Your Twenty British Albums Of The Decade: #4 - #1

222 voters, 666 choices, 20 favourite British albums of the decade (2000-2009). It's been a labour of love, to say the least. Will be glad to move on. But if anyone has any thoughts on the list, please do comment.

I was particularly surprised at the high placings of M.I.A and PJ Harvey, which I think is probably due to their relative popularity in the States. Obviously not too surprised by the profileration of Radiohead, who probably deserve their own poll. Anyways, here's the whole shebang.

Blurbs for #20 - #15
#20 Muse - Origin Of Symmetry // #19 Muse - Absolution
#18 M.I.A - Arular // #17 The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
#16 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black // #15 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Blurbs for #14 - #10
#14 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand // #13 Radiohead - Hail To The Thief
#12 Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight // #11 Coldplay - Parachutes
#10 Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Blurbs for #9 - #5
#9 Primal Scream - XTRMNTR // #8 The Streets - Original Pirate Material
#7 PJ Harvey - Stories From The City... // #6 Radiohead - Amnesiac
#5 The Libertines - Up The Bracket

#4 M.I.A - Kala
68 points, 24 votes


"'Kala' has quite simply changed hip-hop, rap and anything associated with the two forever. Hell, it can even be narrowed down to: 'Kala' has changed beat making forever.

On her second record, M.I.A. makes this decade’s best use of patterns, rhythms and beats. Everything flows while still being fresh and all-encompassing. On 'Jimmy', M.I.A. sings sweetly while these instantly catchy beats bounce everywhere around the refrain. The classic hit, 'Paper Planes' makes use of swirling effects while M.I.A. creates her own legacy and brand, crystalized in the verse: “Bona-fide hustler, makin’ my name.”

Instead of using the music industry’s top producers, M.I.A. has opted out for lesser-known collaborators from around the world. It seems like (as it also sounds like) their style of music is linked to the likes of ancient tribal drums and simplistic beats that are stripped of their ancient tastes and re-run through modern, more complex systems that make incessant prototypes.

'Kala' will offer you something you’ve never heard before that is held to this standard. Every time I put the album in the CD player (which sounds so outdated compared to the sounds on this album) I am always blown away by the audacity of the buzz and the clatter that encompass this record." (Jeff, Music As Art)


#3 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
70 points, 24 votes


"Alex Turner could raise a serious claim to being the most poetic British pop star of not only his generation, but of all time. Time has been kind to the words of Morrissey, Lennon, Cocker, Weller and Lennon but in 20 years time I’m fairly confident Turner will have surpassed them all. The lyrics to this debut album are the sign of someone who clearly knows what he’s doing and does it well. They deal with very Northern themes of everyday life, from dirty dance floors, taxi ranks, riot vans, pubs and women of the night. The way the words twist and turn in Turner’s mouth are brilliant and unique.

The words are the stars of the show but the music accompanies them brilliantly. It may not be revolutionary but there is energy and heart in each of these songs, the drums are manic, the bass playing is funky and the guitars are fuzzy and very melodic." (Thomas, Thomasmj99's Music Blog)


#2 Radiohead - In Rainbows
148 points, 44 votes


"Ultimately the noughties did not bring about any truly unique new musical style or genre. Everything could find its roots in the past. What the decade will be remembered for however is the massive change in the way that music is made, distributed and sold. Technology, namely affordable quality recording equipment and the internet changed the musical landscape. As the decade closes, illegal downloading is the singular most complex issue the established music industry has had to deal with for years.

It took a band that started in the nineties to fully address the matter, test the water and break the model. Although Radiohead weren’t the first band to make their album available as a free download, they were certainly the biggest. 'In Rainbows' is one of the most important albums of the decade not just because of the music, but also because of its method of sales and distribution.

However, once the excitement of what Radiohead were doing with 'In Rainbows' subsided, what we are left with is the music. This is where 'In Rainbows' stands the test of time. From the floating ambience of 'Nude', which gathered further fame by being used in haunting and visually sexual trailer for the TV show 'Skins', to the beguiling ghost blues of 'House Of Cards', 'In Rainbows' is a beautiful album that remains their simplest and warmest piece of work. You cannot put a price on beauty." (Robin, Breaking More Waves)


#1 Radiohead - Kid A
371 points, 91 votes



"It is clear from 'Kid A' that Radiohead had been to the edge, down the muddy river of depression and despair and disenchantment, and had almost reached whatever terrible waterfall lies at its end. But they managed to force themselves back, dragging their bewitching other-worldly sound with them, their compensation perhaps, making the mental toil worthwhile.

