They’re split into tiers because that’s how I roll. Members of the same tier are often (not always) interchangeable from a ranking standpoint and I will admit that as you move down the tiers much less effort has been put into truly sorting them out.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

1. Arcade Fire :: The Suburbs :: 8/3/10
2. Hot Chip :: One Life Stand :: 2/9/10

3. Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever :: 5/4/10
4. Broken Bells :: Broken Bells :: 3/9/10
5. Apples In Stereo :: Travellers In Space :: 4/20/10
6. Eels :: End Times :: 1/19/10
7. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening :: 5/18/10
8. The National :: High Violet :: 5/11/10
9. Violent Soho :: Violent Soho :: 5/9/10
10. Gorillaz :: Plastic Beach :: 3/3/10
11. Gogol Bordello :: Trans-Continental Hustle :: 5/7/10
12. Against Me! :: White Crosses :: 6/7/10

13. The Radio Dept :: Clinging To A Scheme :: 4/21/10
14. The Roots :: How I Got Over :: 6/21/10
15. Sleigh Bells :: Treats :: 6/1/10
16. Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs :: God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise :: 8/17/10
17. Los Campesinos :: Romance Is Boring :: 1/26/10
18. Frightened Rabbit :: The Winter of Mixed Drinks :: 3/1/10

19. Belle & Sebastian :: Write About Love :: 10/12/10
20. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club :: Beat The Devil’s Tattoo :: 3/9/10
21. Ted Leo :: Brutalist Bricks :: 3/9/10
22. Caribou :: Swim :: 4/20/10
23. Titus Andronicus :: The Monitor :: 3/9/10
24. Black Keys :: Brothers :: 5/18/10
25. Charlotte Gainsbourg::IRM :: 1/26/10
26. She & Him :: Volume Two :: 3/23/10
27. The Weepies :: Be My Thrill :: 8/31/10

28. OK Go:: Of The Blue Colour of the Morning Sky :: 1/12/10
29. Kasey Anderson :: Nowhere Nights :: 2/16/10
30. MGMT :: Congratulations :: 4/13/10
31. Surfer Blood :: Astro Coast :: 1/19/10
32. Ratatat :: LP4 :: 6/8/10
33. Flying Lotus :: Cosmogramma :: 5/3/10

34. Band of Horses :: Infinite Arms :: 5/18/10
35. Blitzen Trapper :: Destroyer of the Void :: 6/8/10
36. Josh Ritter – So Runs The World Away :: 4/17/10
37. The New Pornographers – Together :: 5/4/10
38. Gaslight Anthem :: American Slang :: 6/15/10
39. Yeasayer :: Odd Blood :: 2/8/10
40. Of Montreal :: False Priest :: 9/14/10
41. Beach House :: Teen Dream :: 1/26/10
42. The Magnetic Fields :: Realism :: 1/26/10
43. Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore :: Dear Companion :: 2/16/10
44. Spoon :: Transference :: 1/19/10
45. The Morning Benders :: Big Echo :: 3/9/10

46. Drive By Truckers :: The Big Todo :: 3/16/10
47. Justin Townes Earle :: Harlem River Blues :: 9/14/10
48. Kathryn Calder :: Are You My Mother? :: 8/10/10
49. Midlake :: The Courage of Others :: 2/2/10
50. Eels :: Tomorrow Morning :: 8/17/10

51. Unkle :: Where Did The Night Fall :: 5/10/10
52. Jakob Dylan :: Women and Country :: 4/6/10
53. Murder By Death :: Good Morning Magpie :: 4/6/10
54. Dr.Dog :: Shame Shame :: 4/6/10
55. Janelle Monae :: The Arch Android (Suites II and III) :: 5/18/10
56. Mumford & Sons :: Sign No More :: 2/6/10
57. Tobacco :: Maniac Meat :: 5/25/10
58. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl :: Record Collection :: 9/27/10
59. Kings of Leon :: Come Around Sundown :: 10/15/10
60. Toadies :: Feeler :: 8/10/10
61. Bad Religion :: The Dissent of Man :: 9/28/10

