FT50: Albums of the ’00s

What?   You still listen to THAT album?  That record is so 2004!  Well, that’s okay, because we really like that one too, which is why we decided to come up with a list of our favorite albums of the last decade (2000-2009).  Sure, these might not be YOUR favorite records, or the most critically acclaimed, but we sat down and really thought out every record from the past ten years that we keep coming back to in our collections.  You’re likely to disagree with some of these, and we won’t tell you we’re absolutely right we just know that these happen to be OUR favorites.  If you think we totally blew it here, feel free to tell us so, but be nice, as our egos are kind of fragile.  Follow the jump for more.

50. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf – I don’t smoke pot, so stoner rock makes me feel connected

49. The Dutchess and the Duke – Th e Dutchess and the Duke – Destined to haunt your spellcheck forever.

48. New Pornographers – Electric Version – What wasn’t good about this album?

47. Magnetic Fields – I – While not their best, it made me realize how sad it could be to walk around town, alone, as a circus clown.

46. Ted Leo and the Rx– Hearts of Oak – Consistently awesome, consistently Ted.  I’d do him.

45. Of Montreal – Sunlandic Twins – This is when things got weird, and we loved it.

44. Antony and the Johnsons – I am a Bird Now – Antony made it cool to be transgendered and beautiful.

43. Rilo Kiley – Execution of All Things – The most solid album for the group, though not one of their better known.

42. Band of Horses – Everything All the Time – I still listen to Funeral at least once a month.

41. The Killers – Hot Fuss – Don’t lie, not only do you own this, but you know all the words.

40. Bright Eyes – Lifted, or the Story is in the Soil – Back when he cried on stage, Conor Oberst wrote this gem. It was also part of the Christm -akuh starter package.

39. Q and Not U – No Kill No Beep Beep – They made it okay to use handclaps in post-punk.

38. Beck – Sea Change – Beck goes acoustic? Yep, and he’ll make you cry.

37. Les Savy Fav – Go Forth – Dear Tim, you can sweat on me anytime.

36. Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone – Their break-up spawned a hydra-head of indie bands, most of which we love.

35. Nada Surf – Let Go – This convinced us that indie rock was “Popular”.

34. Postal Service – Give Up – The UPS went to war with this band, and we haven’t heard of them since.

33. Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots – Brilliant album until Wayne decided to walk in a big rubber ball at every show the rest of the decade.

32. Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights – Remember when Carlos D thought he was some sort of soldier? I still wear my holster, but thats it.

31. The Knife – Silent Shout – This is the album to convince your friends you are not normal.

30. Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress – Everyone hated on this record, until they realized that it totally ruled.

29. The Decemberists – Crane Wife – Japanese folk tales? Yes please.

28. Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism – You bought this as soon as Seth gave it to Summer for Christm-akuh.

27. My Morning Jacket – Z – Jim James rock opera prepares them for an appearance in Elizabethtown.

26. The Walkmen – Bows and Arrows – This record booked them a tour with Incubus, it was that good.

25. Iron and Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days – Does this guy still live in Dripping Springs? Can I stop by sometime?

24. At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command – The next Rage Against the Machine imploded and made records for people in a coma.

23. Okkervil River – Black Sheep Boy – The band grew up here, “For Real”.

22. Camera Obscura – Lets Get Out of This Country – “Lloyd I’m Ready to be Heart Broken” is still kicking in my head.

21. Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary – Our apologies to Wolf Parade for not making this higher.

20. Sun Kill Moon – Ghosts of the Great Highway – Don’t listen to this if you’re a cutter; you’ll die.

19. TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes -Everyone prefers Return to Cookie Mountain but they are wrong.

18. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand – We danced to this all year, still do.

17. Grizzly Bear – Yellow House – Better than Veckatimest, solid all the way through.

16. New Amsterdams – Worse for the Wear – This is Emo for grown ups.

15. Trail of Dead – Source Tags and Codes -Pitchfork gave this a 10, so we had to put it on here.

14. White Stripes – White Blood Cells – Pleased to meet you Mr. White.  Is that your sister/wife behind the drums?

13. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place – Not just for those Friday Night Lights.

12. Modest Mouse- Moon and Antarctica – The last album before they got shiny and clean.

11. The Wrens – Meadowlands – Start to finish, this record wins on every song.

10. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm – Back in the day, they used instruments and made you dance.

9. The Shins – Oh Inverted World – Did they “Change your life?”

8. Radiohead – Kid A – I hear this band puts out decent albums, but I never heard of em’.

7. The National – Boxer – Mid-life crisis indie rock certified awesome by NPR.

6. Spoon – Kill the Moonlight – Four records could make this list, but this one works.

5. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker – Brilliant Americana by a guy that decided to suck later.

4. Broken Social Scene – You Forgot it In People – It was nice to meet Feist, Amy Milan, and Kevin Drew for the first time.

3. Arcade Fire – Funeral – How many times did you freak out when you first listened to this?

2. The Strokes – Is This it – These guys brought back rock n’ roll, or at least Rolling Stone told us they did.

1. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – This is the right answer.