A few rules I went by were to not select from soundtracks, compilation albums or live albums and to only list one album per artist. Several of the artists in my list produced many albums throughout the decade that I was crazy over but I limited my selection to the one album of theirs that moved me the most.
All albums can be downloaded in their entirety via links at the end of my brief summary of each album. Just copy and paste each link into the address bar at the top of your browser.
So here it is:
25. Immortal Technique - Revolutionary, Vol. 2 (2003)
I'm not much of a hip-hop fan as I really can't stand most of the themes rappers seem to mindlessly babble about, but Immortal Technique is a breath of fresh air to the otherwise stale and debased genre. Taking on matters such as US foreign policy, the war on drugs, the loss of civil liberties and the crooked music industry itself, Immortal Technique lends his poetic stylings creatively and admirably to each subject with very catchy beats and smooth lyrics. There is the occasional ignorant lyric here and there that you would normally find in the other 99% of hip-hop and rap, but if you can avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater, you should thoroughly enjoy this album.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ueyknzvcmem
24. Thursday - Full Collapse (2001)
13 years after being a band, this release, their 2nd official one, is arguably their best and still stands the test of time. When this album came out in 2001, there was nothing like it of its kind. It has since spawned countless imitations, all of which fail to capture the raw emotion on this record. Thursday is perhaps best known for their energetic live performances which, in my opinion, fall nothing short of what speaking-in-toungues, snake handling, caught-up-in-the-spirit southern Christians must feel at a backwoods tent revival. This record is "emo" at one of it's finest moments.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zjtzboyjk1e
23. Shadows Fall - The Art Of Balance (2002)
Early 2000's metalcore at it's finest. Fronted by Brian Fair (former vocalist for Overcast, a band that pioneered the metalcore sound in the mid 90's), this band produces albums that are a perfect mix of metal and melody and this album is their finest in that regard. Throw in an occasional old-fashioned hardcore breakdown and you have a really listenable metal album that is clearly rooted in the hardcore scene. From the opening track, "Idle Hands", the thrashfest really doesn't end until the last track which is a cover of Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine"... which is kind of a weird choice to end the album, but it is a very well done cover and serves as a decent outro to a fantastic album.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mlnt2uwjzz5
22. Ignite - Our Darkest Days (2006)
This album is a serious return to form for this socially conscious Orange County, CA hardcore punk band. Taking 6 years between the release of this album and their one before it (A Place Called Home - 2000), the wait was definitely worth it. Drawing inspiration from the failure of US foreign policy and a brother that served in Afghanistan, singer Zoli Teglas, who has one of the most distinguishable and unique voices in the genre, pours his heart into every lyric he belts out on the album. The riffs are catchy and within a few listens, the choruses of the songs are hard to get out of your head. Towards the end of the album, there is a cover of U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" which is very well done, but totally unnecessary as the album is full of original tunes that could have carried themselves without a cheap homage to a band that is a shadow of it's former myself. U2 should the ones covering Ignite and any song off of this album would do.
http://www.mediafire.com/?wjt0wyn1zny
21. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise (2005)
This is one of the few albums on this list that received copious amounts of critical acclaim and actually deserved it, all of it. Sort of a weird mix between indie and folk music, Sufjan Stevens, a talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, tells many a tale related to the state of Illinois. Notable tracks "Chicago", "Casimir Pulaski Day" and "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." stand out amongst the various interludes that populate the album. "Gacy, Jr." is the biographical tale of child molester/serial killer of the same name... an odd choice for the subject of a song on an indie folk album, but it works nonetheless. The album flows wonderfully and is so cohesive it can be thought of as one long song... something most concept albums end up failing miserably at.
http://www.mediafire.com/?fuymymw5gnm
20. Terror - Lowest of the Low (2003)
This 9 track, 16 minute CD released in 2003 was a complete kick in the pants to the hardcore scene. Filled with rage, mosh and adrenaline, this CD has fueled many a workout session at the gym for me. The CD is a musical bullet train right from the start and never slows down. Lyrically, you won't find much new ground being tread here, and if you're looking for thought provoking discussion on relevant social topics, you'll come up empty handed. What you will get, however, is brocore mosh at it's finest and a CD that was emulated by an endless army of meathead imitators. Take it for what it is... damn near the best pure hardcore CD of the decade.
