34. TV on the Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain (2006)
- No album felt as obscure as TV’s sophomore release. And no obscure album ever rocked this hard. It was like the band knew that rock was growing stale and they were going to show us all how it was done…the right way.

35. Feist – Let It Die (2005)
- Feist’s debut played like a classic album. With one half original work and one half covers, Feist followed in the footsteps of her vocal idols who commonly did this on their albums. The result was an emotionally rich tapestry that had as maturity as it did youth.

36. Jack Johnson – Brushfire Fairytales (2000)
- Since JJ’s break into commercial success, I think everyone has forgotten how much indie cred he scored on his debut. This was one of those albums that spread through word of mouth…in the way good music is supposed to succeed. Years after its release it was still gaining momentum. none of his other albums are as true as this one…and the reason why this one lands so high on this list.

37. Coldplay – Viva La Vida (2008)
- If the 80s had Joshua Tree…then the 00s get Viva La Vida. Yeah…that’s right, I’m comparing the epic 80s U2 album to Coldplay. Like JT, VLV was a statement. It was Coldplay thinking big and not holding back. One million people logged into the website at 4 in the morning to grab the first song, “Violet Hill.” If you get that much buzz doing anything, you’re doing something right.

38. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black (2006)
- There’s no argument that Amy is a trainwreck and maybe she’s one of those people who shouldn’t be a star. That doesn’t mean her album sucked. Quite the opposite. Most people were blown away after first hearing her…especially when they found she was a Jewish kid from England…and not some songstress from the Bronx. Her vocal range puts to shame anyone who has stepped on the American Idol stage. Folks…this is how it’s done.

39. The Frames – The Cost/The Once Soundtrack (2007)
- This is the only true cheat on the list. It was hard to choose between the two since The Once Soundtrack is really just a recreation of The Cost. And without the strength of the Cost…the movie Once would have never been as good or as successful…they would have never won an Oscar…making the Soundtrack more notable, which in turn helped the original album. Get it? (People Get Ready)

40. Danger Mouse – The Grey Album (2004)
- A true landmark album. Was it proof that the Beatles were the greatest rock band of all time…or that Jay-Z was the best rapper? Or was it a combination of a brutal one-two musical punch? It took balls for Danger Mouse to be so confindent to use the Beatles…and it took a lawyer to keep him from getting his pants sued off. It was one of those albums that everyone had to hear…and there was no way to hear it. But if you were lucky enough to find a friend of a friend who could burn it for you…you were not disappointed. (Encore)

41. Kings of Leon – Because The Times (2007)
- The Kings third album feels like a wild party. It starts off mild enough…but with every track, it escalates to a new level of rowdiness. There’s a definitely drunken stupor that permeates through the tracks…and an uncertainity of which song will be coming up behind the next corner. This isn’t just an album…it’s an experience…and one that leaves you with a great feeling just like a wild party worth remembering.

42. Gorillaz – Gorillaz (2001)
- Though the brainchild of Damon Albarn of Blur…the truth is the band doesn’t really exist. In fact, they are a purely virtual band…and the best selling virtual band of all time. (19-2000)

43. Weezer – The Green Album (2001)
- Very few bands are ever able to come back from the dead. But no one did it with more style and more pure kick ass lightning in a bottle than this Harvard alum. The whole album clocks in at a mere 28 minutes…shorter than most Timo Maas remixes. But it’s not the size that matters…it’s how you use it. (Photograph)

44. Spoon – Kill The Moonlight (2002)
- Spoon really became indie rock’s little brother over the decade. Though they came out of the underground…more than anyone. They’ve spent most of the deceade flirting with big time commercial success…but staying just under the surface. All the while, Britt Daniel continued writing rock solid songs. This second album on Merge exhibits the evolution of their style…that wouldn’t stop here.

Buy these albums now…yes…right now!!

45. Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank (2007)
- Add one of the 80s greatest guitar forces (Johnny Marr) to one of the most exciting alternative rock bands of the decade…and what do you get? Pure rock brilliance. (Invisible)

46. The National – Boxer (2007)
- Like a 2000-ton steel train slowly rolling down the tracks. It may not move at record-breaking speeds…but it’s a force to be reckoned with. (Start A War)

47. My Morning Jacket – It Still Moves (2003)
- A mammoth album when it comes to alternative country. I assume that this album so good, the band knew they would never top it…and decided to move in other directions. (Golden)

48. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky (2007)
- Tweedy & a bunch of other guys put together a record that sounds like someone created a radio that allows you to hear music from the 1970s. One of the perfect lazy afternoon records.

