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30. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois

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Weirdly enough, Illinois is so damn awesome for the same reasons that so many albums released this decade were not. If the 90s were too lazy and apathetic to care, than the following decade was the total opposite. Too much music was concerned with soaring ambitions and pretensions and that sort of bullshit – and it was mostly all because of this album. Gleefully pretentious and zealous, Illinois is a simple singer/songwriter album dressed up in the fanciest and most ridiculous outfits available, all while thankfully being completely honest yet self-deprecating at the same time. Despite being presented as an embodiment of a state, Illinois succeeds and belongs on this list primarily because it exceeds those high-reaching standards, simply by never losing track of the hopes and feelings of its creator. And more than just that: it never loses the listener as well. Not even the record’s ostentatious nature could hamper Stevens’ gift for creating music that’s accessible and invitational, which is why Illinois truly deserves its following. All those ornate, elaborated singer/songwriter records that followed succeeded in copying Illinois‘s aesthetic, but if only they would have recognized the record’s scope. If only. – Cam

29. Radiohead – In Rainbows

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I remember waking up at 6 AM on October 10, 2007, and–before showering, eating, brushing my teeth, or even dressing properly–opening up my web browser and getting my free download of In Rainbows. Of course I didn’t pay; Radiohead didn’t need my money, and someone would pay the extra amount, right? It was the dawn of the new age of digital music, and who better to usher in this new age than Radiohead, the band who led the alternative music world into the 21st Century? I remember immediately loading In Rainbows onto my iPod after the five-minute download, putting my headphones into my ears, and heading off to school. I felt delirious, half-awake, but the drum loop of “15 Step” woke me up immediately, at least mentally. I felt transported to another world, hypnotized by the repetitive guitar in “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and Thom Yorke’s soaring melodies on “Reckoner.” I did not take my headphones out of my ears to speak to anyone. I lived in a trance, unaware of my surroundings.

This first listen is probably the most memorable first listen of my life, as In Rainbows is such a decidedly approachable album. The songs are minimalist, concise, and still extremely powerful. The songs encompass much of the band’s career, with songs like “Nude” dating back to the OK Computer era, yet the album has a distinctive barebones sound when compared to the rest of the band’s work. Perhaps this change is best summarized by the band’s decision to rearrange “Videotape” for the album. The live versions of the song include a huge build to a rather epic ending. Fans of the band eagerly anticipated this ending to the record when “Videotape” was announced as the final song on the tracklist. Instead, Radiohead reels it all back in, taming the song to have a subtle and perhaps more poignant ending. – Tyler Fisher

28. Thrice – Vheissu

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I actually find some redeemable qualities to “Music Box”, easily the worst song on Vheissu. The song is poorly composed, with generic down-tuned chords and an awful “music box” motif that runs above the chord progression. If any other band but Thrice wrote this, I’d probably hate the song. But the band’s sense of harmonic and dynamic progression is so good; the band is so in tune with each other, that I don’t care, and when I play Vheissu, I don’t even think about skipping “Music Box.” It allows me to focus on some of the least appreciated aspects of Thrice’s talent.

The rest of the album, though, is pure gold, and the reason why this album ranks so high on our decade list. Following the post-hardcore The Artist in the Ambulance, Vheissu marks the height of Thrice’s ascent to one of the greatest bands to exist in the 21st century. The sounds that Thrice pull off are so far-reaching, from the electronic “Atlantic” (a sound that would later become the entire Water segment of The Alchemy Index) to the almost post-metal “The Earth Will Shake.” Did I mention that these two tracks are back-to-back on the album? On Vheissu, Thrice jumps from sound to sound, emotion to emotion, with incredible flair and precision. Dustin Kensrue evolves as a vocalist, soaring over the album’s heaviest moments more often than screaming, thus making the screaming points cathartic and climactic. The quietest moments on the album are quieter than ever; the loudest moments are louder than ever; the powerful moments–well, they’re more abundant than ever. Vheissu remains Thrice’s magnum opus while leaving so much room for them to grow. – Tyler Fisher

27. Stars of the Lid – And Their Refinement of the Decline

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Part ambient and part modern classical, And Their Refinement of the Decline is a record built on paradoxes that defies description. It’s quiet music that needs to be played loud, a grandiose statement of minimalism, and a record that reaches emotional depths few artists this decade have matched, all while sporting titles like “Dungtitled” and “December Hunting For Vegetarian Fuckface”. Much unlike SotL’s other great work of the decade, The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid, And Their Refinement of the Decline is not a sweeping statement, but one of incredible focus. For such textural music, the sounds employed throughout the 2-hour playing time rarely vary and while each track makes its own statement, the mood of the album stays much the same until the final notes of the final track.

But though it basks in many of the things that normally make ambient music boring or irrelevant, And Their Refinement of the Decline is never dull. Embedded within the deep layers of drones are many memorable moments, like the slow strings of “Articulate Silences Part 2” or block chords that form the centrepiece of “Even If You’re Never Awake” or the deep rumbling sub-bass part that modulates “The Daughters of Quiet Minds” with such subtlety that you can miss its entry the first fifty times you listen to the song. Or even the entirety of “December Hunting For Vegetarian Fuckface” with its slow build of classical instruments and ambient synths that culminates in a four-note pattern more beautiful than anything else in the band’s career. And Their Refinement of the Decline is also music that defies emotional pigeon-holing. It is strongly melancholic, hopeful, pained, optimistic, longing, and content. And on a different day, it could be none of these things and something else altogether. And Their Refinement of the Decline feels like the climax of the career of Stars of the Lid, the point to which every other point in their seventeen year career has been leading up to. It is both the pinnacle of ambient and modern classical crossover in the first decade of this century, and a humble, simple record from two musicians who have perfected their craft. – Andrew Hartwig

26. Deftones – White Pony

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I acquired White Pony through a CD case I found in my high school’s lost and found. At the time most of my musical experiences were through groups like the Pixies and the Bouncing Souls, and the collection of CDs I had found mostly revolved around the genre of nu-metal, which I certainly wasn’t a fan of at the time. Some of the records in the case would eventually earn constant rotation even to this day; the most important find in the case was easily White Pony. My experience with the Deftones had been the same as with other “heavy metal” artists that were featured on various late night music video shows, meaning the Deftones in my eyes had always been a collective likened to groups like Limp Bizkit and Korn. White Pony changed that opinion, and while I won’t say it was an immediate reaction, that original copy of the record that I stole from some poor kid eventually wore itself out. The record itself is a fantastic example of what mainstream heavy music was like in the early ’00s – the quasi-rapped lyrics and the immensely detuned instruments were all radio rock cliches that showed up on White Pony, but what makes the record so impressive is how the Deftones were able to make an artistic and mature statement while working in such a repetitive genre. Over the past ten years the group has attempted to grasp the impact that White Pony had on its listeners, but something so immense can be attempted only once. Is it telling that people who completely hate most of the Deftones’ contemporaries find themselves adoring this record? No, not really I suppose. The pop hooks are present here, but they are layered under a guise of noise as the group dips into their shoegaze influences. In retrospect that is where most of the success of White Pony stems from – the fact that the Deftones combined their otherwise pointlessly aggressive genre with a variety of softer and more “complex” influences. The fact that the group was able to obtain artistic legitimacy in a genre that is basically now seen as a complete joke should at least be enough to get any interested party to check out White Pony if they haven’t already. – Jared W. Dillon

25. Brand New- Deja Entendu

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Lets consider this site’s demographic for a second; I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that we at Sputnikmusic are a mostly white, mostly male, mostly angsty 15-22 year old group of Fight Club watchin’, On the Road readin’ individuals disappointed with the artifice of mainstream culture, brought up to expect something great from this world only to get nothin’ but demonized high school years and romanticized summer vacations in return, retrospectively exaggerated to match the exaggerated state of our lonely, armored-by-flannel hearts, long since wounded by some doe-eyed girl’s manipulative, cheating ways.

Which is why Brand New is Sputnikmusic’s perfect band, why Jesse Lacey is our perfect frontman. We all grew up with the angst and disaffection that drew us simultaneously to what MTV (MTV2 I guess at that point, or maybe even Fuse) called Emo and the internet. And Brand New understood. The sound of Deja Entendu is the sound of teenagers desperately wanting to play it cool but frozen stiff by the insecurities and indecision of post-9/11 hyper-culture- or, more succinctly, the sound of us. It is the sound of a group knowing what it meant to be sixteen and completely disillusioned, only with the lyricist to express it in the artful way our journals and adolescent scribblings only aspired to. It has the choruses to sell the frustration we only dreamed of screaming at the top of our lungs but didn’t dare to because we were too afraid to worry our parents who were downstairs looking through each other from across the kitchen table.

And then when we grew up, Brand New did too, at first with the bitter grandeur of The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, then with the raw, disgusted rejection of the home they came from with Daisy. But for that one moment in time when we were too petrified by our confusion to go outside, when we were too scared to ask out the girls who were too scared to go all the way, that time when us older statesmen around here found community and a new identity in a website completely based off the one thing we knew we’d always have- music- we have Deja Entendu. And as our lives progress beyond what we now spit at as our worst years, we’ll have Brand New. – Adam Downer

24. Deltron 3030 – Deltron 3030

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The trio that makes up Deltron 3030, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan the Automator, stumbled upon unprecedented success in 2001 when they teamed up with Damon Albarn of Blur on the Gorillaz’ debut album. This album was so successful because it took a genre-blind approach to production and blended alternative pop with hip hop. If you look at that same trio one year prior, replaced “successful” with “unsuccessful” and “alternative pop” with “alternate universe,” and let David Bowie open the album with a surreal scifi monologue, you’d have a good idea of why Deltron 3030 is one of the greatest albums of the past decade.

Leading up to the release of Deltron 3030 Dan the Automator had established himself as a strong producer, creating the instrumental backing for two idiosyncratic emcees, Kool Keith (Dr. Octagon) and Prince Paul (Handsome Boy Modeling School). His work was so solid because his production was programmatically geared to be ethereal and quirky as a complement to the emcee and the theme of the album. Working with Kid Koala and Del invited Dan to refine that milieu even further. Kid Koala’s busy DJ work and Del’s erudite, nerdy vocals enabled (and forced) Dan to develop a unique instrumental backdrop that didn’t step on the toes of his cohorts, who were superstars in their own right.

The resulting creation is grandiose, diverse, and impressive, but also silly and fun. Songs like “3030” and “Upgrade (A Brymar College Course)” are big, starry tracks that have a certain epic, spacy feel that captures the mysterious and far off sentiments of outer space and the future. These twinkling tracks are a platform for Del to take over with his off-line rhyme schemes and tongue-in-cheek technobabble lyrics: “controlling with my magical chance so battle advanced / through centuries a hip hop legacy, megaspeed / hyperwarp to automator’s crib and light the torch / they can’t fight the force.” Other songs like “Virus” and “Battlesong” are tight and ominous, thick with Kid Koala’s influence, which gives a dystopian slant to Del’s vibrant confidence. The icing on Deltron 3030 are the absurd but surprisingly meaningful skits, which feature the fictional characters of the album’s futuristic world. The most memorable of these is Cleofis Randolph the Patriarch who best characterizes Deltron 3030‘s zany appeal in a few lines: “I keep my dreadlocks in a napkin ring / Rap and sing / Unlike the homogenous clones / I’m into earth tones, birth stones, and erogenous zones.” – Nick Greer

23. Kayo Dot – Choirs of the Eye

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By now, the fable of Toby Driver is overdrawn and bloated. A student of the philosophical jazzist Yusef Lateef, Driver dissolves his death metal / prog project maudlin of the Well so he can compose and record a magnum opus; an album that blends metal, prog, modern classical, ambient (the list goes on); an album that has songs with more than 100 distinct pre-mix tracks; an album that was ultimately picked up by John Zorn to be released on his avant garde label Tzadik. Before its release, Choirs of the Eye was more a concept or myth that embodied experimental greatness than an actual album.

