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Best Pop albums of the new Millenium

And, yes, this means I'm one of those people who think the millenium began on Jan. 1st, 2001. ;-)

Over at the blog for my radio station I've been counting down the Top 40 albums (IMO of course) since 2001. I've counted down to #6 so far. Here is the list (without the write ups):

#40 Michael Carpenter - Rolling Ball (Not Lame Records, 2004)

#39 The Holloways - So This Is Great Britain (TVT Records, 2007)

#38 The Wellingtons - Heading North for the Winter (Lojinx, 2008)

#37 Paul Collins - King of Power Pop (Alive Records, 2010)

#36 Webb Wilder - About Time (Landslide, 2005)

#35 Cotton Mather - The Big Picture (Rainbow Quartz, 2001)

#34 Bowman - Living to Dream (Bill Bowman, 2004)

#33 Psychodots - Terminal Blvd. (Baby Ranch, 2005)

#32 Tim Finn - Feeding The Gods (Periscope, 2001)

#31 Wisely - Parador (Not Lame Reords, 2006)

#30 Jason Falkner - Necessity (spinART Records, 2001)

#29 Frank Barajas - Better Times (Operation Big Beat, 2008)

#28 Linus Of Hollywood - Let Yourself Be Happy (Franklin Castle, 2001)

#27 Starbelly - Everyday And Then Some (Not Lame Records, 2002)

#26 Matthew Sweet - Kimi Ga Suki (Superdeformed/RCAM, 2003)

#25 John Wesley Harding - Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead (Popover, 2009)

#24 Graham Parker - Songs Of No Consequence (Bloodshot Records, 2005)

#23 The Well Wishers - Jigsaw Days (The Well Wishers, 2008)

#22 Wild Bores - We Think Alike (Wild Bores, 2010)

#21 The Spongetones - Too Clever By Half (Loaded Goat, 2008)

#20 Cheap Trick - The Latest (Cheap Trick Unlimited, 2009)

#19 Joey Sykes - Joey Sykes (Purple Virgo Records, 2010)

#18 Paul McCartney - Chaos & Creation in the Backyard (Capitol, 2005)

#17 Cliff Hillis - Be Seeing You (Not Lame Records, 2001)

#16 Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings - Full Tilt & Swing (Brewery Records, 2003)

#15 The Everyday Things - Lighten Up, Francis (Not Lame Records, 2005)

#14 Owsley - The Hard Way (Lakeview, 2004)

#13 Wiretree - Luck (Cobaltworks, 2009)

#12 Edmund's Crown - Regrets of a Company Man (Edmund's Crown, 2006)

#11 The Humbugs - On The Up Side (Oddvious Records, 2009)

#10 The New Fidelity - Tiny Slivers (The New Fidelity, 2007)

#9 Myracle Brah - Can You Hear The Myracle Brah? (Rainbow Quartz, 2007)

#8 Bill Lloyd - Back to Even (New Boss Sounds, 2004)

#7 The Lackloves - The Beat and the Time (Rainbow Quartz, 2004)

#6 Greg Pope - Popmonster (Octoberville Records, 2008)

I'll post my numbers five through one later in the week.

So, what makes your list of the Top albums of the last decade? And do you have any predictions for what might show up in the five remaining slots I have?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Thomas Cruz on January 26, 2011 at 12:25pm

Been following your blog...added a few things to the "to buy" list, thanks!

Permalink Reply by Rich Horton on January 27, 2011 at 2:00pm

Glad to hear it! It's amazing how the "to buy" list never seems to get any smaller.

Permalink Reply by Stan Schwieger on January 26, 2011 at 1:29pm

I am not the Amazing Kreskin so I can't really get a feel for your top five, but in my top five I would have:

The Rubinoos--Twist, Pop, Sin (2005)

Eugene Edwards--My Favorite Revolution (2005)

Montana-- Bubblegum Love (2001).

I realize that is only three. But I am math challenged.

Permalink Reply by Rich Horton on January 26, 2011 at 2:13pm

Hit!

You sank my battleship! (Or at least nailed my #1.)

Permalink Reply by maximum jack on January 27, 2011 at 7:44am

Nice list, but you're saying that something released in the year 2000 would qualify for the best of the 1900's?

My predictions for your top 5: I Second the Eugene Edwards pick from Stan. I'm holding on hope that Moods for Moderns' Loud and Clear (2001) finds its way into your top 5. Teenage Fanclub, Man-Made (2005). Maybe Nada Surf's Let Go (2002). Oh and I don't see the Shazam on there anywhere. I'm guessing Tomorrow the World (2002).

I still haven't attempted my top (whatever) of the 00's. I keep meaning to, but I need a little distance. Eugene Edwards and Moods for Moderns will both be very high, whenever I get around to it.

Permalink Reply by Rich Horton on January 27, 2011 at 1:58pm

Tomorrow The World was actually the last album out of the list (that makes it #41 I guess.) It surprised me too. I think it just shows it was a pretty good decade for music.

I did think about adding albums from 2000 in, but the idea of an 11 year long decade was messing with my head! Anyway, I'm not sure I'm up to tackling a Best of the 90's list. I probably have three times as many albums from the 90's in my collection. This was daunting enough.

Permalink Reply by maximum jack on January 27, 2011 at 7:15pm

I still don't follow?

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

That's ten years. 2010 would be part of the next decade, the '10s. I do consider all of those years, 2000-present, as the new millenium.

