Snackin' On The Decade: Top Albums 5-1

Finally, we've reached the end of the road. To the literally dozens of you that have read my previous nine post of rants, I say thanks. Especially to those who made comments on the blog, Twitter or Facebook. It means a lot that you took the time and hopefully you found yourself at least mildly entertained.

On a personal note, this was much more rewarding than I ever thought it would be. I really started it as a chance for me to document my favorite albums, but it became a chance for me to reflect on my life. I wouldn't call it therapeutic, but it isn't too far from that. And I would encourage any of you to write about the things you are passionate about, even if it's just for yourself. I've gotten more out of it than I could have possibly imagined.

Thanks again. I wish you all a Happy New Year, Happy New Decade, peace, love, and happiness to all your friends and family. If you are jumping into the list here and want to enjoy from the beginning, the countdown starts here. Without further ado, here are the top 5 albums of the past decade:

5. Elephant - The White Stripes

This album marks the largest shift in my life this decade since it came out soon after I made the very large decision to move back to Dallas from Chicago. From the moment I made it, I knew it was the right thing. My girlfriend (now wife) was clearly the love of my life, and spending weeks apart was getting old. But that first summer after moving down was tough. I really didn't have any friends of my own in Dallas, so I was counting on Me'Cheal to not only be my lover, but my main source of entertainment. This is a tall order to fill since I was used to going out to different bars in a city like Chicago a couple of nights a week and seeing amazing concerts every week or two. So as those first few months in Dallas wore on, I got depressed, missing my life and friends back on the lake. Luckily time stands still between best friends and when you see them again, you just pick up from the moment you left off.

To me, this album sums up the energy of the magic that happens when all of those guys get together to this day. As the saying goes, "Separate, we are smart, collective, we are idiot." And we used Elephant as a soundtrack to two of the best weekends I ever had with my friends. One was in Vegas, where "Seven Nation Army" played every hour in the Hard Rock casino and Mark's wedding in South Carolina where we blew out the speakers of the rented minivan cranking this one to 11. We all have different tastes in music, but we have a sweet spot for the rock, and to say this album rocks is like saying Led Zeppelin's "When The Levey Breaks" drums are kinda kick ass. Jack and Meg put together the finest blues based rock album since Appetite For Destruction, and somehow did it with just guitars and kid-like drums. How the hell does this album sound so fucking huge?

The highlight for me is how "Black Math"'s crushing guitar riffs cut off at the end of the song with a slight moment of silence before a multi-track chorus of Jacks SCREAM with disgust at the nameless woman in "There's No Home For You Here Girl Go Away". I once heard that back centuries ago, theologians would get together and argue God's existence. The first person would make their case as emphatically as they could, and then the next person would do their best to build and so on. The ultimate goal was to get to a point where they were so filled with spirit that only silence could capture the mystery of such a divine deity. That's what's in that pause between these two songs. A moment of existential grace before ramping back up for more earthly punishment.

This grace is also seen when you are with your best friends and loved ones when there is silence. There's a beautiful bond that goes beyond anything I could ever even attempt to explain. Luckily Jack White can be my profit to explain it in his own unique way.

Elephant - The White Stripes

4. Gold - Ryan Adams

This is Ryan's 3rd album on my countdown - the only person to do so. Well, he did have a better chance than most artists of making the list that many times by just producing so much music. Hell, in one year he put out 3 releases, and one was a double album. So Ryan will go down as my favorite artist of the decade, although he did kind of limp to the finish line with weaker and more infrequent releases in the last couple of years. But a wins a win, and he most rightfully deserves his title by being the man who wrote the soundtrack to my life for 10 years.

For most people, Gold isn't Ryan's best album. They immediately go to the more introspective Heartbreaker. Great choice by them (as can be seen by my #19 placement of it). But for me, this is the album I put on and really enjoy from beginning to end with more frequency. I think there are two main factors.

First is because the album isn't so introspective. It sounds much more like a book of short stories dripping in Americana allusions. Sure, it has it's personal moments like "Sylvia Plath" where Ryan plays solo piano and weeps to fall in love with trouble. I've always loved that song because it's a classic young folly to crave the girl with issues. I know my greatest heartbreaks in my younger years were with girls I wanted to help and comfort. That hero complex is death, but it sure sounds sexy when put to a few simple chords. For the most part, though, the album is scene after scene with other people and sometimes even places (like "New York, New York" and "Goodnight, Hollywood Boulevard") starring in the lead role. All these stories make this as re-listenable as your favorite movie on TNT each Saturday afternoon. I've gained a comfort with it that always brings a smile to my face.

Secondly, Ryan proved early on that he was just as much a fan of music as he is an artist using it to express himself. This manifested itself in one of my favorite memories where in the middle of a concert, Ryan went off stage and grabbed a portable record player. He puts on a Replacements album, put a mic to the little speaker, and just lets it play for a song. Sure, he was probably high out of his mind, and some people did boo because that's the last thing they paid their hard earned money to see. But it made me think - he's just like me. He will sit there and analyze each song not just for its musical integrity, but for the existential meaning behind it's existence. He knows an album ceases to be the artist's the second it hits the listeners ears. This thinking is a disease and a gift. For him, he's able to take that critical ear and prolifically turn it into his own art. But instead of blazing strange new trails, he's able to take all those influences and re-create the warm feeling of his favorite albums. I think he did that best on Gold.

Gold - Ryan Adams

3. Kid A - Radiohead

So many of my main online music resources have this album at number one for the decade. I think from a global historical sense, it's the right choice. No album was more anticipated when it came out, and no album was more influential in creating the open canvas indie musicians would use to create the great music of the next 10 years than this one. But like other such influential albums, it could never be topped. In all honesty, I think the album drags at the end. That's why it could never top my list. But the first four songs are the best Side A in musical history.

