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top ten artists of the decade


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now that the decade is almost over, i thought it'd be a good time for a top ten list. post your favorite artists of the decade based on their output between 2000-2009. there are no wrong answers, but try and keep it to artists who have released more than 1 album in the decade.

 

1. neko case

furnace room lullaby (2000)

blacklisted (2002)

fox confessor brings the flood (2006)

middle cyclone (2009)

 

2. my morning jacket

at dawn (2001)

it still moves (2003)

z (2005)

evil urges (2008)

 

3. wilco

yankee hotel foxtrot (2002)

a ghost is born (2004)

sky blue sky (2007)

wilco (the album) (2009)

 

4. sonic youth

murray street (2002)

sonic nurse (2004)

rather ripped (2006)

the eternal (2009)

 

5. broken social scene

feel good lost (2001) - i think this was originally released in '99

you forgot it in people (2002)

broken social scene (2005)

kevin drew - spirit if... (2007)

brendan canning - something for all of us (2008)

 

6. bright eyes

fevers and mirrors (2000)

lifted or the story is the soil keep your ear to the ground (2002)

digital ash in a digital urn (2005)

i'm wide awake it's morning (2005)

cassadaga (2007)

 

7. the shins

oh, inverted world (2001)

chutes too narrow (2003)

wincing the night away (2007)

 

8. radiohead

kid a (2000)

amnesiac (2001)

hail to the thief (2003)

in rainbows (2007)

 

9. arcade fire

funeral (2004)

neon bible (2007)

 

10. m. ward

end of amnesia (2001)

transfiguration of vincent (2003)

transistor radio (2005)

post-war (2006)

hold time (2009)

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That's a great list, Dondante. I'd also make arguments for Beck, Califone, Feist, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Marah, Lucinda Williams, M.I.A., Ryan Adams, Ron Sexsmith, Jack White/White Stripes, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen. But it's hard to disagree with any of your picks. :thumbup

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off the top of my head these have been my favorite, and I'm sure I'm missing someone big

 

Neko Case

Andrew Bird

Ryan Adams

Stephen Malkmus

MMJ

The New Pornographers

The Hold Steady

James McMurty

Wilco

Jay Farrar/Son Volt- I'm making it all one person

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off the top of my head these have been my favorite, and I'm sure I'm missing someone big

 

Offhand you might be missing the Most Prolific Artist of the decade(?).

 

 

Jack_White_Ottawa.jpg

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That's a great list, Dondante. I'd also make arguments for Beck, Califone, Feist, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Marah, Lucinda Williams, M.I.A., Ryan Adams, Ron Sexsmith, Jack White/White Stripes, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen. But it's hard to disagree with any of your picks. :thumbup

 

yeah, it's tough to narrow any kind of list relating to music down to 10, but at least this is easier than choosing albums. my honorable mentions would be yo la tengo, bob dylan, new pornographers, white stripes/jack white, of montreal, flaming lips, grizzly bear, pearl jam, the strokes, animal collective and the drive-by truckers.

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animal collective:

 

albums: spirit they're gone, spirt they've vanished/danse manatee (which i don't like)/here comes the indian/sung tongs/feels/strawberry jam/merriweather post pavilion

 

eps: prospect hummer/people/water curses & fall be kind (no doubt, when it's out in a month)

 

plus person pitch by panda bear, obviously!

 

super furry animals/gryff rhys:

 

band: mwng/rings around the world/phantom power/love kraft/hey venus! & dark days/light years is ok, but not up there with the others

 

gruff: yr atal genhedlaeth/candylion/stainless syle (as neon neon)

 

joanna newsom:

 

the milk-eyed mender/ys & joanna newsom and the y-street band ep

 

ys is probably my album of the decade

lambchop:

 

nixon/is a woman/damaged

 

my morning jacket:

 

at dawn/it still move/z/evil urges (yes i like it!)

 

fiery furnaces:

 

gallowsbird's bark/blueberry boat/rehearsing my choir/bitter tea/(don't like widow city - so that's off my list)/i'm going away (maybe the best album this year!)

