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Wow, huge gap between #22 and #23. Biggest gap since the very beginning I think.
Henry, that is one weird scale!
What about the songs you haven't listed, are they always worse than the listed ones? If so, I now know for sure that this isn't your decade...
My original guesses (Actual rank).
1. Arcade Fire - Funeral
2. Radiohead - Kid A
3. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
4. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
5. The Strokes - Is This It
6. The White Stripes - Elephant
7. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
8. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (13)
9. Radiohead - In Rainbows
10. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (28)
11. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (11)
Looks like the two that broke through are Flaming Lips and Beck. I would have put Flaming Lips at No. 12 in my guesses, so it doesn't surprise me, but Beck is a little bit of a surprise. I guess Animal Collective has a few more haters than I thought.
Wow I gave up on Stories from The City a long time ago but have been inundated with universal accolades for that album since. Better revisit it.
Aw come on no spoilers please there's a special thread just for that !!
Some people love surprises and Petri had even created that thread ogreat idea Btw but unfortunately ...)
I didn't look at ur post rocky but is it still time to take it down ? Please
Little surprised at the high placement of Vampire Weekend. I mean, it's okay. Nice, catchy indie pop. Just notably un-special.
Rocky R, what seems obvious to you is not to anybody
As a casual follower of this, I hadn't paid attention enoigh to know which albums were remaining that's all. Not a big deal anyway but you can't tell what everybody knows can you ?
Can someone explain to me why Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/Love Below are so popular on these forums when the, in my opinion, clearly superior ATLiens and Aquemini didn't even make it into the final 100 in the '90s? They're so much more imaginative albums and they're actually solid throughout, despite being rather lengthy as well, rather than inundated with filler material. Sure, the latter two have hits like Ms. Jackson, Hey Ya and B.O.B., but overall it seems to me the early two should easily be as acclaimed--if not more so.
I'm so happy to see these two albums on the top 10.
I feel that Sea Change becomes bigger and bigger with time.
Please, for those who love Sea Change, try to listen "l'Histoire de Melody Nelson" by Gainsbourg. Beck has always said he would be inspired by this album an you can hear that easily.
After these two we'll reach the club of +2000 points.
# 8
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Score: 1908 points
Biggest fans:
Gillingham #1, Dan M #2, Slick #5, Schwah #5, Evan #5, Chris K. #6, Henry #8, Romain #8, Petri #9
Haters:
Stephan #93, Miguel #45/46, Zorg #62/65
Voters:
34
Comments:
The ultimate grower album, not too impressive at first listen but revealing more edges, more power, more deepness and more desolation with every new spin. (Honorio)
Sure, it might be Radiohead less groundbreaking album. But sometimes it is great to see a great band playing in their comfort zone to give us what they do best : great pop/rock songs. (Nassim)
Radiohead just doing what they do. Hopefully not, but this might be their last great album. No. 38 (Rocky Raccoon)
Nude (10), Reckoner (10), 15 Step (11) (Henry)
Place in the 2007 poll: 1
Acclaimed Music 2000s rank: 7
AMF poll of 00's rank: 9
# 7
The White Stripes - Elephant
Score: 1912 points
Biggest fans:
Romain #2, BillAdama #2, Harold Wexler #3, Rocky Raccoon #5, Nick #6, SuperFurry #7, Jonathon #7, Slick #8, Dan M #8, beefsupreme #8, Honorio #10
Haters:
Greg #81/83
Voters:
34
Comments:
Many people used to think that it was impossible to innovate inside a style as rigid as garage rock before The White Stripes came and put the style upside down but fashionable again. And they did it with their minimalistic approach, with reverence to the blues roots but with enough audacity to break the mold and with the unique talents of Jack and Meg White (yes, Meg too). (Honorio)
From hard rock to acoustic folk and pop to dirty blues, Jack's just showing off at this point. A mammoth record as the title suggests. No. 5 (Rocky Raccoon)
Seven Nation Army (10) (Henry)
Place in the 2003 poll: 1
Acclaimed Music 2000s rank: 5
AMF poll of 00's rank: 10
Good for The White Stripes but my favourite album by them continues to be "Get Behind Me Satan".
I really don't know why a so little love for this album.
