Raekwon at the Zoo

Raekwon the Chef at the Zoo...

FUNNIEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME!

Somebody give Raekwon a show on Animal Planet already...

Greatest thing ever

So ironic... this wasn't supposed to happen! The nineties... haha. The mainstream-grunge movement is so weird to think about...
Hope Kurt never saw this though... the "irony" might of been lost on him.

Get Well Soon D...

D... really? Get help, bro. We need you...

Via Huffington Post:

Singer D'Angelo was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute on Saturday.

Police say the R&B crooner, most famous for his naked "Untitled (How Does It Feel?)" video, was cruising in his Range Rover on Greenwich and Horatio Streets when he stopped a woman he took to be a prostitute. He then allegedly offered her $40 for oral sex.

The woman turned out to be an undercover cop and busted the singer.

D'Angelo, whose real name is Michael Archer, was also found to be carrying $12,000 in the back of his car.

Soft as Chalk

Here's Joanna Newsom performing "Soft as Chalk" on Fallon:



I love this new Joanna Newsom album so much. I just love everything she does, and this new TRIPLE album is probably her best release yet. She's just so talented and her music is so beautiful... I really haven't listened to any new quiet, "pretty" music in a long time (via my boycott of all things acoustic and "folksy") so it's been especially nice to have a new Joanna Newsom album to mellow me out and make love to my ear drums ever-so-softly.




I've also been feeling a little depressed and nostalgic while listening to Have One On Me. Listening to Joanna Newsom always makes me think of an old girlfriend I used to have. She was my best friend and definitely the only girlfriend I've had who liked me as much as I liked her. She's probably the only (non-family) person I've ever hurt too. We used to talk all day/night about music, film, art... and she really loved Joanna Newsom.

I only think about her when something comes out that I know she'll love... I just want to talk to her about how cool it is. I used to love doing that with her. She had really great taste/insights I really respected. The last time I thought about her was when "Where The Wild Things Are" came out... I knew she'd love that.

I just wanna talk to her about how awesome this record is... I know she's probably really excited about it. Last I heard about her is that she's married (again) and drives a Benz...

Wish she'd just join Facebook so I could email her about cool music/movies like old times...

Coachella 2010

Need to find a way to make it down to Coachella this year. Not sure which lineup is the "real one" though... both look pretty chill.

Do you know which one is the actual lineup? Which one would you rather go to?




(via Hipster Runoff)

VH-1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop songs

VH-1 has ended their legendary silence and has finally given us their list of the 100 Greatest Hip-Hop songs.
Haha VH-1... a totally credible source on hip-hop. This list sucks.

