I read this New York Times piece about how we’re frantically trying to find a pithy, reductive nickname for this decade that’s closing. Some are proposing “The Noughties,” others “The Naughties,” so I’m gonna coin a phrase for this time of looking back: Noughtstalgia. Or Naughtstalgia, whatever. Music mags and sites have been framing our noughtstalgic excursions via songs and albums for the past few months (see: Uncut, P4K’s albums and songs, Paste, NME, EW); yesterday, you guys weighed in. Now it’s Rolling Stone‘s turn. And as much as a list like this is a way to assess the past 10 years’ art, in this case it’s also a time to look back at the assessing institution.
RS‘s diminishing sway on the listening habits of people like us parallels MTV’s, that’s not really controversial; most that frequent sites like ours look to the internet/blogs/sites-that-rank-albums-on-10-point-scales mindmeld for leads. So what’s Rolling Stone‘s place in all of this? Take this 200-point list as the formalized answer: to be something to everyone. And in a time of increasing niche-ification, that could soon translate as “to be nothing to anyone.”
Not to say reaching outside the internet’s navel-gazing is without value! In theory, it’s refreshing to have an alternative to the hipster hegemony of most lists. But in reality? Rolling Stone‘s top 15 albums tends toward commercial appeal and Dylan over artistic risk. I watched a Charlie Rose interview with Jann Wenner on the eve of the R&R HOF anniversary show in which the RS honcho spoke of his love for those acts that fuse the musical with the political, the artists “making a statement.” Not that Wenner got his hands dirty crafting this song rundown — it’d be heavier on the trinity-of-holy-Bs (Bono, Bruce, Bob) if so, and the official methodology included a poll of artists and “industry insiders” — but his spirit is there. Like, Randy Newman’s op-ed “A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country” coming in just seven slots below Pitchfork’s #1 song of the decade. Just like your list, right?
There’s a lot to pore over here, and it’s not without its catch-all merits — put it this way, to participate in a comprehensive conversation on “pop music,” whatever that is, you should probably know all of these artists. So just a few more notes before you cruise through:
- There’s a six-way tie for artists with the most songs in the Top 100: Beyoncé, U2, Jay-Z, OutKast, Radiohead, and LCD Soundsystem all with three a piece. Nicely eclectic/base-covering.
- RS and EW completely disagree on which of Cat Power’s albums is worthy of notice.
- Kanye West’s decade is to Rolling Stone‘s what Animal Collective’s was to yours: his entire four-album discography makes the list (Sung Tongs, Strawberry Jam, Merriweather, and Feels all made yours). In fairness, Ye’s actually tied with Radiohead for artist with most albums making the cut. And speaking of Animal Collective: shut out. Maybe not trying to be everything to everyone after all.
- And the #1 thing the Gummys, P4K, and RS can agree on: Kid A.
Have at it.
BEST SONGS
100 Damian Marley – “Welcome To Jamrock”
99 Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
98 Amy Winehouse – “Back To Black”
97 Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”
96 Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
95 Mary J. Blige – “Family Affair”
94 Radiohead – “Pyramid Song”
93 Snoop Dogg – “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
92 Brad Paisley – “Alcohol”
91 Bruce Springsteen – “My City Of Ruins”
90 Midlake – “Roscoe”
89 Bright Eyes – “Lua”
88 Jay-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A)”
87 The Knife – “Heartbeats”
86 Aaliyah – “Try Again”
85 Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move”
84 Clipse – “Grindin’”
83 The Gossip – “Standing In The Way Of Control”
82 Jay-Z – “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”
81 Pink – “Get The Party Started”
80 Phoenix – “1901″
79 Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – “Gone Gone Gone”
78 LCD Soundsystem – “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”
77 Dixie Chicks – “Not Ready To Make Nice”
76 Madonna – “Hung Up”
75 Arcade Fire – “Rebellion (Lies)”
74 TV On The Radio – “Wolf Like Me”
73 Queens Of The Stone Age – “No One Knows”
72 Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
71 Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.”
70 Arctic Monkeys – “I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor”
69 Santigold – “L.E.S. Artistes”
68 Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”
