I have been hinting at this post for awhile now, and originally thought I might wait awhile longer before posting it, but here you go, my favorite 50 albums of the decade. Lots of other blogs and magazines have been doing the same thing, and I had intended to make this post a little more fancy, but in the interest of time, I am just going to put it up. I am also working on my best of 2009 list, and a variety of interviews, and they are more important.
When I decided to make a list of my 50 favorite albums of this decade, I needed some way to narrow the field. So I made a rule than an artist can only have one album in the top 50. This way more great albums are mentioned, and my favorite artists don’t dominate the list. This is also why I decided to create my favorite 20 artists of the decade list, to mention all those other great albums. That said, here we go:
(**own on vinyl; *vinyl exists but I don't have it yet)
50. Cat Power- You are Free (2003)**
49. This Beautiful Mess- Temper The Wind to the Shorn Lamb (2003)*
48. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova- Once Original Soundtrack (2007)**
47. Radiohead- Hail to the Thief (2003)*
46. The Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)*
45. Patty Griffin- 1000 Kisses (2002)
44. Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)*
43. Rosie Thomas- These Friends of Mine (2007)
42. Cursive- The Ugly Organ (2003)**
41. Starflyer 59- Leave Here a Stranger (2001)*
40. Mogwai- Mr. Beast (2006)*
39. Explosions in the Sky- The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003)**
38. Sleeping at Last- Keep No Score (2006)**
37. Coldplay- Viva La Vida (2008)**
36. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)**
35. Pinback- Summer in Abaddon (2004)**
34. Mindy Smith- One Moment More (2004)
33. Brown Feather Sparrow- Wide Awakens Everything (2003)
32. Manchester Orchestra- I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child (2006)*
31. Blindside- A Thought Crushed My Mind (2000)
30. Zwan- Mary Star of the Sea (2003)**
29. The New Pornographers- Twin Cinema (2005)**
28. Tegan and Sara- So Jealous (2004)*
27. Eisley- Combinations (2007)
26. mewithoutYou- Brother, Sister (2006)**
25. Sixpence None the Richer- Divine Discontent (2002)
24. Lovedrug- Pretend You’re Alive (2004)*
23. Brandtson- Send Us a Signal (2004)**
22. Pedro the Lion- Control (2002)**
21. Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American (2001)**
20. Luxury- Health and Sport (2005)
19. Tess Wiley- Super Fast Rock’n’Roll Played Slow (2007)
18. Jeremy Enigk- World Waits (2006)
17. Fiona Apple- Extraordinary Machine (2005)**
16. Fair- The Best Worst-Case Scenario (2006)
15. Arcade Fire- Funeral (2004)**
14. The Anniversary- Designing a Nervous Breakdown (2000)**
13. Mates of State- Re-Arrange Us (2008)**
12. Sufjan Stevens- Illinoise (2005)**
11. Cush- Cush (also referred to as "New Sound") (2000)
10. Over the Rhine- Ohio (2003)* (this is #1 on my vinyl want-list and would pay a lot for it)
9. Poor Old Lu- The Waiting Room (2002)
8. Elliott- False Cathedrals (2000)**
7. Foutains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)
6. Death Cab for Cutie- Transatlanticism (2003)**
5. Nada Surf- Let Go (2003)**
4. The Appleseed Cast- Low Level Owl, Vols. 1 and 2 (2001)**
3. Sunny Day Real Estate- The Rising Tide (2000)**
2. Thrice- The Alchemy Index, Vols. 1-4, (2007)**
1. The Gloria Record- Start Here (2002)**
Making the decision for number one was far easier than I expected. It was my #1 album of 2002, and has stuck with me, musically and lyrically. The Gloria Record's Start Here is a flawless album, and was the pinnacle, and unfortunately final, release from the Gloria Record discography. My next post will be an in-depth interview with the lead singer/songwriter of the Gloria Record, Chris Simpson. Stay tuned...