Make Me Dance, I Want To Surrender

Just a few days short of the biggest holiday of the year here at The Cuddle, and we find ourselves tremendously busy.  It's tough to juggle everything that needs to be done with what we want to do.  This tends to fall into both categories... The Ideological Cuddle Top 10 Albums of 2010 starts with this gem, released on October 12, 2010...

ALBUM #10 - Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love
We here at The Cuddle are big on the entire Belle and Sebastian catalogue (Mrs. Cuddle, not so much), and Write About Love fits beautifully among the band's best.  The word for this record is consistency.  May of B&S's records have had legendary tracks, but exist on albums that are weak as a whole.  I think that this release ranks right up there with 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress and 1996's If You're Feeling Sinister.  The album is chock-full of the sound of swinging 60s era London, and twee-indie beauty which B&S has become so famous for.  Album opener "I Didn't See It Coming" floats along on Sarah Martin's beautiful, whispery vocal (truth be told, very reminiscent of original B&S female chanteuse Isobel Campbell - too busy making records with Mark Lanegan to be back in the fold with her old band) and propelled by a jangly guitar line and insistent tambourine.  It's telling that the textural layering of the song is such that that Stuart Murdoch is only heard in the background until the 3 minute mark and, there's so much going on, he isn't missed.  "Calculating Bimbo" is classic Murdoch - on the surface, a "put down" song along the lines of Dylan or Costello, but in reality, a song that chronicles a couple keeping score of their shortcomings.  Murdoch manages to express some of the complex emotions present in long-term relationships over a deceptively simple and meandering tune.
Much has been written about the album's two "duets" - "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" featuring Norah Jones, and "Write About Love" featuring Carey Mulligan (the excruciatingly cute lead actress in last year's wonderful An Education).  Some have criticised Murdoch's choice of both of these duet partners, but the band manages to pull each one off.  Jones seems an unlikely, yet refreshingly smart foil to Murdoch, as her jazzy delivery offsets Murdoch's laconic 60s pop crooning.  Mulligan is somewhat of an interesting choice for a singing partner, as she's an actress, but she sings her part beautifully.  In "Write About Love", she is the disgruntled employee to Murdoch's demanding boss, and the roles seem to fit.
We hope that Belle and Sebastian have many, many more albums ahead of them.  Unlike, say, The Hold Steady, they don't feel the need to reinvent themselves album after album.  They do what they do better than anyone else (although fellow Glaswegians Camera Obscura are pretty damn close) and they seem to know it.  Some extra tweaks here and there are fine, but with Belle and Sebastian, it's comforting to know that each album will transport the listener back in time to when sweet pop melodies were the norm, not the exception.
Here are a couple of "promotional videos" that the band released in the wake of the album's release - they're patterned after an idea that the band had to create a "Belle and Sebastian Talk Show" and the design is very much like the sets of The Mike Douglas Show of the 1970s.  Enjoy...

"I Didn't See It Coming"


"I Want The World To Stop"


Until next time, when we reveal our 9th favorite record of 2010, seek out some Belle and Sebastian, and listen...

Father, Can I Tell Your Congregation How A Resurrection Really Feels?

It's finally time, faithful readers. After a 1 month delay (sorry), we here at The Ideological Cuddle are very proud to name our favorite album(s) of the past decade. We've discussed some great albums that have had profound influences on my life over the past 10 years. The crown jewel of this list trumps them all. Without further adieu...

NUMBER 1:

The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday & Boys and Girls In America

Sorry, I just can't choose between these two records, and there is way too much on these two records that is essential to who I am, how I look at things, and how I listen to things to leave one of them off of the list. Maybe it's the affinity I feel for lead singer Craig Finn - I mean, how many lead singers in indie rock these days are the same general age that I am? (it's rhetorical, no need for smart ass answers from anyone out there looking to call yours truly "old"). His world-weary view and "been there, done that" observations of youth behaving very badly resonate with those of us that have moved on to more deadline-filled endeavors. Those of us beyond a certain age can't just return to our boozy, promiscuous days in real life, but The Hold Steady's music can take us there.

Separation Sunday is more of a rumination on religion, where Boys and Girls In America is a slice-of-life snapshot of what the title implies and the narrative threads of these two records are something to be admired. Each song cycle revolves around a group of three characters - Charlemagne, Gideon, and Hallelujah ("but her friends all called her Holly"). These three go through more in the space of 22 songs than any "normal" human being could endure - illicit drugs, drug deals, murder, arrest, religion, STDs, it's all here. As you can tell by the names of the characters, the band has a lot to say about religion as well. A main focus throughout both albums, religion is cast as a crutch and a redemption, it's never all good or all bad, but it's definitely a driving force. By the end of these two records, it's tough to tell if Finn is a fan of organized religion as he straddles the line between true believer and blasphemer.

Two albums' worth of songs about drugs, sex, religion, and parties might be good enough by itself, but it helps that each record is catchy as hell. Loaded with hooks and a loose bar band sound, The Hold Steady sound like the early E Street Band (without the overrated front man... Yeah, I said it...). One of the things that pushed The Hold Steady to achieve this sound, especially on these two records, was Franz Nicolay. The unique keyboard and accordion player became a full-time member of the band after their first record, Almost Killed Me, and brought an element of sound that the band was lacking. His organ, piano, and accordion lines fill a void in the band's sound that they may not have realized they couldn't live without. Unfortunately, the band will have to live without Franz from here on - it was announced this weekend that Nicolay had left the band and pursue separate endeavors. The band may never be quite the same without Franz's trademark handlebar mustache at the forefront.

Not enough can be said about Tad Kubler, the band's lead guitarist. He sets the tone for these songs time and time again. "Stuck Between Stations" is a perfect example - driving guitar line propelling the song forward with ascending piano and glockenspiel notes reeks of Bruce Springsteen and his crew (take away Finn's voice and it sounds like the greatest song the Boss never wrote). The guitar solo in the song's bridge is devil-horn-hand-sign worthy. His solo at the end of "Same Kooks" later on the record echoes Thin Lizzy and Ted Nugent. Listen to all of these two records and you might think that Kubler should be ranked among modern rock's finest guitarists - you'd be right (and these two records don't even cover his finest, lighter-raising moment - his solo on "Lord, I'm Discouraged" from 2008's Stay Positive - which he played on double neck guitar when I saw the band at the Phoenix in Toronto late in that year).

A lot has been made of Craig Finn's vocal delivery, which alternates between a rough growl and a rapid fire recitation of the lyrics. You can't exactly call his voice "typical", and it certainly wouldn't work for many bands, but it's perfect for The Hold Steady.

