I know most people who read this site are not like me. I am obsessed with music. I like collecting records, going to concerts, debating genres, following charts, and above all, making lists. I already documented my top 10 Merge, Matador, and Warp records, but now I bring you my most obsessive list—the Top 50 records of the Decade. Yes, if you didn’t know, the decade is almost over. Judging by the remaining records to be released this year there really isn’t anything coming out that is going to make this list, so what better time than now?

The Aughts were the decade of the internet. File-sharing made everyone a music guru. People no longer had to read music magazines or browse record stores to find out what’s hot. By the middle of the decade fans could have any album at any time, even if it hadn’t come out yet. What started with Napster has turned into “leaks” and torrents.

MP3s, coupled with the invention of the blog and rise of Pitchfork, created a new underground. Indie Rock is almost undefinable. Indie heroes of the 90s like Guided By Voices, Sleater-Kinney, Silver Jews, Fugazi, The Dismemberment Plan, and Pavement (who are reforming next year, if you hadn’t been on the internets for a while) all broke up (or went on “indefinite hiatus”) this decade, clearing the way for the new “indie” movement. New Indie took from all styles. While most movements, like electroclash, and nu-post-punk were all flashes-in-the-pan, their aesthetics are examples of the mix of what was considered “indie.”

With the invention of the iPod, and other portable players, fans could take their music libraries everywhere, eliminating the necessity of the CD. iTunes and the Amazin MP3 store have also killed the “album.” Now that people can just download the songs they want, there is no need to own the whole album. Though the LP might be dead (or dying), the 50 records on this list work as complete records, and go against the new norm.

For the next three weeks I’ll run down a comprehensive list of the decade, starting with 50-31. With lists this long it is good to take into consideration that the placement of the record is not as important as the record itself. Who is really to say something at 46 is better than number 50? Until I get down to the top twenty, the numbers are almost formality. (Also, to not let this get out of hand, I’ll keep my descriptions for the next two weeks to a minimum. To learn more about these records please click the links and read the All Music Guide Entry.)

50. Godspeed You Black Emperor! – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (Kranky, 2000): This is the toss up spot on the list. The other two post/space/rock records that could have filled this spot, Tired Sounds of Stars of The Lid or Sigur Rós’s ( ), are equally as epic, but GYBE!’s 2000 double-disc masterpiece outshines them both. GSYBE! are the soundtrack to the end of the world. Although their songs can be predictable, the band is always in control, and can evoke all emotions.

49. Jim O’Rourke – Insignificance (Drag City, 2001): Jim O’Rourke was pretty busy and prolific earlier this decade. Known mostly for his avant work, O’Rouke was also a major factor in the sound of Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and A Ghost is Born, and for the first half of the decade, O’Rourke was a full-time member of Sonic Youth. While a song like “All Downhill from Here” is catchy and fun, O’Rourke still has his noisy sensibilities, like the headache inducing outro of “Life Goes Off.” Showcasing all of O’Rourke’s strengths in composing and songwriting, Insignificance is O’Rourke’s most accomplished record.

48. Times New Viking – Rip it Off (Matador, 2008): Times New Viking are the trailblazers of the new lo-fi movement. Unlike their peers, they’ve been at it for four records dating all the way back to 2005. Rip it Off is their third record, and quite possibly the loudest record of the decade. Their mix of fuzz, pop, and catchy choruses provide a party all on one shiny, ear-melting disc.

47. Madvillian – Madvilliany (Stones Throw, 2003): Putting this MF Doom and Madlib’s collaboration disc on this list is mandatory. Madvillany is one of the best rap records period. MF Doom’s wacky flow, mixed with Madlib’s array of sampled beats from cartoons, old television, and underground beats provides for an interesting listen—especially if you are as high as they were when they made it.

46. Sonic Youth – Murray Street (Interscope, 2002): Sonic Youth released four full-lengths this decade, and this is their best. Following their worst record, (NYC Ghosts and Flowers) Murray Street is a breath of fresh air. No longer trying to fuck around for the sake of fucking around, Sonic Youth tighten up with the help of Jim O’Rourke, filling spaces with guitar lines and master songcraft. This is Sonic Youth doing what they do best—kick ass.

45. Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow (Load, 2003): Lightning Bolt is just two guys; one on bass, one on drums. But this isn’t your White Stripes arrangement. The only thing Lightning Bolt know how to do is crush skulls, and skull crushing is what Wonderful Rainbow does best. If you don’t believe me, just take a listen to opening track “Hello Morning” and “Assassins.” If you aren’t punching everything around you, then you don’t know how to get down.

44. Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R (Interscope, 2000): One of the few records on this this whose title says it all. QOTSA’s second record is a mix of drugs, sex, violence, and more drugs. QOTSA’s best songs, “Into the Fade” and “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret,” are on this record. Rated R is equally suited for headbanging as it is getting stoned to.

43. Dizzee Rascal – Showtime (XL, 2004): UK hip-hop started with garage, which evolved into grime, which now has become dub-step. Dizzee Rascal is the Prince of Grime, and it’s most prized star. While he is now making pop records and topping the charts, his 2004 record Showtime fulfilled all of his promise of his Mercury Prize winning Boy In Da Corner. What push Showtime over the top is tracks like “Stand Up Tall” and “Dreams.”