62. The Dead Weather :: Sea of Cowards :: 5/11/10
63. Jeremy Messersmith :: The Reluctant Graveyard :: 5/4/10
64. Morcheeba :: Blood Like Lemonade :: 6/7/10
65. Filter :: The Trouble With Angels :: 8/17/10
66. Cypress Hill :: Rise Up :: 4/20/10
67. Deftones :: Diamond Eyes :: 5/4/10
68. Broken Social Scene:: Forgiveness Rock Record :: 5/4/10
69. Holy Fuck :: Latin :: 5/10/10
70. The Like :: Release Me :: 6/15/10
71. Brandon Flowers :: Flamingo :: 9/3/10
72. Ra Ra Riot :: The Orchard :: 8/24/10
73. Helmet :: Seeing Eye Dog :: 9/7/10
74. Damien Jurado :: Saint Bartlett :: 5/25/10
75. Two Door Cinema Club :: Tourist History :: 3/1/10
76. Joe Pug : Messenger :: 2/16/10
77. Vampire Weekend :: Contra :: 1/11/10
78. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan :: Hawk :: 8/24/10
79. Middle Class Rut :: No Name No Color LP :: 11/22/10

80. Weezer :: Death to False Metal :: 11/2/10
81. Jack Johnson :: To The Sea :: 6/1/10
82. Interpol :: Interpol :: 9/7/10
83. Local Natives :: Gorilla Manor :: 2/16/10
84. The Young Veins :: Take a Vacation! :: 6/8/10
85. Besnard Lakes :: The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night :: 3/9/10
86. Maps & Atlases :: Perch Patchwork EP :: 6/29/10
87. ARMS :: EP :: 3/12/10

88. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals :: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals :: 6/8/10
89. Weezer :: Hurley :: 9/14/10
90. Wolf Parade :: Expo 86 :: 6/29/10
91. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers :: Mojo :: 6/15/10
92. Stone Temple Pilots :: Stone Temple Pilots :: 5/25/10
93. School of Seven Bells :: Disconnect From Desire :: 7/12/10
94. Pernice Brothers :: Goodbye Killer :: 6/15/10
95. Neon Trees :: Habits :: 3/16/10
96. Darker My Love :: Alive As You Are :: 8/17/10
97. Robert Plant :: Band of Joy :: 9/14/10
98. Minus The Bear :: Omni :: 5/4/10
99. Kanye West :: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy :: 11/22/10

100. Surfjan Stevens :: The Age Of Adz :: 10/12/10
101. Juniper Tar :: The Howl Street EP :: 2/2010
102. The Soft Pack :: The Soft Pack :: 2/2010
103. Teenage Fanclub :: Shadows :: 5/31/10
104. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti :: Before Today :: 6/8/10
105. Ben Folds :: Lonely Avenue :: 9/28/10
106. Jonsi :: Go :: 4/6/10
107. Klaxons :: Surfing The Void :: 8/23/10
108. The Whigs :: In The Dark :: 3/16/10
109. Keane :: Night Train :: 5/11/10
110. Crayon Fields :: Make Peace With Love :: 9/14/10
111. RJD2 :: The Colossus :: 1/19/10
112. Jimmy Eat World :: Invented :: 9/28/10
113. Surfjan Stevens :: All The Delighted People :: 8/2/10
114. Crystal Castles :: Crystal Castles II :: 5/24/10
115. Grinderman :: Grinderman 2 :: 9/13/10
116. John Vanderslice :: Green Grow The Rushes :: 10/4/10
117. Ed Kowalczyk :: Alive :: 7/6/10
118. We Are Scientists :: Barbara :: 6/14/10

~ best of/covers/live/and GirlTalk are not eligible for the real rankings, BUT:

… some are awesome:
Girl Talk :: All Day :: 11/15/10
The Hot Rats :: Turn Ons (Hot Rats is a cover band with the guys from Supergrass)
Various Artists :: Broken Hearts And Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine
Bad Religion :: 30 Years Live :: 5/18/10
… and some old Pixies shows and such that they’ve been giving away (definitely get on their mailing list)

… others are fine:
Pavement :: Quarantine the Past (best of)
The White Stripes :: Under Great White Northern Lights :: 3/16/10
Phoenix :: Live in Sydney
Soundgarden :: Telephantasm
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Daft Punk :: Tron: Legacy
Nada Surf :: If I Had a Hi-Fi :: 6/8/10

… and 1 I just plain didn’t like:
Various Artists :: Dear New Orleans

Jim’s Best Of 2010

2010 was an incredible year for new music. This year not only had something for everyone; it had 27 somethings for everyone — No self respecting list should get cutoff by an arbitrary number.