Permalink Reply by Rich Horton on January 27, 2011 at 10:16pm

Yes, but the Millenium didnt start until 2001. So my choice was to have a list that spanned over two different Millenia, or a list that covered the first decade of the new millenium. I just chose the later.

Permalink Reply by maximum jack on January 28, 2011 at 7:16am

I get it now. It is your list, you can do it anyway you want :) Speaking of doing it anyway you want. A few years ago I tried to put together a list of my favorite albums by decade starting with the 60's. Limiting each decade to 100 albums and limiting each artist to one album over the entirety of the list. Here's what I got for the 00's:

401. Bright Eyes – Fevers and Mirrors (2000)
402. Clem Snide – Your Favorite Music (2000)
403. Eels – Daisies of the Galaxy (2000)
404. Elf Power – The Winter Is Coming (2000)
405. Eyesinweasel – Wrinkled Thoughts (2000)
406. Grandaddy – The Software Slump (2000)
407. Le Tigre – Feminist Sweepstakes (2000)
408. J Mascis & the Fog – More Light (2000)
409. New Pornographers – Mass Romantic (2000)
410. Papas Fritas – Buildings and Grounds (2000)
411. Photon Band – Oh, the Sweet, Sweet Changes (2000)
412. Elliott Smith – Figure 8 (2000)
413. Matt Suggs – Golden Days Before They End (2000)
414. Super Furry Animals – Mwng (2000)
415. Swearing at Motorists – Number Seven Uptown (2000)
416. Versus – Hurrah (2000)
417. The Waxwings – Low to the Ground (2000)
418. The White Stripes – De Stijl (2000)
419. Beachwood Sparks – Once We Were Trees (2001)
420. Beulah – The Coast is Never Clear (2001)
421. Frank Black – Dog in the Sand (2001)
422. Calla – Scavengers (2001)
423. Camera Obscura – Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi (2001)
424. Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera (2001)
425. Erase Errata – Other Animals (2001)
426. Alejandro Escovedo – A Man Under the Influence (2001)
427. Ted Leo – Tyranny of Distance (2001)
428. Moods for Moderns - Loud and Clear (2001)
429. Oneida – Anthem of the Moon (2001)
430. Pernice Brothers – The World Won’t End (2001)
431. Silver Jews – Bright Flight (2001)
432. Sparklehorse – It’s a Wonderful Life (2001)
433. Black Heart Procession – Amore del Tropico (2002)
434. Hot Snakes – Suicide Invoice (2002)
435. Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
436. Damian Jurado – I Break Chairs (2002)
437. Mountain Goats – Tallahassee (2002)
438. Nada Surf – Let Go (2002)
439. Okkervil River – Don’t Fall in Love With Everyone You See (2002)
440. The Possibilities – Way Out (2002)
441. Paul Westerberg/Grandpaboy – Stereo/Mono (2002)
442. Calexico – Feast of Wire (2003)
443. Consonant – Blissful (2003)
444. Crooked Fingers – Red Devil Dawn (2003)
445. Dead Meadow – Shivering King and Others (2003)
446. Tim Easton – Break Your Mother’s Heart (2003)
447. Exploding Hearts – Guitar Romantic (2003)
448. Kingsbury Manx – Aztec Discipline (2003)
449. The Notwist – Neon Golden (2003)
450. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
451. Joe Strummer – Streetcore (2003)
452. Sun Kil Moon – Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003)
453. The Wrens – Meadowlands (2003)
454. Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
455. The Black Keys – Rubber Factory (2004)
456. Dios – Dios (2004)
457. The Features – Exhibit A (2004)
458. Kings of Convenience – Riot on an Empty Street (2004)
459. matt pond PA – Emblems (2004)
460. Pedro the Lion – Achilles Heel (2004)
461. Reigning Sound – Too Much Guitar (2004)
462. The Sadies – Favourite Colours (2004)
463. Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans (2004)
464. Tilly & the Wall – Wild Like Children (2004)
465. TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004)
466. The Walkmen – Bows & Arrows (2004)
467. Antony & the Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now (2005)
468. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (2005)
469. Electrocute – Troublesome Bubblegum (2005)
470. José González – Veneer (2005)
471. Magnolia Electric Co. – Trials and Errors (2005)
472. Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)
473. Clearlake – Amber (2006)
474. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife (2006)
475. Kelley Stoltz – Below the Branches (2006)
476. The National – Boxer (2007)
477. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are you the Destroyer (2007)
478. Peter, Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block (2007)
479. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha (2007)
480. Shearwater – Palo Santo [2XLP expanded ed] (2007)

As you can see, I did this circa 2008. Looking at the list now, there are a few on their that I might reconsider, but I do think it's a good representation of what I was listening to during the first decade of the 2000's.

Permalink Reply by Rich Horton on January 28, 2011 at 8:23pm

Damn! That's a hell of a list. I'll admit, about 10-15% of those are completely new to me.

I love having new good things to discover.

Permalink Reply by Rich Horton on January 28, 2011 at 8:22pm

Finishing up the list:

#5 Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve Records, 2003)

#4 Splitsville - Incorporated (Houston Party, 2003)

#3 Brendan Benson - Lapalco (Startime, 2002)

#2 P. Hux - Kiss The Monster (Voiceprint Records, 2007)

#1 Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution (Tallboy Records, 2004)

This weekend, in celebration of finishing the countdown, The Pure Pop Pub will feature only music from the Top 40 list. Drop by for a listen!

Permalink Reply by Mr. In Between on March 29, 2011 at 11:05am