Drowned In Sound Top 66 Albums Of This Decade

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Guys, I know most best-of lists get a swift pasting on here, but I really think things are gonna be different this time!

66 Ugly Duckling Journey To Anywhere
65 Mystery Jets Making Dens (DOWNLOAD)
64 why? Elephant Eyelash
63 Wives Erect The Youth Problem
62 The Mars Volta De-Loused In The Comatorium (DOWNLOAD)
61 The Lucksmiths Warmer Corners
60 The Cribs The New Fellas (DOWNLOAD)
59 Howling Bells Howling Bells (DOWNLOAD)
58 Guillemots Through The Windowpane (DOWNLOAD)
57 Hot Snakes Suicide Invoice (DOWNLOAD)
56 volcano! Beautiful Seizure
55 The Dandy Warhols Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (DOWNLOAD)
54 Patrick Wolf Lycanthropy
53 dälek Absence
52 Lightning Bolt Hypermagic Mountain
51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses
50 Ten Grand This Is The Way To Rule
49 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell (DOWNLOAD)
48 Múm Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is Okay
47 M. Ward The Transfiguration Of Vincent (DOWNLOAD)
46 Low Trust (DOWNLOAD)
45 Mastodon Blood Mountain (DOWNLOAD)

44 Rival Schools United By Fate
43 The Postal Service Give Up
42 Boards Of Canada Geogaddi
41 Unicorns / Islands Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone / Return To The Sea
40 Sonic Youth Nurse (DOWNLOAD)
39 Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia My Elixir: My Poison
38 Pretty Girls Make Graves The New Romance (DOWNLOAD)
37 Arcade Fire Funeral
36 Sleater-Kinney The Woods
35 Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies Hurrah!
34 Liars Drum’s Not Dead (DOWNLOAD)
33 Sparklehorse It’s A Wonderful Life (DOWNLOAD)
32 Deerhoof Milkman
31 Isoleé Wearemonster
30 This Aint Vegas The Night Don Benito Saved My Life
29 The Radio Dept. Lesser Matters (DOWNLOAD)
28 Les Savy Fav Go Forth (DOWNLOAD)
27 65daysofstatic One Time For All Time
26 Blood Brothers Burn, Piano Island, Burn (DOWNLOAD
25 TV On The Radio Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (DOWNLOAD)
24 PJ Harvey Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (DOWNLOAD)
23 The Knife Silent Shout (DOWNLOAD)
22 Muse Black Holes And Revelations (DOWNLOAD)
21 Broken Social Scene You Forgot It In People (DOWNLOAD)

20 Explosions In The Sky How Strange, Innocence
19 Cat Power You Are Free (DOWNLOAD)
18 My Morning Jacket Z (DOWNLOAD)
17 Cursive The Ugly Organ
16 Radiohead Kid A (DOWNLOAD)
15 The Murder Of Rosa Luxemburg Everyone’s In Love And Flowers Pick Themselves
14 Saul Williams Saul Williams (DOWNLOAD)
13 Four Tet Rounds (DOWNLOAD)
12 The Icarus Line Mono (DOWNLOAD)
11 Interpol Turn On The Bright Lights

10 Ryan Adams Heartbreaker (DOWNLOAD)
9 Bright Eyes Lifted… (DOWNLOAD)
8 …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Madonna (DOWNLOAD)
7 The Shins Chutes Too Narrow
6 Elliott Smith Figure 8 (DOWNLOAD)
5 Isis Oceanic
4 Q And Not U No Kill No Beep Beep
3 Bloc Party Silent Alarm (DOWNLOAD)
2 At The Drive-In Relationship Of Command (DOWNLOAD)
1 Björk Vespertine (DOWNLOAD)

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:44 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/1254995 for more

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

That's a really fucking weird list.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

own and like:

49 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell (DOWNLOAD)
39 Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia My Elixir: My Poison
37 Arcade Fire Funeral
36 Sleater-Kinney The Woods
31 Isoleé Wearemonster
24 PJ Harvey Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (DOWNLOAD)
23 The Knife Silent Shout (DOWNLOAD)
19 Cat Power You Are Free (DOWNLOAD)
14 Saul Williams Saul Williams (DOWNLOAD)
11 Interpol Turn On The Bright Lights
1 Björk Vespertine (DOWNLOAD)

it is a weird list!

