1. Immaculate Machine – Zeros and Ones (2005): The first time I heard this band, I had no expectations. They were the opening another band and I was late getting to the show. I walked in just as they started “Broken Ship” and couldn’t believe such a talented band was the opener. By the end of their set, I was in love with all things Immaculate Machine. From “Army’s” fight for artistic purity, to the stance against fear mongering in “Latest Breaking News,” power pop has never been so deep. Side note, you might recognize the female vocalist: she’s also with The New Pornographers and often times substitutes for Neko Case.
2. Vienna Teng – Inland Territory (2009): If a folk singer and a classical composer were to have a kid, that kid would be Vienna Teng. Inland Territory, Vienna’s fourth studio album, may just be her best album yet. The songs are darker than those of her previous albums. For example, No Gringo talks about a future where Americans have to sneak into Mexico to survive:  Radio talks about a fictitious bombing in San Fransisco and the media’s 9/11-esque coverage. Inland Territory is not an album to listen to when you want to feel happy, but its a great album to listen to when you need a good cry, or just want to hear beautiful music.
3. Black Kids – Partie Tramatic (2008): This album is just pure pop fun. But while its pop, its not, by any means, the crap you might hear on top 40 radio. Sure, there’s the crowd pleasing “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You,” which sounds like it should be blaring from every American Eagle store in the country. But there’s also songs about people taking advantage of people, and how  deeply one night stands cut one’s soul. This album is for people who like to dance, but also like to think.
4. The Violet Burning – I am a Stranger in this Place (2000): This is technically a best of album, but Micheal Pritzl decided, instead of repackaging these songs, re-record them all together – often time with a better feel than the original. The result is an amazingly dark and hauntingly beautiful album. Perfect for playing on a cold, rainy night.
5. Beirut – The Flying Club (2007): I first heard this album played in a coffee shop, and knew I had to have it. One gets the feeling of walking along a quiet street in the middle of Paris when listening to The Flying Club. The songs are light, but beautiful. Free, but full of meaning. As someone with a BA in English, I have to admire the poetic feel of the lyrics. Try not to smile too much while listening to this album.
6. Dressy Bessy – Sound Go Round (2002): I bought this album the day after a family friend died, so its always had some dark overtones to it. But despite the dark overtones I’ve laid on Sound Go Round, this album is pure sunshine wrapped in a fuzzy blanket of bliss.  There’s an interesting juxtaposition in the songs “I Saw Cinnamon” and “Buttercups.” In “I Saw Cinnamon,” we get the story of a free spirited man whom everyone likes. In “Buttercups,” however, we get the story of a woman who does her own thing despite the people around her – those around her finally give up on trying to change her, and even “Clap for her.”
7. Treaspassers William – Having (2006): Another dark and beautiful album from Treasspassers William. The songs on Having feel like they’re longing for the safety and innocence one finds at home. On a side note, fans of Mercury Rev might be pleased to hear that Dave Fridmann produced this album.
8. The 1900s – Cold and Kind (2007): I discovered this band quite by accident. I walked into their show during Musicfest NW (2008) to see a friend and had no real plans of staying. But as the 1900s started playing, I knew I HAD to listen to the entire set. When I got home, I downloaded Cold & Kind and played it so much, 4 of the 12 tracks are still in my “100 most played songs” Itunes playlist. The music is often light, with a 1970s pop feel, but the lyrics are anything but light. The lyrics talk about such hard subjects as choosing to spend their life single (as opposed to being with the wrong person), to throwing away one’s set of values to pursue what they really believe.
9. Menomena – Friend and Foe (2007): Those of you who read my Top 25 albums of the zeros album may recognize this band’s name; Menomena’s first album was actually my number 3 pick of the decade. The second (proper) studio release was a great follow up to I am the Fun Blame Monster. When one looks at this album’s cover, one gets a surrealistic feeling – The lyrics and music of Friend and Foe follow through with their own surreal flavor. The entire album feels like a restful dream.
10. Havalina – Space, Love, & Bullfighting (2002): This album is almost sad, in the fact that it is the last album Havalinia (Rail Company) ever put out, and was sort of a last ditch effort to keep the band together after several members left. Despite these factors, Space, Love, & Bullfighting is a wonderful and smart piece of music. Havalina is known for doing themed albums, but this is the first album where the band merges two unrelated themes (Latin America and the Space Age). This merging makes a very eccentric album of course, but despite the eccentricity of the album, the songs are all very accessible – not to mention just a lot of fun.

