My Top 10 Albums of the Decade (OD)

Over the next few weeks, members of Claptrapped will be posting their top 10 albums of the 2000s. Stay tuned for our Top 10 albums of 2009 sometime in December.

Here is my 10 favorite albums from the 2000s:

10. It Still Moves, My Morning Jacket
I really like this album top to bottom. “Magheeta” sets the tone right from the beginning. Heavy reverb on vocals throughout the album provides an eerie, but pleasant, sound. This is the album that turned me onto My Morning Jacket, and it’s probably my favorite album from them.



9. A Ghost is Born, Wilco
I’m not the biggest Wilco fan, but I love this album. It features a good mix of tight, solid songs and extended, experimental songs. While Yankee Hotel Foxtrot might be more well-known and have more allure, A Ghost is Born is a better album in my opinion.



8. Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem
This punk-dance album is just plain fun. It features songs that build in energy to the point of explosion, the best of which being “All My Friends” – a song that begins with a simple piano part that builds throughout the entire 7.5-minutes. Other favorites on this album include “Us v. Them” and “Watch the Tapes.”



7. Apologies to the Queen Mary, Wolf Parade
My favorite aspect of this album is the way lead singers Spencer Krug (keyboard) and Dan Boeckner (guitar) alternate songwriting duties. It provides such a good balance, yet doesn’t sound disjointed. I love “Shine a Light,” and then two songs later comes a truly great rock and roll song: “I’ll Believe in Anything.”



6. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips
Although not as good as Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi holds a special spot in my heart. (Soft Bulletin was released in 1999, or else it would definitely be in my top 10 list.) The album is trippy and nostalgic, and it has a ton of songs that are fun to sing along to when you see the Lips live.



5. In Rainbows, Radiohead
Not only did Radiohead break waves by releasing this album early in an online format with a “pay what you want” option, but they managed to come out with a very solid album in In Rainbows. This album features one of my favorite Radiohead songs of all time – “Reckoner.”



4. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
My No. 1 album of 2008, Fleet Foxes was a breath of fresh air with an old-time sound. The vocal harmonies of the group and the songwriting skills of Robin Pecknold make this a must-listen album.




3. Funeral, Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire shows off its strong suit right from the start of this album – high energy, multiple instruments, thoughtful lyrics. The album flows wonderfully, especially “Wake Up” > “Haiti” (my favorite song on the album) > “Rebellion (Lies)”. Funeral is moving and uplifting, and it’s an album I can listen to over and over again and not get tired of it.


2. Boxer, The National
I don’t think I could count the number of times I have listened to “Fake Empire,” the first song on The National’s Boxer in the past couple years. The way the song builds with the piano and culminates with a swirl of guitars and horns sums up The National perfectly. I love the way the three songs in the middle of the album – “Slow Show,” “Apartment Story,” and “Start a War” – tell a story, and I think it’s the highlight of the record. Boxer plays with your emotions in an ultimately satisfying way.


1. Kid A, Radiohead
My favorite album from my favorite band, this was really a no-brainer. Kid A was way ahead of its time. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since it was released. I think part of what made this album so great for me was the surprise of it. I hadn’t read much about it before its release, and I was expecting something similar to the band’s previous release, OK Computer. The difference was shocking, and it showed why this is one of the most talented bands making music today.