Felt compelled to add this. It was tough to pick one for a lot of years, but I tried to limit it to three. Note: I have no idea whether my taste in music is cool or not.
2000
Modest Mouse The Moon and Antarctica
I mean, I could go ahead and list Mass Romantic or Stankonia, but frankly Im happy to let Moon take the year by itself here. Moon is just such an outrageously good album that it deserves the stage by itself. Probably my number one pick for the whole decade. I rarely skip a single track and it hasnt aged a day. Thematic consistency and complexity ftw. Certainly no point in listing any crappy Radiohead here.
2001
Daft Punk Discovery
Again, I know there are other good albums from this year, but none of them stand out remotely as much as much as Discovery does. Again, rare to skip a single track. Ranges from sweet to pop to dace to completely off the wall, but they all clearly belong together.
2002
Flaming Lips Yoshimi
Nappy Roots - Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz
Beck Sea Change
I am actually surprised
Sea Change is the only one of these I didnt stumble upon retroactive, so I had no idea Id have this many here. Yoshimi is just beautiful and a great mellow listen. Nappy Roots I am surprised to see doesnt get more love, as they have the same kind of mainstream rap appeal that makes Outkast and BTNH so popular. Special shout out to Phrenology and Rings Around the World. Special Anti-Shout-Out to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2003
The New Pornographers Electric Version
Cant think of anything else from this time frame really that exciting. Seven Nation Army was cool, but I dont think Elephant really stands up that well as an album. I think I was all too busy being bombarded by Hey Ya to listen to anything else
.
2004
The Killers Hot Fuss
Arcade Fire Funeral
Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand
Okay, 2004 was an awesome year for music. Even though the Killers have fallen pretty far pretty fast, Hot Fuss was fucking awesome when it came out. Even the bad second half of the album isnt that bad. And All These Things That Ive Done would make up for it even if it did. Franz Ferdinand was all over the place and their title album is very consistent. Funeral definitely gets album of the year though (and is probably my #2 for the decade after Moon). I dont know what hasnt been said about it yet already though, so moving along...
And like I said, this was a great year for music overall, so extra shout out to American Idiot and Good News
2005
Beck Guero
Franz Ferdinand You Could Have it so Much Better
Sufjan Stevens Illinois
This is kind of a strange mix. I realize Guero isnt Becks most popular album, but I loved it as a return to form after his experimentation with Midnight Vultures and Sea Change. I managed to echo back to Odelay while still both moving beyond it and reflecting the other more experimental approaches.
You could have it so much better, again, I suppose an unorthodox call, but as good as the debut was, this was several notches better, even if it got less playtime. Right off the bat with the Fallen, they showed much more variety than the first album, and kept it going all the way through, and somehow even managed to keep their swagger on softer tracks like Walk Away or Eleanor Put Your Boots On.
Illinois is Illinois. The rejected tracks from this album still could have been album of the year, as far as I am concerned.
2006
Muse Black Holes
Outkast Idlewild
Tally Hall Marvins Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Maybe more unorthodox set? Idlewild I will maintain is Outkasts best album, even if that makes me sound like a crazy person. It was more consistent than Speakerboxx/Love and catcher than Stankonia. I mean, I like most of Outkasts stuff, but this is the one I keep coming back to.
Tally Hall is a band that never gets much respect, for reasons I really dont understand. Very light, varied, fun music that always makes me think of TMBG getting a level up.
Black Holes and Revelations is probably not a particularly dramatic choice
2007
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Arcade Fire Neon Bible
I mean, I know this is considered the best year of the decade, but I hate Radiohead, havent listened to Person Pitch,
I could add in Challengers, or the Boxer, but I really like more than love those albums, so Im just going with these two.
We Were Dead is not remotely as good as Moon, but definitely a big step back up from Good News. I enjoyed listening to it straight at first, but I slowly have been trimming down the track, to the point where only Spitting Venom, People as Places and Invisible get infinite replay ability points, but even then, I still like every song that on here, and they really hold the Nautical Adventure theme together quite well.
Neon Bible lacks Funerals consistency, but it manages to reach the same high points IMO, so thats good enough.
Oh yeah, All Hours Cymbals was good too,
2008
Weezer Red Album
Passion Pit Chunk of Change
Heh, the Red Album is probably to weakest single album Ive picked. There are many bad, filler tracks. Im including it because my hopes have been that even if the Blue/Pinkerton Weezer is never coming back, maybe they can evolve into a mature band that does more than churn out light radio fare. I think we saw that on this album, even if fleetingly. I Am The Greatest and Angel and The One alone merit a spot. Shut up.
Passion Pit I am kind of surprised to see not getting more mentions. Sometimes an album doesnt need to do more than make you smile.
2009
Dark Was the Night Various
Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion
Dark Was the Night might be cheating since its a compilation, but its all original material, so screw you, it counts. Arcade Fire, New Pornographers, Sufjan, National, MMJ, Yeasayer, Dirty Projectors, David Byrne, and Andrew Bird all putting out good shit? What is not to like.
Merriweather is a lame answer, but whatever, its still a good album. I hadnt even heard of them until All Songs Considered put the album up for streaming, but I was hooked pretty quickly. Dirty Projectors Bitte Orce and Regina Spektors new album are also good.
