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The Decade


TheLizard

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Since we already have a top ten albums vote upcoming in the Songfactor's Choice, I thought we should have a thread to reminisce about the musical developments of the past decade. Was mainstream music really so bad? Were there any bands that will stand the test of time along with the heavyweights of classic rock? Are MP3s the death of music as we once knew it or a convenient innovation that assisted up-and coming artists (or both)? Who broke new barriers in music and who sucked? Was Jack White really that awesome (yes)?

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I'm currently putting together a list of my top 100 songs from this decade for another site (one per artist) and I'm almost done (I've been spending 5 minutes at a time on it every once in a while since the summer). The ordering after #25 really vague but still.

When I'm done with it I'll post it here.

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I'd say the biggest theme of this decade was the merging of the mainstream and underground (and this process has not been completed, I believe the trend will continue into the next decade). I mean, freaking Grizzly Bear is on the Twilight soundtrack. MIA performed at the Grammys. Animal Collective's latest album made it into the Billboard top 10. Creed tickets for their tour this summer literally sold for as low as 75 cents. It's an exciting time to be a pop music lover.

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Definitely agree with you, Batman. Having indie cred was the coolest thing in the last decade, but when all the same bands are considered requirements for indie cred, then they're really mainstream, right? But I think as the decade wore on, more people realized that the number of people who know about an artist is less important than how good the band is.

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Here's a top 50 albums list I made for another site. I made no attempt to be objective, this is just a list of my 50 favorite albums from the decade. Pretty much in order but the further from #1 the less I thought about its placement.

1. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

2. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

3. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs

4. Madvillain - Madvillainy

5. Radiohead - Kid A

6. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

7. Daft Punk - Discovery

8. The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine

9. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury

10. Animal Collective - Feels

11. The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics

12. Passion Pit - Manners

13. Alan Braxe - The Upper Cuts

14. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief

15. Broken Social SCene - Broken Social Scene

16. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

17. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

18. The Avalanches - Since I Left You

19. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030

20. The White Stripes - Elephant

21. Arcade Fire - Funeral

22. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi

23. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People

24. Panda Bear - Person Pitch

25. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

26. Girl Talk - Night Ripper

27. Jay Z - The Blueprint

28. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

29. El Guincho - Alegranza!

30. Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place

31. Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica

32. Sigur Ros - ( )

33. Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain

34. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

35. Radiohead - Amnesiac

36. Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic

37. Junior Boys - So This is Goodbye

38. The Thermals - Fuckin A

39. Gorillaz - Gorillaz

40. Radiohead - In Rainbows

41. Madlib - Shades of Blue

42. Stars - Set Yourself on Fire

43. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum

44. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

45. The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic

46. Quasimoto - The Unseen

47. Menomena - Friend and Foe

48. Devendra Barnhart - Cripple Crow

49. Hot Chip - The Warning

50. No Age - Nouns

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Definitely agree with you, Batman. Having indie cred was the coolest thing in the last decade, but when all the same bands are considered requirements for indie cred, then they're really mainstream, right? But I think as the decade wore on, more people realized that the number of people who know about an artist is less important than how good the band is.

Yeah one of my friends recently made a note on facebook where everyone lists their top 10 albums of the decade, and I was struck by how similar all our lists were. I'm not sure if there was more than one without a Radiohead appearance of some kind.

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I totally agree. I don't see the shame in being a singles artist. If a musician can say in 3 minutes what it takes other musicians 40 minutes to do, I think it's a positive reflection on their abilities, not a sign that they don't have what it takes to create a full, flowing album.

MP3s allow good singles artists to fully focus on creating great singles rather than waste their time with album filler. It's also a good strategy to get noticed. Crystal Castles didn't become famous for putting out a really good album (although it is pretty good), they got famous for putting out some REALLY REALLY awesome singles. They just put all their effort into "Untrust Us" and "Vanished," blew up, and then worked on making a full album.

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what do you mean with the "faults" of the mp3 format? that it's not lossless?

I mean the sound quality compared to other, traditional formats.

Another thought: Mainstream rap was decent at the beginning of the decade and really sucks now, with the exception of the rappers from the beginning of the decade who are still around now (ie Jay-Z, Eminem). And even those two... I don't think anybody would claim that The Blueprint 3 and Relapse are as good as The Blueprint and The Marshall Mathers LP.

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even most of my favorite "non-mainstream" rap was from the beginning of the decade.

Here's a question...who was the best hip hop producer of the decade? I think the general consensus is that it's either Dre, Timbaland, or the Neptunes, but who's the best out of them? I'd go with the Neptunes personally.

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This list is totally subjective and given to change in content and rankings, which are sketchy at best. I had to leave quite a few records I like off, but here is my tentative...