Not much conversation here. However the number of views have grown since I posted former results so I guess it's time to post again (of course it's possible that there are 2-3 people online who refresh the site every five minutes). Well here's for you at least.
This album was big favorite of mine when it was released and I voted for it the best album of it's year then. Somehow the magic of the album have decreased (or at least I don't have the need to listen to the album in it's whole anymore). It's still in the boundaries of my top 100 of decade (and of course in this poll rather high while many of my favorites didn't qualify).
Look's like many still find this to be one of the real top albums of the decade.
So... Is This It? No it's something else.
# 6
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Score: 2017 points
Biggest fans:
Evan #1, Jonathon #1, Honorio #3, Harold Wexler #5, Nick #5, Chris K. #5, Jonah #7, Miguel #7, Midaso #7, John #9, Rocky Raccoon #10, BillAdama #10
Haters:
Tim E #51/53, Moonbeam #43/45
Voters:
35
Comments:
If there is an unwritten rule about a logical progression of introducing the arrangements, Wilco decided to ignore it. The first verse of the first song features drums and organ, the second acoustic guitar, the third a weird drum pattern and noises, the fourth shakers and autoharp, the fifth "normal" drumming and guitar and the sixth background noises. And why not? (Honorio)
It's the songs, and don't forget that. People make a big deal about the experimenting and soundscaping, but they're just trappings that embellish the songs rather than detract from them. Jeff Tweedy found the perfect balance here, and that's why the album itself is nearly perfect. No. 10 (Rocky Raccoon)
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (10), Pot Kettle Back (11), Radio Cure (11), War On War (11), Jesus, Etc. (11), I'm the Man Who Loves You (11), Poor Places (11) (Henry)
Place in the 2002 poll: 1
Acclaimed Music 2000s rank: 4
AMF poll of 00's rank: 7
This must be the fastest poll rollout in AM history. Congrats, Petri.
The bulk of these results were predictable after the all-time albums poll, but a few surprises stand out. I would not have expected Queens of the Stone Age (my 13) to crack the top 20. This makes me even more surprised that Rated R, which is just as high-quality but less popular, didn't even crack the top 100.
Beck and Flaming Lips are pretty surprising top 10 selections. I'm always stunned at the love for Sea Change on here (I haven't seen it ranked as highly anywhere else I can remember). That album has always struck me as too intentionally sad to listen to and enjoy, but then again I love albums like Songs of Leonard Cohen and Rock Bottom.
Yoshimi is a pretty cool entry into the top 10, even though that album is always more uneven then I'd like it to be.
I could do without In Rainbows and Elephant in the top 10. Amnesiac and White Blood Cells are both significantly better than those albums.
The worst result so far? Untrue at 61. That album is a landmark in electronic music; it's hard to read a review of any act that doesn't use Untrue as a benchmark. That album does take some time to sink in though, so I understand why some might write it off.
But you guys don't have the same excuse for the low ranking of Xtrmntr. That album blew me away from first listen, and I still haven't heard much that's as extreme in sound yet tight in execution. Kill All Hippies, Swastika Eyes, Accelerator, and Shoot Speed/Kill Light do an amazing job at combining the appeal of rock and electronic music. That album is by far Primal Scream's best.
What do these numbers from Henry mean?
^
It's hard for me to say how pleased I am to see "Sound of Silver" in the top 5, and the highest 2007 album!
Being in the indie critical sphere doesn't necessarily make me think of something as 'indie music'.
To me 'indie' has the connotation of stripped down, noisy pop.
Sound of Silver has to be the most inconsistent album in the top 5 for me. Some of the songs are among the best of the decade (among the best of all time, even), but others I could do without. It's a difficult one to place for that reason.
The same goes for Illinois, which I think is a bit too long. Its high points are incredible, though.
In my mind, indie really isn't a genre any more than "classic rock" is a genre.
Fleet Foxes, LCD Soundsystem, The Black Keys, and Animal Collective are all "indie", but those four bands sound absolutely nothing alike.
Just in the same way that The Eagles, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd are all "classic rock" yet sound nothing alike.
When people say that indie bands get all the attention for this decade on this forum, I think what they really mean is "non-mainstream rock-esque music" gets all the attention.
The highest ranked album without a single #1 vote.