100 Biz Markie - "Just A Friend"
99 Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft/ Ying Yang Twins - "Get Low"
98 Warren G ft. Nate Dogg - "Regulate"
97 Eve - "Who's that Girl"
96 DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - "Parents Just Don't Understand"
95 L'Trimm - "Cars With The Boom"
94 Master P ft. Sikk, Fiend, Mia-x and Mystical - "Make 'Em Say Ugh"
93 N.E.R.D. ft. Lee Harvey and Vida - "Lapdance"
92 Yo-Yo - "Can't Play with my Yo-Yo"
91 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone - "Ridin'"
90 Pete Rock & CL Smooth - "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)"
89 Cam'ron - "Oh Boy"
88 Jungle Brothers - "What U Waitin' 4"
87 Wyclef Jean ft. Refugee All Stars - "We Tryin' to Stay Alive"
86 Heavy D. and the Boyz - "Now That We Found Love"
85 Black Star - "Definition"
84 UTFO - "Roxanne Roxanne"
83 2 Live Crew - "Me So Horny"
82 Chubb Rock - "Treat 'Em Right"
81 PM Dawn - "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss"
80 Three 6 Mafia ft. Paula Campbell- "Hard Out Here For A Pimp"
79 DMX - "Ruff Ryders' Anthem (Stop Drop)"
78 Arrested Development - "Tennessee"
77 Cold Crush Brothers - "Cold Crush Bros. at the Dixie"
76 Big Punisher ft. Joe- "Still Not A Player"
75 Lil' Kim ft. Lil' Cease- "Crush on You"
74 EPMD - "You Gots To Chill"
73 Black Sheep - "The Choice Is Yours"
72 J.J. Fad - "Supersonic"
71 Whodini - "Freaks Come Out at Night"
70 3(rd) Bass - "Pop Goes the Weasel"
69 Common - "I Used to Love H.E.R."
68 T.I. - "What You Know"
67 Mase - "Feel So Good"
66 House Of Pain - "Jump Around"
65 Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three - "Love Rap"
64 The Roots - "What they Do"
63 Kid 'n Play - "Rollin' With Kid N Play"
62 Digable Planets - "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"
61 Slick Rick - "Children's Story"
60 L.L. Cool J - "I Need Love"
59 Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Shimmy Shimmy Ya"
58 Ludacris ft. Shawna- "What's Your Fantasy"
57 Big Daddy Kane - "I Get the Job Done"
56 Busta Rhymes - "Woo-Ha! Got You All In Check"
55 Terror Squad ft/ Fat Joe and Remy - "Lean Back"
54 MC Lyte - "Cha Cha Cha"
53 Lox ft. DMX and Lil' Kim - "Money, Power, Respect"
52 Foxy Brown ft. Jay-Z - "I'll Be"
51 Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew - "The Show"
50 Lil' Wayne - "Tha Block Is Hot"
49 Boogie Down Productions - "My Philosophy"
48 Nas - "One Love"
47 Young MC - "Bust A Move"
46 De La Soul - "Me, Myself, And I"
45 Geto Boys - "Mind Playing Tricks On Me"
44 Method Man ft/ Mary J. Blige - "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By"
43 Game, The ft. 50 Cent - "Hate It or Love It"
42 Roxanne Shante - "Roxanne's Revenge"
41 Funky 4 + 1 - "That's the Joint"
40 Run-DMC - "It's Like That"
39 Tone-Loc - "Wild Thing"
38 Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise"
37 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - "It Takes Two"
36 Nelly - "Hot In Herre"
35 Queen Latifah ft. Monie Love - "Ladies First"
34 Cypress Hill - "Insane In The Brain"
33 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "Tha Crossroads"
32 Puff Daddy & The Family ft/ Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim and The Lox - "It's All About The Benjamins"
31 Kool Moe Dee - "How Ya Like Me Now"
30 Tribe Called Quest - "Check the Rhime"
29 Digital Underground - "The Humpty Dance"
28 Ice Cube - "It Was A Good Day"
27 Beastie Boys - "Hold it Now, Hit it"
26 MC Hammer - "U Can't Touch This"
25 Fugees - "Killing Me Softly"
24 Eric B and Rakim - "Paid in Full"
23 Outkast - "B.O.B."
22 Naughty By Nature - "OPP"
21 Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force- "Planet Rock"
20 Kanye West ft/ Jamie Foxx - "Gold Digger"
19 Ice T - "Colors"
18 50 Cent - "In Da Club"
17 Sir Mix-A-Lot - "Baby Got Back"
16 Missy Elliott - "Get Ur Freak On"
15 Eminem - "Stan"
14 Tupac - "I Get Around"
13 Wu-Tang Clan - "C.R.E.A.M."
12 L.L. Cool J - "I Can't Live Without My Radio"
11 Jay-Z - "Hard Knock Life"
10 Kurtis Blow - "The Breaks"
09 Salt-N-Pepa - "Push It"
08 Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Gin and Juice"
07 Notorious B.I.G. - "Juicy"
06 N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton"
05 Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - "The Message"
04 Run-DMC ft/ Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"
03 Dr. Dre - "Nuthin But A 'G' Thang"
02 Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight"
01 Public Enemy - "Fight The Power"

We all know that Biggie's "Juicy" is the #1 hip-hop song of all time. Duh.

Voodoo: 10 Years On

On this day, 10 years ago, an album was released that has helped shape and define my life, for better or worse, than any other before or since: D'Angelo's Voodoo. This album was the tipping point in my life, not only in how I consumed or listened to music but also in my political and personal life as well. My life can easily be divided in pre-Voodoo and post-Voodoo. I believe that once you go Voodoo you can never go back. I'm actually jealous of Voodoo virgins who have yet to discover and love the album. I wish I could recapture those feelings I had while listening to the album for the first time 10 years ago. In essence, I've been chasing that feeling ever since.