Best Disc Hot Chip had a ton of competition for “best of the first half”, while Arcade Fire walked away with the “best of the second half” title with ease.

1. Arcade Fire :: The Suburbs :: 8/3/10
2. Hot Chip :: One Life Stand :: 2/9/10

Must have. I’ve assigned rankings as best I can here but mood could definitely bring any of them in front of any of the others. Loved these.

3. Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever :: 5/4/10
4. Broken Bells :: Broken Bells :: 3/9/10
5. Apples In Stereo :: Travellers In Space :: 4/20/10
6. Eels :: End Times :: 1/19/10
7. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening :: 5/18/10
8. The National :: High Violet :: 5/11/10
9. Violent Soho :: Violent Soho :: 5/9/10
10. Gorillaz :: Plastic Beach :: 3/3/10
11. Gogol Bordello :: Trans-Continental Hustle :: 5/7/10
12. Against Me! :: White Crosses :: 6/7/10

Well worth your money. If you haven’t given them a try… you should. All great must-have discs.

13. The Radio Dept :: Clinging To A Scheme :: 4/21/10
14. The Roots :: How I Got Over :: 6/21/10
15. Sleigh Bells :: Treats :: 6/1/10
16. Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs :: God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise :: 8/17/10
17. Los Campesinos :: Romance Is Boring :: 1/26/10
18. Frightened Rabbit :: The Winter of Mixed Drinks :: 3/1/10

We’re still in “buy them if you haven’t yet” territory here.

19. Belle & Sebastian :: Write About Love :: 10/12/10
20. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club :: Beat The Devil’s Tattoo :: 3/9/10
21. Ted Leo :: Brutalist Bricks :: 3/9/10
22. Caribou :: Swim :: 4/20/10
23. Titus Andronicus :: The Monitor :: 3/9/10
24. Black Keys :: Brothers :: 5/18/10
25. Charlotte Gainsbourg::IRM :: 1/26/10
26. She & Him :: Volume Two :: 3/23/10
27. The Weepies :: Be My Thrill :: 8/31/10

I actually kept a running list of the entire year that I’ll be posting soon, so look for that as well.

…and it would make me feel all warm & fuzzy if you shared your thoughts here via comment.  So… you should.

It’s been just incredible so far this year — Not even halfway into the year, I would tell you that I “highly recommend” spending your hard earned $10 on any of these 33 discs.

David Gray has an incredible ability to replicate the sound – and more importantly for his vocal style – the intensity of his studio recordings, for live shows.  How he manages to bring that sort of energy on a consistent basis is really impressive.  I mean, seriously — this is live?  Listen without your eyes on the video and you’d swear it’s an engineered studio recording.

… and if you’re a David Gray fan, I’d highly recommend checking out another video in that series –  an interview on KGSR-Austin.  Sounds like another album is on the way very soon here… and there’s a clue as to why “that wacky drummer”  isn’t around anymore.

Here’s a great video from PabstRiverside, from the show we were at:

One was a very laidback/intimate show featuring some great bands for the Muzzle Of Bees 5-Year Anniversary.  It’s hands down my favorite music blog (local or not) – you really should be following it.  On top of the great bands they brought to town, it was great to meet the sites founder, Ryan Matteson.

The other was one of the first “country” shows that I’ve been to.  Justin Townes Earle put on a great show a few weeks back that my buddy Fox came to town for.  Joe Pug made for a great opener and we got a killer fish fry at Toby’s beforehand (<– check out that site and tell me that fry isn’t going to be incredible).  Awesome night.

Finally, we get to last night’s show.  It had been a long time since I’d been to a live show with the word “punk” in the description – too long.  but Ted Leo & The Pharmacists had the prescription to cure my slow music ills (<– groan).  Loud, fast, no messin’ around, just can’t hold still – really great stuff.

You can hear the new disc on their MySpace page.  You should definitely check it out.

