Uncut Magazine Top 150 Albums of the Decade.

[Swish]

I think this is a pretty decent magazine and a credible list, although many are ranked either way too high or way too low in my opinion. We just had a nice thread about our personal favorites and many of mine are on here, and quite a few others' selections appear. Check it out;


150 Band of Horses - Everything All Of The Time 2006
149 Ray Lamontagne - Trouble 2006
148 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand 2004
147 The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain 2008
146 Richard Thompson - Front Parlour Blues 2005
145 Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days 2004
144 Robert Wyatt - Comicopera 2007
143 Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs 2001
142 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell 2003
141 Rachel Unthank & The Winterset - The Bairns 2007
140 Espers - Espers II 2006
139 Outkast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below 2003
138 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky 2007
137 Elliot Smith - From A Basement On A Hill 2004
136 The Strokes - Room On Fire 2003
135 Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard The End 2003
134 Radiohead - Hail To The Thief 2003
133 Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions 2006
132 Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark 2008
131 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head 2002
130 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig! Lazarus, Dig!!! 2008
129 Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out 2000
128 Antony and The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now 2005
127 The Handsome Family - In The Air 2000
126 Neil Young - Praire Wind 2005
125 The Hold Steady - Stay Positive 2008
124 Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light 2006
123 Doves - The Last Broadcast 2002
122 Donald ***en - Morph The Cat 2006
121 Hot Chip - The Warning 2006
120 MGMT - Oracular Specatular 2008
119 Scritti Politti - White Bread, Black Beer 2006
118 Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft 2005
117 At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command 2000
116 Michigan - Sufjan Stevens 2003
115 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash 2008
114 The Raconteurs - Consolers of The Lonely 2008
113 The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow 2003
112 Beirut - The Flying Club Cup 2007
111 Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Ciat 2006
110 Steely Dan - Everything Must Go 2003
109 The White Stripes - Icky Thump 2007
108 Comets on Fire - Avatar 2006
107 Paul Westerberg - Come Feel Me Tremble 2003
106 The Go-Betweens - Friends of Rachel Worth 2000
105 Steely Dan - Two Against Nature 2000
104 Grizzily Bear - Veckatimest 2009
103 Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliot - Miss E...So Addictive 2001
102 Felice Brothers - Felice Brothers 2007
101 Neko Case - Blacklisted 2002
100 Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance 2001
99 Babyshambles - Down In Albion 2005
98 Avalanches - Since i Left You 2001
97 Paul Weller - 22 Dreams 2008
96 Rufus Wainwright - Want One 2003
95 Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump 2000
94 Devendra Bandhart - Oh Me Oh My The Way The Day Goes By The Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs Of The Christmas Spirit 2002
93 The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free 2004
92 Tom Waits - Real Gone 2004
91 John Cale - HonoSapiens 2003
90 Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning 2005
89 Neil Young - Living With War 2006
88 The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan 2005
87 Queens of The Stone Age - Rated R 2000
86 PJ Harvey - White Chalk 2007
85 MIA - Arular 2004
84 David Bowie - Heathen 2002
83 Outkast - Stankonia 2000
82 Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South 2004
81 Okkervil River - The Stage Names 2007
80 Levon Helm - Electric Dirt 2009
79 Kings of Leon - Only By TheNight 2008
78 Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man 2000
77 Kanye West - The College Dropout 2004
76 Beck - Seachange 2002
75 Gorrilaz - Demon Days 2005
74 Elbow - Asleep In The Back 2000
73 Elliot Smith - Figure 8 2000
72 Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl 2000
71 TV On The Radio - Dear Science, 2008
70 The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen 2007
69 Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare 2007
68 D'Angelo - Voodoo 2000
67 Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther 2006
66 Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2001
65 Rufus Wainwright - Poses 2001
64 Lift To Experience - The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads 2001
63 The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang 2005
62 Ghostface Killah - Fishscale 2006
61 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Lyre of Orpheus / Abattoir Blues 2004
60 Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose 2004
59 The White Stripes - De Stilj 2000
58 Bob Dylan - Together Through Life 2009
57 Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland 2003
56 Sonic Youth - Murray Street 2002
55 Bjork - Vespertine 2001
54 Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs 2000
53 Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights 2002
52 Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner 2003
51 Warren Zevon - The Wind 2003
50 Cat Power - The Greatest 2006
49 PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea 2000
48 Ry Cooder - Chavez Ravine 2005
47 The National - Alligator 2005
46 Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera 2001
45 Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me 2002
44 The Libertines - Up The Bracket 2002
43 The Streets - Orginal Pirate Material 2002
42 Richmond Fontaine - Post To Wire 2004
41 Bruce Springsteen - Magic 2007
40 Boards of Canada - Geogaddi 2002
39 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend 2008
38 Ryan Adams - Gold 2001
37 The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers 2006
36 Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around 2002
35 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2002
34 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago 2008
33 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion 2009
32 Calexico - Feast of Wire 2002
31 My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves 2003
30 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois 2005
29 Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II 2007
28 Queens of The Stone Age - Songs For The Death 2002
27 The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America 2007
26 Lampchop - Nixon 2000
25 Radiohead - Kid A 2000
24 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 2006
23 Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man - Out of Season 2002
22 Blur - Think Tank 2003
21 Joanna Newsom - Ys 2006
20 Amy Winehouse - Back In Black 2006
19 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising 2002
18 Kate Bush - Aerial 2005
17 The White Stripes - Elephant 2003
16 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver 2007
15 Radiohead - In Rainbows 2007
14 Primal Scream - XTRMNTR 2000
13 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) 2001
12 Portishead - Third 2008
11 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 2002
10 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes 2008
9 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker 2000
8 Bob Dylan - Modern Times 2006
7 Arcade Fire - Funeral 2005
6 Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand 2007
5 The Strokes - Is This It 2001
4 Brian Wilson - Smile 2004
3 Wilco - A Ghost Is Born 2004
2 Bob Dylan - "Love and Theft" 2001
1 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells 2001