67 Wilco – “Jesus, Etc.”
66 Madonna – “Music”
65 Green Day – “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”
64 U2 – “Vertigo”
63 Lil Wayne – “A Milli”
62 Alicia Keys – “Fallin’”
61 Jet – “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”
60 Beyoncé – “Irreplaceable”
59 The Strokes – “Hard To Explain”
58 The White Stripes – “Fell In Love With A Girl”
57 The Shins – “New Slang”
56 Radiohead – “Idioteque”
55 OutKast – “Ms. Jackson”
54 Coldplay – “The Scientist”
53 The Rapture – “House Of Jealous Lovers”
52 Christina Aguilera – “Beautiful”
51 D’Angelo – “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”
50 Beyoncé – “Single Ladies”
49 The Walkmen – “The Rat”
48 The Killers – “Mr. Brightside”
47 Green Day – “American Idiot”
46 MGMT – “Kids”
45 Kylie Minogue – “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”
44 Britney Spears – “Toxic”
43 The Roots – “The Seed (2.0)”
42 Arcade Fire – “Wake Up”
41 LCD Soundsystem – “All My Friends”
40 Kelis – “Milkshake”
39 Modest Mouse – “Float On”
38 Gorillaz – “Clint Eastwood”
37 LCD Soundsystem – “Losing My Edge”
36 U2 – “Moment Of Surrender”
35 Bruce Springsteen – “The Rising”
34 Coldplay – “Yellow”
33 Daft Punk – “One More Time”
32 Franz Ferdinand – “Take Me Out”
31 The Flaming Lips – “Do You Realize??”
30 R. Kelly – “Ignition (Remix)”
29 Kanye West – “Gold Digger”
28 Randy Newman – “A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country”
27 The Postal Service – “Such Great Heights”
26 Coldplay – “Clocks”
25 Missy Elliott – “Work It”
24 Radiohead – “Everything In Its Right Place”
23 Rihanna – “Umbrella”
22 Amerie – “1 Thing”
21 OutKast – “B.O.B.”
20 Justin Timberlake – “Cry Me A River”
19 Kanye West – “Jesus Walks”
18 Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone”
17 Bob Dylan – “Mississippi”
16 The Strokes – “Last Nite”
15 Johnny Cash – “Hurt”
14 Missy Elliott – “Get Ur Freak On”
13 50 Cent – “In Da Club”
12 Eminem “Lose Yourself”
11 MGMT – “Time To Pretend”
10 Eminem – “Stan”
09 U2 – “Beautiful Day”
08 Amy Winehouse – “Rehab”
07 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Maps”
06 The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
05 M.I.A. – “Paper Planes”
04 OutKast – “Hey Ya!”
03 Beyoncé – “Crazy In Love”
02 Jay-Z – “99 Problems”
01 Gnarls Barkley – “Crazy”
BEST ALBUMS
100 Leonard Cohen – 10 New Songs
99 The Hold Steady – Almost Killed Me
98 TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain
97 Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
96 The Streets – Original Pirate Material
95 Alicia Keys – Songs In A Minor
94 The Libertines – Up The Brackett
93 Johnny Cash – Unearthed
92 Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
91 The Hives – Veni Vidi Vicious
90 Amadou & Miriam – Dimanche A Bamako
89 Radiohead – Hail To The Thief
88 Brian Wilson – Smile
87 Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere
86 The Postal Service – Give Up
85 Coldplay – Viva La Vida
84 Eminem – The Eminem Show
83 The Black Keys – Attack & Release
82 Queens Of The Stone Age – Rated R
81 Ryan Adams – Gold
80 Kings Of Leon – Youth And Young Manhood
79 The New Pornographers – Electric Version
78 Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise
77 Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
76 Sigur Rós – ( )
75 Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
74 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium
73 Coldplay – Parachutes
72 Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
71 Bright Eyes – Lifted Of The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground
70 Sleater-Kinney – The Woods
69 Missy Elliott – Under Construction
68 U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
67 Björk – Vespertine
66 Antony & The Johnsons – I Am A Bird Now
65 Manu Chao – Próxima Estación Esperanza
64 Gillian Welch – Time The Revelator
63 Kanye West – 808s And Heartbreak
62 Johnny Cash – American III: Solitary May
61 The Shins – Oh, Inverted World
60 Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
59 Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights
58 Danger Mouse – The Grey Album
57 Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism
56 Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
55 Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand
54 Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
53 Kings Of Leon – Only By The Night
52 M.I.A. – Arular
51 Spoon – Kill The Moonlight
50 Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
49 Fiona Apple – Extraordinary Machine
48 TV On The Radio – Dear Science
47 Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
46 Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds
45 Kanye West – Graduation
44 System Of A Down – Toxicity
43 The Killers – Hot Fuss
42 Elliott Smith – Figure 8
41 Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
40 Kanye West – Late Registration
39 Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak
38 Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
37 50 Cent – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
36 U2 – No Line On The Horizon
35 PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
34 OutKast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
33 Daft Punk – Discovery
32 Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III
31 My Morning Jacket – Z
30 Radiohead – In Rainbows
29 Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun
28 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell
27 The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
26 Cat Power – The Greatest
25 Radiohead – Amnesiac
24 Bruce Springsteen – Magic
23 D’Angelo – Voodoo
22 Green Day – American Idiot
21 Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head
20 The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
19 Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
18 MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
17 Beck – Sea Change
16 OutKast – Stankonia
15 Bruce Springsteen – The Rising
14 Jay-Z – The Black Album
13 U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
12 LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
11 Bob Dylan – Love And Theft
10 Kanye West – The College Dropout
09 M.I.A. – Kala
08 Bob Dylan – Modern Times
07 Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
06 Arcade Fire – Funeral
05 The White Stripes – Elephant
04 Jay-Z – The Blueprint
03 Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
02 The Strokes – Is This It
01 Radiohead – Kid A
Head to Rolling Stone for a list of the lists that this issue promises, and a bunch of online exclusives. I’m actually going to buy this one, if only for Rob Sheffield’s piece — that dude tends to know.
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Noughtstalgia? That’s nought a good idea, sir…
seriously crazy by gnarls barkely at # 1 come on
yea bitch gnarls barkley at number one…. name one song that was more world renown than that…. you can play that song anywhere and everyone will know the lyrics.
sit down…
They nailed it with the top 6, i’m accually really suprised with this list. But the songs, not so much, its pretty tough saying what the best songs of of the 2000′s are, theyre are way to many that were so good.
