The world moves on a woman's hips.: 11 Best Albums of the Decade

1. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (2004)

The magic of Wilco has long been their refusal to be tied down to any one style and a joyful determination to grow artistically. This has also caused much conflict among fans regarding what their best work is, many finding "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" a happy medium between the somber pop of "Being There" and the dense atmosphere of an album like this one. "A Ghost Is Born", while not their most accessible record, is the band's masterwork and the most significant release of the 2000s.

"YHF" was a breakthrough recording but one sorely lacking in musical unity. "A Ghost Is Born" takes those same ambitious ideas and expands on them to create a tapestry of immensely complex pop arrangements, lucid grooves and deep emotional resonance. From the opening track "At Least That's What You Said" the listener understands that this is no ordinary rock record. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeff Tweedy coos tender sentiments of love into the mic with a scratchy, barely audible whimper before Nels Cline's super-fuzz guitar roars to first match and then raise the intensity of the lyrics. Track after track the band invites you into a place where pop, rock and folk songwriting all merge and then break down into unpredictable and surreal instrumental surges.

This record is an experience the same way "Dark Side Of The Moon" or Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat" can be; mesmerizing the listener into another, almost hypnotic state. It is a contradiction of beauty and violence, love and hate, right and wrong. Jeff Tweedy's words and music peak together in ways only flirted with on previous records. My highest possible recommendation.

Key Tracks: "Muzzle Of Bees", "Hummingbird", "I'm A Wheel", "Theologians"

2. The Black Keys - Attack & Release (2008)

The Black Keys have built their reputation over the last several years behind a series of electric, dirty blues records, wildly energetic live shows and even a jaunt into hip hop with 2009's side project Blakroc. Akron, Ohio's Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have been praised for their integrity and furious energy from the start with the release of "The Big Come Up" in 2002 but something had always been missing. The two-piece have a unique sound but a duo of drums and guitar will only allow for so much evolution as years go on.

Thankfully 2008 brought the brilliant "Attack & Release" and, with it, the validation that this band is more than just kick, snare, and fiery blues licks. Not only are the songs here wonderfully written and arranged but the addition of numerous new instruments and influences brings a richness and new energy to each composition. On "Psychotic Girl" and "Lies" they experiment with spooky reverb on droning minor chords and add haunting backing vocals which creates a sort of ghost blues I've not heard before. Their trademark straight-forward rockers remain with "I Got Mine", "Strange Times" and "Remember When (Side B)" but most of the songs on "Attack & Release" take you to places electric blues never has.

Key Tracks: "Psychotic Girl", "Lies", "So He Won't Break", "Oceans & Streams"

3. MF DOOM - Mm..Food (2004)

"Average emcees is like a TV blooper/MF DOOM, he's like D.B. Cooper" the villain proclaims on "Hoe Cakes", and that's about right. Admittedly I'm new to Hip Hop but even a genre rookie can't ignore the explosion of creativity and technique displayed on "Mm..Food". Keeping in line with his previous releases, the majority of samples here are from old cartoons like Superman, Spider-man and The Fantastic Four (furthering his Dr. Doom, super-villain mystique) but also by the likes of Frank Zappa and forgotten soul/jazz tracks like Ronnie Law's 1977 release "Friend's And Strangers" employed on "Deep Fried Frenz".

DOOM's lyrical and rhyming style, for those who aren't familiar, share more in common with David Byrne's work than DOOM's own Hip Hop contemporaries. By that I mean the focus is on how his words sound together rather than than what they actually mean in context. DOOM flows slow and calm, sometimes with a lagging, stoned drawl, over rhymes that appear to be nothing more than an oddball mix of free association, stream-of-consciousness wordplay without a larger message. The songs here are strung loosely together with the theme of food but really thats just a schtick DOOM uses as an exercise.

The flavor of "Mm..Food" is a massive departure, in nearly every capacity, from the Hip Hop that currently enjoys heavy radio play in America. Through his respect for language and unique vocal delivery, DOOM offers listeners an alternative to the crass, disposable releases being peddled on Top 40. You don't have to look any further than the opening track where Metal Fingers provides the best possible advice for todays Hip Hop fan, "I suggest you change your diet".

Key Tracks: All of them.

4. My Morning Jacket - Z (2005)

Simply stated, I didn't think young bands made records like this anymore. "Z" embodies all the creativity, freedom and ambition that bands of the "classic rock" era could ever have hoped to inspire in future generations of musicians. Whether driven by syncopated guitar lines, booming bass patterns or rich organ swells, the songs flow together impressively while having little in common with one other. "What A Wonderful Man" and "Dondante" may as well have been written by entirely different artists they are so contradictory in tone and substance. Rather than create divisions this diversity actually serves as an asset.

Frontman Jim James doesn't have a great singing voice but he is able to do quite a lot of things with it. He unleashes a wild falsetto during the final breakdown of "Wordless Chorus" and sings barely loud enough to rise above the percussion in "Dondante". Similarly his guitar work creates a number of different sensations in the listener. Power chord rock in "What A Wonderful Man", classic heavy metal riffing at the end of "Lay Low" and the patient melodies crafted in "Dondante" showcase his vision and talents in a collage of styles. On "Z", the whole band is working outside of rigid genre rules and has created something that will serve to inspire the next generation.

Key Tracks: "It Beats 4 U", "Off The Record", "Knot Comes Loose", "Dondante"

5. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)