Susan takes on the decade

I've only ever met Susan once but her knowledge of music, willingness to argue about it and make fun of my terrible taste takes her straight to the top of the Poplist. She sorted hers with her top 25 favourites and then the remaining 75 in no particular order. Her list is entitled: "SB’s most favourite things of the 21st century so far, sonically speaking."

1. Doves – Lost Souls
2. Nicolai Dunger – Soul Rush
3. Elliott Smith – Figure 8
4. Doves – Kingdom of Rust
5. Doves – Some Cities
6. Supergrass - Road To Rouen
7. Dungen – Ta Det Lugnt
8. Doves – Last Broadcast
9. Shack – On The Corner Of Miles & Gil
10. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
11. Guided By Voices – Isolation Drills
12. I Am Kloot – Gods & Monsters
13. The Mars Volta – Deloused In The Comatorium
14. Jose Gonzalez – Veneer
15. Wilco – A Ghost Is Born
16. The Amazing – The Amazing
17. The Dirtbombs – Ultraglide In Black
18. Candy Payne – I Wish I Could Have Loved You More
19. Rufus Wainwright – Poses
20. The Stands – All Years Leaving
21. Kelley Stoltz – Antique Glow
22. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
23. At The Drive-In – Relationship Of Command
24. Robert Plant – Mighty Rearranger
25. Hanson – This Time Around
120 Days – 120 Days
Ryan Adams – Demolition
Ryan Adams – Gold
Ryan Adams – Jacksonville City Nights
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Source Tags & Codes
Art Of Fighting – Wires
Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
Autumn Defense - Circles
Badly Drawn Boy – Hour Of Bewliderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy – About A Boy
Baltic Fleet – Baltic Fleet
Beachwood Sparks – Once We Were Trees
Beck – Sea Change
Black Cab – Call Signs
The Black Keys – The Big Come Up
The Black Keys – Thick Freakness
The Black Keys – Rubber Factory
The Black Keys – Attack & Release
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Howl
Calexico – Garden Ruin
Calexico - Carried To Dust
Chemical Brothers - Come With Us
Clinic – Walking With Thee
The Cops – Stomp On Trip Wires
The Dirtbombs – Dangerous Magical Noise
Duffy – Rockferry
Dungen – Tio Bitar
Dungen – 4
Nicolai Dunger – Here’s My Song
Nicolai Dunger – Rosten Och Herren
Dylan Group – Ur-Klang Search…
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Primary Colours
Emperor Machine – Space Beyond The Egg
Thomas Feiner - Opiates
Fontan - Winterhwila
Gomez – In Our Gun
Gomez – Split The Difference
Guided By Voices – Universal Truths & Cycles
The Guild – Golden Thumb
Hacienda – Loud Is The Night
Ed Harcourt – Here Be Monsters
Ed Harcourt – Beautiful Lie
Hot Hot Heat – Make Up The Break Down
I Am Kloot – Natural History
I Am Kloot – I Am Kloot
I Am Kloot – Play Moolah Rouge
Kling Klang – Esthetik of Destruction
Glenn Kotche - Mobile
Last Shadow Puppets – The Age Of The Understatement
Loose Fur – Born Again In The USA
Eric Malmberg - Den Gåtfulla Människan
The Mars Volta – Frances The Mute
The Mars Volta – Amputechture
The Mars Volta – The Bedlam In Goliath
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Mercury Rev – All Is Dream
Mexico City – Black Comedy
Mission Of Burma – On Off On
Mogwai - Zidane
On Fillmore – Sleeps With Fishes
Oranger – Quiet Vibration Land
Jim O’Rourke – Insignificance
Jim O’Rourke – The Visitor
Peabody – The New Violence
Reigning Sound – Time Bomb High School
Sagor & Swing - Orgelfärger
The Sights – Got What We Want
Elliott Smith – From A Basement On A Hill
The Stands – Horse Fabulous
Kelley Stoltz – Below The Branches
Kelley Stoltz – Circular Sounds
The Strokes – Is This It
Supergrass – Diamond Hoo Ha
Tears For Fears – Everybody Loves A Happy Ending
Todd Sparrow - Here’s To The Start Of Something Beautiful
Voice Of The Seven Woods – Voice Of The Seven Woods
Rufus Wainwright – Want One
Scott Walker – The Drift
Webb Brothers - Maroon
Wedding Present – Take Fountain
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
Wilco – Wilco (the album)
The Works – The Works
XTC – Wasp Star

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Wednesday Blues

Phew, what a crap day. So in celebration, here's five great songs with the word blue in the title.


Fugazi - Blueprint


The Jayhawks - Blue


Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues


Mark Lanegan - Methamphetamine Blues (caution: random unrelated zombie violence in this video).


Pinback - Non-Photo Blue

Any other suggestions?

