Initially I didn’t think I could write this post. It seemed like an impossible task. How on earth was I supposed to come up with and then rank my favorite albums from the past decade? I have enough trouble doing it for just one year. There’s simply too much good music out there (despite my occasional whining to the contrary).

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!

Despite its obscenely ugly album cover, Mike Mix 08 features some great music. It’s also the most upbeat mix to date – even the sad songs sound kinda happy. But don’t worry, it’s not all sunshine and puppy dogs. Beneath the surface lurks an undercurrent of sadness.

The mix contains so many amazing songs I can’t possibly write about each one. So instead I will focus on a select few.

The first is “Broke” by Modest Mouse. One of the darkest songs on the mix, “Broke” features a pretty guitar riff and some of the finest (and most self-loathing) Modest Mouse lyrics ever recorded. At the other end of the spectrum is “Two Kids” by Strand of Oaks. Though slightly self-deprecating, the lyrics are also undeniably sweet. Lastly, “Bones” by DeYarmond Edison captures the mood of the entire mix: the cheerful instrumentation masks feelings of longing and regret.

These three songs are only the tip of the iceberg. The other eleven lie waiting to be discovered. I highly recommend listening to Mike Mix 08 in the order presented below. Download the entire mix here or stream it using the player below! Enjoy!

Before uploading a podcast (which is coming very soon), I think you all should know the type of music I enjoy. But seeing as how I could go on forever, I have decided to reduce my entire music collection to my 5 favorite artists. It wasn’t very easy – and it’s even harder to rank them. So I won’t. Please enjoy the fruit of my labors…

MY MORNING JACKET: Soaring vocals drenched in reverb.

You know you’ve discovered one of your favorite bands when you stop listening to the rest of your music collection. That’s what the first note of Jim James’ amazing voice made me do. My Morning Jacket is the inspiration for the name of my blog, so I will share with you the song whose title I ripped off.

[mp3] My Morning Jacket :: Phone Went West

BUILT TO SPILL: Epic guitar band with melodies to match.

Initially unimpressed with some mp3’s I downloaded, I let Built to Spill collect dust on my harddrive for several months. Then one fateful day I decided to buy Perfect From Now On after finding nothing else appealing at Rasputin. Next thing I knew, I was buying everything they released and thought that all other music sucked. No joking, they are that good. I saw them live at Slim’s on June 22 and they blew me away. They played ridiculously epic versions of “Untrustable” and “Broken Chairs.” I leave you with the studio recording of the former. Enjoy.

[mp3] Built to Spill :: Untrustable / Pt. 2 (About Somebody Else)

OKKERVIL RIVER: Lyrics as beautiful as the instrumentation.

One of my more recent finds, Okkervil River has quickly moved up the ranks of my favorite bands. The focal point of the music is the lyrics, which, though they range from heartbreaking to murderous, are always excellent. If this seems contradictory, just listen to these two songs.

[mp3] Okkervil River :: A Favor
[mp3] Okkervil River :: Westfall

RADIOHEAD: The original innovators.

Radiohead is the band that started my love affair with music. Senior year of high school my friend introduced me to them. I remember the first time I heard “Fake Plastic Trees.” It was incredible. I’m sure that you all know and love Radiohead, but on the off chance that this is your first exposure, I’ll start you off where I began.

[mp3] Radiohead :: Fake Plastic Trees

SUN KIL MOON: Heartbreaking, yet uplifting nostalgia.

Despite having only one proper album to their name, Sun Kil Moon still makes my top 5 because Ghosts of the Great Highway is one of my favorite records of all time. I bought it with a gift certificate my ex-roommate Joel gave me for my birthday (I hope he enjoys the shout out). Beautiful, uplifting music that at the same time breaks your heart. So few bands can pull it off successfully. I hope you like it as much as I do.

[mp3] Sun Kil Moon :: Carry Me Ohio

BARELY MISSED THE CUT: Make sure to check out these other excellent bands, though I will most likely post on them in the future: The National, Songs: Ohia, Iron & Wine, and Ryan Adams.