David Meadows
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Top albums of the decade!
Yes, it's nearly the end of the decade (depending on how you count  ) and everywhere is doing top ___ of the decade lists. Time for this forum to jump on the bandwagon 
So post your top 10 albums of the decade here! With descriptions/justifications if you like.
I've just done this for another forum and I found it reaslly hard to list just 10. The decade has been great for music, quite a surprise after the dire 90s. I finally managed to narrow it down to the following 10 (remember I wrote this on another forum which is why I go into great detail about a certain band...)
In no particular order:
The Last Bright Light -- Mostly Autumn (2001)
After the wilderness of the 90s I was convinced that nobody would ever make good "proper" rock music again. Then Mostly Autumn came along and proved me wrong. Not just by making proper 70s-sounding rock music but by doing better even than most of the classic 70s bands did it. Because they didn't just rock, they wrote songs with a melodic beauty that few other bands can equal. This is their third CD and their best. It's got it all, from slow guitar instrumentals to flute-backed ballads to screaming Hammond organ and 10-minute epics inspired by the Lord of the Rings. If an album was ever deliberately created to make me fall in love with a band, this would be it.
Shining on You -- Viktoria Tolstoy (2004)
All the songs on this CD were written for Viktoria by jazz genius Esbjörn Svensson, and I think that's what lifts this above her other albums. Her voice is simply beautiful, but the songs make this much more than just another vocal jazz album. It's the kind of CD you put on endless repeat and listen to all day without ever getting bored.
Passengers -- Mostly Autumn (2003)
Yes, sorry, it's another Mostly Autumn CD. But they seriously are THAT good.
Offerings -- Odin Dragonfly (2007)
Odin Dragonfly are Heather Findlay (vocals and guitar) and Angela Gordon (vocals, flute and piano) and this is their only CD (so far, he adds hopefully). This gets my vote for most beautiful CD of the decade. Every note on this CD is perfect. Buy it now.
In Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra -- Deep Purple (2000)
I couldn't leave off the greatest rock band of all time, and this double CD sums up everything that makes them great. It's a live recording of a special event that included contributions from all the band members' varied careers. This puts orchestral ballads next to big-band jazz numbers next to blues next to instrumental jazz rock next to pounding hard rock, and tops it all off with a performance of Jon Lord's groundbreaking 1969 composition Concerto for Group and Orchestra. If I had to point to one CD to answer the question "what's so special about Deep Purple then?" it would be this one. What makes them special? The diversity of their influences. And they are all on display here.
Heart full of Sky -- Mostly Autumn (2006)
Yes, another one. Did I mention how good they were? This CD came after some difficult line-up changes and proved that Mostly Autumn were still the best current band in the world. All the beauty and all the diversity of material is still there, along with some of their most adventurous and sophisticated song writing to date. (Of course you need to get the limited edition double CD to get the full benefit.)
Dear Someone -- Rachel and Lillias (2008)
Rachel Newton plays the harp and sings in English and Gaelic. Lillias Kinsman-Blake plays the flute. They play a mixture of traditional and self-penned music. This album sounds exactly like you would expect that to sound. Only better.
Bridges -- Katie Doherty (2007)
Almost a surprise inclusion, because it's hard for me to pin down what makes this CD stand out. Katie is described as a folk singer but really these songs (almost all her own compositions) stray into jazz, blues, and even throw in some dance beats. I think it's that diversity of style that makes the CD great. Plus her voice is beautiful. And she writes lyrics from the heart that hit you right in the heart. That's all you really need.
Breathing Space -- Iain Jennings
Iain Jennings is one of my favourite song writers and for this solo project he found a stunning singer in Olivia Sparnnen. Seriously, her power and range will knock your socks off. Mere pop singers can only dream of that kind of voice. The songs are a laid-back mix of hook-heavy soft rock spiced up with a bit of ambient dance music, some sublime guitar solos, Iain's superb keyboard work, and did I mention that voice?
Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo -- Lara St. John (2007)
Because you can't talk about excellence in music without mentioning Bach. If you don't know this music, I urge you to find it and listen to it. This isn't my only recording of the Sonatas and Partitas, it's probably not even my only recording of them from the last decade, but it's the one that's made the biggest impression on me. Lara St. John is a hugely emotional violin player who totally sweeps you away with her sound. I've sat and listened to this recording and found myself inexplicably crying. It's seriously that moving.
I hope that was my tenth pick because you can't follow Bach 
---
"A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night."
Marilyn vos Savant
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30/Oct/09, 12:44 pm
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Mason Tumulty
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Registered: 02-2005
Location: 5 Cups, Merseyside
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Re: Top albums of the decade!
A good Decade indeed......
Based purely on number of times played then my top 10 will follow.It never ceases to surprise me that I seem to have so little in common ,musically, with the majority of posters here..and yet we all love The Mostlies ! In fact it would be interesting to note ,if enough people answer this posting, what ,if any, are the albums ,other than MA of course ,that are mentioned as faves by anyone else.
Arcade Fire - "Funeral". Simply the most stunning debut album I have probably ever heard.A feelgood,joyous,rousing album in every sense,as diverse and eclectic musically as you can get.Probably played twice as many times as any other I own.Wonderful stuff
Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"Not as 'immediate' as their debut but a quite brilliant follow up.This band produce quality upliftng intense music and live are akin to attending a gospel revivalist rally.
Yes,I quite like them !!!!