http://www.mediafire.com/?nniigbwyn2m
19. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
Ok ok ok. Just get past the misogyny, homophobia, glorification of drug culture and violence, and the petty celebrity beefs... and you have one of the greatest rap albums ever made. The dude's got talent coming out his ears and it is clearly evidenced on this album. Never mind the fact that he's the artist who sold the most albums in the decade, because, as Immortal Technique said "fuck the records you sold cuz if you go platinum, it's got nothing to do with luck... it just means that a million people are stupid as fuck." Eminem may be the single greatest influence for the wiggerization of America, and while that in itself should be enough to make me want to see him take a long walk off a short pier, his rapping technique and styles are the greatest ever. Set your intelligence and decency on the shelf for a few minutes and partake in the wonder that is Eminem.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mjhdmnzymwj.jpg)
18. Slipknot - Vol 3 (the subliminal verses) (2004)
I thought this band was a complete joke until I saw them play with Slayer in 2004. Wow. What a show. I had just been looking at the goofball masks and their legion of complicated pants wearing "maggot" fan base. Bad move. The music embodies the Nu Metal spirit that was so eloquently defined by my friend Grant Johnson as being something along the lines of "You did me wrong. Fuck you. I'll fucking kill you." The band consists of 9 members, 3 of which are percussionists... so how can you go wrong with that? The main drummer, Joey Jordison, is easily in the upper echelon of metal drummers today. Solid songwriting, loads of musical talent and catchy songs will easily offset the goofy image if you let it. This Grammy award winning album continues to be their best to date and is great place to start if you wanna give it a try.
http://www.mediafire.com/?znyt3njiouy
17. Hatebreed - Perseverance (2002)
There is no greater bridge between hardcore and metal than Hatebreed. This major-label debut catapulted the band into the mainstream and started the band on it's path to become the best selling "hardcore" band of all time. Perseverance is full of self-empowerment anthems and otherwise all-encompassing hardcore themes. The lyrics aren't what make this album great though. Jamey Jasta's solid delivery of the anthems along with the crushing guitars and driving percussion are enough to fuel a non-stop run on the treadmill for me for the entire duration of the album. The only low point on the album is track #7, "We Still Fight", which seems to have been written specifically for a Republican pro-war rally. If it weren't for that bogus meathead song, this album would have scored much higher for me. Even considering that though, this is a solid album that crushes from start to finish.
http://www.mediafire.com/?minzdjzxy4l
16. Jeremy Enigk - World Waits (2006)
This 2006 release by former Sunny Day Real Estate front man Jeremy Enigk was just about as best you could hope for without it actually being a Sunny Day Real Estate album. Released a full 10 years after his first solo venture, World Waits is a well crafted, melodic amble through the mind of Jeremy Enigk. Mostly soothing and at times an exuberant ode to the human spirit, the journey through the peaks and valleys of this album is entirely enjoyable. This album never received the credit it was due as Enigk continues to be one of the most overlooked songwriters of this generation. Don't snooze on one of the best kept secrets of the 2000's.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jlnned1umto
15. If Hope Dies - Life in Ruin (2006)
Why this album didn't make these guys heavy metal millionaires is beyond me and, in my opinion, worthy of a congressional investigation. Head and shoulders above the rest of their discography, this album has it all... sick guitar shredding, driving metal rhythms, and ferocious death throe vocals. Top all that off with some Daniel Quinn inspired lyrics that are actually thought provoking and full of profound meaning and there is no good reason this album shouldn't have shot these guys to meteoric success other then mainstream metal fans and critics are complete fucking idiots. Oh, and I checked with Al, the lead singer who also happens to be a coworker of mine strangely enough, and he is totally cool with you downloading the album so stop wasting time and get to it.
