1. Arcade Fire - Funeral, 2004
2. Beck - Sea Change, 2002
3. Cat Power - The Greatest, 2006
Here are some more but in no particular order...
The Strokes - Is This It?, 2001
This great little album seemed to be everywhere during the early years of the decade. Lots of hype but a classic sound. They came out with two more albums that were a little poppier and more polished. Albert Hammond Jr came out with a couple decent solo albums and recently Julian Casablancas released a nice solo album. I used so many songs from this first Strokes album on various mixes over the decade that when I listen to it now it sounds like a greatest hit album.
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, 2002
The 90's was a great decade for the Flaming Lips with several uniquely weird albums but it was hard to imagine that they would reach the heights they climbed in the oughts. This album set the bar for the coming decade. Lots of great songs here.
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2002
You could write a whole essay on just the distribution of this album before you even get to the music. The music is incredible and one of my all time favorite albums. Wilco released three other studio albums and a live album during the decade. They are all worth having in your collection.
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising, 2002
I thought it was another great decade for The Boss. He started with a good live album with the reunited E-Street Band in 2001. The E-Street Band returned for the post-9/11 perspective of The Rising's awesome collection of songs. He followed that with the somber Devils & Dust and the return to rock of Magic. In between he released two more wonderful live albums. One a revered live concert from 1975 and the other from the Seeger Sessions band live in Dublin. And of course there was Springsteen's first cover album; We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. He ended the decade with the release of Working on a Dream. It was hard to only choose one Springsteen album for my favorites of the decade but The Rising got the nod.
David Bowie - Heathen, 2002
David Bowie has always been one of my all time favorite artist and I've enjoyed every phase of his long career. Heathen in 2002 and Reality in 2003 are two great albums. Some people called Heathen a comeback album as if his 90's output somehow didn't reach his high standards. He explored different genres and styles but always made them his own. In 2002 he released an album that was a return to his classic sound. He went on tour to support those two albums in 2003 but suffered a heart attack during that tour. The live album from that tour is being released in 2010. Heathen is full of wonderful songs including Bowie's cover of The Pixie's "Cactus".
Damien Youth - Alchemy, 2006
I came across Damien Youth through a friend's music blog last year. His music was highly recommended and I looked around for his albums. Eventually I found this album of quality retro-acid-folk-rock that became one of my favorite albums of last year. I played it over and over again and I'm on the lookout for more Damien Youth albums. His sound is Syd Barrett/Robyn Hitchcock/David Bowie but always with his own clever feel to his songs.
The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark, 2007
I found myself listening to this band from Montreal over and over again. There was something about their sound drew me back to them. They have haunting songs that seemly blend the Beach Boys, Velvet Underground, Roy Orbison, Pink Floyd, My Morning Jacket among others into a dreamy psychedelic mix. Stand out tracks... "Disaster", "For Agent 13", "And You Lied To Me", "Desolation". Looking forward to a new Besnard Lakes album coming out in 2010.
More to come...
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