Top Ten Albums of the Decade
This is a list of the best albums released over the last ten years. We are not shying away from this statement.
To get to the bottom of the mass of music and “music” that was made over this relatively huge amount of time we asked the question: “What albums cannot be fucked with?” Looking at originality, influence, technique, album arrangement, time context, etc… we arrived here. The last decade spoke, and this is what it said.
10. Beck - Sea Change - 2002
Beck came in to his own with this album and showed the world something nobody thought he was capable of. The most appropriate word for it is “beautiful”. It would make an exceptional soundtrack for your mysterious journey to heaven… or a sullen night of deep self-reflection. Either one works. The majority of the melodies are simplistic, but are carried by clean, gorgeous tones and harmonies. All the while, there’s constant movement in the background to make sure there’s no stagnancy. Although Beck’s gone on to do some great work since, this is still his defining moment of the last ten years. Listen.
.
9. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People - 2002
This is a bounty of sound - and a damn fine bounty at that. Basically, Broken Social Scene has written the manual on how to have a huge, interesting sound with You Forgot It in People. The album has about ten instruments on every track at minimum, yet they very rarely play the same parts. Working three guitars uniquely while keeping a seamless front is not a light task. But above all, what’s most impressing is that it hits this strange, sometimes eerie, feeling of relaxing and exciting simultaneously. You’re mind is in such pleasant space that you’re almost left paralyzed. Canada done good with this one. Listen.
.
8. TV On The Radio - Dear Science - 2008
The release of Dear Science announced a new voice in music: one that speaks loudly. TV On The Radio had put out some solid albums before this, but here you could see the full progression and connection of all their previous work – this is their greatest yet. And what sets this album above so many others’ is simply the fact that these previous works were still better than 93% of other music this decade. This album is vivacious. Their signature vocal harmonies and melodies are done with genius and the entire sound is colorful and fresh. Dear Science came with cutting-edge song writing and a group of people that know how to make great noise. This is a sound only they can produce. Listen.
.
7. Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly - 2004
You want to see how low you can go? How far and how deep an album can take you? Misery Is a Butterfly by Blonde Redhead will fuck you up. This isn’t an album for the weak of heart, don’t expect to put this on when you’re in the car and expect to be in the same mood when you’re done. It’s meant for people who have been there, people who have dealt with loss, love, or have ever been miserable. All that in hand, it lets you know there are others out there too. You’re in you’re most raw form and it’s done in that beautiful way which only Blonde Redhead can execute. Listen.
.
6. Justice - Cross - 2007
I don’t think anyone could say they didn’t hear something off of Justice’s Cross. This solidified the sound of electro house and put all the imitators to rest, letting everyone know far and wide that there are musicians behind those laptops, tables, and decks. This album both inspires movement (physical and mental) and creates disbelief that such synth sounds were possible. Cross can infect your senses at the beginning of the night and not let go until you pass out from exhaustion in the morning. It’s a true and unequal submission to the world of house music. Listen.
.
5. OutKast - Stankonia - 2000
When I first heard this album I swore that Parliament had a hand in it. Never had I heard instrumentation and production play such an organic and powerful part of a Hip Hop album. It was also my first introduction to basically the best sound in the game of Big Boi and Andre 3000. It’s lyrically deep in many portions but is not without a playful demeanor that lets you know what’s up; it keeps away from getting too enthralled in what may be a serious message. The beginning of this album almost seems as though it was built for the masses, but get past Humble Mumble (track 15) and you will hear some of the best deep cuts of this time period. Tracks like Red Velvet and Slum Beautiful let you know, this album, these guys, were just on another level. Listen.
.
4. Daft Punk - Discovery - 2001
Daft Punk set themselves apart from the world of House music with this submission in 2001. At the time, electro house was expanding and deep house, or Chicago house, music was the back drop or point of origin for so many sub-genres, With this release, the French House duo made an album that let the barriers of a culture become transparent and an album that seemed to be for anyone who loved music. It would be hard for many to say that at one point in time they heard one of these tracks and instinctively started to dance where ever they were. Four-on-the-floor beats, intelligent and elegant synth work along with soulful and interesting vocal dubs make this an album hard to argue with and would make anyone move. Listen.
.
3. Rx Bandits - The Resignation - 2003
Possibly the most powerful album of the decade is Rx’s fourth release, The Resignation. The group started as a proto-typical third generation ska band and morphed into something both spectacular and impossible to define. The album’s full of great technicalities but still has a full groove that doesn’t let the music become cold and uninviting. It’s a perfect blend. As a whole, The Resignation is laid out with a strategy in mind and really starts to kick into gear around track four. What’s most impressive is that this entire album was recorded live in the studio with a limited amount of takes allowed. Besides vocals, there are no over-dubs. They’re one of the most musically gifted groups in existence, and one that most people will never hear. Listen.
.
2. Arcade Fire - Funeral - 2004
The world of indie-rock became a very confusing and sometimes ugly one over the last ten years. But this album will forever be able to be looked at as the one that, above all others, said something. It’s like a phoenix out of the ashes, a diamond in the rough, and so on and so on… It’s one of the few things in this world that gives all of these otherwise worthless sayings truth. Arcade Fire uses every instrument at its capacity and mixes them into a glorious wall of sound that forces you to take a seat. Above all, this is an incredibly smart album. The track layout, the song’s structures, the instrument selection, the vocal harmonies: they all make something pure. The band went on to much larger success with the release of Neon Bible – another great album. The only problem with it is that it came out after Funeral. Listen.
.
1. The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute - 2005
At the time, this album marked the biggest step from anything the founders, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, had ever done before. Miles away from anything done with At The Drive-In or De Facto. It even blows away their first full length attempt as The Mars Volta with Deloused in the Comatorium by getting away from stigmas like verse-chorus-verse and up-front vocals. They explored the grittiest of concepts and brought in musicians like Larry Harlow and John Frusciante to help them truly experiment with clashing genres and sounds. The Mars Volta made a progressive-rock album that you cannot ignore - but most will. Listen.
- Maxwel Lemberger and Dakotah Cornelius