http://www.mediafire.com/?znzykzfxkwk
14. Lucero - Tennessee (2002)
My friend Jonny Hero has been jocking this band for a long time and until I actually stopped to listen to them, I had no idea why. Luckily, I started with this album which turned out to remain my favorite after listening extensively to the rest of their discography. Lucero's alt/country sound has roots in the punk rock scene and is gaining much wider acceptance amongst the beer swilling college crowd with each acclaimed album they release. The songwriting by front man Ben Nichols is at times joyful and other times heartbreaking, but never lacking in emotion. The raspy vocals coupled with the country twang and slide guitars give you the feeling the songs were written alone in the basement of an old saloon after last call. Seeing the songs performed live is really the best way to fully appreciate the music as their marathon live performances are nothing short of legendary.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ktiqdmmwzmy
13. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous (2004)
Clever lyrics delivered by the velvety voice of Jenny Lewis accompanied by the catchy arrangements of guitarist Blake Sennett make for an extremely impressive indie-pop album by this LA based band. A clear departure from their indie-folk sound on earlier albums, More Adventurous does the rare feat of breaking new ground for the band while remaining entirely credible. Their next album, Under The Blacklight does the same thing, albeit a tad more dancy and poppy than More Adventurous. This is a great album to put on at the beginning of a road trip as the time will fly by as you sing a long to some very catchy, well-written music.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mdy2iwt3dkz
12. In Flames - Reroute to Remain (2002)
Listening to this album and having the ability to go over 150 miles an hour as I did at the time on my crotch rocket is an extremely dangerous thing and is something I highly recommend that you not do. Whenever I heard the song "Cloud Connected" come on, I felt like going 1,000 miles an hour, the consequences be damned. Most In Flames fans would not list this album as one of their finest, and probably over "commercialzed", but I feel like this is just about a perfect mix of death metal and melody as one could achieve. Hailing from Sweden, In Flames took the patented Swedish death metal sound and infused it with heavy melody making it extremely listenable to even the tamest of ears. That's probably why most die-hard fans think it sucks and exactly why I think it rules.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jzkjmyxyyxi
11. Say Anything - ...Is a Real Boy (2004)
I'm not one for cheeseball emo/indie pop-punk, but this, to me, is the magnum opus of the genre. Fueled by the well documented psychotic episodes of lead singer Max Bemis, this album is very well written and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. ...Is a Real Boy found itself in very heavy listening rotation when it was first introduced to me by my buddy Mark in Nashville in the middle of the decade. Bemis is clearly a talented writer who borders on the genius in songs such as "Woe", "The Writhing South" and "Alive With the Glory of Love". The mood of the songs range from playful, to spiteful, to sexually overt, to critical, to comical and back again over the duration of the album. Tweenage Hot Topic mall girls make up a large portion of the fans of this band and Say Anything, like Slipknot, is one of those bands whose fan base it is best to completely ignore in order to fully enjoy the music.
http://www.mediafire.com/?wmawjzww0d4
10. The Haunted - Made Me Do It (2000)
There must be something in the water in Gothenburg, Sweden because that tiny area of the world has produced some of the sickest death metal ever and The Haunted are a prime example of it. Out of the ashes of legendary Swedish death metal band At The Gates, comes The Haunted. Retaining three original members of the band, The Haunted's early albums, this one included, is like At The Gates part duex and if you're a fan of the genre, you know that's not a bad thing. Right from the short intro song, this album is an all out thrash/death attack. Marco Aro's vocals are a more than acceptable substitution for original At The Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg too. Full of driving guitars that only stop for the briefest of moments to delve into a heavy-as-shit breakdowns, this album sets the bar for the genre for the entire decade.
http://www.mediafire.com/?2mnrkztdmny
9. Morrissey - You are the Quarry (2004)
I'm a huge Morrissey fan and was eagerly anticipating his first studio album in 7 years back in 2004. After hearing the first track on the CD, I was absolutely mortified. I remember thinking that this was the very moment that Morrissey had jumped the proverbial shark and was becoming a caricature of his former self. After listening to the dreadful opening track "America is not the World", I was ready to just turn off the music and remember Morrissey as I loved him, not as he had become now. All of these feelings were assuaged by the very next track "Irish Blood, English Heart", arguably his best single of the decade. Yes, it would all be okay after all. From that point on, you get the vintage spiteful, sardonic, sacrilegious, witty, self-loathing, tongue-in-cheek, wonderfully poetic Morrissey we have come to know and love. The music on the CD is the some of the best Morrissey has ever been accompanied by as well. Later in the year, the record label re-released the CD in a Platinum Edition with 9 additional tracks that originally appeared as B-sides to the albums three singles, the most notable being "Don't Make Fun of Daddy's Voice", "It's Hard to Walk Tall When You're Small", and "Friday Mourning". I have the Platinum Edition up for download so check it out.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zwyjzgmixzz
8. The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie and electronic musician Jimmy Tamborello teamed up to make one of the decade's most memorable albums. Full of catchy little indie-electro pop numbers, this album was on repeat on my ipod for months on end. The band's name comes from the method by which the album was made; by the 2 artists mailing each other back and forth until their additions came together and made a complete album. While the whole concept of electronic music being made through the mail seems somewhat trite and corny, the finished product is really quite an amazing album. The lyric content is nothing new for Ben Gibbard, i.e. - breakups, makeups, loneliness, friendship and fame, the music and the lyrics blend exceptionally well and get stuck in your brain like nothing else.