Portishead # 12? Plant/Krauss # 6? Chutes Too Narrow all the way down at # 113? There are others that make my blood boil, but at least many of my faves were mentioned.

[tentoze]

No doubt anyone and everyone will have something to snipe at, but that whole top 10 is a disaster as far I'm concerned.

[ForeverAutumn]

Was Heathen only released in 2002? Really? It seems like it should be earlier than that.

Obviously we aren't all going to agree with the list. I agree that Chutes Too Narrow should be much higher up, as should Lamontagne's Trouble. I wouldn't have ranked A Ghost Is Born higher than the other Wilco disks. And the latest Arctic Monkeys and Elbow disks are noticably absent.

AND WHERE'S THE PROG MAN?!

Seriously, we still can't say Donald Fagan on this site?

[Stone]

It has good albums on it, but it's definitely predictable.

[ForeverAutumn]

Oh, and BTW Swishy, thanks for not dragging this out for 150 weeks.

[MindGoneHaywire]

Better than the NME top 50 or whatever the heck it was, but no Green Day = BS. Sorry.

If American Idiot doesn't make a list that has Hot Chip on it...

[Swish]

Oh, and BTW Swishy, thanks for not dragging this out for 150 weeks.

...but seeing that I'm preparing to move again, I don't want to commit to something and then drop the ball.

[Jack in Wilmington]

I have 2 on that whole list. The 2 Steely Dan albums. I'd rather spend my money on the Beatles reissues than anything on that list. Just not my cup of tea.

[ForeverAutumn]

no Green Day = BS. Sorry.

Yeah! How did I not notice that? This list sucks!

Not only should American Idiot be on that list...it should be top 10.

[Slosh]

Lists-by-commitee are the evilest of all lists.

[kexodusc]

Why so much of The White Stripes?...zzzzzz. At least U2 didn't make it...

[poppachubby]

Oh man, I imagine if you were stuck on an elevator for a week or two, you would have the distinct pleasure of listening to alot of this list.

