Top albums of the decade

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Here are my picks for my favorite albums of the decade.

  1. Funeral – Arcade Fire

    2. Arcade Fire changed the face of indie rock with their powerful, exciting sound. Although there are a lot of familiar elements, their music sounds totally unique.

  2. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco

    3. The drama surrounding this album is almost as exciting as the album itself. After being dropped by their record company for not being commercial enough, they regained control of their music and got it released. Wonderful pop songs with cryptic lyrics and noise which only adds to the music.

  3. In Rainbows – Radiohead

    4. Another artist that went against the record industry and won. Beautiful blend of electronica, pop, and rock.

  4. Egypt – Youssou N’dour

    5. Youssou is Africa’s most important musician who has always used his influence to bring the world’s attention to the issues that affect Africa. On this album, his greatest achievement, he shows the beautiful, poetic, tolerant side of Islam that we rarely hear about. This is a sharp departure from his usual style, featuring a large Egyptian string orchestra rather than his usual band, the Super Etoile.

  5. Neon Bible – Arcade Fire

    6. This album is even more epic than “Funeral” with the addition of a pipe organ and full orchestra, although the songs aren’t as consistent.

  6. The Crane Wife – The Decemberists

    7. One of the most intelligent & literate groups, bringing back classic rock with a concept album.

  7. Aman Iman: Water is Life – Tinariwen

    8. They bring their intoxicating desert blues sound from the Sahara desert to the world. They blend traditional vocals with blazing electric guitars for a unique sound.

  8. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

    9. Modern folk music with breathtakingly beautiful vocal harmonies.

  9. Illinoise – Sufjan Stevens

    10. Sufjan is one of the best singer/songwriters around, who also plays every instrument on this album. Some of his songs like “Chicago” are instant classics.

  10. Ágætis Byrjun – Sigur Rós

    11. One of the most beautiful sounding albums ever. The stark, haunting beauty makes me want to visit their native Iceland.

I also really want to include Vampire Weekend for their wonderful afro-pop touches and intelligent lyrics that make it a worthy successor to Paul Simon’s “Graceland”. Hopefully like Graceland it will introduce a new generation to afro-pop.

Update: Hear all 10 albums in this 8track mix:

3 thoughts on “Top albums of the decade”

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