First, you hear the warm blips of chords, then the distorted, chopped and screwed voice comes in. And quickly you are transported to the most desolate place on earth. You are in a flat field staring at the white mountains on the cover of this album. "Everything In It's Right Place" grounds the paranoia throughout this album in less than a bar. It's absolutely unbelievable the mood created in the first song. "Kid A" comes in after to even further isolate you from the world with soaring noise and now a completely distorted voice. Where the hell are we? Is it hell?

That question is answered in song 3. "The National Anthem", after two songs with ambient hearts hits like two towers falling in the heart of a great american city. Welcome to the USA at the dawn of a new Millennium. "Anthem" in retrospect feels like a declaration about the direction we are headed. A warning bell about a fall of a once great nation. Finally, "How To Disappear Completely" takes all this build up, adds an acoustic guitar to symbolize humanity, and puts you as the first person in what its like to live in this new world order. It's confusing, dark, isolated, and infinitely sad.

I can remember the first time I heard this song. I was sitting in my cube at Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire, Illinois. The cube I was in had a tan desk, tan walls (which you were encouraged to keep blank), tan computer with tan monitor sides. I'd walk out of it on tan carpet while static white noise, much like the sound at the end of "Kid A" was pumped down on me from speakers throughout the building. It was a sterile environment for uninspiring work. A place where depression takes hold, and doesn't let go. Lyrics like, "That there. That's not me," took an especially significant weight in that moment. The song went from CD to laser to computer to headphones to my soul. Luckily I did something about it and got the hell out of there by the end of that year. This album will always takes me back to that place, as well as help me reflect on every bad thing that happened to this nation the the years since. I can't listen to it all the time, but I'm glad its there for perspective.

Kid A - Radiohead

2. Funeral - Arcade Fire

Again, this album tops a lot of critics lists of the decade. And really, the difference between 1 and 2 for me are so small, that they could easily be switched at any given moment. Where Radiohead's Kid A is like a documentary in the way it congers up images to set mood, Funeral is more like a fantasy. This whimsical style works so well as the foundation of the children's stories told throughout the album. And like a good fairy tale, there's joy and sadness, adventure and introspection. And what an epic story Winn Butler and the massive Arcade Fire team tell.

I don't use the word epic lightly here. More than any other album of my lifetime, this album is gigantic. First, they take the best stadium-sized anthemic calls from U2 and paster them throughout. They beg for you to scream them out. Then, they use their own size as a bad (around 10 people) to build a sound that you can ride like a wave.

In this decade I saw Arcade Fire two times live. The first was on the hottest day in history at Austin City Limits. They had the punishing 5 o'clock spot on the North stage that take a beating from the sun that time of day. Temperatures were well above 105, and they came out in their full 1920s Sunday best garb, played with clear reckless abandon for an hour. I honestly thought the multi-insrumentalist that plays the old-time side-hip marching band snare drum passed out and died during "Power Out!". It was a scary good performance. So good, Chris Martin of Coldplay actually worked a lyric into one of his songs the next night about how it was the most amazing show he ever saw. (I think you can hear how much that show meant to him on Viva La Vida! to varying effect). At the end of the Arcade Fire show that day, the band is blowing through a version of "Rebellion (Lies)" that could incite a riot. On the last note, Winn yells out, "YOU'VE BEEN LIED TO" and throws the mic to the ground. And at that moment, Arcade Fire emphatically became my favorite band.

Anyway, the next time was two years later as the headliner of Austin City Limits Saturday night. Going in, I promised I was going to give to them just as much as they gave to me that first show. So from the moment they went on stage, I went absolutely bonkers. Honestly, I can't even describe the tantric joy I experienced for the next hour and fifteen minutes. I can remember jumping up and down, singing from the bottom of my stomach, and letting the moment wash over me. Towards the end, I heard from behind me in the massive crowed my good friends Michael and Rachel yelling at me while standing in blocked-off sound booth space. They said they noticed this crazy person jumping up and down through the first part of the show from a distance. What they finally put together was that that person was me. We got to stand there together and share a moment while Arcade Fire led us all in the massive sing-along "Wake Up". The best moment I've ever had at a concert? Quite possibly. Much like that song, now that I'm older, my heart has grown colder. It's the paradox of adulthood where you see and feel the accumulation of life's adventure - good and bad. That bad can so often wear you down. So moments like that show on the lawn at Zilker park are that much more appreciated.

Funeral - Arcade Fire

1. I'm Wide Awake It's Morning - Bright Eyes
Ah, number 1. If you are close to me, you probably already knew this would top the list. I've loved it since the minute it came out. But for others, you may be saying "What?" or even "Who?" But more than any other album in this list, it benefits from coming into my life at the right place and time.

So it's early 2005. I've been in love for three years, living in Dallas for two, married for a few months, and finally working at a job and with people that I love and admire. Life is more than good - it's great. But I'm still kind of finding my sea legs in this new reality, and missing my best friends in Chicago. To me, the moment I left Chicago, time stood still. Even though in reality my friends kept growing and evolving, in my mind they were all out together a couple of times a week having the time of their young lives. I was longing for a reality that no longer existed. I knew I no longer wanted that life, but it didn't stop me from missing it. A lot.

Then this album comes out. I already had Bright Eyes' Lifted..., and loved it (number 33 on my list). But that album is big in scope. Wide Awake, in contrast, is laser focused. These stories are all about that moment when you wake up on the mattress on your one-bedroom apartment with booze seeping out of your pours and realize this must come to an end. But just because you recognize it's time for a change, doesn't mean you know what to do next. This album is ten tracks full of all the feelings you go through from that moment of clarity until your life begins anew.

