Albums of the Decade

I initially shied away from making this list because too many people were making them, and a list like this is really too big for most blogs. It's more appropriate for the big magazines, with the scope and the resources (see: P4k, NME, Paste, Rolling Stone). Stereogum has some relevant, and insightful thoughts on the importance (or lack thereof) of music's oldest institutions like RS and MTV. At this point though I can't resist.

1.  Figure 8 Elliott Smith

2.   Funeral Arcade Fire

3.  Kid A Radiohead

4.  You Are Free Cat Power

In a decade that saw Cat Power release more covers than original songs, it's frustrating to see her best work come on her own work. You Are Free is an example of efficient songwriting, using chord progressions of only four chords throughout several songs, allowing the vocal melodies alone to determine the song's sections (see: "Names," "Keep On Runnin," "Evolution"). "He War" is four-chord guitar riff placed over Cat Power's most riveting rhythms ever, and the repetition of the instrumentals in many songs allow for her to develop some really amazing harmonies (see: "Maybe Not"). What makes this album so breathtaking is not just the beautiful sheet music, but Chan Marshall's emotional delivery. The power of her voice ironically is the greatest when her voice sounds its weakest. It's vulnerable and heartfelt, qualities not easily found or portrayed.

5.  Fever To Tell Yeah Yeah Yeahs

6.  Let It Die Feist

See the rest of the top 25 after the jump.

7.  From a Basement on the Hill Elliott Smith

8.  Turn On The Bright Lights Interpol

9.  It's Never Been Like That Phoenix

10.  Stankonia Outkast

11.  Radiohead - In Rainbows
12.  Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
13.  St. Vincent - Marry Me
14.  Portishead - Third
15.  Feist - The Reminder
16.  Kanye West - The College Dropout
17.  Brazilian Girls - Talk To La Bomb
18.  Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
19.  Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
20.  Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
21.  LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
22.  TV on the Radio - Dear Science
23.  Atmosphere - Lucy Ford
24.  Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
25.  MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Elliott Smith only lived a few years of this decade. This was one of the biggest reasons I felt like making this list. I am frankly surprised at his absence from virtually all decade lists because in folk-rock I see his songwriting unmatched still. Today we think of the (dying) singer-songwriter genre as Conor Oberst, Bon Iver and (hopefully not) John Mayer. By Wikipedia's account there are many more. I exclude Bob Dylan because his best records are most likely behind him, as are his biggest decades of impact. The fact is that I do not listen to singer-songwriter music now that I am not in college trying to learn songs to play for potential girlfriends on an acoustic guitar. Either the genre is receding, or I'm growing out of it. Singer-songwriters of today are pastiche crooners, penning the love songs that some dope will karaoke to his wife at their tasteless and inauthentic wedding. Unless they sing Coldplay; wait that wouldn't be different. Simply put, a songwriter with lyrical depth and melodic ingenuity has not lived since Elliott Smith.

Figure 8 is Smith's most orchestral full-length. His major-label debut was XO, and Figure 8 followed in that vein, where Smith's style of guitar strumming was given the full studio complement. Perhaps his least raw recording, and more polished and presentable than any live show he ever put on, it features much of his greatest songwriting.