1. Kylie Minogue - Fever (2001). No other album captured my attention as consistently these last 10 years as Kylie's
Fever. It could quite possibly be the perfect dance pop album, balancing the right blend of pop hooks, dancefloor precision and tongue-in-cheek fun. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in particular, shook dance floors around the world harder than any other song this decade. Best: Can't Get You Out of My Head.
2. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002). Parachutes was an intriguing debut, but with their second album, Coldplay distanced themselves from the pack of bleeding-heart British bands. From the sonic onslaught that opens "Politik" to the slow build of the track, A Rush of Blood to the Head showed Coldplay expanding on the lovely guitar rock of their first album with bigger sounds, more complicated emotions and fewer barriers. Best: God Put a Smile Upon Your Face.
3. Madonna - Music (2000). After the pristine beauty of the William Orbit-produced
Ray of Light, Madonna got a little funkier and dirtier with French producer Mirwais on this, the pop singer's ninth album, and second album to explore a mostly European, electronic sound, particularly on the title track, also with touches of acoustic guitar on songs like "I Deserve It" and "Don't Tell Me." Best: Music.
4. Keane - Hopes and Fears (2004). Producing one of the decade's best rock albums without a guitar may have been a neat trick, but the more impressive feat of this work is the consistent quality of strong songwriting--courtesy of Tim Rice-Oxley, the band's keyboardist and principal songwriter--with melodies that truly engage and soar. Best: Bend and Break.
5. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2006). Amy Winehouse's voice and personality go together like honey and vinegar. But mix long enough and you'll have something good. Certainly that's the case on her magnificent second album, which effortlessly blended '60s soul and modern pop while cheekily battling some pretty serious demons. Best: Back to Black.
6. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007). The songwriting strength of
The Bends and the experimentation of
Kid A came together beautifully on Radiohead's seventh and best album. I particularly enjoy the part of the album that starts with the austere, beat-heavy "Reckoner," followed by the warmer guitar-driven "House of Cards" and concludes with the dark and forceful "Jigsaw Falling Into Place." More accessible but no less interesting than their other albums released this decade. Best: House of Cards.
7. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003). On their fourth album, the White Stripes deliver the maximum of emotions and energy on the minimum of instrumentation. Frequently it's just guitar, drums and vocals, but that's all they need to create their unique brand of lean but muscular tunes. Best: Seven Nation Army.
8. Scissor Sisters (2004). The Scissor Sisters' debut was campy, high-energy fun, mixing '70s and '80s disco and glam elements with mostly upbeat results. Songs like "Take Your Mama" and "Filthy/Gorgeous" are pure party, while torchy ballad "Mary" shows the band has a more serious side too. Best: Take Your Mama.
9. Duffy - Rockferry (2008). Along with Amy Winehouse, Duffy was one of the leaders of the British '60s soul-pop revival of the decade's latter half. On her solid debut, Duffy unleashed her unusual voice over strong melodies, giving us songs of heartbreak and strength. Best: Mercy.
10. La Roux (2009). By 2009, the '80s synth pop thing was at its peak, but La Roux mined the territory with such earnestness as to sound like it came straight from that time, not just influenced by it. Drum machine beats and synthesizer melodies never sounded so good. Best: In for the Kill.
11. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (2004). The first American Idol winner's second album sets her ahead of the reality TV pack with a rock-leaning pop album that produced hit after hit. It did for Clarkson what
Friday's Child did for Will Young, proving that there is hope for reality TV stars becoming something that really is reality. Best: Since U Been Gone.
12. The Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way (2006). Country radio may have shunned them, but it was their loss, as
Taking the Long Way is more than just a fantastic country album. It's an album for our times that doesn't flinch in the face of adversity. It's political, personal, but also quite fun, with many memorable songs like "The Long Way Around" and "Not Ready to Be Nice," which are so good they give me chills. Best: Not Ready to Be Nice.
13. The Strokes - Is This It (2001). Frequently heralded as the most influential rock album of the decade--a
Nevermind for the 2000s--
Is This It delivered tight, energetic rock melodies without unnecessary theatrics. It ushered in the post-punk revival, the new-wave influenced sound that became rock music's most prominent movement this decade, embodied by bands on both sides of the Atlantic from The Killers to Arctic Monkeys. Best: Someday.
14. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me (2002). Norah Jones took the world by storm in 2002 with her smoky voice singing folksy, light-jazz love songs. It's not the most revolutionary music, but when you want something warm and comforting, it hits the spot. Best: Come Away with Me.
15. Franz Ferdinand (2004). Franz Ferdinand's music lies somewhere between Arctic Monkeys and The Killers, with lean melodies that evoke an '80s new wave sensibility. Bold, brash and cheeky, it was the perfect counterpoint to the piano-rock majesty sweeping rock music at the time and another strong example of the post-punk revival. Best: Take Me Out.