The 17 year-old who picked up Voodoo 10 years ago was very different than the person I am today. I had always been schooled by my Dad's classic rock and Nirvana records, and I had been listening to a lot of hip-hop for a couple years, but my musical/personal growth was still pretty stunted. I didn't have an older brother or sister to show me cool records, and all my friends' older siblings listened to crap like Sublime and the Bloodhound Gang. I was heavily preoccupied with being macho and "manly". I remember even feeling uncomfortable listening to overly sensitive songs and songs sung by women, something which I'm terribly embarrassed by now. Maybe it was because of the whole Lillith-Fair thing, but I distinctly remember not buying records with female singers for a long time. Which is weird, because now I prefer listening to girl-bands and girl singers.




Anyways, Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was the breaking point; she had hip-hop cred because of The Fugees and me and my friends had all gotten her album when it came out in 1998. It was such a great record; still one of my top-10 favorites to this day. Half of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was "hip-hop music", but the other half were these incredible, soulful, sad, longing r&b songs sung in Lauryn's beautiful voice. I was surprised by how much I liked these songs. I wasn't embarrassed to listen to them... in fact, I preferred them over the other "rap" songs I was expecting on the album. One of these incredible soul songs was a duet Lauryn sang with somebody named D'Angelo, called "Nothing Even Matters". I was hooked.




The next time I saw or heard from D'Angelo was a year later; I caught his iconic, controversial video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" on MTV. Needless to say... my mind was blown. And has never recovered. YOU know which video I'm talking about...

D'Angelo - New Music - More Music Videos

I couldn't believe how much I dug this slow jam sung by a naked black dude. And believe me... this was a very different thing for me. It's not very "macho" to be sexily serenaded by a naked man. But I just couldn't stop listening to this song. I felt like I had discovered this whole new world, this whole new music that would take me places I had never been before. Based on this song alone, I went to the Tower Records on January 25th, 2000 and bought Voodoo (and D'Angelo's first album, Brown Sugar, which is a classic also). I remember even being ashamed and embarrassed that I was buying an album with a shirtless guy on the front... I was sure the cashier was going to make fun of me. I was really stupid back then, alright?

Anyways, needless to say, Voodoo was unlike anything I had ever heard and completely changed my life. This album spurred on my love for black music, for black culture, for black history, for black politics, for minority politics as a whole and eventually my lifelong affinity for liberal politics and beliefs today. This album opened me up to listening to different types of music and embracing different types of thought. I no longer was preoccupied with fitting in or trying to fulfill the role and stereotype that I believed I had to squeeze into. Because of Voodoo I discovered Prince, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, The Smiths, and other bands and artists who broke through genres and boundaries and pushed the envelope on both gender and musical lines.

Voodoo just feels so organic to me. It feels like a living, breathing thing. It is beyond funky and soulful; the rhythm teeters back and forth, the bass wobbles around the beat, the drums never exactly match up with the rest of the instruments (all things which were done on purpose). The record is just endlessly exciting and challenging. It is an almost-perfect record... except for "Left and Right".

"Left and Right" is probably the most frustrating track for me by any artist on any album. Not that it's even a bad song... it just doesn't fit on Voodoo AT ALL and actually detracts from the overall feeling and mood of the record. It really sticks out like a sore thumb. I have to skip the song EVERY TIME I listen to the record (which is often), making it frustratingly incomplete as a true "masterpiece". The thing is, Voodoo is a true "timeless" record. You could play this to people now and they probably wouldn't be able to tell you what decade it came out; I could imagine guesses ranging anywhere from the 60's to today. Voodoo could be the lost Prince record, the lost Marvin Gaye or Al Green album. Except for "Left and Right" TOTALLY dates the album to the turn of the millennium. "Left and Right" is the only song on Voodoo featuring rappers (Method Man and Redman), who rap pretty horribly and misogynistically throughout the song. "Left and Right" was the first single released, and I believe that D'Angelo's record label pressured him into using two big-name rappers to build up some buzz on urban radio for the album. It is so jarring to listen to Voodoo, totally vibing out, and then hear Method Man and Redman trade verses about their ballsacks or whatever. It's just such a shame that this song is on the album. However, this problem was recently fixed by me when I tracked down the "Left and Right" single a couple of years ago. The single features a superior B-side version of "Left and Right" without the rappers, and it is now the version I listen to while blasting Voodoo (on the regular).




