Kele Live

     Had it been a Bloc Party concert, the Summit Music Hall in Denver probably wouldn't have been large enough to accomodate the crowd.  Instead, it was just the band's lead singer, Kele Okereke.  For a rock star used to playing at massive European festivals, he sure seemed at home in this smaller, more intimate venue.

     Still, Kele's set was essentially a Bloc Party show.  His debut solo album, The Boxer, is a natural successor to the band's 2008 Intimacy, continuing the evolution from guitar heavy syncopated indie post-punk to electro-clash rock.  And the show was a natural successor to the band's last tour.  Rather than sing on themes of love, loss, and pain, the theme of the show was self empowerment and finding strength.

     "You are stronger than you feel," he sang during "Rise".  "Raise those arms that once were broken."

     With hands raised, the energetic crowd sang along, often with the same British accent Kele sings with.  At one point, a voice in the crowd yelled, "Take your shirt off!"

      "This isn't an Usher concert!" Kele said back.  Within five minutes however, he lobbed his Notre Dame jersey into the crowd.

      The majority of the show consisted of solo material, although he did perform a Bloc Party medley of a pumped up "Blue Light", "The Prayer", and "One More Chance" (The finale also consisted of a even more synthed up than usual "Flux").  The majority of the show was also up tempo, and allowed for much moshing.

     "You were made for greatness," he sang to the crowd during "Tenderoni", one of the show's highlights.  The crowd seemed to agree.

     Kele Okereke is the voice of our generation, yet he is the type of musician who is uncomfortable with media and spotlight.  He loves his music and he loves his fans.  The passion is palpable.  During a slow number, "All The Things I Could Never Say", he had the crowd quiet down before beginning.  You could feel the pain as he sang, "Where did you stay last night?  You didn't come home."

     But the entire set was passionate.  From the slowest saddest songs to the most hyped up and euphoric.  In a short hour-long show, Kele proved he is one of the elite musicians of our era, and the voice of our generation.

Kele Releases "Everything You Wanted", Postpones North American Tour

     Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke released the video for his second solo single, "Everything You Wanted", today, as well as announced new dates for his postponed North American tour.

     The video isn't as electroclash revival as the clip for "Tenderoni".  Instead, the British singer sports a red Yankees hat, wandering around a city.  Tears stream down his face as he sings,  "I know the time for us has passed, but you must know one thing: I could have given you everything you wanted, everything you needed!"  I've said it before and I'll say it again: Kele Okereke is the voice of our generation.



     Check out his new North American tour dates after the jump.

Kele Releases "Tenderoni"

     Bloc Party lead singer Kele's first single "Tenderoni" has hit the web.  It's not exactly a tender track, more like Bloc Party on speed.

Bloc Party Frontman Goes Solo

     Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke announced that he will be releasing a solo album entitled The Boxer on June 26.  Kele, who wisely decided to drop his last name as a solo artist, said, "The key for the sound of the record was to take things as harsh and as physical as I could make it. The reason for going there was that these are the sounds that make me the happiest in the world."

     The album will be produced by XXXChange who is known for the work he did with alternative rap and electro rock in his rap group Spank Rock.  The lead single is called "Tenderoni", and even though that sounds lame, it will probably be tremendous.

     Bloc Party landed two entries apiece on 17 Track's End of the Decade lists.  On the album countdown, Silent Alarm was ranked No. 4 and Intimacy No. 14.  On the song tally, "Banquet" ranked No. 9 and "Like Eating Glass" No. 56.

The Decade: A Retrospective The Best Songs 10-1

"Clocks"
Coldplay
A Rush of Blood To The Head (2002)

In early 2008 Coldplay was voted The Band Most Likely to Put You to Sleep in the United Kingdom, seemingly a slap in the face. Although they’ve learned to “rock out” a little more than they used to, Coldplay has always had a knack for atmospheric dreamy music, and it’s not a bad thing.

"Clocks" is lighter than air. The gently tumbling piano is beautiful and its the kind of melody that's an instant classic. Our children and our children's children will recognize it their entire lives, even before they're old enough to know who Coldplay is. Despite the simplicity of the track, it feels larger than life. Chris Martin takes lyrics about clocks, tigers, and shooting apples of your head, and sells them more than he's ever sold a song before or since. "Am I apart of the cure or am I part of the disease?" Don't worry Coldplay, you're part of the cure.