It's been about 4 years since I first experienced this band. I can safely say that I have listened to The Hold Steady more than any other band since then. When I first purchased Boys and Girls In America (dirt cheap from the Vagrant Records website along with With Strings: Live at Town Hall by the Eels - see this post for details, as it ranked #15 in my Decade's Best list), it didn't leave my CD player for 3 months. Literally. It was the record I listened to when I visited my grandfather alive for one of the last times. It helped me through his death by allowing me to escape reality and live inside of Craig Finn's dreamworld for a little while. I was clearly obsessed, and I clearly haven't been cured.

A last comment on the band - the live experience. The BFF and I saw The Hold Steady with The Drive-By Truckers at The Phoenix in Toronto (as mentioned above) and saw them tear through 17 tunes in about 60 minutes with the ferocity of a punk band and the swagger of the world's greatest rock & roll band. They barely paused between songs, unless it was to allow Craig Finn to ramble about multiple subjects. Finn stood front and center through each second, gesticulating to the crowd, screaming the lyrics that we all knew by heart, hearing them being thrown right back at him. Nicolay was at stage right, behind his keyboard kit wearing a white suit, handlebar mustache in all of it's curvy glory. Tad Kubler was at stage left, looking low key (even when holding the double-neck). Galen Polivka (bass) and Bobby Drake (drums), the rock solid rhythm section, took a back seat to the other three, but laid the foundation for everyone else to shine above. It was telling that, after they had exhausted the crowd, many didn't even stay to listen to the DBTs.

Finn might sum up the entire experience by the dueling refrains from "Stevie Nix" on Separation Sunday. He alternates cries of "Oh to be 17 forever" with "Lord, to be 33 forever". Which is it? Maybe the point is that both are the epitome of who we are - two ages, one with no experience and nothing but adrenaline propelling us forward, the other, more aged and wiser, with less fire in our bellies, but more insight into ourselves.

I hope that many of you who haven't heard The Hold Steady's brand of indie rock check out the songs below. Those of you already familiar with the band can find some other tracks at this previous post. I hope everyone out there catches The Hold Steady live, as that's how they deserve to be heard. Party with them, and maybe you can say that "Killer parties almost killed me".

Separation Sunday - "Hornets! Hornets!"

Separation Sunday - "Cattle and The Creeping Things"

Separation Sunday - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"

Separation Sunday - "How A Resurrection Really Feels"

Boys and Girls In America - "Stuck Between Stations"

Boys and Girls In America - "Massive Nights"

It has been a pleasure presenting my favorite 20 albums of the last decade to all of you who have chosen to stop by at this little blog. I hope that each reader tells a few friends about the things that you've read about here and invite them to read as well. I really feel that this blog is finding its voice and will continue to present new music insights in the coming year. We have plans to present reviews of new albums (I've been dying to present my thoughts about Spoon's latest masterpiece, Transference) and post full bootleg concerts (lots of these lined up). Keep reading. We're only getting started.

Tired and Wired, We Ruin Too Easy

As I embarked upon the quest to discuss my favorite albums of the past decade, I knew that I would have some tough choices to make. None was more difficult than choosing between the top two. Both choices changed the way I listened to music in the past decade and both bands represented have carved out permanent places at the top of my daily play lists. The lyrics contained in each of the albums have even come to pepper my everyday speech. I can't think of contemporary artists that I love any more than the two that top this list. I have had the fortune of seeing each band multiple times live in concert, and can't wait to see each of them again.

Without further delay, I present the runner-up for Decade's Best album...

NUMBER 2:

The National - Boxer

Easily topping my Best of 2007 list (which really only lived in my head and on a mix CD, since The Ideological Cuddle didn't exist yet), Boxer entered my consciousness a little while after the record's street date. Once it did, though, it didn't leave... it still hasn't. This album stands as a perfect amalgam of everything The National does well as a band - the pinnacle of their collective songwriting, lyrics, and sound. But what exactly is "The National Sound"? This is something somewhat tough to define.

The National is clearly a band that is difficult to pigeonhole. It's hard to tell someone not familiar with the band what they sound like. You can't just say, "Oh yeah, The National... they sound like...". You'll come up empty. Here are the reasons :

1. Matt Berninger's Voice - A baritone unlike any other in indie rock, Berninger's voice reaches peak power when he sings in hushed, lush tones, that one reviewer deemed to have "dark, chocolate richness". Mmmm... I know one Cuddle reader who is drooling already. He can reach moments of absolute screeching power as well - as evidenced by his coda on "Squalor Victoria" during the band's performance at the Phoenix Concert Hall in Toronto in October, 2007 (more on this show later).

2. The Lyrics - Angular and puzzling in the best possible way, the choices for this are almost endless. I could just post the entirety of Boxer's lyrics and comment line by line (as evidenced by how long it took me to choose the perfect lyric for this post's title). The band (particularly Berninger - the main lyricist) knows how to give the listener a visual image from words. The lyrics aren't just straightforward, either. The songs use much allusion and metaphor, being beautifully obtuse in their references. Some choice favorites:

From "Slow Show" :

"You know I dreamed about you/

For twenty-nine years before I saw you"

From "Apartment Story" (my favorite, by the way) :

"Hold ourselves together with our arms around the stereo for hours/

While it sings to itself or whatever it does/

When it sings to itself of its long lost loves/

I'm getting tied, I'm forgetting why"

And:

"We'll stay inside 'til somebody finds us/

Do whatever the TV tells us/

Stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz for days"

From "Start A War" :

"You were always weird, but I never had to hold you by the edges like I do now"

Beautiful, beguiling, mysterious, forlorn, and absolutely breath-taking.

3. The Extra Instrumentation - The brothers Dessner are the driving musical force in the band, fronting the group with bass (Aaron) and guitar (Bryce). There is quite a lot of acoustic playing on the record, and the sounds that lend the album that special quality are strings and gentle brass. The string arrangements (beautifully brought to fruition by the Clogs' Padma Newsome - who accompanied the band on that fateful live date in October, 2007 in Toronto) never overpower the rest of the band, but give an emotional resonance that underscores Berninger's voice perfectly. There are touches of brass instrumentation on songs like "Racing Like A Pro" and "Fake Empire" that seem to lift the artistic level on the songs to new sonic highs.

Many songs on Boxer seem to build to a crest and peak, without giving up all of their power at the start, especially "Fake Empire", which starts with sparse piano and Berninger's voice and is gradually augmented with drums, then guitar, then bass, then backing vocals, then strings and horns. Others, like "Green Gloves" never rise above a whisper, and present their message through a dream-like quality.