http://www.mediafire.com/?uyymymm0dcw
7. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)
Easily one of the most underrated voices of all time, Neko Case is at her best on this alt-country/indie album. At times wispy, aching, haunting, and tortured, Neko's voice is always expressive and powerful... and steals the show on the entire album. This album really came out of left field for me and opened up a whole indie/country world that I never really knew existed. After seeing Neko Case live many times over the past 5 years, her voice is just as powerful live as it is on record. The backing band is incredible as is her backing vocalist Kelly Hogan. If you're leery of the genre, this album is a fantastic way to start and sure to not disappoint.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ieemtozioa2
6. Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
I believe this album will one day be regarded as one of the best albums of all time by any artist ever. Yes, it's that good. There really isn't a single weak track on the album. "The Scientist" is one of my favorite songs of all time and never fails to raise the hair on the back of my neck. Chris Martin's falsetto, the fantastic piano work, the layered instrumentation, and superior lyricism all mesh together beautifully to form a near perfect album. This is another one of those albums that has won just about every award imaginable and received boatloads of acclaim... and deserved it all. It's hard to imagine Coldplay ever releasing an album of this magnitude ever again. X & Y and Viva La Vida were great, no doubt, but Rush of Blood to the Head will be nearly impossible for them, or anyone of their generation to surpass.
http://www.mediafire.com/?nydjm0ommwd
5. Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing (2002)
This may seem like an odd choice to be all the way up at #5 but when this album came out, it totally redefined my perception of "metalcore" (as Overcast did back in 1994 with Expectational Dilution) and became the litmus test for any album in it's genre. It seemed to make everything else at the time obsolete as it became the new standard. I still think original Killswitch vocalist (and the one who appears on this album) Jesse Leach, is a much better vocalist than current Killswitch singer Howard Jones. Howard is great on the successive albums, but Leach totally nails every single song on this album and when combined with guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz's clean backing vocals, the duo makes an unforgettable tandem seldom heard in the heavy metal world. The music is just as crushing as Leach's vocals and still holds up with heavy metal that is being recorded today, and, in fact, it still heavier than most stuff being put out today.
http://www.mediafire.com/?qwj0inijmja
4. Kings Of Leon - Because of the Times
(2007)
I got this CD from my buddy Justin and didn't even listen to it for another few months. If I had known the hidden gem that was lying dormant, I would have never snoozed on it as long as I did. Once I heard the album, I immediately fell in love with it and it was soon being played 2 to 3 times a day. Right from the opening track, "Knocked Up", you know you're listening to something very very different from the rock that you might have imagined this foursome from rural Tennessee would have made. Their follow-up album Only By The Night has received copious amounts of critical acclaim and shot the band to U2-like stadium rock stardom, but this album is an amazing precursor to said fame and way more down-to-earth and "real" in my opinion. It feels like this album came totally naturally whereas Only By The Night, which I really enjoy as well, was made with trying to write "hits" in mind. It will be very interesting to see what this band does next, but for me, this album is likely to remain their greatest.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mnqk0jmudjm
3. Isis - Oceanic (2002)
Totally fucking Epic.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mxowi2k2ozk
2. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003)
I'm not sure if this violates my rule about not listing 2 albums by the same artist (as The Postal Service appears at number 8 on this list), but even if it does, I don't care. It also says a lot that the #2 album on my best of the friggin' decade list is an indie-pop album and not a metal album. There are so many wonderful things to say about this album but the single word I would use to describe it would be: Beautiful. From start to finish, this album is a work of art... lyrically, musically, everything. I consider this album in the same vein as The Cure's Disintegration in so far as it is a complete, cohesive piece of art that is best appreciated as a whole and not just a album with a lot of great songs on it. Clocking in at just under 8 minutes, track #7, the song "Transatlanticism" is the emotional high point on the album for me. It's definitely one of my favorite songs ever and never fails to stop me dead in my tracks whenever I hear it. As difficult as it is to imagine Coldplay outdoing Rush of Blood to the Head, it's hard to imagine Death Cab ever topping this 2003 release. It's sad, in a way, but comforting in another to know that this album is ours to be appreciated as a timeless classic in our generation.
