A month ago, a few Frequency frequenters and I picked apart Pitchfork’s list of the best records of the past decade, and commenter Shannon said she was looking forward to Paste magazine’s picks.
So here it is. (Update: After watching a reader click through and scroll through Paste’s five-page feature, I’ve added the list in text-only format to this post and put it after the jump. Click below to read it and my thoughts.)
50 Björk – Vespertine (Elektra, 2001)
49 Libertines – Up The Bracket (Rough Trade, 2002)
48 Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose (Interscope, 2004)
47 Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (Domino, 2006)
46 Once – Music From The Motion Picture (Columbia, 2007)
45 Radiohead – In Rainbows (self-released, 2007)
44 The Jayhawks – Rainy Day Music (Lost Highway, 2003)
43 Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian, 2007)
42 Jay-Z – The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001)
41 LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (Capitol, 2007)
40 TV on the Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope, 2006)
39 Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Merge, 2007)
38 Gentleman Jesse – Introducing Gentleman Jesse (Douchemaster, 2008)
37 Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop, 2004)
36 Pedro The Lion – Control (Jade Tree, 2002)
35 Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino, 2009)
34 Various artists – O Brother Where Art Thou? (Mercury, 2001)
33 Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Capitol, 2002)
32 The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Bros., 2002)
31 Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism (Barsuk, 2003)
30 Damien Rice – O (Vector, 2003)
29 Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar, 2008)
28 Paul Westerberg – Folker (Vagrant, 2004)
27 Drive-By Truckers – Decoration Day (New West, 2003)
26 Over the Rhine – Ohio (2004)
25 Sigur Rós – Med ud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL, 2008)
24 The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, 2003)
23 Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker (Bloodshot, 2000)
22 The Decemberists – The Crane Wife (Capitol, 2006)
21 Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL, 2008)
20 The National – Boxer (Beggars Banquet, 2007)
19 Beck – Sea Change (Interscope, 2002)
18 Amy Winehouse – Back To Black (Universal Republic, 2007)
17 Kanye West – The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella, 2004)
16 Rufus Wainwright – Want One (Dreamworks, 2003)
15 Patty Griffin – 1000 Kisses (ATO, 2002)
14 The Strokes – Is This It (RCA, 2001)
13 Josh Ritter – The Animal Years (V2, 2006)
12 Spoon – Kill the Moonlight (Merge, 2002)
11 The Hold Steady – Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant, 2006)
10 M.I.A. – Arular (Interscope, 2005)
09 The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You (Columbia/American, 2009)
08 OutKast – Stankonia (Arista/LaFace, 2000)
07 Gillian Welch – Time (The Revelator) (Acony, 2001)
06 The White Stripes – Elephant (V2, 2003)
05 Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek, 2005)
04 Radiohead – Kid A (Capitol, 2000)
03 Arcade Fire – Funeral (Merge, 2004)
02 Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch, 2002)
01 Sufjan Stevens – Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)
What say you, Freqs?
I’ll start: As music magazines go, Paste definitely falls on the end of the spectrum that favors likable, scruffy-white-dude rock of the indie and roots variety. Not that there’s anything wrong with that — about half their top 10 are candidates for my own list — but it makes for a pretty predictable reveal. Wilco, the Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Bright Eyes and The White Stripes all make an appearance (obvs), with Outkast and M.I.A. tossed in for a little flavor, and Gillian Welch (and M.I.A.) holding it down for the ladies.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the top 10 is the appearance of “I And Love And You” by The Avett Brothers, which, in the 37 days since its release, has become the ninth-best album of the past 10 years, according to Paste. It’s a very good album — one of the best of 2009, I say — but that seems a little trigger-happy to me. Can Paste really have spent enough time with “I And Love And You” to know that it’s better than, say, Spoon’s “Kill the Moonlight,” which was released seven years ago and finished three spots behind the Avetts? Or that it’s 34 spots better than Jay-Z’s 2001 landmark, “The Blueprint”?
Ah, but that’s a fairly minor quibble. Some other nits to pick:
-Sufjan Stevens’ “Illinois” is a fine, fine album, but the best of the decade? I’m not even positive it’s his best work. “Illinois” is the more cohesive piece, perhaps, but his raw, intimate “Michigan” record is the one I reach for, almost invariably.