06 Arcade Fire – Funeral
05 The White Stripes – Elephant
04 Jay-Z – The Blueprint
03 Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
02 The Strokes – Is This It
01 Radiohead – Kid A
I would even say it’s really good until #17
I would drop Jay Z from the top 10.
10 Oracular Spectacular
09 Kala
08 In Rainbows
07 Funeral
06 Stankonia
05 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
04 The Marshal Mathers LP
03 Elephant
02 Is This It
01 Kid A
Saying This, I do think RS have done a good job with the top 10. I just think Bob Dylan’s past his time and Jay-Z is getting boring.
Find: bloc party
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i dont get what Rolling Stone are trying to say by not putting Silent Alarm in this? I really dont
It’s not hard. Silent Alarm has aged about as well as a 3-day old tostaco from Del Taco.
Albums that should have made the list
The Eraser
Silent Alarm
Hell Hath no Fury
Embryonic
A Ghost is Born
Los Angeles
I guess this is the decade’s last list of the decade
Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm is not on this list. Why? But glad to see YYY’s “Maps” rank well.
Mine isn’t out yet
wow, both Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear SNUBBED!!!
SHOCKAH
U2 WELL REPRESENTED WITH THEIR AMAZING OUTPUT OF THE LAST 10 YEARS THOUGH. PHEW!
for once this list doesnt seem too bad.
i’m not a radiohead fan but i can admit they are great and they know how to structure a song and album well.
great to see interpol, bon iver and bands like that too.
i still don’t understand how green day is still popular…nothing after the 90′s was anything new. they seem like they try too hard to be serious and do something “new” which really isnt new at all.
OutKast also has 3 songs in the top 100
so does radiohead
thanks dudes, noted
so does coldplay
I actually think the top 10 songs are pretty dead on. I wouldn’t choose them (read: u2) for my personal favorites, and I think Jay-z put out many better songs than 99 problems. But this list isn’t for me now, is it.
Really, it reads like a top ten most popular/relevant songs of the 00′s. And can’t an argument (AN argument, not the final argument) be made that that’s, especially for a publication like Rolling Stone, what makes them the best?
Your right about the top ten songs being dead on, not to my liking or anything but as far as popularity and the people majority, its dead on, i still hear those song once in a while on the radio.
And scooter69, ya dude, sea change was good but personaly The information was what took it for me, and i don’t think modern guilt gets enough credit, “volcano” was one of my favorite Beck songs
Going by this logic, shouldn’t Idioteque and Everything In Its Right Place essentially switch spots then? I agree with your assessment, just thought i’d be the devil’s advocate for a sec
I know lists are subjective but why is Sea Change Beck’s highest rated album? As good as it is, Guero, The Information, and especially Modern Guilt are far superior and deserve to be on this list. What’s with the hard-on for Jay-Z?
Ummmmm…. can’t agree more no Animal Collective? From an industry standpoint they’re the first experimental band of it’s kind to break Billboard’s mainstream top 200 debuting at #8 this year selling well over 600k units in first few months, unheard of-
Blows me away, Merriweather Post Pavillion was definitely a noteworthy album of this decade. (even though it’s not my favorite of theirs) And the no Bloc PArty thing, shocking.
If Rolling Stone is including 50 Cent why not Country songs? arguably one of the biggest genre’s of music-
All i see here is Indie, Rock, & Hip Hop…ummm ur missing one Rolling Stone.
Although I’m very partial to all the indie pics (Something I had never seen before in a RS list)
overall think RS is lackin again-
uhhh you gotta get your facts straight. MPP has not sold 600K, and it debut in the high teens, it was Veckatimest that debuted in the top 10 of billboard.
No country? i count Bright Eyes as country. Not only that but the best country there is.
seriously, i hate to take it out on you, because there are many dickheads like you sperming all over animal collective on this site, but dude, it needs to be said:
there is nothing noteworthy about either animal collective or mpp that deserves a decade mention. i am still blown away that they are this year’s number one. what exactly have they ever like uh, done? wow, they can use creepy vocal overdubs and harpsichord loops! in every song! accompanied by community college-worthy “music videos”! can you believe it! i have never heard anything like them! oh wait i have and they’ve done nothing amazing or groundbreaking. they are just weird in a lame way and even that is not enough to say that they’re anything noteworthy. seriously, mpp is such a sad example of what would be their best work.
it’s not directed at you, as much as it is at the general population of this site but seriously. shut the fuck up.
1-6 are fine…things go very downhill at #7. I still buy RS sometimes to take a shit to/fly with…usually only read one article.
Wow, this list is actually…really good. A nice balance of populist picks and artsier music. Well done, Rolling Stone.
Overall not bad. Kings of Leon having three of the top albums is super surprising, especially putting Only By the Night ahead of Youth and Young Manhood.
No surprises with the U2 love, that’s how RS gets down. I like the White Stripes and Strokes figuring in. Kid A at #1 seems like a shoutout to the indie community, not one of my favorites, but everyone adores it.