16. Goldfrapp - Black Cherry (2003). Early in 2004, I embarked on an effort to expand my musical horizons by sampling new artists and styles, such as electronic music, which led me to Goldfrapp and this brilliant album. While their first album was a rather mellowed ambient affair, their second was more uptempo electro-pop with waves of synth melodies pushed through fuzzy beats. Imagine John Barry scoring a late-night lounge. Best: Tiptoe.
17. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations (2006). Strap yourself into your intergalactic rocketship fueled by '70s epic-rock fantasies of fighting an alien invasion from Mars and you'll have an idea of what it's like to experience Muse's best album, a tour de force of musical bombardment full of many odd moments, yet a strong pop sensibility too on hit tracks like "Starlight" and "Supermassive Black Hole." Best: Map of the Problematique.
18. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002). One night after a few too many margaritas, I asked me friend Erin to recommend an album to me that she thought I would like. We walked across the street to Best Buy, she picked this out, and I have loved it ever since. It has the sci-fi rock sound a la Muse, but keeps its melodies more grounded. Best: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1.
19. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002). I didn't get into this album until recently, taking a chance on it after seeing it on several publications' best of the decade lists, but it has really become quite a favorite of mine the last few weeks. This is rock music at its moody, lovely best. Best: Obstacle 1.
20. Radiohead - Kid A (2000). At times haltingly beautiful, extremely weird or both,
Kid A was Radiohead's grand experiment to stretch the limits of what music a traditional rock band could produce. This is a challenging album that demands to be listened to repeatedly and purposefully. It's not for everyone, but if it can get under your skin, it's worth it. Best: Everything in It's Right Place.
1. Kylie Minogue - Fever (2001). No other album captured my attention as consistently these last 10 years as Kylie's Fever. It could quite possibly be the perfect dance pop album, balancing the right blend of pop hooks, dancefloor precision and tongue-in-cheek fun. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in particular, shook dance floors around the world harder than any other song this decade. Best: Can't Get You Out of My Head.
2. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002). Parachutes was an intriguing debut, but with their second album, Coldplay distanced themselves from the pack of bleeding-heart British bands. From the sonic onslaught that opens "Politik" to the slow build of the track, A Rush of Blood to the Head showed Coldplay expanding on the lovely guitar rock of their first album with bigger sounds, more complicated emotions and fewer barriers. Best: God Put a Smile Upon Your Face.
3. Madonna - Music (2000). After the pristine beauty of the William Orbit-produced Ray of Light, Madonna got a little funkier and dirtier with French producer Mirwais on this, the pop singer's ninth album, and second album to explore a mostly European, electronic sound, particularly on the title track, also with touches of acoustic guitar on songs like "I Deserve It" and "Don't Tell Me." Best: Music.
4. Keane - Hopes and Fears (2004). Producing one of the decade's best rock albums without a guitar may have been a neat trick, but the more impressive feat of this work is the consistent quality of strong songwriting--courtesy of Tim Rice-Oxley, the band's keyboardist and principal songwriter--with melodies that truly engage and soar. Best: Bend and Break.
5. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2006). Amy Winehouse's voice and personality go together like honey and vinegar. But mix long enough and you'll have something good. Certainly that's the case on her magnificent second album, which effortlessly blended '60s soul and modern pop while cheekily battling some pretty serious demons. Best: Back to Black.
6. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007). The songwriting strength of The Bends and the experimentation of Kid A came together beautifully on Radiohead's seventh and best album. I particularly enjoy the part of the album that starts with the austere, beat-heavy "Reckoner," followed by the warmer guitar-driven "House of Cards" and concludes with the dark and forceful "Jigsaw Falling Into Place." More accessible but no less interesting than their other albums released this decade. Best: House of Cards.
7. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003). On their fourth album, the White Stripes deliver the maximum of emotions and energy on the minimum of instrumentation. Frequently it's just guitar, drums and vocals, but that's all they need to create their unique brand of lean but muscular tunes. Best: Seven Nation Army.
8. Scissor Sisters (2004). The Scissor Sisters' debut was campy, high-energy fun, mixing '70s and '80s disco and glam elements with mostly upbeat results. Songs like "Take Your Mama" and "Filthy/Gorgeous" are pure party, while torchy ballad "Mary" shows the band has a more serious side too. Best: Take Your Mama.
9. Duffy - Rockferry (2008). Along with Amy Winehouse, Duffy was one of the leaders of the British '60s soul-pop revival of the decade's latter half. On her solid debut, Duffy unleashed her unusual voice over strong melodies, giving us songs of heartbreak and strength. Best: Mercy.
10. La Roux (2009). By 2009, the '80s synth pop thing was at its peak, but La Roux mined the territory with such earnestness as to sound like it came straight from that time, not just influenced by it. Drum machine beats and synthesizer melodies never sounded so good. Best: In for the Kill.
11. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (2004). The first American Idol winner's second album sets her ahead of the reality TV pack with a rock-leaning pop album that produced hit after hit. It did for Clarkson what Friday's Child did for Will Young, proving that there is hope for reality TV stars becoming something that really is reality. Best: Since U Been Gone.
