Best Albums of the Decade

At the turn of the millennium, I was 10 years old, and thought that the Blink-182 were the best band I was ever going to hear. With this in mind, I am hardly fit to write a list on the best music of the decade. In fact, I don't believe I even come into real musical consciousness until the year 2003 and it was right at the forefront of those angsty high school years.

But to be fair, I have done a lot of catching up, filling my ears with as much music as I could get my hands on from all eras alike. I am a music connoisseur, this is what I do!

All the albums following have made some sort of impact in the past 10 years, whether they were simply personal or critically acclaimed. Here is my attempt to stay true to my roots, and give you what I believe are the greatest albums of the decade.

50. ...Is a Real Boy- Say Anything
49. Return to Cookie Mountain- TV on the Radio
48. The Execution of All Things- Rilo Kiley
47. 59’ Sound- the Gaslight Anthem
46. Take off Your Pants and Jacket- Blink 182
45. Some Kind of Cadwallader- Algernon Cadwallader
44. Red-Eyed Soul- World/Inferno Friendship Society
43. The EP- Owen
42. Designing a Nervous- The Anniversary
41. Push the Button- Chemical Brothers
40. The Photo Album- Death Cab for Cutie
39. 10 Songs- I Hate Myself
38. Strawberry Jam- Animal Collective
37. Shut Up I’m Dreaming- Sunset Rubdown
36. Dead Reckoning- Small Brown Bike
35. Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven- Godspeed! You Black Emperor
34. S/T- Crystal Castles
33. These are the Vistas- The Bad Plus
32. Silent Alarm- Bloc Party
31. Left and Leaving- The Weakerthans
30. The War on Erroism- NoFX
29. The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me- Brand New
28. Chutes Too Narrow- The Shins
27. Everything Goes Numb- Streetlight Manifesto
26. Deja Entendu- Brand New
25. From a Basement on the Hill- Elliott Smith
24. You Forgot it In People- Broken Social Scene
23. Reinventing Axl Rose- Against Me!
22. Merriweather Post Pavilion- Animal Collective
21. Hidden Arithmetic- Indian Summer
20. Discovery- Daft Punk
19. How I Spent my Summer Vacation- The Bouncing Souls
18. The Sound of Silver- LCD Soundsystem
17. The Ugly Organ- Cursive
16. Post-Nothing- Japandroids
15. The Glow Pt.2- The Microphones
14. The Greatest Story Ever Told- The Lawrence Arms
13. At Home With…-Owen
12. Dear You- Jawbreaker
11. For Emma Forever Ago- Bon Iver
10. The Lemon of Pink- The Books
9. Kid A- Radiohead
8. Fuck World Trade- Leftover Crack
7. Give Up- The Postal Service
6. The Argument- Fugazi

5. The Moon and Antarctica- Modest Mouse

The Moon and Antarctica is Modest Mouse's transition album from UP Records to Epic Records, and perhaps their best album to date. It maintains the messy, experimental sound of their old music and foreshadows their more accessible sound. Favorite tracks: 3rd Planet, The Stars are Projectors, Wild Pack of Family Dogs.

4. Relationship of Command- At the Drive-In

One of my favorite albums in my later years of high school, Relationship of Command bridges the gap between 90's emo, rock, and punk. This is the album that progressed emo music of the 00's. Emotive and heavy, try to not rock out while listening to this. Favorite tracks: One Armed Scissor, Sleepwalk Capsules, Cosmonaut.

3. I'm Wide Awake It's Morning- Bright Eyes

Probably the magnum opus of our friend Conner Oberst, this pop-folk album does not have one bad song on it. I suggest slipping it on whenever your driving early in the morning. There is nothing like the sun going up in the east and listening to this. Favorite tracks: Old Soul Song (For the New World Order), Land-Locked Blues, and Poison Oak.

2. Funeral- The Arcade Fire

This was Arcade Fire's first studio album on Merge Records. It was incredibly well received, and even had songs on the charts. In fact, you might say this was the album that changed indie-rock forever. This album covers a full spectrum, from marches to anthems. You'll be singing along, and you'll be smiling. Favorite tracks: Neighborhood #3, Rebellion (lies), Neighborhood #1

1. Come on Feel the IlliNOISE- Sufjan Stevens

One second you are in Grey, Indiana. The next, there is a bridge underneath you and the bright lights of Chicago are blinding you...you may as well be listening to Sufjan. Well researched, and chock full of inside jokes, "Illinois," is certainly the biggest masterpiece of the decade. I selected it for its music technicality, orchestration, dialog, and dynamics. Every song is about a tradition of Illinois. Never before has an artist so well captured a state within music. The musicality and the concept couldn't have been carried out any better. Favorite tracks: Decatur, Casmir Pulaski Day, and John Wayne Gacy Jr.