You probably thought you were getting away without reading any more boring roundup lists. But no, I’ve put together a list of my favorite recordings from the last decade. Note that I don’t say “best” or “most impressive”. I’m going for something a little different. If a recording is on this list, it’s because I actually listened to it. On purpose. Several times. And enjoyed the experience. Some of these I enjoyed more than others. So I’ll be employing the + or ++ symbols I used in my previous post to indicate the special goodness. Although I’ve tried to pick out only records of which I have clear memories, I’ve made qualitative assessments based on my 2010 opinions. For example, in my 20s, I might have told you I liked Animal Collective. There is not one Animal Collective record on this list.
I should note, before beginning, that this is a long list. But it isn’t everything I enjoyed. I’ve left off the very few favorite local records I loved. I’ll write about this handful in later, separate posts (one of my resolutions). And then there is the stuff I’ve forgotten. Oh well.
I have tried to ensure I include records that didn’t make a lot of the lists you’ve already read. Even though I tend to focus my listening on pop music (broadly defined), I stray away sometimes to corners of my field and gnaw on some sweet grass that significantly fewer sheep have tasted. I don’t claim any of my choices are terribly obscure, unless obscurity has been achieved by age. But it was a nice thing, going back and remembering the songs that I loved. Since even before I began blogging my worthless opinions.
For you who are more grizzled, I offer my ++ as indicia of something especially worthy, which you ought to consume, even if you normally wouldn’t. Album artwork subtly indicates my favorite for that year. Links are to LaLa, Metacritic, Amazon, and Emusic.
2000
The Clientele – Suburban Light +
Starlight Mints – The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of ++
The Sea and Cake – Oui
Lambchop – Nixon ++
Sleater-Kinney – All Hands On The Bad One
Smog – Dongs of Sevotion
Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker +
The Fucking Champs – IV
Cat Power – The Covers Record
Modest Mouse – The Moon and Antarctica ++
Emmylou Harris – Red Dirt Girl ++ (this record gets me emotional many years later)
Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out +
Aimee Mann – Bachelor No. 2 (or, the last remains of the dodo)
The Mermen – The Amazing California Health And Happiness Road Show
J Mascis and the Fog – More Light +
Radiohead – Kid A
Self – Gizmodgery
Silkworm – Lifestyle +
Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R ++
2001
Bob Dylan – Love And Theft
The Strokes – Is This It? ++
The Avalanches – Since I Left You
Fugazi – The Argument
New Pornographers – Mass Romantic +
Jay Z – The Blueprint
The Moldy Peaches – S/T ++
Cub Country – High Uinta High ++
Hedwig and the Angry Inch( Soundtrack)
M. Ward – End of Amnesia
American Analog Set – Know By Heart
Stephen Malkmus – Stephen Malkmus + (better than at least two Pavement records, and certainly his best solo record)
My Morning Jacket – At Dawn ++
Mogwai – Rock Action
O Brother, Where Art Thou (Soundtrack)
Spoon – Girls Can Tell ++
Frank Black & The Catholics – Dog In The Sand +
2002
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Neko Case – Blacklisted ++
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Source Tags & Codes ++
Beck: Sea Change ++
Missy Elliott: Under Construction
The Hives: Veni Vidi Vicious
Josh Rouse – Under Cold Blue Stars ++
Deerhoof – Reveille ++
The Decemberists – Castaways and Cutouts +
The Mountain Goats – All Hail West Texas
Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank The Cradle +
Paul Westerberg: Stereo/Mono ++
Luna – Close Cover Before Striking + (my favorite EP of the decade)
The Octopus Project – Identification Parade +
Stereolab – ABC Music: The Radio 1 Sessions
2003
OutKast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below ++
Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People ++
British Sea Power – The Decline Of British Sea Power
Holopaw – S/T
Pernice Brothers – Yours, Mine & Ours
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell ++
The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow +
The New Pornographers: Electric Version
The Libertines: Up The Bracket ++
Caroline Herring – Wellspring
The Darkness: Permission To Land ++
The Black Keys – thickfreakness
M. Ward – Transfiguration of Vincent
Cat Power: You Are Free +
The Jayhawks – Rainy Day Music (this one’s been growing on me for years)
The Notwist – Neon Golden ++
The Strokes: Room On Fire
The Cardigans – Long Gone Before Daylight (very few bands since Fleetwood Mac are capable of making this kind of realistic adult pop; not only were they still making good records, they were making better records)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Hearts of Oak
Dumptruck – For The Country +
Evan Dando – Baby I’m Bored ++
Josh Rouse – 1972
Guided By Voices – Earthquake Glue ++ (gbv fanboys can’t give this the credit it deserves…late era classic)
Stars – Heart
2004
Camera Obscura – Underachievers Please Try Harder
Scissor Sisters – S/T +
Kanye West – The College Dropout +
Interpol – Antics
Sondre Lerche – Two Way Monologue ++
Moonbabies – The Orange Billboard ++
A.C. Newman – The Slow Wonder +
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – Worlds Apart +
Stars – Set Yourself on Fire
Iron and Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days ++
Mastodon – Leviathan
Mission of Burma – ONoffON
Madvillain – Madvillainy +