First of all, remove all of those annoying numbers and now you kinda have something. I'm surprised Radiohead wasn't at the top, they always seem to do well on these lists. Anyhow I'm with you FA, I was surprised at Heathen too! Also Relationship of Command seems like yesterday for me.

[Troy]

I just don't get it.

I've seen several of these kinds of lists in the past few weeks and all they prompt me to think is music is dead.

Sure, I've liked some things done in the last 10 years (tho my taste is far more . . . eclectic and specialized . . . than anyone in these magazines and websites) and I'm not going to whine that my favorites didn't make the list or belittle anything specific because it's all just a matter of personal taste.

But I do think that everything on these lists (and my own much shorter list) is either a rehash of some music or band's style from 20, 30 or 40 years ago, or even worse, a mediocre new release by these ancient dinosaurs that doesn't hold a candle to their original 'golden age' output. These lists used to be about bands breaking the boundaries of music, about artists moving forward. All I see is stagnation and repetition of old ideas and themes.

Would any of this music make a list compiled of music from the last 50 years instead of the last 10? I just don't think so.

[ForeverAutumn]

Would any of this music make a list compiled of music from the last 50 years instead of the last 10? I just don't think so.

I can see your point if this were a list from the last 50 years and it was filled with these same 150 discs. But this isn't a list of the last 50 years.

And on the topic of 50-yr-old music...The Rolling Stones released an album in 2005? I don't think I even knew that.

[poppachubby]

But I do think that everything on these lists (and my own much shorter list) is either a rehash of some music or band's style from 20, 30 or 40 years ago, or even worse, a mediocre new release by these ancient dinosaurs that doesn't hold a candle to their original 'golden age' output. These lists used to be about bands breaking the boundaries of music, about artists moving forward. All I see is stagnation and repetition of old ideas and themes.

.

Yep. There are enough people who either don't know or don't care about "influences", to keep the industry cranking out sameness. I think they really flaunt it with hip hops use of sampling. Some of these new songs are quite literally someone singing or rapping over an original.

I don't know if this list is supposed to be just a rock list or not. I assume not with A.Krauss and Plant on it. I just wonder, where is all the soul/funk/RandB?? I'm not talking about Usher or Justin Timberlake either, but bands who play and write.

Anyways, I don't really care all too much. Can't change it, so I don't worry about it, just enjoy what I like.

[MindGoneHaywire]

I just don't get it.

I've seen several of these kinds of lists in the past few weeks and all they prompt me to think is music is dead.

Sure, I've liked some things done in the last 10 years (tho my taste is far more . . . eclectic and specialized . . . than anyone in these magazines and websites) and I'm not going to whine that my favorites didn't make the list or belittle anything specific because it's all just a matter of personal taste.

But I do think that everything on these lists (and my own much shorter list) is either a rehash of some music or band's style from 20, 30 or 40 years ago, or even worse, a mediocre new release by these ancient dinosaurs that doesn't hold a candle to their original 'golden age' output. These lists used to be about bands breaking the boundaries of music, about artists moving forward. All I see is stagnation and repetition of old ideas and themes.

Would any of this music make a list compiled of music from the last 50 years instead of the last 10? I just don't think so.

I always say better a good rehash than a bad new idea, but your point is well taken. I don't think music is dead, but while I do think there are at least a few titles that rise above what you're describing here, they're not worthy of mention in this context because the bad news is not that I quarrel with your assessment, but that I might be able to name a few on a list that should feature dozens.

The title I did mention upthread I mentioned only because it was one of the most notable commercial and critical successes of the entire decade, more so than because I happened to like it. There's plenty on this list that I like, especially from dinosaurs, most notably Dylan. Love And Theft is one of the best recs I think he's ever made.

I never really cared that the album has died. Most of them sucked to begin with. I prefer singles/EPs as an industry standard unit size/product length. Album cycles with a requirement to FILL 70+ minutes when few of my favorite albums top 40 did a ton of damage, and nobody stepped up to say that this is overextending creativity in a potentially destructive manner. Then came Napster, iPod, p2p, and a dry well on people replacing their albums on CD.