The centerpiece of the record is clearly "Apartment Story", a snapshot of a couple coming to the strange realization that the world outside is invading their cocooned lives. The drum beat propels the band forward (just try to tap it out while singing the tune - very deceptively difficult), the band falls in behind it, and Berninger is hypnotic in his delivery, especially in the song's resolution lyric, "We'll be alright, we have our looks and perfume on".

A word must be interjected about The National's live presence. I've caught them twice - both in Toronto. The first date was, as mentioned earlier, in October of 2007 at the Phoenix, a venue that holds about 1000. It was packed to the rafters. The crowd sat mesmerized by Berninger, clad in a gray suit, occasionally sipping from a bottle of wine. By the encore, "Mr. November", Berninger was climbing on the speakers, bellowing out to the crowd - "I WON'T FUCK US OVER, I'M MR. NOVEMBER!!!". There was something essentially intimate about this show that cannot be replicated, the collected masses hooked on The National for life. My second live encounter with the band occurred this past May at the Kool Haus. We were lucky enough to catch the band on their short Spring jaunt prior to hitting the summer festival circuit. The venue was a definite upgrade in terms of numbers (holding about 2200 folks), in order to account for the band's rising star status, but lost something in terms of intimacy (as the Kool Haus amounts to a warehouse with a stage and a bar). The band was phenomenal none-the-less, adding a live 4 piece horn section to augment their sound. They previewed new tunes from their forthcoming album (hopefully to hit stores in the first half of this year), but leaned heavily on songs from their 2007 magnum opus.

Brooding and dark, Boxer is NOT the album to listen to if you're looking to get in the mood for a night of partying, unless it's by yourself with a bottle of scotch, lamenting one's daily troubles. Of course, pity-filled parties for one are what we all need once in a while. Lift a glass to the king of the moody, murky, weird and witty. Enjoy this quintessentially quiet masterpiece with your headphones on and your mind open. Here's where to start:

Boxer - "Fake Empire"

Boxer - "Apartment Story"

Boxer - "Start A War"

With a lump in my throat and a large sigh, I leave you, dear readers, to calculate which modern masterpiece might top the Ideological Cuddle's Decade's Best list.

Until next time, raise a glass in quiet seclusion and listen...

Red Wine and Sleeping Pills, Help Me Get Back To Your Arms

Here comes the top 3. Bronze, Silver, and Gold medal winners of the past decade. I really struggled with where to put this next record in the Top 20. It clearly belonged somewhere near the top, but lost some points because I just don't reach for it to listen to all that much. That being said, it's a legendary record and a bold artistic statement from a band whose career is full of them.

NUMBER 3:

Radiohead - Kid A

Many have argued in their Decade's Best columns that this album is the cream of the crop. Released in the first year of the decade (or the last year of the 1900s, if you're a stickler), it's easy to discuss Kid A as Radiohead's break from "typical songwriting". This album is a clear break from the guitar-rock of The Bends and can only be considered a distant cousin of OK Computer. Tape loops, computerized vocals, lots of keyboards, ambient noise - these are the fabrics that add up to the tapestry of Kid A. The listener knows from the first keyboard tones, back-tracked Thom Yorke vocals, and lack of guitars of "Everything In Its Right Place" that uncharted waters were being traversed. This song (and most of the others on the record) are clearly songs built for headphones - the experience is totally different when heard through that method.

"The National Anthem" sounds a little like "older" Radiohead, and blisters with a thundering bass line. The band performed it live on Saturday Night Live around the time that Kid A was released and tore the doors off of the studio with a full horn section in tow. "How To Disappear Completely" is as self-loathing as it gets, with Yorke droning, "I'm not here/This isn't happening", but is achingly beautiful at the same time. Each song on the album hits different highs, and while each track is excellent, the whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

As alluded to in the intro, this album is not one that we at the Ideological Cuddle reach for frequently, but once one song gets in your head, you kind of need to listen to the whole thing. This is what makes the historical context of this record so massive. Radiohead, who had already moved to the forefront of modern rock with OK Computer, had ditched everything that made them so successful on each side of the pond, single-handedly resurrected the "headphone album" and, for that matter, the album concept altogether. Sounding like a futuristic cousin of classic 70s prog-rock played with instruments from the moon, Kid A paved the way for other headphone masterpieces of the past decade (like, everything that The Flaming Lips have produced). It was ahead of its time, set in motion the rest of Radiohead's art of the past decade (its sister album, Amnesiac and recent opus, In Rainbows, almost beat out Kid A for this slot on the list), and continues to sound timeless to this day.

Kid A - "Everything In Its Right Place"

Only two albums left in the Decade's Best. What could they be? How many times will we cheat and pick two albums by one artist to fill a slot ? (The answer is once more, but I digress.)

As many of the previous 18 albums, the top two have real significance to this writer. What separates them from the other 18 is how often I find myself reaching for them. They get played over and over and over again, and have become woven into my everyday life.

Until next time, be well, chill, and listen.

A Good Beginning

Good evening, dearest readers. Rolling through number 4... and this one takes us to worlds that fans of music the world over could only dream about prior to this band's rise to prominence...

