1. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
It's been over nine years. Frankly, I'm all talked out and have been for some time. I didn't even put up a fight when my cousin dismissed it out of hand recently, having only heard it once, years ago. However, anyone reading this has probably heard Kid A already and formed their own opinion long ago, so what more could I add that hasn't been said too many times before?



2. Bj�rk - Vespertine (2001)
It's her IDM album, but it's also her songwriting album. Vespertine showed me how glitchy electronics could be warm, but harps, strings, and one of the most gifted and talented singers of all time help make this an immaculate listen. I think this is one of the most underrated albums of the decade and in her vast, impressive discography.



3. Aphex Twin - Drukqs (2001)
Although not a cohesive listen in the traditional sense, to take in Drukqs is to go on a wild ride through the mad genius of Richard D. James. Here, he revisits his classic techno of the early to mid '90s (setting the stage for his return to acid in the mid to late '00s) but aided by every production skill and compositional strength he's developed since then. As if that were not enough, the modern day ambient master let's us hear his beautiful, Erik Satie-inspired piano pieces and a series of avant-garde acoustic workouts and freakouts. Never has one album offered so much and received so little appreciation and understanding in return. No wonder Aphex Twin stopped making albums.



4. Hood - Cold House (2001)
This album will always be dear to me because it helped get me through a difficult time. It also serves as an awesome example of the promotional power of the mp3, as I'd never heard Hood until browsing Audiogalaxy (R.I.P.) when they were a featured artist with three legal downloads from this album. I was quickly taken by Hood's fragile, gorgeous, melancholic sound, and today I own 12 of their discs. In an ideal world, this naturally flowing, genre-blending album would get at least half of the acclaim heaped on Kid A.



5. dead prez - lets get free (2000)
This is quite simply one of if not the most inspiring album I've ever heard. Listening to this gets me charged every time. I may not agree with every unabashed, radical political stance espoused by M-1 and Stic.Man, but how can anyone disagree with messages like "Be Healthy" and "Discipline makes things easier"? Besides the raw, jaw-droppingly brilliant, poetically expressed lyrical content, the album is musically amazing. Few emcees have ever sounded this consistently sharp, focused, and hungry, and every beat knocks and sounds beautiful at the same time. The fact that dead prez had an active role in producing the album makes it all the more special.



6. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 (2000)
This album is just a lot of fun, even if Dan The Automator's production makes an album set far into the future sound dated. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien was seriously in the zone writing and recording this album.



7. A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms (2000)
I don't think it's fair or accurate to call anything above a rock album, so that makes this debut release by Maynard James Keenan's side-project the best rock album of the decade and them the best new rock group, at least for my tastes. I love how their songs completely rock but are full of nuances and subtleties. The arrangements are great, and the production is perfect. Rock needs more of this.



8. Deftones - White Pony (2000)
The production may be a little cold on this album, but it works. The songs rock hard but sound delicate, too. There isn't a bad song on the initial release, which is what I have and is the intended tracklisting.



9. Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
If you'd told me any time before 2006 that I'd be putting a singer from *NSYNC and former Mickey Mouse Club member ahead of most of my favorite artists in my top albums of the decade list, I'd have never believed you. Have you listened to this album though? It's incredible. Very rarely do I listen to an album and just envy the music the whole time as if I wish I'd made it, but this is one of those. No longer an industry puppet, Justin grew up (perhaps trying a little too hard in the process) and, with the able assistance of Timbaland and Danja at the height of their pop prowess, created a masterpiece.



10. Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)
Rarely do dream combos work out as well in reality as they do in theory, but MF Doom and Madlib even managed to exceed expectations. It may not be Doom at his deepest or 'Lib at his most experimental, but it's a hell of an album. Here's to the next.



11. Autechre - Confield (2001)
The musical equivalent to every frenetic, weird, crazy thought I've had, this is still the most mindblowing album I've ever heard. I've learned this is also the worst place for newcomers to Autechre to start.



12. Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher (2003)
This was one of two discs that served as the road soundtrack to the worst summer of my life (so far!). I loved how catchy, visceral, and busy this album sounded, which was just what I needed. I thought Prefuse was cool from his first album, but a couple tracks aside it was just another glitch-hop album to me, so I didn't have high expectations for this album. I was blown away by the tremendous growth in production, from the sinewy synths to the ambient textures (including vocals) to the assortment of other instruments and growing supporting cast. This album introduced me to the music of Diverse, Dabrye, Daedelus, and Tommy Guerrero, but Prefuse is the star of the show here. At the time it seemed like the perfect melding of hip-hop and IDM, my two favorite genres then (and perhaps still). To this day, I still consider One Word Extinguisher Prefuse's magnum opus.



13. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007/2008)
I had a long history with this album before I ever played it, but it's really not that interesting to recap, especially now. Suffice it to say that I'd heard nearly every song on here in its live incarnation long before the album was released and didn't expect much based on what I found to be second rate material compared to the songs they toured before the release of their three previous albums. I think it speaks to the power of an even, cohesive-sounding album that In Rainbows is as good as it is. In the right order, these songs complement each other flawlessly, and although I find the high points to be higher on Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief and the production of those albums to be more "interesting," this is truly a great, often addictive listen.



14. Saul Williams - Saul Williams (2004)
It was really difficult to rank Saul's three albums from this decade. Even his Rick Rubin-produced debut that sat on the shelf for two or three years before seeing a poorly promoted release is great. The margin between Saul Williams and the next album is paper thin, but I give self-titled the edge because the music, nearly all of it self-produced, seems to fit Saul a little better, which makes sense as some of NiggyTardust! is built on scraps from unreleased Nine Inch Nails material. Regardless, listening to him grow as a musical artist from Amethyst Rock Star to Saul Williams is remarkable. Here are fully fleshed-out, seriously heavy compositions sung more often than spoken or rapped, so it feels more organic than the spoken word over rap-rock and drum & bass debut.



15. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust! (2007/2008)
Saul's rap Ziggy Stardust concept album produced by Trent Reznor hits all the right notes. Even more so than Saul Williams, NiggyTardust! signaled the arrival of a fully matured artist within the realm of music (as opposed to all those other creative arts Saul has mastered or at least dabbled in). Some of it does sound like NIN with another vocalist, but it also sounds global yet completely personal. Obviously the industrial elements from the previous album are pushed even further to the forefront here, but the punk and hip-hop remain intact, and the sonic palate is greatly expanded, including everything from screw to gorgeous, credible ballads. I was down in front for three shows supporting this album, all spectacular.



16. Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)
Dark, scary, depressing, and brilliant, I was a little late to Can Ox's unique brand of cerebral street rap, coming to it after falling in love with the production on El-P's Fantastic Damage. The music on The Cold Vein is just as tense if not more so, but the more accessible and adept yet creative and experimental flows and lyrics anchor the album. One of the other biggest disappointments of the decade in music is the revelation of just how unlikely it is that Vast Aire, Vordul Mega, and El-P will ever regroup for a sequel.



17. Outkast - Stankonia (2000)
Even for me, it's easy to take this album for granted because its singles are so deeply ingrained into popular culture and the disc itself is full of so many songs and interludes, but it's important to remember that this is Outkast still at their creative zenith, making it look so easy trading smooth, rapid-paced rhymes and taking influence from all over, something we haven't truly gotten again from them in the decade since. The title for their planned full reunion album, The Hard 10, has taken on a new meaning.



18. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (2007)
Trent Reznor's allegorical, politically dystopian, cyberpunk concept album consists of really catchy songs that formulaically devolve into glorious noise. It loses points for some generic hard rock-isms, but Trent delivers the goods for the most part, making this an exciting listen complete with some career highlights like "Vessel" and "In This Twilight." The remix album is great, too, and you can remix every song on Year Zero with the multitracks posted online and in a DVD-ROM accompanying Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D, further defining the concept of a DIY laptop musician future come reality.



19. N*E*R*D - In Search Of... (2001/2002)
The Neptunes at their peak stretched out and created a fun, catchy album with a couple really beautiful heartfelt, serious songs. I had the European and promo release as a download in 2001, but the album didn't really hit me until later in the year when they posted a stream on their official site of what would be released to the U.S. in 2002. I much prefer this live instrumentation version, but that's a debate that has been ongoing among fans ever since.


20. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
Listening now I remember why I recommended this double album to everybody back then. While Andre 3000 experimented (and I say succeeded admirably) on his disc with singing, Big Boi delivered on what he does best, zany, funky, but street-credible dirty south rap. Between the two discs there are so many winners, yet this appears to be a Diamond-certified album that is actually underrated, at least among hip-hop heads.



21. Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000)
This is another close call. I don't love this album as much as I did at the beginning of the decade, but I still find it one of the best rap albums I know, and I really do know every song on here very well. This is the album where Common joined up with The Roots Crew and Jay Dee, officially the Soulquarians, and it sounds like the best of all three worlds. It's also the last album where Com wasn't P.C. Note the homophobia on album highlight "Dooinit" and references to "bitches" peppered throughout the album. Nonetheless, Like Water For Chocolate probably has Common's most tolerable musical love letters to women, especially the breakout single, and still classic, "The Light."



22. Common - Electric Circus (2002)
For my tastes, I prefer Electric Circus these days. I give LWFC the edge lyrically, but the weird, beautiful, seriously bumpin' (when's the last time you heard that? ha) electronic/hip-hop/soul music of EC appeals to me more. Despite what some say, I think Com spits hard on this album, too. I feel one of the most regrettable things in this decade in music was Com's audience convincing him that he was too different on this album, that it sucked, that he dressed weird. They got their wish because he's never been the same since, unfortunately.



23. Mogwai - Rock Action (2001)
A lush, beautiful album, and their last where I can remember the music just by the track titles. It is a tad short, but maybe it's just right. It's a bit of a departure not only in length, but also in content, as "You Don't Know Jesus" is the only song that rocks long and hard (pause?) like so many highlights on their first two studio albums, but I wouldn't trade "Sine Wave" or "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong."



24. Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi (2002)
I love the paranoid effect derived from the obscure vocal samples, sinewy synths, and ambient textures married with insistent drums. The track titles and album artwork only add to the mythos. This freaky, psychedelic album has been imitated but never duplicated.



25. El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007)
The hip-hop auteur grew in the many years between proper solo albums into a better emcee and even more formidable producer in the traditional sense, here drafting The Mars Volta, Cat Power, and Trent Reznor in addition to the usual help from his Definitive Jux roster. Every song here hits hard on some level emotionally and musically.



26. Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth (2005)
Although this wasn't another masterpiece that announced the triumphant return of Trent Reznor, I think this album is underrated. A lot of the quirks on past albums and Year Zero are replaced here by sludgy or jagged guitar riffs and pummeling drums, but it's a great performance.



27. Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2 (2000)
This is a very fun hip-hop album with dope beats and catchy raps. The End.



28. Portishead - Third (2008)
This was my favorite album of 2008. I consider it nearly as good as the first two albums but in a completely different way. With Portishead having spent so much time away from music, no reasonable person could expect them to sound the same as they did before, back when trip-hop was still alive, and I'm glad they didn't try to act like nothing happened, either to their band or the Bristol scene. What they give us instead on Third is their rock album (some may feel more comfortable seeing "kraut" or "psychedelic" prefixed to that, but it's rock nonetheless). The feel is thus different but familiar. Beth Gibbons still sounds fragile, lost, and distraught but resolute, and the music is still heavy and serious, except for the delightful breather on the album, "Deep Water," which always reminds me of Steve Martin's The Jerk. The band is in top form, and I am so pleased that more new material is on the way this year.



29. J-Live - All Of The Above (2002)
Perhaps too sincere for some, All Of The Above is nevertheless a tutorial on great hip-hop. J-Live has a sporty flow and clearly has fun kicking nonstop substance and creative concepts over serviceable beats. It's refreshing to hear someone put so much time and effort into his craft.



30. El-P - Fantastic Damage (2002)
This is the second, darker half of the soundtrack to the worst summer of my life and is a natural accompaniment to Prefuse 73's One Word Extinguisher as it, too, is a hybrid of hip-hop boom bap and electronics. This album is harder and uglier, however, in the most beautiful possible way, from the harsh sound of the beats to the subject matter of the songs. Very few albums are this well produced either.



31. Massive Attack - 100th Window (2003)
Nowhere near as good as Mezzanine, nowhere near as bad as many say. The intensity and paranoia here are aided by glitchy, icy electronics. This album is a heavy listen, not meant for dinner parties. My favorites are the songs where 3D sings lead.



32. J Dilla - Donuts (2006)
Despite how easy it plays, this album can be difficult to get a handle on intellectually if you love hip-hop and other music because of the length and treatment of the samples used. Is this technically a megamix? Are these even beats? These were among my first questions when I got into the album. As I listened, new questions arose. Is this Dilla's best album? Is this going to be a new trend in hip-hop? That last question was quickly answered in a resounding yes!, but the rest isn't so clear. I know this reads like the introductory paragraph of the pamphlet handed out at gatherings of the Cult of J Dilla, but just listen to the album. Closely. It has a message it speaks to you, if you listen.



33. Quasimoto - The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas (2005)
This album is mad. It's musically all over the place and full of so many ideas it can be hard to keep up. A lot of people don't like the funny voice affected by Madlib as the character Quasimoto, but I love it both musically and conceptually. I think the voice and the Melvin Van Peebles samples fit the music perfectly, too, so much so that I've never wanted to hear the instrumental versions of either album.



34. Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
This is big budget, blockbuster rap in every sense. Jay-Z became a superstar here, but so did Kanye West and Just Blaze. This album has long reached Kid A levels of overdiscussion and overpraise, however.



35. Kanye West - Late Registration (2005)
I've always found this album to be complete and musically masterful. Time has shown this to be the last time Kanye rapped for a whole album with substance and conviction, and although he's grown as a producer and composer since, nothing has sounded this fleshed out (thank Jon Brion).



36. Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001)
With this following so quickly behind Kid A and consisting of songs recorded at the same time, it's a little too easy to dismiss Amnesiac. I don't advise it, as the highlights on this album are just as good as those on Kid A. I do find the "electronica" to be a little overcooked here, to the point of ruining what was their best new song in their live set in years, "I Might Be Wrong," a kink they finally worked out on In Rainbows. The piano, strings, and horns that fill many of the songs here help make them some of Radiohead's finest moments.



37. The Roots - Game Theory (2006)
On their Def Jam debut, The Roots trade their feel-good vibes for sad times and tension, crafting a claustrophobic, dark, gritty masterpiece that stands among their best work.



38. The Roots - Phrenology (2002)
This is the third or fourth Roots album I heard and owned, but it's the first one I learned front to back and still some of their most creative work. I'd love to hear the Black Thought solo album, Masterpiece Theatre, that half of this album was versioned from. As diverse and well-produced as the music is, BT's solid command of the mic and songwriting development arguably make him the high point of the album, the group's first without Malik B sharing mic time (although he is the subject of the experimental album highlight "Water").



39. D'Angelo - Voodoo (2000)
If Burial isn't ambient r&b, this is. I've always been attracted to the creeping tones of this album and how pretty melodies, simple but often profound lyrics, and even the funk would cut through the murk. This album is so good I can almost forgive D'Angelo for not releasing another one after.



40. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (2002)
This may have had too many hands in it, but I still find it a highly accomplished work and a rewarding listen. Gab has the same fun but substantive and conceptual lyrical content and dexterous delivery as J-Live but doesn't come across quite as naturally. Still, if you can tolerate a little geekiness and playful corniness in your rap music, this album was the best of its kind in the decade.



41. Hood - Outside Closer (2005)
There really isn't a noticeable dropoff in the quality of the music and lyrics between Cold House and this album. I think that, other than the two singles, the songs here are a little less catchy. If Cold House hinted at any hope for the future, it isn't really found here, as this is a sobering listen, with "Closure" being perhaps the most emotionally devastating song I've ever heard. This album isn't for everyone, but I find it a very rewarding listen. It's also another album that shows the similarities between jazz and post-rock.



42. Herbert - Bodily Functions (2001)
This album is highly accomplished musically and contains some of the most sophisticated and fully formed songwriting in the electronic music genre. That, in addition to live instrumentation, so much of this album consists of samples actually sourced from the human body is remarkable. Matthew Herbert and his jazz singer wife Dani Siciliano make a wonderful team.



43. Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) - Train Of Thought (2000)
I think this is Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek at their individual best, and joining forces they created a classic with serious bars and serious bass. The mournful tone found in many of the songs adds even greater depth and resonance.



44. The Notwist - Neon Golden (2002/2003)
I guess I like this album in the same way other people like The Postal Service, but I find The Notwist's beautiful and quirky brand of "indie electronic" music to have a lot more depth and lasting appeal.



45. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (2000)
This is the shoegaze album of the decade as far as I'm concerned. Every song on here is good if not excellent.



46. Talib Kweli - Quality (2002)
Talib Kweli shocked the underground by releasing his first solo album without any assistance from Hi-Tek and with actually measurable swag. I've always loved this album. The songs are fun and meaningful. It's no mystery why Kwe broke through with this album and "Get By" in particular.



47. Burial - Untrue (2007)
Judging by my list so far, you'd never know dubstep ever happened, and Burial is probably the least dubstep-sounding artist associated with that movement, which is perhaps why I love him and this album so. Every song here is basically a stolen r&b a cappella over top of ambient music with a percussion set consisting of samples of a wood block, an aerosol can, a gun cock, and bullet shells hitting the floor. Burial's music also sounds like there's a room playing drum & bass and another playing r&b and you're in a room in-between. Or maybe it's just really good ambient UK garage. That's the thing with Burial, he's intriguing and hard to classify.



48. Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)
It's an album full of really pretty, catchy songs, some light, some serious. There's probably more variety in mood and instrumentation on this than any other Air album.



49. Squarepusher - Go Plastic (2001)
It's really good Squarepusher, easily some of his best work, a solid album, and fun to listen to. It hurt to exclude Ultravisitor, as that is a more interesting album, but consistency and cohesiveness made the difference.



50. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
I listened to this album a lot, and you probably did, too.



Personally, I have a hard time taking seriously album recommendations from people who don't put their money where their mouth is (or their key-tappin' fingers, as the case may be). If you're like me, you should know that I bought every single one of these albums.

i think i know your tastes, so i understand most of your choices

surprised 'third' and 'untrue' were "low," but i guess they get in where they fit in, eh?

i will say i thought you didn't like daft punk, so i'm surprised they made it at all

edit: oh i didn't know you like 'one word extinguisher' and 'bodily functions' that much either

>i think i know your tastes, so i understand most of your
>choices

i thought about talking about it but figured it was all pretty self-explanatory and implicit. some of those albums i'm so sick of talking about, and it shows, but i still had to put something down.


>surprised 'third' and 'untrue' were "low," but i guess they
>get in where they fit in, eh?

honestly i was surprised 'untrue' made it in at all over dj shadow's 'the private press' and live album, plaid's 'double figure,' air's '10,000 hz legend,' squarepusher's 'ultravisitor,' venetian snares' 'doll doll doll,' etc., but being as objective as i could i feel like 'untrue' is a better album and more enjoyable listen at this point for me.

'third' is pretty high considering how recent it is and how heavily the list and my favorite albums (in general, not just these 50) favor the beginning of the decade.


>i will say i thought you didn't like daft punk, so i'm
>surprised they made it at all

remember how i always mention how much i regret not being able to stay and experience their legendary set at coachella? i'm just not as into daft punk as i used to be and thought 'human after all' basically sucked. i listened to 'discovery' a lot for the first year or two it came out.


>edit: oh i didn't know you like 'one word extinguisher' and
>'bodily functions' that much either

OWE is one of my favorite albums ever (and i'll always have specific memories of driving to it), but 'bodily functions' is one of the more recent discoveries for me on that list, as i knew some of the individual songs on it for years but didn't hear and own the whole album until i believe last year. it's so good though. i was missing out.

:)

i realized later that i was posting new year's day, so by "last year" i really meant 2008.

