Luke's Decade 100

Making this list was fun. Since 2000 I have gotten laid, graduated high school, began playing music if several different bands, and listened to music in various different forms of self. Looking back was stranger than I expected it to be, several of my favorite albums from days past (Cursive, DJ Shadow, Mindflayer and Lightning Bolt) I listened to during their inception, but some I found later and peered back on (The Books, Old Canes, or Unwound). My top ten may surprise people, but these albums are the only ones I consistently listen to the ENTIRE way through. At any rate, most would deserve being on the list from a critical standpoint, but these are my favorites:

100. Jamie Lidell - Multiply
99. Explosions in the Sky - Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever
98. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedella
97. High Places - High Places
96. Cut Copy - In Ghosts Colors
95. Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
94. Portishead - Third
93. Les Savy Fav - Inches
92. The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone
91. Mr Dibbs - Turntable Scientifics
90. Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
89. Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
88. Justice - Cross
87. HEALTH – HEALTH
86. Of Montreal - Sunlandic Twins
85. !!! - Myth Takes
84. William Bianski - The Disintegration Loops
83. The Knife - Silent Shout
82. The Books - Lemon of Pink
81. Bohren & der Club de Gore - Black Earth
80. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
79. Midlake - Bamnan and Slivercork
78. Battles - Mirrored
77. Justin Timberlake - Future Sex/Love Sounds
76. Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
75. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
74. The Strokes - Is This It
73. The National - Boxer
72. King Khan and the Shrines - What Is?
71. No Age - Weirdo Rippers
70. The National - Alligator
69. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Life Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
68. Supersilent - 6/7/9
67. Sed Non Satiata - Le Ciel De Notre Enfance
66. The White Stripes - De Stijl
65. MIA - Kala
64. Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You
63. Wu-Tang Clan - The W
62. Primal Scream - XTMNR
61. The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows
60. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
59. McClusky - McCLusky Do Dallas
58. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
57. Abe Vigoga – Skeleton
56. Cass McCombs - A
55. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning Stike
54. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
53. No Age - Nouns
52. A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers
51. Sufjan Stevens - C'mon Feel the Illinoise
50. The Books - Thought for Food
49. Love is All - Nine Times That Same Song
48. Fugazi - The Arguement
47. Scott Walker - The Drift
46. Japanther – Dump the Body in the Rikki Lake
45. Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You
44. The Locust - The Locust
43. Big Digits – Smoke Machines in Lazer Vision
42. Bar Kohkba Sextet - 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 11
41. Cass McCombs - Prefection
40. DJ Dangermouse - The Gray Album
39. The Field - From Here We Go to Sublime
38. RJD2 - Dead Ringer
37. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
36. Dungen – Ta Det Lungt
35. SebastiAn – Ross Ross Ross EP
34. Manitoba (Caribou) - Up in Flames
33. At the Drive In - Relationship of Command
32. Jon Brion - Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
31. Mind Flayer - It's Always 1999
30. Tom Waits - Blood Money
29. Japandroids – Post-Nothing
28. Modest Mouse – The Moon and Antarctica
27. The Dirtbombs - Ultraglide in Black
26. Deerhunter – Cryptograms
25. Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar
24. Quasimoto - THe Unseen
23. Piebald – Barley Legal/All Ages
22. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
21. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
20. Masada -Live at Sevilla 2000/Live at Tonic 2001
19. Moving Units - Dangerous Dreams
18. The Juan Maclean - Less Than Human
17. Dan Deacon - Bromst
16. Black Mountain – Black Mountain
15. Edan - Beauty and the Beat
14. The Rapture - Echoes
13. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
12. The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone
11. Old Canes - Early Morning Hymns
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10. El Guincho - Alegranza

Hailing from Barcelona, El Guincho's Alegranza is an awesome combination of musical styles ranging from neo-psychedelic folk, to tropicalia, to no-fi. Each track is upbeat and summery dub, with influences of early African rock and roll. It is in the same vein as Person Pitch, but relies more heavily on very full drum beats and poly rhythms than layered lo-fi hooks. This album is an all-the-way-through gem.

