The 20 Best Albums of the Decade (2000-2009)

Much of the discussion on music during the last decade has focused on the rise of downloading (both legal and illegal) and the supposed death of the album. While there is no refuting the fact that album sales have slid during the last ten years, there is a case to be made that the album is actually thriving, if you know where to look. Contrary to popular belief, some people still actually do buy a physical album (heck, the sales of vinyl records have increased dramatically during the last five years), and those of us who do have been greatly rewarded with some of the strongest and most innovative albums of all time. Many complain that today's "pop" albums only have three or four good songs, so it's a waste of money to buy that little plastic disc. But since the full-length album was first introduced, the majority of popular albums have always only had a handful of good songs. Even most of The Beatles' albums have a fair number of duds on them. For those of us who have managed to pull ourselves away from the radio (considering that everything they play sounds the same, I can't imagine why anyone still listens) and find our music in less mainstream areas (which are actually becoming more mainstream now), the album is now more than ever a pleasurable listening experience from start to finish. Here are the twenty best albums from the past decade.

20. At Dawn by My Morning Jacket (2001)
Although Z and It Still Moves are more well-known, At Dawn stacks up as My Morning Jacket's most innovative and artistic album. It may not have the mainstream sound of their more recent offerings, but this album is packed full of genre-bending music that makes us wonder how they ever got to where they are now. With reggae-infused epics, Beatlesesque fuzz solos, insect noise instruments, beautiful guitar and piano harmonies, and more than a hint of country twang, At Dawn shows that indie can sound like anything. Jim James' unmistakable croon has more emotion here than on anything else he has done, which works well considering the beauty and intricacies of the complex combination of sounds.
Key Tracks: At Dawn, X-Mas Curtain, Phone Went West

19. You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene (2003)
How a band can have this many members and not sound like an utter mess is impressive on its own. Very rarely do the songs sound cluttered in spite of everything that is happening (although sometimes it is difficult to determine what exactly is going on). Mostly it sounds like everyone (and everything) is working together in harmony to create a rich depth that can't be found elsewhere. There's something here for every ear - rock, jazz, blues, folk, and at times, it even seems that BSS is trying to make good elevator music. And dammit, I think they just made it so that we can enjoy that vertical ride.
Key Tracks: KC Accidental, Cause=Time, Lover's Spit

18. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips (2002)
There's been some debate as to whether or not this is a concept album, but there's no debate that it's one of the decades best experimentations with electronic, psychedelic, and science-fiction rock. This is a perfect follow-up to The Soft Bulletin, and it feels very much like a symphony, albeit a strange one. Don't be fooled by the happiness in the melodies though. There's a lot of melancholy to be found if you listen deeply. "Do You Realize??" has to be the happiest song about the inevitableness of death. It's a very ambitious album that might cause some people to wonder what in the world you're listening to, but that's only because you aren't listening to anything that's of this world.
Key Tracks: Fight Test, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1, Do You Realize??

17. Turn On the Bright Lights by Interpol (2002)
One of the freshest (and darkest) sounds of this decade is a direct descendant of what Joy Division started to create twenty-five years before. Turn On the Bright Lights gives us both the slow and the fast tempos, and the music is both angry and melancholic at once. With as much emotion as the instruments portray, it's okay that the vocals are sometimes more spoken than sung. While there's no prize here for brilliant lyrics (how many couches was that you said?), the music is somehow profound. This album gave a modern twist to a classic sound, and it isn't any wonder why it became an instant favorite.
Key Tracks: Untitled, Obstacle 1, NYC

16. O by Damien Rice (2003)
Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan are in perfect accord on this aggressive folk album. How can one man do so much with just his acoustic guitar? It helps when you add haunting cello and angelic vocals. There's a perfect balance of emotions throughout the album as Damien Rice creates one of the most interesting and evocative folk offerings ever.
Key Tracks: Delicate, The Blower's Daughter, I Remember

15. LP by Holy F*ck (2007)
Never has electronic music had so much natural energy (or been so catchy). The electronic elements blend together so well that everything about this album seems like real music. The tracks are more than just individual songs. They are beautiful musical compositions that flow together with cascading climaxes and mind-boggling hooks.
Key Tracks: Lovely Allen, The Pulse Royal Gregory