24. The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics (2006): The first time I heard “The W.A.N.D.”, I knew I wanted more of this album. At War with the Mystics might not get the love that “Yoshima Battles the Pink Robots,” has been getting, but its probably the most accessible album The Flaming Lips has ever done. At any rate, how can one pass up ANY album by one of the greatest rock bands of the last twenty years?

23. Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005): Mr. Bird’s second solo album is also his best. From Opposite Day’s karmatic approach on the world, to Nervous Tic’s painting of two different people’s lives, this album has some of the most brilliant lyrics of the decade. And Mr Bird’s whistling! Don’t forget about his whistling!

22. Blitzen Trapper – Furr (2008): I have a theory on this album: every song has something to do with dreams. Some songs are dreams, some song reference dreams, some songs talk about dreams. Even if my theory is wrong, every song makes me fish for meaning, and that’s always a good thing. And the 1970s flare of the album always puts me in a good mood.

21. Jenny Lewis (with The Watson Twins) – Rabbit Fur Coat (2006): Jenny Lewis is no longer starring in Toys R Us commercials, and that’s a good thing! Her first album away from Rilo Kiley explores spirituality, poverty, and even corrupt politicians. Backed by the beautiful harmonizing of The Watson Twins, this album is candy for the ears. And probably the best cover of the decade (Handle me With Care by the Traveling Willburies) is on this album.

20. Ben Folds – Rockin’ the Suburbs (2001): Ben Folds lost the other two members of the Ben Folds Five, and produced this amazing and fun album. The title track is hysterical, telling the story of a white kid from the suburbs and how rough his life is. But the album is not all light fun; “Zak and Sara” tells a story of a couple just trying to make it, “The Ascent of Stan” tells a tale of a hippie who sells out his beliefs, and “Fired” tells the story of an abusive workplace (probably run by Stan actually).

19. Air – Talkie Walkie (2004): The first time I heard “Cherry Blossom Girl,” I kind of fell in love. That sounds like a Cliche’, but its really the truth.  A month later, I bought the entire album. While the other songs didn’t quite hit me like Cherry Blossom Girl, my first exposure to Air was more than pleasant. Air: they named their band well. We all need a little Air to live.

18. Rilo Kiley – Take Offs and Landings (2001): Depending on who you ask, this was Rilo Kiley’s first or second album (I say second). To me, Rilo Kiley was a defining band in the early and mid zeros. I remember one college paper that was written in its entirety while listening to this album. Of course, there’s also a negative memory- a girl actually quoted “Science vs Romance” to me as a reason we shouldn’t date….but that’s a different story altogether! And I do have to admit, she was right!

17. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (2009): When making this list, I knew I had to include this album. To be honest, I’m still digesting it as a whole – and I’ve had it since February of this year (2009). I am actually surprised it took The Decemberists this long to do a rock opera, considering their albums are always equal parts literature and music, but The Hazards of Love was worth the wait.

16. Daft Punk – Human After All (2005): Ahhh, funky dance music – how could I live without you? But there’s more than just funky dance music, there’s a running theme in this album about television as well as consumerism. Your feet and your mind will love this album equally.

15. Elvis Costello – North (2003): This is a great album to listen to on a cold, rainy night or a walk in the snow. Probably the only non-Christmastime album I associate with winter. Its not a typical Elvis Costello album – pretty much piano driven, slow Jazz – but that’s what makes this such a magnificent album.

14. Blonde Redhead – Misery is a Butterfly (2004): From Elephant Woman to Falling man, this album is everything I love about Blonde Redhead. When they stop playing music as a band, I’m sure I’ll look back at this album and see it as their masterpiece. Well, maybe – they might have a few good albums left in them still.