# 4
The Strokes - Is This It
Score: 2172 points
Biggest fans:
Evan #2, Nick #2, Jonah #2, Jonathon #4, Honorio #5,Tim E #6, Midaso #6, beefsupreme #7, Brad #7, Chris K. #7, Chris #7, nicolas #8, SuperFurry #8, Jackson #9, Rocky Raccoon #9, Moonbeam #9, Slick #10
Haters:
Gillingham #29/31
Voters:
35
Comments:
The cornerstone of the post-punk revival of the 00s, a band with the influences on the sleeve, basically the NYC scene from Velvet Underground to Television. But they were not merely a revival band, they invigorated the rock scene creating a fresh a vital sound with pop melodies sung with distorted vocals, sharp guitars and the ease and insolence of the twenty-something. (Honorio)
The album that helped save us from the nu-metal sludge that was threatening to take over the radio in the aftermath of the alternative revolution ushered in by Nevermind. Thank God! Their New York artistic pretentions and rough-edges rock approach made it sound like the Replacements and Velvet Underground had given birth and raised a child named the Strokes. No. 9 (Rocky Raccoon)
Modern Age (10), Hard to Explain (11), Someday (), Is This It (11.6) (Henry)
Place in the 2001 poll: 1
Acclaimed Music 2000s rank: 2
AMF poll of 00's rank: 4
BTW thanks for running this poll Petri
I'm happy about the Strokes position. Very good album. Simple, straight to the point album. Impressing debut.
Fleet Foxes out of the top 10 is a little disappointment but there are anti folk people here (and I don't blame them).
But Flaming Lips is a total mystery. Well it's not a bad record, but in the top 10 ?
As I'm lazy I'll quote a great RYM review (courtesy of musictoad who is an AMer too)
"Hey, you know those albums you buy because
a) the cover art looks cool
b) it's different and exciting to spontaneously try something new
c) it gets a lot of praise
d) why not?
And you know those albums that are disappointing because
a) the quirkiness loses effect over time
b) concept albums about a little girl fighting big robots, although cute, grow old
c) you realize that with few exceptions, most of the songs follow the same template and ultimately just float along and don't go anywhere and by the 8th track just before the monster hit single you're itching to turn the blasted thing off and put on something else, and then the monster hit single ends and the album goes back into lulling you to sleep
d) who knows?
(...) Ok, maybe I'm being a little harsh. It's a pretty decent album if I get past the tired quirkiness and listen to the great melodies and soundscapes."
and he gives a 3 star rating just like I did. Thanks musictoad I couldn't agree more
and I don't like the monster hit single, but "The Morning of The Magicians" is a fantastic song
PS : Sea Change is growing on me too.
And no Black Keys album in the final round really disappoints me. they're so much better than the White Stripes (i'm listening to their new album and it really kicks ass especially the second half)
Wow. I never would have thought that Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Colored Water would end up in the top three.
Whoops, wrong thread. Sorry!
Seriously, though, I couldn't be more thrilled to see Sea Change in the top 10.
Great - and stunningly fast - job with the presentation, Petri!
Thanks guys for politeness.
I remember when Henrik presented the best songs and albums of 90's (in Janaury 2008). The whole show lasted only one weekend. That was fast pace and I liked a lot.
# 3
Radiohead - Kid A
Score: 2310 points
Biggest fans:
BillAdama #1, Chris K. #1 , Petri #2, Honorio #2, Jonathon #2, Nick #3, Gillingham #3, Jackson #4, Brad #4, Evan #4, Chris #5, Midaso #5, sonofsamiam #5, Harold Wexler #6, Henry #6, Henrik #8
Haters:
Nassim #94, Miguel #44/46
Voters:
35
Comments:
Seeing legions of bands mimicking every detail of its previous production (there's no need to name one, is there?), Radiohead were forced to find a completely new direction. And they found it in avant-garde, electronica and IDM, depicting a world ever weirder, stranger and more alienated than the world they showed in "OK Computer". And that’s saying a lot. (Honorio)
It is brilliant, even if I find it the tiniest bit overrated. The only slight qualm I have is that I'm not always in the mood to listen to it. But when I am in the right mood, I can get completely lost in its soundscapes. No. 11 (Rocky Raccoon)
Everything in its Right Place (10), Morning Bell (11), Motion Picture Soundtrack (11), The National Anthem (11), Optimistic (11) (Henry)
Place in the 2000 poll: 1
Acclaimed Music 2000s rank: 3
AMF poll of 00's rank: 1
Wow, looks like I messed up my votes...