12. The Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way (2006). Country radio may have shunned them, but it was their loss, as Taking the Long Way is more than just a fantastic country album. It's an album for our times that doesn't flinch in the face of adversity. It's political, personal, but also quite fun, with many memorable songs like "The Long Way Around" and "Not Ready to Be Nice," which are so good they give me chills. Best: Not Ready to Be Nice.
13. The Strokes - Is This It (2001). Frequently heralded as the most influential rock album of the decade--a Nevermind for the 2000s--Is This It delivered tight, energetic rock melodies without unnecessary theatrics. It ushered in the post-punk revival, the new-wave influenced sound that became rock music's most prominent movement this decade, embodied by bands on both sides of the Atlantic from The Killers to Arctic Monkeys. Best: Someday.
14. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me (2002). Norah Jones took the world by storm in 2002 with her smoky voice singing folksy, light-jazz love songs. It's not the most revolutionary music, but when you want something warm and comforting, it hits the spot. Best: Come Away with Me.
15. Franz Ferdinand (2004). Franz Ferdinand's music lies somewhere between Arctic Monkeys and The Killers, with lean melodies that evoke an '80s new wave sensibility. Bold, brash and cheeky, it was the perfect counterpoint to the piano-rock majesty sweeping rock music at the time and another strong example of the post-punk revival. Best: Take Me Out.
16. Goldfrapp - Black Cherry (2003). Early in 2004, I embarked on an effort to expand my musical horizons by sampling new artists and styles, such as electronic music, which led me to Goldfrapp and this brilliant album. While their first album was a rather mellowed ambient affair, their second was more uptempo electro-pop with waves of synth melodies pushed through fuzzy beats. Imagine John Barry scoring a late-night lounge. Best: Tiptoe.
17. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations (2006). Strap yourself into your intergalactic rocketship fueled by '70s epic-rock fantasies of fighting an alien invasion from Mars and you'll have an idea of what it's like to experience Muse's best album, a tour de force of musical bombardment full of many odd moments, yet a strong pop sensibility too on hit tracks like "Starlight" and "Supermassive Black Hole." Best: Map of the Problematique.
18. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002). One night after a few too many margaritas, I asked me friend Erin to recommend an album to me that she thought I would like. We walked across the street to Best Buy, she picked this out, and I have loved it ever since. It has the sci-fi rock sound a la Muse, but keeps its melodies more grounded. Best: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1.
19. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002). I didn't get into this album until recently, taking a chance on it after seeing it on several publications' best of the decade lists, but it has really become quite a favorite of mine the last few weeks. This is rock music at its moody, lovely best. Best: Obstacle 1.
20. Radiohead - Kid A (2000). At times haltingly beautiful, extremely weird or both, Kid A was Radiohead's grand experiment to stretch the limits of what music a traditional rock band could produce. This is a challenging album that demands to be listened to repeatedly and purposefully. It's not for everyone, but if it can get under your skin, it's worth it. Best: Everything in It's Right Place.
7 comments:
Great to see Keane in the top 5, and an interesting choice for #1 ... but, like I said, it's the difference in opinion that makes other people's countdowns such fun to read ... and yours was fun! Makes me realize how many potentially good albums I've ignored for the last ten years.
-T
I would say well done but how patronizing would that sound lol :) You knew your top 20 would be awesome! Every album (apart from Interpool and Radiohead which I haven't heard) should be there. You weren't joking when told me that Kylie should've been higher on my list--It was that and two other albums I was sure you was gonna put at the top the others were Coldplay and Dixie Chicks.
Ah, it's no biggie that I am a big fan of you and your blog. The fact that you think Kylie's Fever is the best album this decade is just the reason I salute you. *clap clap clap*
Thank you so much for your compliments and enthusiasm. I really appreciate it. The best part of this series was that for the last month I got to listen to all my favorite albums of the decade again and try to approach them with a fresh ear.
You have all the right ingredients, but I'd do a bit of rearranging, moving up Amy Winehouse, the Scissor Sisters and Duffy and moving down Kylie, Coldplay and Madonna. I'm not sure ol' Midge deserves to be in the top 10 -- much less the top three -- although I agree "Music" was probably the best of her albums this decade. Of course, "Van Lear Rose" would top my list, so what do I know?
Personal bias would have me put "Confessions on a Dancefloor" higher than "Music", but overall, this is a great list. I would have been torn over the "Fever" vs "Light Years" debate, but "Love at First Sight" would be the one to push "Fever" over the edge.
My top albums have special meaning to me, as they are more than just the best albums--they tend to have personal meaning too. I listened to Music a lot, as I played it everyday driving to and from a campaign office I was temporarily assigned to (and thus away from home for a month). Fever was just such a great album, and I listened to it constantly after I got it. I enjoy Light Years, but its best moments are not as grand as Fever's. Van Lear Rose is good, but not the sort of album I would listen to regularly.
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