NUMBER 4:
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
At first glance, it would appear that we here at the Ideological Cuddle have broken our unspoken rules about titling our blog posts. Au contraire, mon frere... the title just happens to be the (loose) English translation of the title of this unforgettable gem. While technically released in Iceland in 1999, Agaetis Byrjun didn't hit US shores until the summer of 2000. When it did, it carried with it the promise of a new way of listening to music. The lyrics were in Hopelandish - not a true language, but a fictitious language based loosely on Icelandic. Two things immediately hit you when this album starts - lead singer Jonsi Bergisson's voice and the wall of sound that the band produces. First, Jonsi's voice - simply put, it's an angel's voice. There is no one else (likely on the entire planet) who sings the way he does. The amazing thing is, he sounds EXACTLY the same live in concert (more about that later).
The Wall of Sound - originally used to describe Phil Spector's trademark production technique, I think we can safely use it to describe what the band is doing. "Svefn-g-englar", the first full track on the record, starts with an ambient rumble punctuated with piano/organ plunks. Jonsi's voice comes in, the song progresses with a gentle snare beat, violin coloring, and background voices, but one can't shake the feeling that something is building. At the 6:05 mark it hits - the bridge rises like an airplane taking off. It takes a second to realize how that sound is made - its a guitar played with a viola bow. Amazing through one's headphones, breathtaking live in concert. The beauty of this song also lies in its music video. Acted by a group of Icelandic actors with Downs Syndrome frolicking in a field, dressed as angels, the video brings tears to my eyes each time I watch it. MTV, through its infinite wisdom, banned the video. They called it "offensive". Proving again that MTV is about as asinine and uneducated a conglomerate as one can find. "Offensive"? Really? A group of adults with Downs Syndrome celebrating life and love together. Nice, MTV.
Every track on this record is like a message beamed to the earth from a distant, beautiful planet who only had a collection of classical music and Icelandic hymns to work with. "Staralfur" could be the centerpiece of a 21st Century opera (and gets bonus points for being the theme to the re-emergence of the Jaguar Shark in the penultimate scene of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). "Viorar vel til loftarasa", a ten-plus minute epic, starts with 1:25 of ambient noise prior to the entrance of a beautiful piano line backed with bass. At the 3:15 mark, a string ensemble is added to the mix. At this point, the song wouldn't sound out of place at the opening of a nature documentary in an IMAX theater. Jonsi's voice sneaks in at the midway point and the song takes off into the stratosphere. The underrated gem on the album is "Olsen Olsen". Starting off with a repeated guitar line backed with kit drum and Jonsi's voice, the song seems headed in a "typical" Sigur Ros direction until the 4:30 mark when a jubilant piano line is introduced. This is followed less than 30 seconds later by full brass and string sections with chorus rocking out in full orchestral mode. It really must be heard to be believed.
This band is another that must be seen live. Our previously mentioned pal, KB, had the pleasure of seeing Sigur Ros in a church in NYC accompanied by a full brass section, a string quartet, and a Viking Chorus (yes, a Viking Chorus). Mrs. Cuddle and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the band live in Cleveland at The Odeon Theater on March 23, 2003. They were joined by Amiina, their sister band and string quartet. They started the show with a viewing of their videos (just try to ban that, MTV), then proceeded to fill the room with the most beautiful noise (and Jonsi played his guitar with a bow - and it was magnificent). Two hours later, we were enthralled, exhausted, and couldn't wait to see them again (unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet).
If you haven't spent any time getting acquainted with the beauty of Sigur Ros, there is no bad place to start. I love that the follow up record to Agaetis Byrjun doesn't even have a true title (it's only known by ( ) - a pair of parentheses - and I have a patient who has this tattooed on his arm). Each record is a masterpiece unto itself, but none can match the beauty and grandeur of this one.

Agaetis Byrjun - "Svefn-g-englar"
Agaetis Byrjun - "Olsen Olsen"

New posts coming later this week. Until then, listen to some Sigur Ros, be transported to a new world, and enjoy.

I Was Whistling A New Song To Myself, And It Went, It Went Something Like This One

Good Morning, blog aficionados. Welcome back to the suddenly prolific Decade's Best list at the Cuddle. Today, we roar into the top 5 with a record that remains very special to me for a number of reasons.

NUMBER 5:
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak

Fiercely independent. Trailblazer. Progressive. All of these have been used to describe Ted Leo, and each is perfectly accurate. His music stands as a signpost in the last decade's indie music explosion - mixing the best parts of indie rock, punk, new wave, folk, and even hardcore into something that still sounds fresh every time you listen. I can clearly recall purchasing this beauty in New York City at Other Music while visiting one of my dearest friends, KB, who has been a driving force in pushing my musical boundaries for the past 15 years. I was lucky enough to find myself in her neck of the woods in the Spring of 2003, and had heard about Ted Leo through one of the many music blogs that I frequent. On first listen, Hearts of Oak roared into my consciousness.
The progressiveness of his music is apparent from the opening statement, "Building Skyscrapers in the Basement", but the first bouncing guitar chords of the following track - "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?" - is where things take off for the stratosphere. The tune, an ode to The Specials and the 2-Tone sound, shows that Ted is one of us - a music fan and hipster in every sense of the word. I chose the song as my favorite of 2003. The hooks continue a-plenty through "Hearts of Oak", "Dead Voices", and "The Anointed One". The pace is breakneck through many of these tunes, although never unfocused or chaotic. There seems to be a sense of control that only Leo could bring to the affair. Although his ringing guitar is front and center through most of the record, he deftly weaves other prominent sounds through the songs. Check out "Bridges, Squares" : a prominently pushing and rising bass line bounces throughout the track and hits front and center at the song's breakdown at the 2:49 mark -you'd swear you were listening to "Police and Thieves" by The Clash (and, in fact, that's likely the allusion that Leo is making). On "Tell Balgery, Balgury is Dead", an organ line announces its presence at the song's outset and fills the background with color throughout.
Ted Leo's voice and lyrics are really the star of this album. Lying somewhere between the excited bleat of Phil Lynott (from Thin Lizzy - a common point of comparison in other critical analyses) and the political fire of Joe Strummer, Leo's voice screeches and hits falsetto on many points. At others, his machine-gun delivery peppers the listener (i.e. on "Ballad of the Sin Eater"). He never shies away from giving the listener some new words to chew on - ever heard a rock record's lyrics incorporate the words "ossify" and "apostasy"? How about in the same chorus? "Bridges, Squares" manages that feat. Hearts of Oak can't be considered as political as some of his later albums (Living With The Living comes to mind), but is definitely his most heart-felt, choosing to investigate the politics of relationships romantic, nostalgic, and otherwise.

I can't speak about this record without making special mention of "2nd Ave, 11 A.M.", a straight-forward punk song that has been known to hurtle along at an insane pace live in concert. The song is great, but took on greater significance for me after physician mentor of mine asked me to put together a workout mix for him (since he knew that I was really into music). The song fit as the centerpiece of a mix I anointed the "Heavy Workout Mix" (really inventive, I know). I can only hope that he used that mix as much as I'd hoped he would, as, a short few months later, that man, Dr. Richard Sarkin, was tragically killed in a plane crash in October, 2004. A master educator and driving force at The University of Buffalo's School of Medicine and at Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo, Dr. Sarkin remains a legend to all of those whose path he crossed. I think about Dr. Sarkin and his profound influence on my career everyday as I see my patients. I couldn't have gotten to where I am today without him and know that his ears were opened to new worlds with that mix. I can only hope that Ted Leo brought some energy to his days, as it clearly has to mine.

Hearts of Oak - "Hearts of Oak"
Hearts of Oak - "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?"

Number 4 later today. The Top 3 later this week.
Until then, relax, listen, and remember those who have meant so much to your lives.

She Want You To Hold Her at Night When She's Lonely and Blue

I'm not quite sure what a smoking Volkswagen bug has to do with the next band in our Decade's Best, but it just seemed like it fit very well... onward and upward...