Despite these grandiose expectations, Choirs of the Eye turned out to be greater in scope and excellence than anybody could have anticipated. Every note and texture, from the microtonal bends that open “The Antique” to the psychedelic guitar solos of “Wayfarer” and the life-crushing crescendo of “The Manifold Curiosity,” is meticulously planned and perfectly evocative. Choirs of the Eye is an album that was created in an effort to generate something new, but unlike most albums that dare to enter uncharted musical territory, Choirs is pulls it off with such precision and elegance that an atonal melody or a 6-minute long ambient passage will feel familiar, appropriate, and maybe even fated. – Nick Greer

22. Sigur Ros – ( )

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At one point, I had a hard time believing I’d listen to any sort of non-Godspeed related post-rock with any sort of regularity. ( ) changed that. It wasn’t even my first Sigur Rós album (I had owned and shrugged off Takk… previously), but it was the band’s first record that really turned me on to their music. And considering how much I dig Takk… and Ágætis byrjun now, it’s kind of a big deal. So ( ) is a special record for me and as consequence, it’s become one of my most highly played albums.

Much can been said about ( )‘s thematic structure; the first four tracks are huge, upbeat compositions, while the album’s second half is a little sparser and more controlled. Although such a basic division seems as though it would be constrictive, the record is incredibly dynamic. Whether the imagery Sigur Rós conjures up is sunny and optimistic or grave, it’s extremely powerful. Significantly, it resonates with both close and casual listening. Obviously one can better appreciate the album’s subtler elements through deeper listening, but regardless, ( ) makes for an incredible listen in most situations. Frontman Jón Þór Birgisson is especially exceptional; though his lyrical work is unintelligible and more or less a non-factor, Jonsi’s vocals operate as another instrument on an album filled to the brim with stunning instrumental textures. It’s as awe-inspiring an album as they come, and in spite of its long length it’s just as accessible. – Mike Stagno

21. Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People

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There aren’t too many musical moments more exciting than when You Forgot It In People finally achieves liftoff seconds into “KC Accidental.” A thundering assault of drums cascade in, lighting the tune up like a roman candle after two minutes of exquisite slow burn and announcing with a bang the 2nd effort of a 15-piece collective that probably struggled to all show up to play together, much less record what turned out to be a post-millennial classic. Although largely the brainchild of Canadian auteurs Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, Broken Social Scene is more an organic patchwork of influences than any one man’s vision, and You Forgot It In People encapsulates this better than any of the band’s work, past or future. It’s an album’s album, a minor miracle in cross-genre collaboration that flows from pounding indie rock to fuzzy noise to sharp post-punk to something genuinely unique, all with an ease that belies the massive amount of work put into it.

It’s hard to pinpoint just what keeps You Forgot It In People from being the jumbled mess of contrasts and styles that one would expect from such a massive band and instead turns it into one of the best LPs of the decade. It’s something you feel more than hear or describe – the way I find myself air-drumming along to the jagged edges of “Almost Crimes;” the way “Looks Like The Sun” and “Pacific Theme” combine for the perfect comedown siesta to bridge the first and second halves; how goddamn close “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” cuts to the heart when Emily Haines’ distorted vocals lament “used to be one of the rotten ones / and I liked you for that / now you’re all gone, got your make-up on / and you’re not coming back;” the fact that there could be no better ending than the softly arching violins that close the album out on “Pitter Patter Goes My Heart,” faintly tinged with melancholy but mostly with triumph. It’s perhaps You Forgot It In People’s greatest gift that it can mean so many different things to so many different people, the kind of intensely personal record that can be both timeless and timely, an experience felt rather than heard. – Rudy Klapper

20. Brand New – The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me

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The growth of a band is always intriguing and Brand New may have one of the more intriguing histories given their dramatic change. From their early pop-punk days with Your Favourite Weapon, one would hardly foresee such maturation over five years that The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me brings. There is a newfound aggressiveness that pushes aside past albums once focused around teenage life and petty issues in turn for thought-provoking tracks centered on the afterlife among other issues. Tracks such as “Luca” and the instrumental “Welcome To Bangkok” build methodically as they incorporate perfectly placed dynamic changes allow songs to reach their maximum potential. The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me is a splendidly balanced album that rivals any alternative rock album released this decade with the sheer amount of intensity brought without having an overwhelming presence, but yet still bring a side of joyful enthusiasm that personifies Brand New’s past. – Ryan Flatley

19. The National – Boxer

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I feel like I should be writing about our number one album but unfortunately Boxer only barely managed to crack the top twenty. But I can’t really think of any other album that is more “indie” than Boxer. I’m not talking about obscurity or under-appreciation. What I’m referring to is the true nature of indie – where bands meet their dreams for us instead of using us as a means to do so. These songs are for the little guy in all of us – that small part that never really gave up on those dreams we had as kid – but they also serve to show that moving on in spite of those dreams can offer the same kind of fulfillment as living up to them. The album mourns the loss of Alligator‘s carefree attitude, but it does so with remarkable tact and maturity, always seeing the silver lining in everything even if it is a bit bitter. The band found an incredible backdrop for Matt Berninger’s baritone and lyrics. “Organic” is a stupid adjective to use in a musical setting, but if any album can be lauded for being organic, it’s Boxer. Never devolving into electronic bullshit, vocal effects, or stupid Animal Collective nonsense, the album makes due with the shirt on its back, so to speak. Perhaps the best thing about Boxer is that it doesn’t aspire to deliver some sort of message from a pedestal. As with Alligator, the band chose to keep themselves at the level of their fans, creating strong songs that everyone can relate to – the uncertainty of “Green Gloves,” the energy of “Apartment Story” (courtesy of phenomenal drummer Brian Devendorf), the bitterness of “Start A War,” the longing of “Gospel.” It’s all here and, slightly unbelievably when you consider how deep this album goes, you don’t have to dig for it. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the greatest of indie bands: The National. – Channing Freeman

18. The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium

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I was twelve when I first heard At the Drive-In. It was right around the time when Relationship of Command was set to come out and something about them really captivated me—it was mostly the listless enthusiasm of Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez,  two energetic Mexi-somethings who even then appeared to be working on a different wave-length (drugs) than the rest of the band. It all culminated for me when I saw a re-run of the band on the kind-of-shitty TV show Farmclub, in which some throaty fat guy introduced their set which quickly devolved into the band trashing their instruments and kind of playing a song in between. I was captivated by just how primal it all ways, probably because I was going through puberty and probably because it was just over-the-top enough to catch my eye, but about a year later I’d grown out of the band, and their sound, and so began my three-year hiatus away from Bixler & Co.

And then, either through a friend or through a late night radio broadcast (pick whichever sounds better) I came across The Mars Volta. Again, my timing ruled. They were just about to release Deloused in the Comatorium, their debut full-length. I guess I’d heard “Drunkship of Laterns”, since I distinctly remember being intrigued by a popped bassline, but again, it doesn’t matter. What matters is it felt like the album grew with me. Having moved away from the pent up anxiety of being twelve, Omar and Cedric’s new sound—which revolved around Jon Theodore’s relentless percussion and the decision to sing more and noodle excessively—captivated me. The band has failed to do so again ever since. There’s just something about the endless potential and energy that salsa-dances throughout the album’s ten tracks. Yes, the lyrics are nonsensical and the concept is either convoluted or stupid depending on the day, but what matters is how it sounds. And fuck, it sounds awesome. – Tyler Munro

17. Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago

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The thing that always stuns me about For Emma, Forever Ago is how quickly it goes by. Granted, it’s only nine songs so I shouldn’t be expecting something very long anyway, but every time the surprisingly gentle strum of “Re: Stacks” comes in, I’m always mixed with a strange combination of awe and sadness. Perhaps my memory blows the length of For Emma, Forever Ago out of proportion; I’m the type of guy who finds that the term “classic” implies some kind of mammoth scope that spans over the course of hours and requires months of close study to fully appreciate. For Emma doesn’t fit this bill. Bon Iver’s 2008 masterpiece clocks in at a little over a half hour and is one of the most immediately inviting records to be released this decade, yet to me it cannot be described as anything less than perfect.

But why? We’ve seen sad records before and we’ve seen folk records too. What about For Emma, Forever Ago resonates so invariably? This is an album that basically crawled out of nowhere, a self released, back-of-the-truck deal that became a sensation in 2008 because of what? It certainly has a legend behind it, one worth dissecting Justin Vernon’s cryptically romantic lyrics to understand. Then again, when have we heard such soulful, gospel-esque harmonies deployed so effectively in a folk context? Or maybe the answer is as succinct as “these are just beautiful songs, man,” and that’s alright too. For Emma isn’t challenging, nor is it simple. It’s merely gorgeous, intricately constructed to get huge results out of basic means. The fact that its over so quickly just adds to the allure; this is music to cling to before it ends fleetingly with a twinge of regret, not unlike the relationship rumored to have inspired it.

Also, I’m professionally obligated to mention that this was written and recorded in a log cabin. How fucking indie is that?!?! – Adam Downer

16. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP

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My dad, despite largely having pretty good taste and keeping up admirably with modern music for somebody in his mid-50s, hates hip-hop. I guess that’s something that afflicts a lot of people of my generation; we’ve grown up in a time when the quality and influence of Public Enemy, 2Pac, and Nas is beyond debate, while our parents grew up with ‘disco sucks’ and novelty records like “Rapper’s Delight” and “The Hitler Rap”.

The upshot of that is that I’ve long toyed with the idea of making him a mixtape of rap he’d like if only he’d heard, and as such, when I listen to a song, I often wonder what my dad would think if he heard it. When “Criminal”, the last track on this ridiculously intense, perverted masterpiece came on my iPod’s shuffle recently, my immediate reaction was to think, ‘he’d hate this’. Of course he would. Any reasonable person would. He simulates a murder halfway through, spends the entire first verse childishly baiting gays, describes his own fans as ‘fucking retards’, and suggests that if he hadn’t been famous he’d be a serial rapist.

And yet we accept it. We accept because The Marshall Mathers LP sucks us so strongly into its world, so strongly into Eminem’s own head, that “Criminal” becomes a cathartic release as you position yourself behind him, firing your own anger at his critics just as venomously as he does. “Stan”, “Amityville”, “Kill You”, “Drug Ballad” – it doesn’t matter what he says or does, you identify. Even on murder fantasy “Kim” – the heaviest song of the decade, no less – you’re on his side as he repeatedly stabs his wife. For that alone, The Marshall Mathers LP deserves a permanent place in history – nobody in pop music has ever presented such a well-rounded, sympathetic psychopath. – Nick Butler

15. Glassjaw – Worship and Tribute

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Listening to Worship and Tribute in the context of the early decade’s affinity for post-hardcore made it difficult to place the album on its deserved pedestal. Like many of the popular but “critically-acclaimed” post-hardcore albums of its time, Worship and Tribute was necessarily heavy, fast, and mixed singing and screaming to increase the emotional stakes of already emotional music. Despite these surface similarities, Glassjaw were actually brewing a completely different brand of hardcore more indebted to genres that weren’t punk-derived, which opposed the iconic punk-indebted sound crafted by Thursday, Thrice, and a few other notables.

