I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my favorite albums from the last decade. This is only a list of favorites, albums that moved, excited and inspired me most, and that held my interest longest. Several represented a personal shift in my pop music preferences--milestones I suppose--still others deeply captivated me for reasons I can't really explain; exceedingly simple music that managed to be more resistant to satiation than some of the more involved music that I absorbed throughout the 2000s. This certainly isn't an authoritative critical review based on things like innovation and historical significance, it's merely an ordered favorites list. If you feel like I criminally left something off the list, it's probably because I didn't listen to it. I can't hear it all (unfortunately). Some things I have clear reasons for placing at certain points in my list, and others I basically had to go by feel. Some of the choices that I have a strongly communicable feeling about will have little blurbs next to them. I started with my top 10, then when I was satisfied with those choices, I went on to my next 10 favorites, and so on until I settled on 40. Basically after 40 I felt like I was just picking things for the sake of reaching 50, so I backed off and called it good at 40. So here, in reverse order is my Top 40 of the decade.
40. Koop - Waltz For Koop
39. Marissa Nadler - Songs III: Bird On The Water
38. Felice Brothers - Felice Brothers
37. Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
36. Patty Griffin - Impossible Dream - Two of the most perfectly beautiful songs I've ever heard are on this one album. They alone basically put them on this list.
35. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
34. Dining Rooms - Numero Deux
33. Magic Numbers - Magic Numbers
32. Tilly & The Wall - Wild Like Children
31. The Decemberists - Her Majesty
30. Joanna Newsom - Ys
29. Bowerbirds - Upper Air
28. Laura Viers - Carbon Glacier
27. The Decemberists - Castaways & Cutouts
26. Divine Comedy - Absent Friends
25. Rufus Wainwright - Want - Originally two separate releases (Want One and Want Two), it was conceived as one big, beautiful work.
24. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
23. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
22. Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed The Fish?
21. Dr. Dog - Easy Beat - Pure, uninhibited musical joy, recorded totally independently on 1/4 inch tape.
20. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest - Artful composition and construction, technically impressive yet cool. This band is downright intimidating.
19. Stereolab - Sound Dust
18. Of Montreal - Satanic Panic In The Attic - This album opened up a lot of new listening horizons for me.
17. Inara George - All Rise!
16. Eisley - Room Noises - I have never gotten tired of this album, unique yet familiar, and all beautiful.
15. Dr. Dog - Fate
14. Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
13. MIA - Kala - A delight to the ear with its wonderful use of sound collage, great rhythms and attitude. A real trip.
12. Elliott Smith - Figure 8
11. Divine Comedy - Regeneration - A real change from Neil Hannon's usual fare, but he pulls it off brilliantly.
10. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
9. Nick Lowe - The Convincer - A pure and classic songwriter. This is the creative peak of Nick's career in my opinion.
8. Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill - Although it's controversial, I feel like Elliott Smith finally achieved the kind of sound aesthetic he had been after his whole recording career with this album.
7. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
6. Rufus Wainwright - Poses - Modern day art song.
5. Avett Brothers - Emotionalism - Brilliant simplicity that just grabbed me by the heart and held on for a long time.
4. Innocence Mission - Befriended - More heart grabbing simplicity. The perfect winter album.
3. Of Montreal - Aldhils Arboretum - I think this is a masterpiece of modern psychedelia, and Of Montreal's best album.
2. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast - A passionately constructed work, one of the decade's earliest pop masterpieces, and another listening landmark for me.
1. Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds is a major figure in contemporary pop. A brilliant composer, lyricist and performer, he has an uncanny understanding of the white middle-class experience, which he exploits, attacks, defends, and empathizes with most keenly on this outstanding concept album.
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What a wonderful list! First off, I just want to say how lucky we are that you passed so many of these gems on to us.
ReplyDeleteWithout going back through my collection to compile a list, there were a few, in my opinion, noticable albums missing (of what would probably be on my list anyway.) The first of which is Gillian's Time- The Revelator, and secondly, Sufjan's Illinoise (Though I'm pretty sure it wouldn't make my #1 ;) I think it would be on there somewhere.)
Also, it would really be a toss up between Carbon Glaciers and Year of Meteors. I'd have to listen to them both to decide, which might mean they both make it.
PS. I've never listened to the Ben Folds.
oh yes! i agree with trish. a great list. i was pleasantly surprised to see eisley. what a gorgeous album. i heart "red right ankle" so much that i think her majesty the decemberists would be on my list too. and i feel guilty that i don't have any badly drawn boy. i agree with trish also on the gillian welch absence! :) also, no deer tick? thanks for the link, mister!
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