 

 

i can't think of 10. nobody else seems to be that consistent - wilco should be on here for yhf & agib, but the last 2 mean there is no way i can put them on the list out of principal, and flaming lips looked like they'd be great coming into 2000, but have gone out looking like they royally pissed it up the wall. lots of other people/bands have done single great pieces of work, but have either not followed it up yet, or did follow it up with something not so good.

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1. Drive-By Truckers

Southern Rock Opera '01

Decoration Day '03

The Dirty South '04

A Blessing and a Curse '06

Brighter Than Creations Dark '08

Live From Austin City Limits '09

The Fine Print '09

 

2. Jay Farrar

Sebastopol '01

ThirdShiftGrottoSlack '02

Terroir Blues '03

Stone, Steel, & Bright Lights '04

Okemah & the Melody of Riot '05

Gob Iron '06

The Search (On Chant & Strum) '07

American Central Dust '09

One Fast Move or I'm Gone '09

 

3. Wilco

Mermaid Avenue II '00

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot '02

A Ghost Is Born '04

Kicking Television '05

Sky Blue Sky '07

Wilco (The Album) '09

 

4. Jason Molina

The Lioness '00

Protection Spells '00

Ghost Tropic '00

Mi Sei Apparso Come Un Fantasma '01

Didn't It Rain '02

Magnolia Electric Co '03

Pyramid Electric Co '04

Trials & Errors '05

What Comes After the Blues '05

Hard to Love a Man '05

Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go '06

Fading Trails '06

Sojourner '07

Josephine '09

Molina and Johnson '09

 

5. Will Johnson

All the Falsest Hearts Can Try '00

South San Gabriel Songs '00

Distance and Clime '01

Murder of Tides '02

Love You Just the Same '03

Welcome Convalescence '03

Flashes & Cables '04

Vultures Await '04

The Carlton Chronicles '05

Fort Recovery '06

Operation Motorcide '07

Dual Hawks '08

Molina and Johnson '09

 

6. The Black Keys

The Big Come Up '02

Thickfreakness '03

Rubber Factory '04

Chulahoma '06

Magic Potion '06

Attack & Release '08

Blakroc '09

 

7. Ryan Adams

Heartbreaker '00

Pneumonia '01

Gold '01

Demolition '02

Rock and Roll '03

Love Is Hell '04

Cold Roses '05

Jacksonville City Nights '05

29 '05

Easy Tiger '07

Follow the Lights '07

Cardinology '08

 

8. The Hold Steady

Almost Killed Me '04

Separation Sunday '05

Boys and Girls in America '06

Stay Positive '08

A Positive Rage '09

 

9. Neko Case

Furnace Room Lullaby '00

Blacklisted '02

The Tigers Have Spoken '04

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood '06

Live in Austin '07

Middle Cyclone '09

 

10. Neil Young

Road Rock Vol. I '00

Silver & Gold '00

Are You Passionate? '02

Greendale '03

Prairie Wind '05

Living With War '06

Live @ The Fillmore East '06

Live @ Massey Hall '07

Chrome Dreams II '07

Live @ Canterbury House '08

Fork in the Road '09

Archives Vol. I '09

Dreamin' Man '09

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The Delgados

p746672142-3.jpg

 

The Great Eastern (2000, LP / CD)

Live at the Fruitmarket (2001, CD)

Hate (2002, Mantra LP / CD)

Universal Audio (2004, LP / CD)

The Complete BBC Peel Sessions (2006, CD)

 

Mogwai

p178134606-3.jpg

 

Rock Action (2001)

Happy Songs for Happy People (2003)

Government Commissions: BBC Sessions 1996–2003 (2005)

Mr Beast (2006)

The Hawk Is Howling (2008)

 

Electric Wizard

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_it6T9P3l1gE/Sab3SDApHnI/AAAAAAAAAvw/v4k5kghqDmw/s400/Electric%2BWizard.jpg