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

of the ones i own there are only like...two or three that i think are AMAZING.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:53 (nineteen years ago)

Awful text, but better writers would have made less entertaining choices. Catch-22.

― Zwan (miccio), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

wtf

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

(the list, i mean)

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

2 At The Drive-In Relationship Of Command (DOWNLOAD)
2 At The Drive-In Relationship Of Command (DOWNLOAD)
2 At The Drive-In Relationship Of Command (DOWNLOAD)
2 At The Drive-In Relationship Of Command (DOWNLOAD)
2 At The Drive-In Relationship Of Command (DOWNLOAD)

― calvin johnson has ruined rock for an entire generation (orion), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

Compiled by persons apparently disappeared up their own blogholes.

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

Knowing Drownedinsound I suspect about 12 people voted in this poll and three of them voted for Vespertine.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

they sure love their hip-hop

― ;_; (blueski), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:08 (nineteen years ago)

I still haven't heard any of that Q & Not U album other than "A Line In The Sand", but that song is great, as are their other two albums... At The Drive-In at number 2 is pretty funny, especially since I've been listening to them a lot lately. Glad to see Why? on the list, although I suspect it was just due to one dude putting that album in his top 10 (this would be me).

― lookin' in my mirror, not a Jagger in sight (sixteen sergeants), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:09 (nineteen years ago)

A lot of these are kind of weird choices, though. Like, I can't imagine picking Madonna or Z over Source Tags and Codes or It Still Moves.

― lookin' in my mirror, not a Jagger in sight (sixteen sergeants), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:14 (nineteen years ago)

i am guessing many of these people 1) recently finished college and 2) had a radio show at college and if 1) and 2) then its not such a weird list after all

― college radio ruined rock for an entire generation (consigliere), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:18 (nineteen years ago)

51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses
51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses
51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses
51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:21 (nineteen years ago)

DiS is a British website, but you're basically on the right track [xpost]

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:21 (nineteen years ago)

If they a British website, why did they choose some of the worst British bands? (Cribs, Mystery Jets, Guillemots and - fuck! - Muse)

Also the inclusion of Bright Eyes and Ryan Adams is ridiculous, especially in the top 10. It's like a playlist of an average American college geek.

― zeus (zeus), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 17:55 (nineteen years ago)

how is this list weird? all of the albums are basically of the same shitty indie ilk and most of the names you'd expect to make the list show up at some point.

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 18:00 (nineteen years ago)

What was said upthread about Trail of Dead being in the top 10 and it not being Source Tags and Codes; obscurities like Murder of Rosa Luxemburg beating out Radiohead, Arcade Fire, etc.; bands like At the Drive-In and Q and Not U, who have never been huge critical faves, in the top 5; the presence of Slipknot.

Actually, I don't know that it'd be as weird if it were just in a different order.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 18:07 (nineteen years ago)

At the Drive In along with QOTSA had massive critical love in Britain circa 2000. DiS seems to me very much a haven for people who never got over the death of Melody Maker.

― pscott (elwisty), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

hot snakes! this list isn't all bad.

― gear (gear), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 18:13 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, it reminds me a lot of the old Pitchfork lists, like their original 90s list, where solid bands (Archers of Loaf, Sunny Day Real Estate) coexisted with critical favs (Radiohead, MBV) and random pet bands (Heatmiser, El Producto)... except that at least the top 10 of the Pitchfork list made sense.

― lookin' in my mirror, not a Jagger in sight (sixteen sergeants), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 18:16 (nineteen years ago)

I think I could get into this list if I was really, really stoned.

As far as Hot Snakes, I prefer Audit in Progress

― sovietpanda (sovietpanda), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

I really like that list. Probably cuz I have almost every record in the top 10 :->

― Marty Innerlogic (marty innerlogic), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 19:03 (nineteen years ago)

I should have followed my gut instinct and backed out of the thread as soon as I saw Ugly Duckling.

― Rodney... (R. J. Greene), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:12 (nineteen years ago)

Own: 5
Own and like more than so-so: 2

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:19 (nineteen years ago)

own & like & would probably be in my list if I made one...