Lua is the perfect example of this. Back when I was single in Chicago, I remember a specific night where I went out with a bunch of friends, including this beautiful, older (probably 28 at the time) woman who was a good two inches taller than me and way out of my league. Well, somehow she got tipsy enough at Rainbow Room to invite me back to her place that night. We talked like drunks do about music and romance. And finally after a few hours of what seemed like philosophical discussion, we headed back to her room. In there, we made out a little until John Mayer "Your Body Is A Wonderland" came on. She began to tell me about how this was the most perfect song ever written and began to sign it softly in my ear. And at that point, I put it all together that this girl was certifiably nuts. We just kind of kissed a little more before she passed out, and I laid there with my arm trapped under her pillow trying to figure out how the hell to get out of there. Finally at the crack of dawn on a typically damp grey Chicago morning, I softly maneuvered out of her bed, grabbed my coat in the hallway, and precoded to walk home from Wrigleyville two miles to my place at North and Halstead. On that walk, I had no music to listen to. This as before the omnipresent iPod. But as soon as I heard Lua years later, it became the soundtrack to that moment. On that walk home, I knew I couldn't continue this life. It was leading me nowhere. But I was still a year from figuring out how to get my life on track to put me in a place where I could have someone as wonderful as my wife come into it and have the confidence in myself necessary to make love really work.

Back to 2005, this album became the bookmark to the life I had given up. A way for me to remember why I allowed myself to overcome the self-doubt of youth to become a man. So when I did miss my old friends and old life, I could put this on and let those old sad feelings rush over me, but still allow me to escape to the beautiful here and now by just pressing pause.

Finally, the one song that pushes this album to the top of my list is "The First Day Of My Life". This little lullaby originally was a song that conjured up memories of Me'Cheal and I walking in the snow in Chicago when we were first dating. But that all changed early in the morning January 23, 2007 when Caleb Michael Kerski was born. That was the first day of both our lives. And even though life doesn't seem to be as hyper-emotional as it did a decade ago (with less "Wonderland"-type stories coloring it in), it has only gotten better with this little guy in my life. Some day I hope Caleb will get to pick out a song that will forever tie to the moment his child is born. Hope really is the emotion that drives me each day to be better at all things. And no album this decade has transformed from the sadness of the past to the hope of the future for me like this one has.

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning -...

Snackin' On The Decade: Top Albums 10-6

Finally...the top ten. At this point I'd put these albums up against any album of any generation. There's no doubt I'll be blasting them all until the day I die. If you are jumping into the list here and want to enjoy from the beginning, the countdown starts here.

10. Plans - Death Cab For Cutie

Two Ben Gibbard albums in a row. That sincerely wasn't planed. It just happened that way. Much like this albums' ascent into the top 10 of the decade for me. When I was initially putting this list together back in August, this was the album that surprised me the most. I knew I really enjoyed it, but I didn't know just how much I learned to love it. Then, I went out an bought it on vinyl, put the needle on the record, and realized this is one for the ages.

It is an eternally optimistic record about growing old. Sure, the songs seem sad. "Summer Skin" looks back at the seasons past with nostalgia, but not regret. And "What Sara Said" is a vivid tale of dying in a hospital room, but ultimately has the line 'love is watching someone die', that tells you having love, even in the worst of circumstances is better than being alone. But my favorite song, and may be my favorite love song of the decade is "I Will Follow You Into The Dark". Again, on the surface it is a sad song about dying. But really, it is a wonderful call to understand love's undying power. In our world of superficial pleasure and 800 number divorce attorneys, very few talk about the bonds two souls have to travel past the now and into eternity together. And it's bold to say that is your intentions. Hell, that's even a stronger statement than the 'death do us part' vows I took on my wedding day. It's the vows in this song that I wake up each day trying to live up to.

Plans - Death Cab for Cutie

9. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco

More than any album I own, this one hits me from the moment I pull it out of the record crate and stare at those two Chicago condo high rises on the cover. That's because for two years, every single work day I walked by those buildings and stared up. I especially love that they used the kaki color background for the photo because most days, the sky wasn't blue. It was that dull gray color that fills the sky without one crack showing the beautiful sun hiding behind the wall of cloud. For 4 months of the year, that walked sucked. But I loved it because it meant I got to work to live in my favorite city in the world.

The music itself grew on me throughout the decade. For years after its 2001 release, I only liked every other song. The more accessible songs like "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Pot Kettle Black" were the songs I gravitated to. The others were clearly good songs, but I got sick of the excess noise. Wow was I wrong. If we've learned anything in the past decade, it's our lives are only going to grow more noisy with plenty of dissonance and distraction. Read the tea leaves in this masterpiece back when it came out, and you'd be looking into the future.

On top of that, Wilco in the past couple of years have settled into the best American rock band of our generation. Jeff Tweedy continues to impress both on albums and live. Their shows are fantastic with virtuoso performances across the board from each band. And all these songs continue to be perfected live today, breathing new life in them. After each show, I always come back to this record and discover something new I didn't hear before. Could this be what The White Album was for my dad? Quite possibly.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco

8. The Blueprint - Jay-Z

Ah Jay. You saved hip hop for me. Back at the turn of the century, I was sick of the genre. Biggie and Tupac were gone, Dre started his decade long sabbatical, and the stuff on the radio was piss poor. The teeth had been taken out after the disastrous East Coast vs West Coast battle ended in blood. There was a vacuum, and only one man had the balls to step in and run this shit. So he literally wrote the blueprint forward.

First, he revived the dis track. "Takeover" just may be my favorite rap song ever. It destroys Nas much like a drill sergeant breaks down a young cadet so that he may be built back up. It is relentless with line after line landing squarly on the jaw while truly inspired Doors beat by Kanye (showing his promise) sets the tone. It leans into you. But my absolute favorite line is at the end where he spits, "...and all you other cats throwin' shots at Jigga, you only get half a bar - Fuck y'all ni**as." I love it because it ends showing a glimmer of respect for Nas. He at least is/was good enough for Jay to destroy for 5 min. The rest of the rappers out there? They only deserve two beats of time from the God MC. Now THATS how you do it.