Wilco – A Ghost Is Born
Franz Ferdinand – S/T
Ambulance LTD – LP ++ (apparently the follow-up to this record—recorded by john cale— is just collecting dust, waiting for red-tape to clear. bummer)
Neko Case – The Tigers Have Spoken ++
The Octopus Project – One Ten Hundred Thousand Million +
2005
Kanye West – Late Registration ++
Spoon – Gimme Fiction ++
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Sleater-Kinney – The Woods +
Numbers – We’re Animals
New Pornographers – Twin Cinema +
The Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree ++
The Clientele – Strange Geometry
The Deadly Snakes – Porcella ++
Outrageous Cherry – Our Love Will Change The World
British Sea Power – Open Season
Wilco – Kicking Television: Live in Chicago
Iron and Wine + Calexico – In the Reins +
Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
The Cardigans – Super Extra Gravity +
Reigning Sound – Home for Orphans ++
Field Music – S/T +
M. Ward – Transistor Radio
Lou Barlow – EMOH
Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures +
Crystal Skulls – Blocked Numbers ++
Mew – And The Glass Handed Kites
The National – Alligator ++ (nearly picked this as the best of the year; certainly it’s their best)
Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock & Roll
Common – Be +
Blood on the Wall – Awesomer
2006
Joanna Newsom – Ys
Band Of Horses – Everything All The Time ++
Peter Bjorn & John – Writer’s Block +
The Hold Steady – Boys And Girls In America
Ghostface Killah – Fishscale
CSS – Cansei De Ser Sexy
Priestess – Hello Master ++
Maritime – We, the Vehicles
Belle and Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
Gossip – Standing in the Way of Control
Danielson – Ships +
Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped
James Hunter – People Gonna Talk ++ (can’t recommend this highly enough)
Girl Talk – Night Ripper +
Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That +
Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass ++
Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury +
Centro-matic – Fort Recovery
The Format – Dog Problems
Sally Shapiro – Disco Romance +
Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies +
Brightblack Morning Light – S/T
Beach House – S/T
Pink Mountaintops – Axis of Evol
Ryan Adams – 29
Mastodon – Blood Mountain
2007
No Age – Weirdo Rippers +
Apparat – Walls
Field Music – Tones of Town
Ohsees – Thee Oh Sees Sucks Blood
Feist – The Reminder
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky +
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular ++
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible +
St. Vincent – Marry Me ++
Les Savy Fav – Let’s Stay Friends
Radiohead – In Rainbows ++ (If I have to pick a favorite for the entire decade, this is it. Not Kid A.)
Kanye West – Graduation +
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds + (first five songs may represent the finest production money can buy…genius)
Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity + (Maybe their catchiest, most accessible record)
Mary Weiss – Dangerous Game +
Deerhunter – Cryptograms
1990s – Cookies +
The National – Boxer ++
Dinosaur Jr. – Beyond
Art Brut – It’s A Bit Complicated
2008
Blitzen Trapper – Furr ++
She and Him – Volume One
The Dodos – Visiter ++ (In 2008, I said Furr, but this Dodos record matters more to me now)
Absentee – Victory Shorts
Marnie Stern – This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That ++
Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances +
The French Kicks – Swimming
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago ++
Land of Talk – Some Are Lakes +
Jay Reatard – Singles 06-07 + and Matador Singles ‘08 ++
Deerhunter – Microcastle
Torche – Meanderthal
Little Joy – S/T +
Kurt Vile – Constant Hitmaker ++
Drive By Truckers – Brighter Than Creation’s Dark +
No Age – Nouns +
Ladyhawke – S/T
2009
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix ++
Wilco – Wilco (The Album) +
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains +
Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
Future of the Left – Travels With Myself And Another
The Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath +
Phosporescent – To Willie
The Dodos – Time To Die
Them Crooked Vultures – S/T
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – S/T ++
Sonic Youth – The Eternal +
Woods – Songs of Shame ++
Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane and Sugarcane
Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms ++
Jay Reatard – Watch Me Fall
Priestess – Prior to the Fire
Baroness – The Blue Album +
Japandroids – Post-Nothing
The Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away ++ (really surprised at how much I liked this record)
Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
Pink Mountaintops – Outside Love ++
Bonnie "Prince" Billy – Beware ++
Monsters of Folk – S/T +
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast ++
Passion Pit – Manners +
1990s – Kicks +
Dan Auerbach – Keep it Hid
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz
Lightning Dust – Infinite Light +
Polvo – In Prism
The Decemberists – Hazards of Love + (Surprisingly good hard rock record that nonetheless wears a bit thin after repeated listening)
Condo Fucks – Fuckbook (the best Yo La Tengo record that came out this year)
The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
The Octopus Project – Golden Beds EP +
The xx – xx
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca ++
St. Vincent – Actor ++
David Bazans – Curse Your Branches +
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