NME's top 50 al***s of the decade

Posted by: Simon Matthews on 18 November 2009

1. The Strokes - Is This It
2. The Libertines - Up The Bracket
3. Primal Scream - xtrmntr
4. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
6. PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
7. Arcade Fire - Funeral
8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows
11. At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command
12. LCD Soundsystem - The Sound Of Silver
13. The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
14. Radiohead - Kid A
15. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
16. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
17. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
18. The White Stripes - Elephant
19. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
20. Blur - Think Tank
21. The Coral - The Coral
22. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
23. Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future
24. The Libertines - The Libertines
25. Rapture - Echoes
26. Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner
27. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
28. Johnny Cash - Man Comes Around
29. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World
30. Elbow - Asleep In The Back
31. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
32. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
33. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
34. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
35. Babyshambles - Down In Albion
36. Spirtualized - Let It Come Down
37. The Knife - Silent Shout
38. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
39. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
40. Ryan Adams - Gold
41. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
42. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
43. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
44. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
45. Avalanches - Since I Left You
46. Delgados - The Great Eastern
47. Brendan Benson - Lapalco
48. Walkmen - Bows And Arrows
49. Muse - Absolution
50. MIA - Arular.

Quite an interesting list. I might give a listen on myspace etc to some of the albums I have not heard of. I own 23 of them which isn't a bad start but it would be interesting to know more about:

The earlier yeah yeah yeah's - I only have the last one.

Interpol - Turn on the bright lights. I have Our love to admire. I guess this one must be worth having as well!

At the drive in???

The knife?

Primal scream - I drifted away in the mid 90's -what is xtrmntr like? heavy going?

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Richard S

I run to 11 of that list.

The most glaring omission has to be Fleet Foxes. Easily the best LP of 2008.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Blueknowz

Simon,Show Your Bones & Fever To Tell are both excellent ,buy with confidence!
I have 30 0n that list I must be slipping!

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Guido Fawkes

I've got one album on the list.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by seagull

What!?! No Porcupine Tree?

I have 8 including 3 of the top ten. None of which would feature in my own desert island discs.

'Asleep in the back'? Probably only the third best Elbow album.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Mat Cork

I have 8...

No Joe Strummer and Global a Go Go? I must write to my MP.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Simon Matthews

Off the top of my head and far from conclusive but these are some of the albums of the decade that are missing for me:

Bon Iver - for emma forever ago
Midlake - The trials of Van Occupanther
Beck - sea Change
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi battles the pink robots
Cat Power - The greatest
Kings of Leon - Only by the night
TV on the radio - Dear Science
John Martyn - On the Cobbles
Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat
The XX
Kate Bush - Aerial

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by BigH47

I have 3, the boy may have more.
What do these people listen to ?
If that's the best 50 WTF would the worst 50 be?

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by nicnaim

Showing your age Howard

I've got 16 on the list so must still be fairly sprightly.

Nic

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Mat Cork

I must admit...I am getting old, I don't see many kids being creative in the 'band' format these days. There are exceptions, but it's a world of 'sounds a bit like' artists. Imo creative kids tend to shifty around other genre's at the moment.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by BigH47

quote:
Originally posted by nicnaim:
Showing your age Howard
Nic

I admit it, but I'm not prepared to "get down with kids" if it means listening to most of their music, life's too short.

I've got the PJH and the 2 Arcade Fire albums, if anyone is at all interested.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Sniper

I have not heard of any of these albums before but I have heard of Johnny Cash and Amy Winehouse (not that I have ever owned any of their work) Am I out of touch? Oh I do hope so.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Simon Matthews

quote:
If that's the best 50 WTF would the worst 50 be?

Different strokes for different folks. Some albums on the list are perhaps over rated but there is a hell of a lot of great music listed there.

I am up for being educated from wherever so if you dissenters have alternative top albums of the decade then I am all ears! Xmas is coming and HMV is round the corner....

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by BigH47

I can barely remember what happened yesterday, let alone recommend something from 10 years ago!