101 Albums of the Decade (with brief descriptions and a highlight from each):

1. Funeral - Arcade Fire: Brilliant, passionate and compelling from start to finish. "Wake Up"

2. Elephant – The White Stripes: Punk-blues-garage and most every other kind of rock at its disillusioned best. "Seven Nation Army"

3. Songs for the Deaf – Queens of the Stone Age: Top-notch American hard rock. "Go With The Flow"

4. Yoshimo Battles the Pink Robots – The Flaming Lips: Alternately funny and sad yet utterly beautiful psychedelic rock. "Do You Realize??"

5. Is This It? – The Strokes: For perfect , NY punk- informed alt-pop, this is it. "Someday"

6. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand: Aggressive, fun, witty art punk. "Take Me Out"

7. Return to Cookie Mountain -TV On The Radio: Eclectic post-rock with passion and emotion to match its sonic innovation. "I Was A Lover"

8. Demon Days – Gorillaz The second brilliant synthesis of pop-rock, hip-hop and electronica by Albarn and Co. "DARE"

9. Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone – The Walkmen: New York post-punk from a world of its own. "Revenge Wears No Wristwatch"

10. Sea Change – Beck: One of the best most beautiful break-up albums. "Guess I'm Doing Fine"

11. White Blood Cells – The White Stripes: More blues-punk perfection. "Fell In Love With A Girl"

12. Kid A – Radiohead: A bold, accomplished foray into electronic music. "How To Disappear Completely"

13. Gorillaz – Gorillaz: Albarn’s eclectic Brit-pop meets Dan the Automator’s imaginative hip hop.

"Clint Eastwood"

14. Turn on the Bright Lights – Interpol: Haunted and haunting. "Untitled"

15. R – Queens of the Stone Age: Excellent heavy metal with a few trippy twists. "The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret"

16. Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea – PJ Harvey: An intense, confident and well balanced offering from one of rock’s preeminent female artists. "The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore"

17. Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Strong contender for the best double album of the decade. More like two distinct albums: one hard rock, the other elegant ballads but both some of his best work. "Nature Boy" and "Carry Me"

18. Favourite Worst Nightmare – Arctic Monkeys: A rare album that distils (rather than simply rehashes) the best elements of punk and classic British rock into a fresh new sound. "Florescent Adolescent"

19. Strawberry Jam – Animal Collective: A masterpiece of experimental psychedelic-tinged rock. "Derek"

20. Blinking Lights and Revelations – Eels: A wonderfully diverse, honest and original double album that is very personal yet widely appealing.

"Ugly Love"

21. Arular – MIA: Throw dancehall, crunk, grime, rap, electronica and a Sri Lankan refugee together and viola. "Galang"

22. Dear Science – TV on the Radio: More excellent, accomplished and purposeful post-rock. "Halfway Home"

23. The Blueprint – Jay Z: With almost flawless rhymes and rhythms easily one of, if not the best rap album of the decade. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"

24. The Moon and Antarctica – Modest Mouse: Weighty, eloquent indie rock featuring one of the quirkiest yet inspired lyricists in modern music. "Gravity Rides Everything"

25. Stankonia – Outkast: A sprawling, brilliantly erratic mix of electro, rap, and funk. "B.O.B."

26. The Hour of Bewilderbeast – Badly Drawn Boy: One of finest, most charming debuts by one of the best singer-songwriters in years. "The Shining"

27. Good News For People Who Love Bad News - Modest Mouse: Another intriguing collection of wonderful, reflective, diverse songs. "Ocean Breathes Salty"

28. Madvilliany – Madvillian: Outstanding, restlessly inventive hip-hop. "All Caps"

29. Welcome to the North – The Music: An excellent and fierce blend of post-grunge and space rock. "Breakin'"

30. Writer’s Block – Peter Bjorn & John: Great, diverse indie pop by some rather gifted Swedes. "Young Folks"

31. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not – Arctic Monkeys: An ambitious debut in the tradition of great British post-punk/rock. "I Bet That You Look Good On The Dance Floor"

32. Quality – Talib Kweli: Accurate title, top quality hip hop. "Get By"

33. In Rainbows – Radiohead: A lovely, textured record that is probably their most accessible since OK Computer. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"

34. Geodaddi – Boards of Canada: Smooth, classic downtempo electronica. "1969"

35. LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem: An entertaining concoction of and homage to some of the most critically acclaimed (i.e. generally unknown) artists of the past few decades. "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House"

36. Tyrannosaurus Hives – The Hives: Classic Hives: manic and over-the-top garage rock fun. "Walk Idiot Walk"

37. Satanic Panic in the Attic – Of Montreal: Melodic and whimsical neo-psychedelic pop. "City Bird"

38. Midnight Boom– The Kills: Having expanded their sound a bit they’ve improved the direct, gritty, sassy garage punk of their two (excellent) previous releases. "Cheap and Cheerful"