http://www.mediafire.com/?nmudiuwmizm
1. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)
I usually don't like to connect my impressions of albums to anything other than the music itself, but with this one, it's nearly impossible for me. I first listened to this album about a year after it was first released in 2004. It was towards the end of 2005 when I volunteered with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and joined them on a trip to Antarctica to shut down an illegal Japanese whaling operation. There were many long days and nights on the nearly 2 month voyage. Most of the time, there was plenty to do and at other times it was mind numbingly boring as we seemed to be sailing into eternity. It was at one of these slow times when we were at a latitude that didn't require full Winter weather gear in order to stand more than a few minutes on the deck due to the frigid temperatures and inclement weather that I found myself laying on my back basking in the sun on the bow of the ship in some sunglasses and a hoodie. I was listening to Leviathan on my iPod and just kind of losing myself in the music and enjoying the fresh air and the open sea.
As it turns out, the album is based on the Herman Melville novel Moby-Dick and every song is centered around a theme in the book. Fitting. Here I was on a mission to try and save whales while I listen to music based on a book where a captain and his crew are driven mad by chasing down and killing a giant white whale. I was about half way through the album when the sirens on the ship went off. Sirens on the ship either meant a very good thing or very bad things. Fortunately, it meant it a good thing on that day and was precursor to one of the best experiences of my life. Someone on the bridge had sounded the siren because some whales has been spotted ahead in the distance. As people came out on the deck and were pointing in my direction, I turned and saw what all the hubub was about. About 200 yards ahead of our ship was an enormous pod of approximately 50 endangered humpback whales breaching and swimming past. 50. Some leapt into the air, others turned on their sides with their flippers turned skyward while yet others just swam by casually with their dorsal ridges exposed. I was in complete awe at the tremendous power and majesty that my stunned eyes struggled to take in and comprehend. To say that it was a life changing moment would not only be accurate, but an understatement.
Even without this album being the soundtrack to that moment, it is very likely that this would still be my favorite album of the 2000's. Right from the opening guitar work on the first track to the rather docile instrumental final track, this album just totally shreds in every way possible. The vocals sound as if they were the tortured screams of Captain Ahab himself and if there is a better heavy metal drummer in the world other than Brann Dailor, I'd sure like to hear about them. Even with the insane heaviness in the music, there is enough discernible melody and unison within the music to make each song entirely listenable and enjoyable. The feat of making a concept album around a classic literally work and not having it be disconcertingly bad should also not be overlooked. All in all, this is one of the best heavy metal albums ever and definitely my favorite of the decade.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ttnjtyjmzgkHonorable Mentions:
Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
Another Breath - The God Complex
Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Earth Crisis - To The Death
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Fuck The Facts - Stigmata High-Five
The Gaslight Anthem - 59 sound
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Johnny Cash - American V: The Man Comes Around
Mandate of Heaven - Hun In The Sun
Matisyahu - Youth
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Mew - Frengers
Modern Life is War - Witness
Pelican - The Fire in our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw
Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
Sunny Day Real Estate - The Rising Tide
Another Breath and Earth Crisis probably would have cracked the top 25 had they not been released so late in the decade. Their influence and power is still fermenting into a kombucha of awesomeness in my brain.
If you read all of that, Wow have you got some serious time on your hands! Hopefully you learned about a few new things and took the time to download some stuff you were interested in. If you have any comments, I would love to hear them and if you made a list like this, I would also love to check it out so let me know about it.
Here's to a great new year and another awesome decade of music!