Metric - " Fantasies".Electro pop ? Hmmmm. Subliminally enticing, this band can very easily get under your skin with an album of catchy songs that are just gorgeous.And speaking of gorgeous,Emily Haines' voice just slays me.
Flotation Toy Warning - " Bluffers Guide to The Flight Deck"Ok Silly name and title.....but a criminally neglected release which i just a thing of pure haunting beauty.Sigur Ros - "Hvarf/Heim"Could have been any of several releases but just awash with cinematic anthemic loveliness.
Propaganda - "Outside World"A slight 'cheat' as this is basically a 'best of' from their first two albums from the 80's,but a storming collection nonetheless
Pineapple Thief - "Variations on a Dream"Yet another relatively unknown band in the 'neo-prog' (?)genre - don't know about that just great songs,great musicianship.
Mostly Autumn - "Passengers" and "Catch the Spirit"Best album as a body of work,as far as I am concerned (to date !!)and the other the most played'other' !Nothing more I can add....a band right up there in my musical affections.
Finally a tough call but plumping forBlack Bonzo - "Sound of The Apocalypse"I like this retro feel album which takes me back to when I first heard 'classic' prog !!
So there you have it...10 beauties, 8 of which will probably have got their one and only mention......but let's see. ??
"..can you spot which student has taken a mind-expanding drug "
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1/Nov/09, 10:37 pm
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GhostLoveScore
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Re: Top albums of the decade!
Having read this I really need to submit something, as I've literally been lying awake at night thinking about it! Like MT above I'm also fascinated to see how little overlap there is likely to be in the selections.
This decade has been an interesting one for me as I've been able to discover a lot of interesting music out there that I was never able to find before (isn't the internet wonderful for that).
I have to admit to slight cheating in that I've sometimes identified the album that caused me to discover the band rather than going into agonies trying to work out the best one, and have only allowed myself to choose one per band / artist or my head would have exploded.
Nightwish - Once (2004) - ok, so that's predictable, but it was the first Nightwish cd I heard and contains my favourite song. It was the first time I heard something I loved as much as the stuff I listened to as a teenager in the 1970s (BJH / Caravan / Fruupp / Procul Harem / Camel- I'm a sucker for Rock Band and Orchestra!). I could equally have selected Wishmaster (2000), a difficult choice.
Natalie Merchant - Motherland (2001) In a way, this harks back to the previous decades as I was a big 10000 Maniacs fan. This is the best of her three (self-written as opposed to folk song) solo albums. This is proper song writing with stories!
Chumbawamba - A Singsong and a Scrap (2006) It was a surprise when I discovered this, as I'd last heard of this lot in their "chart" phase. This is perfect harmony singing of political folk songs. The politics is a hit with me (see also NM above!). This is also one of the two albums on this list that my wife also likes!
Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura (2007) A man making concept albums in the 21st century. Despite me being a very much ex-evangelical (goodness, I've mentioned politics now religion - where I think you can say I take a similar position to Phillip Pullman) I'm prepared to overlook any religious differences with Neal as the music is so good (c/f Riversea). One (2004) runs very it close in my affections.
Lacrimosa - Lichtjahre (2007) A live album is a bit of a cop out (a bit like selecting a Greatest Hits anthology) but it was genuinely the first thing I'd heard by them. My favourite track is "Ich verlasse heut' Dein Herz" which reminds me of "Answer the Question" in the critical interplay between keyboard and guitar, also a bit like an MA song in building up slowly to a climax. Also a wonderful Classical / Rock crossover band.
Within Temptation - The Silent Force (2004) This came out at the same time as Once and maybe the orchestra is a little less good. It's probably more commercial, but sometimes I like that (mind you, you should see some things I considered but just slipped off this list that might have blown my credibility even more). I like The Heart of Everthing (2007) too.
The Black Mages - II The Skies Above (2004) Something a little bit more obscure. I'm a big fan of Nobuo Uematsu and the music he wrote for the Final Fantasy video games and have a variety of imported Cds. The Black Mages was a band put together to play some of that music, for details see Wikipedia! You'll probably have to take my word on how good this is as it was £50 on Amazon last time I looked (or... ahem... look around on the internet). In my opinion this is the best of the three, even if the Wikipedia author disagrees!
Karnataka - Delicate Flame of Desire (2003) I do love a bit of harmony, and this is just wonderful. Plus it has "Strange Behaviour" / "The Right Time" together and I have to hit replay & turn the volume up each time!
Odin Dragonfly - Offerings (2007) This is the other album on my list that my wife loves and keeps recommending to people who, of course, have never heard of it (it would help if she could remember who it was by, or even the name of Mostly Autumn - "those women from that band my husband likes" doesn't really do it!). I'm sure in the future this will be discovered! It is, indeed, "perfect".
Mostly Autumn - Storms over Still Water (2005) OK, so this is where I wimp out, and just select the first MA album I heard. Honestly I could have selected them all, and that would be entirely boring on this board. In fact if I had to run out just clutching one of my MA cds it would be Live 2009 Part One at the moment, but that's just because I'm enjoying it so much. I can't wait for Part Two because I adore "Faerytale". Anyway MA are (after considered thought) my band of the decade.
So there you are, no room for Porcupine Tree which is a pity, but then there are also a bunch of individual tracks by entirely different artists that I love which would make an entirely different list. As long as I don't think about it too much I should be able to sleep tonight!
cheers, people.
(p.s. I post on the main MA board as Pepsi but that name was taken on runboard).
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5/Nov/09, 7:22 pm
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