Best Album of the Decade?

[cobl04]

nice question. for me, i haven't got that many 00 albums, so i suppose so... but in the end i would doubt it. you're asking the opinion of a very biased group of people.

Well here are some of my favorites of the 2000's...

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
U2 -All That You Can't Leave Behind
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Eno & Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Tom Petty - Highway Companion
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Fireman - Electric Arguments
Paul McCartney - Chaos And Creation In The Backyard

I haven't heard NLOTH yet, and I know some people will think these are horrible picks. How do you define "greatest" though? I've always found it hard to rank albums according to which is the "greatest". Personally, HTDAAB is one of my favorite albums of all time, but I'd have a hard time calling it the "greatest" U2 album because in order to be considered the "greatest" album, doesn't it have to widespread praise and general acceptance as a "great" album. I don't know...

how have you not heard nloth yet.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Up until NLOTH i'd have said no way, but NLOTH may possibly be there.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Well here are some of my favorites of the 2000's...

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
U2 -All That You Can't Leave Behind
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Eno & Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Tom Petty - Highway Companion
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Fireman - Electric Arguments
Paul McCartney - Chaos And Creation In The Backyard

I haven't heard NLOTH yet, and I know some people will think these are horrible picks. How do you define "greatest" though? I've always found it hard to rank albums according to which is the "greatest". Personally, HTDAAB is one of my favorite albums of all time, but I'd have a hard time calling it the "greatest" U2 album because in order to be considered the "greatest" album, doesn't it have to widespread praise and general acceptance as a "great" album. I don't know...

Not horrible choices at all, I'd say they were quite good, other than HTDAAB, and I'd have chosen any other Coldplay album but that one.

 

[cjboog]

nice question. for me, i haven't got that many 00 albums, so i suppose so... but in the end i would doubt it. you're asking the opinion of a very biased group of people.

how have you not heard nloth yet.

I had waited until the release day to listen to it.

 

[cjboog]

Not horrible choices at all, I'd say they were quite good, other than HTDAAB, and I'd have chosen any other Coldplay album but that one.

Really?? I think VLV is clearly their best album. Not the title track (which I'm finding kind of annoying right now...) but the album as a whole I think is really great. Strawberry Swing is one of my favorite songs.

Now I've had a change to flesh out some of my favorites from this decade. Here's what I've got. Haven't had a chance to really get into Arcade Fire, Beck, etc to where I can rank them. And I've never been able to really "get" Radiohead, although I do like them.

1. HTDAAB - U2 (Yah yah yah, bite me)
2. The Rising - Springsteen
3. Magic - Springsteen
4. Everything That Happens - Eno & Byrne
5. NLOTH - U2
6. Electric Arguments - The Fireman
7. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
8. ATYCLB - U2
9. Gift of Screws - Lindsey Buckingham
10. Chaos and Creation - Paul McCartney
11. Highway Companion - Tom Petty
12. Raising Sand - Plant & Krauss
13. Under The Iron Sea - Keane
14. It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
15. X&Y - Coldplay
16. Accelerate - R.E.M.
17. White Ladder - David Gray
18. Freedom's Road - John Mellencamp
19. The Awakening - Melissa Etheridge
20. A New Day At Midnight - David Gray

Honorable Mention: Wincing The Night Away - The Shins; Confessions - Madonna; Modern Times - Bob Dylan; A Bigger Bang - Stones; Working On A Dream - Springsteen; Narrow Stairs - Death Cab

 

[An Cat Gav]

I'd rank the Coldplay albums like this.

1 Rush of Blood

2 Parachutes

3 X and Y

4 Viva La vida.

 

[God Part III]

No Line On The Horizon, In Rainbows by Radiohead and Funeral by The Arcade Fire are my only contestants. And yes, NLOTH is my favourite of those.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

Muse, 3 albums!
REM, Accelerate
The Cure, Bloodflowers
U2, NLOTH
Placebo, Meds
System of a down, Toxicity

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

 

[eviltwin]

number one is easy (10/10):
2002 Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Dream Theater

after that ex. aeqo (9/10):
2003 Collideøscope - Living Colour
2002 Audioslave, 2005 Out of Exile, 2006 Revelations - Audioslave
2009 No Line On The Horizon, 2004 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - U2

followed by (8/10):
2004 The System Has Failed - Megadeth
2003 Train of Thought - Dream Theater
2000 Reinventing the Steel - Pantera
2001 Alive in an Ultra World - Steve Vai

and (7/10)
2000 Pearl Jam - Binaural
2008 Accelerate - REM
2003 Contraband - Velvet Revolver

 

[LDM007]

In no particular order:

"No Line on the Horizon" - U2
“Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” – Phoenix
"Magic" - Bruce Springsteen
"Confessions on a Dance Floor" - Madonna
"Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends"/ "Prospekt's March" EP - Coldplay
"Plans" - Death Cab for Cutie
“Death Magnetic” - Metallica
"Graduation" and "808s and Heartbreak" - Kanye West
"This Binary Universe" – BT
“Manners” / “Chunk of Change” EP – Passion Pit
“Day & Age” – The Killers
“X” – Kylie Minogue
“Seventh Tree” – Goldfrapp
“Feed the Animals” – Girl Talk
“Loose” – Nelly Furtado --- The non-Timbaland-produced tracks prevent it from being even better
“Machina I/ The Machines of God” – The Smashing Pumpkins
“In Rainbows” – Radiohead
“Boys and Girls in America” – The Hold Steady



What do you think of this list?