54 Patrick Wolf Lycanthropy
49 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell (DOWNLOAD)
42 Boards Of Canada Geogaddi
36 Sleater-Kinney The Woods
34 Liars Drum’s Not Dead
32 Deerhoof Milkman
29 The Radio Dept. Lesser Matters
23 The Knife Silent Shout (DOWNLOAD)
19 Cat Power You Are Free
11 Interpol Turn On The Bright Lights
1 Björk Vespertine

Own 10+ others, but I don't like them very much anymore..

Nurse over Murray Street? Lycanthropy over Wind in the Wires? Vespertine over Medulla? Vespertine # 1? etc. etc. Pretty shitty list, but I guess it's just not my taste...

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:29 (nineteen years ago)

own & like & would probably be in my list if I made one...

54 Patrick Wolf Lycanthropy
49 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell
42 Boards Of Canada Geogaddi
36 Sleater-Kinney The Woods
34 Liars Drum’s Not Dead
32 Deerhoof Milkman
29 The Radio Dept. Lesser Matters
23 The Knife Silent Shout
19 Cat Power You Are Free
11 Interpol Turn On The Bright Lights
1 Björk Vespertine

Own 10+ others, but I don't like them very much anymore..

Nurse over Murray Street? Lycanthropy over Wind in the Wires? Vespertine over Medulla? Vespertine # 1? etc. etc. Pretty shitty list, but I guess it's just not my taste...

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:30 (nineteen years ago)

Good to see that Heartbreaker gets what it deserves.

And Madonna is as good as Source Tags and Codes. Just in a.. different way?

And yeah. Weird list.

― MRZBW (MRZBW), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:34 (nineteen years ago)

Good to see that Heartbreaker gets what it deserves.

A kick in the pants and its face rubbed in crunchy underwear?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:36 (nineteen years ago)

I saw one of Drowned In Sound's editors at an Akira the Don gig. I was having a horrible time because, you know, I was at an Akira the Don gig, but he was have a grand old time.

― Sadly, he will be the next Alexis Petridish. (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:40 (nineteen years ago)

why do I not get the opportunity to download that Cursive album. that's a splendid one. last thing I ever bought because of pickfork or someone like that. THE LAST. not because it made me kill myself, but because it was a stinky album.

― pj (Henry), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 20:45 (nineteen years ago)

Own and like...and yes it is an odd list...

49 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell (DOWNLOAD)
47 M. Ward The Transfiguration Of Vincent (DOWNLOAD)
43 The Postal Service Give Up
42 Boards Of Canada Geogaddi
41 Unicorns / Islands Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone / Return To The Sea
40 Sonic Youth Nurse (DOWNLOAD)
38 Pretty Girls Make Graves The New Romance (DOWNLOAD)
37 Arcade Fire Funeral
34 Liars Drum’s Not Dead (DOWNLOAD)
32 Deerhoof Milkman
25 TV On The Radio Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (DOWNLOAD)
24 PJ Harvey Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (DOWNLOAD)
21 Broken Social Scene You Forgot It In People (DOWNLOAD)
19 Cat Power You Are Free (DOWNLOAD)
18 My Morning Jacket Z (DOWNLOAD)
17 Cursive The Ugly Organ
16 Radiohead Kid A (DOWNLOAD)
11 Interpol Turn On The Bright Lights
9 Bright Eyes Lifted… (DOWNLOAD)
8 …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Madonna (DOWNLOAD)
7 The Shins Chutes Too Narrow
6 Elliott Smith Figure 8 (DOWNLOAD)
3 Bloc Party Silent Alarm (DOWNLOAD)
2 At The Drive-In Relationship Of Command (DOWNLOAD)
1 Björk Vespertine (DOWNLOAD)

― Radio Free Albemuth (DocMartensBoots), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 22:01 (nineteen years ago)

DiS: We read Pitchfork!

― new new wave of new wave new rave (fandango), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 23:10 (nineteen years ago)

34 Liars Drum’s Not Dead (DOWNLOADED, NOT BAD, DELETED THO')
31 Isoleé Wearemonster (FAB!)
24 PJ Harvey Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (ZZZ)
23 The Knife Silent Shout (ACE!)
19 Cat Power You Are Free (MOSTLY ZZZ BUT V.REDEEMING BITS... NO WAY IN HELL DESERVES TOP 20)
16 Radiohead Kid A (ACCURATELY RATED ??)
1 Björk Vespertine (SMIDGE TOO HIGH... BUT GLAD IT'S ABOVE RADIOHEAD)

― new new wave of new wave new rave (fandango), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 00:19 (nineteen years ago)

wait...
24 PJ Harvey Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (MOSTLY ZZZ BUT V.REDEEMING BITS... NO WAY IN HELL DESERVES TOP 24)

― new new wave of new wave new rave (fandango), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 00:20 (nineteen years ago)

Their choice of Elliot Smith album is a bit Scooby Doo.

