NEWS: The Decade’s 50 Most Important Recordings

all-songs-considered

…at least according to NPR listeners. Check it out after the jump, then read and listen to the whole All Songs Considered piece HERE. I’ve really enjoyed reading all these “decade-end” lists so far, and in my opinion this list seems to come closest to accurately reflecting the decade in music. If you’re interested, you can also find a running list of such lists at largehearted boy. Check ‘em out and see what made the decade in music for everyone.

Here’s NPR’s list of “The Decade’s 50 Most Important Recordings”:

John Adams: On The Transmigration Of Souls
Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
Arcade Fire: Funeral
The Bad Plus: These Are The Vistas
Beyonce: Dangerously In Love
Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
Burial: Untrue
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: S/T
Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway
Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Danger Mouse: The Grey Album
Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP
The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
Osvaldo Golijov: La Pasion Segun San Marcos (Saint Mark’s Passion)
Green Day: American Idiot
Iron And Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
Jay-Z: The Blueprint
Norah Jones: Come Away With Me
Juanes: Fijate Bien
LCD Soundsystem: Sound Of Silver
Lil’ Wayne: Tha Carter III
Little Brother: The Listening
Yo-Yo Ma: Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet
Mastodon: Leviathan
M.I.A.: Kala
Jason Moran: Black Stars
OutKast: Stankonia
Brad Paisley: 5th Gear
Panda Bear: Person Pitch
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raising Sand
The Postal Service: Give Up
Radiohead: In Rainbows
Radiohead: Kid A
Shakira: Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1
Sigur Ros: ( )
Britney Spears: In The Zone
Sufjan Stevens: Illinois
The Strokes: Is This It
The Swell Season: Once Soundtrack
Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate: In The Heart of the Moon
TV On The Radio: Return To Cookie Mountain
Various: Garden State Soundtrack
Various: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
Kanye West: The College Dropout
The White Stripes: White Blood Cells
Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Amy Winehouse: Back To Black

There’s definitely some things in there I’m not quite into (Brad Paisley, Mastadon), and it definitely favors some NPR crowd favorites (Once soundtrack, Norah Jones)  but I think this is a pretty accurate depiction of this decade’s major recorded musical milestones. I also like that it’s in alphabetical order, kind of like THIS BOOK that I happen to love.

Just for the record, I’ve been disappointed by how many lists haven’t included Josh Ritter’s The Animal Years. But you know. Opinions.

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