From that point, the party's on for the next handful of tracks, again with Kanye providing the beats and Jay making you head nod while wishing you were sippin Cris with him. Then, rising above all the tracks is "U Don't Know". Jay still uses it today in his arena show because it sounds so good live. It's a big ass brag song, that outlines his takeover of the world. A profit showing you how it's done. The final section of the album is completely unexpected, as it's the best song cycle of personal reflection Jay has ever created. He may be J-Hova, but here he lets us know he is just a man. A man with the God given gift to take street poetry and turn it into an empire.

The Blueprint - Jay-Z

7. Boys And Girls Of America - The Hold Steady

If you don't already own and love this album, my advice is to send your significant other out for the night with some friends, go pick up a six pack of your favorite cheap beer, download this record, turn it up to 11, and play air guitar for the next 45 minutes. It's a fabulous straight-forward rock record that would have been huge 30 years ago. What's funny is a magazine like Rolling Stone spends the decade calling each Springsteen new release phenomenal while the band actually re-architecting that big barroom sound was all but ignored by them, radio, and fans.

The Jack Kerouac-inspired title tells you everything you need to know about what you are about to experience. Craig Finn and the boys are about to take you on a literary journey through your high school experience. It's gonna be a funny, messy, boring, adventurous, epic and tragic swirl of delights that only sounds better with a buzz. It's the kind of place where you and your friends watch from afar as the girl from down the street is 'gonna walk around and drink some more', and "Massive Nights" happen every weekend. The best story, though, on the album is "Chillout Tent". Every single music nerd dreams of meeting a girl at a show. This song takes it to a whole other level by placing the star-crossed lovers in the recovery area after both OD. Plus, they never see each other again past that perfect moment of adolescent lust. These are the kind of stories my friends and I tell each other at poker games now we are married with children. We don't miss being that stupid, but we sure as hell aren't going to let go of those memories.

Boys And Girls In America - Th...

6. Sound Of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
The other 49 albums on this list are obviously amazing. But of all of them, this is the one I wish I could have created. If a genie appeared to grant me a wish, the musical life and talents of James Murphy would be high on the list. Just listen to the Berlin parties he clearly frequents in "North American Scum". More than any album, it blends everything I love about music together. First, the beats are amazing. Combining disco, rock, emo, glam, house, Murphy wears his influences on his sleeve. What's great is so many of them were so underground when they were around (like Neu!) that in one swoop of a song, you're given both an education and a something completely fresh and new at the same time.

All nine songs are great, and sequenced in perfect order. That says a lot because there are so many styles. From the pure house track "Get Innocuous!" that kicks off the fun house, to the David Bowie-esqe "All Of My Friends", to the 70s electro-punk jam "Watch The Tapes", it's amazing just how much the album does settle into a cohesive groove. Throughout, there's a late '00s snarky side to the record that makes it clearly a product of this decade. Plus, there is more cowbell crammed in here than a Bruce Dickinson Blue Oyster Cult recording session.

As much fun as it is, it does have one of the great ballads of the decade hidden in a driving blip beat with "Someone Great". The words are ambiguous and gentle, but the beat grounds it and lends power and persistence. Then, right into "All Of My Friends" that flips the loss of a future with the loss of a past. As soon as it come on, the faces of all my boys fill my head, and memories rush back into crystal clear polaroids. Except after the song, you shake them, and they fade back to nothing until the next time the track plays.

Sound Of Silver - LCD Soundsys...

Snackin' On The Decade: Top Albums 15-11

Last week of the year, and only a couple of fist-fulls of albums left to go. If you are jumping into the list here and want to enjoy from the beginning, the countdown starts here.

15. 808s and Heartbreak - Kanye West

Out of every album on this list, I've probably listened to this one the most. In the past year, there's no doubt this tops the iTunes times played count. And as much as I do love this record, it really hasn't been a choice because the person in my life that loves this record more than me, and makes me play it every time we get into a car, is my two year old son. And because of that I will always love this record, as it's the first bit of music my boy and I got to share.

But beyond the deeply personal tie to hearing Caleb sing "Love Lockdown" with made up gibberish words filling in the gaps for ones he has yet to learn, this is an extremely compelling album. First, there's the amazing transformation from previous Kanye albums since he sings on most of its tracks. Second, it is oozing with introspection, something that is mocked by most rappers. Finally, the hooks are fucking awesome. It's a great pop-R&B record in the order of Marvin Gaye. You can dance to it, you can daydream to it. And ultimately you can find humanity in an anti-hero's story of everything he knows that's missing from his life. He doesn't get to share a car ride with his son singing songs. This album makes me feel grateful I do.

808s & Heartbreak - Kanye West

14. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Grant Park, August 2008. I was fortunate enough to be on the south lawn on Saturday night of Lollapalooza to see Rage Against The Machine. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen was the the sea of humanity jumping up and down crating a human pipeline of waves. Even Tom Morello said it was the one Rage show he ever feared for people's safety. But the thing I'll remember most is going to the Bloc Party after show at House Of Blues right after Rage got off stage. It was the show of the weekend for me. Their Clash-baked edge with brit-pop sensabilities were on display for this intimate show. And when they tore through "Like Eating Glass", with massive strobe effect making the room into it's own 30mm movie, the place just erupted with joyous tension.

That tension is why I love this album so much. Each note is punched, not played. And this precision sometimes feels like you are being shot with the music. Songs build, stories are told, and by the time "Compliments" comes in at the end, you're watching the sunrise over a broken city. I really wish this band could have caught lighting in a bottle like they did on this album on one of their two follow-ups. But at least we have this perfect gem to reflect on what the middle of this decade feat like.

Silent Alarm - Bloc Party

13. Dear Science - TV On The Radio

Speaking of albums that help define the decade, I explained how TVOTR's Dear Science was like a bookmark on the Bush years in my Top 10 Albums of 2008 post back in January. Since then, we've suffered through an excruciatingly fracturous year of economic and political woes. In that time, this album has only grown as tale of a better future to me. I've also seen them a few more times, cementing them as one of the most interesting bands in the world to see live. Distortion and harmony, static and chords, the way all of this wall of sound plays against each other makes for such a satisfying rock experience.