14. Dust of Retreat by Margot & the Nuclear So and So's (2006)
Horns and guitars make for a wonderful combination, especially when accompanied by beautiful vocal harmonies and the soothing sounds of a cacophony of percussion. Margot blends its many parts so well together, giving these songs much more life than most bands are capable of achieving. There's a good balance of hard rock and ballads here, some fused together in a freak-folk sort of way.
Key Tracks: Quiet As a Mouse, Skeleton Key, Talking in Code

13. Hospice by The Antlers (2009)
It's hard for an album from the final year of a decade to make a best of list. We don't know it's lasting power or influence. But Hospice strikes immediately, taking us through a roller coaster of emotions that we won't soon forget. Although some of the melodies may be repetitive, everything here is presented in exquisite beauty. This album is filled with building songs that have soaring climaxes and anthemic choruses. It's a concept album that flows smoothly and doesn't beat you over the head. Complete with the best song ever written about abortion, this album will hopefully launch a successful career.
Key Tracks: Sylvia, Bear, Two

12. Alligator by The National (2005)
This is a nearly perfect album. The sound is unique yet simple. The ending of this album is as strong as any album ever made. It's no surprise why The National rose to critical acclaim and indie popularity with this collection. They built upon what was already a unique sound by adding just a little more complexity to the music. The music is stunning and the singing is contemplative and inspiring. The only thing stopping this album from being in the top ten is that it is a little imbalanced. While none of the tracks are weak, the back half of this album just seems loaded with brilliance.
Key Tracks: Secret Meeting, Geese of Beverly Road, Mr. November

11. Everything All the Time by Band of Horses (2006)
Another album with country roots and bearded singers. It's easy at first to write these guys off as My Morning Jacket Light, or even just to refer to them as that indie band with the great song in the car commercial. But this album gives us so much more. Thankfully the songs here are not overproduced, keeping a little bit of the raw quality that makes them so compelling. Ben Bridwell's voice complements the layered guitars perfectly. This album flows so consistently that a song as great as The Funeral doesn't overshadow the rest.
Key Tracks - The First Song, The Funeral, Monster

10. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver (2007)
When you listen to this album, you can just picture Justin Vernon in the backcountry woods singing tender songs with his bearded folk buddies. And you'll get lost in the woods with them. This is one of the most unique folk sounds that's come out in quite awhile, primarily because of Vernon's distinctive voice. Vernon's vocals are entrancing, and the music is haunting as well. And luckily there are enough subtle extras that let us know that civilization isn't far away.
Key Tracks: Flume, Blindsided, re: stacks

9. Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron & Wine (2004)
Sam Beam's voice is the smoothest and most soothing in music today. The man has never missed a note, and it's a voice that can put a baby to sleep, ease a troubled mind, or bring you to tears. Although he has yet to release an imperfect song, Our Endless Numbered Days is Beam at his finest. With a strong mix of rugged folk, peaceful playing and even a little bit of rock, this album proves that Mr. Beam can do it all. And he's got the best beard is music as well.
Key Tracks: Cinder and Smoke; Sodom, South Georgia; A Passing Afternoon

8. Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River (2005)
Will Sheff teaches us that you don't always have to hit the right note. In fact, sometimes you don't have to hit a note at all. Some of the highlights here are when he seems to miss. We can really feel the power of what Sheff is telling us, whether it is through his imperfect croon or his passionate shout. There is a vulnerability here, even in the harder songs, that makes us really feel connected to this album. This album is so good that it needed a follow-up EP.
Key Tracks: For Real, A Stone, The Latest Toughs

7. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon (2008)
When the name of your album is a two letter word repeated five times, repetition and simplicity are likely to be a big part of what you create. No other band is capable of creating such complex (and fun) music with such simplistic and repetitive parts. Each song develops starting with a simple and consistent rhythm and beat that is changed only by the subtle explosion of something mind-boggling. Spoon teaches us that we can dance to rock music, and the beats they lay down for us make our bodies feel part of the music.
Key Tracks: Don't Make Me a Target, Japanese Cigarette Case, Black Like Me

