The decade in albums, part 8

30. Against Me!, ...As the Eternal Cowboy (2003)

Against Me! have changed their formula up several times. For their Fat Wrechords debut, they dropped a lot of the folk roots and screamy vocals, and used a lot of clean guitars to make a great rock album. The songs are short, blistering, and clever. "T.S.R." is a short mission statement opener, and "You Look Like I Need a Drink" is a sad look into sexual politics, with a catchy, great chorus.

29. Blood Brothers, Burn, Piano Island, Burn (2003)

Chaotic, sassy, and smart. These guys tried very hard to make a hardcore album that no one had ever heard before, and they succeeded. Too bad they couldn't play it live and they went back to making boring music, but this album is something special. It's loud, fast, and ugly. It's perfectly summed up in the track "Cecilia and the Silhouette Saloon", a rollercoaster of sounds and dissonance with two very manic vocalists spewing bile all over it.

28. Kodan Armada, Collections (2004)

This screamo/punk band wrote mostly about friendships that could never be broken, and then they broke up. Collections collected all of their 7''s, plus lots of random show banter into one powerful release. These guys have almost no talent, but they exude emotion with every syllable and guitar stroke.

27. Pageninetynine, Document #8 (2001)

One of the most influential punk bands of this decade, Pageninetynine splintered into many other great bands soon after this release. This is their crowning acheivement. Brutal, crushing punk with about nine dudes playing and singing their heads off. Intensity ensues.

26. Trophy Scars, Alphabets. Alphabets. (2006)

Trophy Scar's first album defies any sort of genre tag. It's rooted in hardcore but has so many influences, ranging from jazz to hip-hop, I can never pin a single name down on it. Not all these songs are great, they were obviously experimenting with a lot of different sounds, but the good songs are absolutely flooring.

25. Broken Social Scene, You Forgot it in People (2002)

I wasn't for this band when I first heard them. The Canadian collective knocked me over the first time I heard "Anthem for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl". I cried when they played it live. I think it's one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. And, oh yeah, the rest of the album is amazing also. The textured walls of sound they build are breathtaking.

24. Minus the Bear, Highly Refined Pirates (2002)/They Make Beer Commercials Like This (2004)

Minus the Bear have made a career out of highly technical dance indie pop rock, but this album and subsequent ep are something special. Almost all these songs are about getting drunk and swimming in a lake. It's probably the greatest subject matter ever. I can't help but dance everytime I listen, which has been a lot of fucking times.

23. Brand New, Deja Entendu (2003)

Brand New all about their pop/punk status when they released an album with a title meaning "heard again", but it turns out no one had heard this before. In a ridiculous about face from their debut album, Brand New crafted an 11 songs of sad, longing genius. From taking advantage of drunk girls to Jesse's dying grandfather, to hating your fans and being on tour. It's one of the most open and honest albums of the decade from a band that was just another New Found Glory rip off only two years before.

22. Pretty Girls Make Graves, Good Health (2001)

This girl led indie punk band were one of the best live acts I've ever seen. Their debut album was a real force to be reckoned with. It had all the youthful energy and emotion needed to make a great punk record, but with an added sense of pop awareness and danceable guitar riffs and dueling solos. These guys wrote powerful music. Just hear opener "Speakers Push Air" when all the members sing in the chorus "Do you remember what the music meant?". It's just too good. It's uplifting and inspiring, even.

21. A Silver Mt. Zion, Born Into Troubles as the Sparks Fly Upward (2001)

This post-rock band, featuring Godspeed members, has never tried to outshine their former band, but they were fully capable of writing memorable and moving music, as this album proves. They build with strings, and explode with powerful guitars. There's even some strange vocal work here that really adds to the mix.

20. Cursive, The Ugly Organ (2003)

Cursive's only album with a cello is an ugly concept album about the Ugly Organist as he suffers, love, murder, sex, and many other ugly things before hopelessly praying "the worst is over" at the end. Every song is moving and imbued with Tim Kasher's longing vocal chords and permenantly out of tune guitar. "Sierra" is, no question, Tim's greatest acheivement.

19. Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein (2001)

My favorite hip-hop album ever. These guys write cold, calculated beats with cosmic production. I love every song so much. Two guys with very distinct voices and styles rapping about social unrest, Asgard, friendship, bitches, with an obvious affection for math and chemistry. It's all so good.

18. The White Octave, Style no. 6321 (2000)

The masterpiece from former Cursive guitarist is unabashedly emo, and you can suck it. He'll cut his wrists for some girl, and it might be cheesy, but not before he cranks out 13 tracks of indescribably emotional rock songs. Bookended by its two most powerful songs, this might be as great as cheesy emo gets.

17. The Mountain Goats, The Sunset Tree (2005)

The obvious high point of John Darnielle's studio albums, Tree is his first autobiographical work. Filled with love, nostalgia, and bitter hate for his past, the album also features some of his most catchy songs. "This Year" is an obvious example of one. But it's the quiet songs like "Love, Love, Love" and "Pale Green Things" that really make this release special.

16. Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight (2008)

This Scottish emo/rock band came out of nowhere for me. They play some of the most emotional music I've ever heard. The singer's voice is so effortlessly sad, while the drums are powerful in an almost tribal, chaotic way. "Modern Leper" is something of a masterpiece, but it's really hard to pick a favorite here. Every song is so different, and each showing a man on the brink of breaking apart, while maintaining a wry sense of humor about it all.