"Banquet"
Bloc Party
Silent Alarm (2005)

With syncopated guitars, unyielding drums, and Kele Okereke’s desperate and cathartic vocals “Banquet” is like a kick to the face. The snappy single is like a template for the band’s later hits, exploring themes of alienation, paranoia, and coming of age while mixing post punk with indie and dance rock. The song broke the band internationally and continues to be a must use track for MTV montages and extreme sports video games.

"Banquet" hits you like a machine gun with its lyrics about our disheartened generation and feelings of being underratted and suffocated. "I'm on fire so stomp me out," Okereke sings. The only deliverance comes from Bloc Party’s crisp and energetic performance. A perfect stick-it-to-the-man anthem and the best indie rock the decade had to offer.

"Run"
Snow Patrol
Final Straw (2003)
In America at least, Snow Patrol will always be known for “Chasing Cars” thanks to its placement in the popular television show Grey’s Anatomy. For all the beauty and lovey-dovey feelings that song evokes, “Run” does it even better. Starting out as dark and moody rock and haunted by the protagonist’s love interest being “the only thing that’s right in all I’ve done”, the song is lifted by a sense of hope by the time the chorus comes around.
“Run” reaches hymn-like status as the strings kick in and singer Gary Lightbody proclaims “Light up, light up, as if you have a choice” and all of a sudden, running away from all this mess to a better place sounds like the answer to all of life’s problems. Leona Lewis covered the song in 2008, a version which Lightbody himself described as “phenomenal”.

"Since U Been Gone"
Kelly Clarkson
Breakaway (2004)

Reality show pop stars have gained a notorious reputation for putting out crap, and in all honesty, they deserve that reputation. Inaugural idol Kelly Clarkson however, is one of the few exceptions. “Since U Been Gone” is perfect pop. Its as if it were crafted in a laboratory in Sweden bent on total domination of the world’s radio waves (which it was). Luckily, Clarkson decided the pop ditty needed a little edge and insisted on rocking out as much as Clive Davis would let her.

Released during a time when hip-hop ruled the charts, the song only managed to go No. 2, but it is arguably the most ubiquitous No. 2 hit of all-time. Destined for heavy rotation at karaoke bars for generations to come, "Since U Gone" struck a chord with listeners. It wasn't just a bitter break up song, it was empowering. She wasn't going to mourn the loss of her lover, she was going to move on, and be better than ever. If this was the only good thing to come out of American Idol, it was all worth it.

"Somebody Told Me"
The Killers
Hot Fuss (2004)

It’s no surprise that “Somebody Told Me” would end up in the upper echelons of this list, after all, this blog gets its name from it (“17 tracks and I’ve had it with this game”). Blog names aside, this song stands on its own merits as one of the decade’s best tracks. It oozes Las Vegas glam more than any other song the band has done thanks to the dirty buzz of the synth lines that share space with good old fashioned rock and roll guitar and drums.

The lyrics hint at either bisexuality, sex changes, androgyny, or all three (“Somebody told me that you had a boyfriend that looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year”) and the sexual energy in Brandon Flower’s voice is palpable. Released as the Killer’s debut single, it failed to initially get any traction but took off as soon as the British music press got ahold of it.

"Toxic"
Britney Spears
In The Zone (2003)
Mid-decade Britney Spears was a pop star in transition. She had shed every vestige of her former Mickey Mouse Club wholesomeness and traded her Max Martin produced teen pop in for cutting edge electronica. Her evolution might have been necessary but, it hurt her sales and popularity. Not even a symbolic passing of the baton in the form of a televised kiss with her icon Madonna seemed to be enough to get Spears back on top. She needed nothing less than one of the most inventive pop songs of the modern age.

“Toxic” sounded like the theme song to an anime James Bond movie from space. The bollywood strings were so good it was hard to believe they weren’t sampled, and alongside the surf guitar, synthesizers, and the stop and go beat, it was clear that producers Bloodshy and Avant had struck gold. The video featuring Spears wearing nothing but diamonds was a natural choice, and her tantalizing delivery brought us so high that we couldn’t come down.
"Disintigration"
Jimmy Eat World
Stay On My Side Tonight (2005)
Jimmy Eat World did not peak in 2001. Their crowning achievement is this seven minute and forty four second epic released on their Stay On My Side Tonight EP in 2005. The percussion alone is capable of sending chills down the spine of a grown man as Jim Adkins asks, “I wonder why I’m so caught off guard when we kiss/I’d rather live my life in regret than do this.” Adkins portrays the emotions of grappling with a love once so real and sweet being lost and destroyed. The sleepless nights, the endless fights, the back and forth debating that goes on in the mind of someone trying to decide if all is lost or there is still hope is all captured in the song.