But the one song I want to call out is the one that is most personal. "Love Dog" is such a little gem. More than any other track, it allows lead singer Tunde Adebimpe to use his voice as an instrument of lament. He is a master of looping his cries and whistles into something both human and otherworldly. Those contradictions soar on this track, and make it the heart of one of the best albums I've ever heard.

Dear Science - TV On The Radio

12. Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis

One of the disappointing things when I take a step back and look at my top 50 of the decade list is that this is the highest ranking female artist. I just can't believe that there aren't more women who's music grab me. To only have a handful seems ridiculous. I do feel a little better that women dominate my favorite albums of 2009 (the list is coming soon, I promise). But at the end of the day, I think I just relate more to music written by sad little boys for sad little boys. I guess that means that this is one hell of an album to overcome the odds and to check in at 12 on my list.

Well, it is one hell of an album. Jenny's work with Rilo Kiley always impressed me, but I was floored the moment I heard this record. The easiest way I can describe it is that if this album were a destination on the map, it would be Austin. It's metropolitan, but has a country feel. It's quirky and funny, but deeply heartfelt and sincere. And one of my favorite memories of this record is hearing it in entirety at the Magnolia Cafe on South Congress one Saturday morning before heading over to the Austin City Limits Festival for the day. Even in it's saddest moments like "Rabbit Fur Coat", and "Melt Your Heart", there's a soft sunny feeling that makes this better than a cup of coffee and pancakes to start your day. Earlier in this countdown I talked about Loretta Lynn's great comeback album. This is Jenny's great coming out album.

Rabbit Fur Coat - The Watson T...

11. Give Up - The Postal Service
I'm so glad The Postal Service only made one album. There's no way they could ever top this. They took a great formula perfected before them by The Pet Shop Boys of lush dance blips and beats and parred them with emotional theater lyrics and gave a new generation of misfits anthems to play on the boom boxes healed high over their heads. A song like "Nothing Better" with Jenny Lewis' cameo harken back to great euro love songs of Human League without feeling overly derivative.

For me, I actually fell in love with Ben Gibbard as a song writer because of this album. I never ventured into Death Cab For Cutie because they seemed to be just too emo for my tastes. Looking back that just seems silly to say. First, I clearly like emo music, if you haven't noticed. Second, just close your eyes and listen to the sad story spun in "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight", and you will feel the air in that sad little hotel room in DC Ben is singing about. It's the best album to dance to with your heart on your sleeve.

Give Up - The Postal Service

Snackin' On The Decade: Top Albums 20-16

Only 20 more to go. I don't condone stealing, but if you don't have the albums from here to #1, you need to get them by any means necessary. If you are jumping into the list here and want to enjoy from the beginning, the countdown starts here.

20. Turn On The Bright Lights - Interpol

Most of my friends, family, and co-workers know I'm a bit of a city guy. My wife always kids around that when we drive out to the suburbs to visit our friends, I lose my super powers. It's like reverse kriptonyte to me. Well, when I'm far away from downtown this is the album I put on and close my eyes to set my mind at ease. From beginning to end, the reverb throughout this album sounds like it is bouncing off of skyscrapers.

Some people knock Interpol for sounding too much like Joy Division. Really? You think it's a bad thing to sound like one of the most innovative bands in the history of music? Especially one that burned out so quick? The picked up that torch and carried it with pride. Well, as much pride as NYC hipsters are willing to show. And that's why I do love this album. It has a heart to it but it is buried under so much stylized guitar and vocals that you don't hear it on the first or fifth listen. Those first listens, it just sounds cool. But when you hear Stella, I Love You yelled out, you can hear the pain of a real man. Those inside-out moments are special.

Turn On The Bright Lights - In...

19. Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams

2001 was an amazing year to be young and single in Chicago. I was working for a dot com based right on Michigan Ave, living across from The Steppenwolf Theater, and going out almost every night with a core group of wonderfully single friends. One of those friends was Traci H who was the marketing manager at my company. She and her best friend (who's name I can't remember, which is a complete travesty) were awesome girls to go drinking with. And one night after probably going to Rose and listening to their real 45-playing juke box, we headed back to my place. They put in their favorite new music crush, Ryan Adams. I immediately fell in love.

For the next year, Ryan became my favorite artist. It may be because he and I are about the same age. It helped that he came through Chicago about three times in a very short time span, and I made it to all those shows. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that Traci's friend told me one night as we were belly up at a bar that To Be Young... was her theme song for me. Every time she thought of it, she thought of me. And, honestly, there has never been a more perfect song to describe any point in my life. To this day it gives me chills. Since that song kicks off this "debut" (after an awesome musical argument about The Smiths), it now feels like the lead single for my Chicago story.

But the strength of this album is that it has morphed into one that also a bedrock in the relationship between my wife and I. I love that we both love Oh My Sweet Carolina since it mentions cities in Ohio and Texas. Also, I love singing Amy softly to her when we put this record on. So as much as this album was brought into my life through my inthralling early 20s, it's lasted the test of time by being much more than a young man's lament.

Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams

18. Voodoo - D'Angelo

Another quick story about my single Chicago years. Each time I bought concert tickets (which was all the time), I would buy two no matter what. They whole idea in my head was between now and the show, I'd meet some cool, deceptively beautiful girl at some bar. We'd talk about our favorite artists, I'd throw in something about the upcoming show, I'd see a glimmer in her eye when I brought it up, I'd ask her, she say yes, we go, love ensues. Guess what my batting average was on that dream? A big fat goose egg.