Part of what makes Glassjaw such a stand out band is a combination of structured genre blending and blissfully naive experimentation. Some songs are tight, oversaturated explorations of how to map punk’s energy and immediacy to different genres. “Mu Empire” alternates a post-metal chorus with spacy, halcyon verses. “Tip Your Bartender” uses noise rock and metal to turn a simple repeated lyrical theme into an eerie, visceral headbanger. The verses of “Two Tabs of Mescaline” are pure math rock. Other songs ignore the concept of genre altogether and experiment outside of punk’s enjoyable but constraining directness. “Ape Dos Mil” is a pulsating ballad. “Must’ve Run All Day” is a slow jam wrapped in strange reverb and Daryl Palumbo’s melodramatic vocals, and the very next track, “Stuck Pig” is a metal song created entirely out of feedback and noise. The ambitious pairing of those two tracks alone makes Worship and Tribute one of the more singular and inscrutable albums of the past decade.

Bands like At the Drive-In and Thrice defined the post-hardcore “sound” with landmark releases that are still beloved today. With Worship and Tribute, Glassjaw deconstructed this sound entirely and produced an album that is genreless, peerless, and timeless. – Nick Greer

14. At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command

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Ten years after its release, Relationship of Command still feels fresh. It still feels new. At the Drive-In’s masterpiece is the boldest artistic statement in music that I can remember since I took an interest in looking beyond what the local alternative rock radio station told me to listen to. At the time of its release, Relationship of Command was heralded as the new Nevermind by the press talking heads, and it could have been bigger if the band didn’t collapse under the stress of said declaration. In a time when parody was dancing on the bloated flannel corpse of grunge and the bullpoop testosterone driven machismo of nu-metal was being proclaimed as the wave of the future, hearing “One Armed Scissor” over the airwaves was a refreshing and much needed reminder that there was still hope for rock music in the new millennium. For those that got it, the feisty Texans, led by the cathartic political wailing of Cedric Bixler and the mangled and mutated guitar driven delirium of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, were musical mana.

There was, and still is, nothing that sounded like At the Drive-In’s swansong. While legions of imitators have tried, none have even come close. At times it sounded like Fugazi, but Ian MacKaye never managed to pack this much of a punch, and Guy Picciotto wishes that he could warp the sounds coming out of his amp like his afroed counterpart. Just take a listen to the jagged art-punk acid trip “Cosmonaut,” its violent, pulsating rhythms like traveling through a wormhole; a journey to the outer reaches of what hardcore is capable of achieving. Relationship of Command is equal parts deranged and divine. Its grandiose vision went beyond any one scene or style. It was punk, it was hardcore, it was rock and roll, and most of all it was too much for even At the Drive-In themselves. It split the band between afros and no afros, eventually leading to a gut-wrenching indefinite hiatus that left us with the more traditional Sparta and the schizophrenic nu-prog powerhouse The Mars Volta. Both have their merits, but nothing holds a candle to what they made together on Relationship of Command: absolute perfection. – Adam Thomas

13. mewithoutYou – Brother, Sister

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Too many people think that religious music (or Christian music, at least) is all awful, that the classification automatically renders everything it touches invalid. That attitude needs shifting a little; like Christian people, Christian music is only annoying when it rams its unwavering faith down your throat with the kind of clumsy conviction only possessed by people who’ve never taken the time to consider that they might be wrong. When doubt enters the equation, things take a turn.

mewithoutYou are hardcore both in terms of their faith and their music, but that faith burns furiously through a wave of existential uncertainty, in the same way that great Romantic poetry and Greek myths draw their power from the power of temptation to corrupt holiness, and the individual’s battle to redeem themselves. Nervously caught between two equally abhorrent possibilities – being wrong about God or being wrong about life – vocalist Aaron Weiss screams to anybody that will listen for guidance. God is both attacked (‘Before my doubting eyes the Infinite appears in time, the Unquestionable is questioned but makes no reply!’) and worshipped (‘Open wide my door, my Lord, to whatever makes me love you more’), while earthly concerns are alternately embraced and feared in equal measure on “Messes of Men” and “In a Sweater Poorly Knit”. It’s messy and it’s occasionally brutal, and it applies to every person of any creed that might be reading this because, at heart, these are love songs. Classic, fully-rounded, painfully honest, bleeding-heart love songs.

mewithoutYou followed this record up with an album that spent more time talking about organic food than Jesus. Shame. If everybody took the time to articulate their faith with as much fury, honesty, and power as Weiss does here, the world would be a much better place. – Nick Butler

12. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

[Myspace] // [Review]

That Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is so unabashedly unlike any other Wilco album that has or ever will be released is, in a weird twist, its legacy: it’s a UFO speeding past at ground level, some sort of unidentifiable machinery with no real evidence or indication of where it came from, and people gravitated towards it because of this. Hell, take away Jeff Tweedy’s endearing whine, and you hardly even have a Wilco album. As a fervent fan of almost anything Wilco, including everything that came before it (sans A.M.) and after it (sans A Ghost is Born), how different this album was has always made Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sit uncomfortably for me: I could definitely recognize why all the hype and critical adoration had made the record a minor classic, but it just couldn’t hold a candle to their previous albums for me. It just wasn’t the kind of Wilco I enjoyed listening to.

But then it hit me. I don’t know why, and I only vaguely remember when (about a year and a half ago). But, seemingly all in a flash, I realized the slipshod genius of “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”, the understated power of “Radio Cure”, the breezy effortless of “I’m the Man Who Loves You”, why those lyrics, why that was like this, etc etc. Everything made sense. “Jesus Etc.” being a so-called perfect song? Hell, I even agreed with that. I guess I realized that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a one-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, for both its listeners and its creators: the album’s feel of spontaneity and yet preciseness, as well its buckling of any sort of rut its writers may have willingly fallen into over the years, is something that will never be done again. Even if Tweedy were to write another record like this one, it just wouldn’t be the same: the shock wouldn’t be there, the total reinvention would feel more processed, less like a genuine shout of frustration to break away from the norm. But so what? Even if Wilco never does anything as good as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot again, or produce these kinds of feelings again, I’ll be totally fine with that. At least we have this. And at least I get to play “Jesus Etc.” for the rest of my life. – Cam

11. Animal Collective- Feels

[Myspace] // [Review]

Guys, can we just talk for a second about how awesome “Turn Into Something” is? It’s the explosion Feels returns to after the sheer unhinged celebratory naivete captured on “Did You See The Words?” is lost somewhere between “Bees” and “Loch Raven.” It’s a furious race, where it doesn’t matter who wins it’s just the running, the endless breath-stealing running. And then that coda: a euphoric dream fully realized and enveloping, a warm cocoon to hide away in and sleep in forever. And if you thought that description was ludicrous fanboy babble, know that I could do this for eight more songs.

I don’t think there’s been an album I’ve been so passionate to defend and explain to anyone who will listen or even to those that won’t. I think I do this more to hear myself think than to convince others of its quality; the fact of the matter is that unlike, say, that other Animal Collective album (you know, with the wallpaper cover), I could care less what others think about Feels because I’m still figuring this one out myself. I’ve been living in Feels for about two years now, and I’m still finding new reasons to love it. Passages once overshadowed by just how fucking good “Banshee Beat” is are still revealing themselves and I suspect several more are lurking behind “Grass” and “Purple Bottle.” I mean, I’m not even going to pretend to understand “Bees” yet but “Daffy Duck” has started to evolve into something that will make me like Feels even more. And I already have this as my number one album of all time. Of all time!

I believe an esteemed member of our staff once said of Feels: “Whatever it is Animal Collective do, they got it right with this album.” With this in mind, it’s no surprise Feels sits in the middle of Animal Collective’s decade long journey towards pop music. Feels tugs on the band’s future while holding on to to its past, creating this strange but wholly idiosyncratic blend of the abstract and concrete. It’s invariably warm, recalling a pollen-filled spring we’ve never quite had but remembered fondly. It’s almost embarrassing to break this album down into melodies and instruments; just listen to when Avey sings the word “pool” on “Banshee Beat.” That should tell you all you need to know about Feels.

Speaking of, can we just talk for a second about how awesome “Banshee Beat” is? – Adam Downer

Previous | Next





PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
THANK GOD The Devil and God isn't #1. Whewwww.

So, half of Sputnik who thought RoC was in top 10, what's up?

deathridesahorse
06.10.10
oh look atdi and deltron, nice.

Inveigh
06.10.10
I think about 4 or 5 of my predicted top 10s went out this round, along with 2 or 3 last round. ouch. MPP and Kid A are still in it though! haha, most of my personal top 10 showed up today too

DoubtGin
06.10.10
good list...


gogogo voters, top ten isnt that hard now

Transient
06.10.10
goddammit, 5 or 6 of the albums i put down are here

PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
Yeah, most of my top 10s as well.

Except Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D. which I'm predicting will be top 3!

buckfutter
06.10.10
Worship and Tribute(decent album, I like it) is way to fucking high. Staff, once again, has disappointed me

Inveigh
06.10.10
yeah, I wish I would've waited to submit. I've still got 4 of mine in the running though that won't be enough to win I don't think.

porch
06.10.10
"At times it sounded like Fugazi, but Ian MacKaye never managed to pack this much of a punch, and Guy Picciotto wishes that he could warp the sounds coming out of his amp like his afroed counterpart"

this made me lol for all the wrong reasons

Inveigh
06.10.10
pit: well yeah, I would never put Deja ahead of White Pony either, and there's a lot I would do differently but it's not my list

DirEnRefused
06.10.10
I wanted ATDI and glassjaw in the top 10.

I'm such a post hardcore whore.

Also, wtf Brother Sister? EVERYBODY 5'd that ish.

buckfutter
06.10.10
Yeah, that description for Relationship of Command is fucking horrificly bad

Asator
06.10.10
lots of indie

Deviant.
06.10.10
3 quarters of Sputnik just got pissed off really quickly all of a sudden

Because they ain't gonna get that vinyl

PanasonicYouth
06.10.10
liekin dis list tbh

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
The lists were due at 11:59PM GMT on Wednesday night, it was discussed behind closed doors (and it was reiterated in the submission thread).

Inveigh
06.10.10
^agreed

mvood
06.10.10
The Devil and God only 20 :/ gutted boxer isn't in top 10

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
Our top 10 is comprised of all metal album FYI

Knott-
06.10.10
Loving the blurbs for these records, they're mostly excellent. Nice to see Deja getting some love :D

Transient
06.10.10
how the fuck is Feels not in the top 10, if MPP beats it then that's just bullshit

FadeToBlack
06.10.10
looking forward to Feedbacker and Close To A World Below in the top 10!

Gmork89
06.10.10
Crap.

Sheeple9000
06.10.10
Worship and Tribute is excellent but doesn't deserve to be in the Top 100.

taxidermist
06.10.10
It ain't top 10, but I'm glad that ATD-I got ranked so high. Great album, great band.

qwe3
06.10.10
Through Silver In Blood pwease be in top 10 : (

buckfutter
06.10.10
^It better be....