My 94 should be Hail to the Thief, Kid A should be my #36
Wow, that was a surprise! And if Illinois can beat Kid A it could just as well go all the way!
Ah yes that was Illinois. i was wondering who was left
but Arcade F looks untouchable. I'd be very pleased too if it was Sufjan S cause I love that album
I mean, there's a difference between the scratchy lo-fi like Elliot Smith and more crafted and produced alternative rock like The National, but these are both lumped into the general category 'indie'.
Great to see Illinois at #2.
Is This It, out of all the albums, is the one where there's the biggest drop between the amount I liked it when it came out and the amount I like it now. It's a fun album with some good songs but the more you listen to them, the less they stand out.
# 2
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Score: 2338 points
Biggest fans:
Miguel #1, Henry #1, Henrik #1, Michel #1, nicolas #2, Midaso #4, Harold Wexler #4, Honorio #4, Dan M #5, Nassim #6, BillAdama #6, John #6, VanillaFire1000 #6, Gillingham #7, Moonbeam #7, sonofsamiam #8, Jonathon #8, Stephan #9, Nick #9, Jonah #9
Haters:
Beefsupreme #74/76
Voters:
35
Comments:
Ambition is a word that falls short to describe Sufjan's attitude. His concept albums about the USA States displayed amazingly well-documented lyrics keeping a confessional tone and a meticulously detailed and rich instrumentation keeping a lo-fi feeling. Seven lives are not enough for Sufjan to complete his set of States albums maintaining the level of "Illinoise". (Honorio)
I regard the 6 albums I have put on top of my list as as close to perfection as you can get, Illinoise is the longuest of them (and of my top 20 albums of all time), achieving such a constant level of awesomeness through more than an hour is an incredible feat. Forget the concept, the 50-state bullshit and listen to how those songs are able to deeply convey all kind of feelings, from sheer joy to deep sadness. Favorite Song : the Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us (Nassim)
It's great, and although I don't rank it as highly as the critics or as highly as this forum, I can certainly understand why it's so highly thought of. For me, as great as it is, it's not quite great enough to sustain its over-long running time. No. 39 (Rocky Raccoon)
Chicago (5), John Wayne Gacy, Jr. ( , Casimir Pulaski Day (11), Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (11), Jacksonville (11), The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us! (11), They Are Night Zombies!! (11) (Henry)
Place in the 2005 poll: 1
Acclaimed Music 2000s rank: 6
AMF poll of 00's rank: 3
# 1
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Score: 2597 points
Biggest fans:
VanillaFire1000 #1, John #1, Petri #1, Slick #1, Dan M #1
Nassim #2, Midaso #2, Schwah #2, Henry #2, Harold Wexler #2, Chris K. #3, Jonathon #3, Jonah #4, Romain #4, Nick #4, Evan #6, Miguel #6, Brad #6, Zorg #6, Chris #6, Gillingham #6, Jackson #8, Moonbeam #8, Stephan #10, nicolas #10
Haters:
None
Voters:
35
Comments:
The album that brought back the power, the heart, the boldness and the emotion to these ice-cold times, conquering first the indie audiences and then the world. (Honorio)
Favorite Song : Wake Up (Nassim)
Grandiosly emotional in every way, from the dramatic music to the sensitive subject matter. It's hard to believe this is a debut, because it's the sound of a band fully formed. No. 22 (Rocky Raccoon)
Aside from the holy trinity of "Neighborhood 1", "Wake Up" and "Rebellion (Lies)", there are seven other amazing songs on this album, the pick of which in my opinion is "In The Backseat", where Regine is given full rein to just FLY. And fly she does, it really captures the feel of the whole album, coming to terms with losing loved ones. (Zorg)
Rebellion (Lies) (9), Wake Up (10), In the Back Seat (11), Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) (11), Une Annee Sans Lumiere (11), Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (11) (Henry)
Place in the 2004 poll: 1
Acclaimed Music 2000s rank: 1
AMF poll of 00's rank: 2
Congrats, Petri, for an excellent (and quick!) thread. Sadly I (almost) missed the results live because (as always) of too much work. But anyway here I am, just in time for the final results!!