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PS If you wanna submit a list less self-indulgent than this one, leave a message in the comments or contact me directly.

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John E's Decade List

John Encarnacao is a Sydney rock legend who has played in numerous bands, released many albums as well as scoring films, art installations and strings for bands like the Whitlams. Check out his band Warmer - they're awesome. John has an encyclopedic knowledge of music that borders on scary but also has excellent taste. Here is John's list entitled "Most resounding sounds of the decade 2000-2009 in rough chronological order according to John Encarnacao, 7 January 2010"

2000
Eels – Daisies of the Galaxy
White Stripes – White Blood Cells
Smog – Dongs of Sevotion
Ween – White Pepper
Trans Am - Red Line
Elliott Smith – Figure 8
Radiohead – Kid A

2001
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Ease Down The Road
Stereolab – Sound Dust
Stars of the Lid – The Tired Sounds of
Smog – Rain On Lens
Radiohead – Amnesiac
Bjork – Vespertine
Brain Donor – Love Peace and Fuck
Lucinda Williams – Essence
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – No More Shall We Part
The Strokes – Is This It?
Tortoise – Standards

2002
Augie March – Strange Bird
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Sleater-Kinney – One Beat
Dan Kelly – Man-O-Mercy (EP)
Machine Translations – Happy
Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For The Deaf

2003
Ryan Adams – Love is Hell (parts 1 and 2)
Chris Abrahams – Streaming
Colleen – Everyone Alive Wants Answers
Fourtet – Rounds
Kristin Hersh – The Grotto
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Pig Lib
Matmos – The Civil War
Scout Niblett – I Am
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Master and Everyone
Sonic Youth – Murray Street
The Shins – Chute’s Too Narrow
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell

2004
Animal Collective – Sung Tongs
Big Heavy Stuff – Dear Friends and Enemies
M Craft – I Can See It All Tonight (EP)
Elvis Costello and the Imposters – The Delivery Man
Charalambides – Joy Shapes
Faun Fables – Family Album
PJ Harvey – Uh Huh Her
Wilco – A Ghost is Born
Joanna Newsom – The Milk-Eyed Mender
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
The redsunband – Peapod
Laura Veirs – Carbon Glacier

2005
Animal Collective and Vashti Bunyan – Prospect Hummer (EP)
Bjork – The music from Drawing Restraint 9
Because of Ghosts – No More Reason, No More Doubt
Deerhoof – The Runners Four
City City City – The Perimeter Motor Show
Electrelane – Axes
The Books – Lost and Safe
Sons and Daughters – The Repulsion Box
Laura Jean – Our Swan Song
Kes – The Jellys in the Pot
Nic Dalton and his Gloomchasers – Home of the Big Regret
Mountains in the Sky – Celestial Son
Scout Niblett – Kidnapped By Neptune
Smog – A River Ain’t Too Much To Love
Steffan Basho-Jungens – Unknown Music II
Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Dirty Three – Cinder
Akron/Family – Akron/Family

2006
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid – The Exchange Session Vol. 1
Kes – The Grey Goose Wing
Loose Fur – Born Again in the USA
Moonmilk – The World Creaks
Joanna Newsom – Ys
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – The Letting Go
Sonic Youth – The Destroyed Room
Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped
Six Organs of Admittance – The Sun Awakens
Holly Throsby – Under The Town
Triosk – The Headlight Serenade
Scott Walker – The Drift
The Blow – Paper Television
The Drones – Gala Mill
The catholics – Gondola
Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Espers – II
Adam Green – Jacket Full of Danger
Young People – All At Once
Juana Molina – Son

2007
Akron/Family – Love is Simple
Art of Fighting – Runaways
Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
Ned Collette – Future Suture
Charalambides – Likeness
I’m Not There (soundtrack)
PJ Harvey – White Chalk
Bernie Hayes – Homebody
Machine Translations – Seven Seven
Castings – Punk Rock is Bunk Squawk
Josh Pyke – Memories and Dust
Rachel Unthank and the Winterset – The Bairns

2008
Laura Jean – Eden Land
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Lie Down in the Light
Deerhoof – Offend Maggie
Portishead – Third
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant
Charles Jenkins – Blue Atlas

2009
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 – Goodnight Oslo
Kes Band – Kes Band II
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

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Jonathan's favourite album covers of 2009

I didn't always like the music on them but these are the album covers that floated my boat in 2009. By the way, if you liked that Empire of the Sun album cover, there are support groups for that kind of bad taste.


Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion: When I was a little kid, my parents had these weird American encyclopedia sets and I was totally obsessed with the optical illusions section in them. This cover reminded me of that. Ah childhood nostalgia - too bad this band is terrible. To quote Buddyhead, "they are to songwriting what “Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” is to cinema."


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz: Let's face it, that's a pretty awesome image. I have to say I HATED this album when I first heard it. However, I put it on the other day and now that the electroshock has worn off, I think I'm coming around.