FadeToBlack
06.10.10
qwe u silly fish, TSIB came out in 1996

PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
was Funeral listed yet

Fugue
06.10.10
So this is by far the best of the lists thusfar, hence the 30-10 I guess. Just lost 8 of my 10 pedictions though so I'm not winning :-(

qwe3
06.10.10
omg oh yeah holy shit ahaha. did anyone put Burial on their list?

qwe3
06.10.10
and funeral was already listed

PlayCrackSky
06.10.10
The Deja Entendu overview is really well-written. Whoever made that should write a full review.

FadeToBlack
06.10.10
i cant even remember half of what i put down, the ones i can remember have already come up (except Jane Bloe)

Deviant.
06.10.10
Chambered: top 10 for Burial, well fingers crossed anyway


Thor
06.10.10
too much pitchfork posturing

buckfutter
06.10.10
Where's lil wayne?

Inveigh
06.10.10
albums we'll see tomorrow: MPP, Jane Doe, ATRU, Kid A, Transatlanticism, LYSFLATTS (GY!BE) and something by Weakerthans and maybe The Decemberists. I could also see White Stripes making an appearance

Deviant.
06.10.10
It was one of my pics for this, based on the fact I thought it should be top 10 and that it took the staff's 2007 list. But then Cynic took out 2008, and that didn't get as high as I thought it would

Inveigh
06.10.10
or maybe Leviathan by Mastodon

Deviant.
06.10.10
Inveigh: I'd put money on Burial being in the top 10

ThePalestMexican
06.10.10
Damn I placed Glassjaw in my top 10 =C

FadeToBlack
06.10.10
no Mastodon album deserves to even be in the top 500 :/

buckfutter
06.10.10
Tha Carter III should be number 1

chaos17
06.10.10
Through Silver in Blood came out in the 90's bro...

NeutralThunder12
06.10.10
Better list than expected. Awesome to see 30, my favorite indie album of all time on here. 23, 22, 19 and 18 are all brilliant, 13 is also amazing, and its good to see it so high. 17 is utter shit.Can't wait for the top 10, I justhope we see some Godspeed.

buckfutter
06.10.10
It's called a joke, BRO

scotish
06.10.10
oh shit

11 and 12 and 13 and 20 are my favourite albums evereverever. the top 10 is going to have to be pretty special for me to not hate all of the staffers.

Knott-
06.10.10
17 is utter shit? LOL.

Yordy
06.10.10
I really can't wait until tomorrow. This list was a really awesome idea. It's making me feel like a music noob though, there is a lot in 100-11 that I don't have.

Inveigh
06.10.10
not saying I'd put Mastodon there, just that it has a chance to to be the only straight-up metal album to make the staff list. I thought I remembered some staffers liking it

Inveigh
06.10.10
oh yeah forgot about Untrue

buckfutter
06.10.10
Can we all just agree that the lack of Tha Carter III on this list is disturbing?

Inveigh
06.10.10
the lack of St Anger is worse

qwe3
06.10.10
top 10s looking like Merriweather, Jane Doe, As The Roots Undo, Untrue, LIft Your Skinny Fists and im out

Inveigh
06.10.10
you're forgetting Kid A and Transatlanticism qwe

DoubtGin
06.10.10
I think the list will look like this (no order)

Radiohead - Kid A
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Converge - Jane Doe
dredg. - El Cielo
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Between the Buried and Me - Colors

^-- ima pretty sure that these one will actually be on there

rest could be:

Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Mastodon - Leviathan
Agalloch - The Mantle
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Devin Townsend - Terria
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein




DoubtGin
06.10.10
oh, add As the Roots Undo and Untrue to mine

qwe3
06.10.10
o yeah kid a and trans definitely. was thinking stars of lid but its on HERE dammit. i hope el cielo makes it that albums so fetch

AngelofDeath
06.10.10
Holy shit, this killed my contest entry.

qwe3
06.10.10
and funerals on there already

TRMshadow
06.10.10
I will laugh if I see 2+ Animal collective albums in the top 10

Yordy
06.10.10
I know a lot of people don't care, but If BTBAM isn't on here at all I'll be pretty disappointed.

DirEnRefused
06.10.10
I wonder what RAH RAHHHHHHHHH RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sounds like on vinyl.

buckfutter
06.10.10
Young Jeezy's "Recession" should be in the top 5

BigHans
06.10.10
Not one, but 2 Ced Bixler projects in this section. UGH.

DiceMan
06.10.10
I have every single one of the albums and each one fuckin kills it...

Great great list.

taxidermist
06.10.10
Cedric Bixler is the man

nttrbttrz
06.10.10
Dang, I was hoping that Fishscale would have made it since it's better than OB4CL2, and I doubt it's in the top 10. List continues to be really awesome though. I think I have about 4 guessed correctly.

DoubtGin
06.10.10
huh qwe, where is Funeral (i cant find it)

Monsterpoptart
06.10.10
First time all week where i only had to get two albums on here. Easily the best part of the list so far!

FattyKnee
06.10.10
fuck my list just annihilated

DiceMan
06.10.10
Lets consider this site’s demographic for a second; I’m don’t think it’s a stretch to say that we at Sputnikmusic are a mostly white, mostly male, mostly angsty 15-22 year old group of Fight Club watchin’, On the Road readin’ individuals disappointed with the artifice of mainstream culture,


Oh god... He knows EVERYTHING about me!

Inveigh
06.10.10
yeah i was gonna say Funeral but saw people were saying it already was on one of these

buckfutter
06.10.10
i'm gonna tongue punch your mom's fart box

Fugue
06.10.10
I swear Funeral hasn't been on one of these yet...

PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
i'm gonna tongue punch your mom's fart box lol Tosh.0

DoubtGin
06.10.10
its too good for not appearing either.

thebhoy
06.10.10
I figured Kayo Dot would be higher. Now I'm interested in the Top 10. Kid A for No. 1 and it will clearly have Godspeed

thebhoy
06.10.10
oh yeah, Funeral for sure, otherwise list is invalid.

porch
06.10.10
Funeral is already on this

mvood
06.10.10
"I swear Funeral hasn't been on one of these yet..." it hasn't

porch
06.10.10
thats weird I was pretty sure i'd seen it

Bfhurricane
06.10.10
Did Fear of a Blank Planet make anything so far? I don't remember seeing it.

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
Dear users who have still not grasped the way we devised our list,
we did not have a roundtable discussion about the albums of the decade. We each had our own lists, which had a value for each spot, and then ordered the albums accordingly. So please stop having these expectations that albums like Colors will be on here, as that is not anyone within the staff's top 10 albums of this decade (and if someone did, I missed it), therefore the odds are slim to none. Also, for reference, I had GlassJAw's Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence in my top 3, and it didn't make the list, so in order to understand how an album would be in the top ten, it would take multiple staff members choosing that as a top 10 album. Lastly, stop guessing albums that aren't in this decade.

Take this as an opportunity to revisit albums or find new albums, instead of criticizing everything outright. If our list was compiled of all metal albums, we would probably be writing for Ultimate-Guitar. Just saying.

buckfutter
06.10.10
IsItLuck- Clam down there buddy. We're allowed to disagree

robin
06.10.10
this is my favourite part. totally awesome.

Inveigh
06.10.10
yea I mainly just see people trying to guess it, not complaining about it

DiceMan
06.10.10
Acually, I agree... People being like LOL WHY DOESN'T THIS LOOK EXACTLY LIKE MY LIST OF 100 ALBUMS OF THE 2000S are pretty fucking annoying.

BallsToTheWall
06.10.10
Once again Music Box is flamed.

DiceMan
06.10.10
Bulldog, staff have his best album at a 4.5, 4, 3.5, and 3.5. I think it's safe to say it isn't making an appearance.



IsItLuck?
06.10.10
Not going to lie, the past few days of unreasonable expectations has been taxing, but check out our ratings, it will likely help your guesses.

Poet
06.10.10
Bon Iver toooooooo low =(

Poet
06.10.10
*high

Monsterpoptart
06.10.10
Totally forgot about Neutral Milk Hotel. Bet that's gonna show up.

theacademy
06.10.10
fuck anybody who doesnt think Vheissu+TDAGZ aren't 1-2

theacademy
06.10.10
also i though boner fair for emma would be in the top 10 good thing i didnt submit yet

Klekticist
06.10.10
ugh, no ATDI top ten. Damn..

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
"Totally forgot about Neutral Milk Hotel. Bet that's gonna show up."
If it were the 90s, then this would be highly accurate.

Inveigh
06.10.10
ugh, NMH is 90s

StreetlightRock
06.10.10
yeah but its timeless so we got around that little hurdle.

Transient
06.10.10
pretty sure i've got 9 of them figured out

Skimaskcheck
06.10.10
Pretty much agree with what a whole bunch of others have said - this section ruined my list (it's amazing though), top 10 is a bit of mystery which is cool!

Zizzer
06.10.10
Is it not supposed to be "Illinoise" like on the cover?

Yotimi
06.10.10
We can still submit today, right?

Dredg - El Cielo
Radiohead - Kid A
Circle Takes the Square - ATRU
Converge - Jane Doe
Animal Collective - MPP
Burial - Untrue
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - LYSFLATH
Arcade Fire - Funeral

Can't figure out the last 2. Geoggadi would be awesome but I doubt it.

ameypv
06.10.10
ok dont tell me oceanic is in the top 10

fuck yeah if there
phail list if not

Yotimi
06.10.10
Oh yeah, Deathcab...and maybe Gospel?

Inveigh
06.10.10
Transatlanticism will be top 10, I dunno about the other (I'm with Yotimi on the 8 he listed). I don't really see it being Oceanic or Leviathan but nothing else is coming to mind...

Gmork89
06.10.10
No mention of Devin Townsend yet...

theacademy
06.10.10
20 - 11 is easily better than 10 - 1...

Masochist
06.10.10
Taking Yotomi's list as a base, I'm thinking:

Dredg - El Cielo
Radiohead - Kid A
Circle Takes the Square - ATRU
Converge - Jane Doe
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - LYSFLATH
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Hot Cross - Cryonics
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Thrice - The Artist In the Ambulance


LiquidVelvet
06.10.10
I'm hoping Daisy is in the top ten, partially cuz I LOVE that album, partially because I reaaally wanna see it rank higher than Devil and God, and partially because I was so sure of what the top ten would be, and that all got thrown off when Devil and God was on THIS list.

FadeToBlack
06.10.10
^ not gonna happen

Motiv3
06.10.10
4 of my top 10 has gone in this list, im sure the other 6 will make it though, i dont see how they cant.

FadeToBlack
06.10.10
needs moar Immolation

Masochist
06.10.10
I can't, either...but I also couldn't see that album being left off the entire list (though I would think 'In Absentia' would rank higher even if FoaBP WERE on it).

Besides...everyone lauds that album enough, so I figure, why not?

DiceMan
06.10.10
They said that 2 of the 10 albums in the top 10 aren't even added to the database sooo yeah.

Motiv3
06.10.10
oh and i highly doubt colors would make it top 10, ill be highly surprised.

theacademy
06.10.10
@maso i would seriously jump for joy if artist is in the top 10... in a world where the staff would be picking their actual favorites, instead of what they want to publish as 'sputnik's favorites,' "Artist in the Ambulance" would be in the top 10...