49. Girl Talk – Night Ripper (2006)
- If you don’t think you can create your own music…just take all the best music of the past 30 years and mash them all together in one big remix. Greg Gillis takes mash-ups to a whole other level with this epic tour through the history of commercial radio. It takes talent to steal something this good.

50. Guns N Roses – Chinese Democracy (2008)
- I’m crazy to include this, right? And not just to include this in my list…but to make the top 50. Just say it. Say I’m crazy. Well…here’s my reasoning: During this decade, no album has been talked about, written about, discussed, downloaded, leaked, speculated, even rumored more than this album. It was a tour de force before it even came out. And when it did come out…it had no chance. As many people who wanted to hear…just as many wanted to hate it. And many hadn’t even listened to the record. But now, almost a year after its release, the record remains unique but solid effort. The album plays more like a movie score than a rock record. It challenges the concept that every song on a rock album should sound the same. It takes some gutsy chances, it pushes boundaries…sometimes with enormous payoff…sometimes not. But isn’t that what great rock is supposed to be about? About challenging the norm? I honestly wish more albums sounded like this…I think rock would be alive and well if they did.

51. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2008)
- If GNR set the stage for the future, MGMT is that future. With an album that had more nooks and crannies than your grandmother’s house, they rocketed on the scene with the uber catchy “Kids” even though the rest of the album sounded like something that might be featured on the next Nuggets box set.

52. Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)
- If freak folk defined the indie scene this decade…I&W is the grandpappy. With the ultimate lo-fi production, it was like being transported back into time to a more peaceful era…where sitting on the porch drinking lemonade actually meant something.

53. Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)
- If you’re looking for albums that weren’t just great but helped shaped the decade…DP’s album was the album that set the standard for club music. From the likes of Kanye West to Justice to Beck…this was the album that influenced anyone and everyone to bust a move.

54. Feist – The Reminder (2007)
- With a voice like Feist’s…she could sing TV jingles and still be captivating. And with 1,2,3,4 as the perfect indie pop song…she had everyone…including pre-schoolers…singing along with her.

55. Hot Chip – The Missing (2006)
- It wasn’t dance record…but it had more moves than most club albums could have dreamed for. Like the bastard offspring of Thom Yorke and Beck, it was tantilizing good time. (Colours)

Buy these albums now…right here!

67. The Decembrists – The Crane Wife (2006) (Get it now for $5)
- Though Hazards was supposed to be Meloy’s epic project, the Crane Wife may be the bands best collection to date. With fantastic songwriting that crossed epic 12 minute ecclectic compilations with blissfully Fleetwood Mac-influenced pop songs while pushing their sea shanty style to the forefront, the band delivered an album that made them popular while keeping their indie cred intact. (The Perfect Crime #2)

68. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere (2006)
- Was it hip-hop? Was it electronic? Was it R&B? Was it rock n roll? What made this album so spectactular was that it was a little bit of everything…and a Violent Femmes cover that outperforms the original (IMO) never hurts.

69. El-P – Fantastic Damage (2002)
A blast of fire from the hip-hop underground came from a white guy. A new voice would break ground that is still forming the hip-hop world today. Though he keeps shaping his more recent albums in new directions…it was his first that fired the bullet from the gun.

70. Spoon – Girls Can Tell (2001)
- When Spoon jumped to Merge…half their fans left them for selling out. (And that’s a hardcore fanbase who thinks Merge is selling out) But Spoon made a massive jump not just in audience but in style and substance. This album rocketed them upward as a band that now needs to be reckoned with. (Me and the Bean)

71. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)
- Anytime a band’s album is traded on the internet months before it comes out…there’s a chance it will be good. Though this album lost some music snobs as it found itself featured on every teeny-bopper movie and TV show soundtrack, it remained one of the most talked about albums of that year….with no signs of slowing.

72. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (2004)
- As of January, FF was not on this list. But their new releases has really given them a newfound boost of respect and influence. The has-beens are now the right now…and are making us remember that they never left.

