My Favorite Albums of the Decade (##31-50)
You know, I kinda hate putting together “Top __” lists, and especially when it comes to music. I find it unbelievably difficult to compare one album to another, and to try to decide whether I like an album from 8 years ago more than one from 2 years ago. And, to be honest, my decision often changes from day to day (or even minute to minute).
As a result, much of what you’re about to see – i.e., my “Favorite Albums of the Decade” list – is pretty fluid, and subject to change depending on exactly when you ask me.
That said, there are only a few albums that I think might move completely out of the list if I were to sit down and go through this process again in a month (god forbid). What would be pretty likely to change, however, is the exact order and placement of the albums on the list. (The only exception being my 1-10 list, which I feel pretty good about.)
So, to give myself a little bit of wiggle room, I’m only going to be giving actual rankings to my top 20 albums of the decade. The rest of the list – 21-30 and 31-50 – are just going to be set forth in alphabetical order. That way I won’t be second-guessing myself nearly as much.
Anyway, without any further ado, here are albums 31 through 50 on my “Favorite Albums of the Decade” list.
##31-50 (alphabetical order only)
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Bad Religion, The Empire Strikes First (2004) Long-running punk band’s best album of the decade – an angry, energetic anti-Bush diatribe that made me remember why I fell in love with the band 15 years earlier. Too bad the dude got re-elected right after it came out. |
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Chris Mills, Living in the Aftermath (2008) One of the best pure, unadulterated power pop records of a decade that had little use for power pop. Deserves so much more attention than it got. |
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Cotton Mather, Kontiki (2002) Robert Harrison’s masterpiece… until his even better masterpiece a few years later (see higher in list). Absolutely perfect Lennon-esque pop songs. |
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Crooked Fingers, Dignity and Shame (2005) I had a hard time choosing among Eric Bachmann’s six releases this decade, but settled on Dignity and Shame if for no other reason than it included the sublime “Sleep All Summer”. I listened to this album a ton while I lived in Tokyo in 2005. |
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Damien Rice, O (2002) There was a period in late ‘02/early ‘03 (I got the Irish import) where this was pretty much the only album that mattered to me. Then, like many albums, I overplayed it; then it got huge; and then I completely lost interest. And then his followup was pretty bad. This is still a great disc, though. |
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The Decemberists, Her Majesty (2003) Another band that I lost interest in as the decade wore on, as a result of diminishing returns and increasing pretentiousness and preciousness (and decreasing emotion) of each subsequent release. But the first couple of albums and EP were fantastic, and this album represents the band’s peak for me. |
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The Delays, Faded Seaside Glamour (2004) Talk about underappreciated. The Delays released three excellent pop albums this decade, but got almost no attention whatsoever on this side of the Atlantic, with the exception of some airplay on WOXY for this, their first (and best) album. |
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Devin Davis, Lonely People of the World, Unite! (2004) Another WOXY discovery, and another lost power-pop classic akin to Chris Mills’ Living in the Aftermath. He’s been working on a followup for the past few years, but as of now there’s still no release date or other info. I’ll keep waiting. |
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The Exploding Hearts, Guitar Romantic (2002) One of the truly tragic stories of the decade. Young punk band in many ways the second coming of 70’s-style power pop/punk (a la The Undertones). Put out this incredible album and, while touring, flipped their van, killing three of the band’s four members and the band’s manager. They are missed. |
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Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight (2008) The second album from young Scottish band (led by two brothers) in less than a year was a huge step forward, marrying the grandiosity of modern Scottish rock with a folkier, generally cheerier disposition. Their live act is even better than their albums. |
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Jay Bennett and Edward Burch, The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (2002) This was the album that first proved to me how much of a pivotal role Jay Bennett had in making Wilco my favorite band in the world in the late 90’s and early 00’s. All of Wilco’s subsequent albums have continued to prove that point, in increasingly pointed fashion. You are missed, Jay. |