NUMBER 6:

The Black Keys - The Big Come Up/thickfreakness

Again, too hard to pick one of these two albums. They have to be taken together, and listened to as a whole. By this point, most music fans in the know are aware of The Black Keys and their brand of swampy, Delta blues. I can clearly recall the exact first moment that I heard The Big Come Up. Mrs. Cuddle and I had gone to visit a close friend of ours and he insisted that we check out this new band that he had heard. In fact, the Keys had opened for a local band in Buffalo (the legendary Dai Atlas... they rocked hard, and faded quickly) at the legendary Mohawk Place. They wouldn't open for small change local bands for long...

The sound coming out of the speakers clearly said old-school, elderly, southern, grizzled bluesmen... but the liner notes said twenty-something white kids from Akron, Ohio. Huh? You sure about that?

Could 2 white guys from the Midwest really create this much beautiful noise? Oh yes, they could. The Big Come Up is clearly the rawer and less polished of the two records. Warts and all are present, and the record wouldn't sound the same without them. "Heavy Soul", "Leavin' Trunk", and "Do The Rump" would have sounded right in the hands of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Taj Mahal (an Ideological Cuddle favorite), or Lightning Hopkins. Their cover of "She Said, She Said" is (and yes, I'm about to commit blasphemy here) better than the Beatles version (there, I said it).

thickfreakness doesn't widen the Keys' sound much from The Big Come Up, but the songwriting is clearly sharper. "Midnight In Her Eyes", "No Trust", and "Hold Me In Your Arms" are beautiful snapshots of the new blues movement. Dan Auerbach's guitar playing is unparalleled, Patrick Carney's drumming is savage and primal.

A blues band unlike any other, the way to catch The Black Keys is live in concert. Mrs. Cuddle and I have caught this band about 3-4 times (mostly in Toronto - maybe they haven't forgiven Dai Atlas for resigning them to an opening slot in the B-lo). Each time, the performance improves, the guitar solos are hotter, the drumming harder, the tempos more break-neck. As the decade progressed, Mrs. Cuddle and I listened to The Black Keys together more than any other band. We purchased each of their records and stuck with them through their changes in sound - widening the scope on Rubber Factory, returning to heavy rock riff roots with Magic Potion, and getting Danger Mouse involved for Attack & Release. Each album shines on its own, but can't compare to the 1-2 punch of their first two recorded classics. By all means, catch the Keys live in concert, and you won't be disappointed.

The Big Come Up - "She Said, She Said"

The Big Come Up - "Leavin' Trunk"

We've finally reached the Top 5 of the Decade's Best. I promise not to wait another 2 weeks to post the rest, as I have a bunch of other great posts planned for the rest of this month.

While you're surfing the interweb (as MMJ would call it), check out one of the Ideological Cuddle's favorite new blogs - it's brought to you by one of our dearest friends, Julie - julesandremi.blogspot.com - as she cooks with her beautiful daughter, Ada, OH, Wait! She's in the kitchen... don't dream of calling her anything other than Remi.

Until next time, enjoy, listen, and love...

Sit Down, Honey, Let's Kill Some Time

Well, Ideological Readers, I know that I've been quite a disappointment to you... taking too long a break over the wonderful holiday season and leaving all of you in the lurch... drooling for the rest of the Ideological Cuddle's Top 20 of the Decade. I hope that all of you enjoyed your holiday season with kith and kin (to borrow a Clark Griswold phrase), and are now enjoying the gloriously freezing winter (and all of the snow that has covered our neck of the woods). I hope that I haven't lost any of my readership as I took a little holiday... anyway, here we go, back where we left off...

NUMBER 7:
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
Hitting like a hammer on the musical landscape in 2005, The Woods would prove to be Sleater-Kinney's swan song (unfortunately). To this day, no 3 piece of this decade would serve up the rock and roll wallop that the riot grrrls in Sleater-Kinney would on this record. It was a difficult decision to pick this record over All Hands on the Bad One or even One Beat (S-K's 9-11 record). Those records may pack more of an emotional punch, but a greater sonic punch is what we're looking for on this list.
It is clear from the opener, "The Fox", that Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker, and Janet Weiss are here to RAWK. The song tears into a furious guitar part and hacking back beat. The record doesn't slow down from there. The duo of "Jumpers" and "Entertain" are almost peerless in '00 alternative music - the latter, a heart-wrenching tune about suicide, the former, a scathing indictment of our media-obsessed culture and war-mongering. The centerpiece of the album is the second-last track (should have closed the album and Sleater-Kinney's career, if you ask me... and yes, by reading this blog, you did...) "Let's Call It Love". Reviewers have been quick to compare it to the work of thundering heavy-metal and rock dinosaurs such as Led Zeppelin and Cream. I feel that it is something else entirely. Maybe hanging out with Pearl Jam rubbed off on them (although this whips anything that the PJ boys put out in the past decade), or maybe they just felt that there was a dearth of heavy rock at the mid-point of the previous decade. Either way, the ladies of S-K brought it hard. "Let's Call It Love" lumbers on for 11 minutes of pure heaviness. It wouldn't have sounded out of place on a metal album (maybe even a Baroness record?) but lives comfortably on this masterpiece.
Reviewers were quick to point out the obvious - that this record was made by a group of females and rocked harder than anything else released in 2005. To minimize this achievement by breaking this work of art down to the sexes of the artists who made it is sexist in and of itself. The fact remains that music lost one of it's preeminent indie rock progenitors when S-K decided to call it quits in Summer, 2006. They toured extensively to support The Woods, as if they knew that this would be everyone's last chance to see them live. It's rare that a musical group goes out at the peak of their powers, but we're left with a beautiful recorded legacy of passion and power (and many bootleg concerts) to remind us of Sleater-Kinney's prowess for years to come.
The Woods - "Entertain"
The Woods - "Jumpers"

Ok, next in the Decade's Best is coming in a few minutes... would have put them together, but I promised separate posts for each.
Happy New Year, Love all, and Listen...

We Are the Innovators, They Are the Imitators

Here we are, Christmas Eve Eve... Hours away from the time when children are at their most excited... kind of like the audience who was lucky enough to be present when our next album was recorded.

NUMBER 8:

My Morning Jacket - Okonokos

The second live album on our top 20 of the decade was called, by allmusic.com, "one of the best live recordings of the past 30 years". They won't get much argument from me.

It is clear that My Morning Jacket is one of the most important bands of the past 10 years. Picking a favorite of their oeuvre is not as easy, as they are consistently excellent in the studio. The high, echoed, silo sound of It Still Moves and the proto-Prince keyboards of Z are worlds apart sonically, but linked in their key elements - excellent guitar playing, a rock-solid rhythm section, and strangely obtuse lyrics. The true way to hear this band, though, is live - as evidenced by their headlining, star-making turn at the 2008 Bonnaroo festival (and their eardrum-torching set at the Kool Haus in Toronto in Spring of that year - yeah, I was lucky enough to be there).