I bring this up, because when I bought tickets to see D'Angelo, I thought FOR SURE this was my chance. This album had been out a little while, and had quickly become one of my favorite R&B albums of all time. The staccato approach to vocals is so different that your standard soul voice. It becomes it's own rhythm instrument, much like how James Brown used his voice. But instead of being this agressive snare/bass like The Godfather, it's more like a second base line. And it is fucking sexy. One Mo'gin is like ease-dropping on a conversation between long lost lovers, and Untitled (besides having one of the most iconic videos of all time) is ecstasy on wax. It's baby makin' music of the highest order.

Back to the concert. So, of corse I didn't find a love interest to go with me. My friend Corinna ended up going with me. I think she was glad I talked her into it, because she was clearly impressed with his, um, assets. Honestly, I've never been to a show where the pheromones were such a swirl in the air as very sensible woman went absolutely nuts for D. The women in the front row actually ripped the shirt off the man so they could see his abs. Great soul-revival show.

Voodoo - D'Angelo

17. Saturdays = Youth - M83

I downloaded this record one random weeknight the first year of Caleb's life. I know this because after it downloaded, I went into our kitchen, and started washing bottles. This activity became my one true moment of zen each night, as it meant that I could put on my headphones and melt away into music. So that night I oh so slowly washed each nipple and top one-by-one as I took an unsuspecting trip back to 1985 thought this album.

The cinematic soul of this record is just so lush. It calls you out to the field on the cover where a gang of teenage misfits write hearts in their journal and dream of a place where they fit in. You just want to find that Graveyard Girl and let her know that she's never gonna completely fit in, but that's the best thing that could ever happen. And then, like magic, you get the chance when We Own The Sky comes on, and takes all those kids by the hand and runs into the future. This is one hundred times better than any teenage vampire movie, much like the great John Hughes teen movies we grew up with.

Saturdays = Youth - M83

16. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinois
There's no shortage of super-emo music in this past decade. All those kids that picked up an electric guitar after Nirvanna were picking up an acoustic instead. But only one of them took an even stranger step back to a sound that was based in the orchestral simplifications of high school band. Sound like the description of one of the best albums of the decade? Well somehow Sufjan pulled that off and made and album for the ages.

The middle of this very long album is also it's heart. Chicago reminds me of a secret road trip me and my buddies from high school took to New Orleans for spring break our senior year. And Casimir Pulaski Day may be about a young girl with cancer, but the emotions in the simple line "...and I almost touched your blouse." describe the anxiety I had every single first kiss I had, including my wife. Pop songs so rarely convey such subtle but complex feelings with such vibrant song writing. I don't blame Sufjan ending his quest to write an album for every state after this one. How could he top this one?

Illinois - Sufjan Stevens

Check out the next 5 albums here.

Snackin' On The Decade: Top Albums 25-21

We're halfway home. At this point, I wouldn't look at you funny if you have any of these albums as your favorite of the decade. They're all so good. If you are jumping into the list here and want to enjoy from the beginning, the countdown starts here.

25. In Rainbows - Radiohead

This album will go down as the revolutionary record that brought us pay-what-you-want pricing. And while that was a big story, the thing that I think makes this album so special is the fact that it's one of the last albums, especially in the indie rock category, that every fan listened to it for the first time at the same time. That's because of the great job of secrecy the band pulled off. Within a week of the announcement it existed, the link was landing in our inboxes to download and listen to. To me, that is such a thrill. When I pulled these files over to iTunes, and hit play, I knew thousands of others across the world were doing the same. And, on top of that, this album kicked ass from the start. 15 step was a complete re-introduction of a band that had become too dark on their previous album. No weird vocal effects, just great electro-rock art.

What makes this album stand out in the Radiohead cannon is that it goes back to The Bends sequencing. This isn't a concept album. For a decade, that what each of their albums fealt like. Now, they pulled those off amazingly well, but it was refreshing to just hear song after great song that all stand on their own. It allows them to become more your own. No wonder they gave it away almost like a surprise birthday present.

In Rainbows - Radiohead

24. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys

I remember 2/28/2006 very well. That's because I was sick. It was one of those bone-chilling cases of the flu where I had on my flannel PJs and a thick sweatshirt hoodie while curling up under two blankets in my bed, and still was shivering. I remember before my wife left for work, I was able to get up to brush my teeth, and had just enough energy to turn on the radio to our NPR station before crashing in the bed. The next 8 hours are a blur of nyquil-induced dreams and Diane Rehm discussions. The one thing that I know for sure is there was an excellent story on a new release by the biggest thing to hit the UK since The Beatles. That story was about The Arctic Monkeys. Two days later when it was safe for me to drive again, I hopped in my car and headed straight to Best Buy (still buying CDs at this time) to pick up this album.

Every time I listen to this album to this day, I still can't believe Alex Turner was a teenager when he wrote this album. The storytelling of each song is so impeccable. The vibrant characters telling their highs and lows. And as good as Turner's Catcher And The Rye stories are, the true foundation of this record is the drums. They are direct, powerful, and non-stop. The pulse pushes from one song to the next until the subtle sad guitar plucks of A Certain Romance takes you back home to your room to reminisce on the turns your life has taken.

Whatever People Say I Am, That...

23. Silent Shout - The Knife

The nerds (and I mean that as a complement) over at Pitchfork came up with a great description of this album; Haunted House. This is some scary shit. And very unique. I don't think anything sounded close to this the entire decade. But under all the synths, distorted vocals, and driving rhythm are amazing hooks. It's a pop record for people that grew up watching Tim Burton movies.

I especially love Forest Families' chorus "Music tonight. I just want your music tonight." It sounds like a vampire's call for blood. Throughout the song, the hunt is on. It's a primal call that I relate to when I just have to get to a stereo as soon as possible and crank...it...up. Sometimes you have to hear music to survive.

Silent Shout - The Knife

22. It's Blitz - Yeah Yeah Yeah's

I thought this band was done after their flat Show Your Bones album. I never expected them to become my favorite band and produce my favorite album of 2009. Much like the album cover, they took my heart in their hand and squeezed. And this album earned my adoration over time. First, I loved the dance beats throughout. This the upbeat tracks are the best Brooklyn party in the dingiest basement. Karen O stepped up to take her rightful place next to Deborah Harry as a NYC misfit goddess. Don't you want to go to the show where heads roll on the floor?