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9. DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist - Product Placement

In 1996 when DJ Shadow put forth one of the most important hip-hop albums ever, created entirely by samples. Five years later he and J5 spinner Cut Chemist put together the limited edition Product Placement. The two sided mixtape contains some interesting samples. However, the intense crate digging is only half the battle, the combinging and looping is very masterfully done. Side B's Motorcross Part 2 till the end of the cut is a force to be reckoned with. As is the midway "California Soul" and Union Strike. If you're a fan of the mixtape, this is one of the best.

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8. Moving Units - Moving Units EP

The dance-punk moniker is used retroactively to describe bands like ESG, Liquid Liquid, and Gang of Four. When the next big DP surge began with Echoes (#14) and its jam House of Jealous Lovers, there was much rejoicing. !!!/Out Hud, Radio 4, and The Unicorns quickly jumped on the train which would arrive in James Murphy's station by 2005. However, over at 31g there was a release of extremely diverse tastes. And although Units would jump to Palm Pictures for their full length (#19), the 31g label, headed by Swing Kids singer Justin Pearson, produced their debut EP. 4 tracks, including an early version of perhaps the most underrated song of the decade: Between Us and Them.

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7. Charles Mingus - Cornell 1964 With Eric Dolphy

My Jazz List top ten had no numbers. For that reason, I simply chose the most accessible one to put here. Although, that is not say it is still amazing. Obviously it's Mingus, and Dolphy, but the true beauty in the album is how you can dig and dig and never find a weak link...it's a perfect live album. The cohesiveness of the players and the vast song selection combine for one of the best live jazz albums ever. 1964 also presents a slice of jazz where Dolphy gave us Naima, Last Date, AND Out to Lunch and it was Mingus' most productive year. Cornell just is more circumstantial evidence.

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6. Xui Xui - Knife Play/Fabulous Muscles

I can see the love/hate with Jamie Stewart. Experimental indie which you can tear your heart out to, but Xui Xui also very much new wave, but they're not throwing back. They could've been set in No-Wave NYC or Cold-Wave France, Martin Hannett could've produced them and Tony Wilson would've loved them. Knife Play is brutal, helpless, and challenging. Three years later, Fabulous Muscles is a melodic, scary, cult-ie magnum opus. Post-post-punk.

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5. Liars - Drum's Not Dead

First off, I am sorry I play drums and this is my 5th favorite album. Liars annoy some people. First they're dance-punk, then they are post-punk, then they are something else. At any rate, they are true to their name and like to jump all around a neo-no wave spectrum. Drum's Not Dead is an incredible concept album with two drummers and some of the most enduring, unique playing of the decade. Let's Not Wrestle Mount Heart Attack seemed to fly in the face of everything they had done up to that point, and from there it took us through a tribal jaunt along the boundaries of experimental post rock where only few have tread.

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4. Mools - Dub Narcotic Session

When Phil Elvrium found Mools in Japan, twas a very good day. They sound just like the Smiths, only they're hard to understand. The EP's 4 tracks are chock full of intricate little perfections. The steel drum, high pitched trembling vocals, and a rhythm section which can change with the drop of the hat. You can also kind-of figure out what the songs are about without even knowing the language, you may also be inclined to sing along.

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3. Cursive - The Ugly Organ

Theater can be a little boring, but there is a feeling of anticipation sitting in front of a darkened stage and opening up your Playbill. A similar thing happens in front of your CD player with Ugly Organ queuing up and opening the liner notes. They include a cast and even stage directions. If there is a golden age of emo, this may be it's last gasp. Tim Casher and his gang, including Gretta Cohn on cello, rock out a brand of tragicomedy that is untouchable, and this album is stacked with Saddle Creek clutch hitters. Herald! Frankenstein into Butcher the Song is absolutley lovely.

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2. Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt have never disappointed me. I have never said "their old stuff is better". Having listened to them since their first album, all my favorite tracks are off of Wonderful Rainbow. Be it the visual "Duel in the Deep," sprawling pestilence of "30,000 Monkeys," the beautiful tid-bits of "Hello Morning" and "Wonderful Rainbow," the Grieg-esque "2 Towers" and Mussorgsky-esque/ "Dracula Mountain," the shredding virtuosity of "Crown of Storms," or the fastest, most raucous pop song ever conceived in "Assassins," this album is amazing.

