SAL is the last stop on the Albums Of The Decade Blog Tour where ten diffierent indie blogs have chosen their favorite albums of the decade. Yesterday’s post came courtesy of The Punk Guy.
I’m keeping this initial list to a Top Ten but check back over the next few weeks as I’ll be listing forty more albums that in all will make up my Top 50 of the 00’s.
A couple of interesting facts…apparently 2000 was an amazing year. Six of my top ten albums hail from 2000 which is unbelievable. And not one album from 2004-2009 made my top ten.
Do yourself a favor and check out all the awesomeness of the blogs that participated. Thanks especially to Josh at Deckfight for spearheading this project! You rule dude!
Now onto my Top Ten of the decade…in order.
#1 The Weakerthans “Left And Leaving” (Hopeless – 2000)
John K. Samson is a lyrical genius and Left And Leaving is probably my favorite album of all time. What else is there to say?
#2 The Lawrence Arms “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (Fat Wreck Chords – 2003)
This is my perfect Arms record with every song bleeding into the next. Such an amazing and cohesive album especially considering you are dealing with two very distinct voices/songwriters. The Greatest Story Ever Told took the band from your typical pop/punk band to one that played pop/punk but was so much smarter (and better) than their peers. The arrangements, the songwriting, the back and forth sway of vocals…this album still gets me amped.
#3 Alkaline Trio “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire” (Asian Man – 2000)
Probably one of my most listened to albums of all time. This record seems to get lost in their discography but not for me as this is my favorite Trio album. Dark, catchy and downright disturbing lyrics, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire is a churning and ambitious record. Which is probably why everything the band did after this has paled in comparison for me.
#4 The Dismemberment Plan “Change” (Desoto – 2001)
This is not even the band’s greatest album yet it still ends up on a Best of the Decade list. That’s how good The Dismemberment plan was. From my favorite live band of all time, Change saw the band maturing and discovering their own unique gifts. It was the final evolution in a band that had undergone an incredible metamorphosis. The D Plan stood by themselves in a league all their own. Of all the reunions taking place these days this is the one I truly long for.
#5 Modest Mouse “The Moon & Antarctica” (Epic – 2000)
This is a sprawling and unique album that no one could have expected from Modest Mouse. Accessible major label debut? Not even close. The Moon & Antarctica is a haunting yet beautiful journey into the ambitious and frayed mind of Isaac Brock. So, the next frat boy that tells you how much they love Modest Mouse tell them to go listen to this album. I bet they will be singing a different tune afterwards.
#6 And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead “Source Tags & Codes” (Interscope – 2002)
Source Tags & Codes is such a moving and powerful album. It is the true definition of art colliding with visceral rock music. It is a shame the band could never live up to the glory and exhilaration of this album. But when listening seven years later it is apparent we should have never expected them to top this masterpiece. “A middle finger to the institution”…still gets me every time.
#7 The Appleseed Cast “Mare Vitalis”(Deep Elm – 2000)
The band’s 2002 double LP, Low Level Owl, might be considered their crowning achievement but when I want to listen to Appleseed Cast it will always be the band’s sophomore album, Mare Vitalis. The band started their journey away from typical emo songwriting here and it’s still their finest hour in my opinion.
#8 Cursive “Domestica” (Saddle Creek – 2000)
The relationship concept album has become Tim Kasher’s forte it seems. But Domestica was the songwriter’s first journey into the depth and despair of a troubled partnership. Emotionally raw, this is still the Cursive’s shining moment.
#9 Samiam “Astray” (Hopeless – 2000)
No best of list would be complete without Samiam who are quite possibly the greatest pop/punk band ever. Astray is about as strong as an album can be from start to finish.
#10 Frodus “And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea” (Fueled By Ramen – 2001)
And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea is perhaps one of the most under appreciated records of the decade and it is also one of the best. What is amazing to me is the fact that the band struggled to find a label to release the album. The record was finished in 1999 but was not released til 2001 by Fueled By Ramen. That label was in the throes of a change in musical direction and because of that the album seemed to fall by the wayside. This was the band’s swan song (although there has been talk of new Frodus material this year) and was unlike anything they had released before. And frankly it was different than anything else at the time as well.
I am such a sucker for well-played pop/punk. If you would have told me ten years ago that I would still be listening to this stuff at the old age of 29, well, I would have probably smiled and said I hope so. 