 

Dopethrone (2000)

Let Us Prey (2002)

We Live (2004)

Witchcult Today (2007)

 

Calexico

p61363281-3.jpg

 

Hot Rail (2000)

Travelall (Tour CD) (2000)

Tête à Tête, as ABBC with Amor Belhom Duo (Side Project) (2001)

Aerocalexico (Tour CD) (2001)

Scraping (Live) (2002)

Feast of Wire (2003)

The Book and The Canal (Tour CD) (2005)

In the Reins with Iron & Wine (2005)

Garden Ruin (2006)

Toolbox (2007)

Carried to Dust (2008)

Ancienne Belgique - Live in Brussels 2008 (Tour CD) (2009)

 

 

Super Furry Animals

http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p869891058-3.jpg

 

Mwng (2000)

Rings Around the World (2001)

Phantom Power (2003)

Love Kraft (2005)

Hey Venus! (2007)

Dark Days/Light Years (2009)

 

 

Six Organs of Admittance

p37530048-3.jpg

 

2000 Invitation To The SR For Supper 8"

2000 Dust and Chimes

2000 Somewhere Between Her shoulder And God 7"

2000 The Manifestation 12"

2002 Dark Noontide

2002 You Can Always See The Sun EP

2003 Compathia

2003 For Octavio Paz

2003 Trighplane Terraforms No.1 Split

2004 Stephanie Volkmar/Six Organs Of Admittance Split

2004 The Manifestation

2005 School of the Flower

2005 The Honeycreeper Smiles 7"

2006 7" split w / Om

2006 Days Of Blood (LP, Limited edition)

2006 The Sun Awakens

2007 Proem To Empty The Sun

2007 Shelter from the Ash

2008 Goatflower (CDr, Limited edition of 100 handmade copies)

2009 RTZ (Compilation, Recorded 1999-2003)

2009 Luminous Night

 

 

Bill Callahan/Smog

http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p951501415-3.jpg

 

Dongs of Sevotion (2000)

Rain on Lens (2001)

Supper (2003)

A River Ain't Too Much to Love (2005)

Woke on a Whaleheart (2007)

Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (2009)

 

 

Boris

p469197976-3.jpg

 

Flood (2000)

Heavy Rocks CD (2002)

Akuma no Uta CD/LP (2003)

Boris at Last: -Feedbacker- CD/LP/picture disc (2003)

The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked LP (2004)

Dronevil 2LP (2005)

Soundtrack From Film “Mabuta No Ura” (Japan Version) CD/LP (2005)

Pink CD/2LP (2005)

Soundtrack From Film “Mabuta No Ura” (World Version) CD/CD Box Set (2005)

Boris aRCHIVE 3CD (2005)

The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2 LP (2006)

The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 3 LP (2006)

Vein LP (2006)

Smile CD/2LP (2008)

Smile -Live at Wolf Creek- 2CD (2008)

Smile -Live in Prague- 2LP (2009)

 

Dungen

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/dungen.jpg

 

Dungen (2001)

Stadsvandringar (English - City Walks) (2002)

Ta Det Lugnt (English - Take it Easy) (2004)

Tyst Minut (Silent Minute) (2005)

Tio Bitar (English - Ten Pieces) (2007)

4 (2008)

Samtidigt (Simultaneously) (2009)

 

 

 

i've only typed 9, as i know i'm likely missing an obvious one, which i'll fill in later. i've also noticed that my list is quite rockist, but that's what i mainly listen to.

 

* all photos taken by me except Electric Wizard and Dungen

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1. Nick Cave

No More Shall We Part

Nocturama

Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus

Grinderman

Dig! Lazarus, Dig!!!