42. The Walkmen – Bows + Arrows (Record Collection, 2004): The Walkmen’s first record was just all right. I used to confuse them with the French Kicks, and thought they’d be just another band in the indie landfill. But then they released their best song “The Rat” and its home Bows + Arrows. While not all the songs hit as immediately as “The Rat,” tracks like “North Pole” and “Thinking Of A Dream I Had” are equally as rewarding.

41. Lily Allen – Alright, Still (Capitol, 2006): Lily Allen may talk a lot of shit, but she has the songs to back it up. This record soars mostly due to the production and ska samples, but Allen’s witty lyrics on everything from a guy who couldn’t get it up (“Not Big”) to her loser little brother (“Alfie”) prove she is a step above your plastic pop stars. And let’s not forget the awesome singles “Smile” and “LDN.”

40. of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (Polyvinyl, 2007): of Montreal started the decade as an Elephant 6 pop band. Somewhere in the middle of the decade, their seventh record and eighth records, Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Sunlandic Twins, laid the groundwork for of Montreal’s shift from 60’s pop to a 70’s electronic-glam hybrid group. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer, while an entry point for many new listeners, is a shocking record for longtime fans. The band experimented with new styles like funk (“Gronlandic Edit”), 70’s glam (“Labyrinthian Pomp”), and let’s not forget about the twelve minute centerpiece “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” where Kevin Barnes calls to “tear this fucking house apart”, and tear it apart he does.

39. Alan Braxe and Friends – The Upper Cuts (PIAS, 2005): Ok, this is me cheating. This is not a full-length but a compilation of tracks from the wizard DJ/producer Alan Braxe. The tracks that make up this comp are mostly from this decade, although there are a few stragglers (Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You”). Plus it has one of the decade’s best singles, “Rubicon.” Alan Braxe’s sound is like an evolution of Daft Punk’s Homework, which is not so hard to imagine, as they are friends. The Upper Cuts is suited for both nights out in the club, and nights hanging out at home.

38. Primal Scream – XTRMNTR (Astralwerks, 2000): If you took the Stooges’ Raw Power and added My Bloody Valentine guitar assault and Rave electronics, you’d have Primal Scream’s best record XTRMNTR. The songs are aggressive, both sonically (“Accelerator”)and politically (“Swastika Eyes,” “Kill All Hippies”). While their aggression could be viewed as childish, Primal Scream pull it off with amazing results.

37. The Futureheads – The Futureheads (679, 2004): Poor Futureheads. Not only is this the best record of the post-punk revival, but the Futurehead’s best record, and one that they will probably never top. I don’t think there is another record on this list I fell in love with so quickly. The summer of 2004 brought many great records, but the Futureheads is the most delightful. Look no further than their cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.”

36. Les Savy Fav – Inches (French Kiss, 2004) This is the last time I’ll cheat. Inches started in 1996, before Les Savy Fav released their first record. Culminating in 2004, the record contains all nine 7” in reverse chronological order. While this may come off as an oddball compilation, it actually proves to be Les Savy Fav’s most cohesive record. Tracks like “Meet Me In the Dollar Bin” and “We’ll Make a Love of You” are indispensible to the LSF catalogue. While the new tracks have more sheen, finale track “Rodeo” from 1996 still holds up almost fifteen years later.

35. Death Cab for Cutie – The Photo Album (Barsuk, 2001): The Photo Album was the album DCFC should have broken big on. It wasn’t until the rise of The Postal Service due to movies like Garden State, and television shows like “The O.C.,” that DCFC got their due. It’s a shame because The Photo Album upstages later records like Transatlanticism in almost every way. From the indispensible “I Was A Kaleidoscope” to the heartbreaking “Styrofoam Plates,” there isn’t a single second of fluff.

34. Robyn – Robyn (Konichiwa, 2005): Talk about a comeback. Robyn of “Show Me Love” fame eschewed major labels and created the record she wanted to make. Robyn is the most brilliant pop album of the decade. Just running through the eight (!) singles the talent shines. Robyn has yet to follow the record up, but I trust that it will be pretty much amazing as well.

33. The Wrens – The Meadowlands (Absolutely Kosher, 2003): Again with the comebacks. Once dollar-bin heroes, The Wrens took a lengthy seven years to follow up their Nineties classic Secaucus. A lot went into the making of the album, between bad record deals and general ups and downs. The Meadowlands is not an easy listen, the songs jump in style, mood, and fidelity, but one thing that stays constant is the high quality of songcraft. There are poppy moments, like highlight “This Boy Is Exhausted,” to bitter laments like “Everyone Choose Sides.” Like Robyn, the Wrens have yet to follow this record up, but next year marks another seven years.

32. The Books – The Lemon of Pink (Tom Lab, 2004): The Books are a duo who make music out of samples, live instruments, and found sounds. The Lemon of Pink is best listened to all the way through. From the opening “The Lemon of Pink (Pt 1, 2),” which mixes banjo, strings, and haunting vocals, to the cut-up sample assault of “Take Time,” the record is never a letdown.

31. Panda Bear – Person Pitch (Paw Tracks, 2007): Panda Bear’s second solo was remarkable when it was released in early 2007. A few years later it still holds up. Panda Bear is mostly known for being a member of Animal Collective, and Person Pitch is the best solo record from any of the members. Built upon layers of samples and Beach-Boys-inspired vocals, this is Panda Bear’s grand statement. This also marked a turn for Animal Collective, as the band seem hell-bent on capturing the energy of Person Pitch (see 2009’s Meriwether Post Pavilion).

That’s it for now. Come back next week for 30-21.