Or maybe the sound dragged them – perhaps faced with such depths of disillusionment, this was the only thing that they, as Radiohead, could do with it all. Much has been written of their myriad of leftfield experimental influences, and it is indeed an album far removed from 'OK Computer'. But this is not a cheap electronica-pastiche, this is unmistakably the same band, a band who had already released one of the best albums ever, and yet still found the resolve to release a perfect response to it.

This is the sound of our non-stop twenty-first century lives, of dead eyes propped open only by caffeine, of empty bright lights and computer screens. This strange modern world might as well be nothing but bleeps, so disconnected do Radiohead feel from it.

But shining brighter than any quirky methodology or ethereal effects, are this album’s genuinely brilliant songs. It is a thing of real beauty. A masterpiece." (Kieran, Yeah, Do That).

Your Twenty British Albums Of The Decade: #9 - #5

Top twenty British albums of the noughties, as voted by 222 internet peoples, thus far: #20 - #15 and #14 - #10.

#9 Primal Scream -XTRMNTR
37 points, 13 votes


"Coming out at the very start of the century, I remember thinking at the time that this was what I'd hoped rock'n'roll would sound like in the future. 'Accelerator' was a screaming punk beast what held no punches, and was played with a ferocity that made you bleed. 'Swastika Eyes' was an STD-ridden, disco romp, with a Sophie Dahl starring video that was dangerous, sexy and political all in one go.

In fact politics around the turn of the century was a common theme that ran through this record, from this, 'Blood Money' and the title track, even through to the albums artwork and decision by the band to include literature regarding the false imprisonment of Satpal Ram in the liner notes, for a 17 year old it was the first time I'd seen a band get political and still remain musically interesting." (David, And Everyone's A DJ)


#8 The Streets - Original Pirate Material
46 points, 14 votes


"As Mike Skinner talks his stark stream of consciousness, you can imagine him, head down, striding the dark city streets, the lights and noise and sights rushing over him, all his lyrics spewing out naturally. “Deep seated urban decay, deep seated urban decay”. Everything juxtaposed perfectly with the minimalist beats and samples, vast empty spaces aping the grey city.

I love the perfect poetry; barely a word out of place. You feel everything Skinner says is a snippet of a real conversation. “One hand clutching a sword raised to the sky”. Opening track, 'Turn The Page', just snares and some strings, becomes epic. Whatever he’s talking about, you want to stand up and believe in.

I love the beats. Always a perfect fit for the lyrics, whether squelching about like the minds of those depicted in 'Too Much Brandy', or veering between calm and unstable on 'The Irony Of It All'. “Ooh the pizza's here, will someone let him in please? We didn't order chicken”. Every line quotable, even if you can scarcely believe its being used as lyric.

Skinner excels in both content and deliverance. 'Original Pirate Material' is funny and sad, rousing and bleak, and everyone should love it." (Kieran, Yeah, Do That)


#7 PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
50 points, 14 votes


"I bought this album when I was on a school trip in New York when I was 13. The man behind the counter was waxing lyrical about it being amazing, so my hopes were high. Thankfully, he was right!

For me, this album will always recall walking around Manhattan being completely overjoyed at just being there. PJ Harvey was my first introduction to strong girl singers too, with 'This Is Love' soon becoming one of my personal angsty anthems.

Everything about it is just brilliant; from the romanticism of 'Good Fortune', which always makes me want to sing along and smile like a maniac, to the warming, no-holds-barred confessional 'We Float'. There’s nothing better than an album that takes you back to the best moments of your life, which simply has to mean that 'Stories...' is my honorary album of the past ten years." (Holly, Tell Me A Story)

#6 Radiohead - Amnesiac
52 points, 16 votes


"When this album was released in 2001 it caught me completely off-guard. Radiohead had just released 'Kid A' less than a year before so I was not prepared for a new album for another 3 years or so.

I remember hearing one night that a new Radiohead video would be premiering on MTV. No videos had been released for 'Kid A' and considering that I had always been a fan of Radiohead’s videos, I was rabid for a new one. I dashed downstairs in the dorm to the common room and turned it on just in time to see the video for 'Pyramid Song'. I found it unfathomably sad and beautiful.