• Their 28 (!!) song set was played with such an incredible amount of energy and passion that there really was only 1 song that I would say missed by any amount… I’ve been trying to remember which song this was… it was fairly early… it was quiet… and the girl behind me could be heard to say “ooh, it’s quiet – now we can talk!”.
• Jeff Tweedy’s playful and comfortable stage presence makes you feel at home. I think he’s off drugs… or on drugs… whichever would help — at any rate, both his musicianship and frontman duties are really top notch and I’ve never seen him better.
• Nels Cline was absolutely ridiculous. My thoughts on him remain: (1) that dude can play and (2) it would suck to have been his neighbor when he was perfecting how to get exactly the right amount of feedback out of that amp.  If you’re curious how good this guy is you just need to watch the other guys when he solos — they turn and watch him — literally.

pic via muzzleofbees.com (click for more, from Ed Oliver)

Ok, so now that we have those pieces of incredible insight (that you can’t find anywhere else!) out of the way…  This was the best Wilco show that I’ve been to.

Whoa, whoa, settle down.  I know that it couldn’t possibly have been as good as the show that you saw at [fill in name of smaller venue] in [fill in year when you were younger] but here’s the thing:  things have changed, man.  It’s a different band now and them’s just the facts.

This is a polished, Overture-center-playing band now.  Sure they still have their fair share of quirks (flexatone anyone?) but If you want to see that old “can you believe we get free beer just for playing” vibe again, I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait til their (headlining) gig at the 2030 Columbia County fair… of course, that doesn’t mean that every venue is going to have lids on the beers and 3/4 of the audience in their seats, but you see what I mean.

There is a reason that this particular show was so strong though, and I’m fairly convinced that Wilco knew about it coming in as well (hence the decision to stream this particular show to the universe).  They chose Overture Center because they learned something during the very first song that they played at the venue in 2007:  The sound of “The El” going overhead in Via Chicago is absolutely perfect.  This time around, they leveraged that knowledge of the acoustics masterfully.  The wall-of-sound approach isn’t always as obvious as it is in that moment in Via Chicago but they came back to it consistently and masterfully throughout the night.

I know you’re mad that they chose a decidedly un-rock venue, but the fact of the matter is: there are only so many venues where you can simultaneously play really loud and really clean.  and when you’ve got guys like Nels and Pat Sansone wailing back and forth – man, that’s just tough to pass up.

set list here

The band wasn’t overly talkative on stage, instead playing a ton of great music — Many of the crowd favorites from Fate (listen on LaLa), while also giving some sneak peaks at Shame Shame (due in April).  I’m really looking forward to that new disc after hearing those tracks live last night – sounded like some really strong stuff and it’ll be interesting to see if they keep a similar overall recording vibe to Fate with the recording.  I’d have to imagine they’d stay in that vein after having that much success.

Here’s one of the new ones, played the night before we saw them in Milwaukee:

uploaded by dephot, found via Muzzle Of Bees

As with many bands these days that are depending on 2-3 levels of layered vocals – if they can execute ‘em live, it’s a great show, and if not… well… we didn’t have to worry about it: they pulled it off masterfully.  Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken have some serious chops as they alternate lead vocals on various songs and while I had assumed the two would be the primary source of backup vocals for each other, Frank McElroy actually fills that role quite often (and very well, I might add).   I suppose in hindsight, with the way those to have to completely commit to belting out those lead parts, they probably literally couldn’t sing every song every night.

Only complaint of the night: 1 song encore.  I’m not a huge encore fan anyway (just don’t really see the point of walking off the stage when everyone in the building knows you’re coming right back), but since you have to do it anyway… why not just save a couple songs for it.

… and no Dr.Dog post on this blog would be complete without a link to my alltime favorite Tiny Desk Concert

The 00s pretty well coincided with my 20s – taking me from college graduation through to parenthood.  Lots of memories and big parts of friendships revolve around some of this music.  As a matter of fact, it is entirely likely dear reader that I associate one of these discs/songs with you.

So here’s how I’m going to try this. I’ve placed artists with their best albums in tiers. I’m only going to list the discs that I thought were in the “best of the decade” so not every artist will have all of their stuff with them — some will though: if you like a band you like em, right?

Alright, let’s get rollin.

Tier 1

This tier contains my favorite artists and discs of the decade. It is possible that my favorite artist and/or disc ever is in here.  or maybe not.  Pretty heavy either way.

…if I put an asterisk in front of the disc, it’s the reason that the band is up this high and is eligible for the title of “best of the decade”. I’ve tried to put them in order but for many of these it’s basically impossible – the tiers were hard enough!