>1. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
>It's been over nine years. Frankly, I'm all talked out and
>have been for some time. I didn't even put up a fight when my
>cousin dismissed it out of hand recently, having only heard it
>once, years ago. However, anyone reading this has probably
>heard Kid A already and formed their own opinion long ago, so
>what more could I add that hasn't been said too many times
>before?
>
>
>
>2. Bj�rk - Vespertine (2001)
>It's her IDM album, but it's also her songwriting album.
>Vespertine showed me how glitchy electronics could be warm,
>but harps, strings, and one of the most gifted and talented
>singers of all time help make this an immaculate listen. I
>think this is one of the most underrated albums of the decade
>and in her vast, impressive discography.
>
>
>
>3. Aphex Twin - Drukqs (2001)
>Although not a cohesive listen in the traditional sense, to
>take in Drukqs is to go on a wild ride through the mad genius
>of Richard D. James. Here, he revisits his classic techno of
>the early to mid '90s (setting the stage for his return to
>acid in the mid to late '00s) but aided by every production
>skill and compositional strength he's developed since then. As
>if that were not enough, the modern day ambient master let's
>us hear his beautiful, Erik Satie-inspired piano pieces and a
>series of avant-garde acoustic workouts and freakouts. Never
>has one album offered so much and received so little
>appreciation and understanding in return. No wonder Aphex Twin
>stopped making albums.
>
>
>
>4. Hood - Cold House (2001)
>This album will always be dear to me because it helped get me
>through a difficult time. It also serves as an awesome example
>of the promotional power of the mp3, as I'd never heard Hood
>until browsing Audiogalaxy (R.I.P.) when they were a featured
>artist with three legal downloads from this album. I was
>quickly taken by Hood's fragile, gorgeous, melancholic sound,
>and today I own 12 of their discs. In an ideal world, this
>naturally flowing, genre-blending album would get at least
>half of the acclaim heaped on Kid A.
>
>
>
>5. dead prez - lets get free (2000)
>This is quite simply one of if not the most inspiring album
>I've ever heard. Listening to this gets me charged every time.
>I may not agree with every unabashed, radical political stance
>espoused by M-1 and Stic.Man, but how can anyone disagree with
>messages like "Be Healthy" and "Discipline makes things
>easier"? Besides the raw, jaw-droppingly brilliant, poetically
>expressed lyrical content, the album is musically amazing. Few
>emcees have ever sounded this consistently sharp, focused, and
>hungry, and every beat knocks and sounds beautiful at the same
>time. The fact that dead prez had an active role in producing
>the album makes it all the more special.
>
>
>
>6. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 (2000)
>This album is just a lot of fun, even if Dan The Automator's
>production makes an album set far into the future sound dated.
>Del Tha Funkee Homosapien was seriously in the zone writing
>and recording this album.
>
>
>
>7. A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms (2000)
>I don't think it's fair or accurate to call anything above a
>rock album, so that makes this debut release by Maynard James
>Keenan's side-project the best rock album of the decade and
>them the best new rock group, at least for my tastes. I love
>how their songs completely rock but are full of nuances and
>subtleties. The arrangements are great, and the production is
>perfect. Rock needs more of this.
>
>
>
>8. Deftones - White Pony (2000)
>The production may be a little cold on this album, but it
>works. The songs rock hard but sound delicate, too. There
>isn't a bad song on the initial release, which is what I have
>and is the intended tracklisting.
>
>
>
>9. Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
>If you'd told me any time before 2006 that I'd be putting a
>singer from *NSYNC and former Mickey Mouse Club member ahead
>of most of my favorite artists in my top albums of the decade
>list, I'd have never believed you. Have you listened to this
>album though? It's incredible. Very rarely do I listen to an
>album and just envy the music the whole time as if I wish I'd
>made it, but this is one of those. No longer an industry
>puppet, Justin grew up (perhaps trying a little too hard in
>the process) and, with the able assistance of Timbaland and
>Danja at the height of their pop prowess, created a
>masterpiece.
>
>
>
>10. Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)
>Rarely do dream combos work out as well in reality as they do
>in theory, but MF Doom and Madlib even managed to exceed
>expectations. It may not be Doom at his deepest or 'Lib at his
>most experimental, but it's a hell of an album. Here's to the
>next.
>
>
>
>11. Autechre - Confield (2001)
>The musical equivalent to every frenetic, weird, crazy thought
>I've had, this is still the most mindblowing album I've ever
>heard. I've learned this is also the worst place for newcomers
>to Autechre to start.
>
>
>
>12. Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher (2003)
>This was one of two discs that served as the road soundtrack
>to the worst summer of my life (so far!). I loved how catchy,
>visceral, and busy this album sounded, which was just what I
>needed. I thought Prefuse was cool from his first album, but a
>couple tracks aside it was just another glitch-hop album to
>me, so I didn't have high expectations for this album. I was
>blown away by the tremendous growth in production, from the
>sinewy synths to the ambient textures (including vocals) to
>the assortment of other instruments and growing supporting
>cast. This album introduced me to the music of Diverse,
>Dabrye, Daedelus, and Tommy Guerrero, but Prefuse is the star
>of the show here. At the time it seemed like the perfect
>melding of hip-hop and IDM, my two favorite genres then (and
>perhaps still). To this day, I still consider One Word
>Extinguisher Prefuse's magnum opus.
>
>
>
>13. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007/2008)
>I had a long history with this album before I ever played it,
>but it's really not that interesting to recap, especially now.
>Suffice it to say that I'd heard nearly every song on here in
>its live incarnation long before the album was released and
>didn't expect much based on what I found to be second rate
>material compared to the songs they toured before the release
>of their three previous albums. I think it speaks to the power
>of an even, cohesive-sounding album that In Rainbows is as
>good as it is. In the right order, these songs complement each
>other flawlessly, and although I find the high points to be
>higher on Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief and the production of
>those albums to be more "interesting," this is truly a great,
>often addictive listen.
>
>
>
>14. Saul Williams - Saul Williams (2004)
>It was really difficult to rank Saul's three albums from this
>decade. Even his Rick Rubin-produced debut that sat on the
>shelf for two or three years before seeing a poorly promoted
>release is great. The margin between Saul Williams and the
>next album is paper thin, but I give self-titled the edge
>because the music, nearly all of it self-produced, seems to
>fit Saul a little better, which makes sense as some of
>NiggyTardust! is built on scraps from unreleased Nine Inch
>Nails material. Regardless, listening to him grow as a musical
>artist from Amethyst Rock Star to Saul Williams is remarkable.
>Here are fully fleshed-out, seriously heavy compositions sung
>more often than spoken or rapped, so it feels more organic
>than the spoken word over rap-rock and drum & bass debut.
>
>
>
>15. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of
>NiggyTardust! (2007/2008)
>Saul's rap Ziggy Stardust concept album produced by Trent
>Reznor hits all the right notes. Even more so than Saul
>Williams, NiggyTardust! signaled the arrival of a fully
>matured artist within the realm of music (as opposed to all
>those other creative arts Saul has mastered or at least
>dabbled in). Some of it does sound like NIN with another
>vocalist, but it also sounds global yet completely personal.
>Obviously the industrial elements from the previous album are
>pushed even further to the forefront here, but the punk and
>hip-hop remain intact, and the sonic palate is greatly
>expanded, including everything from screw to gorgeous,
>credible ballads. I was down in front for three shows
>supporting this album, all spectacular.
>
>
>
>16. Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)
>Dark, scary, depressing, and brilliant, I was a little late to
>Can Ox's unique brand of cerebral street rap, coming to it
>after falling in love with the production on El-P's Fantastic
>Damage. The music on The Cold Vein is just as tense if not
>more so, but the more accessible and adept yet creative and
>experimental flows and lyrics anchor the album. One of the
>other biggest disappointments of the decade in music is the
>revelation of just how unlikely it is that Vast Aire, Vordul
>Mega, and El-P will ever regroup for a sequel.
>
>
>
>17. Outkast - Stankonia (2000)
>Even for me, it's easy to take this album for granted because
>its singles are so deeply ingrained into popular culture and
>the disc itself is full of so many songs and interludes, but
>it's important to remember that this is Outkast still at their
>creative zenith, making it look so easy trading smooth,
>rapid-paced rhymes and taking influence from all over,
>something we haven't truly gotten again from them in the
>decade since. The title for their planned full reunion album,
>The Hard 10, has taken on a new meaning.
>
>
>
>18. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (2007)
>Trent Reznor's allegorical, politically dystopian, cyberpunk
>concept album consists of really catchy songs that
>formulaically devolve into glorious noise. It loses points for
>some generic hard rock-isms, but Trent delivers the goods for
>the most part, making this an exciting listen complete with
>some career highlights like "Vessel" and "In This Twilight."
>The remix album is great, too, and you can remix every song on
>Year Zero with the multitracks posted online and in a DVD-ROM
>accompanying Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D, further defining the concept of
>a DIY laptop musician future come reality.
>
>
>
>19. N*E*R*D - In Search Of... (2001/2002)
>The Neptunes at their peak stretched out and created a fun,
>catchy album with a couple really beautiful heartfelt, serious
>songs. I had the European and promo release as a download in
>2001, but the album didn't really hit me until later in the
>year when they posted a stream on their official site of what
>would be released to the U.S. in 2002. I much prefer this live
>instrumentation version, but that's a debate that has been
>ongoing among fans ever since.
>
>
>20. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
>Listening now I remember why I recommended this double album
>to everybody back then. While Andre 3000 experimented (and I
>say succeeded admirably) on his disc with singing, Big Boi
>delivered on what he does best, zany, funky, but
>street-credible dirty south rap. Between the two discs there
>are so many winners, yet this appears to be a
>Diamond-certified album that is actually underrated, at least
>among hip-hop heads.
>
>
>
>21. Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000)
>This is another close call. I don't love this album as much as
>I did at the beginning of the decade, but I still find it one
>of the best rap albums I know, and I really do know every song
>on here very well. This is the album where Common joined up
>with The Roots Crew and Jay Dee, officially the Soulquarians,
>and it sounds like the best of all three worlds. It's also the
>last album where Com wasn't P.C. Note the homophobia on album
>highlight "Dooinit" and references to "bitches" peppered
>throughout the album. Nonetheless, Like Water For Chocolate
>probably has Common's most tolerable musical love letters to
>women, especially the breakout single, and still classic, "The
>Light."