A lot has changed for D'Angelo since Voodoo came out. He got fat, got addicted to crack, got arrested, spent time in jail, and has been supposedly "working" in the studio during the last 10 years making his follow-up to Voodoo. Those who have been "working" on these sessions claim that the music is next-level genius stuff that will blow all of our minds when it's released. We'll see...

Voodoo has not been forgotten or sullied with time though. This album is legitimately gaining traction as a classic "masterpiece" of neo-soul, of r&b, or of just plain soul music. It truly stands up to any Prince, Marvin, Al or Sam Cooke record, a true classic of it's genre. It has a Wikipedia page that is a mile long and incredible detailed. It ranked # 488 on Rolling Stone's "Greatest Albums of All-Time" list. It ranked #23 on Rolling Stone's "Greatest Albums of the 2000's" list. It ranked #44 on Pitchfork's "Top 200 Albums of the Decade" list. That doucher John Mayer wrote a great essay about Voodoo for Esquire. Heck, even Questlove said TODAY on Twitter that Voodoo is the greatest thing he's ever worked on (check the exclusive D'Angelo material he recently posted here).

Anyways, these were some of my random thoughts on Voodoo. Can't believe it's been 10 years since this album came out. I wonder how different I'd be if I had never heard it... I wonder if I would keep chasing that music high and care so much about the arts and taste and personal brands and liberal politics and culture-snobbery if I didn't have my mind blown by this funky, dirty, funky, funky album as a teenager... So maybe, in the end, Voodoo was the gift and the curse. Ya digggg?

Please come back, D. We need you. Get well. One love.

I only listen to foreign little-kid music now, you guys.

So tired of "indie" music y'all. Found that real street ish...

Here's Mini Daddy. The best in the business.



And here's Miguelito... the baby pimp. Dude is soooo bad... Boom Boom. Love the dancing seals too.

Heard Miguelito and Mini Daddy had beef... hopefully they don't get them thangs out before they reach puberty.



And here's the original international pimp, Zanger Bob. This dude has been ballin' with chicks on boats WAY before Diddy or Jigga... peep dis.

5,847

Favorite song ever from my favorite band. Wish I could of seen them live... sigh.






I just found this incredible, UK-only import , 12-CD box set of Smiths singles. I've seen it online for like over a hundred bucks but I got it for $40 at a record store in Las Vegas! Needless to say I was incredibly excited over this rare find. As a Smiths completist (I have tons of bootlegs and live albums) I had to have it.

The coolest thing is that they only made 10,000 of these box sets, making them extremely rare. I got # 5,847. See?



Haters to the left.

New M.I.A. video!

SO EXCITED FOR HER NEW ALBUM! Here's a new teaser track, "Space Odyssey".

Animal Collective "Brother Sport"

This video may or may not blow your mind and make you question whether reality is "real" or is a socially constructed phenomenon that serves as an opiate to the masses. It may or may not be the "blue pill", the tipping point to your personal descent into madness. It may or may not be as trippy as The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
May or may not.

Anthem of 2K9/2K10

I know I've been absent from the blogosphere lately. Sorry about that y'all. If you want to know what's been going on with me lately, watch this video. This song encapsulates/completes me. Your baby boy Bangs just wants to take u to the movies. That's all I want in life as well.

My best albums of 2009

I didn't really get to follow a lot music this year. I was pretty broke all year and it's hard to follow music when you ain't got no paper. But I've been slowly but surely going back and getting a bunch of new albums that I couldn't afford earlier this year. I also wasn't really inspired by much music this year. I just found a lot of it boring and tired. I'm so sick of bearded acoustic flannel-folk. I'm waiting for something exciting/dangerous to come out and rock my socks off. There really wasn't anything life-altering or incredibly exciting this year. It was just mostly... aight.
Maybe 2k10 will be a "comeback year". Looking forward to new releases by Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and (hopefully) D'Angelo and Kanye West. N E Wayz... peep my list. And haters to the left.