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1. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

And here it is, Sound of Silver: James Murphy coming to terms with growing up. Of all the ways to embrace the fabled apocalypse we seem to be standing on the edge of, Murphy just wants to party. He is the king of DFA, the label which was founded at the beginning of a decade saturated in electro-disco-dance revival. If they arent putting out the hits, they certainly have their hand in them, be it production-wise or endorsing it. On Silver we see Murphy embodying his sound and joining the likes of Bowie, Ferry, and Eno all at once. The album is a cross section of MP3 age dance: dance-punk: "Watch the Tapes" and "Sound of Silver,"electro-soaked hits: "Get Innocuous," "North American Scum" and "Time to Get Away," the ballad "New York I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down." and finally the epic anthems: "All My Friends," "Us v. Them," "Someone Great." These add up to different meditations on a generation of partying in its purest, most fun form.

The Top 50 Comps and Lives of the Decade

Best-ofs suck, the reissue is perhaps the most beautiful thing ever, live albums are usually things not yet found. Sometimes they can be poorly attended concerts now hailed as a groundbreaking performances, or can open up our eyes to a totally new sound a band can produce. Compilations are on the fence. They can be pretty annoying, like "The Smiths Singles Box!", or "NOW! 152" or they can be quite interesting: "NY No Wave". Apart from doubling as my Christmas List, here are some great repackagings, inspired groupings, exciting rediscoveries, and other galvanizations from the last decade.