In the end, the band that spends most albums convincing listeners that everything is going to be alright comes to the conclusion that everything is not alright. The love that two people once knew can be destroyed beyond repair. “Hanging on a cigarette, you need me, you burn me” Adkins points out. The song reaches its crescendo as the refrain “lie, lie better next time, stay on my side tonight” is chanted amid building and dizzying guitar and drums before fading out and leaving the listener hopeless.

"Lose Yourself"
Eminem
8 Mile (2002)
“Lose Yourself” justifies Eminem’s entire existence. You’d be hard pressed to find a song that can psyche you up as much as this one does. Eminem gives the best rap performance of his career over a building rock beat asking, “If you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or let it slip?” His description of the protagonist who dreams of fame only to get booed off stage and return to his trailer park is so graphic and vivid that there was no need for a movie to tell the story.

The song’s strength comes from it’s overarching theme of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Sure, it’s about a rapper, but the intensity and energy in Eminem's go-for-broke performance translate to any situation where you are the defeated underdog who refuses to be beaten again. Eminem never sounded as raw and believable as his did in "Lose Yourself".

"Umbrella"
Rihanna
Good Girl Gone Bad (2007)
The first time you heard it you thought it was weird. The second time you heard it, you thought it might be kind of catchy. By the third time, you loved it. “Umbrella” isn’t so much weird as it is brilliant and ahead of its time. Built, around a slick drum and high-hat loop, Rihanna sings about umbrellas as a metaphor for friendship, the kind that you “take and oath and stick it out to the end”, a topic not routinely covered in pop music. Its not about lust, and not even necessarily about romance, its about offering shelter from the storms of life, a modern day “Stand By Me”.

Originally offered to Britney Spears, and Mary J. Blige, it’s hard to imagine either doing a better job than the Barbados-born pop star. Her vocal delivery, while not technically superior to her peers, is unique and unmistakable as she glides along to the mother of all hooks, “ella ella ella eh eh eh”. Her Alanis-like pronunciation of the word umbrella gives it more syllables than previously thought possible.

"Hey Ya"
OutKast
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
Once every decade, a song comes around that defies genre placement. It transcends gender, age, and racial barriers to receive critical acclaim, commercial success, and be crowned an instant classic. “Hey Ya!” is such a song and it couldn’t have gotten there in a more non-traditional way. A pop song performed by one half of a hip-hop duo combining two of the most commonly used words in the English language that name checks Beyonce and Lucy Liu. It seemed like every lyric became a catch phrase (“What’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold! Shake it like a Polaroid picture!”). To this day, whenever “Hey Ya!” comes on, everyone, and I mean everyone from George W. Bush to Barack Obama, from Mick Jagger to your grandma, everyone within hearing distance will begin to tap their feet and I don’t think we’ll ever get sick of it. It’s that good.

It’s secret was sounding like everything in the history of rock and roll while sounding like nothing you’ve ever heard before. It’s an electrifying funk-dipped, pop-drenched, soul-infested three minutes and fifty-five seconds that sounds like a mash-up of the Beatles, Prince, and the Supremes from the future. The smooth acoustic guitar glides alongside the funky synth before crashing into handclaps and Andre 3000’s back up singing and one of the most poignant questions of the decade: “If what they say is “nothing is forever”, then what makes love the exception?”

The Decade: A Retrospective The Best Songs 70-56

"Stronger"

Kanye West
Graduation (2007)

"Stronger" was the moment that Kanye West changed his goal from being the biggest rapper in the world to being the biggest pop star in the world. Appropriating Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", West reinvents the adage that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger into a drunken, boastful anthem that was written for the express purpose of being a No. 1 single (which it was).

"Biology"

Girls Aloud

Chemistry (2005)

"Biology" is a classic Girls Aloud track, refusing to conform to the traditional songwriting structure. Instead, the song veers from a cabaret intro to an art rock verse and then to one of its two explosive choruses. Named "best pop single of the last decade" by the Guardian, "Biology" pushed the boundaries of what pop music was supposed to be. Popjustice said, "it is pop music which makes people who don't like pop music think that they like pop music".