-

1) Annie "Don't Stop"
2) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart "The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart"
3) XX "XX"
4) Raekwon "Only Built For Cuban Linx... Part II"
5) Animal Collective "Merriweather Post Pavillion"
6) Morrissey "Years of Refusal"
7) Dead Weather "Horehound"
8) Kid Cudi "Man on the Moon: The End of Day"
9) Japandroids "Post-Nothing"
10) Yeah Yeah Yeahs "It's Blitz!"
11) Girls "Album"
12) Atlas Sound "Logos"
13) Antony and the Johnsons "The Crying Light"
14) Jay-Z "Blueprint 3"
15) The Field "Yesterday and Today"
16) Kid Sister "Ultraviolet"
17) Sonic Youth "The Eternal"
18) PJ Harvey and John Parish "A Woman A Man Walked By"
19) Fever Ray "Fever Ray"
20) Ghostface Killah "Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City"

-

I was disappointed in a lot of albums this year... especially the new Clipse and Jay-Z albums. But the most disappointing album this year was the new Bob Dylan album called "Together Through Life". It's not awful or anything... it's just boring and tired and a little uninspiring.
As an avid Dylan fan, I've been amazed at how great he has been the last 12 years. Seriously, Dylan's last three albums, "Time Out of Mind", "Love and Theft" and "Modern Times" are seriously amazing and historic. There has never been quite an artistic and relevant comeback in rock & roll history. Seriously, Dylan was pretty mediocre for 20 years before his artistic renaissance in 1997 with the beautiful "Time Out of Mind". Nobody else has ever done that... legends like McCartney, Prince and Robert Plant release albums every year but they will never approach their earlier work. Dylan's last 3 records rival anything he's ever done in the 60's and 70's. And it was a shame (although inevitable) that this artistic renaissance had to come to a halt eventually... and it happened with "Together Through Life". I'm not saying he won't recapture the magic on his next album, but it's kinda hard to find it after you lose it. And he lost it on "Together Through Life". Again, it's not awful. It's actually pretty good. But it's not great. It's definitely a step back after his previous three classics. And that's disappointing to me.

My best of the 2000's list

As an avid connoisseur of pop culture, I couldn't let the opportunity go by to give you my "Best of the 2000's" list in music, movies and TV. I'll give my top two choices for each category. I might follow this list up with a more detailed list of my favorite things of the decade. Maybe.
If I lie, I die.




MUSIC:


Best Album: 1) Radiohead "Kid A" 2) D'Angelo "Voodoo"

Best Hip-Hop Album: 1) Jay-Z "The Blueprint" 2) Outkast "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below"

Best Electronic Album: 1) Daft Punk "Discovery" 2) The Avalanches "Since I Left You"

Best Debut Album: 1) Arcade Fire "Funeral" 2) The Strokes "Is This It"

Artist of the Decade: 1) Kanye West 2) M.I.A.

Band of the Decade: 1) Radiohead 2) Arcade Fire

Song of the Decade: 1) M.I.A. "Paper Planes" 2) Annie "Heartbeat"

Best Mixtape: 1) M.I.A. and Diplo "Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol.1" 2) Lil Wayne and DJ Drama "Dedication 2"

Most Disappointing Album: 1) The Strokes "First Impressions of Earth" 2) Lauryn Hill "MTV Unplugged"

Best Reunion: 1) The Pixies 2) My Bloody Valentine





MOVIES:


Best Film: 1) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2) Brokeback Mountain

Best Comedy: 1) The 40 Year-Old Virgin 2) Superbad

Best Animated Film: 1) Wall-E 2) Finding Nemo

Best Foreign Film: 1) City Of God 2) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Best Documentary: 1) Bowling For Columbine 2) The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Best Action/Adventure Film: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Best Performance: 1) Heath Ledger "Brokeback Mountain" 2) Daniel Day-Lewis "There Will Be Blood"

Most Disappointing Movie: 1) Margot at the Wedding 2) Marie Antoinette





TELEVISION:


