Make sure to download the newest episode of the pmaCAST: Looking Better, Shining Brighter Than You Do, featuring Four Tet, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The xx, Yeasayer, Department of Eagles, Hot Chip and more.
This list touches on my favorite albums of the last ten years. These picks are entirely personal. I am not taking cultural impact or game-changing ideas into account here (things Jeff and I are definitely taking into account with our ongoing “Best Albums of the 2000s” project); instead I took a look at what the album meant to me when it was released (or when I first heard it) and what it means to me now.
At the end of 2009, PMA will release our “official” Albums of the Decade list, incorporating reader votes along with our favorites. But for now, you can take a look at my favorite albums of the last 10 years.
Like I said before, the last 10 years have been the biggest of my life, especially my life as a music lover, so these next 50 albums are the albums that have shaped and molded me into whoever I am today. As always, if you’d like to take the time and list your favorites of the decade, please do. Your opinions and comments are always welcome. Chirp in on the comments and I will try to respond to as many as I can. Also: my Favorite Songs of the Decade.
50 |  | Coldplay Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) |
49 |  | Sufjan Stevens Michigan (2003) |
48 |  | MGMT Oracular Spectacular (2008) |
47 |  | Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (2008) |
46 |  | Daft Punk Discovery (2001) |
45 |  | Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) |
44 |  | The Killers Hot Fuss (2004) |
43 |  | Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere (2006) |
42 |  | Modest Mouse The Moon and Antarctica (2000) |
41 |  | Radiohead Amnesiac (2001) |
40 |  | The National Boxer (2007) |
39 |  | Jay-Z Blueprint (2001) |
38 |  | The National Alligator (2005) |
37 |  | The Streets A Grand Don’t Come For Free (2004) |
36 |  | LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem (2004) |
35 |  | The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (2003) |
34 |  | Robyn Robyn (2008) |
33 |  | Spoon Kill The Moonlight (2002) |
32 |  | OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) |
31 |  | Animal Collective Feels (2005) |
30 |  | Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca (2009) |
29 |  | M.I.A. Arular (2005) |
28 |  | Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (2008) |
27 |  | Animal Collective Strawberry Jam (2008) |
26 |  | Clipse Hell Hath No Fury (2006) |
25 |  | Burial Untrue (2007) |
24 |  | Dizzee Rascal Boy In Da Corner (2003) |
23 |  | The Antlers Hospice (2009) |
22 |  | Grizzly Bear Yellow House (2006) |
21 |  | The White Stripes Elephant (2003) |
20 |  | Arcade Fire Neon Bible (2007) |
19 |  | Sigur Ros Ágætis Byrjun (2001) |
18 |  | Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (2008) |
17 |  | M.I.A. Kala (2007) |
16 |  | The Knife Silent Shout (2005) |
15 |  | TV on the Radio Dear Science, (2008) |
14 |  | Grizzly Bear Veckatimest (2009) |
13 |  | Wilco Yankee Foxtrot Hotel (2002) |
12 |  | Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell (2003) |
11 |  | Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007) |
10 |  | Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005) |
9 |  | LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver (2007) |
8 |  | The Strokes Is This It (2001) |
7 |  | OutKast Stankonia (2000) |
6 |  | Kanye West College Dropout (2004) |
5 |  | Panda Bear Person Pitch (2007) |
4 |  | Radiohead Kid A (2000) |
3 |  | Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) |
2 |  | Radiohead In Rainbows (2007) |
1 |  | Arcade Fire Funeral (2004) |
*Albums tagged with US release dates.
Photo by Jacqueline Rivera. Check her out, she’s marvelous.
Tags: Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Radiohead
KANYE SHOULD BE #1.
A definite hip hop classic.
hellll yeahhhhhhh
and late registration > college dropout
http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/02-black-and-gold-sam-sparro.mp3
what about death cab for cutie, lupe fiasco, and john mayer?
I can’t say I like this list. The amount of M.I.A., Arcade Fire, and Coldplay just feel so wrong.
Come on, not ONE Muse album in the entire list?! Blackholes definitely belongs on this list
hell hath no fury above the blueprint? come on. no lupe? I know it your opinion, but i disagree. also, I’ve tried listening to Merriweather post pavilion several times, and i think is has to be the most overrated album of the year.
Therefore you lose all credibility.
“Donuts”, “Graduation, “The Black Album” didn’t make the cut?
i totally agree with pretty much everything. or at least see where you’re coming from. I do feel like Ys by Joanna Newsom should be where person pitch is. and i love panda bear. animal collective has been my favorite band since seventh grade. Ys is just so amazing though. Changed my life. But real real real real real real good list.
1. Merriweather Post Pavilion- Animal Collective
2. Boy In Da Corner- Dizzee Rascal
3. Ys- Joanna Newsom
4. Stankonia- Outkast
5. The Runners Four- Deerhoof
6. Madvilliany- Madvillian
7. Kala- M.I.A.
8. White Blood Cells- White Stripes
9. Late Registration- Kanye West
10. Illinios- Sufjan Stevens
11. Is This It- The Strokes
12. Blueberry Boat- Fiery Furnaces
13. Sound of Silver- LCD Soundsystem
14. Kid A- Radiohead
15. Sung Tongs- Animal Collective
16. Supreme Clientele- Ghostface Killah
17. Jewellery- Micachu
18. Microcastle- Deerhunter
19. Blueprint- Jay-Z
20. The Glow Pt. 2- The Microphones
awesome list.. here is mine
1. Rob Mathes, Evening Train
2. Sigur Ros, Takk
3. U2, All That You Can’t Leave Behind
4. Sufjan Stevens, Illinois
5. Peter Gabriel, Up
6. Ryan Adams, Gold
7. My Morning Jacket, Z
8. Arcade Fire, Funeral
9. Coldplay, Rush of Cold Blood to the Head
10. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism
solid list PMA. Very solid. Kind of ballsy to put Funeral at #1. I imagine all the hipper-than-thou blogs are going to put Kid A or Merriweather Post Pavilion on top.
Oh and here is my list:
Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
Kanye West – College Dropout (2004)
Songs: Ohia – The Magnolia Electric Co. (2003)
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
Deftones – White Pony (2000)
Outkast – Stankonia (2000)
TV on the Radio – Dear Science (2008)
Dr. Dog – Fate (2008)
Its too hard for me to commit to a list, but mine would have Andrew Bird’s Armchair Apocrypha right up on top.
Some others that would be on my list that aren’t on yours:
Nickel Creek – This Side
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That
Jump Little Children – Vertigo
The Dodos – Visiter
Man, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
eminem
none shall pass -Aesop Rock
god loves ugly- Atmoshere
Marshall Mathers LP- Eminem
Personal journals- Sage Francis
Movies for the blind- Cage
every album from Apathy
violent by design- Jedi Mind Tricks