13. Ladytron – Light & Magic (2003): I bought this album as soon as I saw it was available. I didn’t even listen to any tracks on the album – just picked it off the rack, brought it to the counter, and paid for it. Ladytron’s sophomore release did not disappoint. The songs are full of metaphors that I’m still trying to unwrap six years later. And one of these years I’ll find a translation to the songs sung in Bulgarian.

12. Over The Rhine – Ohio (2003): This album was originally supposed to be two albums, but the band couldn’t stand to separate the songs from one another, so they released this masterpiece of a double album. At times Ohio’s songs are minimal and naked, at times they are fully orchestrated. At times Ohio explores personal hardships and spirituality, at times, the songs are outright political. If you can find it, be sure to check out the extended version of “How Long Have You Been Stoned.”

11. The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema (2005): The New Pornographers are my favorite band, so of course they would get a mention on this list. Twin Cinema is somewhat of a departure from a simple rock and roll to more of an album rock sound. The band also grew in the literal sense with the addition of keyboardists / Vocalist Kathryn Calder.  And what other band can write a song full of lyrics that don’t really make any sense and make it sound like an epic journey?

10. The Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army (2007): This is the album I always pull out when I’m feeling down and want to cheer myself up. While a 20+ member band cannot really be described as “scaled down” in any sense, The Fragile Army seems to be the most “scaled down” of The Spree’s albums. The songs feel more accessible and while the songs still work as pieces to a whole album, almost all of them work individually – which is a change of focus for The Spree. Next time you feel like curling up with a blanket and sobbing into a pillow, pull up the video for “We Crawl” and try not to smile just a little.

9. Rufus Wainwright – Want One (2003): I like to think of this album as a musical blog: Wainwright seems to write about random experiences from dancing at a club, hoping someone special will call and “Vibrate” his phone, to hitting on someone (and getting shot down) on a train. Every time I wake up at 11:11, I must quote the song of the same name. Though I have to change the lyrics, because I usually AM in Portland (the lyrics state he is NOT in Portland – or Heaven).

8. Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003): I picked this album up during a time when everything in my life was changing. The album provided much needed solace to me in a very shaky time. Now that things have changed a few more times, and I’m generally on the upside, this album still provides me with a smile when I hear it. Maybe its the lyrics, maybe its the music, or maybe I’m just a sucker for any band that likes to give their albums a 60s and 70s feel.

7. The Shins – Oh, Inverted World (2001): There’s a reason this album had two tracks on the Garden State Soundtrack, as well as an in Movie shout out by Natalie Portman. Yes, this band WILL change your life – but you probably knew that already. This band has gotten so much positive press that its hard not to know this band. But in case you haven’t heard it, go listen to it already! Jeez! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?!?!?!?

6. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000): No, this was not the Joshua Tree come again, but All that you Can’t Leave Behind is one of the best albums U2 has done to date – I would rank it number four. Sure, its got the crowd pleasing (and thus overplayed) “Elevation,” but its also got so many overlooked songs: Wild Honey, New York, Kite. Grace. There really isn’t a bad song on this album.

5. Ladytron – 604 (2001): Ladytron’s first full length album is often described as “what 1980s futurists believed music in 2000 would sound like.”  While I’m glad not all music sounds this way, I am also glad 604 sounds the way it does. 604 is probably the best, and most important electronic pop album since Kraftwerk’s “Die Mensch-Maschine.” I’m still waiting for an interpretation to the songs done in Bulgarian though!

4. Sufjan Stevens – Come on, Feel the Illinoise (2005): This is probably the most obscure album on this list (sarcasm tag).  I think Paste (do they matter anymore?) rated this as the best album of the decade. While I don’t quite agree with Paste, Illinoise is indeed one of the most ambitious pieces of music I’ve listened to in a very long time and is probably in my top twenty all time favorite albums. Now, will Sufjan ever continue with his 50 states album project. or was that really a joke? Come on Sufjan, feel the Oregon already! That didn’t quite sound right.

3. Menomena – I am the Fun Blame Monster (2003): Menomena is my favorite local band, and one of my favorite bands altogether. When this album finally came out, I already knew all the songs by heart (I saw them several times in early 2003). They also get the award for best packaging ever. The CD booklet was actually an 80 page flipbook and was hand assembled by band members. If you can, get a hold of the song “stability” and compare it to the album version (E is Stable).