39. Manners – Passion Pit: Catchy, upbeat, 80’s-influenced electro-tinged pop with some decidedly grim subject matter. "The Reeling"

40. Yellow House – Grizzly Bear: A majestic, atmospheric album with a lovely combination of the earthy and the heavenly. "Central and Remote"

41. Pawn Shoppe Heart – The Von Blondies: A truly great, intense garage-punk album. "No Regrets"

42. Illinoise – Sufjan Stevens: An ambitious, Americana-influenced indie folk rock classic. "Decatur, Or, A Round of Applause For Your Stepmother!"

43. The Warning – Hot Chip: Superb electronic indie rock. "(JustLike We) Breakdown"

44. Almost Killed Me – The Hold Steady: Craig Finn’s twisted tales set to some great, straightforward rock and roll. "Positive Jam"

45. Change – Dismemberment Plan: A mellower more mature, refined record both lyrically and musically then their previous releases but just as interesting. "The Face of the Earth"

46. Earthquake Glue – Guided By Voices: A fine return to form by one of American indie rock’s exceptional songwriters. "The Best Of Jill Hives"

47. Z - My Morning Jacket: An awesome, soaring guitar rock epic. "Lay Low"

48. We Love Life – Pulp: A quintessentially British album with a more optimistic tone and organic sound. "Weeds"

49. Internal Wrangler – Clinic: Distinctive, experimental punk-based indie. "The Second Line"

50. Third – Portishead: About time for some more ominous, unsettling, original electronica. "We Carry On"

51. Dongs of Sevotion – Smog: As brilliantly sparse musically as it is abundant with Callahan’s trademark brutally honest, hard-hitting lyrics. "Justice Aversion"

52. We Were Born In A Flame – Sam Roberts: A nice, fresh spin on classic rock. "Brother Down"

53. 23 – Blonde Redhead: Ethereal, effortless dream pop. "23"

54. Original Pirate Material – The Streets: Stellar debut mixing keen social commentary with UK garage. "Let's Push Things Forward"

55. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out – Yo La Tengo: More subdued then their previous work but its melodic, meditative folk-pop is just as engaging. "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" (extra points for the random Simpsons reference.)

56. The Libertines – The Libertines: A messy yet undeniably great garage rock record from one of the most volatile bands of the decade. "What Became of the Likely Lads"

57. Murray Street - Sonic Youth: An intricate, tasteful return to their experimental guitar rock origins. "The Empty Page"

58. Up The Bracket – The Libertines: Britain’s superb garage rock answer to the Strokes. "Up the Bracket"

59. A Grand Don’t Come For Free – The Streets: Another brilliant slice of British life by grime’s poet laureate. "It Was Supposed To Be So Easy"

60. Rubber Factory – The Black Keys: Yet another excellent rock and roll record of the garage rock revival, this one with decidedly more blues influence. "Girl Is On My Mind"

61. Dig Out Your Soul – Oasis: The strongest album they’ve recorded since Morning Glory. "Falling Down"

62. Kala –MIA: An even more intense and eclectic mix of cultural styles then Arular. "Jimmy"

63. Highly Evolved – The Vines: A surprisingly diverse garage rock album by one of the revival’s initial torchbearers. "Get Free"

64. Sung Tongs – Animal Collective: Another adventurous outing from one of modern rock’s most unique and creative groups. "Leaf House"

65. Castaways and Cutouts – The Decemberists: Melodic folk-pop carrying on the great story-telling tradition of its parent genre. "July, July!"

66. Tourist – St Germain: One of the best jazz-fusion albums out there. "Rose Rouge"

67. () – Sigur Ros: Gorgeous, epic soundscapes. "Untitled #6 (E-Bow)"

68. Vespertine – Bjork: A beautiful, sparkling, intimate album. "Hidden Place"

69. Green Album – Weezer: Some of the catchiest hook-laden punk-pop of the decade. "Hash Pipe"

70. Rooty – Basement Jaxx: Eclectic, first-rate house music. "Where's Your Head At"

71. Leaders of the Free World – Elbow: Emotive and mature Brit-pop. "Great Expectations"

72. Discovery - Daft Punk: A choice synth-pop dance album. "One More Time"

73. Things We Lost in the Fire – Low: Lovely title, lovely album. "Laser Beam"

74. Communion - Soundtrack of our Lives: A solid Swedish rock double album. "Flipside"

75. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco: One of the great American pop/rock releases of the decade. "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"