6. ( ) by Sigur Rós
You don't need to sing in English to resonate with English speakers. Hell, you don't need to sing in any real language at all. To fully appreciate what Sigur Rós does, you have to view Jónsi's voice as yet another instrument in this eclectic collection. Although sometimes spare, Jónsi shows us here just how instrumental a voice can be. Every building element is perfectly in place, creating an emotional beauty we really feel rather than think. The third track, which has been dubbed Samskeyti, might be the most emotional instrumental piece ever written. These guys know exactly how to build to a climax. This album requires patience, and it can be exhausting. And for those who think singing in Hopelandic or not naming the tracks on the album is pretentious, just remember that Sigur Rós makes music because it's what they love to do.
Key Tracks: Vaka (Untitled 1), Samskeyti (Untitled 3), Popplagið (Untitled 8)

5. In Rainbows by Radiohead (2007)
It's hard to talk about this album without discussing the "revolutionary" release method. But the music is what we should focus on. After the overproduced Hail to the Thief, we wondered where Radiohead would go next. It took awhile, but we received nothing short of perfection from the best band in the world. Never has Yorke sounded as good as he does on "Nude". Never has the band made a song as haunting as "Videotape" (yes, sometimes less is more; thank you for stripping this one down for us). We finally get to hear Yorke sing in falsetto for a full song. There's no filler on this album. Just the perfect layering of instruments to create something so beautiful and subtle that we don't even realize at first just how experimental Radiohead's music still is. While Kid A blew our minds immediately, In Rainbows has to be absorbed before we can fully understand it. But once you get it, it never goes away.
Key Tracks: Nude, Reckoner, Videotape

4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco (2002)
Following in the footsteps of other great bands that shed their image, Wilco partially abandoned its alt-country sound for this beautiful and complex work of American music. Adding electronic elements and brilliantly chaotic guitars over some folksy strumming, this album creates layers that we never expected to hear, especially not from this band. There is so much variety from song to song, yet everything flows together in perfect unison. This was the album that needed to be made in 2002, and it contains what is probably the most important post-9/11 American song.
Key Tracks: Ashes of American Flags, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Reservations

3. Boxer by The National (2007)
Never has an album seemed to fit a genre more than Boxer fits into melancholic post-rock. The combination of horns, strings, baritone vocals, layered guitars, and fascinating lyrics all come together to create a sound that seems so simple and brilliant we wonder why it wasn't always there. There's so much to each song here, and every song feels like a masterpiece in its own right. While all the albums on this list are filled with great songs, this album more than any other is a collection of fantastic songs where it's very hard to pick a favorite because they are all just so damn good.
Key Tracks: Fake Empire, Mistaken for Strangers, Slow Show

2. Kid A by Radiohead (2000)
Wait, didn't this band used to have three guitars? I mean, I know that OK Computer had some electronic elements to it, but there were still guitars. What happened to the guitars? What are the band members even doing during the songs? This album was the boldest move of the decade, and possibly the boldest move of any band's career. This band was on top of the world with their innovative sound from 1997, and they decided to change it? Thank goodness that bands like Radiohead are willing to constantly reinvent themselves. Without this album, there'd be no Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or half of the other albums on this list. This album defines this decade because of what it was willing to do. This is truly a composition rather than a collection of songs, and even though some of the music may sound strange and incomprehensible, there's nothing here that isn't perfect. The title of the first track says it all.
Key Tracks: Everything in its Right Place, Kid A, Idioteque

1. Funeral by Arcade Fire (2004)
Two of the greatest movements in music this decade were the male/female singer combination and the use of raw emotion. This album perfects both of those. Funeral takes the listener on an emotional ride that can't be found anywhere else. From the very beginning, Win Butler creates an environment filled with power, and every feeling possible is explored through these ten songs until RégineChassagne (Butler's wife) finally takes it down with the haunting closing track. This is not an album filled with amazing songs. This is an album where the songs become amazing in the context of the album. The only song that really seems to stand on its own is "Wake Up" (the inspiring song you've been hearing in those Where the Wild Things Are commercials). Everything else here needs the context of the album in order to receive its full appreciation. Even the bad moments on the album are somehow brilliant. There's so much power in what's going on throughout the record that a first-time listener doesn't know what to think at the end. All he knows is that his mind is blown and that he's never heard anything like this. And we may never get another album like this again.
Key Tracks: Wake Up, In the Backseat, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)