73. Ryan Adams – Cold Roses (2005)
- Ryan’s Grateful Dead opus was the first of 50 albums he released that year…and maybe his best with the now defunct Cardinals. The Dead style perfectly suited RA’s talents that remains fresher than some his newer material. (How Do You Keep Love Alive?)

74. Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
- Maybe I’m the only one who doesn’t get this album’s popularity. It might be my least favorite Radiohead release. But this album was the one that made them the household name…and trendsetters that they are today. (Idioteque)

75. M.I.A. – Kala (2007)
- Would Slumdog millionaire have been electric with out M.I.A.? Would the Grammy’s have been as exciting without her pregnant belly? And would the world of have dance survived with out her?

76. Eminem – The Eminem Show (2002)
A step-down from the epic Marshall Mathers…but still proof that Eminem was no flash in the pan. His rhymes remained crisp as he continued ripping apart his own life and those around him.

77. Linkin Park – Meteora (2003)
- Before you start bashing me for this choice. How many nu-metal bands survived? how many continued/continue to sell to this day? Linkin Park just didn’t out-last the others…they pushed forward. This album wasn’t just proof of their songwriting at its peak…it was also the album that launched them into rock stratosphere. And if not for this album…the collab with Jay-Z would have never legitimized mash-ups as we know.

Buy these albums now…especially if you don’t have them.

78. Jose Gonzalez – Veneer (2005)
- JG’s first solo album since his Zero 7 years is a haunting yet beautiful folk record.

79. Beck – Modern Guilt (2008)
- Beck drafts super-producer Dangermouse (whose impact is felt through this list)…to create an album suited for radio play in the 70s on AM…but somehow feels fresh and new for this decade.

80. The New Pornographers – Mass Romantic (2000)
- The indie supergroup featuring Neko Case, A.C. Newman, Ban Bejar (Destroyer) may be the best release any of them have done. Just a solid example of what happens when great minds think alike.

81. Pete Yorn – Musicforthemorningafter (2001)
- Pete Yorn’s debut literally came out of nowhere. There was a very little buzz about this guy prior to the release…and being on Sony…there was very little thought that this might be anything more than a major label’s attempt at woeing the indie crowd. But over the past decade…Pete has remained diligent about his craft, keeping it his own. And over that period…his debut has only ripened with age. (Lose You)

82. Jurassic 5 – Quality Control (2000)
- Possibly the release that legitimized the underground hip-hop movement. Though none of their other releases…solo or as a group…came close the originality or personality of this debut, the album continues to be a heralded landmark on the hip-hop landscape. (Lausd)

83. Kings of Leon – Only By Night (2008)
- Six months ago…I may not have included this…but the album has fought and clawed its way in critical and commercial success. Something that is no small feat in today’s music industry. But that aside, it’s just a good rock record. Not as strong as maybe their last release…but their music has matured as they have.

84. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (2007)
- Though it lacks in life and “fire” that the debut had…it’s still a collection of intensely constructed songs…dark but vibrant…morid but alive. Even when they’re a half-step off their game…they’re still a full step in front of everyone else. (Antichrist Television Blues)

85. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges (2008)
- The one thing severely lacking from the 2000s are the pure old fashioned rock records. A few bands tried to carry the rock n roll torch…but very few came close. But on MMJ’s release from last year…it was like the band was harnessing the past and everything that made them what they are. It may be too early to tell how great this record is…and who knows…a couple years down the road…I could see this album hanging out near the top. (The Librarian)

86. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009)
- This year’s front-runner is a ecclectic mix of the future of music. Many people are struggling to grasp this album, which only means it’s one that takes time. And any album with that kind of attention needed is one that is usually worth the time invested.

87. Kanye West – Graduation (2007)
- Maybe the weakest of KW’s non-autotune releases…is still a masterful hip-hop album and a scolding lesson of what can be accomplished with smart production. And any album that samples Daft Punk should always get an honorary listing.

88. Elliott Smith – Figure 8 (2000)
- ES’ last official release before his death shows the singer growing and expanding. He may have conquered on tunes that were simple bare bones kid & and a guitar folk…but Elliott wasn’t satisfied being just that. He was ready to challenge what he was capable of doing and where he could go…too bad we’ll never know what he could do. (Somebody That I Used To Know)