>
>
>
>22. Common - Electric Circus (2002)
>For my tastes, I prefer Electric Circus these days. I give
>LWFC the edge lyrically, but the weird, beautiful, seriously
>bumpin' (when's the last time you heard that? ha)
>electronic/hip-hop/soul music of EC appeals to me more.
>Despite what some say, I think Com spits hard on this album,
>too. I feel one of the most regrettable things in this decade
>in music was Com's audience convincing him that he was too
>different on this album, that it sucked, that he dressed
>weird. They got their wish because he's never been the same
>since, unfortunately.
>
>
>
>23. Mogwai - Rock Action (2001)
>A lush, beautiful album, and their last where I can remember
>the music just by the track titles. It is a tad short, but
>maybe it's just right. It's a bit of a departure not only in
>length, but also in content, as "You Don't Know Jesus" is the
>only song that rocks long and hard (pause?) like so many
>highlights on their first two studio albums, but I wouldn't
>trade "Sine Wave" or "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong."
>
>
>
>24. Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi (2002)
>I love the paranoid effect derived from the obscure vocal
>samples, sinewy synths, and ambient textures married with
>insistent drums. The track titles and album artwork only add
>to the mythos. This freaky, psychedelic album has been
>imitated but never duplicated.
>
>
>
>25. El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007)
>The hip-hop auteur grew in the many years between proper solo
>albums into a better emcee and even more formidable producer
>in the traditional sense, here drafting The Mars Volta, Cat
>Power, and Trent Reznor in addition to the usual help from his
>Definitive Jux roster. Every song here hits hard on some level
>emotionally and musically.
>
>
>
>26. Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth (2005)
>Although this wasn't another masterpiece that announced the
>triumphant return of Trent Reznor, I think this album is
>underrated. A lot of the quirks on past albums and Year Zero
>are replaced here by sludgy or jagged guitar riffs and
>pummeling drums, but it's a great performance.
>
>
>
>27. Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2 (2000)
>This is a very fun hip-hop album with dope beats and catchy
>raps. The End.
>
>
>
>28. Portishead - Third (2008)
>This was my favorite album of 2008. I consider it nearly as
>good as the first two albums but in a completely different
>way. With Portishead having spent so much time away from
>music, no reasonable person could expect them to sound the
>same as they did before, back when trip-hop was still alive,
>and I'm glad they didn't try to act like nothing happened,
>either to their band or the Bristol scene. What they give us
>instead on Third is their rock album (some may feel more
>comfortable seeing "kraut" or "psychedelic" prefixed to that,
>but it's rock nonetheless). The feel is thus different but
>familiar. Beth Gibbons still sounds fragile, lost, and
>distraught but resolute, and the music is still heavy and
>serious, except for the delightful breather on the album,
>"Deep Water," which always reminds me of Steve Martin's The
>Jerk. The band is in top form, and I am so pleased that more
>new material is on the way this year.
>
>
>
>29. J-Live - All Of The Above (2002)
>Perhaps too sincere for some, All Of The Above is nevertheless
>a tutorial on great hip-hop. J-Live has a sporty flow and
>clearly has fun kicking nonstop substance and creative
>concepts over serviceable beats. It's refreshing to hear
>someone put so much time and effort into his craft.
>
>
>
>30. El-P - Fantastic Damage (2002)
>This is the second, darker half of the soundtrack to the worst
>summer of my life and is a natural accompaniment to Prefuse
>73's One Word Extinguisher as it, too, is a hybrid of hip-hop
>boom bap and electronics. This album is harder and uglier,
>however, in the most beautiful possible way, from the harsh
>sound of the beats to the subject matter of the songs. Very
>few albums are this well produced either.
>
>
>
>31. Massive Attack - 100th Window (2003)
>Nowhere near as good as Mezzanine, nowhere near as bad as many
>say. The intensity and paranoia here are aided by glitchy, icy
>electronics. This album is a heavy listen, not meant for
>dinner parties. My favorites are the songs where 3D sings
>lead.
>
>
>
>32. J Dilla - Donuts (2006)
>Despite how easy it plays, this album can be difficult to get
>a handle on intellectually if you love hip-hop and other music
>because of the length and treatment of the samples used. Is
>this technically a megamix? Are these even beats? These were
>among my first questions when I got into the album. As I
>listened, new questions arose. Is this Dilla's best album? Is
>this going to be a new trend in hip-hop? That last question
>was quickly answered in a resounding yes!, but the rest isn't
>so clear. I know this reads like the introductory paragraph of
>the pamphlet handed out at gatherings of the Cult of J Dilla,
>but just listen to the album. Closely. It has a message it
>speaks to you, if you listen.
>
>
>
>33. Quasimoto - The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas (2005)
>This album is mad. It's musically all over the place and full
>of so many ideas it can be hard to keep up. A lot of people
>don't like the funny voice affected by Madlib as the character
>Quasimoto, but I love it both musically and conceptually. I
>think the voice and the Melvin Van Peebles samples fit the
>music perfectly, too, so much so that I've never wanted to
>hear the instrumental versions of either album.
>
>
>
>34. Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
>This is big budget, blockbuster rap in every sense. Jay-Z
>became a superstar here, but so did Kanye West and Just Blaze.
>This album has long reached Kid A levels of overdiscussion and
>overpraise, however.
>
>
>
>35. Kanye West - Late Registration (2005)
>I've always found this album to be complete and musically
>masterful. Time has shown this to be the last time Kanye
>rapped for a whole album with substance and conviction, and
>although he's grown as a producer and composer since, nothing
>has sounded this fleshed out (thank Jon Brion).
>
>
>
>36. Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001)
>With this following so quickly behind Kid A and consisting of
>songs recorded at the same time, it's a little too easy to
>dismiss Amnesiac. I don't advise it, as the highlights on this
>album are just as good as those on Kid A. I do find the
>"electronica" to be a little overcooked here, to the point of
>ruining what was their best new song in their live set in
>years, "I Might Be Wrong," a kink they finally worked out on
>In Rainbows. The piano, strings, and horns that fill many of
>the songs here help make them some of Radiohead's finest
>moments.
>
>
>
>37. The Roots - Game Theory (2006)
>On their Def Jam debut, The Roots trade their feel-good vibes
>for sad times and tension, crafting a claustrophobic, dark,
>gritty masterpiece that stands among their best work.
>
>
>
>38. The Roots - Phrenology (2002)
>This is the third or fourth Roots album I heard and owned, but
>it's the first one I learned front to back and still some of
>their most creative work. I'd love to hear the Black Thought
>solo album, Masterpiece Theatre, that half of this album was
>versioned from. As diverse and well-produced as the music is,
>BT's solid command of the mic and songwriting development
>arguably make him the high point of the album, the group's
>first without Malik B sharing mic time (although he is the
>subject of the experimental album highlight "Water").
>
>
>
>39. D'Angelo - Voodoo (2000)
>If Burial isn't ambient r&b, this is. I've always been
>attracted to the creeping tones of this album and how pretty
>melodies, simple but often profound lyrics, and even the funk
>would cut through the murk. This album is so good I can almost
>forgive D'Angelo for not releasing another one after.
>
>
>
>40. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (2002)
>This may have had too many hands in it, but I still find it a
>highly accomplished work and a rewarding listen. Gab has the
>same fun but substantive and conceptual lyrical content and
>dexterous delivery as J-Live but doesn't come across quite as
>naturally. Still, if you can tolerate a little geekiness and
>playful corniness in your rap music, this album was the best
>of its kind in the decade.
>
>
>
>41. Hood - Outside Closer (2005)
>There really isn't a noticeable dropoff in the quality of the
>music and lyrics between Cold House and this album. I think
>that, other than the two singles, the songs here are a little
>less catchy. If Cold House hinted at any hope for the future,
>it isn't really found here, as this is a sobering listen, with
>"Closure" being perhaps the most emotionally devastating song
>I've ever heard. This album isn't for everyone, but I find it
>a very rewarding listen. It's also another album that shows
>the similarities between jazz and post-rock.
>
>
>
>42. Herbert - Bodily Functions (2001)
>This album is highly accomplished musically and contains some
>of the most sophisticated and fully formed songwriting in the
>electronic music genre. That, in addition to live
>instrumentation, so much of this album consists of samples
>actually sourced from the human body is remarkable. Matthew
>Herbert and his jazz singer wife Dani Siciliano make a
>wonderful team.
>
>
>
>43. Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) - Train Of
>Thought (2000)
>I think this is Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek at their individual
>best, and joining forces they created a classic with serious
>bars and serious bass. The mournful tone found in many of the
>songs adds even greater depth and resonance.
>
>
>
>44. The Notwist - Neon Golden (2002/2003)
>I guess I like this album in the same way other people like
>The Postal Service, but I find The Notwist's beautiful and
>quirky brand of "indie electronic" music to have a lot more
>depth and lasting appeal.
>
>
>
>45. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
>(2000)
>This is the shoegaze album of the decade as far as I'm
>concerned. Every song on here is good if not excellent.
>
>
>
>46. Talib Kweli - Quality (2002)
>Talib Kweli shocked the underground by releasing his first
>solo album without any assistance from Hi-Tek and with
>actually measurable swag. I've always loved this album. The
>songs are fun and meaningful. It's no mystery why Kwe broke
>through with this album and "Get By" in particular.
>
>
>
>47. Burial - Untrue (2007)
>Judging by my list so far, you'd never know dubstep ever
>happened, and Burial is probably the least dubstep-sounding
>artist associated with that movement, which is perhaps why I
>love him and this album so. Every song here is basically a
>stolen r&b a cappella over top of ambient music with a
>percussion set consisting of samples of a wood block, an
>aerosol can, a gun cock, and bullet shells hitting the floor.
>Burial's music also sounds like there's a room playing drum &
>bass and another playing r&b and you're in a room in-between.
>Or maybe it's just really good ambient UK garage. That's the
>thing with Burial, he's intriguing and hard to classify.
>
>
>
>48. Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)
>It's an album full of really pretty, catchy songs, some light,
>some serious. There's probably more variety in mood and
>instrumentation on this than any other Air album.
>
>
>
>49. Squarepusher - Go Plastic (2001)
>It's really good Squarepusher, easily some of his best work, a
>solid album, and fun to listen to. It hurt to exclude
>Ultravisitor, as that is a more interesting album, but
>consistency and cohesiveness made the difference.
>
>
>
>50. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
>I listened to this album a lot, and you probably did, too.
>
>
>
>Personally, I have a hard time taking seriously album
>recommendations from people who don't put their money where
>their mouth is (or their key-tappin' fingers, as the case may
>be). If you're like me, you should know that I bought every
>single one of these albums.