The New Pornographers & AC Newman

I like everything they have ever put out there. I’m lumping in AC Newman’s solo stuff here because it’s worthy of the “best of the decade” list but it’s the TNP albums that are taking the high honors.

Carl Newman makes the band great with great song after great song and Dan Bejar sneaks in some of my favorites as well. Everytime I’ve seen them I’ve come away wondering why people don’t talk more about Kathryn Calder — and then, of course, there’s that voice on Neko Case.

* The New Pornographers – Mass Romantic (2000)
* The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema (2005)
* The New Pornographers – Challengers (2007)
* The New Pornographers – Electric Version (2003)
AC Newman – The Slow Wonder (2004)
AC Newman – Get Guilty (2009)

Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter has this style that makes you feel at home. The songs feel really genuine and when he’s on stage smiling ear-to-ear, so are you. I was just looking at the songs on these discs to try to order them and every disc has songs that could be my overall favorites — really strong stuff.

* The Animal Years (2006)
* The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (2007)
* Golden Age of Radio (2000)
* Hello Starling (2003)

Iron & Wine

Nobody makes better “quiet music” than Iron & Wine. The days are frequent where I need something in my ears but wouldn’t consider any alternative to these guys.

* Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)
* The Creek Drank The Cradle (2002)
The Shepherd’s Dog (2007)
Live at Lollapalooza (2006)

Coldplay

Were you at our wedding dinner? If so, you may have picked up on the fact that Monica and I are big Coldplay fans. They can fill a stadium and put on a great show.

* A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002)
* Parachutes (2000)
* X & Y (2005)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)

Pedro the Lion, Damien Jurado

I am lumping these guys together only for the description. You should absolutely check them out individually – definitely don’t conclude that they have the same sound.

That said, I think of these guys in the same vein: covering religion and other social issues from a very personal standpoint. I don’t necessarily always agree 100% with the stances they take but (personally) that doesn’t detract from the very personal message coming through in a very personal sort of way.  P.S.  Personal.

* Pedro The Lion – Control (2002)

* Damien Jurado – Where Shall You Take Me? (2003)
* Damien Jurado – I Break Chairs (2002)

The Eels

Another very upfront and brutally honest feeling album. He takes you from past to present to future without seeming to hold a whole lot back out of the light. Sometimes optimistic or even funny – often calm and somber – always introspective.

Speaking of these discs bringing back specific memories. This is the page I read before making the purchase.

* Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (2005)

Tier 2

This tier is only a half-step behind the first one. Really incredible bands and albums here. I’ll keep the asterisk denotation for the ones that really stick out.

White Stripes, Raconteurs

Jack White had a pretty ridiculous decade. All of these albums were excellent and came with some strong live performances as well.

* White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
* White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)
* White Stripes – De Stijl (2000)
White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan (2005)
White Stripes – Icky Thump (2007)
Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers (2006)
Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely (2008)

David Gray

Everyone knows I’m a sucker for a piano on stage. David Gray not only has provided some of my favorite discs but also one of my favorite concertgoing experiences ever.

* White Ladder (2000 – yes, I’m counting the US release date.  It’s my list, I can rig it if I want to!)
Life In Slow Motion (2005)
A New Day At Midnight (2002)
Draw The Line (2009)

Apples In Stereo

Enough of this serious business! Let’s get some candy! Just plain great n’ playful pop songs.

* Discovery of a World Inside The Moone (2000)
* New Magnetic Wonder (2007)
Velocity of a Sound (2002)

Beck

People are always surprised when Beck puts out a “slow” disc. It’s kind of a strange phenomena — I get that you only had heard “Loser” so Mutations caught you a bit off guard. What I don’t get is how you had managed to forget about Mutations so quickly that Sea Change shocked you… and while we’re on the subject: if Mutations were from this decade it would definitely be on this list and Beck would definitely be in Tier #1.

* Sea Change (2002)
Modern Guilt (2008)

Ben Folds

Had “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner” come out 6 months later, he would be Tier #1 as well, but as it is: he’s always been one of my favorites for singing along in the car and these albums fall perfectly into that category (with a couple skips).

* Rockin The Suburbs (2001)
Songs For Silverman (2005)

Wilco

I got into them a bit late in the game – didn’t give them a real try until Yankee Foxtrot Hotel – and then moved backwards to catchup.