Agree with Evan. Silent Alarm should have made the list, and it’s hard to imagine Helicopter or Banquet not making the list.
only by the night comes in at #2
Veckatimest anyone? Grizzly Bear should be there! Thom Yorke: The Eraser? Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga? Beck: Modern Guilt? Tegan and Sara? Imogen Heap? Yeah yeah yeah’s: Its Blitz!? There are some holes in the list…
Modern Times and Love and Theft are excellent albums…safe? maybe, but I would put them on my list.
I’m surprised, but for once with RS, in a good way. Pretty solid lists.
Re: 1-6 being spot on, The Marshall Mathers LP (#7) is amazing, too.
the song CRAZY has TERRIBLE lyrics, I think that should disqualify it from being #1. Where’s FUCKING BIRD AND THE BEE!!! Why does everyone pretend they don’t exist?!
Rolling Stone sucks.
I just notice that U2 “No line on the Horizon” is #36 on the list
* beating my head against a desk*
O man, and then i noticed 50 cent was on the top 50 albums as #37
* ran into oncoming traffic*
Of all the Hold Steady albums, they pick Almost Killed Me?
Personally I think Separation Sunday is a little bit better, but Almost Killed Me is a hundred times better that Boys and Girls in America or Stay Positive.
ya i’m with you dude
Not that I’m a superfan or anything, but is there any other band that has released what has been argued as the “album of the decade” for two decades running?
It’s kind of interesting to see Kid A and OK Computer both in common discussions when they’re such different albums.
Not to undermine OK Computer or Kid A, but one could make a similar argument for The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby (not that I personally would, although both are definitely game-changers).
MGMT in the top 20 of the decade? Wha?
Photoshop is creepy more often than not…Get real RS…
One Hold Steady album on the entire list…and it’s at 100…and it’s ALMOST KILLED ME? What in the world?
MANU CHAO! good surprise….why RS has become sucha hip-hop lover? remember the days this was an actual good music mag?
I like MGMT but number 18 for the ’00s, no way. And Sky Blue Sky is one of the worst albums of the decade.
Why is their list of albums so good and their list of songs so bad? I can’t account for that vast disparity.
I’m just wondering why you guys haven’t posted both the AV Club’s best of the Decade and their best of 2009. Both lists are quite good and from a major publication. Much better than this list…
I think AVClub’s best of the decade list is the best I’ve seen so far. With Bows + Arrows at 11 and Alligator at 10, it was a list after my heart.
I don’t like how the most recent Phoenix album is better than Is This It and how they try to hard to incorporate 09 into the list. I feel like all the indie pubs feel like they need to represent pop, so they pick something that they probably haven’t listened to in their lives (Justified?).
I’ve been posting this in the comments and asking why myself forever now. That list is pretty great!
No portishead… On any of these lists!
10. Eminem- Stan. HAH. What?
It is wrong that Lil Wayne comes in 46 places ahead of Illinoise; however, it is even more ridiculous that not one but two of Kanye’s albums come in ahead of it. This list does include of number of good ones, but mostly it’s pretty whack!
Garbage.
Gnarls Barkley – “Crazy”
Ew.
completely disagree about the beck thing.
sea change was the last album of his i cared about, i think guero, the information, and modern guilt (though slightly better than the previous two) are shadows of his former greatness.
sea change is excellent though. real emotion there from beck finally.
I don’t think either of those lists are too bad, as far as capturing the decade goes. I like that they chose Elephant over White Blood Cells, too. FINALLY someone made the correct call on that one.
That said, I love Bob Dylan but anyone at RS who really thinks he made 2 of the 11 best records last decade needs to be put out to pasture.
I think I am the only one in the world who prefers “Get Behind Me Satan”
Personally I think NONE of us will ever fully agree with a list posted by ANYTHING. Lets just all make our own and love that one.
And Rolling Stone has it out for Animal Collective, don’t know why, but they just do. None of their major releases have been over a 3.5 rating (and that one 3.5 went to MPP). They also don’t like Joanna Newsom, and for these two acts, I disqualify them as a legit musical source.
In the issue, there’s a blurb about the “least-enduring genres” of the decade, and they listed freak folk and specifically listed Joanna Newsom and Animal Collective as prime examples.
Wow. I was actually shocked with this list. I thought they were gonna put Miley Cyrus, Britney and The Jonas Brothers in there somewhere. I’m glad they did something right this time around. yay for Kid A!
Me too!
As a subscriber to Rolling Stone, I’ve often been letdown and/or surprised by some of their album reviews. Some favorite bands only getting three stars while the new U2 getting four?? I love the mag for the reporting they’ve done over the years and their articles are what keeps me coming back for more. Some of their writers and editors have very respectable opinions but is common knowledge now that RS caters to certain artists while ignoring others. Having said that, It appears they want to get plenty of “blog-cred” while at the same time not alienating the mainstream readers who have no idea who Animal Collective are. According to their standards, Coldplay, U2 and Green Day deserve to be on this list not because they released great albums but because they’ve managed to stick around long enough for people to continue to care about (and pay for) their music, from which RS has gained plenty of additional readers i’m sure, after all it’s still in the business of selling magazines right? Speaking for myself, I can say that many albums on this list are just filler while maybe only 15 of them truly deserve to be up there, with Kid A, YHF, Funeral, Up The Bracket and Is This It among them. Encompassing the whole decade, the most exciting music was that which had been influenced from many different past musical-eras and genres. I don’t know why but I tend to take the RS lists too seriously, maybe because they’ve been around for a long-ass time.