Second, these guys got the opportunity to fill in for The Beastie Boys as headliners of Lollapalooza. The show they turned out was nothing short of miraculous. Karen came out wearing a 3 foot Native American headdress made of hand-prints that would have made Freddie Mercury jealous. And the song choice of Runaway for this regal coming-out moment was perfect. All on that field were her prize that night. Those are the moments you live for as a fan of music. And this is the album that send chills down my spine when it transports me back there.

It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

21. Kala - M.I.A.
In the late 80s/early 90s, I was obsessed with Public Enemy. They were the great middle finger to culture at the time. So fresh, fun, and powerful. Well, we didn't see the likes of them until 15 years later when M.I.A. showed up on the scene. And although her first album is excellent, Kala is a classic. From the initial moment the drum machine beat begins Bamboo Banger this album feels dangerous. As that song builds, and M.I.A. starts rapping, you are taken straight to the other side of the world. By the time she shouts she's coming back with Power. POWER!, you're lining up in formation in your fatigues and beret. Welcome to the revolution.

The shocking thing is that Paper Planes actually became a hit. It's one of those great moments in pop music history where a wonderful piece of protest art subverted the system to rise to ironic heights. I'm sure investment bankers banged this in their BMWs on their way to their massive bonuses all summer long. Nevermind this album showcases stories of extreme poverty, and a lost generation of Boyz in Africa. I think you should take a moment and really listen to the lyrics of $20 to feel the frustration of watching the rich roll by your home in a hummer. Deep shit wrapped in bumping beats.

Kala - M.I.A.

Check out the next 5 in the countdown here.

Snackin' On The Decade: Top Albums 30-26

Back to the list this week. If you are jumping into the list here and want to enjoy from the beginning, the countdown starts here.

30. White Blood Cells - The White Stripes

One of the better music-related discussions I had this year was with my friend Michael. He dared me to try and find a more iconoclastic musician from our generation than Jack White. I couldn't. He's simply taken over this decade. So now when you go back to this breakthrough album, you can't help but hear the foundation of what would come for the next handful of years. Namely, ROCK.

At the time, Jack and his fake sister Meg were lumped into other "The" bands like "The Vines" and "The Hives". Heard from them lately? Thank God they've faded into the ether. Hotel Yorba and Fell In Love With The Girl are so raw that they seem simple. But there is nothing simple about the Blues soaked sing-alongs. It's always been an album I can crank to 11, and feel better. With a decade full of amazing, but depressing music, this still shines like a beacon of adolescent fun.

White Blood Cells - The White ...

29. Game Theory - The Roots

It amazes me that this band now calls it's peers Kevin Eubanks and Paul Shaffer. They are one of the hardest working groups in all of show business, as their live shows have become legendary. But that hasn't always translated on their albums. I think you can skip every other one. If you are now starting to get into them because of Fallon, don't skip this one.

This is a very dark album created in a very dark time. One name that covers the entire record like a dense fog is George Bush. Starting with False Media where Black Thought takes the persona of someone in the evil empire, the weight of 9/11, Katrina, and all the smaller but just as significant changes to american domestic policy coloring in the cracks in each beat. I like the walk this album takes you through. It may not be pretty, but it's real.

Game Theory - The Roots

28. A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Coldplay

I'm always amazed by how many people hate this band. I guess the same way I'm amazed by people who hate U2. Coldplay have given me some of my favorite big group musical moments this decade. I've seen them in small venues in Chicago on their first american tour, all the way to Webley stadium closing out the Viva La Vida tour this year. And each time, they give every ounce of themselves to their fans. I admire that.

Plus, they put together one of the best arena rock albums ever in AROFTTH. I remember how much I loved Parachutes when it came out, and didn't even buy this one for about a year after it came out. But now, it's clear this is the superior album. It's more mature, and that has let it stand the test of time much better than Spiders, Yellow and the rest of the songs on the first album. And The Scientist became one of my favorite songs since I put it on the mix we have played in Caleb's room every night since he was born. That first year, sitting with my son at 3am and the weight of the world on my shoulders, it always set my mind at ease. Like all good Coldplay songs, it's topic is ambiguous, so you can make it your own. For me, it has a message of redemption through logic. I think we all would like to go back to the start sometimes.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head - ...

27. O - Damien Rice

Schmaltzy. Over emotive. Accurate descriptions of Damien's first album. But at it's heart, it's more than the scream-singing and quiet-loud-quiet progressions. First, it's a fantastic breakup record. You feel trapped in a remote cabin throughout with only your thoughts of what could have been to keep you company. So you go mad. With Damien.

Now to the ironic part of this album. This is my wife and I's album. We listened to it together countless times. And we've sung the songs on road trips, and quiet nights sitting in our living room. A big reason I love it is because she loves it. This is a woman who loves The Young And The Restless, so the over-expression probably plays well to her. On top of that, to see Damien belt out The Blower's Daughter acoustic with absolutely no amp in a concert hall is a wonder. It proved to me these songs are really meant for a stage.

O - Damien Rice

26. I Am A Bird Now - Antony And The Johnsons
One of my regrets about living in Dallas is that I can't put this album on when there is two feet of snow outside on a chilly Chicago January day. The music is so sparse throughout this beautifully sad record, it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense on a sunny day. I love owning the actual vinyl version just because the front cover photo so perfectly captures the mood. I can stare at it while Antony takes me on a tour of his tortured soul.

As I've grown older this decade, and have made the largest jump in maturity I'm sure I'll ever experience in my life, true art about transformation makes more sense to me. Even though literally much of this album confronts a transformation of sexuality, it rings just as true to me about going from single and alone to married with a family of my own. It's a wonderful reminder we are all works in progress, on a journey till the day we die. And we all Hope There's Someone there to take care of us when that inevitable day comes.

