Top 100 Albums of the Decade: 50 – 26

100 – 51
25 – 11
10 – 1

SPOTIFY!!!

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50. Explosions in the Sky  – The Earth is Not A Cold Dead Place (2003)
Intricate post rock loveliness. This has soundtracked many an exciting bath. Now you’re imaging me naked. How is that?
Listen to this: ‘Your Hand In Mine‘

49. Sleepy Jackson  – Lovers (2003)
Luke Steele with his far better band. Same creepy voice though, though it works here, what with the violence and sweetness and the love.
Listen to this: ‘This Day‘

48. Bon Iver –  For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)
MAN LIVE IN WOODS MAKE MUSIC MAKE WOMAN CRY. Or something. Bloody gorgeous though, innit?
Listen to this: ‘Flume‘

47. Unwound –  Leaves Turn Inside You (2001)
Double album of heavenly post-rock chunks, all with a wonderfully natural flow and some dazzling pretension. But I like that.
Listen to this: ‘Scarlette‘

46. TV on the Radio –   Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
All ultra cool hip-hop indie. Listen to it and you will be cool too. I think. That’s why I do.
Listen to this: ‘A Method‘

45. Sufjan Stevens – Michigan (2004)
His first draft at this whole 50 state thing, and something approaching the genius that clearly resides in him. Folking beautiful.
Listen to this: ‘For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti‘

44. The Shins –  Chutes Too Narrow (2004)
30 minutes long and not a wasted second. What heaven’s waiting room would sound like. And there’d be old copies of Amiga Power and Your Sinclair to read.
Listen to this: ‘Saint Simon‘

43. Ryan Adams  – Heartbreaker (2000)
Named after a slogan Mariah Carey had on a t-shirt in a poster Adams apparently had hanging around, this debut is still his best moment, combining country, rock, alcohol and depression. Brilliant!
Listen to this: ‘To Be The One‘

42. Hold Steady –  Boys and Girls in America (2006)
Craig Finn’s average Joe noisemakers entertain some more in an average Joe sort of way. Who the fuck is this Joe? And why is he so average? I prefer median Ian anyhow. Or mean Jean.
Listen to this: ‘You Can Make Him Like You‘

41. Grandaddy – Sophtware Slump (2000)
Squealed vocals and driving electro influenced folk rock, with just enough blips and blops to hasten the trip and not force you to veer off road into a family of deer.
Listen to this: ‘The Crystal Lake’

40. Twilight Sad  – Forget The Night Ahead (2009)
Second record, and just like before it’s all pretty fucking loud and pretty fucking good. Shoegaze greatness once more. If a little darker this time.
Listen to this: ‘I Became A Prostitute‘

39. The Knife –  Silent Shout (2006)
Minimalist Swedish bods, creating the sort of computerised tones that robots would hear if they could ever ejaculate. Make it happen scientists. Make it happen.
Listen to this: ‘Like A Pen‘

38. The Streets –  Original Pirate Material (2002)
I hated this for so long. But then again, I hated cheese and crackers too. NOW THEY ARE IN MY MOUTH! Mike Skinner is not.
Listen to this: ‘Weak Become Heroes‘

37. Bob Dylan –  Love and Theft (2001)
Back to some form after a torrid couple of decades, this took Dylan back to rock’s roots and made him essential once again.
Listen to this: ‘High Water (For Charley Patton)‘

36. Madvillain –  Madvillainy (2004)
He’s not really mad. Nor a villain. He just makes dope hip-hop. Innit?
Listen to this: Meatgrinder

35. El Ten Eleven –  El Ten Eleven (2005)
Post-rock free from pretension? Can it happen? Yes it can. Here. And it sound pretty sweet.
Listen to this: ‘Fanshawe‘

34. Sleepy Jackson –  Personality (2006)
Better than Lovers. Thus it being a bit higher. Agree with me.
Listen to this: ‘Devil Was In My Yard’

33. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (2007)
Mainly because I like shouting ‘North American Scum!’ and having a wee dance. This is known to happen a lot.
Listen to this: ‘Someone Great‘

32. Modest Mouse  – Good News For People Who Love Bad News (2004)
I bought this because it was £9 in a Fopp where the average price for a new record is £10. I saved enough for a can of Red Bull (depending on where you shop, natch) and got the best record in the store. BEST DAY EVER!
Listen to this: ‘Bury Me With It’

31. Outkast  – Stankonia (2000)
A recent addition to my collection, but already in the ‘special’ section. Roots rap, like an apple pie with a cap in its ass.
Listen to this: ‘Ms. Jackson‘

30. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds  – No More Shall We Part (2001)
His second work on this list, and maybe his best ever. Sombre and smart.
Listen to this: ‘Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow‘

29. Kanye West –  The College Dropout (2004)
He’s a dick. I don’t care when I listen to this.
Listen to this: ‘Never Let Me Down‘

28. Broken Social Scene  – You Forgot It In People (2002)
No-one in this band is a dick I think.
Listen to this: ‘Lover’s Spit‘

27. Elbow  – Asleep In The Back (2000)
Nor this one. Garvey’s bloody charming, isn’t he? Their finest moment, mainly because of how fucking bleak it all is. Which is very. Sumptious beauty though.
Listen to this: ‘Red‘

26. The Shins –  Oh Inverted World (2001)
Low-key yet addictive, there’s something here I can’t stop loving, I just don’t know what.
Listen to this: ‘Caring Is Creepy‘

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100 – 51
25 – 11
10 – 1