The Breeders - Fate to Fatal: I love this cover, just a really simple concept done well. Unfortunately, I remember when the Breeders were programming rage at their height and they programmed Faith No More. "What happened to these guys?" one of the Deals asked and I have similar feelings for the Breeders after listening to this.



Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Beware: I've long loved Will Oldham's apparent lack of vanity and this cover just captures something very beautiful about his face.


Delorean - Ayrton Senna Ep: I love the ethereal nature of this image. I'm not sure what's going on there but I like it.


Future of the Left - Travels with myself and another: For some reason this reminds me of sixties imagery like an old Hitchcock poster or the Man from Uncle. Another simple winner.


Neko Case - Middle Cyclone: Neko has stated that she wanted to create the ultimate teenage boy fantasy - a hot woman on a hot car holding a big sword. My inner teenage boy is appeased.

Any other favourites out there?

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Stephen attacks the top 100 albums of the noughties

My friend Stephen spends his days surrounded by literal mountains of music. A wall of vinyl here, a room of cds there - he works in a record store and even runs his own market stall selling cds and vinyl. As such, when asking him to compile his list of favourite albums of the last decade it was always going to be epic. Here's is Stephen's picks which he has entitled The most brilliant and life-changing albums of "the noughties' - Listed in strict order from 'most' to 'least-most' 2000-2009.

1. Fountains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers
2. The Necks - Homebush (Live)
3. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Pig Lib
4. M. Ward - Transfiguration Of Vincent
5. Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions - Bavarian Fruit Bread
6. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ease On Down The Road
7. Stereolab - Sound-Dust
8. Yo La Tengo - and then nothing turned itself inside-out
9. The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
10. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Master and Everyone
11. Daniel Johnston - Fear Yourself
12. Deerhunter - Cryptograms
13. Tindersticks - Waiting For The Moon
14. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
15. Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
16. Bjork - Vespertine
17. Warmer - The Cat's Miaow
18. MachineMachine - machinemachine
19. Tortoise and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Brave And The Bold
20. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go
21. The Woods Themselves - The Woods Themselves
22. Gillian Welch - Time (the Revelator)
23. Espers - III
24. M. Ward - Post War
25. Portishead - 3rd
26. Guided By Voices - Isolation Drills
27. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
28. The Bees - Free The Bees
29. Group Bombino - Guitars From Agadez
30. Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather
31. Lucinda Williams - Live at the Fillmore
32. Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions- Through the Devil Softly
33. Laura Veirs - Carbon Glacier
34. REM - Accelerate
35. The Bees - Octopus
36. Ween - Quebec
37. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
38. Edan - Beauty And The Beat
39. Smog - A River Ain't Too Much To Love
40. The Fall - The Real New Fall LP... Formerly 'Country on the Click'
41. Kelly Stoltz - Antique Glow
42. The Strokes - Is This It
43. Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors
44. The Raveonettes - Pretty in Black
45. Laura Veirs - Troubled By The Fire
46. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
47. Sloan - Never Hear The End Of It
48. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
49. The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
50. Sloan - Parallel Play
51. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
52. The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart
53. Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun
54. Tindersticks - The Hungry Saw
55. She & Him - Volume 1
56. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
57. Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason
58. Wire - Send
59. Joseph Leonard - Weather Vane Woman
60. Espers - Espers
61. Beasts of Bourbon - Low Life (Live)
62. The Drones - Live at the Annandale Hotel 2007
63. Charlotte Hatherly - Grey Will Fade
64. Ween - White Pepper
65. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Continued
66. Karl Blau- Beneath Waves
67. Whopping Big Naughty - Bender
68. Tortoise - Standards
69. Stephen Malkmus - Stephen Malkmus
70. Broadcast - HaHa Sound
71. Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
72. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
73. The Breeders - Mountain Battles
74. Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
75. Roots Manuva - Run Come Save Me
76. Missy Elliott - This Is Not A Test
77. Peaches - The Teaches of Peaches
78. PJ Harvey and John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By
79. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Beware
80. Yo La Tengo - I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass
81. At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command
82. Beaches - Beaches
83. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
84. Le Tigre - Le Tigre
85. Preston School of Industry - Monsoon
86. Little Joy - Little Joy
87. The Amazing - The Amazing
88. Joseph Leonard - Soft on the Small Moon
89. M. Ward - Transistor Radio
90. Guided By Voices - Earthquake Glue
91. Mission of Burma - ON off ON
92. Beachwood Sparks - Once We Were Trees
93. Beck - Seachange
94. Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3 - Goodnight Oslo
95. The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
96. Blonde Redhead - Fake Can Be Just As Good
97. Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds - Dracula Boots
98. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
99. Antipop Consortium - Arrhythmia
100. Battles - Mirrored

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