Best TV show: 1) The Wire 2) Mad Men

Best Comedy Show: 1) Curb Your Enthusiasm 2) 30 Rock

Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums of the 2000's

100 Leonard Cohen - 10 New Songs
99 The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
98 TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
97 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
96 The Streets - Original Pirate Material
95 Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor
94 The Libertines - Up The Brackett
93 Johnny Cash - Unearthed
92 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
91 The Hives - Veni Vidi Vicious
90 Amadou & Miriam - Dimanche A Bamako
89 Radiohead - Hail To The Thief
88 Brian Wilson - Smile
87 Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
86 The Postal Service - Give Up
85 Coldplay - Viva La Vida
84 Eminem - The Eminem Show
83 The Black Keys - Attack & Release
82 Queens Of The Stone Age - Rated R
81 Ryan Adams - Gold
80 Kings Of Leon - Youth And Young Manhood
79 The New Pornographers - Electric Version
78 Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
77 Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
76 Sigur Rós - ( )
75 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
74 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
73 Coldplay - Parachutes
72 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
71 Bright Eyes - Lifted Of The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground
70 Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
69 Missy Elliott - Under Construction
68 U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
67 Björk - Vespertine
66 Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
65 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza
64 Gillian Welch - Time The Revelator
63 Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak
62 Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary May
61 The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
60 Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
59 Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
58 Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
57 Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
56 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
55 Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
54 Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
53 Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
52 M.I.A. - Arular
51 Spoon - Kill The Moonlight
50 Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
49 Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
48 TV On The Radio - Dear Science
47 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
46 Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
45 Kanye West - Graduation
44 System Of A Down - Toxicity
43 The Killers - Hot Fuss
42 Elliott Smith - Figure 8
41 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
40 Kanye West - Late Registration
39 Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
38 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
37 50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
36 U2 - No Line On The Horizon
35 PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
34 OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
33 Daft Punk - Discovery
32 Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
31 My Morning Jacket - Z
30 Radiohead - In Rainbows
29 Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
28 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
27 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
26 Cat Power - The Greatest
25 Radiohead - Amnesiac
24 Bruce Springsteen - Magic
23 D'Angelo - Voodoo
22 Green Day - American Idiot
21 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
20 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
19 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
18 MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
17 Beck - Sea Change
16 OutKast - Stankonia
15 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
14 Jay-Z - The Black Album
13 U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
12 LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
11 Bob Dylan - Love And Theft
10 Kanye West - The College Dropout
09 M.I.A. - Kala
08 Bob Dylan - Modern Times
07 Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
06 Arcade Fire - Funeral
05 The White Stripes - Elephant
04 Jay-Z - The Blueprint
03 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
02 The Strokes - Is This It
01 Radiohead - Kid A

I own 78 of these.

EW's Best Albums of the Decade

10 Cat Power - You Are Free (2003)
09 Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
08 Beyoncé - I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008)
07 The Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
06 The Dixie Chicks - Home (2002)
05 Bob Dylan - Love And Theft (2001)
04 OutKast - Stankonia (2000)
03 Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
02 Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
01 Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004)

Own 8 of these... can't believe they put that Beyonce and Dixie Chicks on here.

Paste's Top Albums 50 of the 2000's

50 Björk - Vespertine (Elektra, 2001)
49 Libertines - Up The Bracket (Rough Trade, 2002)
48 Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (Interscope, 2004)
47 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino, 2006)
46 Once - Music From The Motion Picture (Columbia, 2007)
45 Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released, 2007)
44 The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music (Lost Highway, 2003)
43 Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian, 2007)
42 Jay-Z - The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001)
41 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol, 2007)
40 TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope, 2006)
39 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge, 2007)
38 Gentleman Jesse - Introducing Gentleman Jesse (Douchemaster, 2008)
37 Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop, 2004)
36 Pedro The Lion - Control (Jade Tree, 2002)
35 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino, 2009)
34 Various artists - O Brother Where Art Thou? (Mercury, 2001)
33 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Capitol, 2002)
32 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Bros., 2002)
31 Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism (Barsuk, 2003)
30 Damien Rice - O (Vector, 2003)
29 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar, 2008)
28 Paul Westerberg - Folker (Vagrant, 2004)
27 Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day (New West, 2003)
26 Over the Rhine - Ohio (2004)
25 Sigur Rós - Med ud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL, 2008)
24 The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, 2003)
23 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (Bloodshot, 2000)
22 The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (Capitol, 2006)
21 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL, 2008)
20 The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet, 2007)
19 Beck - Sea Change (Interscope, 2002)
18 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (Universal Republic, 2007)
17 Kanye West - The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella, 2004)
16 Rufus Wainwright - Want One (Dreamworks, 2003)
15 Patty Griffin - 1000 Kisses (ATO, 2002)
14 The Strokes - Is This It (RCA, 2001)
13 Josh Ritter - The Animal Years (V2, 2006)
12 Spoon - Kill the Moonlight (Merge, 2002)
11 The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant, 2006)
10 M.I.A. - Arular (Interscope, 2005)
09 The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You (Columbia/American, 2009)
08 OutKast - Stankonia (Arista/LaFace, 2000)
07 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) (Acony, 2001)
06 The White Stripes - Elephant (V2, 2003)
05 Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Saddle Creek, 2005)
04 Radiohead - Kid A (Capitol, 2000)
03 Arcade Fire - Funeral (Merge, 2004)
02 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch, 2002)
01 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)