A pivotal musical moment from this decade for me was right in the beginning in the year 2000 when I heard the preview mtv2 had of the new Radiohead album which was supposed to be coming out later that year. The first time I heard the opening piano riff for ‘Everything In It’s Right Place’ was the moment that signaled the birth of something completely fresh and new. The same excitement can be felt midway-through on Animal Collective’s opening song ‘In The Flowers’ from Merriweather Post Pavillion when the song takes off into this explosion of sounds. Perhaps signaling a preview of what awaits for us in the coming decade? Regarding this whole ranking of music, everybody has different opinions of what they feel is the best, worst albums of the decade but there will always be that handful of albums that everyone will always agree on, just ask p4k, RS & the Gummys. It’s these albums that will outlast the test of time. Amen for music.
Then where is Tom Waits on this list?
No Animal Collective? Have they no sense of consensus. Oh we hipsters will have something to say about this, indeed.
it seems rolling stone has been reading a lot of pitchfork.
good thin m.i.a. made it to the top 10
This list is pretty good. Sure there are bands I would like to have seen on it (just like every other best of decade list), but thank god someone stood up to the Animal Collective hipster hype machine. MPP is a gurgling mess.
First a trivia note: The “naught” play on words refers to the first decade of a century traditionally being called the “aughts.” As for the list, as usual, most of the artists are probably appropriate to the overall pop/rock landscape, but we couid do with a little bit less Coldplay and a few more important artists, like the aforementioned and the Decemberists, Neko Case, Jose Gonzalez, Josh Ritter, Stars, Feist, Metric, and Belle & Sebastian. At the very least, include Broken Social Scene for it’s groundbreaking structure, style and spin-offs. And, of course, the choice of material and order of precedence is stupid. For example, M.I.A.’s “Paper Airplanes” is far more significant than Kala, especially as it was a major part of the soundtrack of Oscar-winning Best Film. I am also one of those annoying indie lovers who also loves U2 (probably b/c I’m a geezer who fell in love with them when they were indie post-punk at the same time as Joy Division), but *No Line on the Horizon* has no place on any best-of list. (The other two albums I’ll grant ‘em, and ATYCLB actually belongs IMHO.) And I would really like it if the folk weighing in would pay attention to covers. There is probably no song on this list covered more this decade than “Heartbeats,” and yet it is #87? I don’t think so. Even if you don’t like the song, pay attention to the artists who do. And no “Breathe Me” (Sia) when it was all we heard the summer of 05? (It was just as ubiquitious as “:Crazy” was the following summer, and Feist was later that year.) I AM glad to see LCD SS & Radiohead getting love (although, again, I’d do some re-arranging, except for Kid A), and I do like the hip-hop inclusions, but as for the latter, the exclusion of K’naan is also unforgivable. Another commenter said it well, none of these lists will do justice to the artists we love, and we just have to make our own.
Does Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear have enough jizz for the amount of blowjobs y’all give them around here….?
That’s because Animal Collective is not talented whatsoever.
So whens your album coming out?
probably never, so shut the fuck up, in the flowers in your ass
HAHAHA seriously, i love this guy
You, sir, have my respect. And you, Mr. Bukowski, doubly so simply for liking the great Buk and disliking Animal Collection Agency. [Bows graciously to both]
good to see Oracular Spectacular get some love
I completely agree with Amrit – these two lists are a perfect illustration of how “something for everyone!” almost always translates into nothing for anyone. But that being said, I’m genuinely surprised at the albums list. It’s actually not horrible! Given the source I had much lower expectations. I definitely thought there would be a lot more of the let’s-pretend-they’re-still-relevant vanguard (i.e., U2, Dylan, etc.). I also agree with everyone who has said that the songs list leaves a bit more to be desired though.
And I have to go with the majority (here on Stereogum, anyway) on Animal Collective. No matter how you may personally feel about their music, excluding them altogether says just as much about Rolling Stone as putting a Bob Dylan album in their top 10.
hold steady should have been boys and girls in america
and grizzly bear should have been on this
other than that, better than i expected.
One band thats been excluded from all these list is “Explosions in the sky” and not to mention Boards of Canadas ” Campfire Headphase” and ” Geogaddi.”
I AM VERY ASHAMED OF ROLLINGSTONE. THEIR TASTE FOR MUSIC HAS DIED!!!!!!!1. HOW THE HELL DOES LIL WAYNE TOP GET RICH OR DIE TRYING AND THE EMINEM SHOW???????????????????????????????HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPEOPLE. LIKE IM CONVINCED THAT LIL WAYNE HAS HYPNOTIZED EVERYONE IN LIKING HIM. IM SO AMAZED. THE EMINEM SHOW AND GET RICH SHOULD OF BEEN RANKED IN THE TOP 20. MAN…THIS IS MIND BOGGLING. THE MUSIC INDUSTRY REALLY IS DEAD
solution: take 50 cent out. put grizzly bear in. done.
