 - Jenn Grant - Orchestra For The Moon
21 - The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain



20 - Hayden - Skyscraper National Park
19 - Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
18 - Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
17 - Martin Tielli - We Didn't Even Suspect He Was The Poppy Salesman
16 - Wintersleep - untitled, Welcome To The Night Sky
15 - The Shins - Oh! Inverted World, Wincing The Night Away
14 - Beck - Sea Change
13 - Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People
12 - Sarah Harmer - You Were Here
11 - Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Sky Blue Sky



10 - Matt Mays - s/t
9 - Feist - Let It Die, The Reminder
8 - Death Cab For Cutie - The Photo Album
7 - Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People, Broken Social Scene
6 - Cat Power - The Greatest, Jukebox
5 - Arcade Fire - Funeral
4 - Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
3 - Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
2 - Coldplay - Parachutes
1 - Radiohead - Kid A, Amnesiac



Aside: hard-to-omit, near misses include The National, Grandaddy, Samamidon, Snowden, Sufjan Stevens, Rheostatics, Spoon, RJD2, DNTEL, Postal Service, Elbow, My Morning Jacket, and um, etc. etc. Aside aside: thanks for making it to the end.