Superb presentation, Petri. Sadly the albums covers are slightly blurred. I suppose you are using the RYM covers. But the problem with RYM it is that the only way to get the focused cover arts are if you use the codes on the page but in this case the image is small. That's why when I did the 60s poll I clicked on “View cover art”, then downloaded the cover art to my computer, then I uploaded it on Photobucket and finally linked it to the forum. Anyway I don't want to be picky, you did a wonderful job.
The comments were great, and especially I wanted to point (like others did it before) the effort of Rocky Raccoon on commenting every album.
About the results congratulations again for a wonderful list. I'm particularly glad to see the good rating of "Yoshimi", getting into a well deserved Top 10. Despite the attacks of our beloved French friends I think it's a great album especially for its originality and, yes, positivity. I expected "Kid A" as the final winner (by the way, Miguel, you put the complete Radiohead discography at the bottom of your list, am I right?). But I can't complain about the Top 10 in fact, every album was in my Top 20 except "Sound of Silver".
Not just a win, a blowout! I don't think anyone will have a problem with Funeral at #1, and that might be the difference between it and the other contenders: no haters.
Great and quick show, Petri! Looking forward to the songs.
Wow, 25 (out of 35) voters had Funeral on their Top 10. I was one of the other 10 (although it was my #12)
Thanks for the show, Petri! It may not be all-time fastest show but I think it is the first presentation without a single error!
In fact, all the polls we've had through the years have been great. They've never got out of hand of the person who've run them, which is quite a feat. Especially the decade polls which run through a whole year require a lot of dedication. Thanks again!
Thanks a lot Petri!
I'm afraid I was the voter with the least number of albums ranked. Well, I guess in some way that makes me lucky.
Thanks again guys. The show of songs will start at earliest in sunday but probably I don't have time before monday.
Hooray for Sound of Silver in the top 5 and Illinois beating out Kid A!
Thanks, Petri, for this outstanding presentation!
Loving the results (mostly because Radiohead isn't dominating the list). Great work Petri.
It seems like just yesterday the 60's poll ended (wait...It did end yesterday). I'm only kidding, Honorio.
Honorio, you certainly don't have to make any excuses. Your presentation was filled with so much interesting info that it was always worth the wait.
I love the World Cup too, and I apologize Stephan that I haven't voted in the last weeks. I have spent all the time on adding new critics' lists to my spreadsheets, I hope you don't blame me for that.
Petri, thanks for hosting the 00s poll. Great show!
Congratulations to Arcade Fire and Petri, both came out on top of this poll. Nice work, and now it's on to the '90s. Spoiler alert: Radiohead is going to win. Sorry if I ruined the surprise, everyone.
I'm a bit busy so I will start the songs results thread at earliest in about 6-7 hours.
I've added comments from Honorio, Nassim, Moonbeam, Depeche Mode, Evan and Stephan.
Please inform if someone else commented the songs.
I totally missed that this started and I got to view it all in one shot! The list looks great!
I only ranked 45, but the correlation between my placements and the final list is only a whoppingly insignificant 0.015.
Thanks again Petri sorry for the confusion.
I didn't make comments so I chose 3 that best reflect my thoughts:
Saturdays=Youth:
good job though, Pet.
I'm gonna tackle The White Stripes - White Blood Cells. The first thing I noticed about it is its simplicity. There is almost nothing to the songs - it really is simply drums, guitar and voice, and that raw sound really appeals to me. It's a pretty aggressive album - take the sneer with which Jack White says "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" in the first song, and it does that Pixies thing of going loud-soft-loud-soft which I find quite exhilarating. It really is a loud album at times.
But this only serves to make the good parts better - those are the songs which slow down a little bit, a bit more thoughtful, a bit more poignant. We're Going To Be Friends, and the last three songs in particular. Add to that mix the sheer fun of songs like Fell In Love With A Girl, Hotel Yorba etc, and you find that the album really packs a lot of punch in 40 minutes.
Oh and I forgot to mention Jack White's guitaring. While I'm not one to enjoy guitar solos, because they always feel like forced posturing, Jack White is another matter. His guitar solos sound like I'M GOING TO SLAY YOUR CHILDREN aggressive, and it sure is impressive.