Inveigh
06.10.10
apparently that was a joke musicaddiction101

Masochist
06.10.10
Some odd missing albums in the series that probably won't make the top 10. Not a single Mastadon album? No BTBAM? Nothing from Misery Signals?

DiceMan
06.10.10
I feel cheated and lied to.

Masochist
06.10.10
academy - It just seems a bit odd that they would include every other meaningful Thrice album (even 'The Alchemy Index') without including 'The Artist in the Ambulance'...

Masochist
06.10.10
hantuchova - So do Converge, but they'll get a spot, I guarantee...

Motiv3
06.10.10
'idk man Choirs Of The Eye isnt in the top 10 so im just bewildered'

That was my number 1 pick....

distantlights
06.10.10
1nice to see stars of the lid on here! i never would have thought that would be included .

PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
Me :)

Inveigh
06.10.10
it was death magnetic wasn't it

buckfutter
06.10.10
I'm still saying The Carter III belong on here, no doubt

Inveigh
06.10.10
oh yeah I bet it's Gospel





or tha Carter III

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
The correct title is 'Illinois,' however many mislabel it as 'Come on Feel the Illinoise,' Remember that he was attempting to do his 50 states project, and the one prior to Illinois was labeled Michigan.

joshuatree
06.10.10
this list makes me happy because its awesome seeing stars of the lid and wilco so high

the top 10 makes me happier though

PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
Hm. Well it can't be Sonic Youth being that their above-average shit is from the 90's

joshuatree
06.10.10
left and leaving's 89

and sonic youth's above-average shit is from the 80s bro

StreetlightRock
06.10.10
Murray Street is pretty kick ass.


atrink
06.10.10
i legitimately thought that like 4 or 5 of these would be in the top ten...how puzzling

PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
80's 90's same

wait left and leaving was 2000, wasnt it?

ameypv
06.10.10
needs moar post-metal

WeepingBanana
06.10.10
12 is overrated as fuck IMO but this might be my fav part of the list out of all of them

DoubtGin
06.10.10
"was left and leaving this decade"


yes, its on the first list.

DirEnRefused
06.10.10
this was not my 30-11 and i am srsly pissed off bout where you deviated

Yotimi
06.10.10
For real, did the submissions end last night? I have the 2 people are leaving off but don't wanna say.

buckfutter
06.10.10
How about Suicide Silence-No Time to Bleed at number 1? I think it deserves such praise

Yotimi
06.10.10
One of them is pretty obvious and I can't believe nobody's mentioned it

FadeToBlack
06.10.10
^ taking it a step further, Brokencyde/Soulja Boy/Nickelback for top 10?

lessermaster
06.10.10
Not enough metal!

mmfarva
06.10.10
So happy Brother, SIster is this high.

FelixCulpa
06.10.10
Yay, though the list was done with Thrice from what I read when The alchemy index was on the list!

Emim
06.10.10
This was pretty good.

Inveigh
06.10.10
voting ended last night Yotimi. are you thinking Wilco?

Ayon
06.10.10
The write-up for Deja Entendu was beautiful and so damn true.

I'm guessing the rest of the list will be devoid of Sleater-Kinney? Oh well, I guess they were more of a 90's band anyway.

fr33convict
06.10.10
I remember one of the staff saying Kid A wasn't going to be on this list.

Oh and this obliterated my top ten list. I have two albums left, one of which will probably never make it on here and Jane Doe.

Yotimi
06.10.10
The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2

Come on guys

Transient
06.10.10
yeah, i picked up on The Glow Pt. 2 when i counted 9 obvious ones, the one i was missing was gospel (thought it'd already appeared and assumed the last spot was going to be something like the thermals)

Circa4life
06.10.10
Awesome list, glad to see () in there god I love that album.

Knott-
06.10.10
Well The Body, The Blood, The Machine will be like number 9 or something so yeah

Inveigh
06.10.10
oh yeah The Glow Pt. 2 will make it. So we're thinking

Dredg - El Cielo
Radiohead - Kid A
Circle Takes the Square - ATRU
Converge - Jane Doe
Animal Collective - MPP
Burial - Untrue
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - LYSFLATH
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2

and either Gospel or Death Cab?

Inveigh
06.10.10
actually, I'm not sure El Cielo will be on there, so it could be Gospel AND Death Cab

KieranV
06.10.10
what about blackwater park

Yotimi
06.10.10
Nah, El Cielo has like 6 staff giving it a 5. Don't think Death Cab will make it.

KieranV
06.10.10
lol jk missed it

klap
06.10.10
lol inveigh i didn't vote in this, obvie white stripes and decemberists won't be on it :0

Inveigh
06.10.10
i don't really know anything about staff's tastes, so my guesses should not be considered educated lol. i personally don't like either of those bands

Knott-
06.10.10
List evidently needs more Limp Bizkit.

AtomicWaste
06.10.10
Really? 3 Thrice albums?

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
there's a 4th coming

Knott-
06.10.10
honestly i agree with you about a lot of the long-standing staff being like that.

but saying the list is shit is a litttttttle bit subjective.

Knott-
06.10.10
'Cause Vheissu's actually nowhere nearly as good as Artist.

But I put Vheissu in my top 10 and will feel cheated if TAITA is there because it's actually my favourite Thrice album :(

Transient
06.10.10
beggars made top 10, obviously

JesusV4
06.10.10
I'm surprised not to see a Mastodon album in the whole list. They deserved to be somewhere in the Top 100. They don't deserve a spot in the Top 10 though, so Idk what gives there.

Deloused should be higher, but over all, an impressive 30-11.

Yazz_Flute
06.10.10
Lot of my favorites on this list.

I'm expecting MPP, Ok Computer, Kid A, and Jane Doe in the top 10 definitely. Possibly CTTS too.

Knott-
06.10.10
OK Computer will have a job being on this list.

Fugue
06.10.10
lol O.K Computer.

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
I'm also expecting Thriller tbqh

robertsona
06.10.10
"Lot of my favorites on this list.

I'm expecting MPP, Ok Computer, Kid A, and Jane Doe in the top 10 definitely. Possibly CTTS too."

LMAO

Knott-
06.10.10
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor HAS to be there.

DirEnRefused
06.10.10
Beggars or TAITA being over TiOS and Vheissu would be a travesty.

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
and Eminem - Relapse

PuddlesPuddles
06.10.10
knott necessarily!

TMobotron
06.10.10
List is beautiful. Lol @ OK Computer of course, also there's now absolutely no chance CTTS won't be in top 10.

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
I forgot to include CTTS in my top 100, just sayin' (seriously..)

204409
06.10.10
Is the point guessing, or is the point enjoying the albums listed?

Fugue
06.10.10
where's the fun in that? The staff have always enjoyed fucking with the users.

acorncheese
06.10.10
Surprised Blessed Are The Bonds didn't show up anywhere.

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
mwuahahahha

IonsAgo
06.10.10
De-Loused should definitely be higher.

Transient
06.10.10
put they dick in they mouth so it's kinda like fuck what they say

Crysis
06.10.10
I think 16 should be in the top 10 but yeah pretty good shit.

burnafterbreeding
06.10.10
so glad to see B/S so high up.

PanasonicYouth
06.10.10
goddamn you people are pissy

Baphomet
06.10.10
i'm sooooo grateful The Devil and God and WHite pony aren't in the top ten.

Tulannical
06.10.10
is it still possible to enter the contest or is it too late

YouAreMySilence
06.10.10
Incredible to see Sigur Ros and SOTL. Im especially surprised by the latter.

Jawaharal
06.10.10
frances the mute shits all over deloused

deltron shouldnt even be on this list

xscythe7x
06.10.10
23 and under i approve
the rest? no

brandnewAAAA
06.10.10
This part of the list fuckin rules. Just one question How can i see the previous parts of the list? Or is it just one day view?

Photon
06.10.10
OMFG i just Saw stars of the lid..didnt expect that one at all ..but props to the Sputnik ..this just made my day

sumyunguy
06.10.10
ok, the fact that this list is oversaturated with way too much fucking indie is something I could have overlooked if metal and hip hop were at least reasonably represented. but out of 90 albums so far, metal and hip hop COMBINE for around 10-15, and we all know that 1-10 will only have Jane Doe. Seriously?? That's pathetic! Where is Colors? Where is Madvillainy? Where is ANY Mastodon album? They don't even have to be high on the list, just ON it. A list like this just shows that this site isn't THAT much different than Pitchfork. And that's not a good thing.

Yotimi
06.10.10
Pretty much everything you said is retarded

sumyunguy
06.10.10
Wow, and the award for blanket statement of the year goes to...
What's retarded? Me stating a fact? Because saying that metal and hip hop are severely under-represented on this list is a fact.

204409
06.10.10
Because metal, indie, and hip hop are the only three genres out there.

Titan50
06.10.10
I hope Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band makes the top ten!

Enotron
06.10.10
it all goes back to greer's comment that if metalheads were better writers, there would be more metal on this list.

Get the fuck over it. This isn't the best of each genre, it's the top 100 albums of the decade and it's based off staff opinion. Honestly you sound like a cunt saying that they're pathetic for not liking Colors and whatever else you mentioned. You're not going to get your view across by acting like a condescending prick.

Enotron
06.10.10
came from my inner, raging soul duh

TMobotron
06.10.10
Haha yeah there's a lot on here that isn't metal/hip-hop/indie. That being said, I would like to see some madvillainy, supreme clientele, and silent shout on here. But I can't complain, the list has been pretty awesome so far, and today's is no different. Especially with the MMLP and Deltron being so high. I had actually guessed Brother, Sister being in top 10, but that's a really nice spot for it too.

sumyunguy
06.10.10
well, sorry for me being optimistic about this list and hoping it doesn't turn out just like Pitchfork's and EVERY other decade list out there that is 90% indie and has Kid A at number 1. sorry for that. and as far as quality of writing, there are many metal albums on this site that are very well-reviewed, so that's not a reason.

Athom
06.10.10
due to my overall growing repugnance towards you people, I'm going to take a reprieve from the site. lates.

Enotron
06.10.10
YEAH MAN WHY THE FUCK DO PEOPLE LIKE INDIE SO MUCH? OBVIOUSLY SOME PITCHFORK, HIPSTER SCHEME(as opposed to, you know, indie music being really good)!

porch
06.10.10
haha why on earth do people get so worked up about these lists

if you like those other albums that weren't listed then just go and fucking listen to them instead of complaining so bitterly about a list compiled by a group of people you don't know and will never meet

Titan50
06.10.10
[quote]well, sorry for me being optimistic about this list and hoping it doesn't turn out just like Pitchfork's and EVERY other decade list out there that is 90% indie and has Kid A at number 1. sorry for that. and as far as quality of writing, there are many metal albums on this site that are very well-reviewed, so that's not a reason. [/quote]

Go make your own list, cunt. It'll probably be shit anyway

Enotron
06.10.10
I love all the hatred these lists have created. Still worth it, though, it's a phenomenal feature.

sumyunguy
06.10.10
i agree that this list is a great feature. i have enjoyed reading the descriptions and I am looking forward to tomorrow's final 10. but am I really the only fucking person who thinks that it's ridiculously lopsided as far as genres go? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

brandnewAAAA
06.10.10
Thx a lot didn't see it up there, and you can click only today in the homepage. Btw this list is making torrent (mediafire- megaupload) albums like crazy, so much music I haven't heard.

elephantREVOLUTION
06.10.10
battles should be in the top 10, but i know they won't be. i wish m83 and rx bandits would have made the list too. and if thrice has 3 albums on here then mewithoutyou deserves at least 2.

sumyunguy
06.10.10
lol thanks. of course i've already read all of pitchfork's lists, and they are...well pretty underwhelming at best. i don't even care that much about ordering. i just like to see albums I like ON the list somewhere, even if they are dead last. If colors was #100 on this list, I'd be perfectly happy.

