10. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010):
“This shit is, fucking ridiculous.” Kanye manages to cram John Legend, The Dream, Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Rihanna and Elton John (still reading?) into a single song. Everything in Kanye’s career had led up to this point: The very public blunders, the breakups, and the untimely passing of his mother. On My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the already unrestrained pop star turns everything up to 11, and with complete transparency. The album unfolds like a storybook, from the Nicki Minaj-narrated opener to Gil Scott-Heron-sampled closer. It’s genuinely heartbreaking in places (only Kanye can get away with turning the line “I sent this bitch a picture of my dick,” into a tearjerker) and gleefully compelling in others. And of course, there’s the much-hyped Bon Iver collaborations. Kanye goes for broke on this record, and even if he tries too hard, the finished product plays like the work of a true artist. –John Taylor
9. Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It in People (2002):
Broken Social Scene’s sophomore release marked both their vast member and musical expansion. Following the small, ambient project of Feel Good Lost, You Forgot It in People saw the band grow from basically two to about fifteen. This is the album when the world truly met Broken Social Scene as the rock band that it remains today. It features broad orchestration, huge sounds, several vocalists, masterful songwriting, and a style so gut-wrenchingly romantic your ears will want to cry tears. This is when we heard “Stars and Sons,” “Almost Crimes,” “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl,” “Shampoo Suicide,” and, of course, every indie darling’s makeout classic, “Lover’s Spit.” You Forgot It in People is the recipient of a slew of rewards and critical accolades, and its careful production and sharp songwriting has certainly cemented its place among the greatest albums of this period. –Kelly Baron
8. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois (2005):
In a daring attempt to compose fifty albums about each American state, chamber-folk artist and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens crafted an honorable collection of orchestrated songs centered on Illinois. The second installment of his fifty states project proved to energize the indie-sphere at an even greater level than 2003’s Greetings From Michigan. In his musical brochure, Stevens muses over cultural cues, specific city locales, historical legends, and infamous events that pertain to our Midwest gem and he does so with an extensive instrument lineup. Stevens’ application of timbres, tones, and textures paint an abstract, musical exploration that is as sonically diverse as it is educational. Such a didactic approach to songwriting not only highlighted Stevens’ dedication to his morally uprooted and technically precise music, but established himself as one of the greatest composers of our time. –Jenn Beening
7. Radiohead – Kid A (2000):
An album unlikely to be pulled off by anyone other than Radiohead is sparse, ambient and slathered with Thom Yorke’s evocative vocal texture. Kid A is beautifully melancholy, dark and mysterious.In a world where Radiohead is King, Kid A, is the awkwardly genius prince. It’s album with peaks and valleys so diverse that any song can fit any mood. “The National Anthem” is an eclectic blend of bass-driven melodies, pounding cymbals and horn break downs. While “How to Disappear Completely” is enchantingly somber. There’s no question that Radiohead is one of the most genre-defying group of musicians of our generation. Kid A is a meticulously wrapped package of off tempo rhythms, disconnected riffs and high-pitched vocals; a completely perfect collection of imperfections. –Kim Manning
6. Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007):
If there is any album most conducive to and demonstrative of the changes that have come with the mp3 age, it is Radiohead’s In Rainbows. After all, its release sent a significant message to the floundering music world: not only was it still possible to sell over a million records at a time when most music can be found freely online, but also that a band like Radiohead could do it after making said album available for download at “name your own price.” Plus, all shockwaves of its release aside, the album is full of cohesive, haunting artistry from “15 Step” to the beauty of “All I Need” to Thom Yorke’s heartbreaking vocals in “Videotape.” The album’s complex layering of drumbeats so sharp they could pass as electronic with sweeping guitar riffs and elegiac singing creates a duality of sound that is crisp yet multi-faceted, sparse yet complex, beautiful yet tragic. The music industry in general, and the British indie scene specifically, were landscapes forever changed by the perfect balance of rock and emotion that is In Rainbows. –Leanne Howard
5. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998):
Upon release, Neutral Milk Hotel’s sophomore effort did not make the gigantic splash that many would assume (don’t believe your “cool” friends when they say they got the album when it was released). Instead, the group immediately broke-up and band leader Jeff Mangum went off to model his life after the Unibomber before people really began to catch on to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’s charm. This lo-fi, folksy, occasionally psychedelic, album retains enough melody to hook casual music fans and indie connoisseurs alike. It’s since received near universal praise, and pretty much every kind word that could be said has been said numerous times. But the fact remains, it’s still a mighty fine record. –David Anthony
4. Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004):
Though each of Arcade Fire’s three albums is a fully-realized artistic expression, their first record will be remembered as their best. Funeral is the band’s magnum opus and one of the finest records of the last 10 years, if not of all time. From the lost nostalgia of intro track “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” to the haunting ending song, “In the Back Seat”, Arcade Fire’s music arrives grandiosely but is intensely personal, relatable and tragic. It hits hard because it refuses to take the easy way out: it tackles difficult emotional issues, but refuses to offer the generic ‘easy’ answers, instead choosing to present a multifaceted and infinitely complex world in all its sadness and glory. Funeral is an album everyone needs to experience at least once, because it is an album about everyone: grandparents, families, adults, and the rebellious youth. –Charlie Woodman
3. The Strokes – Is This It (2001):
At the decline of the teen pop starlets and boy bands, music—mainstream and indie alike—was a sinking ship, but The Strokes were first on the scene with a rescue boat titled Is This It (a question that answered itself with its own music). The New York quintet introduced a sound that blended influences of The Velvet Underground, The Stooges and New York Dolls with an apathetic yet fun-loving attitude of Generation Y, as prevalent in frontman Julian Casablancas’ vocals and lyrics. Is This It introduced simple chords and raw adrenaline untouched by studio technology—which was part of what had made aforementioned starlets and boy bands’ music so sugary. Is This It was music’s tall drink of water that continues to quench a thirst. Yes, Strokes, this was it, and still is. –Ciara Shook
2. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002):
The leaks, the interminable waiting for idiotic labels to figure out where the singles were. The mythos of Tweedy and the late Jay Bennett’s marathon arguments about track sequencing. The brilliant documentary. All the set dressings could make something overblown, or at least a little less than Wilco’s other masterpiece, Summerteeth. Yet after interminable preamble, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot appeared as beautiful, insurmountable and instantly affecting as anyone could’ve possibly imagined. Tweedy’s effortless re-imagining of folk, pop, and experimental music (exemplified by the centerpiece trio “Jesus Etc.,” “Ashes of American Flags” and “Heavy Metal Drummer”) will go down as a landmark event for this young century, a moment when hype and substance went hand in hand, when a tormented man of promise became a formidable man of genius. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot had to happen, and Jeff Tweedy was the only man who could do it. –Tyler Remmert
1. Radiohead – OK Computer (1997):
What makes Radiohead’s third studio album so great is its connection to the cultural framework of the turn of a precarious century. During the late 90s, as people anxiously watched technology and development ignite a reaction of exponential influence—long before the music scene found its modern nest in our digital realm– OK Computer’s greater message begged for society’s awareness through unconventional means. But Radiohead’s inventive approach doesn’t end with musical composition. Being the group’s first self-produced LP, OK Computer’s intrinsic consciousness of the changing times paved the way for Radiohead’s future methods in distribution (namely In Rainbows innovative pay-as-you-wish approach used in 2007). Thus, Thom Yorke and his band distinguished themselves as ahead of the curve by producing a cohesive album that demanded the listener’s undivided attention from start to finish. In essence, the impact of Radiohead’s OK Computer on an album’s overall worth after 1995 equals that of Bob Dylan’s legendary Times They Are a-Changing. Priceless. –Jenn Beening
