NPR, November 16, 2009 - It seemed like an impossible task, but that didn't stop us from trying. With the first decade of the new millennium coming to a close, we decided to compile a list of the 50 most important recordings of the past 10 years — a list that covers a wide range of styles and genres, with indelible songs and albums that challenge, inspire and captivate. These are the game-changers: records that signaled some sort of shift in the way music is made or sounds, or ones that were especially influential or historically significant.

Favorite records don't necessarily qualify. A lot of people, including nearly everyone at NPR Music, love Fleet Foxes' debut album, but was it one of the decade's most important? The 50 recordings that appear here are listed alphabetically. We've included artists and bands from a number of musical worlds, from dubstep and hip-hop to Top 40 pop, classical, jazz, world, beardy folk, metal and hard rock. There's some country, too, but admittedly no grindcore or goa trance.

A lot of people, including All Songs Considered listeners, helped put this list together. As we culled through the nominees, tears were shed and arguments were had. But one thing we all agreed on: This was one of the best decades yet for music. We can't wait to hear what comes next.


The 50 Most Important Recordings Of The Decade
01. John Adams: On The Transmigration Of Souls
02. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
03. The Arcade Fire: Funeral
04. The Bad Plus: These Are The Vistas
05. Beyonce: Dangerously In Love
06. Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
07. Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
08. Burial: Untrue
09. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: S/T
10. Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway
11. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head
12. Danger Mouse: The Grey Album
13. Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
14. The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
15. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP
16. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
17. Osvaldo Golijov: La Pasión Segun San Marcos (Saint Mark's Passion)
18. Green Day: American Idiot
19. Iron And Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
20. Jay-Z: The Blueprint
21. Norah Jones: Come Away With Me
22. Juanes: Fijate Bien
23. LCD Soundsystem: Sound Of Silver
24. Lil’ Wayne: Tha Carter III
25. Little Brother: The Listening
26. M.I.A.: Kala
27. Yo-Yo Ma: Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet
28. Mastodon: Leviathan
29. Jason Moran: Black Stars
30. OutKast: Stankonia
31. Brad Paisley: 5th Gear
32. Panda Bear: Person Pitch
33. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raising Sand
34. The Postal Service: Give Up
35. Radiohead: In Rainbows
36. Radiohead: Kid A
37. Shakira: Fijación Oral, Vol. 1
38. Sigur Ros: ( )
39. Britney Spears: In The Zone
40. Sufjan Stevens: Illinois
41. The Strokes: Is This It
42. The Swell Season: Once Soundtrack
43. Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate: In The Heart Of The Moon
44. TV On The Radio: Return To Cookie Mountain
45. Various: Garden State Soundtrack
46. Various: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
47. Kanye West: The College Dropout
48. The White Stripes: White Blood Cells
49. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
50. Amy Winehouse: Back To Black

© Copyright 2009 NPR

Kelly Clarkson? Uh.....no.


IMHO


[Edited 11/18/09 5:29am]
[Edited 11/18/09 5:30am]

The only album/Cd I own on that list is, Norah Jones.

Jill Scott. "How Is Jill Scott"? She's not on the list, OK.

Yeah, it pretty much has been a prozac-fest these past 10 years.

Important 2 who?

lol lists make me laugh. what a complete load of shit.

Graycap23 said:

exactly

"tears were shed and arguments were had"?? Really, is that so.

I noticed Lil' Wayne made this list of important recordings. So, what the fuck ever.

Graycap23 said:

American Idiots on Cookie Mountain.

I own one album on this list haha

Thibaut said:

which one?

How is Stankonia important and Speakerboxx/The Love Below not?

Yeah.... whatever....

ya just lost me there!

daPrettyman said:

Yeah thats what I thought too,,,,but then again nothing much could be expected from these "lists" they throw on us.

16. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

This one seems to have lasting power in peoples' minds, but I never quite got what they are hearing, myself.

The 2000's the Decade that taste forgot, amazing how music has degenerated since the 1970s

What tone deaf muthafucka made this list?

Radiohead are the biggest example of "the Emperor's new clothes syndrome", in the history of recorded popular music.

GirlBrother said:

please explain..

daPrettyman said:

Because it's better.

Paris9748430 said:

I'm not saying it's better or not (because I think it is). Speakerboxx/The Love Below had a bigger impact on this decade than Stankonia did.

daPrettyman said:

Yeah, but the only impact that album made culturally was "Hey Ya".

Pretty much only for that year.

If you played that song today, people would get really annoyed.

However, if you played B.O.B., Miss Jackson, or So Fresh So Clean today. It would as old heads would say "Turn a Party Out".

Even 1 or 2 years after that album when the backlash would come. That album still bumped!!!

Paris9748430 said:

Not really. Think about this. This was the first time that an artist held the top album spot and held the number one and number 2 spots on the album chart.

I agree that Stankonia was a great and defining album, but as of importance, I (personally) think that Speakerboxx/The Love Below was a bit more significant.

BTW, "The Way You Move" still gets a decent amount of airplay, as does "So Fresh and So Clean". I love to see the 60 year olds bumping to these.

cubic61052 said:

I'm not too familiar with these albums/artists. Can somebody school me?

22. Juanes: Fijate Bien

daPrettyman said:

Underrated rap group

JarviusLovesexy said:

Thanx, I'll check them out.

estelle81 said:

Thank You. This list is complete bullshit.

It's not a bad list. Not a great list either, but LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver is on there, so I'm not complaining.

NDRU said:

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you won't let those robots defeat me