In creating this list I followed one rule: limiting selections to one per artist, which led to some difficult choices. The two bands at the forefront of my personal musical development this decade, WILCO and MY MORNING JACKET, easily claim the top two spots...but with which album? For WILCO, the decision was clear, as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a career defining work. With MY MORNING JACKET, the decision was a little more difficult as choosing between At Dawn and It Still Moves is like a parent choosing favorites among children. At Dawn may be my personal favorite, but It Still Moves provides a better overall representation of the band’s capabilities and is the album that introduced me to the group.
Similar dilemmas came from choosing between Boxer and Alligator by The National, selecting one album from the impressive output this decade from bands like the Drive-By Truckers or Okkervil River or The Decemberists, and the Radiohead problem. Due to the consistent excellence of their work, Radiohead deserves a spot on this list, however, for me, their two definitive albums were released in the 90's, OK Computer and The Bends. Kid A earns significant praise, but is that the album I listen to when in the mood for Radiohead?
So, after lengthy deliberation, here is the Judge’s verdict on the best music of the decade.
1. WILCO - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. MY MORNING JACKET - It Still Moves
3. The NATIONAL - Alligator
4. ARCADE FIRE - Funeral
5. The HOLD STEADY - Separation Sunday
6. SECRET MACHINES - Now Here Is Nowhere
7. The GASLIGHT ANTHEM - The ‘59 Sound
8. BON IVER - For Emma, Forever Ago
9. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS - The Dirty South
10. SIGUR ROS - Agaetis Byrjun
11. A.A. BONDY - American Hearts
12. FRIGHTENED RABBIT - The Midnight Organ Fight
13. PHOENIX - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
14. EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
15. CAMERA OBSCURA - Let’s Get Out Of This Country
16. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
17. OKKERVIL RIVER - The Stage Names
18. SUFJAN STEVENS - Illinois
19. CENTRO-MATIC - Fort Recovery
20. The RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE - Hometowns
21. MIDLAKE - The Trials Of Van Occupanther
22. The DECEMBERISTS - The Crane Wife
23. The WALKMEN - You & Me
24. FLEET FOXES - Fleet Foxes
25. SUN KIL MOON - Ghosts Of The Great Highway
26. PANDA BEAR - Person Pitch
27. BECK - Sea Change
28. INTERPOL - Turn On The Bright Lights
29. MODEST MOUSE - The Moon & Antarctica
30. The NEW PORNOGRAPHERS - Twin Cinema
31. RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows
32. NEKO CASE - Middle Cyclone
33. ANDREW BIRD - The Mysterious Production Of Eggs
34. RYAN ADAMS - Love Is Hell
35. The FLAMING LIPS - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
36. IRON & WINE - Our Endless Numbered Days
37. BAND OF HORSES - Enerything All The Time
38. JENS LEKMAN - Oh You’re So Silent Jens
39. The WRENS - Meadowlands
40. DAVID GRAY - White Ladder
41. COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida (Or Death And All His Friends)
42. MATTHEW GOOD - Avalanche
43. TRESPASSERS WILLIAM - Different Stars
44. The HELIO SEQUENCE - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
45. The DAMNWELLS - Bastards Of The Beat
46. The GOOD, THE BAD & The QUEEN - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
47. EELS - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations
58. ...TRAIL OF DEAD - Source Tags & Codes
49. KINGS OF LEON - Aha Shake Heartbreak
50. GUSTER - Keep It Together
...and a few more that just missed the TOP 50:
*SPOON - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
*The BLACK KEYS - Rubber Factory
*NICOLE ATKINS - Neptune City
*DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - Transatlanticism
*BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - The Rising
*CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
*EMILY HAINES - Knives Don’t Have Your Back
*PETER BJORN & JOHN - Writer’s Block
*TV ON THE RADIO - Return To Cookie Mountain
*PETE YORN - Music For The Morning After
*MEW - Frengers
...feel free to let me know if there are any glaring omissions (like The STROKES, for example)...
Similar dilemmas came from choosing between Boxer and Alligator by The National, selecting one album from the impressive output this decade from bands like the Drive-By Truckers or Okkervil River or The Decemberists, and the Radiohead problem. Due to the consistent excellence of their work, Radiohead deserves a spot on this list, however, for me, their two definitive albums were released in the 90's, OK Computer and The Bends. Kid A earns significant praise, but is that the album I listen to when in the mood for Radiohead?
So, after lengthy deliberation, here is the Judge’s verdict on the best music of the decade.
1. WILCO - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. MY MORNING JACKET - It Still Moves
3. The NATIONAL - Alligator
4. ARCADE FIRE - Funeral
5. The HOLD STEADY - Separation Sunday
6. SECRET MACHINES - Now Here Is Nowhere
7. The GASLIGHT ANTHEM - The ‘59 Sound
8. BON IVER - For Emma, Forever Ago
9. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS - The Dirty South
10. SIGUR ROS - Agaetis Byrjun
11. A.A. BONDY - American Hearts
12. FRIGHTENED RABBIT - The Midnight Organ Fight
13. PHOENIX - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
14. EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
15. CAMERA OBSCURA - Let’s Get Out Of This Country
16. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
17. OKKERVIL RIVER - The Stage Names
18. SUFJAN STEVENS - Illinois
19. CENTRO-MATIC - Fort Recovery
20. The RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE - Hometowns
21. MIDLAKE - The Trials Of Van Occupanther
22. The DECEMBERISTS - The Crane Wife
23. The WALKMEN - You & Me
24. FLEET FOXES - Fleet Foxes
25. SUN KIL MOON - Ghosts Of The Great Highway
26. PANDA BEAR - Person Pitch
27. BECK - Sea Change
28. INTERPOL - Turn On The Bright Lights
29. MODEST MOUSE - The Moon & Antarctica
30. The NEW PORNOGRAPHERS - Twin Cinema
31. RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows
32. NEKO CASE - Middle Cyclone
33. ANDREW BIRD - The Mysterious Production Of Eggs
34. RYAN ADAMS - Love Is Hell
35. The FLAMING LIPS - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
36. IRON & WINE - Our Endless Numbered Days
37. BAND OF HORSES - Enerything All The Time
38. JENS LEKMAN - Oh You’re So Silent Jens
39. The WRENS - Meadowlands
40. DAVID GRAY - White Ladder
41. COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida (Or Death And All His Friends)
42. MATTHEW GOOD - Avalanche
43. TRESPASSERS WILLIAM - Different Stars
44. The HELIO SEQUENCE - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
45. The DAMNWELLS - Bastards Of The Beat
46. The GOOD, THE BAD & The QUEEN - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
47. EELS - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations
58. ...TRAIL OF DEAD - Source Tags & Codes
49. KINGS OF LEON - Aha Shake Heartbreak
50. GUSTER - Keep It Together
...and a few more that just missed the TOP 50:
*SPOON - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
*The BLACK KEYS - Rubber Factory
*NICOLE ATKINS - Neptune City
*DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - Transatlanticism
*BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - The Rising
*CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
*EMILY HAINES - Knives Don’t Have Your Back
*PETER BJORN & JOHN - Writer’s Block
*TV ON THE RADIO - Return To Cookie Mountain
*PETE YORN - Music For The Morning After
*MEW - Frengers
...feel free to let me know if there are any glaring omissions (like The STROKES, for example)...
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