-The Hold Steady’s “Boys and Girls in America” is far too high at No. 11, and one of the most overrated records of the decade.
-Nice to see someone giving Idahoan Josh Ritter some love, with “The Animal Years” at No. 13. Ritter will make my list, though probably not for that album.
-Paste’s Nos. 20 through 25 is absolutely stacked. Three of those six records are strong contenders for my top 10. If this was the World Cup, that would be the “Group of Death.”
-No Modest Mouse? Weird.
-Gentleman Jesse at No. 38! What? Nice to see those small-time power-pop guys among the heavy hitters; the Georgia connection (both Paste and the band are based there) must’ve helped.
OK, folks, what do you think of Paste’s list? As always, I love discussing music, so let’s discuss.
There is a lot to digest here. I will say this for now; seeing The Decemberists’ The Crane Wife ranked under Vampire Weekend makes my heart hurt. I mean really hurt. Like an arrow in my wing.
I must live on another planet. wOW Teen angst rules the airwaves. no gnarls, no meat puppets , no feist ,no blues or jazz AT ALL ….come on!
Glad to see The National get some mention. Was curious enough about their appearance at the Breeders gig (technically the Modest Mouse gig) that I listened to Boxer and ended up quite hooked on it.
Would personally rank Bjork much higher.
I’ve already made my little list but I’ve also realized that I forgot Bauhaus’s Go Away White. Fantastic album; alieneted some fans by being a bit funner than Bauhaus is usually known for. But it’s a great album and any album with a song titled “Endless Summer of the Damned” is good by me.
I wanted to reel off a rant about how much greater Aquemeni is than Stankonia, but then I realized that was a 1998 album. Now I feel to old to even be using the internet. Sigh.
By my count, the Avetts have 2 albums better than I and Love and You, though it is very good.
“Goo” said the rest better than I could.
Hey Chris,
I’m not sure about The Avett Brothers. Granted, I haven’t given them too much listening time. I and Love and You did not grab me at first listen. It sounds like maybe I should listen to an earlier album.
It’s nice to see another Decemberists fan on the board. The Crane Wife is so dang good.
I remember liking The Strokes’ Is This It when it came out but it’s hard to believe that it made the top 50. Have a I mentioned Vampire Weekend? That still burns.
……. No Tool albums….. weak. Lateralus came out in 2001. It’s a highly influential album in the world of progressive music.
() by Sigur Ros was much beter than their newest release…… which is extremly anti climactic in my opinion. The first couple songs are amazing, as is the rest of the album, but the first couple songs are super high energy while the rest of the album tucks you into bed. () is really epic, as is the angel fetus album…… but that’s not a 2000 album.
Where was Glassjaw’s “Worship and Tribute” 2001? another highly influential record.
The Deftones’ self titled album and White Pony helped me survive high school……. high up on my list.
Dredg’s El Cielo ……. one of the most epic concept albums ever in my opinion.
Radiohead’s In Rainbows would have been up in the top 10 on my list. Bjork would be much higher too.
The Mars Volta “Deloused in the Comatorium – 2003″…….. Perfect Circle “Mer de Noms – 2000″
Mastodon’s “Crack The Skye”
There are a lot of albums out there to chose from, and everyone has their own opinion….. which is great. Everyone’s list would look different………… but seriously, NO TOOL???????
…….. It is a Paste magazine top 50….. that explains it.
-Shane & Lindsey
A few thoughts (though I’m late to the party):
- ESO is right on about Tool. I’d be embarrassed about putting out a best of decade list without them. Do they get ignored because they are considered too hard?
- Why does Beck’s Sea Change end up on all these lists? I’d much rather listen to him in a good mood.
- I’m not sure I get all the love for Wilco. YHF is yet another album that is supposed to be a “classic” and “really important” but found it’s way off my MP3 player in a day or two. Listening to it is like watching Citizen Kane… something I did once so I could say that I did it and I will never do again.
- LCD Soundsystem should be MUCH higher.
- Finally, I’d argue that Stankonia could be number one. I’m far from the first to say it, but if OutKast weren’t rappers this album would be impossible to classify and would get even more kudos than it does now.