joke's on you though

few on here really take the time to compile, describe and reason within themselves and broader culture to attempt a list such as yours.

even though I don't listen to half of the artist/albums on your list, its the best I've read so far: pitch4k, complex, uncut, fact magazine, rolling stone, LA weekly.

the reason being their is a rhyme reason and flow to your picks. nothing really sticks out as a what the fuck pick.

I got my top 25 on my facebook notes section. if you'd like to check em out let me know

i know his M.O. anyway. i'm more interested in an intelligent person's "hate" (or really just criticism). i wrote this half for myself, half to create a dialog.


>even though I don't listen to half of the artist/albums on
>your list, its the best I've read so far: pitch4k, complex,
>uncut, fact magazine, rolling stone, LA weekly.
>
>the reason being their is a rhyme reason and flow to your
>picks. nothing really sticks out as a what the fuck pick.

thanks. i wonder how some of these stick out to others, but i mainly just wanted to be as objective and honest as possible. i didn't consult anyone else's view points, just wrote down what i thought. i've seen some other lists in major online publications, and they seem too politically motivated or insincere (and i've commented on a couple OKP threads saying as much), so i wanted to do it right.


>I got my top 25 on my facebook notes section. if you'd like to
>check em out let me know

definitely; you can inbox or email a copy & paste of it to me. i actually don't have facebook so links to that site usually just ask me to log in.

It's a preference, just cause you think you have a smart list of mostly no groove noise music
doesn't make you intelligence



>few on here really take the time to compile, describe and
>reason within themselves and broader culture to attempt a list
>such as yours.
>
>even though I don't listen to half of the artist/albums on
>your list, its the best I've read so far: pitch4k, complex,
>uncut, fact magazine, rolling stone, LA weekly.
>
>the reason being their is a rhyme reason and flow to your
>picks. nothing really sticks out as a what the fuck pick.
>
>I got my top 25 on my facebook notes section. if you'd like to
>check em out let me know

>It's a preference, just cause you think you have a smart list
>of mostly no groove noise music
>doesn't make you intelligence

you do realize like half of those are rap albums, right? i've seen your lame potshots at the roots and am unimpressed, but you are here, so what does that say about you? as for the other half that is "no groove noise music" i'd love to hear more of your detailed impressions of the music since i'm sure you heard enough of those albums and artists to form that opinion you were so quick to run in here and express.

>doesn't make you intelligence

delicious

_______________________________________________________________________________________

...it's SICK, based off my one listen yesterday. I thought I hated Anticon, but even their guest spots are tolerable. Respekt.

I'm tempted to make my own list, but I don't even know where to begin -- I bet it's super hard trying to arrange them after the first 10-20.

Esteemed author of the celebrated, double-platinum post: "Drake - Wu-Tang Forever".

>...it's SICK, based off my one listen yesterday. I thought I
>hated Anticon, but even their guest spots are tolerable.
>Respekt.

it's a combination that doesn't seem like it would work, but dose one and why? blend right in with the music and make it even better.

since the release of hood's last album, the singer released an album and some EPs on anticon records under the name bracken.

i used to have links to hood's music in my sig back in the mid '00s here but stopped when 1) i saw there was very little if any interest, and 2) it became a point of actual parody by Grand_Styles' inept don_ackryte alias (which was bizarre), as he assumed it was my band. anyway, i'm glad you like it. it's great winter and fall music especially.


>I'm tempted to make my own list, but I don't even know where
>to begin -- I bet it's super hard trying to arrange them after
>the first 10-20.

it took a long time. the first 4 were easy because i did a list of my 25 favorite albums in january last year, but i went back and forth on the rest.

>i used to have links to hood's music in my sig back in the mid
>'00s here but stopped when 1) i saw there was very little if
>any interest, and 2) it became a point of actual parody by
>Grand_Styles' inept don_ackryte alias (which was bizarre), as
>he assumed it was my band. anyway, i'm glad you like it. it's
>great winter and fall music especially.

Ha! I remember that shit.

I think you tried to hip to some Hood because they covered a Robert Wyatt tune or something. And I remember thinking: "why the fuck is he trying to act like Hood isn't his band?"

Good list overall though. "Vespertine" is definitely the last Bjork album that really stuck with me, though I don't listen to it as much because it's so tied to some specific bad memories.

...cracked me up, considering hood's been around since i was 8 and are british.


>I think you tried to hip to some Hood because they covered a
>Robert Wyatt tune or something. And I remember thinking: "why
>the fuck is he trying to act like Hood isn't his band?"

yeah, eventually i just gave up, just like i'll probably never make another topic about coil, just like i took orange dust's mp3 link out of my sig when i saw he stopped making music and didn't even care enough to keep his mp3's online.

hood sampled robert wyatt, most notably on their single "the lost you."


>Good list overall though. "Vespertine" is definitely the last
>Bjork album that really stuck with me, though I don't listen
>to it as much because it's so tied to some specific bad
>memories.

i understand.

i really like 'medulla,' but because of its production (not so much the songwriting) it doesn't have as much replay value, so i couldn't include it in the top 50. i've mentioned that i still haven't come around to 'volta' but haven't played it in a long time either. i don't count her out though and still think she's making great music.

the only records i don't own are "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" "White Pony" and "Mer De Noms"

not at not owning the below but that you own all the others.


>the only records i don't own are "Thirteen Tales From Urban
>Bohemia" "White Pony" and "Mer De Noms"

originally i had a list of over 100 candidates for this list, but very few of those extras were in the rock genre. i didn't purposely exclude them, i just wasn't that into this decade of rock music. i'm hoping that changes in this decade to come, but i suspect i'll only listen to and care about it less.

this is the decade that i got into rock music

from 1999-03 i was what you would call a backpacker lol.

once i got to college in 04 i linked up with some people who introduced me to some of my favorite acts now (mbv, sonic youth, radiohead, etc...)

i have an affinity for the more dark, melodic and brooding style than anything else, but i'm open to just about anything now.

including "some" indie shit

but i've noticed an extreme difference in quality when revisiting seminal indie records from the 80s and 90s as oppose to new shit. the label now denotes a particular sound more so than being released on an indie label. the alternative to that shit is lame genre revivals and power pop...

i blame pitchfork lol

>once i got to college in 04 i linked up with some people who
>introduced me to some of my favorite acts now (mbv, sonic
>youth, radiohead, etc...)

yeah, i had the opposite experience, i got into those bands in middle and high school but didn't get into "backpack" rap until the last year of high school and then college. there's still so much i don't know about/in hip-hop since i spent so much of the '90s listening to the radio artists.


>i have an affinity for the more dark, melodic and brooding
>style than anything else, but i'm open to just about anything
>now.

i don't know if you've heard the 3 albums you said you didn't own, but much of each of those albums i'd describe as dark, melodic, and brooding rock, it's just accessible, too...


>the label now denotes a particular sound
>more so than being released on an indie label.

that's exactly how i feel. up until the early 2000s if someone talked about/recommended something "indie" i'd be intrigued because all it really meant was that it was released on an independent label and probably sounds different from what's popular/on the radio, and i'm always up for something new. now when people say "indie" it's a particular type of music or, worse, image, and i'm just turned off immediately. i always have to make sure it's something interesting and worth my time. sometimes it is, but usually it isn't anything special to me.


>the alternative
>to that shit is lame genre revivals and power pop...

i'm not into that either... i'd sooner just listen to the original music that's being revived.

Always enjoy reading a more personal-leaning list.

Am slowly going to be posting my year by year thoughts on my blog.

~Austin

os·ti·na·to
/ˌästəˈnädō/
noun
a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

https://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2017/332378

it deserves more than a shit pun.

You have no idea how hard I just laughed at that.

~Austin

os·ti·na·to
/ˌästəˈnädō/
noun
a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

https://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2017/332378

>Always enjoy reading a more personal-leaning list.

thanks, i tried to make it personal without including too much information no one else would care about (like an anecdote about how i looked at the censored album cover to dead prez's 'let's get free' in the store so many times before finally owning it and getting to see the full cover).


>Am slowly going to be posting my year by year thoughts on my
>blog.

cool, i'll look for those then.

Great album. Good list by the way.

______________________________________________________________
Blog: http://potholesinmyblog.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/soulsupreme

Fuck Zomba I sell nose candy Willy Wonka � Pusha T

looking through, the things that stood out to me were

-j-live is underrated, both best part and all of the above were without doubt some of the best hip hop albums of the decade. i don't know why but I didn't check for anything by him after that

-how under the blueprint are you going to say kid a is overpraised and have it as your #1 album of the entire last 10 years? lol

-the albums i havent heard that i'd be interested in listened to off that list are dandy warhols, mogwai, and hood. and maybe NIN and burial

-its good to see fantastic damage on anyones list..on a hip hop list both el-p albums would definitely be on mine

>-j-live is underrated

very


>both best part and all of the above
>were without doubt some of the best hip hop albums of the
>decade.

i agree but only didn't count 'the best part' because it was recorded, meant to be released, and bootlegged in the '90s, but it's as good and in some ways (the music) better than AOTA.


>i don't know why but I didn't check for anything by
>him after that

i was on the j-live bandwagon after AOTA. when he released his EP of new material, 'always will be,' i was really into it because the rhymes were so good even though the self-produced beats were just passable. in the time since i grew a little less excited for new music from him, and when his next album leaked i saw all the bad feedback and decided to check out a few songs from it and had to agree they really weren't good. i didn't give up though; his last album was much better received, and i actually own it but haven't played it (i've talked about my first listen rituals before so i'll spare the rehash), and i was fairly confident it wouldn't make this list so i didn't feel the need to play it before publishing this.


>-how under the blueprint are you going to say kid a is
>overpraised and have it as your #1 album of the entire last 10
>years? lol

i also got at 'kid a' in my description for hood's 'cold house.' 'kid a' is an album i'm tired of talking and hearing about. it may not be as good as some say, but IMO it's still the best album of the decade. i wasn't going to exclude or change the status of it and 'the blueprint' just because i think they're overrated. i tried to be fair in my comments on all 50 of those albums without boring myself by repeating things i've said better before but couldn't remember the wording.


>-the albums i havent heard that i'd be interested in listened
>to off that list are dandy warhols, mogwai, and hood. and
>maybe NIN and burial

i could see you liking the dandy's the most out of those, although it may sound dated to someone hearing it for the first time, i don't know. you may recognize the song "bohemian like you" as it was licensed to a few things, but it's not the best song on there nor completely representative of the album.

that would be a good mogwai album for you to try, too, because it's short (30-somthing minutes and mostly normal length tracks), not too abrasive, and really beautiful. i found myself using that word a lot in my writeup, "beautiful," but that's how i feel about most of those albums, even if it's not conventional beauty (like el-p).