I Am A Bird Now - Antony & The...

It's on to the next 5.

Snackin' On The Decade: Top Albums 35-31

Blog post 4 of 10 below. I guess there's no turning back now...

If you are jumping into the list here and want to enjoy from the beginning, the countdown starts here.

35. Feed The Animals - Girl Talk

Best DJ record ever? Well, the answer would be simply be 'yes' if this were really a DJ record. But it isn't. The way Gregg Gillis takes little pieces of songs and splices them together makes them much more than mash-ups. They become their own little fun bombs. He takes all of the songs us music nerds love from more than a lifetime of radio and puts them together to create a greater good. One of my regrets from this decade is I never saw Girl Talk live, since every report is it's just a release of joy. That will be something I change as soon as possible.

For those of you that don't have this album yet, please take a moment and download it here. Gregg's label Illegal Art lets you pay whatever you want. My advice is throw $5 bucks to them. I guarantee you'll get your money's worth.

Feed the Animals - Girl Talk

34. The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem

Marshall Mathers is the biggest pop music story of the decade. Rising from nothing on the wrong side of Detroit, his story is much more in line with Elvis or The Beatles than any of the Star Search/American Idol groomed for success 'stars' we've seen these 10 years. Plus, he released his masterpiece at the exact moment where MTV peaked for creating mega stars, allowing him to become a name even my grandmother recognized. I just don't think there will be another rise like his again now that the content we waste our time and money on is continuously becoming more and more niche.

As for this album, it is fucking sick. A manifesto to insanity. And an event unto itself. I remember I called in sick to work so that I could stay at home and have this CD delivered to my apartment on a Tuesday morning so I could spend a day taking it in. (Yes you read that right. This was the early decade before the dot com bust where we had cool new companies swimming in venture capital money, trying to solve such essential issues like "How can we deliver the latest CDs and DVDs via bike messenger in Chicago in under an hour?" Seems like such ridiculousness now after the end of the decade's global financial meltdown, but at the time it seemed incredibly normal.) As soon as I put it in and cranked up Kill You, I knew this album was going to be special. That first song has one of my favorite quirky Dre beats and line after line hitting you in the face like your are in a cypher and Em is castrating you in front of your girlfriend.

It's clear now Eminem was never going to be able to keep this level of heat going. It's rooted too much in the story of the underdog that after this albums success he would never be able to claim again. The question is will we ever see someone catch lightning in a bottle like this again in our lifetimes?

The Marshall Mathers LP - Emin...

33. Lifted, Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground - Bright Eyes

There aren't a ton of Conor Oberst fanboys my age out there. I realized that real quick the first time I went to see him live in Fort Worth. But that won't stop me from singing his praises. He's one hell of a storyteller, and this album was the one who got me hooked.

I actually had never heard of him until months after Lifted came out. I think that would be impossible now in our music blog culture. Pitchfork or Brooklyn Vegan would have been singing his praises years before, and been on their backlash kick by the time this album came out. Then I heard about the 2003 Shortlist finalists. I started to take flyers on those albums, including greats Interpol and Damien Rice. I remember going to Best Buy on 635 in North Dallas on my way to my parent's house and picking up this CD. I can still remember this feeling of anxiousness as the first song builds up. For a guy who was a folk artist at heart, this album had an experimental heart. I especially love Laura Laurent because I was convinced in my head it was recorded at the amazing pub by my old place in Chicago for years. That song feels like 4 in the morning smoke-filled eyes. I listen to it and go right back to those bar stools with Dan, Doug, Jeff, Kent and Steve sitting with me right in a row. Guinness Anyone?

LIFTED or the Story Is in the ...

32. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - PJ Harvey

9/13 2001. Do you remember where you were? That's over 48 hours after the towers fell. I was in Chicago at The Riviera seeing PJ Harvey in one of the most important concerts I'll ever go to. Honestly, it's amazing it even happened. At that point, not a soul knew what to do, how to go on.

My first memory was that I was frightened to get onto the Red Line and take it up north to The Riv. At that point, we were all still waiting for the next attack. Then, I remember standing in the longest line as every back was searched, every person patted down. How foolish does that feel now? Finally inside, the mood was subdued as we all still wondered how we were supposed to act in this new norm. Then the lights went down, PJ stepped on stage solo, and played The Mess We're In, just her sining the Tom York verses and his haunting moans that are in the background of the record version. She never sang her chorus part. Every one of us standing shoulder-to-shoulder wept. Openly. It was a cathartic moment of anger and healing that only the best art can create and only the most amazing of performers can give. This whole album is a love letter to New York, and it is scary how much it sounds like it's been conjured by a cleric who could see a future where there are holes where there were once buildings.

Stories From The City, Stories...

31. The Black Album - Jay-Z
Did I ever believe Jigga was going to retire? No. I honestly can't believe he stayed out of the game as long as he did. But no matter how fake the retirement talk was, it makes for one hell of a metaphor. At this point in his career, no one could touch him. But he still wasn't universally recognized as the best rapper alive since the industry as a whole had their dead patron saints (Biggie and Tupac). He would never be allowed to be at their same level unless he was gone to. So he created a false sense of loss, and rode it straight to the top.

The craziest thing about this strategy is he actually had an album strong enough to back it up. And having that hook of rapping his eulogy, makes it more than just entertaining. It makes it epic. Songs like What More Can I Say and Encore let Jay build his own myth perfectly. 99 Problems and Interlude ended up being the best arena rock songs of the decade. I've seen him do those tracks in American Airlines arena in Dallas and Wembley Stadium in London, and his charisma and command absolutely overtakes the crowed. The arms come up, the diamonds are formed, and the sea of humanity bobs up and down in a way that would make Led Zeppelin jealous.

The Black Album - Jay-Z

Check out the next 5 albums in the countdown here.