DirEnRefused
06.10.10
Naaa, Brother Sister's more widely liked, I think.

Enotron
06.10.10
that would be a great sputnik feature "Albums that sumyunguy likes". Then he would be happy.

sumyunguy
06.10.10
haha, there's no way I'd ever become staff. it takes WAY too much work and time that I know I'd never put in to something like this. btw, when the staff made this list did they all actually get together in person, like in the same room, or was this done over the internet where everyone submitted their picks?

Willie
06.10.10
We were in the same room... we had a circle jerk, patted ourselves on the backs, and proceeded to omit any genre that wasn't cool enough for us.

Relinquished
06.10.10
lol Willie you rule

porch
06.10.10
they had a conference meeting in Bogota, Colombia



DoubtGin
06.10.10
ah, makes sense now


but srsly, all the albums on here (ok, probably not all but most of them) are fuckin great... ima currently listenin through the whole thing (at Gas - Pop atm)

sumyunguy
06.10.10
lol, well after such a grueling session of ranking 100 albums of course you guys needed some release. but seriously though, does the staff all actually know eachother?

porch
06.10.10
You're taking the staff far too seriously

they're mostly just a bunch of assholes with questionable taste in music

therayder
06.10.10
Now this is better than yesterday's choices. Wonder what the top 10 are though, I was expecting TDAGARIM to be there

ant4tbc
06.10.10
definitely surprised Fear Before's TAOM didn't make the list.

Nikkolae
06.10.10
that Deja Entendu review is a pice of art, great countdown so far

sumyunguy
06.10.10
i'm most curious as to what #2 will be since #1 is so obvious.

sumyunguy
06.10.10
in that case, I'm crossing my fingers for Quasimoto's The Unseen...

Enotron
06.10.10
I'm pretty sure most staff members have As The Roots Undo at 5 than they do Kid A

EverythingEvil2113
06.10.10
I'm really enjoying these and am looking forward to the last one. There's actually some stuff I hadn't heard of before so I got some things I need to check out it looks like.

scissorlocked
06.10.10
make way for el cielo

DirEnRefused
06.10.10
Jane Doe or As the Roots Undo as number 1 IMO. Don't worry sumyunguy, neither indie.

foreverendeared
06.10.10
SO many good records in this group

Thanntos
06.10.10
Lots of good stuff in this section, and many of them are in very respectable spots, which suffice to say I can't say for the rest of the list, which pretty much wasn't that great up to this point.

Can't wait for the top 10.

sumyunguy
06.10.10
haha, it's possible but not likely. i'm afraid sputnik too, like so many other lists before it, shall fall under the spell of Kid A. it's just...too...powerful...

Foxhound
06.10.10
loads of albums I love up there, nice.

EVedder27
06.10.10
Downer's write up of Deja is absolutely fantastic

IsItLuck?
06.10.10
"We were in the same room... we had a circle jerk, patted ourselves on the backs, and proceeded to omit any genre that wasn't cool enough for us."
almost choked on the food I was eating, thank you for this Willie. P.S. list is just indie with a few hip-hop/metal. No post-hardcore, pop-punk, post-rock, hardcore, emo, etc. to be found

scissorlocked
06.10.10
WHERE THE HELL ARE MASTODON??SERIOUSLY???

Fugue
06.10.10
that's because indie is the only genre that matters.

SeaAnemone
06.10.10
holy shit I know the one album that's gonna make my entry perfect that everybody's forgotten so far. it's really obvious. yes, i AM taking this really seriously.

Fugue
06.10.10
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was gonna be my entry that everyone forgot, so much for that...

SeaAnemone
06.10.10
I just wanna scream it out for everybody cuz it's really obvious and hasn't been mentioned once yet but i want my KId A vinyl so I'll shut up now

mistercb
06.10.10
Sad to see that Boris didn't make the list with either Feedbacker or Flood. Lifted from Brigth Eyes is also missing. I hope that atleast Gospel's The Moon Is a Dead World will make it into the top 10.

Fugue
06.10.10
I'd like to see The Microphones in the top ten.

Fugue
06.10.10
You know, now that it doesn't matter what I put.

Photon
06.10.10
yeah so looks like Messa Verde -the old road is going to be in the top ten

SeaAnemone
06.10.10
Mesa Verde? The way I have it.... Gospel, Hot Cross, and Mesa Verde got left out, which sucks

Photon
06.10.10
*Mesa Verde

El3ktriic
06.10.10
Radiohead - Kid A
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Converge - Jane Doe
dredg. - El Cielo
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Burial - Untrue
Death Cab - Transatlanticism
CTTS - As The Roots Undo
Muse - Origin of Symmetry

noone else think muse? :(

Against Miik!
06.10.10
I have the exact same list (different order) except I took out Death Cab and put in Against Me's Reinventing Axl Rose. Most of the staff seems to like it. I was seriously contemplating Transatlanticism though, so we'll see. Weird thing is both belong in the top 100 so whichever one isn't in the top 10 seriously got overlooked.

Blakout
06.10.10
Gonna be Kezia obviously.

ShadowRemains
06.10.10
Close to a World Below

that is all...

Displacement
06.10.10
Was Galilean Satellites mentioned yet?

El3ktriic
06.10.10
against me's a good call, it could easily be the big surprise there's gonna be in this top 10

Fugue
06.10.10
idk Original Pirate Metal might make it also.

Lunarfall
06.10.10
Calling it right now, top 5 will be these:

1. Radiohead - Kid A
2. Converge - Jane Doe
3. Circle Takes the Square - As the Roots Undo
4. dredg - El Cielo
5. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

hoping Origin of Symmetry will make top 10, but i doubt it will

El3ktriic
06.10.10
if i ordered my top 10, it'd be

1. Converge - Jane Doe
2. CTTS - As The Roots Undo
3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Radiohead - Kid A
5. dredg. - El Cielo
6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
7. Arcade Fire - Funeral
8. Burial - Untrue
9. Death Cab - Transatlanticism
10.Muse - Origin of Symmetry


BroFro
06.11.10
With Brother, Sister being so high, I find it hard to believe Catch For Us the Foxes not making the list. A surprise top ten appearance would kill.

DaveyBoy
06.11.10
"noone else think muse? :("

I thought it, but I'm irrelevant.


Ayon
06.11.10
Origin of Symmetry is good, but I don't think it's a game changer. I feel like Colors has a better shot at top tendom.

Enotron
06.11.10
"Colors has a better shot"

nah dude, not many BTBAM staff fans as far as I know

Hecksplosion
06.11.10
Bravo Adam, I dont think anyone could encapsulate Deja better than you did, and glassjaw definitely deserves its place

acorncheese
06.11.10
Lunarfall nailed it.

acorncheese
06.11.10
Well, swap El Cielo for Funeral on his list imo

Lunarfall
06.11.10
i dunno man, el cielo had way more time to mature as an album, i think that will give it the edge

Spec
06.11.10
Way too much Thrice. Not gonna lie, I thought Wilco would make top ten.

Transient
06.11.10
"The top 10 is actually just Kid A through Kid J. Sorry to ruin the suspense."

HAHA

qwe3
06.11.10
made me larf

ziroth
06.11.10
top 3 are probably all gy!be

204409
06.11.10
Ballots are in.

ziroth
06.11.10
it's over? thought it was midnight

204409
06.11.10
Ya midnight GMT. Deal with it.

ziroth
06.11.10
damn lol was trying to do my research

Zizzer
06.11.10
This is a great feature

DaveyBoy
06.11.10
And the winner is (insert Mike Portnoy drum-roll here).......





DFelon204408 (no relation to Dfelon204409)

PoodleRapist
06.11.10
wow, did miss machine not make it on at all? or did i MISS it

....ugh. no more puns.

Casablanca
06.11.10
ahh c`mon...
The Slim Shady LP is better than the MMLP...it better be in the Top 10


Awesomesauce
06.11.10
Hoping for some Alestorm in there...

Electric City
06.11.10
thanks for the compliments on the deja soundoff guys

PoodleRapist
06.11.10
@casablanca: no waaaayyy

tombits
06.11.10
Epic list. My predictions were absolutely torn apart, over half of them are here.

theacademy
06.11.10
tombiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiits

theacademy
06.11.10
and MJ you're going to be disappointed when you click that banner!!!

so happy Kid A isn't #1 im flyin right now

AlexTM510
06.11.10
i want the top 10 now so i can witness 4328409 metalheads users cry about their not being enough metal in the top 10

Ire
06.11.10
List is getting super redundant now.

I shouldn't complain but it is.

Lunarfall
06.11.10
now i kinda hope CTTS is #1 so MJ leaves once and for all

theacademy
06.11.10
it's not CTTS either...

seriously its the only awesome album in the top 10. and unfortunately for MJ, he hates it...

Pizza
06.11.10
i didnt think gospel would be near the top but now i'm really hoping it is, i dont see how it couldnt be on the list at all. and obviously converge is 1, look at the staff ratings for it

Crimson Death
06.11.10
Is it Jane Doe??

Spenray205
06.11.10
Adam, that was an incredibly accurate and moving description attached to the Brand New album. If I had to choose three paragraphs to sum up my adolescence as I see it now, well, I'd pick what you wrote there. I'd pick it because I believe and can relate to everything you're saying, despite having never heard that particular album before. Your allusions to the mood of what it was like growing up (what it is still like growing up) in a "post 9/11 hyper culture" are so biting and poignant... they really hit me. I'll definitely be downloading Deja Entendu ASAP.

silkforcalde
06.11.10
5 of my worst albums of the 2000s on this page

Illinois, Animal Collective, In Rainbows, Kayo Dot, Sigur Ros

Hoping for a better top 10 but not having much hope.

tombits
06.11.10
You're a fucking idiot.

silkforcalde
06.11.10
Seriously, without any hyperbole, Animal Collective is the worst band I've ever heard.

tombits
06.11.10
Then you need to start listening to less metal.

silkforcalde
06.11.10
Kid A is mediocre and dull, btw. Radiohead has had a massively steep decline since OK Computer. At least Kid A isn't as wretched as Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, or In Rainbows.

qwe3
06.11.10
hey silkforcalde i think you enjoy being wrong

TRMshadow
06.11.10
Obfusaction iz NO. 1

TRMshadow
06.11.10
amirite?

megadeth101
06.11.10
omfg stfu

Ayon
06.11.10
Why do you like OK Computer but not In Rainbows?

silkforcalde
06.11.10
#1 should be Ashes Against the Grain. It's godlike.

And how can you be wrong about musical opinions? Such an idea is nonsensical.

silkforcalde
06.11.10
In Rainbows is just boring.

