The Top Albums of the Decade

25. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
24. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
23. Outkast - Stankonia
22. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
21. The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
20. Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests …
19. Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
18. Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
17. Beck - Guero
16. My Morning Jacket - Z
15. Arcade Fire - Funeral
14. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
13. A Perfect Circle – Thirteenth Step
12. Radiohead – In Rainbows
11. Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey …
10. White Stripes – White Blood Cells
9. Fiona Apple – Extraordinary Machine
8. Green Day – American Idiot
7. Pearl Jam - Lost Dogs
6. The Killers – Hot Fuss
5. Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak
4. Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
3. Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams
2. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
1. White Stripes – De Stijl

Missed the cut: Tegan & Sara, The Weepies, My Chemical Romance, Peter Bjorn and John, MGMT, Eminem, The Decemberists

 

Of the 3 Steve Earle albums I've bought the last decade, Jerusalem is my least favorite.
I like Transcendental Blues and The Revolution Starts Now better.

Joe

 

I have not heard a lot of what has been mentioned here but I am glad to see the Gaslight Anthem (The '59 Sound is one of my fave albums of any decade), Old 97's, Joe Ely and Drive By Truckers show up.

I'll throw out an album that I am sure few on here have heard but that I have enjoyed many times since its release:

Two Men With The Blues - Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis

 

After much, much, much deliberation, I've figured mine out. After I did the top 25, it was pretty easy to put together my top 50. There is a shit ton of good music from this decade.

50. Pretty. Odd. (2008) – Panic! At The Disco
49. Permission to Land (2003) – The Darkness
48. Comfort Eagle (2001) – Cake
47. X and Y (2005) – Coldplay
46. Tell All Your Friends (2002) – Taking Back Sunday
45. Elephant (2003) – The White Stripes
44. The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (2001) – Dashboard Confessional
43. Blink-182 (2003) – Blink-182
42. The Wind (2003) – Warren Zevon
41. Renegades (2000) – Rage Against The Machine
40. All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) – U2
39. Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) – Modest Mouse
38. Absolution (2003) – Muse
37. The W (2000) – Wu-Tang Clan
36. Z (2005) – My Morning Jacket
35. Supreme Clientele (2000) – Ghostface Killah
34. Franz Ferdinand (2004) – Franz Ferdinand
33. Full Collapse (2001) – Thursday
32. Hot Fuss (2004) – The Killers
31. Come Away With Me (2002) – Norah Jones
30. Demon Days (2005) – Gorillaz
29. Neon Bible (2007) – The Arcade Fire
28. The '59 Sound (2008) – The Gaslight Anthem
27. Stay Positive (2008) – The Hold Steady
26. Sea Change (2002) – Beck
25. Tyrannosaurus Hives (2004) – The Hives
24. Stand Up (2005) – Dave Matthews Band
23. The Blueprint (2001) – Jay-Z
22. Hail to the Thief (2003) – Radiohead
21. Bleed American (2001) – Jimmy Eat World
20. American Idiot (2004) – Green Day
19. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) – OutKast
18. The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) – Eminem
17. Get Behind Me Satan (2005) – The White Stripes
16. Stankonia (2000) – OutKast
15. Heartbreaker (2000) – Ryan Adams
14. The Rising (2002) – Bruce Springsteen
13. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)– Wilco
12. Think Tank (2003) – Blur
11. Give Up (2003) – The Postal Service
10. A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) – Coldplay
9. New Wave (2007) - Against Me!
8. The College Dropout (2004) – Kanye West
7. In Rainbows (2007) – Radiohead
6. Morning View (2001) – Incubus
5. Is This It (2001) – The Strokes
4. Kid A (2000) - Radiohead
3. The Black Album (2003) – Jay-Z
2. White Blood Cells (2001) – The White Stripes
1. Late Registration (2005) – Kanye West

 

Nice list, SS.

Glad someone else here likes "Full Collapse" and a bunch of others. Can't say I enjoy "Think Tank" as much as you, though ... I prefer Blur's earlier work.

And you're right about music this decade; a lot of quality/diversity out there if you're willing to look.

 

I'll second (or third) the mentions of the Old 97s and Drive By Truckers. Some great stuff put out by them. Off the top of my head, I'd have to add bands like Death Cab for Cutie and My Morning Jacket.

I know we've got a ton of Wilco fans on this site; I still say their best album came out in 1999, though (Summerteeth). But all their 2000s albums are pretty damn good, too.

Backspacer by Pearl Jam might be the best album I've bought this year (there weren't many of them, unfortunately).

Finally, I haven't seen any love for "Permission to Land" by The Darkness, but it rocks and makes me smile every time I put it on.

Oh ... and where's the love for Supergrass?? Seriously, I'd put "Life On Other Planets" and maybe "Diamond Hoo Ha" on my top 25 for the 2000s.

 

I like Blur's earlier stuff too, but "Think Tank" is a really damn good record and most definitely their finest contribution to music.

I absolutely love Thursday and hopefully am going to see them for the fifth time next week.

 

"Permission To Land" just missed my list. I think it was on SS's, though. That "Growing On Me" is about STDs still makes me laugh six years later.

As for Supergrass, I liked "Road To Rouen" but "Diamond Hoo Ha" might be the best album title of the 2000s.

 

Here's my Top 25, although I'm sure I missed a few.

1. The Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event
2. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3. The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off
4. Doves - Some Cities
5. The Strokes - Is This It
6. Ben Folds - Rockin the Suburbs
7. The Killers - Hot Fuss
8. Feist - The Reminder
9. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
10. Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
11. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
12. Radiohead - Kid-A
13. David Gilmour - On an Island
14. Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch
15. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
16. Doves - The Last Broadcast
17. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
18. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - The Delivery Man
19. U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
20. Pete Yorn - The Day I Forgot
21. K.T. Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
22. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
23. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
24. White Stripes - Elephant
25. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me

 

1-for-50.

 

Do soundtracks count?

I think the Walk the Line and Garden State soundtracks should have been high on these lists.

 

I didn't mention the soundtracks for Ray and The Departed on my earlier list. Both are very good.