Best Bands and Albums of the Decade

December 22nd, 2009    Posted in Best of the 2000's

The first decade of the 21st century has just about come to a close. While the political industry has seen things like the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Iraq War and the first election of an African-American President, the music industry has seen things like the rebirth of the outdoor music festival (thanks to a crashing fall brought on by the failed Woodstock ‘99), as well as all of the issues pertaining to illegal internet downloading and pirating of music. I like to think that’s it’s been an amazing decade of music, and was probably one of the best times for bands to be coming along. While the 60’s are remebered with The Beatles, Stones and hippies, the 70’s funk, disco and punk, the 80’s Michael Jackson and MTV, the 90’s alternative and mainstream rock, the 00’s will be remembered for Jack White, the rise of indie bands, and how the definition of “indie” changed from “independent/unsigned band” to “a certain type of sound.” Like I said, I think it’s been an amazing decade of music, and although I’m still quite young at twenty-eight, I believe this has been by far the best decade of music I have experienced. I like what a lot of blogs and magazines are doing right now with putting together their “best albums of the decade” lists, but I just don’t think I have the patience or could take the stress in trying to rate my favorites from the past ten years. So I’ve made a list below of some of my favorite bands, some of the biggest bands, and some of my favorite and most-listened to albums of the past ten years. Hope you enjoy!

Ryan Adams
Favorite Album: Demolition
Honorable Mentions: Heartbreaker; Gold; Easy Tiger; Cardinology

From what I know, no other artist has released more albums this decade than Ryan Adams. Maybe Jack White or Conor Oberst, if you were to combine all of their records from their various projects, but my “Artist of the Decade” award clearly has Adams winning in a landslide. I’ve enjoyed every Adams release, and consider many of his albums among my most cherished of all-time. Whether he’s playing loud and electric rock and roll and blues (“To Be Young”, “New York, New York”. “This Is It”) or soft and acoustic, country-folk ballads (“Oh My Sweet Carolina”, “Desire”, “I Taught Myself How to Grow Old”), I’ve enjoyed both the Jeykll and Hyde in Adams.

My Morning Jacket
Favorite Album: Evil Urges
Honorable Mentions: At Dawn; It Still Moves; Z

No other band is more loved in the history of Bonnaroo than the Jacket. Thankfully, this is where I discovered this band (after hearing about their 2004 thunderstorm performance, I knew I needed to attend the next year). I’ve been around to see their sound evolve, and much like Ryan Adams, I enjoy both the soft, acoustic stuff (“Golden”, “Sec Walkin”) and the loud rock and roll (“Mahgeetah”, “One Big Holiday”) of MMJ. I think that with every release they put out, their music just keeps getting a lot better, and that all has to do with bringing more musical styles, sounds and instruments to the table. If you haven’t yet heard of the omnichord, you’ve got to check out Jim James’ work on this weird instrument (“Smokin’ from Shootin’”, “Touch Me, I’m Going to Scream”).

Wilco
Favorite Album: Sky Blue Sky
Honorable Mentions: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot; A Ghost is Born; Kicking Television: Live in Chicago

Again, another band whose every release this decade has held a special place in my heart. I don’t want to say that I like the story of Jeff Tweedy going from drug addict to clean and sober, but the music he’s written during this phase (especially noticeable on Sky Blue Sky) are by far some of the most honest, emotionally-relatable songs I’ve ever heard, and for him to put his heart out on his sleeve like that is highly respectable and courageous. 

The White Stripes/The Raconteurs/The Dead Weather
Favorite Album (all projects): Icky Thump
Honorable Mentions: White Blood Cells; Get Behind Me Satan; Broken Boy Soldiers; Horehound

Radiohead/Thom Yorke
Favorite Album: Kid A
Honorable Mention: In Rainbows

Bon Iver
Favorite Album: For Emma, Forever Ago
Honorable Mention: Blood Bank EP

Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst
Favorite Album: Cassadaga
Honorable Mentions: Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground; I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning; Digital Ash in a Digital Urn; Conor Oberst

Andrew Bird
Favorite Album: Noble Beast
Honorable Mention: Armchair Apocrypha

Band of Horses
Favorite Album: Cease to Begin
Honorable Mention: Everything All the Time

Ben Harper
Favorite Album: Live from Mars
Honorable Mention: Both Sides of the Gun

Arcade Fire
Favorite Album: Neon Bible
Honorable Mention: Funeral

The National
Favorite Album: Boxer
Honorable Mention: Alligator

Kings of Leon
Favorite Album: Only By the Night
Honorable Mention: Because of the Times

Coldplay
Favorite Album: A Rush of Blood to the Head
Honorable Mention: Parachutes

The Flaming Lips
Favorite Album: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Honorable Mention: At War with the Mystics

Dr. Dog
Favorite Album: We All Belong
Honorable Mentions: Easy Beat; Fate

The Black Keys/Dan Auerbach
Favorite Album: Keep It Hid (Dan Auerbach)
Honorable Mentions: Magic Potion (Black Keys); Attack & Release (Black Keys)

Explosions in the Sky
Favorite Album: All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Honorable Mentions: How Strange, Innocence; Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever

Tom Waits
Favorite Album: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
Honorable Mention: Alice

Daft Punk
Favorite Album: Alive 2007
Honorable Mention: Discovery

The Decemberists
Favorite Album: The Crane Wife
Honorable Mention: The Hazards of Love

The Hold Steady
Favorite Album: Boys and Girls in America
Honorable Mention: Stay Positive

Passion Pit
Favorite Album: Manners
Honorable Mention: Chunk of Change EP

Dave Matthews Band
Favorite Album: Busted Stuff
Honorable Mention: Stand Up

The Killers
Favorite Album: Hot Fuss

Modest Mouse
Favorite Album: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

The Swell Season
“Once” Soundtrack

Spoon
Favorite Album: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Honorable Mention: Gimme Fiction

Damien Rice
Favorite Album: O
Honorable Mention: 9

Okkervil River
Favorite Album: The Stage Names
Honorable Mention: The Stand Ins

Josh Ritter
Favorite Album: The Animal Years
Honorable Mention: The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

Phoenix
Favorite Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

The Slip
Favorite Album: Eisenhower

Heartless Bastards
Favorite Album: The Mountain
Honorable Mention: All This Time

Over the Rhine
Favorite Album: Ohio
Honorable Mentions: Films For Radio; The Trumpet Child

Kim Taylor
Favorite Album: I Feel Like A Fading Light
Honorable Mention: So Black, So Bright

Ryan Adcock
Favorite Album: From Silence and Joy
Honorable Mention: Unfinished

Bad Veins
Favorite Album: Bad Veins

Cameron Martin Cochran
Favorite Album: The Cycle of Life and Death
Honorable Mention: Diary, A Days