What are your top albums of the past eight years?

whatever

Explain why, too.

1. Kid A - Radiohead

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(not an official video)

2. Strawberry Jam - Animal Collective

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3. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven - Godspeed You! Black Emperor

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4. Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? - The Unicorns

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5. Hail to the Thief - Radiohead

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6. The Good, the Bad & the Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Queen

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7. Apologies to the Queen Mary - Wolf Parade

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8. Madvillainy - Madvillain

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9. Return to Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio

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10. Funeral - Arcade Fire

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The Unicorns, Wolf Parade, and Arcade Fire are a few of the bands that got me into shitty indie music. The Unicorns in particular, with barely a chorus or a riff, but still able to make some of the catchiest pop music. Radiohead's work is just amazing, and they can convey a mood unlike any other band. Strawberry Jam is hipster garbage that no one likes, but it's still wonderful. Lift Your Skinny Fists is the greatest symphony ever composed. The Good, the Bad & the Queen feels so complete, and is such a pleasure to listen to. The TV on the Radio record is fuzzy and incomprehensible, yet very catchy. Madvillainy has some of the most interesting and complex raps I've ever heard, even to the point of making it sound like he's rhyming random syllables, but it still all fits together very well.

Sail

I personally prefer Neon Bible to Funeral, but I can see where you're coming from. As for The Good, The Bad, And The Queen, the music is definitely good but I don't really think it fits together all that uncommonly well as an "album" specifically. Certainly Demon Days is certainly superior Damon Albarn work.

I'll compile my favorite music of the 00's later when I'm not supposed to be reading the first half of The Great Gatsby.

Dkong

Wolfmother by Wolfmother
Renegades by Rage Against the Machine
Synthsations - KaW (ITG players should be familiar with this...)
Black Holes and Revelations- Muse

Probably some more...I'll add later.

Sail

I didn't realize how limiting the criteria of "the past eight years" was, since most of my absolute favorite albums come from the '90s. I'm tempted to create another thread for that.

At risk of making too long of a post, I made some decisions and managed to trim it down to just three. Runners up included (highlight if you actually care): Neon Bible by Arcade Fire, Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP by Ben Folds, Second Stage Turbine Blade by Coheed and Cambria, Absolution by Muse, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by Of Montreal, Toxicity by System of a Down, A Lesson In Crime by Tokyo Police Club, and a deadlock between Thrice's The Artist in the Ambulance and The Alchemy Index.

Here is what I concluded on, in no particular order.

Demon Days - Gorillaz
I would argue that this album has the best flow and polish of any album since The Dark Side of the Moon. This single work spans a wide variety of genres, from techno/dance, to hip-hop/rap, to punk, to blues, to gospel-esque. It's absolutely stunning, and has probably received more play from me than any other music. No one track can represent it, but I'll just post one.

American Idiot - Green Day
I know I'll probably get a little flack for this one, but I find this album to be nothing short of excellent. Not only does it utilize styles not normally found in post-punk, much like The Clash did with London Calling, but it also displays superb musicianship on their part. Like it or not, it's a must-listen.

The Else - They Might Be Giants
It may have been their only good release this decade, but it was a doosy. This album rivals Flood and Apollo 18 for top spot, and as someone who grew up on TMBG this statement should not be taken lightly. And remember, they're eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010!

Jason

People still make albums? I'm sorry, but I think the concept of an album is as antiquated as the medium from which it derives its name. With downloadable content, I can't see ever slipping back to a place or time when Dark Side of the Moon would work again. I get all my music online, one song at a time. Most of it comes from digging something up on YouTube, referrals from friends, soundtracks, and (god help me) advertisements that I can't get out of my head. Getting music - for me at least - has shifted from a gathering to a hunting action.

Sail

We've been through this, but I think the arrangement of songs is an art form unto itself. The artist put the tracks in the order they did for a reason. so why ignore that? What's the point of something like a rock opera if you only listen to certain tracks?

whatever

Oh yeah, honorable mentions to The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone by The Apples in Stereo and Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? by Of Montreal. Sail, what really turns me off about Green Day is how almost every song is based on a basic guitar riff and drum beat, and they all follow the same pattern and sound so similar. Not to mention the cringe worthy lyrics coupled with the singers fake British accent. Their whole concept album mentality is also incredibly pretentious, but you can't really take my word on that since I listen to Elephant 6 bands. Jesus of Suburbia is the only exception.

Sail

what really turns me off about Green Day all punk and post-punk ... is how almost every song is based on a basic guitar riff,

Fixed it for you. Like I said, I know that those who are a little too high on their indie horse are going to seriously disagree.

Their whole concept album mentality is also incredibly pretentious,

You especially are absolutely not allowed to say this. I know for a fact that a great number, perhaps a majority, of the bands you listen to have utilized the concept album form, including at least 3, arguably 4, of the 9 bands you listed in the OP. Hell, The Beatles even did a few of what would today be considered concept albums.

whatever

1. I'll have you know I listen to Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, and... uh... yeah, I really don't like punk music that much.

2. I admit that I do listen to a lot of concept albums, and many are very cheesy (Hissing Fauna), but Green Day just really gets under my skin. It's like concept album on baby mode. It's a hey let's make a bunch of songs about teenage angst and throw in some shallow characters and biblical references sorta thing. I prefer the way Radiohead does "concept albums" is just by having a prevailing mood through out the entire record, with all the pieces stylistically intertwined.

My main problem is just Billie's voice and the overpowering riffs.

Apsup

I could fill this list with just few bands, but I keep it one album per band. Also I don't like top X lists so these are not in any order. Some Finnish music here also.

CMX - Talvikuningas Great scifi-opera, that was so good that I bought expensive special version just because I couldn't wait for the normal one.
Song example: Punainen komentaja
Also check the YouTube page if you want to see English translation of the lyrics.

YUP - Leppymöttömät Great band and any of their albums released in these last eight years could be in this list. Good music, great lyrics.
Song: Joutilas


The Decemberists - Picaresque Found this album at random and downloaded it and instantly fell in love with it. I don't listen much of this type of music but I like this band.
Song: The Mariner's Revenge Song


Stam1na - Uudet kymmenen käskyä Hard to say anything other than I just like this.
Song: Edessäni


Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris This was is Guitar Hero, I don't need to give any real reason, right?
Song: Sick Sick Sick


There it was, I could put there a ton of more albums, but I decided to stay at five.

whatever

If you like Decemberists, I suggest downloading In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, if you have not done so already.