Theres a lot of holes but I can’t argue with the top ten in albums. It’s not who I would have picked but I’m pretty shocked RS had that much awareness
Surprised no one’s mentioned the lack of Modest Mouse. Seriously? I can understand it not being everyone’s favorite, but Moon & Antarctica was huge. Didn’t even crack the top 100 for RS…
absolutely agree. that is the most lyrically dense album of the 00s, hip hop be damned.
ok this list isnt bad, has some great albums, cant really complain. but EVERYONE…. ONCE AND FOR ALL. THE CARTER III, SUCK A DICK. first time i heard this album i became quite convinced and still am to this day. that lil wayne has pulled such a fast one on the American public….. his lyrics are rubbish, but his true genius is making something so terrible become so popular and somehow getting critics to adore the album as well. then again, most sites like say pitchfork do pretty much have a white frat boy’s music taste when it comes to hip hop. anyways sorry to rant, but im sure people out there feel the same way as i do.
finally…elliott smith is on one of those lists…
i know man, elliott smith was a hell of musician
Umm, Coldplay has 4 songs in the top 100, which tops the 6-way tie.
holy shit a talking lama!!! and it likes coldplay!!
whoa, spelling fail.
I meant Llama
This is just a list of really good, solid albums (for the most part) & songs (w/ the exception of Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Gurl) & it should be taken just as that. Oh Rolling Stone… I’m just glad American Idiot wasn’t #1.
why not, green day’s American Idiot deserves the top ten spot
i dont give a fuck i like these lists. MGMT at 18 fuck yeah bitches.
I guess Kanye, Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, 50 Cent, Eminem, and T.I. were the only ones who made Hip/Hop music this decade. The great albums made by Ghostface Killah, Clipse, Raekwon, Slum Village, Q-Tip, Madvillain, Mos Def, Jay Dee, and many other more talented rappers were just figments of my imagination.
I can understand AC not on the list, but why the fuck are The Dirty Projectors on the there. Also, people only like the singles MGMT has put out, why the hell do people like that lackluster album? Oh yeah, unnecessary hype. One more compliant, “House Of Jealous Lovers”, really? I mean the Rapture are cool and all, but that song isn’t that good. DFA 1979 did what they did, and made it better with “Romantic Rights”. It’s cool to see “Wolf Like Me” on there though.
Put up some Deerhunter, Flaming Lips and SY mofos.
All things considered, this seriously is the least aggravating decade list I’ve seen, which kinda scares me.
I can’t agree with the idea that the list, in trying to be something for everyone, winds up being for no one. Some people happen to like a variety of music, that includes both pop, rap, and of course indie. While there are definitely some startling omissions or odd ranking choices, this list is pretty damn solid, especially the entire top 10. Yes, U2, Springsteen, and Dylan (okay, not Dylan since those albums are pretty damn good) get a little too much attention on the list (though “All That You Can’t Leave Behind, in my opinion, probably does deserve a spot). And yes, MPP is, whether you like it or not, an important album that many love. But they did a relatively decent job.
For people that go on sites like Stereogum and argue over lists, nothing will really be perfect. But what I think people should think about is this: the 13 year old who likes what he hears on modern rock radio, picks up this magazine on a newstand somewhere, and discovers another world. When I was 13 RS did their list of 200 essential rock albums. While it wasn’t perfect, I would have never discovered what truly great music is without it. I wouldn’t have anything to base my listening purchases off of, and after buying “Coda” instead of Led Zeppelin 4, or worse, just listening to late 90s rock radio, I probably would have decided that music’s a waste of time.
As RS is the most well-read music magazine in the country, I thank God that the list had some great choices and that many will now be exposing themselves to some great music.
Enough with these lists. The decade isn’t over until the end of next year anyway.
Is there some kind of island or leper colony where we can put everyone who points out that the decade doesn’t end until next year?
Don’t criticize Adam because he knows how to count.
this list is bogus … cause theres no wolf parade’s apologies to queen mary and bloc party’s silent alarm… end of story
The hipsters are having a field day with this aren’t they. Wait a second, I’m one of them!
This list sucks. It looks like the R.S. editors looked at Pitchfork.com for an hour and just added anything they saw to their original list, which was filled with Kelly Clarkson and Coldplay and other shit. Too bad they missed all the good hipster music.
Oh and good job essentially copying Pitchfork’s top 6 albums for your own list.
“That’s a name no one would self-apply where I come from.”
Would like to have more Modest Mouse (all i saw was Float On), but i’m just an extreme fan…..
On a better note, glad to see the Strokes, Bright Eyes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Libertines.
Return To Cookie Mountain is hands down better than Dear Science. they got that backwards.
Wait…Kanye, but no Muse?
FAIL.
Welcome To Jamrock should be higher on the list. That’s really all I’ve got to say about this as most of what I listen to is electronic and nobody knows it anyway.
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nothing surprising on anyone’s damn lists. think about it.
congratulations, elliott smith. everyone else already pat themselves on the back.
let it be known that i’ve been calling this decade the Odies since new year’s eve Odie O
maybe it was Oties i’ve never actually spelt it out
This shit sucks.
