Top 200 Albums of The Decade (129-173)

129. Leona Naess- Thirteens
130. Spoon- Kill The Moonlight
131. The Weakerthans- Reconstruction Site
132. Sarah Harmer- All of Our Names
133. Elliott Smith- From A Basement On A Hill
That this is his last statement still really hurts. That it is a beautiful, harrowing, hazy statement helps, though. If you can dig up "Coast to Coast" and the previously unreleased track "Abused," you'll get a real and difficult view of Smith's late mindset.
134. Calexico- Garden Ruin
Some people criticized the band's swerve away from the usual southwestern mariachi rock. I liked it better.
135. Innocence Mission- We Walked In Song
136. Sigur Ros- Takk Takk
137. Red House Painters- Old Ramon
138. Low- Drums & Guns
Was Breaker the best song of the decade? It was certainly up there.
139. Richard Buckner- Dents & Shells
140. Bob Dylan- Modern Times
141. The Hold Steady- Separation Sunday
142. The Hives- Veni Vidi Vicious
143. Over The Rhine- Ohio
144. Hem- Eveningland/Rabbit Songs (another condensing job)
145. Foo Fighters- One By One
146. Neil Finn- One All
147. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- Baby 81
148. Feist- Let It Die
149. New Pornographers- Challengers
150. Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga…
151. The Cardigans- Super Extra Gravity
152. Freedy Johnston- Right Between The Promises
The previous decade was so amazing for Johnston that this great record somehow felt underwhelming.
153. Tom Waits- Alice
154. Band Of Annuals – Let Me Live
155. Ron Sexsmith- Retriever
156. The National- Alligator
157. Frou Frou- Details
Pre-OC Imogen Heap in a partnership that launched the Heap we know now.
158. Tegan & Sara- So Jealous
I know, I know, I know: it should be higher.
159. Cracker- Greenland
160. Erin McKeown- Grand
161. Grant Lee Phillips- Mobilize
I had tickets to see Grant Lee on this tour on 9/11. Obviously, he got stuck in Canada on a flightless day. But this album always brings back those doubt-ridden days. A lot better than Enrique Iglesias' "Hero" too.
162. Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue
163. Patty Griffin- Impossible Dream
164. Dixie Chicks- Home/Taking The Long Way
I'd been guiltily listening for awhile, but the doc Shut Up And Sing finally pushed me over the edge.
165. Beck- Guero
166. Elvis Costello- When I Was Cruel
167. Neil Young- Prairie Wind
168. Kings of Leon- Youth & Young Manhood
169. Cat Power- The Greatest
170. Kathleen Edwards- Back To Me
171. Cracker- Forever
172. Kasey Chambers- Barricades & Brickwalls
173. Drive By Truckers- Dirty South/Blessing & A Curse

Top 200 Albums of The Decade (11-40)

Continuing the list that is less definitive every time I look at it. (How's that for a vote of confidence?)

11. Wilco- A Ghost Is Born
12. Joe Henry- Tiny Voices
13. Elliott Smith- Figure 8
14. Gillian Welch- Time (The Revelator)
15. Aimee Mann- Bachelor #2
16. Cardigans- Long Gone Before Daylight
Some people think this band just has the hit. Those people are idiots. If you are an idiot, go pick up this album and get your mind all changed.
17. Broken Social Scene- You Forgot It People
18. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss- Raising Sand
19. Low- Things We Lost In The Fire
20. Jon Brion- Meaningless
This album/artist changed everything for me and I totally realize that this is personal bias with no objectivity whatsoever.

21. Patty Griffin- 1000 Kisses
Just for the fact that Long Ride Home is one of the best songs ever written. And the bridge on Chief.
22. Kathleen Edwards- Failer
23. Leona Naess- s/t
24. Johnny Cash- American Recordings (All, yes I'm lumping them. They are essentially the same in spirit and sometimes session. So I'm taking the liberty.)
25. Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
26. Doves- Last Broadcast
criminally underrated.
27. Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
It's hard to remember a time when this album didn't exist, before Wayne & Co. were singing Do You Realize and Yoshimi to the world.
28. Steve Earle- Transcendental Blues
Why is this album so low? Because I am not just a moron. I am a lazy moron who refuses to redo the list.
29. Sigur Ros- ( )
30. The Strokes- Is This It?
31. Fugazi- The Argument
32. Pete Yorn- musicforthemorningafter
33. The Weepies- Say I am You
34. Matthew Ryan vs The Silver State
This album would be higher if I didn't fear how recently it came out.
35. Iron & Wine- Our Endless Numbered Days
36. Josh Ritter- The Animal Years
37. Wilco- Sky Blue Sky
That's 3 for Wilco in the top 40. Kasey Casem would be proud.
38. New Pornographers- Electric Version
39. The Innocence Mission- Befriended
40. Arcade Fire- Neon Bible