 

2. Tom Zé

Jogos de Amar

Parabeko

Estuando o Pagode

Danç Eh Sa

Estuando a Samba

 

3. Andrew Bird

The Swimming Hour

Weather Systems

The Mysterious Production of Eggs

Armchair Apochrypha

Noble Beast

 

4. White Stripes

White Blood Cells

Elephant

Get Behind Me Satan

Icky Thump

 

5. Spoon

Girls Can Tell

Kill the Moonlight

Gimmie Fiction

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

 

6. The Arcade Fire

Funeral

Neon Bible

 

7. The Decemberists

Castaways & Cutouts

Her Magesty

Picaresque

The Crane Wife

The Hazards of Love

 

8. Kanye West

The College Dropout

Late Registration

Graduation

 

9. Gorillaz

Gorillaz

Laika Come Home

Demon Days

 

10. Green Day

Warning

American Idiot

21st Century Breakdown

 

--------

 

With nods to:

Outkast, Drive-By Truckers, Kings of Leon, Wilco, Radiohead, and SFA (whose best stuff was still in the last century).

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The Truckers last two albums are so substandard in my eyes, that it would be hard to justify their inclusion. I would definitely have The Hold Steady on there and possibly The National, in addition to my other three, but this is all off the top of my head. Definitely Neko and Wilco.

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I had The National and Wilco in my mind, but just because DtS put out the relative clunker BAAC, it hardly detracts from the greatness of SRO, TDS and DD.

 

likewise, Neko's only got two records which i consider stunners, and they are the last two.

 

Wilco was a tough one, but ultimately they didn't make the cut. another attempt could yield a different list. i'd say the only true locks on the list would be Mogwai and Boris.

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Gotta go with the Flaming Lips, both because they are easily the best and most original live act of the decade(rock music is about much more than downloading and listening to an album), and they also had two of the best albums in Yoshimi and Embryonic.

 

Beyond that I would say The Drive By Truckers, M83, Animal Collective and the White Stripes.

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Mos Def

Talib Kweli

OutKast

De La Soul (Yes, they still bring it, and at a very high level)

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Bruce Springsteen is an artist for the AGES. His track record for this decade(his fourth as a major label artist) is simply beyond comparison.

 

Any list of top ten artists of the decade that doesn't include Springsteen is, well, suspect at best.

 

CD releases:

2001 Live in New York City

2002 The Rising

2005 Devils & Dust

2005 Born to Run Remastered

2006 Hammersmith Odeon London '75

2006 We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

2007 Live in Dublin

2007 Magic

2009 Working on a Dream

 

plus the following DVD releases

 

2001 Live in New York City

2003 Live in Barcelona

2005 VH1 Storytellers

2005 Wings For Wheels

2005 Hammersmith Odeon London '75

2007 Live in Dublin

 

PLUS well over 600 band or solo shows (including around 115 in 2003 and 2004 the only years without a substantial release),

 

He is just finishing up the decade (so far) with 155 shows from 2008 to date.

 

GIVE THE MAN HIS DUE.

 

bruce has made a lot of money this decade. cannot say his releases (new material) have done much for me.

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Bruce Springsteen is an artist for the AGES. His track record for this decade(his fourth as a major label artist) is simply beyond comparison.

 

Any list of top ten artists of the decade that doesn't include Springsteen is, well, suspect at best.

 

CD releases:

2001 Live in New York City

2002 The Rising

2005 Devils & Dust

2005 Born to Run Remastered

2006 Hammersmith Odeon London '75

2006 We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

2007 Live in Dublin

2007 Magic

2009 Working on a Dream

 

plus the following DVD releases

 

2001 Live in New York City

2003 Live in Barcelona

2005 VH1 Storytellers

2005 Wings For Wheels

2005 Hammersmith Odeon London '75

2007 Live in Dublin

 

PLUS well over 600 band or solo shows (including around 115 in 2003 and 2004 the only years without a substantial release),

 

He is just finishing up the decade (so far) with 171 shows from 2008 to date.

 

GIVE THE MAN HIS DUE.

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I think it's a valid opinion to just dislike Bruce's sound. However, Bruce's inclusion on any list is more than valid, as well.

 

I haven't heard scores of what's being listed. I'm staring at a list of 14 I'm planning on checking out. Keep it up, people!

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