Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Top 8 Albums of the Decade

First of all, sorry for the random post here. I realize this has nothing to do with Carissa or our family even. But enjoy my top picks for the decade anyways :)

Some of links are to iTunes. Download it here.

8. Jose Gonzalez, In Our Nature (2007)

This Swede knows how to strum some good tunes on his classical guitar. Nuf said.

In Our Nature, on LaLa.

7. Iron and Wine, The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)

Sam Beam is awesome. I enjoy this album a bit more than his others because he sticks with his voice and guitar only.

Lion's Mane, on LaLa.

6. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)

Pronounced bone ee-vair, Bon Iver is one of the best singer/songwriters of the decade. Justin Vernon shut himself off in the winter woods of Wisconsin and emerged with this album.

Skinny Love, on LaLa.

5. Death Cab For Cutie, Plans (2005)

I heard lead singer Ben Gibbard's work first in The Postal Service. His vocals are easy to fall in love with.

What Sarah Said, on LaLa.

4. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

As someone else has already said, "Parts of this innovative work sound as though Radiohead broke into the studio and jacked with the tracks." And oh, how amazingly jacked up they are.

Heavy Metal Drummer, on LaLa.

3. Imogen Heap, Speak For Yourself (2005)

I was introduced to Imogen Heap from the show So You Think You Can Dance. My wife loves this stuff. The music is heavily produced, yet so creative.

Hide and Seek, on LaLa.

2. The Postal Service, Give Up (2003)

This is a mash-up of Death Cab for Cutie lead singer, Ben Gibbard, and producer Jimmy Tamborello. Another electronica band that has more loops than Velcro.

Such Great Heights, on LaLa.

1. Underoath, They're Only Chasing Safety (2004)

This album changed music for me. While I love how Underoath has refined their sound since this album (check out Define the Great Line), this was the height of the decade for me. It is the perfect blend of high, soaring vocals from drummer, Aaron Gillespie, and harsh, scream vocals from lead vocalist, Spencer Chamberlain. For more of Aaron's vocals, check out his side project The Almost.

A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White, on LaLa.


And, as part of my commitment to full disclosure, I will state that over the past year, Owl City, Ocean Eyes, is the most played album for me. Not sure what that says about me, but transparency is king.

2 comments:

Andrew said...

Nice list. I'm familiar with all but the Jose Gonzalez album, but listening to it in iTunes now. Some pretty sweet fingerpicking going on there. Reading your post is probably going to end up costing me money. ;)

P.S. - Not sure if you ever saw my final personal picks for the decade, but the top 100 (with commentary on each) are listed here.

Nathan said...

Thanks Andrew. I did see your list. Very impressive. I really enjoyed that list and the collective list from your HigherEd buddies.