>-its good to see fantastic damage on anyones list..on a hip
>hop list both el-p albums would definitely be on mine

i was told it was really impractical to do an all-genre list, but i thought it was important to do not only for myself, but also for friends who don't listen to hip-hop and vice versa, just to show that those hip-hop albums are just as good and worthy of praise as the heralded albums in other genres. i thought it was important because hip-hop can be perceived as a "disposable" genre, which it isn't necessarily.

This is seriously one of the best rap albums to ever bless my ears. The beats were some of the most experimental (yet so soulful) beats I've ever heard. The raps were insane.

Hell, Truck North is a fuckin' newcomer and dropped one of the most poetic verses of all time, even though Mos Def dropped one of the best verses of the year and album on the first song, and PORN was seriously vicious every time I heard him. I don't even need to go into how fucking dope Thought was.

75 Bars....sheet, it's a wrap for all you wack niggas. Thought, Truck, & PORN are like what Slum Village would sound like if everyone always rapped with ferocity and yet stayed smooth and dexterous. (No diss against SV though; the reason I love them is because they have fun, but can come hard when they want.)

They even forced Common to do a nice verse in 2008.

It was 5x as dark, menacing, claustrophobic, and grimy as Game Theory, even though I look at Game Theory more as a concept album about a man trying to get by in these harsh times, while Rising Down is more of a captured moment in history.

And, when they lightened up at the end of the record, they made the funkiest, jamminest banger of a hip-hop record that I heard all '08 and '09. Just an incredible well thought-out, well-structured album.

"Jesus died at age 33. But what he didn't do is forget his niggas." (c) Sir Bumpy of Knuckles

i love 'rising down' and consider it a great continuation, with some key differences, from 'game theory,' and it would easily make a hypothetical top 50 hip-hop albums of the decade list. so many of my "favorite" albums didn't make the list i made though, so RD is in good company, and it's no slight. i didn't know the roots would make my list twice until i was actually narrowing down the choices, and i think ?uest has production on at least 6 of those 50 albums.


>This is seriously one of the best rap albums to ever bless my
>ears. The beats were some of the most experimental (yet so
>soulful) beats I've ever heard. The raps were insane.

i agree...


>Hell, Truck North is a fuckin' newcomer and dropped one of the
>most poetic verses of all time, even though Mos Def dropped
>one of the best verses of the year and album on the first
>song, and PORN was seriously vicious every time I heard him. I
>don't even need to go into how fucking dope Thought was.

i agree again


>It was 5x as dark, menacing, claustrophobic, and grimy as Game
>Theory

i'm willing to concede that they're equally so or that maybe RD is even a little more so, but not 5x more



>And, when they lightened up at the end of the record, they
>made the funkiest, jamminest banger of a hip-hop record that I
>heard all '08 and '09.

i agree that it's one of the best feeling hip-hop songs in a long time. that was one of the album highlights for me, too.


>Just an incredible well thought-out,
>well-structured album.

for some reason it just doesn't seem and sound as well thought-out and -structured to me, which is why i prefer GT, as it flows incredibly well and sounds tighter. maybe it's all the guests on RD, because even though they deliver, it gets a little crowded.

It definitely is their Kid A, so I can kind of see how you might like it more, especially when you have Kid A at the top of your list too (which I totally agree with).

For some reason, Thought holding down (and I mean HOLDIN' DOWN) the majority of a Roots record that's taking the group in a new direction, sonically and lyrically, is slightly less impressive than Thought spitting red hot verses and bringing out what might be the best of a bunch of other dope rappers, vets and young guns, while The Roots seriously push the envelope on how ambient and (I guess) "wonky" they can take hard-hitting rap, while still being soulful and funky.

It's like choosing between Fear Of A Black Planet and 36 Chambers for me though.

But, as a story-telling vehicle, mos def Game Theory trumps Rising Down.

"Jesus died at age 33. But what he didn't do is forget his niggas." (c) Sir Bumpy of Knuckles

>while The Roots seriously push the
>envelope on how ambient and (I guess) "wonky" they can take
>hard-hitting rap, while still being soulful and funky.

haha. those terms never came to mind listening to the album, but i know what you mean. it's a really creative, experimental, but still street hip-hop album.


>But, as a story-telling vehicle, mos def Game Theory trumps
>Rising Down.

one of my motivations for doing this writeup was to salute the dieing album format as opposed to a collection of songs. with a few exceptions, most of the 50 are very easy to play front to back (provided that you like the type of music), and a lot of those albums have some kind of musical or lyrical theme if not an explicit concept. so it's by this sort of logic that GT made it and RD (and a lot of other albums i love) didn't. RD is definitely among the roots' best music, i just prefer GT as an album.

though lacking to me. very nice list overall just felt like a lot of stuff was 'missing', then again if its a personal list its all based around personal preference in the first place

...

Esteemed author of the celebrated, double-platinum post: "Drake - Wu-Tang Forever".

Not completely out of character for you, but such a blatant stab of rudeness from you is still disheartening nonetheless.

I seriously don't see how anyone could critique a list as honest and genuine as howisya's list. He could've listed the fifty most bullshit albums of the decade with the same reasoning and it still would have been a fun list to read.

~Austin

os·ti·na·to
/ˌästəˈnädō/
noun
a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

https://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2017/332378

I felt it could've had more albums from other styles but that's my opinion. He posted his list on an open forum for discussion, and I gave my input. It wasn't meant to be offensive in any way at all, more just another post to the discussion. I apologize if it came off in a pompous way, which I can see now in retrospect.

edited, of course

>I felt it could've had more albums from other styles but
>that's my opinion.

i felt that way, too, actually. i would've liked to have included erykah's last album, but it didn't make the cut. same with 'back to black,' 'tha carter III,' etc. i didn't have a genre quota as that would've been missing the point, and i'd sooner have not done it at all.


>He posted his list on an open forum for
>discussion, and I gave my input.

that's why i did it, so people can discuss the music in there and help me be a better writer. i'm not going to change my taste in music based on the reaction to the list, but if i can get people discussing the albums and critiquing the process, that's worthwhile for me.


>I apologize if it came off in a pompous way,
>which I can see now in retrospect.

i wasn't offended and don't need an apology; i do see it as a slight but feel it was deserved based on a few of our conversations and general opinions i express, since we really do see music very differently despite how much of it we have in common as listeners.

everybody's list isn't going to be as diverse as yours.

jesus.

--------------------------------------
https://smallprofessor.bandcamp.com

i appreciate that he can sense the genuineness of it but can understand why andrew thinks the list is "lacking." some of you may remember andrew's first post here, which was dynamite: http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=17&topic_id=120973&mesg_id=120973&page=2 - despite his posts focusing heavily on electronic music for his first year or so here, i don't think he's referring to that in saying my list is "lacking," as i think he's referring to "indie," which i've freely admitted to him personally and to others is not something that excites me anymore, but anyone reading his posts in the last year or so knows how much it means to him. i respect his opinion. if i had extended my list to 100--which i didn't do because it starts to mean less after 50, besides being double the work (in addition to the ordering and writing, i also coded the entire thing for last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/howisya/journal/2010/01/02/3axpr9_my_top_50_favorite_albums_of_the_decade_2000-2009)--then i'd have had room maybe for lcd soundsystem and tv on the radio, for example, but it'd still be what i enjoyed listening to for the last 10 years, not him, so it'd probably still be lacking compared with what he'd choose.

i knew you wouldn't find that offensive

i loved it; i think we've talked about the appropriation of "sinnerman" over the years, and i think it's been overdone by now, but "get by" is one of my favorite beats, a very creative, early, textbook hip-hop chop 'n' loop by kanye, and i was happy that kwe got a mainstream hit with the song and put a lot of people onto nina in the process. i knew who she was by then, but my exposure to her music was limited, so i'm sure that song helped me along the way.

i knew i went back and forth about that sample w/ someone here, but i didn't realize it was you. so, yeah, i hated that sample.

that song is one of my 5 favorites ever, and i felt like it was not a very creative sample from too well-known of a song.

but we'll move on since it's been discussed before.... LOL.

j/k!

But for real, I am suprised that "Los Angeles" didn't make your top 50 in light of what I thought was enthusiastic praise and enjoyment on your part since its release.....................

__________
I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!

Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers. (c) Kno

>But for real, I am suprised that "Los Angeles" didn't make
>your top 50 in light of what I thought was enthusiastic praise
>and enjoyment on your part since its
>release.....................

i was, too. it was in the top 100 though (not precisely ranked). i would've loved to have included it, and i put it over autechre's 'quaristice,' which was released by the same label in the same year and at the time i liked about as much. 'LA' is a very special album, and i look forward to the next.

I'll probably do it when I get bored as shit.

Which could be real soon.

_________________________________________________________

http://www.angryasianman.com

i'll read it.

one of the fun things for me doing this list was seeing how much my taste has changed over the decade. doing this list, i consulted a few lists i'd made before, mostly toward the beginning of the decade, and while i still liked most of the same albums, i grew to love some much more and some much less than originally. maybe in 2020 i'll look back at this list and be like, huh?

i love the rounded nature of it, all these walks of musical life represented so well. this spectrum is a beautiful one.

far as the post title, look at me telling you how your ears should work, lol.

on the real though... for an album to have that kind of mainstream, commercial appeal and be that sonically, musically maverick is such an impressive feat.

-Sig-

“Why didn’t you do this in your own god damn country?"

-All Stah's view on undocumented immigrants wanting to be treated like human beings.

'voodoo' was originally in the late 40s because it'd been a while since i listened to it, but when i put it on, as i did with several of those albums, i remembered how much i love it and moved it closer to the top.


>i love the rounded nature of it, all these walks of musical
>life represented so well. this spectrum is a beautiful one.

thank you.


>far as the post title, look at me telling you how your ears
>should work, lol.

i wanted people to say "_____ should've been higher/lower/on there/not on there." the list is basically framing multiple potential discussions.