Okonokos was recorded at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. The accompanying DVD has had praised heaped upon it, but the music is what carries the day. The band's power is undeniable, but can switch to complete subtlety if need to be - check "Golden" - easily Mrs. Cuddle's favorite MMJ track - a beautiful acoustic guitar ode to the next plane of existence, it floats along on a beautifully picked lead guitar line and gentle slide guitar backing. The band's music is hook-laden, and ever-propelled by Jim James' broken falsetto. His howling lead vocal on the coda of the album's opener, "Wordless Chorus", is chill-inducing. Disc 2 really shows off the band's chops - the extended jams of "Steam Engine" and "Mahgeetah" are one thing, but the back to back colossuses of "Dondante" and "Run Thru" are downright epic. They seem to have movements much like classical music pieces and each reach deafening crescendos. The crowd is whipped into a frenzy with each passing moment, as if they understand that music history and the ascension of a legendary band is occurring in front of their eyes.

My Morning Jacket has been feted by publications, blogs, and critics alike (and has even been the subject of an episode of American Dad - if you haven't seen it, check out the episode "My Morning Straightjacket" here). The tracks below give a taste of the power of this band and this album. Please check them out and share them.

Okonokos - "Dondante"

Okonokos - "One Big Holiday"

Okonokos - "I Will Sing You Love Songs"

Happy Holidays, enjoy friends and family, and new music everywhere...

If You Don't Bring Up Those Lonely Parts, This Could Be A Good Time

Greetings faithful readers... the list marches on with what can truly be considered a formative album of my musical education. As we push on to Number 1 of the decade, many more of these records are associated with specific times and places in my life - knowing exactly where I was when each album was purchased, the thoughts that raced through my head the first time I listened, how each changed me. Enough build-up...

NUMBER 9:

Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

It was late Summer 2002 when this album landed in our collective consciousness. I was a fourth-year medical student on a collision course with residency less than one year later. It was an exciting, nerve-wracking, and confusing time. Feeling worn out from reading up on the interpretation of EKGs and cardiac disease in adults (and bored to tears, given a career in pediatrics was already in the cards for me), I felt that a break was needed. The future Mrs. Cuddle was busy working late at her given rotation at the time, so a well-deserved trip down to New World Record on Elmwood (R.I.P) was in the cards. Cruising around the store that night, I stumbled upon a listening station with 10 new releases cued up. My eye drifted toward an album whose stark black and red cover looked interesting. The blurb on the poster noted allusions to shoe-gaze and, of course, Joy Division (I know, that comparison is played out and over-used, but applicable). The sound that came out of the headphones in the subsequent minutes was unlike that of any other band that I was aware of at the time (at least, bands that were still making records). It sounded as if someone had taken an early 1980s British post-punk band and filtered them through the lens of the new millennium. I needed this record. I needed to obsess over this record. That's exactly what I did.

Arriving back home at our small apartment, I cued the disc up on the system, sat across the room on the couch, and just listened. I was surrounded by jagged guitars, pounding bass lines, and a voice that didn't just echo Ian Curtis', it improved it. The future Mrs. Cuddle arrived home, heard the disc, and was just as enraptured in its seductive draw.

Somehow, Interpol managed to make a debut LP that sounded self-assured and polished, yet completely ground-breaking. They had quietly released 3 EPs to that point, but no one was quite ready for the impact of Turn On The Bright Lights. "Untitled" starts the proceedings with a circling guitar line that is chased by a bouncing bass line and alarm-call rhythm guitar. "Obstacle 1" is the albums first true masterpiece - and clearly where the Joy Division comparisons came from. Paul Banks sings as if he's exasperated and fearful all at once, over a cacophonous rattle of guitars, bass, and menacing lyrics. With 1 minute left in the track, the band brings the song out of the depths with a major key bridge, before coming to a sudden, halting conclusion. "PDA" sounds more like an outtake from Television than anything that ever came out of England. The remainder of the album is no less brilliant, hitting high note after high note throughout its tension-filled songs of post-millennial life. This record acted like a clarion call to other NYC-based post-punk wannabes to resurrect this genre. Many imitators have tried to achieve what Interpol did with Turn On The Bright Lights - they've all failed. Indie rock is littered with bands whose sound is nothing more than a cheap knock off of bands that have come before. Interpol managed to improve upon a sound that many felt didn't need updating. The past decade has been much better for it.

Turn On The Bright Lights - "Obstacle 2"

Tomorrow, Number 8. Until then, be well.

Don't Say A Word, The Last One's Still Stinging

It's hard to believe that there are only 10 days left in 2009. Wait... there are 10 albums left on my list... hmm...

NUMBER 10:

Spoon - Girls Can Tell / Kill The Moonlight

It was just way too tough to separate these two albums. Released back-to-back in 2001 and 2002, these are the albums that launched Spoon to critical acclaim. After having been unceremoniously dropped by Elektra Records the previous year, Spoon made the jump to indie juggernaut Merge. The Durham, NC label couldn't have been happier.

Tense, taut rhythms, sparse instrumentation, "just enough" production, and Britt Daniel's vocal delivery equal two of the best back to back albums you'll find. Girls Can Tell kicks off with "Everything Hits At Once" - check out the repeated and deceptively simple organ line that runs throughout the song and is parroted by a touch of xylophone. This song sets the mold for what makes Spoon great - they know that they don't need bells and whistles to make a song great. The album also contains one of Spoon's masterpieces - "The Fitted Shirt". A walking bass line, simple guitar fills, and the singer longing for a simpler time - "when we used to say ma'am and yes sir". Who ever said that a little nostalgia had no place in modern rock?

Kill The Moonlight isn't quite as polished and angular as Girls Can Tell. It's clearly more experimental and loose, but no less inventive. Take the opening track, "Small Stakes". In the hands of almost any other artist, it would fall into a classic verse-chorus-bridge pattern, but with Spoon, that big bridge never comes. The song is propelled forward by a driving fuzzed guitar line that, on first listen, seems like it should explode into a wall of sound. That it doesn't explains what sets it apart. "The Way We Get By"? A theme song for indie stoners everywhere. "Stay Don't Go" includes human beat-box throughout. "Jonathon Fisk" is the proto-punk anthem of the record and deserves to be heard at sporting events everywhere. The album closes with "Vittorio E", an acoustic ballad with beautiful background harmony.

As the decade progressed, Spoon pushed their sound to new directions (with the dark, but equally excellent Gimmie Fiction and the neo-soul workout of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga), and they continue to push the envelope to whichever direction suits them. January 2010 will bring us the release of Transference, Spoon's first entry into the next decade's best of list. If you haven't heard this band before, by all means, enjoy.