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The Jet Age, What Did You Do During The War, Daddy? (2008) Quite possibly the most underappreciated true “rock and roll” album of the decade. This album – a concept “rock opera” about political disillusionment and homegrown terrorism – showcased both a musicianship and songwriting skill surpassing the vast majority of the bands on this list (or any list). If this album had come out in 1994, it would have been huge. |
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The Long Winters, When I Pretend to Fall (2003) I honestly don’t know how John Roderick isn’t a rockstar. He writes absolutely amazing, intelligent, catchy pop songs, and more importantly he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever seen on a stage. And his dispatches from Bonnarroo a couple of years ago were utterly hilarious. Maybe the next album will finally be his breakthrough? One can hope. |
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Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos, The Dust of Retreat (2006) Sometimes you just need to hear some really pretty, sad music. And this album is about as pretty, and sad, as any album as I heard this decade. If I were doing a “Favorite Songs of the Decade” list – and I don’t think I am – “Skeleton Key” would be very near the top. |
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The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic (2000) This is still pretty much the only New Pornographers album that I listen to. The band’s subsequent albums have been good (though Challengers didn’t do much for me), but none has felt as fun or loose as their debut. And it’s the only one where I’ve found Dan Bejar’s songs to be endurable. (Sue me – I don’t like the guy.) |
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Okkervil River, Down the River of Golden Dreams (2003) I assume that most people would pick Black Sheep Boy or The Stage Names – both excellent albums – as their favorite Okkervil River albums ahead of this one. But I find this album the most consistent, and the most emotionally honest, of the band’s discography. And Will’s plaintive delivery of “It Ends With A Fall” – where it almost sounds like he’s on the verge of breaking down mid-song – is absolutely stunning. |
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Pela, Anytown Graffiti (2007) While I liked this album the first time I heard it, it’s one of those few albums that I’ve come to like more and more with each listen, and with each year. In fact, if I’d made this list last year, Anytown Graffiti probably wouldn’t have been on it. Along with Ted Leo’s Tyranny of Distance and an album that features in my Top 10, this album makes me feel like I’m back living in New York. I’m still pissed they broke up. |
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Rocket From the Crypt, Group Sounds (2001) I, for one, loved 1998’s RFTC, but by 2001, there were a number of Rocket From the Crypt fans wondering whether the band would ever return to the tightly-wound, angry (yet ready to party) form of its earlier albums. The fact that the band had signed to pop-punk/emo label Vagrant Records only raised further questions. Thankfully, though,Group Sounds found the band in a fierce, fighting mood. Possibly my second favorite album from the band after Scream, Dracula Scream! |
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Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker (2000) Ryan’s first solo album, and possibly the pinnacle of his musical output in my opinion (though Stranger’s Almanac is close). Everything after this album – both the good and bad – seemed too self-conscious and too weighed down by Ryan’s eccentricities and ego. This album, though, was simply the sound of an amazingly talented musician whose heart had been utterly shattered honestly laying everything out on disc, more concerned with his art (and heart) than his press. |
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Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Tyranny of Distance (2001) I had a hard time deciding between this and 2003’s Hearts of Oak. While the latter was the album that got me into Ted’s music, this was the first album of his that I truly fell in love with. I can’t hear this album without thinking of walking around the Lower East Side, or without wanting to move back to New York as soon as humanly possible. |
you had such a hard time picking between ted albums that you listed one and used the art for the other! i have a hard time picking between those, too. both are kind of front-loaded and “hearts of oak” has more favorites but “tyranny” holds up a little better.
exploding hearts definitely makes my top 20.
Ha! I actually had Hearts of Oak on this list as of last night, but then listened to both albums back to back and switched to The Tyranny of Distance. Forgot to change the image and link, obviously. Fixed now.
Oh, and the Exploding Hearts disc was a last minute switch out of the 21-30 range and into 31-50. Not sure why. Great disc.
[...] So here’s part of of my “Favorite Albums of the Decade” list. Part one resides here. [...]
[...] the next installment of my favorite albums of the decade. Sorry for the lengthy delay between the first two posts and this one – holidays, job interviews, blah blah [...]
[...] case you missed it, the first part of the list (##31-50) is here, the second (##21-30) is here, and the third (##11-20) is [...]