76. Carnavas – Silversun Pickups: An inspired mix of dream pop and post grunge. "Lazy Eye"

77. Life on Other Planets – Supergrass: More fresh, playful pop. "Grace"

78. Neon Golden - The Notwist: A handful of different styles deftly blended into some outstanding accessible electronica. "Consequence"

79. Lapalco - Brendan Benson: An overlooked power pop gem by an overlooked power popster. "Tiny Spark"

80. Phrenology - The Roots: Solid jazz and rock-inflected hip hop. "The Seed 2.0"

81. Bad Dreams – Swollen Members: With excellent production and spot-on collaborations it’s a worthy follow-up to Balance. "Take It Back"

82. The Facts of Life – Black Box Recorder: Understated, subversive yet pretty pop. "The Facts of Life"

83. Alright, Still – Lily Allen: Sunny British pop with a mean streak. "Smile"

84. Supernature – Goldfrapp: A great pairing of lovely vocals and catchy electro-dance rhythms. "Ooh La La"

85. Make Up The Breakdown – Hot Hot Heat: Nervous, geeky pop ala XTC and Elvis Costello. "Bandages"

86. Action Pact – Sloan: A good power pop album, from a consistently underrated power pop band. "The Rest of My Life"

87. Fever To Tell – Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Perhaps not as strong as their early EPs but still an exciting art punk debut. "Maps"

88. Hey Venus! - Super Furry Animals: Another delightful, compact, pure pop record from the Furries. "Show Your Hand"

89. Gallowsbird’s Bark – Fiery Furnaces: A unique mix of traditional blues/roots and experimental rock. "I'm Gonna Run"

90. The Decline of British Sea Power – British Sea Power: Dense, dark, compelling guitar rock. "The Lonely"

91. Fur and Gold – Bat for Lashes: A gorgeous, heartfelt debut. "Sad Eyes"

92. The Marshall Mathers LP – Eminem: Sharp, clever, well-produced, obscene and not to be taken too seriously. "The Real Slim Shady"

93. Oh, Inverted World - The Shins: Some fine retro pop. "New Slang"

94. Coles Corner - Richard Hawley: A truly romantic set of love songs from a gifted singer/songwriter in the vein of Scott Walker and Roy Orbison. "Coles Corner"

95. De-loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta: More wild, relentless, and creative than prog-rock has been in ages, not for the faint of heart. "Roulette Dare (The Haunt Of)"

96. Bang Bang Rock and Roll – Art Brut: Catchy, arty, punk that is at times both clever and stupid. "Formed A Band"

97. Man-Made - Teenage Fanclub: Yet another superb pop record from the Scottish veterans. "Fallen Leaves"

98. Hopes and Fears – Keane: *Guilty pleasure alert!* Despite obvious comparisons, this is more lovely and melodic (if at times lyrically pedestrian) than three quarters of the best of Coldplay. Tom Chaplin’s rich, ethereal voice alone equals the other quarter. "We Might As Well Be Strangers"

99. The Noise Made By People – Broadcast: Wonderfully light dream pop. "Echo's Answer"

100. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven - Godspeed You Black Emperor!: Lovely, lush orchestral rock. "Storm: Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Antennas"

101. Howl – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Dropping MBV and the Underground for roots rock, in this case, was a good call. "Ain't No Easy Way Out"

And Doves, Futureheads, Phoenix, Elliot Smith, System of a Down, MGMT, the Wrens, more Kills, more Eels, more LCD Soundsystem, more Clinic, more Black Keys etc...

Also honourable mentions should be made to the ‘big’ albums, those from from U2 (All That You Can’t Leave Behind), Green Day (American Idiot) and Coldplay (A Rush of Blood To The Head), but which had only a couple songs I liked from each.

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I think that's one of the best lists I've seen, though I do disagree on the Oasis thing with Heathen Chemistry being my #3 favourite after the obvious choices. I'd probably shift some stuff up (Carnavas, BRMC) and some stuff down (QotSA, Radiohead) but that would just be my own subjectivity and for the most part I think it's pretty representative and WHY couldn't you have posted this earlier because it gives people a lot of great ideas for that thread that's active in the forum at the bottom of the page.

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I think that's one of the best lists I've seen, though I do disagree on the Oasis thing with Heathen Chemistry being my #3 favourite after the obvious choices. I'd probably shift some stuff up (Carnavas, BRMC) and some stuff down (QotSA, Radiohead) but that would just be my own subjectivity and for the most part I think it's pretty representative and WHY couldn't you have posted this earlier because it gives people a lot of great ideas for that thread that's active in the forum at the bottom of the page.

I'd also throw in Memory Tapes, M83's Saturday=Youth, and (surprised you didn't mention this, BlueAngel) Songs in A&E. And some Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre (seeing as BRMC are already in there).

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