"Stroke of Genius"

Freelance Hellraiser
Not commercially released (2001)

Although mash-ups have their origins with the likes of the "Stars on 45" Medley in 1981, it is perhaps the twenty-first century's only totally unique genre. "A Stroke of Genius" was one of the first mash-ups to gain major exposure and it remains one of the best. Freelance Hellraiser combined two wildly divergent songs, the teen-pop of Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle" and the indie rock of the Stroke's "Hard To Explain". Purists would turn their noses to mixing the two tracks, but their union underscored the decade's trend of tearing down musical barriers.

"Box N Locks"
MPHO
Pop Art (2009)

MPHO's failure to make any major impact on British radio was a massive pop injustice. "Box N Locks" is a masterful, life affirming, and genre-defying debut. Borrowing heavily from Cars-inspired pop, South African born MPHO rages against critics who say she's supposed to make "urban music" because of her skin as she proclaims, "Sorry that I didn't know that I fit in the box and all the locks that's supposed to be unbreakable".

"Blinded By The Lights"
The Streets
A Grand Don't Come For Free (2004)

The Streets' "Blinded By The Lights" is the closest you can come to getting high without puffing a thing. Mike Skinner transports the listener to a club completely stoned as a haunting female voice repeats "lights are blinding my eyes" and the off kilter synth beat drowns the senses. The lyrics are paranoid and schizophrenic making something as simple as finding friends a trippy experience. "Everything in room is spinning, I think I'm gonna fall down, I wonder if they got in..." Skinner wonders before the track ends and he blacks out.

"All These Things That I've Done"
The Killers
Hot Fuss (2004)

"All These Things That I've Done" is an anthem. It begins quiet and solemn with Brandon Flowers pleading, "if you can't hold on, hold on," as a church organ sounds before the swelling guitars and the song's memorable riff take it from there. "Don't you put me on the backburner," Flowers demands. But that's not even the iconic part. The track takes off with the immortal line, "I got soul but I'm not a soldier". The gospel choir joins in, you roll down your windows and sing with them, and everything is right in the world. Everything.

"Work It"
Missy Elliott
Under Construction (2002)

During the 1960s and 70s, backmasking was a major concern for parents worried that their children's rock music was subliminally making their kids want to smoke marijuana. Missy Elliott never went that far, but she told the world to put their things down, flip it, and reverse it both forwards and backwards in her 2002 hit. The song spent a record ten weeks at No. 2 without reaching the top spot, a travesty for the old-school sampling, elephant-tail-yanking, sci-fi thriller.

"Stan"
Eminem
The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

The word fan is derived from fanatic. Sampling Dido's "Thank You" to a haunting effect, Eminem tells the chilling fictional tale of his "biggest fan", Stan. Stan is tragically misguided and writes several letters to Eminem, each more desperate, drunk, and deranged than the one before, and each goes unanswered. Slim Shady finally responds, but not before his biggest fan ends his life driving his car off a bridge. Eminem never signed up to be an idol, but wife-beater wearing disenfranchised youth across America didn't care.

"Some Girls"
Rachel Stevens
Come and Get It (2005)

"Dreams of number one last forever," Rachel Stevens ironically sang in her No. 2 hit "Some Girls". The song, allegedly about a desperate pop star providing her "services" to a record executive in exchange for fame, was sought by Stevens as well as former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell. Stevens team pitched it as the 2004 Sports Relief charity single although it had nothing to do with sports or charity, and she got it. The track was written and produced by Richard X who used glam rock percussion with Adam Ant influenced synth to make a critic charming smash.

"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
Jay-Z
The Blueprint (2001)

At the end of the decade, Jay-Z declared the death of auto-tune because it had become a parody of itself. Almost ten years before however, Jay was responsible for taking a different trend and packaging it for the masses so it could quickly "jump the shark". The Kanye West produced "Izzo" brought the -izzle phenomenon into the public consciousness and soon enough, even your grandmizzle was using it. Hova tackles one of his favorite topics in this track, himself, which samples the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back".

"Paper Planes"
M.I.A.
Kala (2007)

M.I.A. had gained the respect of indie critics and the blogosphere, but it wasn't until her song about being "high like planes" was featured in the marijuana film Pineapple Express that she broke into the mainstream. Stuffed with gunshot noises, a choir of third world children chanting about taking your money, and a Clash sample, "Paper Planes" was an unlikely hit. Peaking at No. 4, it resonated at a time of worldwide economic meltdown and unending global conflict and war.