2. The New Pornographers – Mass Romantic (2000): Some might not actually consider this album to be eligible for a best of the zeros list, considering the first songs were recorded in 1998, but the album release date says 2000, so that’s good enough for me. And besides, how could I not include my favorite band’s debut album? The best song on the album,”Letter from an Occupant” is really a show of all the band’s talents, but do not stop there! Even if you’re just a Neko fan and not a New Pornographers fan, listen to the entire album! If you can, find the Japanese version which features a cover of Donner Party’s “When I was a Baby.”

1. The Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004): Again,an album that has plenty of good press – but the Arcade Fire deserves all the good press they get and more! Every single song on this album is amazing: From Wake up, to Rebellion (lies), to the four “Neighborhood” songs, to Haiti, to…you get the point. The Arcade Fire is one of those bands that puts good use off the talent they have. I think most of the band members must play an average of two instruments on any given song. For an extra treat, watch this video of The Arcade Fire doing “Wake Up” with David Bowie.

I remember in 2001, as a third year student at PSU, I discovered MP3.com. With a few searches, I was able to find so many artists. These artists did not necessarily have a label, or in some cases, even an album, but they had mp3s up for grabs.  I still listen to many of these mp3s today, though I’ve lost a few in the inevitable switching from one computer to another. Adding to the online accessibility equation, there was (and is), of course, the wave of P2P applications that have made it easier to find music; Napster, Kazaa, Soulseek, and Bit torrent clients have all found their ways onto my hard drive over the last ten years. And of course payed services such as Itunes and Emusic have played a part in my musical consumption. Its so much easier to read an album review at midnight in my pajamas, listen to a thirty second snippet of a song, and then download said song – perhaps even the entire album, than it is to read said review and wait till the next day to go to the record store. That is assuming that one remembers to do so.

But websites, P2Ps, and online music stores are not the only thing that’s made music more accessible in the last ten years; podcasts and Internet radio have played a vital role in finding new music as well. No longer are we a slave to whatever crap our local stations insist on playing. If we don’t like what the Portland stations are playing, we can check out what Seattle or New York or Los Angeles or Denver or London or Singapore and etcetera is playing. We can listen to almost any radio station in the world now. And of course, there are podcasts from both professional DJs, and amateur DJs from all over the world.  Its fairly common for me to listen to a podcast and end up downloading a quarter of the songs played on said podcast.

While accessibility has played a major part in the music of the last decade, there are simply more bands producing music right now. Any garage band can record their music and upload it to the Internet without having to have a record company. And sure, record companies help, but they’re not necessary. Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah produced and distributed their first album without the help of a record company. This could not have happened before this decade. Sure, the early 90s saw a surge of garage bands make it big, and everyone started wondering how to find these garage bands – but that was the problem, no one knew where to look because these garage bands, if they were able to afford to make a recording, could only afford to make a limited number of CDs. Its just easier to market yourself online, then it is to play a dozen or so shows around the city and hope that you develop a following.

It truly has been a noteworthy decade as far as music is concerned. It makes me wonder what the next ten years will bring. Some of my favorite artists did not exist until this decade. Other bands that I’ve loved all through the 90s, and even into the 80s, decided to call it quits in the zeros. What bands will emerge in the teens, and what bands will call it quits? What technologies will emerge? What technologies will become obsolete? In ten years will we mock the Ipod like we mock the cassette tape now? And will my musical tastes be different in 2019? They certainly are not the same as they were in 1999. Only time will tell on any of these questions, but I suspect the teens will show us all a lot of music. Look out for my top albums of the zeros in a week or so, as well as one or two other best of the decade lists.