You can never narrow 100 Best Albums, Songs Of The ’00s or anything involving music in lists! It’s such nonsense.
Marshall Mathers LP is excellent.
It packs so much dark humor, amazing storytelling, social satire, and witty punchlines all in one album. It’s honestly the George Carlin of hip hop albums.
In general, not too bad.
Can’t believe this is the only publication to include Sigur Rós – ( ) on their decade list (for shame!)
At the same time, the only U2 I would had included was “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”.
Isn’t it funny that NME, a British publication, gave it to the Strokes (an American band) while RS, the American one, gave it to Radiohead (a British band)?
Top songs lists are kind of dumb.
There’s actually a word for that my dear Arnold. It’s called ironic.
Vampire Weekend’s s/t over Interpol’s Turn On The Bright Lights? I just threw up.
Sufjan is #78? i’m surprised there’s not more outrage about this – I think a lot of people would put it in at least the top 20 albums of the decade, no matter who’s list it is…. probably the definitive indie rock album of the decade in fact.
And why no Regina Spektor on this list? she put out 5 albums in the past decade and received massive amounts of press….
Agreed, Illinois is definitely my favorite album of the decade.
One point that seems to have been lost here is that RS didn’t actually pick these lists. They polled 100 or so artists, industry execs, staffers, etc. So it’s not that surprising that it’s a solid, well-rounded consensus. On the other hand, RS did pick it’s best of ’09 list, and U2 came in #1 for both album and single of the year. Shocking.
where is the Milk Shake Song!?
Wow. No Bloc Party, or as far as I can see any Bright Eyes.
Two of the best artists of the decade in my opinion.
..just saw Bright Eyes. Still no Bloc Party though!
At least they remembered to leave out Limp Bizkit!
This list is depressing. Maybe for the next decade instead of choosing 85 artists and having interns pick them out of a hat at random, Rolling Stone might want to choose 115 artists and have management press their Genius tab and call it a day.
Kid A, the greatest album of the decade, was recorded in 1999 and came out in 2000 , and IT’S NOT EVEN THEIR BEST ALBUM! If only we could have known so we could have ended it right there. Sorry guys, better luck in the 10s! 2000s, the year great music forgot.
Re: Terrible Lyrics:
The Bird and the Bee – “Again and Again”
You’re so stupid and perfect
And stupid and perfect
I hate you, I want you
I hate you, I hate you, oh
Again, again, again, again
La, la, la
Again and again and again
Do it again
Do it again
Again and again and again
Do it again
Do it again
Again and again
My top three albums of the decade were not on this list.
#3 – Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
#2 – The Wrens – Meadowlands
#1 – Jens Lekman -Night Falls on Kortedala.
When I was a kid Rolling Stone was my absolute source for anything cool. I’m 43 years now and my musical tastes continue to change and I am always searching for the new and fresh.
Despite the bones they throw my way every now and again I’ve given up on RS as a viable music source. It’s pablum for their core audience …50-70 year old folks who long ago gave up on moving forward with their musical leanings. Trust me Rs no one gives a shit about Bob Dylan, U2, Bruce Springsteen or Leonard Cohen. The creation of Rock and Roll is and always will be a young man’s game. I’m glad those powerhouses just listed continue to make great music but for them to appear on “best of” lists is just silly.
One last comment…..My Morning’s Jacket absolute classic is all but universally as “It Still Moves”. For RS to put the dull and lifeless follow-up “Z” on this list really shows how little they get it.
Blochead
Honestly, I’m shocked by this list. I expect it to be the worst of the bunch due to the Rolling Stone’s general reluctance to accept anything new and exciting (being virtually the only publication not to give Funeral, You Forgot It In People etc. the credit it deserved), but it is one of the better lists posted on here
And enough U2 bashing, the fact it they released 2 pretty decent albums this decade, albeit with one disaster in the middle
this is actually, admittedly, a decent list. i found myself going “fair enough” a few more times than i expected.
to all of you people are complaining about how didn’t get a nod, you really need to get over it.
i live in canada, and a good number of my picks for top albums of the decade are canadian and probably weren’t even considered for any decade-end list that’s going to come out this year.
matthew good’s “avalanche” was an incredible album and a HUGE comeback after the band broke up just a couple of years before. not many people can incorporate the vancouver symphony orchestra into a rock song but it turned out spectacularly ["weapon"].
mother mother’s “o my heart” is probably my favourite album of all time. it’s a perfectly structured pop/rock album from start to finish. it’s my hope that they start getting more international attention in the next few years because they definitely deserve it.
immaculate machine is completely undderrated. “fables” and “ones and zeros” both got robbed by the mere fact that nobody outside of the west coast has heard them [besides those few on the east coast with fabulous taste in music]
i’m also lamenting the lack of corb lund’s “horse solder, horse soldier” which, to me, is what all country music should sound like.
it’s also a little sad to see joel plaskett’s career overlooked so harshly. from “in need of medical attention” to his latest release “three”, he has been a force in canadian indie/folk music but is always getting passed over for the polaris, and is mainly remembered for the song he had once in the zellers commercial. sad times. at least the east coast music awards love him.
it’s a shame. and all our lists and awards shows up here do are highlight international music [black eyed peas, katy perry, etc] and artists such as feist, rather than the extreme amount of talent we have growing in all corners of our country.
so stop whining because animal collective [who aren't that great TBH] didn’t get wanked off by the big guys. at least they still get representation.