>on the real though... for an album to have that kind of
>mainstream, commercial appeal and be that sonically, musically
>maverick is such an impressive feat.

i know, right? it's amazing. that was exactly what i was thinking when i replayed it a few days ago, that i couldn't believe how popular this album was considering it's so different and in many ways odd, but it being so good shines through all of that.

yeah yeah i know, i'm a bit of a crusader for these guys. but after 4 albums of being a fan, i can honestly say they have shown more artistic growth then most artists from one album to the next.

this one is quite the departure, and they took more from the earth disc of the last one that i showed you. they still retain some of their basic hallmarks but it's a major aesthetic 180 IMO.

here is the highlight:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8C16C624B18FF97A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=oD2VlkN0O30

should have been on the Watchmen soundtrack if you ask me. very cinematic, with a haunting sound scape, broadway style vocals with vivid lyricism. an odd but intoxicating mix. i know you aren't a huge fan of his voice but this is an excellent performance.

The Weight
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8C16C624B18FF97A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=VccjmoDkjFg

In Exile-probably my favorite from the beggars album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKK5Gg2Vk6w&feature=PlayList&p=8C16C624B18FF97A&index=4

i'm real curious about your take here.

-Sig-

“Why didn’t you do this in your own god damn country?"

-All Stah's view on undocumented immigrants wanting to be treated like human beings.

>this one is quite the departure, and they took more from the
>earth disc of the last one that i showed you.

yep, i liked 'earth' but haven't played it again since then, although i've been meaning to.

i listened to these songs you linked, and they don't remind me of 'earth' as i remember it. i found these songs likable, but they didn't stand out for me. they seemed more generic without actually sounding like what's popular on rock radio now, which, for some reason, i've been listening to again for the last 9-12 months and enjoying for the most part (except for foo fighters, RHCP, incubus, and green day every single hour). to me, these thrice songs don't compete with some of the better new bands and songs i've been hearing on the radio, but i presume these 3 aren't all singles, so they're not meant to be as catchy.


>In Exile-probably my favorite from the beggars album.

i liked this one best; it's hard to go wrong with nonlyrical singing (i'm referring to the outro).

a lot of my favorites are on that list as well

Now Playing:
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
Ice Cube - Death Certificate
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

i know its your list, but i feel like the fact that you recognized discovery enough (you said you listen to it a lot) should automatically make it a lot higher on your list than #50.

anyone who is aware of discovery knows what it has done for electronic music in principle as well as helping it reach the mainstream. every song on the album is so tight (and if you've seen interstella 5555, you'll understand how complete this album is). once again, i think you have a great list, and as you note it is ballsy to post one on here of all places. but i just feel like throwing discovery in last place is disingenuous.

divided we fall

>i know its your list, but i feel like the fact that you
>recognized discovery enough (you said you listen to it a lot)
>should automatically make it a lot higher on your list than
>#50.
>
>anyone who is aware of discovery knows what it has done for
>electronic music in principle as well as helping it reach the
>mainstream. every song on the album is so tight (and if you've
>seen interstella 5555, you'll understand how complete this
>album is). once again, i think you have a great list, and as
>you note it is ballsy to post one on here of all places. but i
>just feel like throwing discovery in last place is
>disingenuous.

i agree with you for the most part. i thought it'd be worse to exclude it completely and throw in dj shadow, another RDJ or squarepusher album, or whatever else i wished was in there. i've barely listened to 'discovery' in the last 7 years, and if i could exclude godspeed you black emperor!, who i loved from when they released their first cd until their last but haven't listened to much since they went on hiatus, then by the same rationale i could put 'discovery' at 50. unlike 'kid a,' i never thought 'discovery' was the best album of the decade or even that year. ideally, i'd have had time to relisten to all 50 of those albums and more, but no one paid me to do this list, i did it as a labor of love, and i had to restrict myself from spending any more time on it. i never claimed perfection; i'm sure i'll start disagreeing with some of my choices by the end of the year. so, yeah, maybe that album would be ranked higher if i relistened to it, but it felt right to me at 50, more right than off the list or artificially closer to the top just based on how much i liked it for the first year or two. it's an important album, one of the most in that entire list, for the reasons you describe, but that wasn't what my list was about.

i actually haven't seen interstella 5555. by the time that came out i was burned out on 'discovery.' i've always been curious about it though.

if daft punk came out with a great studio album to follow up 'discovery' maybe i'd have remained a fan of theirs throughout the decade and kept listening to this album and everything else, but instead they're more a group i like but don't love.

>1. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

I still like Amnesiac better. Though I have a better 'story' around Kid A.

>2. Bj�rk - Vespertine (2001)

My daughter pretty much confirms the greatness of this album, having not even been born when it dropped but asking for songs from it constantly.

>3. Aphex Twin - Drukqs (2001)

I need to listen to more of this

>
>4. Hood - Cold House (2001)

and just listen to this

>5. dead prez - lets get free (2000)

This never lived up to my expectations. Or put another way they never lived up to my expectations. Or put another way, my personal thoughts get in the way of appreciating this at that level. It is good though. But how can you not skip Mind Sex?

>6. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 (2000)
>This album is just a lot of fun, even if Dan The Automator's
>production makes an album set far into the future sound dated.

Nail on head. I think you already know my thoughts on the production for this.

>7. A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms (2000)

This surprised me. Not sure why, I mean it is absolutely the awesomest. But I don't think I've ever seen it talked about here like that.

>8. Deftones - White Pony (2000)

Never a big fan.

>9. Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)

I still gotta make that track.

>10. Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)

SC Better

>11. Autechre - Confield (2001)
>I've learned this is also the worst place for newcomers
>to Autechre to start.

Since I'm no longer a newcomer....
>
>12. Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher (2003)
> I still consider One Word
>Extinguisher Prefuse's magnum opus.

Agreed.

>13. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007/2008)
>In the right order, these songs complement each
>other flawlessly, and although I find the high points to be
>higher on Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief and the production of
>those albums to be more "interesting," this is truly a great,
>often addictive listen.

LOL!!! Sequencing ftw. Ehhhh.. kinda. I still think Amnesiac better. HTTT close.

>14. Saul Williams - Saul Williams (2004)
>15. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of
>NiggyTardust! (2007/2008)

It's hard to argue against this order. Great pair.

>16. Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)

I think I completely missed the boat on this one. I mean I can hear it, but it's just not that stellar to me. It's like Funcrusher Lite (oooohhhh I'mma catch heat for that one). Neither of them really measures up to Jus or El P on the mic IMO, though they are good compliments.

>17. Outkast - Stankonia (2000)

Yeah I lost all hope with this album. Mighty O was the last hint of former greatness, but I'm doubtful it'll ever come back.

>18. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (2007)

LOL @ Rock genericisms. I consider Trent a master of those.
>
>
>19. N*E*R*D - In Search Of... (2001/2002)

Never Ever Really Dug

>20. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)

Much better than Stankonia IMO but still ehhh.

>21. Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000)

While it has some lyrical moments, there are a lot of low points and too often the music stands out above the artist. Still waiting for the instrumental version of this to happen.

>22. Common - Electric Circus (2002)

I stopped taking Com serious with this one. It's very fetishy, and the aftermath of it in terms of the career only solidifies that.

>23. Mogwai - Rock Action (2001)

Haven't heard this in forever. Had a friend that was deep into it. I dug, but not that deep.

>24. Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi (2002)

Confession I don't think I've heard a BoC album front to back intentionally. I know I've heard a lot, but never really sat down with them. May start with this one.

>25. El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007)

Great album

>26. Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth (2005)

I'm surprised by this inclusion. I think I remember reading you liked it but never realized that much.

>27. Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2 (2000)
>This is a very fun hip-hop album with dope beats and catchy
>raps. The End.

It's wild, but that's really about all there is to say. I never talk about it. LOL!

>28. Portishead - Third (2008)

Nice inclusion.

>29. J-Live - All Of The Above (2002)

Always expected more out of J-Live. But he did well in his lane.

>30. El-P - Fantastic Damage (2002)

I never got into this one.

>31. Massive Attack - 100th Window (2003)
>Nowhere near as good as Mezzanine, nowhere near as bad as many
>say.

Exactly

>32. J Dilla - Donuts (2006)

The enigma.

>33. Quasimoto - The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas (2005)

*helium voice* not a fan

>34. Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
>This is big budget, blockbuster rap in every sense. Jay-Z
>became a superstar here, but so did Kanye West and Just Blaze.
>This album has long reached Kid A levels of overdiscussion and
>overpraise, however.

LOL!!

>35. Kanye West - Late Registration (2005)

Definitely Jon Brion's best hip-hop album.

>36. Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001)

I always saw Kid A as the draft and Amnesiac as the final product.


>37. The Roots - Game Theory (2006)

Great album, but Rising Down trumps it on my list.

>38. The Roots - Phrenology (2002)

As a big Malik B fan this was a serious let down. I still contend Malik kept the group down to earth. The follow ups kinda support this.
>
>39. D'Angelo - Voodoo (2000)
>If Burial isn't ambient r&b, this is. I've always been
>attracted to the creeping tones of this album and how pretty
>melodies, simple but often profound lyrics, and even the funk
>would cut through the murk. This album is so good I can almost
>forgive D'Angelo for not releasing another one after.

LOL @ simple lyrics. I mean simple maybe, intelligible...uhhhh

>40. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (2002)

This was the first hip-hop album I referred to as overproduced I think. It's their opus IMO.

>41. Hood - Outside Closer (2005)

Really need to get into hood.

>42. Herbert - Bodily Functions (2001)

Need to check this.


>43. Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) - Train Of
>Thought (2000)

I was always disappointed with this. Not bad, but just ok imo.
>
>
>44. The Notwist - Neon Golden (2002/2003)

Hmmmm...

>
>
>45. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
>(2000)

That's shoegaze!!! I never knew.

>46. Talib Kweli - Quality (2002)

Decent but.... ehhhh
>
>47. Burial - Untrue (2007)

I don't see this getting to much burn from me in the 10's
>
>
>48. Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)

I love this album.
>
>49. Squarepusher - Go Plastic (2001)

Glad he made the cut.

>50. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
>I listened to this album a lot, and you probably did, too.

Maybe... if I'd heard it.
________
<- Big PEMFin H & z's
█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃

I talked a lot of shit in the 00's
Watch me back it up in the 10's
http://avanturb.com

>>1. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
>
>I still like Amnesiac better. Though I have a better 'story'
>around Kid A.

the highs on 'amnesiac' are arguably higher. "how to disappear completely" (which has been one of my top 5 favorite radiohead songs since they debuted it live 2 years before 'kid a') and maybe "idioteque" are better than anything on 'amnesiac,' but "pyramid song," "dollars & cents," "like spinning plates," and "life in a glasshouse" are some of their best songs and make 'amnesiac' seem better than it really is (due to sequencing and questionable arrangement and production in some songs i almost didn't even consider this album for the list until i remembered my favorite songs on it).