Upon listening to the rest of the album, I felt that Radiohead had recorded the human response to 'Kid A'’s machine." (Jordan, Plaid Forever)

#5 The Libertines - Up The Bracket
56 points, 18 votes


"'Up The Bracket' is the sound of a young band. Perhaps a naïve and hopelessly romantic one, but nevertheless a band at a peak that few ever reach. Doherty and Barat seemed to spend the early part of the decade in some dreamy bohemian saunter through east London, seeing magic and adventure in every grotty Whitechapel tower block, and they document it here.

Gloriously messy guitar chords scuttle around anarchically, held together by the rhythm unit, perhaps often under-mentioned if not underrated: The jazzy drums are complex but not showy; completely in control despite the madness. The bass lines furiously drive the songs forward but always remain intricate and melodic.

Loud and quiet, dynamic like nothing is any more, it is packed with countless little musical and lyrical perfections: “If you've lost your faith and love of music, the end wont be long.” // The harmony on “but tell me baby, how does it feel” // The barely audible “fuck off” in the title track // “There are fewer more distressing sights than that, of an Englishman in a baseball cap”.

With these tales of beautiful youthful hedonism, we needn’t worry about "tainted legacy" or "wasted potential". We still have this record, and it’s still wonderful." (Kieran, Yeah, Do That)

Top four British albums of the noughties drops tomorrow. FINALLY. I will look forward to normality.

Your Twenty British Albums Of The Decade: #14 - #10

Continuing on from yesterday's #20 to #15 countdown of the poll I conducted to find twenty favourite British albums of the noughties, here's the next few choices.

#14 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
24 points, 10 votes



"They really started the movement to bring clever, engaging, danceable indie back into fashion and this album was one that I never got bored of listening to it over and over again on my gap year." (Tim, The Blue Walrus)



#13 Radiohead - Hail To The Thief
27 points, 9 votes



"The decade saw Radiohead serve up four studio albums. 'Kid A', 'Amnesiac', 'Hail To The Thief' and 'In Rainbows'. It's easily conceivable that the top three British albums of the last decade could be derived from these four offerings.

Although he has consistently dismissed the album’s political discourse, after an estimated 100,000 civilian deaths in Iraq, to ignore Thom Yorke’s stark lyrical content would be remise. There is an overwhelming sense of Orwellian paranoia and a fear of a modern dark age under American imperialism in '2+2=5', while 'There There' commands the listener to resist mass hysteria – "just cause you feel it doesn't mean it's there. There's always a siren singing you to shipwreck, don't reach out."

Amid the Chilcot Inquiry, Iraq is still the mess that Yorke and co. predicted and this album is every bit as prevalent today as it was on release in 2003." (Adam Phillips, Rosa Alchemica)


#12 Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
30 points, 8 votes



"The best new band to emerge from Scotland this decade. And this is their best record to date. Not since The Smiths released 'The Queen Is Dead' have I metaphorically played a record to death - ie at least three times a week in its entirety for about six months in a row. And even now, I still cant tell you what my favourite track is as it depends on how happy/sad/drunk/melancholy I am at any particular time. Quite simply.....a record I know I will still be enjoying in its entirety until my dying day." (JC, The Vinyl Villain)


#11 Coldplay - Parachutes
30 points, 10 votes



"None of us want to admit that this album totally got stuck in our heads for way too long. C’mon now, complete the phrase: “Look at the stars, see how they…”." (Joe Nickell, Nickell's Bag)


#10 Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
34 points, 14 votes



"With Bloc Party currently on an indefinite hiatus, we can now look back with bitter reflection on a career that peaked with their brilliant debut album, 'Silent Alarm'. Nothing that followed came near matching such a compellingly anthemic album.

Although characterised at the time as Gang Of Four inspired art rockers, it was the tender, emotive moments on tracks like 'This Modern Love' and 'So Here We Are' that truly enraptured and inspired. And with tracks of the quality of 'Little Thoughts', 'Storm & Stress' and 'Skeleton' all happily left off the album, there is a sense of sadness with the manner in which Bloc Party would steadily encounter diminishing returns as they bravely attempted to vary their repertoire." (Saam, Faded Glamour)

Once again, "tune in" tomorrow for the next set. It's hotting up.

Your Twenty British Albums Of The Decade: #20 - #15

It's taken a while to compile but 222 voters and 666 choices later, I can finally present the top twenty British albums of the noughties, as voted for by people on the internetz. Some people I know, many I don't. Maybe even you. This is an extension of the blogger poll that I did at the back end of last year.