**how “insert favourite hipster band here” didn’t get a nod…
apparently brackets aren’t favoured in comments.
I totally agree with you, if you dug deep into Canadian music, especially independent, you would have to re-write these lists. I live in Nova Scotia, and in this province alone, we have artists like Joel Plaskett, Wintersleep, and Tom Fun Orchestra, who make amazing and, above all, unique music. Then when you go across the entire country, you have artists like Dan Mangan, Chad VanGaalen, Feist, Hey Rosetta!, Do Make Say Think, etc that could turn these lists on their heads. I’d be interested to see a list of Canadian albums for the decade, as I truly believe the most interesting new music comes from up north.
Add The Acorn and Ohbijou to this list. Canadian music is more then Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, and Wolf Parade (or anything that comes out of Spencer Krug or Dan Boekner.)
i can’t believe i didn’t mention wintersleep or chad vangaalen! both are fantastic, and put on great live shows :)
in my opinion, i think the #1 band that’s suffered from underexposure though is the weakerthans. so many people know them and like them, but they’ve never been able to rise up from where they started. shame because “reconstruction site” is SO GOOD!!
i too would also absolutely love to read a list of top canadian music from the decade, and just see how many bands from across every part of the country have contributed to who we are today. i bet it would be surprising! even if just from the point of view that what means something to me here in BC might not be the same for someone living in the maritimes or ontario. there’s such diversity in canadian music, that it would be quite a neat, eclectic list.
i agree wholeheartedly that the most unique music comes from up here. maybe it’s that we’re not as concerned with being chart jockeys because we know BEP will always be in high rotation on the radio, or if it’s because we’re alright with allowing our identity to come through in our music, but it’s refreshing.
we’re definitely more than the arcade fire and BSS. and we do have bigger contributions to music than nickelback :P
Nickelback is on a mission to destroy Canadian music. Its criminal that they are our biggest band when you look at the amazing talent we have. If you don’t already listen to it, turn on some CBC Radio 3. Thats for everyone on this board. I promise you that you will find at least one amazing new band in your first hour or so.
I finally completed my own list for best of the decade albums (not too long of a list)….
[20] Sleater Kineey – The Woods
[19] M.I.A. – Kala
[18] Liars – Drum’s Not Dead
[17] Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
[16] The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
[15] Queens Of The Stone Age – Rated R
[14] Ambulance Ltd – Ambulance Ltd
[13] Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun
[12] Jay Z – The Blueprint
[11] TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain
[10] Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
[09] Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Fever To Tell
[08] Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
[07] ?And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Source Tags & Codes
[06] The Strokes – Is This It
[05] The Libertines – Up The Bracket
[04] Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
[03] Arcade Fire – Funeral
[02] Wiclo – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
[01] Radiohead – Kid A
What?? No Morrissey at all?? You are the Quarry should be on here.
Every list in that issue is pretty bad. I’m so sick of RS kissing Bono and Bruce Springsteen’s ass every month in every single issue. Hire at least like one fucking young person on your staff. Jesus
Considering U2 only put out one bad album this decade (out of 3), they deserve to be on this list. However, they left the wrong one off. No Line On The Horizon was good, it should replace How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Glad to see All That You Can’t Leave Behind get the love it deserves. People have to realize U2′s albums are more then the singles, then they will see they are actually quite good
I love Bob Dylan as much as anybody, but he’s old and past his prime. I don’t see his new music being the influence his old music is, and for that I don’t see a reason to include him in the list. There are much more relevant folkies putting out music that is just as good.
For example, Josh Ritter’s The Animal Years. That album is brilliant. “Girl In The War” is as good as any Dylan song, with layer upon layer of literary and cultural allusion, not to mention how timely the song was. “Idaho” alone should put Ritter in the pantheon of great American songwriters, not to mention “Harrisburg”, “Thin Blue Flame”, and “The Temptation Of Adam”.
Not to rag on Dylan, but I think its time for aging critics to recognize the torch was passed on decades ago.
it is amadou et MARIAM, not miriam, idiots
This list is alright. They got kid A right, suprising. But they are so ignorant sometimes jeez. Where’s:
Brand New
Glassjaw
Muse
Jimmy Eat World
Bloc Party???
Jimmy Eat World? Really?
hell no to jimmy eat world, But I’m surprised Muse’s Knight of Cyndonia and Green Day’s Jesus of Surburbia are not in the list.
agreed; especially with the epic “Jesus of Suburbia”…
Yer dude.
Bleed American, Futures?
Best pop punk of this decade
They should at least feature it somewhere.
Not that high though.
“best pop-punk album by far” is a bit like saying “best tasting chunk of shit I’ve ever had”
No “Ode to Sunshine”?
rolling stone is so stupid! they do not know good music when it hits them in the face! the music they put on this list is for little kids! there was no deerhunter, ylt bloc party jaxx gang gang dance!!!! but there was also no garbage Animal Collective :) so they are forgive for their ignorance.