Ayon
06.11.10
How do you like Ashes Against The Grain but not Kid A? So you like heavy metal ambient noise but not just ambient electronic noise?

silkforcalde
06.11.10
I really liked Kid A for about 2 weeks but then I got extremely tired of it. Also that song with the horns in the middle is just awful. AWFUL.

I felt Thom Yorke was too influenced by Sigur Ros at that point and Sigur Ros... don't even get me started. I saw Sigur Ros live once and I seriously contemplated suicide.

qwe3
06.11.10
"#1 should be Ashes Against the Grain. It's godlike.

And how can you be wrong about musical opinions? Such an idea is nonsensical. "

you disagree with me, that's how!

Ayon
06.11.10
Hmm, i guess that's an understandable opinon. However, albums like Kid A and Funeral influenced the future of music so greatly they're difficult to ignore.

To be honest, I haven't got around to listening to Sigur Ros yet so can't agree or disagree.

silkforcalde
06.11.10
very disapointed to not see alcest anywhere on this list. the fact that they spawned an entire subgenre should be reason enough to include at least souvenirs d'un autre monde. the fact that it is an incredibly beautiful and emotionally moving album should cement it a spot way up on the list.

Dryden
06.11.10
wonder what the top 10 will be. mr bungle better be in it

silkforcalde
06.11.10
as much as i love mr bungle, i'd prefer to see sleepytime gorilla museum on there. i feel like they took the torch that mr bungle lit and just freakin ran to the stars with it

Ayon
06.11.10
I hear all The Replacement's reissues are in the Top 10... even their shitty ones. It's just a rumor though...

sniper
06.11.10
Love it. But no Gospel :(

sniper
06.11.10
Wait fuck does this mean Colors is top 10? Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

We'll see i guess.

acorncheese
06.11.10
There's absolutely no chance of Colors being in the top ten.

sniper
06.11.10
Then it didn't even make top 100 I'm pleasantly surprised.

Ire
06.11.10
"There's absolutely no chance of Colors being in the top ten. "

THIS

KritikalMotion
06.11.10
pretty decent, better than the last lot

disappointed that AC are going to have two albums so high

sniper
06.11.10
I feel like people dislike Animal Collective just because it's the cool thing to do.

Ire
06.11.10
Nah it's because they write shit songs

sniper
06.11.10
They just make songs that feel good I don't get what's not to like but there's a lot I don't get about what people like and dislike so whateverrrr

TRMshadow
06.11.10
Animal Collective are OKAY, but way crappier than they're made out to be. I'm expecting CTTS in the top 3

qwe3
06.11.10
crappier

multipleofone
06.11.10
Colors will be top three

KritikalMotion
06.11.10
Yeah AC are fine, but more like 3/5 fine

TRMshadow
06.11.10
I hate when finalists are so easy to guess (then again, BWP and TDaGaRIM's places below the top 10 really surprised me)

megadeth101
06.11.10
ATTN IDIOTS: COLORS IS NOT ON THE LIST. CHECK THE RATINGS, NONE OF THE STAFFIES 5'D IT.

TRMshadow
06.11.10
Staffers usually listen to good music, the masses listen to bad music, the masses listen to BTBAM, The staffers rate BTBAM lower, the masses superfluously 5 BTBAM...

megadeth101
06.11.10
CORRECTION THOR GAVE IT A 5. ALSO... WHO THE FUCK IS THOR?

Dryden
06.11.10
idk man

TRMshadow
06.11.10
He's a Norse God, he has hammers or something I'm pretty sure

Titan50
06.11.10
Am I the only one who doesn't think Transatlanticism will be in the top ten?

megadeth101
06.11.10
i thought it was already on the list

multipleofone
06.11.10
An album that hasn't been yet is Colors. Because that will be in the top ten

Maynardziak
06.11.10
very poor ranking

Dryden
06.11.10
i expected better

Powerban
06.11.10
top 10 will suck

Yotimi
06.11.10
Titan I don't think Trans will make it either.

Apollo
06.11.10
list rules face. So many good albums on here :)

therayder
06.11.10
Adam, your description for Deja Entendu was pretty awesome

acorncheese
06.11.10
Here's what I'm expecting when the final list hits: As the Roots Undo, Jane Doe, Kid A, Oceanic, El Cielo, Funeral, Lift Yr. Skinny Fists..., Merriweather. No idea who will get the last two. But I can almost guarantee the rest.

acorncheese
06.11.10
Most likely mewithoutYou - Foxes

Yotimi
06.11.10
It's the Microphones and Brother, Sister

theacademy
06.11.10
@Acorn no Oceanic

DoubtGin
06.11.10
uh, two mewithoutyou albums so high, pls not ;c

just listened to Unwound yesterday (now Fugazi); that album owns .-.

theacademy
06.11.10
no mewithoutyou in the top 10 either

Jonathan10
06.11.10
I put songs for the deaf at 10, I just have a feeling it's will be somewhere.

PuddlesPuddles
06.11.10
NO MEWITHOUTYOU IN THE TOP 10?

what is this Sucknik

theacademy
06.11.10
nope, sorry

theacademy
06.11.10
(no QotSA either)

megadeth101
06.11.10
"An album that hasn't been yet is Colors. Because that will be in the top ten"
COLORS WILL NOT BE ON THE TOP TEN

theacademy
06.11.10
sadly, no btbam in the top 10...

FadeToBlack
06.11.10
i highly doubt Oceanic will be there. Panopticon would have been a little higher if that was the case

Jonathan10
06.11.10
When are we gonna find out the suspense is killing me

Yotimi
06.11.10
Oh yeah, I meant Untrue not Brother, Sister

Yotimi
06.11.10
Where is Academy getting this insider information

theacademy
06.11.10
Untrue is, but no Isis guys :(


Ire
06.11.10
I have a feeling that Kid A will be here /sarcasm

SeaAnemone
06.11.10
holy shit how did everyone forget The Gaslight Anthem. I guarantee The '59 Sound is bottom of the top 10, and it hasn't been mentioned once in ANY of these threads what?!

SeaAnemone
06.11.10
nuh-uh

SeaAnemone
06.11.10
yeah because they always tell the truth about this list

Gmork89
06.11.10
This really needs either Agalloch or Townsend somewhere in the top ten to redeem itself.

NeutralThunder12
06.11.10
burial is a weird band. Anyway, I hope the top 10 isnt cliche and has some surprises. And yeah to Gmork, it would be awesome to see Agalloch, but prolly not :(

Slipping Away
06.11.10
its friday dammit, hurry up

FadeToBlack
06.11.10
seeing The Mantle would be awesome, but not going to happen. otherwise I think Ashes Against The Grain would have been somewhere on the list

PuddlesPuddles
06.11.10
"i know im at work and i dont want to actually do any work i just wanna see the top 10"

lololol same here. I'm putting patients on hold to check Sputnik.
"I have a case of (discretion) in my brain and my doctor wants -"
" - yeah yeah yeah yeah, hold on one second"


Gmork89
06.11.10
The Mantle should be somewhere on this list, I'm not giving up hope.

NeutralThunder12
06.11.10
yeah lol my whole day is waiting for the damn top 10. Need moar top 10. And yeah Fade, any Agalloch CD would be awesome, but the staff is too busy blowing Jacob Bannon. It be fucking hilarious if Colors was number 1 lol

Deviant.
06.11.10
Haha, theacademy never fails to surprise me

El3ktriic
06.11.10
it's gonna be saturday over here before this list is released


Inveigh
06.11.10
"holy shit how did everyone forget The Gaslight Anthem. I guarantee The '59 Sound is bottom of the top 10, and it hasn't been mentioned once in ANY of these threads what?!"

oh shit, I think that's the other album from my submitted top 10 that I couldn't remember

NeutralThunder12
06.11.10
lollllllllllllllllllll Puddles

acorncheese
06.11.10
Really don't think The Microphones will be top 10. I feet pretty confident that Oceanic will be there, though.

robertsona
06.11.10
every1 check the for the meds thread in the forums./...././././...

SeaAnemone
06.11.10
guys you realize this is the staff's opinion and not necessarily yours right? like a lot of them loved the Microphones and I don't think many loved Oceanic soooooo... yeeeaaahh.

PuddlesPuddles
06.11.10
Dude....

Total sand bag. Very. How the hell did he...?

brandnewAAAA
06.11.10
It's friday already, where's the top ten? Haven't slept all night waiting for it.

Deviant.
06.11.10
Hence my earlier comment about theacademy

SeaAnemone
06.11.10
holy shit academy just beat Sputnik.

robertsona
06.11.10
i cant imagine that link was hard to find i mean like they probably should have done a better job of hiding the directory but i dont imagine they care toooo much. so gj? idk

Electric City
06.11.10
k lol enjoy your permabans

qwe3
06.11.10
yah i think the microphones will be in top 10

theacademy
06.11.10
for the record i didn't submit a perfect ballot or anything... (i only own 2 records on vinyl and i don't even have a record player)... however, i am predicting that Yotimi will win (unless someone else found the directory) based on his comments... or deviant maybe ... i remember seeing them both throwing around the tougher ones in comments, so i think it will be one of those two...

acorncheese
06.11.10
List would become awesome if Elliott Smith's Figure 8 was on there.

opblaaskonijn
06.11.10
Top 10 needs Given To The Rising

El3ktriic
06.11.10
got 5/10 perfect, not too bad i don't think

JesusChris
06.11.10
where is the link?

UnnamedOcean
06.11.10
I am ready to bet that Kid A takes the top spot. I will be disappointed though if Oceansize has nothing in the top 10. Frames and Effloresce kill In Rainbows.

Motiv3
06.11.10
has streetlight manifesto - Everything goes numb been mentioned yet?

El3ktriic
06.11.10
don't put too much money on it

qwe3
06.11.10
yeah t has hollier

Motiv3
06.11.10
ah ok, wasnt too sure. I probs got 5/10 of my predictions right.

acorncheese
06.11.10
Ocean - unfortunately Oceansize won't make the list. Frames, Effloresce and EIP kill pretty much 99% of this list. Nay, 100%. Don't worry, we know where it's at.

Motiv3
06.11.10
i would also laugh so hard if colors made top 10, it obviously wont, but it would sure as heck be funny.

theacademy
06.11.10
Hollywood Undead was number 7 people SO PROUD!

qwe3
06.11.10
oceansize>entire list

acorncheese
06.11.10
Oceansize>life>Lost

qwe3
06.11.10
rsa shoulda won : (

qwe3
06.11.10
rsa shoulda won : (

PuddlesPuddles
06.11.10
The RSA
The GZA
Ol' Dirty Bastard

UnnamedOcean
06.11.10
Yeah, Oceansize would not be able to mnake this list, though they deserve it. I should make a list of albums that should have made it, but didn't.

acorncheese
06.11.10
For me personally: All Oceansize (can't hide the fanboyism), The Ocean - Precambrian, Elliott Smith - Figure 8 & Basement (can't hide the fanboyism), Beardfish - Sleeping in Traffic pt.1.

ratedrsuperstar
06.11.10
when is the final 10 list coming out?! its almost friday end in south-asia

multipleofone
06.11.10
It's saturday in Australia

Motiv3
06.11.10
god the suspense is killing me lol i actually wanna see what the top 10 is now haha.