― LC (Damian), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 00:23 (nineteen years ago)

Scooby Doo?

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 00:41 (nineteen years ago)

If my friends and I polled each other on our favorite albums of the 00s and that list was the result, I would probably just crumple it up and throw it in the trash.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 00:57 (nineteen years ago)

Their choice of Elliot Smith album is a bit Scooby Doo.

You'd have preferred From a Basement on a Hill?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 01:04 (nineteen years ago)

To clarify: Scooby Doo. Only the two Elliott Smith albums this decade to pick from, which slipped my mind, but still...

― LC (Damian), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 01:18 (nineteen years ago)

Amazingly, almost all of the best albums of the last six years are by white indie rock bands

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 01:19 (nineteen years ago)

51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses
51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses
51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses
51 Slipknot Vol 3 – The Subliminal Verses

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), October 31st, 2006.

have you listened to this? its an awesome album.

― Login Name consigliere (consigliere), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 01:39 (nineteen years ago)

i mean i remember sitting down to listen to it at the time and i was like slipknot subliminal verses x 4 (wtf)? but its pretty good and the 'radiohead' songs give you a chance to catch yr breath between the heavyness. i'td be interesting to go back and see the notes i took when listening to it at the time *nostalgia for 3 years ago*. i guess you just meant it was a weird choice though.

― Login Name consigliere (consigliere), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 01:48 (nineteen years ago)

The most puzzling entry for me was:

41 Unicorns / Islands Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone / Return To The Sea

First of all, it's two separate albums, with different members playing on each album. Even if it did happen to be recorded at the same time, with the same members, then wouldn't the Radiohead be

16 Radiohead Kid A / Amnesiac

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 02:04 (nineteen years ago)

hahaha

I have copies of Nurse and Vespertine from my radio station. I have heard perhaps ten others on this list, that's it. Yet, this decade, I have bought probably several hundred records and CDs, and would have no problem listing my favorite 66 (which would include the aforementioned records plus the Mum one). Sometimes it seems impossible to bridge the gaps between tastes - 3 out of 66 is pretty big.

― sleeve version 2.0 (sleeve testing), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 04:24 (nineteen years ago)

I own quite a lot of the albums on here, but it is *really* odd in a lot of ways. If it was one person's list you'd just sort of go 'OK'... but as a consensus! (and yeah I realise it was probably a composite of a pretty small number of people's polls)

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 10:19 (nineteen years ago)

It was clearly cobbled together by 12 students while killing time at their temp jobs, like almost everything on DiS. I don't get why you're actually all bothering to discuss it, even less why it's surprising when it's essentially the personal faves of a tiny group of people.

In other words it stands up to about the same level of scrutiny as one of the FT lists we make up in the pub.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 10:29 (nineteen years ago)

Weird how Verspertine comes out on top - if it was number 5 or something it wouldn't seem odd though. Its presence explains The Knife and Isolee to some extent, I guess. I'm always surprised by instrumental electronic albums simply appearing out of nowhere on these lists, though. I remember being a bit weirded out when Pitchfork voted for Gas's Pop album back in 2000.

(of course the above is just weird whereas the inclusions of Why?, Saul Williams and Ugly Duckling here are quietly depressing)

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 10:48 (nineteen years ago)

lol at Playlouder Junior

― Sadly, he will be the next Alexis Petridish. (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 21:44 (nineteen years ago)

In other words it stands up to about the same level of scrutiny as one of the ILM lists we make up on ILM.

Fixed.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 22:25 (nineteen years ago)

this was a good list until like three quarters of the top ten sucked

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 23:25 (nineteen years ago)

no Max Tundra, no ~~credibility~~ awesomeness

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 November 2006 23:56 (nineteen years ago)

I have heard four of these albums, and only really like one. I should start investigating, if I ever lose my mind.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 2 November 2006 06:47 (nineteen years ago)

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