50. Zero: A Martin Hannett Story - Factory Records was a shit ton of cool people, here is one of their stories.
49. New Thing! Deep Jazz from USA - Dusty Grooves underground 70s jazz platter: Rashied, Shepp, Alice Coltrane, and the Chicago Underground scene.
48. Strangley Strange, But Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology (1962-1972) - Perfectly named, this box set chronicles the early years of Island Records, a label later home to guys like Tom Waits and groups like Pulp.
47. Galaxie 500, the Peel Sessions - It's easy to be hungry for more Galaxie 500, but hard to decide which Peel Session to put on this list.
46. This Heat - Out of Cold Storage - #$@()____?
45. Suicide Live 1977-1978 - Year long look at an incredible live act in Alan Vega and Martin Rev.
44. Josef K, Entomology - Post-Kafka-post-punk which won't bug you.
43. Naked City, Complete Studio Recordings - Literally everything by Naked City...because punk-jazz-fast-third-stream comes in spurts.
42. Raymond Scott, Manhattan Research Inc. - Cool electronic music comp, cartoony and soothing all at once.
41. Talking Heads Brick - Damn that TELEVISION: Every album.
40. The Zombies Live at the BBC, 2003 - Baroque pop rocks out, sounds a little like the Animals.
39. Gas: Nah Und Fern - Wolfgang Voight's alter-ego Gas not only sounds like fuzzy dark wave ambient minimalism, but birthed a techno label, see #20.
38. Jesus and Mary Chain: The Power of Negative Thinking - Massive rarities and B-sides comp.
37. Miles Davis - Live at the Filmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time/ Complete In a Silent Way Sessions/Complete Jack Johnson Sessions/Complete On the Corner Sessions/Seven Steps: Complete Columbia Album Collection - holy. fucking. shit.
36. Mudhoney, Superfuzz Big Muff Deluxe Ed. - So this is a reissue, but it includes the best songs by the band from the original EP as well as lost tracks and live jaunts.
35. Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days - Although it is remastered and on CD, this does capture that interesting, unique sound from a bunch of differing genres.
34. Mojo Presents: Beloved - Included with a damn good issue of Mojo, I was happy to see this disc include McCarthy, as well as others.
33. Les Savy, Inches - 1995-2004 in singles.
32. Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 - Complete with inter-set quips and visionary one-liners.
31. Pole 123 - Stefan Betke's first 3 albums of dub-based glitches and near-silence.
30. Jerome's Dream Completed 1997-2001 - Even if you hate screamo you've gotta give this guy credit for what he's doing to his voice.
29. The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions - Seu Jorge@bowie.net
28. London is the Place for Me Vol. 1-4 - Calypso never sounded so good.
27. Indian Summer, Science 1994 - The best crescendos and soft/loud shadings of the mid-1990s...Emo 101.
26. New Order: Singles - Apart from this albums massive collection of canonical synth-wave, the first five tracks on this collection are some of the most impressive music every recorded.
25. Creation Records: International Guardians of Rock and Roll - Creation was big, big sounding and big in thier reach of genres. Along side heavy hitters JAMC, House of Love, and Oasis comes The Pastels, Meat Wiplash, and other hidden gems.
24. Home Schooled: The ABCs of Kid Soul - Picking up where The Jackson 5 and Foster Sylvers leave off.
23. XTC, Coat of many Cupboards - For a band that sounded thier best cleaned up and mastered, these early versions, demos, and live sets really show the songwriting prowess of Andy Partridge.
21. Liquid Liquid, Slip In And Out Of Phenomenon - A look at the seminal no wave-dance punk group over the course of 3 LPs.
20. Kompakt Total 4/8 - With each passing year, Cologne-based label Kompakt would drop thier Total compilation, 4 and 8 had standout tracks, but each one poses a new way of looking at minimalism. 19. Messthetics - Hyped to Death's insane catalog of post-punk niche comps is growing and growing and you cannot go wrong with anyone of them.
18. African Scream Contest - In a market flooded with non-western geo-comps, this one stands out, not just because of its name, but also due to that mean organ sound.
17. Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, Live 1966/Vol. 6, Live 1964 - Before and during going electric.
16. Can You Dig It: The Music and Politics of Black Action Films - Penultimate collection, cc: Issac Hayes/Bobby Womack/Quincy Jones.
15. Nirvana Live at Reading - Wheelchair, grunge, forever bootlegged, finally mastered, includes DVD.
14. Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot 5 and Hot 7 Recordings - The biggest and best New Orleans style jazz package you can by used online.
13. Dead Moon, Echoes of the Past - Sub-Pops 2 disc nod to NW DIY underground punk. 12. DFA Records Presents: Compilation #1/#2 - In these two comps, we see DFA's James Murphy, Tim Goldworthy, and many others reaching deep into their catalog, reinventing it, and packaging it with some hard to find favorites.
11. Factory Records Communications 1978-1992 - This comp spans a period of time which many of us have come to enjoy, and does it in Madchester...why no scene kid should be complete with out it.
10. The Clean Anthology - New Zealand's little population gave us this influential group which seems to be at the trunk of the indie tree.
9. ESG, A South Bronx Story - Minimal dance-punk funk rediscovered.
8. Roky Erikson: I Have Always Been Here Before - The 13th Floor Elevators comprise only a fraction of this massive comp, which spans into Roky's devil-rocker career of '60s nostalgia. We Sell Soul by The Spades is SUCH a good song.
7. Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly - 4 discs worth of people who hated Truman and his bomb and didn't like Ike...score 1 for every song you can find the Cramps covered.
6. Orange Juice, The Glasgow School - So shimmery and charming were the Scots, this will unexpectedly open the floodgates to such melodrama as Josef K and The Monochrome Set.
5. Enter the Vaselines* - This awesome box set not only piles together their entire stupid stuff, but them in their most interesting form: live. *Includes Live in London.
4. Albert Ayler Holy Ghost - Over and over, we see jazz greats repackaged according to live appearances, label runs, instrumental periods, ect. Finally Albert Ayler has gotten 9 discs of what he deserves, including one with interviews.
3. Modest Mouse, Build Nothing Out of Something/Sappy Sad Sucker - Sandwiching their masterpiece Antarctica came 2 great retrospective albums, helping us all discover the lost lo-fi aurora of MM.
2. The Wipers Box Set - Portland's understated group is right next to The Replacements and Husker Du in the intelli-punk batting order.
1. Joy Divison Live at the Factory, '79/Live at University of London Union, '80/Live at High Wycombe Town Hall - These live Joy Division recordings may take a back seat to the much anticipated reissues of Unknown Pleasures and Closer, but the live bonus discs should nary be over looked. They are among the most-listened to tracks I own.