 

[mikal]

"In Rainbows" is not Radiohead's best album this decade. In fact, it's my least favorite Radiohead album of this decade.

 

[LemonMelon]

I prefer Kid A to In Rainbows on most days, but In Rainbows is leagues better than Amnesiac and especially Hail To The Thief. That album was their major lapse in quality this decade.

 

[Mac Phisto]

All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - U2
Don't Believe The Truth - Oasis
A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Coldplay
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Parachutes - Coldplay
Is This It - The Strokes
Room On Fire - The Strokes
Musicforthemorningafter - Pete Yorn
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Graduation - Kanye West
Elephant - The White Stripes
Magic - Bruce Springsteen
The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
Yours To Keep - Albert Hammond Jr.
Funeral - Arcade Fire
Everything All The Time - Band of Horses
Aha Shake Heartbreak - Kings Of Leon
Only By The Night - Kings Of Leon
Up The Bracket - The Libertines
Highway Companion - Tom Petty
The Invisible Band - Travis
The Boy With No Name - Travis
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Only By The Night - Kings Of Leon

NO. No. Just...no.

Other than that I really love your list.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

BTW - Chilli Peppers
NLOTH - u2

probably my two faves this decade

 

[Irishteen]

Not the best but they have two albums that rank up there for sure, here's how I rank the 2000s, probably missing a few

Tier 1
Radiohead - Kid A
Sigur Rós - ( )
The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls - Yes, Virginia
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Tier 2
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2 - No Line On the Horizon
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Day Light
KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Director - We Thrive on Big Cities
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
The Verve - Forth
Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

 

[alanah]

Britney Spears - Circus...jk

 

[Mr. V]

*

 

[digitize]

"In Rainbows" is not Radiohead's best album this decade. In fact, it's my least favorite Radiohead album of this decade.

Same here. Kid A is the best Radiohead album of the decade by leaps and bounds.

 

[intedomine]

Editors - An End Has A Start

 

[MMP]

I'll repost my list with a few new things:

1. U2 - (2009) No Line on the Horizon *****
2. Primal Scream - XTRMNTR (2000) *****

The rest in no order:

R.E.M. - Around the Sun (2004) ****1/2*
Radiohead - Kid A (2000) ****1/2*
Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007) ****1/2*
Green Day - American Idiot (2004) ****1/2*
Primal Scream - Beautiful Future (2008) ****
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul (2008) ****1/2*
The Kills - Midnight Boom (2008) ****
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (2008) ****1/2*
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) ****1/2*
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004) ****1/2*
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2001) ****
Bruce Springsteen - Magic (2007) ****1/2*
Bob Dylan - "Love and Theft" (2001) ****
The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang (2005) ****
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008) ****
Aerosmith - Honkin' on Bobo (2004) *****
The Enemy - We'll Live and Die In These Towns (2007) ****1/2*
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (2004) ****
James - Hey Ma (2008) ****1/2*
The White Stripes - Elephant (2003) ****1/2*
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (2005) ****1/2*
The White Stripes - Icky Thump (2007) ****1/2
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand (2007) ****
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (2007) ****
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) ****
Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus (2007) ****
Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! (2007) ****1/2*
Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (2006) ****
Aerosmith - Rockin' the Joint (2006) ****
The Tears - Here Comes The Tears (2004) ****1/2*
The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back (2005) ****
The Darkness - Permission to Land (2003) ****
Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth (2005) ****
Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005) ****1/2*
Coldplay - Viva La Vida and Death and All His Friends (2008) ****
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) ****
Tim Booth - Bone (2004) ****
Led Zepellin - How the West Was Won (2003) ****
No Doubt - Rock Steady (2001) ****
Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (2004) *****
Delays - You See Colours (2006) ****1/2*
Delays - Everything's the Rush (2008) *****
Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain (2000) ****1/2*
Goldfrapp - Supernature (2005) *****
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree (2008) ****
Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) ****
Lady Gaga - The Fame (2008) ****
Doves - Lost Souls (2000) ****1/2*
Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke (2008) ****
The Veils - The Runaway Found (2004) ****
Glasvegas - Glasvegas (2008) ****
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2007) ****
Little Boots - Hands (2009) ****1/2*
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (2009) ****
Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place (2003) ****

Pretty sure I'm still forgetting something btw...

 

[Rob33]

NO. No. Just...no.