I remember sitting in my dorm room in 1996 with my BMG order form and choosing between Wilco (Being There) and Superdrag (Regretfully Yours). I went with Superdrag. It’s actually a happy story though – I did/do like that Superdrag album and clearly I got caught up on Wilco eventually, so it all works out in the end.

* Yankee Foxtrot Hotel (2002)
* A Ghost Is Born (2004)
Sky Blue Sky (2007)

Jens Lekman

Personal lyrics and low budget production – He really makes you feel connected to his life and stories. Seeing him at Music Hall had to be just about the perfect venue.

* Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007)
When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog (2004)

Belle & Sebastian

One of my earliest stabs at music that few of my friends were listening to at the time – I’ve remained a very big fan of these guys – it’ll be great to see a new disc from them this year.

* Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)
* The Life Pursuit (2006)
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant (2000)

My Morning Jacket

“It Still Moves” is one of my favorites ever – crazy how many albums are on this list that I just could not do without. Really the whole disc is awesome but Dancefloors, Golden, and Run Thru remain in my favorite songs list (no, I will not be spending the next 6 weeks actually making that list exist).

* It Still Moves (2003)
Z (2005)

Travis

There are a lot more great Scottish bands than you might think.  I was really disappointed to be out of town when they played The Majestic last year.

* The Man Who (2000 – another spot where I’m admitting the US release date)
* The Invisible Band (2001)
12 Memories (2003)

Elliott Smith

Ok, I know I’ve blathered about artists making “personal connections” through the music with several of these artists but nobody did it better than Elliott Smith. Unfortunately, some of the problems that surely had a direct tie to his incredible art led to his suicide in 2003. My favorite disc of his (“From A Basement on the Hill”) was actually released posthumously.

* From A Basement on the Hill (2004)
Figure 8 (2000)

Green Day

I would not have predicted that my favorite band in high school would still be relevant (to both myself and to current highschoolers) in 2004. Hard to compare American Idiot in 2004 to the discs that I was loving from them back in 1995, but it really is a great (and topical) disc.

* American Idiot (2004)
Warning (2000)

The Shins

I don’t know. How to you describe The Shins.  understated?

These discs (especially the first two) are firmly on my best of the decade list and should definitely be heard.

* Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
* Oh, Inverted World (2001)
Wincing The Night Away (2007)

Ben Gibbard & Andrew Kenny, Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service

Ben Gibbard is amazing – Both of his bands here have discs on this list and the Home Volume V EP is top rate. In fact, I had both Death Cab and Postal Service discs listed individually in lower tiers before realizing that that EP qualified.

* Ben Gibbard & Andrew Kenny – Home Volume V (2004)
Death Cab For Cutie – Plans (2005)
Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism (2003)
The Postal Service – Give Up  (2003)

Tier 3

This is the tier where we take another half-step down but still: awesome, awesome discs.

Rage Against The Machine

Another candidate for my #1 live experience, despite being ever so slightly different than David Gray.

Battle of Los Angeles (2001)

Spoon

The hits just keep on comin. All of these discs are favorites.

Girls Can Tell (2001)
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
Gimme Fiction  (2005)
Kill The Moonlight (2002)

Andrew Bird

I’m in the minority who prefer Armchair Apocrypha to the other disc here. Both are excellent.

Armchair Apocrypha (2007)
Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production Of Eggs (2005)

Eminem

Undoubtedly the first (and maybe only) discs in the list that I wouldn’t actually make it all the way through today, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t all about them when they came out.

The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
The Eminem Show (2002)

Sufjan Stevens

Kind of feel bad about putting him behind Eminem. Rest assured that if I weren’t taking “how much I used to play Eminem” into consideration, he’d be up higher.

Illinois (2005)
Michigan (2003)

Weezer

Their popularity in the 90s certainly carried over for me and I played the hell out of these discs. Maladroit still holds up though and the Green Album ain’t so bad either.  Their other discs in the 00s are near misses for inclusion.

Maladroit (2002)
Weezer aka. Green Album (2001)

Arcade Fire

It took me a little while to warm up to these guys actually (and surprisingly).

Funeral (2004)
Neon Bible (2007)

Muse

I remember being absolutely blown away when I first heard these guys. Just an incredible large-venue band. “What Radiohead should have been?”. You be the judge.

Absolution (2003)
Black Holes and Revelations (2006)

Radiohead

Speak of the devils… did you think I had forgotten them?