Many artists were voted for multiple times, with some surprises along the way and one band completely dominating the votes, with four albums in the top twenty. More words on the methods and scoring are at the end of the post. All albums were released between Jan 1 2000 and Dec 31 2009, by British artists (I rather arbitrarily left out the Irish, sorry). Without further ado, here are entries #20 to #15.

#20 Muse - Origin Of Symmetry
19 points, 5 votes


"Muse not only changed the face of popular music, but they've also brought out one amazing album after another. 'Origin Of Symmetry' started that off, where they left behind the harder sound shown in some of the songs in 'Showbiz' in favour of more melodic, operatic, and generally prog rock-ish songs. That move would be the best thing they ever did." (Alex, The Retrospective Review)


#19 Muse - Absolution
19 points, 7 votes


"Whether you're looking for a classically trained piano piece in the midst of a track, or an absolutely insane riff, or some of the most beautiful vocals you'll hear from any man, they'll deliver this and plenty more. This album became a very popular one because of a few standout singles, but the depth of the album is where the gems are hidden, such as the more slow burning pieces like 'Butterflies And Hurricanes' and 'Blackout'." (David, A Slice Of Fried Gold)


#18 M.I.A - Arular
22 points, 8 votes


"What. An. Album. This was like nothing I’d ever heard before because it was like nothing anyone had heard before. Truly a unique collection of songs, and whilst 'Kala' miiiight just be better, it didn’t have the same “wtf is this” impact as 'Arular' did.

Lots of middle ages white people began throwing around the word "urban" to show how in touch they were with the “yoof” after Dizzee’s 'Boy In Da Corner' but that is almost incomparable to the amount of people who (wrongly) began to feel like they were on the same page as hyper-intelligent, politically minded inner city kids after they heard tracks like 'Galang' and 'Bucky Done Gun'. A genuine British talent with a mind-expanding album." (Jamila, Fucking Dance)


#17 The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
23 points, 9 votes


"2004 saw The Streets bring us a hip-hopera in the silky guise of 'A Grand Don’t Come For Free'. The album recalls a tale of losing and regaining £1000 and various events in between including: relationship strife, gambling and alcohol addictions and narcotic induced paranoia.

Bedroom recordings are a mark of our times. Anybody with an ounce of ability, or a lot of spare time, can get the right software and knock something out. The Streets go beyond this and Mike Skinner has accurately recorded the transition from boy to man in a way comparable to any great British poet." (Adam Phillips, Rosa Alchemica)


#16 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
24 points, 8 votes


"The moody undercurrents of Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough album are rendered even darker in light of the walking tabloid tragedy she became, but that doesn’t change the record’s status as the pinnacle of the Brit neo-soul wave it ushered in. 'Back To Black'’s appropriation of retro production styles and lyrical themes as old as pop music itself—heartbreak, bad decisions, and more heartbreak—felt familiar, yet of-the-moment, aided in no small part by Winehouse’s sultry voice and wholly believable persona.

Then there’s 'Rehab', a massive single fueled by one of the most indelible hooks of the past 10 years, and a compellingly antagonistic sass that’s rarely employed so well by modern female pop singers." (Genevieve Koski, AV Club)


#15 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
24 points, 10 votes


"Coldplay's second album cemented their status as one of the biggest bands of the decade. More rocked out than their debut, they still managed to produce some beautiful, lighter than air tracks that resonated with the hopeless romantic in all of us." (Hunter, 17 Tracks)

More to come tomorrow.

*The points system. I allocated five points to the top ranked choice, then three points then one point to the remaining two choices. In case of equal pointage, the album with the most votes was given the higher placing. And if that was irritatingly still a tie, then the most appearances as a #1 choice was the separating factor. Also, many of the entries were culled from larger "best of decade" lists, for better or for worse.

The Ruby Suns

The Ruby Suns are back with a new album, dropping on March 8th on Memphis Industries. I've got a taste of 'Fight Softly', the New Zealand band's third LP. I can't say I'm overly familiar with the band but seeing as they have a song called 'Kenya Dig It', surely they're worth a punt?


'Cranberry' is very much evocative of Animal Collective, with that washed out, breezy feel. Which is particularly inappropriate for England at the moment, considering all the sodding snow. Then again, I guess this song is full of a loving warmth. Listen/download below.

THE RUBY SUNS - CRANBERRY

'Fight Softly' is out on March 8th in the UK and March 2nd in the US.

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