NAHPI did almost everything right. They never took themselves too seriously, knowing that previous charity supergroups have been parodied beyond measure. In fact, “Do They Know its Halloween” is a direct parody of “Do They know its Christmas.” While the song’s proceeds go to benefit UNICEF, the song “stems from a frustration with other benefit songs’ misguided, somewhat patronizing attitude, and Western-centric worldview.”  For their celebrity roster, they kept it pretty low key – mostly indie rockers. The most notable people involved in the song are Beck, Feist, Win and Régine (The Arcade Fire), David Cross, and Elvira (it is a Halloween song after all).  The song itself was extremely humorous, and the video even more so. Ghosts with zipper mouths, David Cross yelling about cute Kitten calendars, and even a giant pumpkin moving down the streets, eager to destroy anyone fool enough not to take cover. Do They Know its Halloween is indeed a great song. In fact, its become a cherished tradition of mine to listen to this song over and over on Halloween.

While the NAHPI song was creative, intelligence, and humorous, the Tck tck tck song was – well, not. I found this “gem” on Itunes for free a while back. As I said, I grew up in the 1980′s, so I was very excited to see a cover of the classic Midnight Oil song. Having said this, I must wonder WHAT THE HECK WERE THEY THINKING!?!?!?!?! Yes, Climate change is a pressing issue, and while I will not debate the arguments for or against climate change,  but I will say I wish I could undownload this song! And its not just because its a bad song, its because downloading this song off Itunes and other services is an automatic signature to a petition that will be presented at the conference demanding “climate justice now.” This was not stated anywhere when I hit “download.” In a sense, they tricked me into signing their petition. Like I said, I am not going to debate for or against climate change, but I am against anyone who is so desperate for names on thier petition that they are not up front what you are “signing.” It makes me question the organization as a whole, and I have to wonder what they’re trying to sneak into their initiatives.

But I digress. Even if they were honest about why they want people to download their song, one has to wonder still, what the heck were they thinking? Firstly, they were too lazy to write a new song. This is a group of so called artists from around the world, and all they can do is remake a 20 year old song? Can they not use all their alleged musical talent to write a new song? The only good excuse I can think of for using an old song is that its “recycling.” But even if they used Beds are Burning to present an “eco-friendly” model, they could have at LEAST been creative with the lyrics they changed. Instead, you get a song that’s preachy, stuffy, and bland. As far as the “artists,” there’s a few A listers: Fergie (who has the talent and brains of a peanut), and Lily Allen(yawn). They use several international artists (probably the only thing that makes sense about this song, considering its a worldwide conference), a bunch of has beens (Scorpions, Duran Duran, and Midnight Oil), and several top 40 soon to be has been pre-teen rock bands. There’s also an intro statement by Kofi Annan and an ending statement by Desmond Tutu.  All in all, Beds are Burning is about the most boring charity supergroup song since Dionne Warwick and friends did “That’s what Friends are For.”

Charity supergroups are often times composed of hypocrites. After Band-Aid, most of the artists walked away and did  nothing else (one notable exception is Bono, who stayed in Africa for two weeks afterwards). Most of the celebrities involved in Beds are Burning probably really support the initiatives put out by Tck tck tck, but are they willing to do their part? I would love to see a list of their carbon footprints. Both Fergie and Lily Allen tour on a regular basis. Are their tour buses and jets fueled by bio-diesel? Or do they put out a smog cloud the size of LA every time they tour?  Its easy to get in front of a mic and say they support something, but one cannot expect others to change if one does not first change themselves. Perhaps that’s another factor that made NAHPI such a great charity supergroup. They saw something that bugged them, ie the fact that most charity supergroups were patronizing and Western-centric, and they used their creative talents to do something about it! The money they raised for UNICEF was just the icing on the cake.

Hail to the thief and Thom Yorke’s solo album were, in all honesty, some of the worst albums I’ve heard this decade. In Rainbows had its moments, but I still think they could have done a lot better. And, like I said, that is the point; Radiohead can do better. Ok, I won’t go so far as saying Thom Yorke is a musical genius, but the man has talent. Ok Computer was not a stroke of good luck, but an extremely well done album – and, in my opinion, one of the best albums of the 1990s. Pablo Honey and The Bends were amazing albums! Even Kid A and Amnesic had their moments, though honestly, I think they both start to show Radiohead’s decline.