Other than that I really love your list.

Only By the Night is Kings of Leon's best album, and there's actually some really good songs on there...have you listened to it?

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Only By the Night is Kings of Leon's best album

No, it's not.

and there's actually some really good songs on there

No there aren't.

have you listened to it?

Yes I have.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

By the way, it fucking bothers me when there is a thread in EYKIW that devolves into discussion of music that isn't U2. We have a whole subforum for this shit, people. It's called "Just the Bang and the Clatter." You should visit it sometime. Have your "Best Album of the Decade" discussions over there...it will make me feel a lot better.

 

[OrARoundabout]

I'll repost my list with a few new things:

1. U2 - (2009) No Line on the Horizon *****
2. Primal Scream - XTRMNTR (2000) *****

The rest in no order:

R.E.M. - Around the Sun (2004) ****1/2*
Radiohead - Kid A (2000) ****1/2*
Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007) ****1/2*
Green Day - American Idiot (2004) ****1/2*
Primal Scream - Beautiful Future (2008) ****
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul (2008) ****1/2*
The Kills - Midnight Boom (2008) ****
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (2008) ****1/2*
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) ****1/2*
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004) ****1/2*
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2001) ****
Bruce Springsteen - Magic (2007) ****1/2*
Bob Dylan - "Love and Theft" (2001) ****
The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang (2005) ****
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008) ****
Aerosmith - Honkin' on Bobo (2004) *****
The Enemy - We'll Live and Die In These Towns (2007) ****1/2*
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (2004) ****
James - Hey Ma (2008) ****1/2*
The White Stripes - Elephant (2003) ****1/2*
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (2005) ****1/2*
The White Stripes - Icky Thump (2007) ****1/2
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand (2007) ****
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (2007) ****
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) ****
Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus (2007) ****
Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! (2007) ****1/2*
Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (2006) ****
Aerosmith - Rockin' the Joint (2006) ****
The Tears - Here Comes The Tears (2004) ****1/2*
The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back (2005) ****
The Darkness - Permission to Land (2003) ****
Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth (2005) ****
Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005) ****1/2*
Coldplay - Viva La Vida and Death and All His Friends (2008) ****
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) ****
Tim Booth - Bone (2004) ****
Led Zepellin - How the West Was Won (2003) ****
No Doubt - Rock Steady (2001) ****
Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (2004) *****
Delays - You See Colours (2006) ****1/2*
Delays - Everything's the Rush (2008) *****
Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain (2000) ****1/2*
Goldfrapp - Supernature (2005) *****
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree (2008) ****
Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) ****
Lady Gaga - The Fame (2008) ****
Doves - Lost Souls (2000) ****1/2*
Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke (2008) ****
The Veils - The Runaway Found (2004) ****
Glasvegas - Glasvegas (2008) ****
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2007) ****
Little Boots - Hands (2009) ****1/2*
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (2009) ****
Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place (2003) ****

Pretty sure I'm still forgetting something btw...

Excellent list, but you failed to include "Only By The Night" by The Kings of Leon...and I don't care what u guys say THAT'S A GREAT FUCKING ALBUM!

 

[LemonMelon]

Kings Of Leon's finest work is still barely good enough to earn an honorable mention in the year of its release, let alone the entire decade.

That said, they sold out for Only By The Night. I hate that term, but they did. It's one of those undeniable sellout moments, like when Genesis released Invisible Touch, or Aerosmith released Permanent Vacation. Doesn't make it a bad album, but it sounds plastic, derivative of alternative radio and quite soulless.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Excellent list, but you failed to include "Only By The Night" by The Kings of Leon...and I don't care what u guys say THAT'S A GREAT FUCKING ALBUM!

First of all, you didn't have to quote that entire ginormous post. Second of all, that album is soulless dross. And, finally, the band is not called The Kings of Leon. It's just Kings of Leon. No "The"

 

[OrARoundabout]

First of all, you didn't have to quote that entire ginormous post. Second of all, that album is soulless dross. And, finally, the band is not called The Kings of Leon. It's just Kings of Leon. No "The"

I'm sorry I quoted an entire post...
I'm sorry that I but a "The" in front of Kings of Leon, I often make that mistake...as I tend to accidentally put a "The" in front of Arctic Monkeys as well...(Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not should be included in Mac's list too)

It's my opinion, I think it's a great album..."Crawl" is a kick ass song, and KOL have been steadily improving since their first album...

You don't have to attack everybody who likes Only By The Night...it's far from being a "soulness dross"...I'm curious as to why you don't hate it so much? From what I've read in ur previous posts you have a great taste in music!

 

[MMP]

It's my opinion, I think it's a great album..."Crawl" is a kick ass song, and KOL have been steadily improving since their first album...

Indeed, Crawl is KoL best song yet imo, and the only reason Only by the Night is not in my list is beacuse its last third is really not near as good as the rest. It has several great songs, but it doesn't flow really well as an album I think.