When I started this list I put them on top. They got shifted down and down and honestly, I think I could still drop them a couple spot and not feel bad about it here. Great band, great disc, but not as great to me as it may be to the rest of yous.

Kid A (2000)
In Rainbows (2007)

The Hold Steady

I merely liked The Hold Steady — then I saw them live — and now I know what it’s all about.

One of those bands that is so good live that listening to the recordings is never after the same after the experience.

Stay Positive (2008)
Boys And Girls In America (2006)
Separation Sunday (2005)
Almost Killed Me (2004)

Of Montreal

Did someone say “live show”? To say these guys put on the most memorable concert I have ever seen would be an incredible understatement. Absolutely. Crazy. Awesome.

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (2007)
Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004)
Skeletal Lamping (2008)

The National

The band is great but it’s Matt Berninger’s voice and delivery that keeps me coming back.

Boxer (2007)
Alligator (2005)

Fountains Of Wayne

The songs play around and have fun and a lot of the time, that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)
Traffic and Weather (2007)

Keane

I will forever have this band directly linked to Travis (up above) in my head. Very similar style but they’re piano driven instead of guitar. Great stuff.

Hopes and Fears (2004)
Under the Iron Sea (2006)

Dave Matthews & Dave Matthews Band

If combined with his 90s stuff, he would be much higher.  The guy may get a lot more credit than he deserves from the general public but he also gets a lot more flack than he deserves from the music-critic audience.

Busted Stuff (2002)
Some Devil (2003)
Everyday (2001)

Runners Up

It’s too bad to exclude these guys – they’re still some of the best discs I’ve heard, but I think we’ve done pretty well for ourselves… I’ll just list em for you.

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008)

Bob Dylan – Love and Theft (2001)
Bob Dylan – Modern Times (2006)

Norah Jones – Come Away With Me (2002)

Gorillaz – Demon Days (2005)
Gorillaz – Gorillaz (2001)

Modest Mouse – The Moon And Antarctica (2000)
Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004)
Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007)

Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele (2000)

Madvillain – Madvillainy (2004)

The Black Keys – Rubber Factory (2004)
The Black Keys – Thickfreakness (2003)
The Black Kyes – The Big Come Up (2002)
The Black Keys – Attack & Release (2008)

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (2007)

Kings Of Leon – Because of the Times (2007)
Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
Kings Of Leon – Only by the Night (2008)

LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (2007)

The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics (2006)
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
The Flaming Lips – Embryonic (2009)

Band of Horses – Everything All The Time (2006)
Band of Horses –  Cease To Begin (2007)

Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (2004)

Blitzen Trapper – Furr (2008)

Beastie Boys – To The 5 Boroughs (2004)

Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (2009)

Gnarles Barkley – St.Elsewhere (2006)

Girl Talk – Feed The Animals (2008)

Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope (2006)

Tenacious D – Tenacious D (2001)

It turns out, an absolutely ridiculous 22 OF MY BEST BANDS OF THE 00s (that post is also coming soon) have new discs due this year!!!  and the other 10 on this list ain’t too shabby either.  It’ll take some doing for a dark horse to win best album this year – can’t wait to see if they can pull it off!

Your corrections/additions are welcome, in the comment section.

I’m going to break with tradition a bit here and skip the “countdown” ordering and lead off with the best.  So, without further adieu…

1. M Ward – Hold Time

2. Brendan Benson – My Old Familiar Friend

3. White Rabbits – It’s Frightening

4. Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (show recap)

5. Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound (show recap)

6. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

7. Silversun Pickups – Swoon

8. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

9. David Gray – Draw The Line (see you there)

10. Dawes – North Hills

11. The Von Bondies – Love, Hate, & Then There’s You

12. Justin Townes Earle – Midnight at the Movies (see you there)

13. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

14. Miike Snow – Miike Snow

15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

16. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below

17. XX – The XX

18. Owl City – Ocean Eyes

19. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain (show recap)

20. The Antlers – Hospice

21. Kings of Convenience – Declaration of Dependence

22. Knaan – Troubadour (show recap)

23. Wilco – Wilco The Album (old show recap & see you there)

24. Paolo Nutini – Sunny Side Up

25. The Flaming Lips -Embyonic

26. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Summer of Fear

27. Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Elvis Perkins in Dearland

28. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

29. JayZ - The Blueprint 3

30. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

31. Neko Case – Middle Cyclones