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Mat Cork

quote:
Originally posted by Simon Matthews:
I am up for being educated from wherever so if you dissenters have alternative top albums of the decade then I am all ears! Xmas is coming and HMV is round the corner....

You don't need no education...

For a start, if we're talking about the last decade, I'd have Kings of Convenience, Turin Brakes, Deerhoof, Grizzly Bear and Richard Hawley in there.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Simon Matthews

Mat

Is Richard hawleys new one good? I only have Coles corner and like it, especially 'the ocean'

Blueknowz - thanks for the yeah yeah yeah tip off.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Mat Cork

Yep, I like it Simon...

My favourite 'newcomer' of recent years is Chris Wood. His Trespasser and Lark Descending albums are great (if you like contemporty folk - no merry merry month of may goings on). Both available as one cracking triple vinyl.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by nicnaim

Simon,

I agree with Mat the new Richard Hawley album is excellent. Remembering when the Artic Monkeys picked up some award a while back, they said "call the cops Richard Hawley has been robbed" after he missed out on getting the award for Coles Corner.

Although I have three Strokes albums, including the number 1 in this list, I am still surprised it won the top slot good though it is.

Howard excuse the leg pulling, these kind of list are never going to include records that everyone likes. My kids have a number of the records on the list that I do not really get, however my son (13) was being taught the riff to Babylon's Burning by his guitar teacher the other day. He also plays things by Hendrix, Deep Purple, Metallica, John Lee Hooker, Nick Drake, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Sex Pistols etc, so he is often found dipping into my back catalogue of tunes.

Regards

Nic

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Simon Matthews

Nicaim - does your son give lessons?

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by nicnaim

Simon,

Not so far, but his teacher is very good if you want his details

Regards

Nic

quote:
Originally posted by Simon Matthews:
Nicaim - does your son give lessons?

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by DenisA

Simon,

Here are some pop pickers to consider...

Morning Becomes Eclectic & MySpace links + reviews:-

The Dears - No Cities Left

The Dears - Gang of Losers

Clayhill - Mine AT Last

Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice Born Men

Milk & Honey Band - Dog Eared Moonlight

ATB Denis

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Jet Johnson

29 ...........I'm more of an indie "kid" than I thought!

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Guido Fawkes

quote:
Off the top of my head and far from conclusive but these are some of the albums of the decade that are missing for me:

There are lots missing

Oh, My Darling -Basia Bulat
The Drift - Scott Walker
The Duckworth Lewis Method - The Duckworth Lewis Method
Trouble Over Bridgwater - Half Man Half Biscuit
Cammell Laird Social Club - Half Man Half Biscuit
Achtung Bono - Half Man Half Biscuit
CSI: Ambleside - Half Man Half Biscuit
Secret Voyage - Blackmore's Night
Fires at Midnight - Blackmore's Night
Shadow of the Moon - Blackmore's Night
Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Between Here and Gone - Mary Chapin Carpenter
The Light Fantastic - Cara Luft
Faultlines - Karine Polwart
Scribbled in Chalk - Karine Polwart
This Earthly Spell - - Karine Polwart
Here's The Tender Coming - The Unthanks
The Bairns - Rachel Unthank and the Winterset
Cruel Sister - Rachel Unthank
Heartlands - Kate Rusby
Underneath the Stars - Kate Rusby
The Girl Who Couldn't Fly - Kate Rusby
Awkward Annie - Kate Rusby
Sweet Bells - Kate Rusby
Remember The River - Fred Simon
Since Forever - Fred Simon
Meanwhile, As Night Falls - Angie Palmer
Tales of Light & Darkness - Angie Palmer

and there's more I'm sure .....

I guess I'm not very NME, but I do like Polly Jean Harvey.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by Mat Cork

That would be my list of choice ROTF...although you are the only other person I know who likes Blackmore's Knight. I'd need a few Chris Wood and Devin Sproules in there though.

Posted on: 18 November 2009 by BigH47

I have a dozen of ROTFs list including Blackmore's Night.

Posted on: 19 November 2009 by tonym

I like Blackmore's Night too! Only three on ROTF's list though - six on t'other.