Girls Can Tell - "The Fitted Shirt"

Kill The Moonlight - "Jonathon Fisk"

Tomorrow, Number 9... Number 9... Number 9... (no, it's not a Beatles record)... be well...

People Say That Your Dreams Are the Only Things That Save Ya

Hello again, fearless readers... As we prepare to jump into the next portion of the Decade's Best, let's take a minute to think about how nice the weather was in the Buff today... feel kind of bad for those down the East Coast being hammered with snow (sorry, Baltimore), but, our time is certainly coming sooner or later. Anyway, here we go...

NUMBER 15:
Eels - With Strings: Live At Town Hall
I can almost guarantee no one else posting a list of the best albums of this decade has this album ranked, but that's fine with me. To the uninitiated, the Eels may be known only as a one-hit-wonder ("Novocaine for the Soul", from the underrated Beautiful Freak, 1996), but the work that Mark Oliver Everett has amassed over the past 10 years stands alone in its naked emotion. To anyone not familiar with where Everett is coming from, by all means, read Things The Grandchildren Should Know, his autobiography (easily one of my favorite books of the decade). You'll have a true appreciation for someone who was able to harness a completely fucked up childhood (and life in general) and make beautiful music from it.
I could have easily chosen Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, the Eels excellent 2005 double album, at the 15 slot, but I think that this album really crystallizes what makes the Eels songs so heartbreakingly beautiful. The use of all acoustic instruments, including plenty of strings, puts Everett's fragile voice at the forefront and forces the listener to face his demons with him. The covers on the album are carefully chosen as well - Bob Dylan's "Girl From the North Country" and the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina" are great, but Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town" has forever been marked with Everett's stamp - even the original can't compare. Other highlights include the theremin-soaked "Flyswatter", Eels favorite "My Beloved Monster", and a complete reworking of "Novocaine For the Soul". I've decided to post quite a few tracks from this record, as I think it deserves to be heard by many more folks. By all means, dive in.
With Strings: Live at Town Hall - "Railroad Man"
With Strings: Live at Town Hall - "Novocaine For the Soul"
With Strings: Live at Town Hall - "It's A Motherfucker"

NUMBER 14:
The White Stripes - Elephant
This record is a monster. In fact, I really feel guilty that there wasn't a place for it in the Top 10, as it is as re-listenable as albums get. There isn't a bad track amongst the album's 14 cuts, and some are just stone-cold classics. "Seven Nation Army" received more airplay and attention than most other cuts on Elephant, and rightfully so - it's a beast of a song, punishing the listener with a massive thumping bass line throughout its almost 4 minute running time. The cover of Burt Bacharach's classic "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" isn't a complete reinvention, although it is tough to listen to the Dusty Springfield or Elvis Costello versions without thinking about Jack White's guitar solo superimposed in them (the sexy black and white video with Kate Moss doesn't hurt, either). "Ball & Biscuit" (available below) is 7 minutes of pure throwback blues, and the album's standout track. White Blood Cells may have been the album that launched the Stripes to world-wide acclaim, but Elephant put them in a league all their own (unfortunately, Get Behind Me Satan almost derailed the entire outfit).
Elephant - "Ball & Biscuit"

NUMBER 13:
Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes
I'm very proud to have jumped on this bandwagon well before the band set foot on the stage at Saturday Night Live at the beginning of this year (yeah, that sounds like indie-hipster posturing, but whatever). The Sun Giant EP appeared kind of out of nowhere on the Sub Pop label in early 2008 and heralded the onslaught of honey-voiced harmonies that litters the indie world today. By the time their self-titled full length dropped in the Spring of 2008, the buzz around the band had built to a frenzy, and with good reason. The easy comparison is with CSNY, mostly for the harmonic textures found throughout the album's 11 tracks. It is clear that this record wouldn't have sounded out of place in the late 1960s. Robin Pecknold, the Fleet Foxes' lead singer, has a voice that seems effortless, yet carefully honed. This album also sounds great no matter what the season - it fits well in a warm summer night next to a bond fire and a frigid winter evening next to the fireplace. Ethereal, pastoral, gorgeous. A classic.
Sun Giant EP - "Drops In The River"
Fleet Foxes - "Sun It Rises"

NUMBER 12:
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Unlike Live at Town Hall, this is an album that most music critics can agree on placing in list after list of the Decade's Best. Like Fleet Foxes, this band carried an enormous amount of buzz with it as Funeral was released. It easily lived up to the hype. Boasting an amalgam of instruments and sounds unheard previously, the Arcade Fire came screaming out of Canada with both guns blazing. Every time I hear "Wake Up" I get chills. Using it in the Where The Wild Things Are trailer? Tears. Seriously. Anytime a band can conjure that type of emotion, it's got a winner on its hands. The album is complex, layered, and full of surprises. A cornerstone of this decade's indie music foundation.
Funeral - "Wake Up"

NUMBER 11:
The Strokes - Is This It
Another album that clearly has a place in all Best of the Decade lists (at least, those worth their salt), The Strokes' debut record sounded as if it was unearthed from a locked vault of 1970s New York City rock and roll. Like a lost transmission from CBGBs, Is This It shot out of the gate with a laid-back, self-assured vibe that owed its very existence to The Velvet Underground, Television, and early Talking Heads. Even though the American press hyped the record, the British press was even quicker to crown it as the Second Coming. Many British publications have placed this album at the top of their lists for greatest albums of all time. The album was released just weeks after 9-11 in the US, further underlining its NYC connection.
All of this would be pure hot air if the songs weren't so good. The album is easy to listen to over and over and over again. "The Modern Age", "Barely Legal", and "Someday" are just consistently excellent. Through it all, Julian Casablancas' voice lays behind the beat, loping along with his trademark sleepy drawl. The songs are deceptively simple and unbearably catchy - an easy recipe for success. Critics weren't as kind to the Strokes' follow-up, Room On Fire, but for my money, that album is almost as good ("What Ever Happened?" might be their greatest song). The Strokes may have made their last record (while rumors of a reunion in 2010 have been tossed around, multiple members of the band have put out solo records or new projects, and we all know what happens to bands when the members start having success elsewhere...), but we'll always have Is This It to remind us of their prowess.
Is This It - "Someday"

We'll delve into the top 10 with our next post. Until that time, and as always, be well, enjoy, and listen...