So what happened? How did Radiohead go from making one of the best albums of the 90s, to making one of the worst albums in the 2000′s? Maybe its laziness, maybe its lack of inspiration, or maybe its the fact that, in terms of thier fans, they can do no wrong (so again, maybe its laziness). Seriously, Radiohead is the band that you cannot insult. Everytime I post a negative comment about Radiohead on Digg, I get burried so deeply that my comments get deleted! Everytime I mention Radiohead’s decline to my friends, or even complete strangers, I get an earful. Why do people insist on standing so vehemently for Radiohead? I think I would get a warmer response if I were to show up at the Democratic National Convention and declare that Geroge W Bush was the best president we ever had! This is not normal behavior people, and quite frankly, this kind of behavior does not provide the band to do better!

I mentioned earlier that In Rainbows “had its moments.” Honestly, I might rate In Rainbows right in between Kid A and Amnesic. They are on an upswing I believe. Musically, and in other areas too. I have a lot of respect for them saying download In Rainbows and pay whatever you feel like paying. Bravo! Bravo! They could have done a better job with the whole Miley Cyrus incident, though in all honesty, I probably would have added insult to injury, so I suppose I should give them some credit for that. Radiohead might very well be on an upswing, however, it might be the fans that make the difference. I challenge all the Radiohead fans out there to do this: Do not automaticlytreat everything Radiohead puts out as gold. Listen to it, get to know the music, analyze the lyrics, and scrutinize the albums and songs against what they’ve done. Does it hold true to their level of talent? Are they taking chances? Are they utilizing thier creative talents? Does the music still hold the edge that Radiohead is famous for? Or does it sound like the leftovers from previous albums? Ask yourselves these questions, and if you find the answer to these questions is no, then be vocal about it! Don’t just pass it off as just a bad album, get online and blog about it! Tell your friends the new Radiohead album sucks! Let your voice be heard! Perhaps this is exactly what Radiohead needs! And perhaps thier next album will be one of the best albums of the next decade.

#5 REM – Accelerate. When this one was released, I held my breathe. Would it be another “Up?” Or would REM return to being the musical geniuses they were in the 80s and 90s? Well, I am quite happy to say that this is the best album they’ve released since “Monster.” Here’s hoping they either stay on this track, or retire. Well, maybe that’s a little too harsh.

#4 Ladytron – Velocifero. Ok, let’s be honest about two things: a) Ladytron is one of my favorite bands (so I might be bias with their inclusion on this list), and b) Velocifero was not their best work – in fact, I might even say it was their worst album to date. But still, this album has had its moments. The song “verses” alone, with its clever phrase turns and the fact that its the first Ladytron song to date with a male vocalist! “Kletva,” is quite a catchy tune as well – one is tempted to learn Bulgarian just so they can sing along.

#3 Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping. To be fair, I did see this mentioned in several of the KEXP staff top ten lists, but hardly anywhere else. This album is not family friendly, far from it! So if you’re easily offended, veer away from this album. However, the sensual nature of the lyrics with the trademark “all over the place” feel of the music that really make this album worth more than a few listens. And bonus points for being an actual album with a natural flow and intertwining pieces, as opposed to a playlist of ten random songs.

#2 Black Kids – Partie Traumatic. This album is just pure fun. It feels almost like a guilty pleasure, but then one hears the lyrics and realizes the depth of the music. How many people had “I’m not gonna teach your Boyfriend how to dance with you” orbiting their head for the better part of the summer? I’m actually surprised the song is not blasting from the speakers of every American Eagle store in the country (give it a year).

#1 The 1900s – Cold & Kind. I stumbled upon this band at Musicfest NW, and was severely disappointed to find out they’re not from Portland, but rather Chicago. I have not found an album this listenable in a couple years, and while I can’t pick a list of ten albums this year, I can say without a doubt this was indeed my favorite album of 2008.

Honorable Mention: The B52s – Funplex. About half of you just decided I don’t know a damned thing about music, didn’t you? I was indeed skeptical of this album, I mean the B52s haven’t done anything worthwhile since “Cosmic Thing!” Well, maybe there’s something in the Athens, GA water supply (which would also explain REM and Of Montreal), but Funplex is perhaps the best B52s album ever. From the insightful “Juliet of Spirits,” and even the erotic “Ultraviolet,” perhaps “the ultimate party band” has finally grown up.