>>2. Bj�rk - Vespertine (2001)
>
>My daughter pretty much confirms the greatness of this album,
>having not even been born when it dropped but asking for songs
>from it constantly.

it's a classic; other people will realize it one day.


>>5. dead prez - lets get free (2000)
>
>This never lived up to my expectations. Or put another way
>they never lived up to my expectations. Or put another way,
>my personal thoughts get in the way of appreciating this at
>that level. It is good though. But how can you not skip Mind
>Sex?

i never skip "mind sex" and didn't know until maybe yesterday that people consider it out of place on the album. i can see why some may find it corny (if that's the criticism), but i think it has a good message, and i love the music. i've only skimmed the ongoing discussion on this album here, but it seems like people's expectations and unreachable standards for political/conscious hip-hop do seem to prevent them from getting into this album. i'd never heard of dead prez until seeing their cd in sam goody and hearing "hip-hop" and "selling D.O.P.E." so dpz has always just been dpz to me. my expectations are based on this album mostly, so that's why i wasn't able to get into 'RBG' as much and have lost interest in their music for the most part (truthfully it's more a matter of not making time for it since i actually own m1's first solo album and downloaded stic.man's and haven't played either, but if they'd dropped before 'RBG' i'd have been all over those albums).


>>7. A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms (2000)
>
>This surprised me. Not sure why, I mean it is absolutely the
>awesomest. But I don't think I've ever seen it talked about
>here like that.

the only thing that surprised me was that i couldn't honestly pick either tool album released in the last decade because they never stayed in rotation or were returned to year after year like the first APC album.



>>9. Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
>
>I still gotta make that track.

you do. you've had nearly 4 years to remake that beat in 10 minutes. "sexyback" may be my least favorite on there, but i'll defend it to a degree.


>>10. Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)
>
>SC Better

it hurt to exclude SC. i didn't realize which one i preferred until i made the list. each has its own strengths. ghost outspits doom in an album-to-album comparison, easily.

i also wish i could've included 'the w.'


>>11. Autechre - Confield (2001)
>>I've learned this is also the worst place for newcomers
>>to Autechre to start.
>
>Since I'm no longer a newcomer....

i started dating my current girlfriend right around when this album came out, and i ruined autechre for her for many years because i let her hear some of this new album i was really into and playing a lot. i just figured it was a chick thing, but i've learned my lesson since then.

i will say that i think it was this album in particular that opened my mind for good. so maybe i'm the one who should have that "autechre changed my life" banner. ha.


>>13. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007/2008)
>>In the right order, these songs complement each
>>other flawlessly, and although I find the high points to be
>>higher on Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief and the production
>of
>>those albums to be more "interesting," this is truly a
>great,
>>often addictive listen.
>
>LOL!!! Sequencing ftw. Ehhhh.. kinda. I still think
>Amnesiac better. HTTT close.

'in rainbows' reminds me of 'white pony' now that i think about it.


>>14. Saul Williams - Saul Williams (2004)
>>15. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of
>>NiggyTardust! (2007/2008)
>
>It's hard to argue against this order. Great pair.

when i first thought about making this list months ago and was also listening to self-titled i had the idea to put all 3 together, but in hindsight the production on 'amethyst' brings it down, and a lot of the songs really are spoken word over music more than they're real songs. lyrically they're all on par, and i love most of the music on 'amethyst,' it just hasn't aged as well, or maybe my tastes have just changed a lot since then.


>>16. Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)

>IMO, though they are good compliments.

el-p's music and vast and vordul's vocals and lyrics are a perfect fit, but i'm really a fan of the rap performance on and content of this album, not just the beats or general sound.


>>17. Outkast - Stankonia (2000)
>
>Yeah I lost all hope with this album. Mighty O was the last
>hint of former greatness, but I'm doubtful it'll ever come
>back.

i love "mighty o" but might actually prefer "hollywood divorce" ('idlewild' didn't make my top 100, but probably would've been in the next tier). i know you're not a big fan of last decade's outkast (i keep writing "this decade" so if you see that i mean last decade).


>>18. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (2007)
>
>LOL @ Rock genericisms. I consider Trent a master of those.

he overdid it on 'the slip.' it's all the generic hard rock elements i take points off YZ and WT for even though i can usually find my way into enjoying them. with WT it took me a few years before it just hit me how massive it all was.


>>21. Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000)
>
>While it has some lyrical moments, there are a lot of low
>points

there are.


>and too often the music stands out above the artist.

i don't know if that's my criticism of it as i think some of the music (too varied to call just beats) isn't as appealing to me these days. i'm thinking of songs like "the questions," "a song for assata" (which used to be one of my favorites), and some others.


>Still waiting for the instrumental version of this to happen.

i have it. i can link it up sometime.


>>22. Common - Electric Circus (2002)
>
>I stopped taking Com serious with this one. It's very fetishy,
>and the aftermath of it in terms of the career only solidifies
>that.

fetishy?


>>23. Mogwai - Rock Action (2001)
>
>Haven't heard this in forever. Had a friend that was deep
>into it. I dug, but not that deep.

i prefer their live show to their albums these days, but i keep buying them because they always sound good.


>>24. Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi (2002)
>
>Confession I don't think I've heard a BoC album front to back
>intentionally. I know I've heard a lot, but never really sat
>down with them. May start with this one.

you might prefer the previous one, 'music has the right to children' (their 1998 debut on warp). it's easier to get into; i'm not sure how much you'll like the synth tones/patches on 'geogaddi' and the production in general. MHTRTC is the sure winner in their catalog, unless you like new indie rock (or fennesz), then it's 'the campfire headphase.'


>>27. Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2 (2000)
>>This is a very fun hip-hop album with dope beats and catchy
>>raps. The End.
>
>It's wild, but that's really about all there is to say. I
>never talk about it. LOL!

i think the beats on it are often brilliant and find them underrated as emcees, but saying that seemed preemptively defensive, so i stuck to the basics. it's a great rap album if you like rap music, and that's all that has to be said.


>>29. J-Live - All Of The Above (2002)
>
>Always expected more out of J-Live. But he did well in his
>lane.

you should try to produce him! philly isn't that far away. i think he'd sound good over your beats honestly.


>>30. El-P - Fantastic Damage (2002)
>
>I never got into this one.

i didn't either until a year after its release, during tough times. then it all made sense.


>>33. Quasimoto - The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas (2005)
>
>*helium voice* not a fan

have you listened to the instrumental versions?


>>36. Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001)
>
>I always saw Kid A as the draft and Amnesiac as the final
>product.

with all of 'kid a,' most of 'amnesiac,' a re-recording of "i might be wrong," and some of the 'amnesiac' b-sides, they could've also made the best double album ever.


>>37. The Roots - Game Theory (2006)
>
>Great album, but Rising Down trumps it on my list.

discussed above... i respect that.


>>38. The Roots - Phrenology (2002)
>
>As a big Malik B fan this was a serious let down. I still
>contend Malik kept the group down to earth. The follow ups
>kinda support this.

i was never a big malik b fan. i do like him, but i've always preferred BT by a lot. the music on 'phrenology' is a great expansion of the roots sound though if you look at their progress from album to album.


>>40. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (2002)
>
>This was the first hip-hop album I referred to as overproduced
>I think. It's their opus IMO.

overproduced, opus... yeah, i agree. i really like 'nia,' too, but i've always had a weakness for grand statements, so even with all the guests and coproduction i give BA the nod, although i was much more into it in 2002 and 2003. in 2002 this and 'quality' were my 2 favorite albums of the year, to give you an idea of how my tastes have changed.


>>41. Hood - Outside Closer (2005)
>
>Really need to get into hood.

i'd recommend 'cold house' first. they started off in the early '90s making lo-fi like sebadoh, then their sound was more post-rock like talk talk's 'laughing stock' album, then what seems to be their last era (the 2000s) was a mix of lo-fi, post-rock, electronic, and dub with some abstract hip-hop production influence/elements.


>>42. Herbert - Bodily Functions (2001)
>
>Need to check this.

i'm fairly confident you'd enjoy it. you'd definitely "get" it.


>>43. Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) - Train Of
>>Thought (2000)
>
>I was always disappointed with this. Not bad, but just ok
>imo.

it could be better.


>>44. The Notwist - Neon Golden (2002/2003)
>
>Hmmmm...

hmm you disagree, or hmm you should check it out?

a lot of people don't like to hear english lyrics sung in a non-native english speaking european accent, but i think it makes it more interesting, and i like the lyrics.


>>45. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
>>(2000)
>
>That's shoegaze!!! I never knew.

some of it, enough that the album overall has the feel.


>>47. Burial - Untrue (2007)
>
>I don't see this getting to much burn from me in the 10's

let me know. i was surprised how much i listened to it, but a lot could change in the next 10 years.


>>48. Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)
>
>I love this album.

i had no idea.


>>49. Squarepusher - Go Plastic (2001)
>
>Glad he made the cut.

i wish it was higher, but i was listening to some of it recently and it wasn't as good as i remembered. my favorite is still his debut, 'feed me weird things.'


>>50. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
>>I listened to this album a lot, and you probably did, too.
>
>Maybe... if I'd heard it.

it's just that most people have heard it if they like electronic music (and even if they don't). it's one of those crowd pleaser albums, which apparently aren't my preference.


EDIT: did you see/read this? one of the reasons i wrote it was because i knew it wouldn't make this list.
http://www.last.fm/user/howisya/journal/2009/12/31/3aswds_album_of_the_year_2009

>>>41. Hood - Outside Closer (2005)
>>
>>Really need to get into hood.
>
>i'd recommend 'cold house' first. they started off in the
>early '90s making lo-fi like sebadoh, then their sound was
>more post-rock like talk talk's 'laughing stock' album, then
>what seems to be their last era (the 2000s) was a mix of
>lo-fi, post-rock, electronic, and dub with some abstract
>hip-hop production influence/elements.


this is a great, and official, guide on getting started:
http://www.hoodmusic.net/about/
choose your own adventure indeed.

another way to think about shoegaze is phil spector's wall of sound but made using electric guitars and pedals/FX, which is also where the term "shoegaze" comes from, gazing at those pedals (not their shoes).

Nice list. Al least I recognize most if the kats on here LOL. I'll post mine soon.