I own 38 of these. Pretty surprised that Sufjan is #1.

Uncut's Top 20 of the 2000's

20 Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
19 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
18 Kate Bush - Aerial
17 The White Stripes - Elephant
16 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
15 Radiohead - In Rainbows
14 Primal Scream - XTRMNTR
13 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)
12 Portishead - Third
11 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
10 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
09 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
08 Bob Dylan - Modern Times
07 Arcade Fire - Funeral
06 Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
05 The Strokes - Is This It
04 Brian Wilson - Smile
03 Wilco - A Ghost is Born
02 Bob Dylan - 'Love and Theft'
01 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells

I own 13 of these...

Pitchfork's Top 20 Albums of 2000's

If there is anything more exciting to me than "year-end" lists, it's "decade-end" lists. I'm probably 10-times more excited about "best of the decade" lists than "best of the year" lists. That's mathematics.

Here's Pitchfork's top 20 albums of the decade:




20 Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights [Matador, 2002]
19 Spoon - Kill The Moonlight [Merge, 2002]
18 Kanye West - Late Registration [Roc-A-Fella, 2002]
17 LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver [EMI/DFA, 2007]
16 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois [Asthmatic Kitty, 2005]
15 The Knife - Silent Shout [Mute/Rabid, 2006]
14 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion [Domino, 2009]
13 OutKast - Stankonia [La Face, 2000]
12 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells [Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2001]
11 Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele [Sony, 2000]
10 The Avalanches - Since I Left You [Modular/Interscope, 2000]
09 Panda Bear - Person Pitch [Paw Tracks, 2007]
08 Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun [Smekkleysa; 2000]
07 The Strokes - Is This It [RCA, 2001]
06 Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica [Epic, 2000]
05 Jay-Z - The Blueprint [Roc-A-Fella, 2001]
04 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [Nonesuch, 2002]
03 Daft Punk - Discovery [Virgin, 2001]
02 Arcade Fire - Funeral [Merge, 2004]
01 Radiohead - Kid A [Capitol, 2000]

I own all of these. A+ job by me there.

Here is a longer list of their top 200 albums of the decade. I own 144 of these. This makes me feel better about myself.

Q's Top 50 Albums of 2009

50 Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
49 Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
48 Ian Brown - My Way
47 Madness - The Liberty Of Norton Folgate
46 Golden Silvers - True Romance
45 Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band - Outer South
44 The View - Which Bitch?
43 Tinariwen - Imidiwen Companions
42 Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx
41 Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
40 Cheryl Cole - 3 Words
39 The Horrors - Primary Colours
38. Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
37 Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
36 Sonic Youth - The Eternal
35 Pearl Jam - Backspacer
34 White Lies - To Lose My Life
33 Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
32 Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
31 Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
30 La Roux - La Roux
29 Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
28 Bruce Springsteen - Walking On A Dream
27 The Dead Weather - Horehound
26 Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
25 Noah And The Whale - The First Days Of Spring
24 Mos Def - The Ecstatic
23 The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
22 The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
21 Jamie T - Kings & Queens
20 Fever Ray - Fever Ray
19 Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk
18 Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
17 Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
16 Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
15 Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N' Cheek
14 Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
13 Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
12 Jack Penate - Everything Is New
11 Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
10 Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
09 U2 - No Line On The Horizon
08 Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
07 Muse - The Resistance
06 Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
05 Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
04 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
03 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
02 Florence And The Machine - Lungs
01 Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

I only own 9 of these... not really into the whole Brit-hype scene.