I do dig plenty from the decade but there are problems with 'music' at large that do push me towards offering that Troy's criticism holds more water than a typical rant decrying the music of today because it's not as good as what came yesterday. And a devil's advocate argument that it's all subjective doesn't address the differences in the current model where there are 4 major labels which are all publicly traded and under constant pressure to meet quarterly expectations...vs. the way things were when the majors were private concerns. Most of you know I have no issue with pop music & criticizing, say, Britney Spears is a complete waste of time...and good for the kids who like her. I have no issue with American Idol so long as I don't have to watch it, and so far I never have. Heck, there's something I prefer about a kid liking Britney Spears as opposed to music-oriented video games with faux hardware in lieu of musical instruments.

That said, there are definitely albums that came out in the past ten years I'd place on a list of the past 50 years, without question. A couple are on this list, but probably more aren't. And actually, for me personally, I might place a good number, possibly even more than from the 90s, on a 50 years list, of stuff from the 2000s. But they were created in spite of the possibilties inherent in some of the positive directions the business took in the 90s, not because of them.

[Davey]

Portishead # 12? Plant/Krauss # 6? Chutes Too Narrow all the way down at # 113? There are others that make my blood boil, but at least many of my faves were mentioned.

Yea, pretty good list compared to many of the others I've seen. At least it stays fairly true to their readership and their review staff, and doesn't make any blatant attempt to be controversial.

Missing some of my favorites, no Califone or Notwist or Wovenhand or Manitoba or many of the artists on my list ... but it's got the Bon Iver debut, and Gillian Welch's classic Time (the Revelator), and the National's brilliant Alligator, and one of the most timeless records of the decade by Yo La Tengo, and Richmond Fontaine's insightful Post to Wire. One thing I do like about this list is that they are staying true to their reviews. So many magazines and websites rave about a record one month, but by the end of the year it is completely forgotten, and Uncut has done this in the past as well. But from the elaborate 5-star review they gave the extremely dark Willard Grant Conspiracy record, or the short but sweet 5-stars for the great Elbow debut that prompted me to search out an import copy, they haven't forgotten what they wrote. I haven't read Uncut in the last few years except for the occasonal online review, but some of these are solid picks, and the original reviews still hold. Good to see Portishead so high, such a strange and special record, still don't know exactly what I think of it, I don't love it but I recall that they did, and it is so very inventive and even abrasive. Arcade Fire really was one of the standouts when I look back, and one of the best live shows too. Not so much the White Stripes and Dylan, but we all have our favorites.

Anyway, seems like an honest attempt to present their view of the decade in music.

[Swish]

I have 2 on that whole list. The 2 Steely Dan albums. I'd rather spend my money on the Beatles reissues than anything on that list. Just not my cup of tea.

While there a many I don't believe should be on it, and others that should be ranked differently, I see some great records on it.

[Slosh]

I have 45 of those but about half of them are pretty "meh".

[3LB]

I have a hard time ranking music I like, much less music I don't. I won't dismiss music because it's derrivative, only if I don't like it.

[Finch Platte]

I have 45 of those but about half of them are pretty "meh".

Yeah, I listened to your favorite songs comp.

[Slosh]

Yeah, I listened to your favorite songs comp.

Hey, I didn't write the songs. Am I supposed to be offended or something?

[Finch Platte]

Hey, I didn't write the songs. Am I supposed to be offended or something?

Nah, I'm the one who's offended. Your taste sucks.

[Slosh]

Nah, I'm the one who's offended. Your taste sucks.

haha

Now that's more like it.

[Jack in Wilmington]

While there a many I don't believe should be on it, and others that should be ranked differently, I see some great records on it.

Like Slosh says, he has 45 of these and they're pretty meh!
I can't see spending my money of meh. I'm trying to rebuild my vinyl collection and at $30 dollars a pop that's not easy. What radio stations play these songs around here Swish?