The Best Song Will Never Get Sung, The Best Life Never Leaves Your Lungs

Greetings faithful readers (assuming there are any of you)...
As promised, today starts our climb toward The Ideological Cuddle's favorite albums of this decade. The list is varied, very personal, and unlikely to agree with anyone else's list (but hey, isn't that the advantage of having one's own blog?).
Today, we'll highlight some artists who deserve honorable mention, re-releases that were heads and shoulders above the rest, and albums 20 through 16 on our list of favorites. Albums 15 through 11 will be highlighted tomorrow, and albums 10 through 1 will each have their own blog post, as there's plenty to say about each of them. Be sure to click on the links after each album for MP3s of some of my favorite songs.
Without further adieu, here we go...

RE-RELEASES OF THE DECADE:
I guess it would be remiss not to mention the Beatles reissues here, and, I have to admit, I wasn't going to jump in with both feet to the frenzy, but then heard how crisp and fantastic that Abbey Road sounded. I was hearing things that I never noticed before. Paul's bass may have been brought a little too close to the front of the mix, but the sound is unparallelled.

Billy Bragg - Volume I and Volume II - These two boxed sets cover all of Sir Billy's recorded output from his first EP, Life's A Riot with Spy Vs. Spy, through England, Half English. Each of the discs is lovingly remastered with a bonus disc of demos, b-sides, and period-specific rarities. It's the Holy Grail for those of us who have been influenced by Bragg's music. Absolutely Essential.

Robyn Hitchcock - Reissues (including the Luminous Groove and I Wanna Go Backwards box sets) - Yep Roc has done an amazing job of bringing this wonderfully strange and beautiful artist's work to the masses. Covering most of Hitchcock's essential work (we're still waiting for someone to get the rights to his A&M albums so that Globe of Frogs and Queen Elvis can see the light of day again), these CDs shine a bright light on the wondrous art of this singular artist. Often described as a strange amalgam of John Lennon, Syd Barrett, and Bob Dylan, Hitchcock's imagination and craft are on display with these reissues. For the novice, start with I Often Dream of Trains or Eye. Those looking for a little bit more adventure can jump into Fegmania! or the live album Gotta Let This Hen Out! with both feet.

HONORABLE MENTION:
To The Band With the Best Collection of Records This Decade, None of Which Made the Top 20:
The Drive-By Truckers
This band is tremendously consistent. In fact, they are so consistent, it was almost impossible to pick a favorite amongst the 5 original albums, 1 live album, and 1 odds 'n ends collection they released this decade. Decoration Day and The Dirty South might be the front-runners, but Brighter Than Creation's Dark isn't far behind. As was outlined on their own blog post earlier this year, the Truckers focus on true southern life. Their music is raw, emotional, and is chock-full of kick-ass rock 'n roll. Word has it that they'll be releasing their first album of the next decade in March, 2010, having recently signed to ATO Records, so this crew will be getting a jump on the rest of the competition for the next decade.

Drum roll please... into the top 20 albums of this decade (according to The Ideological Cuddle):

NUMBER 20:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
A towering achievement in a career that is full of them, Cave's double album concept project never fails to amaze me. There are so many nuances to the songs and the lyrics, that repeated listens are always rewarded. Some feel that Abattoir Blues is the rock 'n roll disc, while The Lyre of Orpheus is the ballad record, but it's not fair to pigeon-hole each of these pieces of art like that. The songs on the set are dripping with menace and malice, lust and horror. "Get Ready For Love" starts the proceedings with fire and brimstone, "Hiding All Away" is just vicious, and "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" might be the most grandiose tune Cave's ever done. "Easy Money" and "O Children" are absolutely heartbreaking (can anyone other than Nick Cave make suicide and murder sound so beautiful?). The companion piece, The Abattoir Blues Tour 2004 is very worthwhile too, if nothing than for the sheer volume of music contained within - 2 CDs and 2 DVDs of Cave and the Bad Seeds doing what they do best.
Abattoir Blues - "There She Goes, My Beautiful World"
The Lyre of Orpheus - "Supernaturally"

NUMBER 19:
Beck - Sea Change
Easily Beck's most mature album, Sea Change is also his "break-up" album. Completely melancholy from top to bottom, but also completely amazing. The songs are beautifully crafted and show that Beck can do so much more than mix beats.
Sea Change - "The Golden Age"

NUMBER 18:
The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
Indie rock's first super group had quite the decade. It was very difficult choosing a favorite amongst the New Pornographers' 4 offerings over the past 10 years, as each is consistent and varied. When I really broke it down, Mass Romantic won out on the strength of it's Dan Bejar songs "Jackie" and "To Wild Homes". To those not familiar with the Pornographers, all you need to know is that Neko Case, Dan Bejar, and Carl "AC" Newman are three of the most talented indie pop songwriters and singers alive. Put them together, and, many times, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As others have said, in a fair alternate universe, this album would have charted catchy song after catchy song, making the New Pornographers household names and international superstars. Since this is reality, you'll have to judge for yourself:
Mass Romantic - "Jackie"
Mass Romantic - "The Slow Decent Into Alcoholism"

NUMBER 17:
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
OK, this might represent this list's first "great upset". Skimming some of the other "Best of the Decade" lists has clearly shown that most choose Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as Wilco's great contribution to this decade. While clearly a phenomenal album, YHF seems to profit from the mythology that surrounds it - you know, Wilco makes amazing record, record company dumps band and record, band leaks record, finds new label and rockets to critical acclaim and international fame. As I thought about the songs on each record, I found that I clearly reached for the songs on A Ghost Is Born more frequently than those on YHF. "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" is over 10 minutes of prog-rock/krautrock heaven, "The Late Greats" is as catchy as Wilco gets, "Hummingbird" is delicate and beautiful, and "At Least That's What You Said" has some of the crunchiest guitar licks ever found on a Wilco record. This album is varied, balanced, and genius. And all without a mythology surrounding it... it's just waiting to be re-discovered.
A Ghost Is Born - "At Least That's What You Said"

NUMBER 16:
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Quiet and hushed in instrumentation, pastoral and aching in tone, Our Endless Numbered Days brought Sam Beam's unique musical view to the masses (since many didn't pay attention to The Creek Drank the Cradle or The Sea and The Rhythm EP). The album rocketed Iron and Wine to indie stardom and Sam Beam's songs to big movie soundtracks everywhere. Early pressings of the album included a bonus EP which included "Hickory", a gem of a tune that somehow missed the cut for the album proper (it can now be found on the b-sides compilation Around the Well). The details of Beam's lyrics in this tune are what set it apart from its contemporaries - "The money came and she died in her rocking chair/The window wide and the rain in her braided hair" is just one example. Beam would go on to expand the Iron and Wine sound throughout the rest of the decade, but has never quite been able to match the artistic achievement of this record.
Our Endless Numbered Days - "Each Coming Night"

Until tomorrow, with albums 15 through 11, be well, enjoy, and listen...