But when I really started thinking about it, I came to the following conclusion: a decade is a terrible thing to waste. In all reality, I may not get another opportunity like this. After all, who knows what I’ll be doing ten years from now. Also, musically speaking, the past decade was an important one for me. Over the course of ten years, my muted appreciation of music gradually transformed into a full-blown obsession. I now spend most of my free time searching for, writing about, and listening to music.

In the end I guess it was a pretty easy decision. I would’ve been extremely foolish to let the decade pass without weighing in on my favorite albums. It was a lot of work, but I managed to compile a list of my 30 favorite albums from 2000-2009. Not necessarily the best or most important albums, but those that had the greatest impact on me.

With all that said, I proudly present the Top 30 Albums of the Decade…

ALBUMS 30 – 21

ALBUMS 20 – 11

ALBUMS 10 – 1

Like I said, compiling this list was no easy task. In the end, tons of amazing albums got axed. Check the comments to see which ones barely missed the cut. And leave comments to let me know which albums I missed completely!

In an incredibly misguided attempt to make up for the lack of activity, I’ve decided to post a slew of mp3’s that’ve been in heavy rotation as of late.

Here’s an catchy little song from a band that reminds me a lot of The Strokes when they were actually good. Check out their EP A Lesson In Crime if you like what you hear.

[mp3] Tokyo Police Club :: Be Good

The following track closes out Of Montreal’s most recent LP Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, which even in the age of iTunes and digital downloads, is a remarkably cohesive and engrossing album.

[mp3] Of Montreal :: We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafing

Fans of Menomena will enjoy this radically different version of “Wet and Rusting.” It may even convert those of you who have yet to recognize the brilliance of this band.

[mp3] Menomena :: Wet and Rusting [live]

I was looking forward to Andrew Bird’s new album Armchair Apocrypha ever since the beginning of 2007. Despite being slightly disappointed thus far (which is only because The Mysterious Production of Eggs was so damn good), I absolutely love the gorgeous track posted below.

[mp3] Andrew Bird :: Cataracts

“You’ve got your reasons / And me I’ve got mine / But all the reasons I gave / Were just lies to buy myself some time.” Enough said.

[mp3] Arcade Fire :: Ocean of Noise

The closing track on Dr. Dog’s We All Belong sounds unlike anything else on the album. Make sure to also check out the two mp3’s posted on their site here before buying.

[mp3] Dr. Dog :: I Hope There’s Love

This one isn’t so new as it is amazing. If you have yet to discover Jeff Hanson, use the following track as a starting point. Then check out previous posts (here and here) for more of his tunes (and yes, that’s a guy singing).

[mp3] Jeff Hanson :: Somedays and Sundays