FattyKnee
06.11.10
c'mon i can't much longer

Lelle
06.11.10
last time I checked it was friday so why aren't 10-1 up yet

Willie
06.11.10
Building Suspense… or oversleeping...

Crimson Death
06.11.10
"c'mon i can't much longer" -FattyKnee

That's what she said

Klekticist
06.11.10
ugh, dislike waiting. got all excited cause the top 10 list should be up, but nooo

cyroxxx
06.11.10
POST TOP 10 DAMNIT!

ameypv
06.11.10
me too

+1

Skybreaker
06.11.10
Bueller...bueller...top 10...top 10...

BeyondSanity
06.11.10
Hurry up and post Top 10 so everyone can talk about how the list is disappoint.

Motiv3
06.11.10
its like 7 here and all the other lists were up by like 3 or 4...i think this is staff's idea of creating more suspense.

TMobotron
06.11.10
"The RSA
The GZA
Ol' Dirty Bastard"

Lol @ this. Also very disappointed by this list not being up but oh well.

PuddlesPuddles
06.11.10
i hate suspense

NeutralThunder12
06.11.10
ha omg Jordan do either another geometric proof or a research paper lol

theacademy
06.11.10
i'm thinking of translating MJ's next review into Latin.

Powerban
06.11.10
lol you guys are fucking faggots.

TheAngelScream
06.11.10
come on top 10, come on! post it!

Electric City
06.11.10
quit playin mj you love it here

WatchItExplode
06.11.10
postitpostitpostitpostitpostitpostitpostitpostitopstispotistpositsitopsitsoitoitsipotistispti

Motiv3
06.11.10
Lol @ academy's comment hahaha.

NeutralThunder12
06.11.10
numbah 1- colorrssssss. Naw. But 1 and 2 are definitely Jane Doe and Kid A. Wonder where CTTS will be though

BeyondSanity
06.11.10
Probably 7

NeutralThunder12
06.11.10
holy shit jordan. Thats prolly right. 5 will be lower though, and i dunno if 9 ell be there

Skybreaker
06.11.10
That is bullshit, I can't believe I fucking waited for that.

theacademy
06.11.10
yeah i don't think Willie wanted the list posted yet :/

Yotimi
06.11.10
I got that exactly right

Electric City
06.11.10
cunt

FadeToBlack
06.11.10
ban-time

Yotimi
06.11.10
The recent ballot winner for best sputnik user getting banned...?

theacademy
06.11.10
dude yotimi after i looked at it i wanted to give u hints so bad cuz u were so close i honestly think you'll win

ratedrsuperstar
06.11.10
f'n hell.me and my friend are waiting for this list here past midnight in india hwne we've got a semester exam tomorrow :mad:
lazy mf'ers POST IT!

robertsona
06.11.10
"I got that exactly right"

LMFAO YOURE A FUCKIN BEAST

Motiv3
06.11.10
bye academy and Jordan lol see u next month.

Yotimi
06.11.10
I flipped Kid A and Jane Doe but got the rest I think

ameypv
06.11.10
f'n hell.me and my friend are waiting for this list here past midnight in india hwne we've got a semester exam tomorrow :mad:
lazy mf'ers POST IT!

+1 that friend is me :mad:

theacademy
06.11.10
bye hollier (?)

silkforcalde
06.11.10
don't think i saw From Mars to Sirius or The Way of All Flesh on the list. If they both aren't in the top 10, this list is worthless confirmed.

FadeToBlack
06.11.10
lol

silkforcalde
06.11.10
also, Fortress is definitely top 10 material. That album never gets old. It's perfect.

PuddlesPuddles
06.11.10
After years of stealing music before release date, Spuntik leaks itself.

How appropriate

DirEnRefused
06.11.10
Lawl shortcuts. Well, at least we can wait for the sound offs.

RAH RAHR AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Motiv3
06.11.10
also, Fortress is definitely top 10 material. That album never gets old. It's perfect.

I think i just fell off my chair laughing.

Willie
06.11.10
Here's a bit of damage control:

1) The Academy isn't getting banned because he didn't know. MJ is banned for reposting the link and the list after it was already deleted once. His ban lasts as long as it takes to get the Top 10 posted.

2) This wasn't done to make you guys wait or create suspense. We're having a technical difficulty with the front page banner. It will be resolved one way or another within the next fifteen minutes.


theacademy
06.11.10
i think the fact that fortress gets old is the only reason it's not on the list. staff got tired of it/got annoyed by users hyping it. if they made their decade list right after fortress came out, kezia would be like #9 and fortress would be like #23.

Enotron
06.11.10
did the academy post the link and it was deleted? What's the deal?

Enotron
06.11.10
oh wait nvm read willie's post

sniper
06.11.10
Ugh the suspense is killing me.

therayder
06.11.10
Why do people like Jane Doe so much? It was just average to me, not top 100 material at all. Just my opinion though

DirEnRefused
06.11.10
I think there's only two scenarios to not loving Jane Doe. You either point blank hate mathcore/metalcore/whatever or you haven't given it enough listens.

sniper
06.11.10
What DirEnRefused said.

silkforcalde
06.11.10
Kezia is objectively inferior to Fortress. That isn't up for debate. And Fortress doesn't get old. I've tried to get tired of it by listening to it every day for years but I've had no luck.

silkforcalde
06.11.10
Sufjan Stevens, however, Illinois was old before I even listened to the complete album. Back when it was released, I was listening to it at work and people were literally begging me to turn it off.

FadeToBlack
06.11.10
alternatively lets actually talk about good music

therayder
06.11.10
Yeah I don't really like hardcore at all, which unfortunately made up a lot of this list

Pizza
06.11.10
i dont remember exactly what every album was but there was basically no hardcore except for some post-hardcore. and converge

Willie
06.11.10
List is posted. Until the issue with the banner is resolved just use the links at the top of each section of the list.

JAV
06.11.10
Not expecting to see Origo, Lazarus Bird, Challenger, Wake/Lift, Precambrian, Salvation, Oceanic and a bunch of other good metal albums. Quite a few hip-hop records that should probably be here too.

sleepyhead
06.12.10
good list, however some of these could have been mentioned:

Nevermore
Electric Wizard
A Silver Mt. Zion
The Avalanches
Immolation
Pain of Salvation
Antony and the Johnsons
Elliott Smith
Goldfrapp
Idlewild
Lykathea Aflame
Kalmah
OutKast
Johnny Cash
Propagandhi
Spock's Beard
PJ Harvey
Ghostface Killah
The Gathering
Boris
Queens of the Stone Age
Ulver
Bjork
Royksopp
Muse
Devin Townsend
Evergrey
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Arcturus
Agalloch
Boards of Canada
M83
White Stripes
Four Tet
Drudkh
The Shins
Mercenary
Madvillain
Cult Of Luna
65daysofstatic
Ayreon
Disillusion
Nightwish
Arsis
Orphaned Land
Wintersun
Max Richter
Riverside
The Ocean
Mastodon
Jesu
Clutch
Patrick Wolf
Pelican
Gojira
God Is an Astronaut
Venetian Snares
Kamelot
Amadou & Mariam
Kings of Leon
Meshuggah
Protest The Hero
Coil
The Decemberists
CunninLynguists
Moonsorrow
Amon Amarth
Amorphis
Arctic Monkeys
Beirut
Hurt
Ikuinen Kaamos
Insomnium
Jay Reatard
Katatonia
Lamb of God
Om
Pure Reason Revolution
Rise Against
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rome
Rosetta
Russian Circles
Rx Bandits
Shearwater
Silversun Pickups
Textures
Terror
The Format
The Knife
The Roots
Thom Yorke
Trentemøller
Battles
Between the Buried and Me
Machine Head
BT
Bat For Lashes
Alcest
Primordial
Shining
Anaal Nathrakh
Future of the Left
Justice
Oceansize
LCD Soundsystem
Holy Fuck
Spoon
The Field
Of Montreal
Pantha du Prince
Emancipator
M.I.A.
The Pax Cecilia
Yeasayer
The Angelic Process
Pig Destroyer
Shugo Tokumaru
Fleet Foxes
Esbjörn Svensson Trio
Elbow
Burst
Frightened Rabbit
In Mourning
TV on the Radio
The Dodos
The Gaslight Anthem
Septic Flesh
Scar Symmetry
Testament
Defeater
La Dispute
Equilibrium
Eluveitie
Cut Copy
The Rural Alberta Advantage
Maybeshewill
Fun.
Karnivool
P.O.S.

just saying...


Electric City
06.12.10
yeah a lot of those are awesome but what's your point?

robertsona
06.12.10
there probably should have been 200 albums in a 100 album list is the point

204409
06.12.10
I was the only staffer who dug Esbjörn Svensson Trio and they were miles away from making my Top 100. Interesting listen =/= top album of the decade.

Relinquished
06.12.10
honestly Cult of Luna should've made it at least

TheAJMetal
06.12.10
Dude, Infinite and The Slim Shady LP OWN The Marshall Mathers LP.

sleepyhead
06.12.10
you the man Nick! nice to see at least someone dug E.S.T. it is a truly remarkable album and unfortunately Svensson's last :( R.I.P.

sleepyhead
06.12.10
i'm talkin about Leucocyte (2008) obviously

pneumoniahawk93
06.14.10
This section is easily the best of the whole list...

204409
06.18.10
Ya I'm talkin Leucocyte too.

SAW18
06.19.10
HELL YEAH! Deftones are amazing. They paved the way for so many Metal bands. Such an influential album too. White Pony = Beast.

SAW18
06.19.10
@sleepyhead, I agree on Muse, Silversun Pickups, and Devin Townsend. Riverside is one of my favorite bands but I'm not sure that they could have any of their albums considered in the top 100 of the decade though I hate to say it as much as I love them.

DeafMetal
12.05.10
Warning - Watching From A Distance doesn't even make top 100? Ugh.

Athom
12.05.10
DONT BLAME ME! IT WAS ON MY LIST

Realm
12.05.10
dammit a-thom

DeafMetal
12.05.10
You had it right, my good sir.

Athom
12.05.10
it was my 23 right in between Dillinger and Glassjaw

TMobotron
12.05.10
the staff top 100 was pretty fucking awesome overall though. but yeah warning wouldve been nice on here.

Realm
12.05.10
redsky for ultra staff 2011

sniper
12.05.10
when the FUCK is the user list fucking happening jesus christ

Sowing
12.05.10
god i hope its soon. maybe it'll be sputnik's christmas gift to the users

sniper
12.05.10
Seriously. It's been like 6 months how can it still not be done

Josh D.
12.05.10
I've been wondering that since this was released.

Emim
12.05.10
Every time I ask, they get all defensive and remind me that they are writing soundoffs for EVERY album and have lives.


Which sounds like, you know, most of the userbase on Sputnik.

sniper
12.05.10
I know I mean they finished the staff list.

Emim
12.05.10
And I think there are more contribs than staff, right?

Inveigh
12.05.10
they're also having regular users write some of the soundoffs

dirkschamgganbad
12.05.10
who cares, it will be awful

Sowing
12.05.10
there's actually a bit more staff members than contributors. how many of them are active, i don't know.

couldwinarabbit
12.05.10
"I feel like I should be writing about our number one album" well chan boxer was better than the lists #1.

AutumnTurnsCold
03.18.13
Wow, you actually thought to put Brother, Sister in there, I'm impressed. Lateralus should gave been higher, but otherwise, good job.

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