"I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor"

The Arctic Monkeys
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)

The Arctic Monkeys rode the wave of pre-album release buzz to the top of the charts and Whatever People I Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest selling debut in British history. The week it was released, it was dubbed the fifth greatest Brit album ever. The British press can be a bit hyperbolic, but luckily the Monkeys lived up to their hype. "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor", the album's lead single, is an airtight, wordy, raw, and explosive song that anyone looks good dancing to.

"Knights of Cydonia"
Muse
Black Holes and Revelations (2006)

Closing out their breakthrough album Black Holes and Revelations was Muse's "Knights of Cydonia". Clocking in at just over six minutes, "Knights" combined Queen-like grandiosity and falsetto, stampeding horses, and electro-opera synth to create an epic track. The song impressively churns on for two minutes before any vocals are needed. "How can we win when fools can be kings?" asks Matthew Bellamy.

"Feel Good Inc."
Gorillaz
Demon Days (2005)

Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc." is hands down the best song by a fake band ever. Better than the Archie's "Sugar Sugar"? Yes. Featuring a catchy as hell bassline, a crazy manic laugh, and the zombie-like woo-hoo, the virtual group's signature song is unmistakable. Gorillaz was put together by Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur, with assistance from DJ Dangermouse. Gorillaz went on to be recognized by Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful virtual band of all time.

"Like Eating Glass"

Bloc Party
Silent Alarm (2005)

Bloc Party opened their award winning Silent Alarm with "Like Eating Glass", a hard hitting, visceral jam that plays like an emotional heartbroken bloke too stubborn and angry to admit it. "It's so cold in this house," a lonely Kele Okereke sings. He describes his pain like "drinking poison" and "eating glass" with propulsive guitar and syncopated percussion as a soundtrack to his hurt. It was one of their first hand banging, fist pumping, danceable art-punk-rock songs, but it wouldn't be their last.

The Decade: A Retrospective The 25 Best Albums

The album was a diluted art form by the turn of the century. Greedy record executives reasoned that if a hit song was big enough, they could slap it onto an album with 11 other tracks of filler and people would pay $14 to buy it instead of just selling a physical single. That's how Vanilla Ice, Chumbawamba, and Natalie Imbruglia sold so much. That model worked fine in the booming economy of the 1990s, but it wasn't feasible.

Another nail in the album's coffin came in the form of Napster, which by 2000 was only a few months old. As the site grew larger, illegal downloading began to chip away at album sales, foreshadowing the eventual havoc it would wreck on the industry. When the iPod debuted just over a year and a half later, the single was resurrected as consumers could spend 99 cents to get a solitary song instead of buying an entire album.

As the decade drew to a close, one of the album's leading supporters, Radiohead's Thom Yorke announced that his band was done making albums. Recording a full length had become a "drag," and in this digital world, instantly available singles and EPs were the way to go. Another popular although less critically acclaimed group, the Black Eyed Peas, made similar comments, saying that the album was dying, that in its place would be a living breathing musical creation that would live online.

Even 17 Tracks is feeding this notion as our best albums of the decade list is only 25 creative works while our singles list is a sprawling seven-day-100-entry affair. Still, its easier to latch onto three minutes and 30 seconds of music rather than a 45 to an hour long piece of work. So many of todays albums are nothing more than a collection of songs anyway, strung together with no thought of making something that is lasting and can be called art.

What this list represents is 25 albums that are art. They aren't just a few radio hits slapped onto a disc filled with filler, they are a collection of songs that collectively mean something. They are proof that the album is not dead. You can hop onto iTunes and download the 'must download tracks' that are listed below each album description, but if that's all you listen to, you're doing yourself a disservice. Consider those songs something to whet your appetite, these albums were meant to be listened to in their entirety.

25. American Life (2003)
Madonna
[Maverick/Warner Bros.]

Nowhere near as successful as Green Day's similarly themed album, Madonna tore apart Bush-era America in her forray into folk pop.

Must download tracks: "American Life", "Hollywood", and "Easy Ride"


















24. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
Arctic Monkeys
[Domino]

The Arctic Monkeys faced intense pressure as the hyperbolic British rock press labeled them the next big thing. They delivered with the fastest selling debut album in UK history.

Must download tracks: "I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor", "Dancing Shoes", and "When The Sun Goes Down"


















23. Futuresex/Lovesounds (2006)
Justin Timberlake
[Jive/Zomba]

Justin Timberlake's sophomore solo effort teamed him up with Timbaland for what would become the producer's creative and cultural peak. The Tims blew our minds with ridiculously good pop.

Must download tracks "My Love", "SexyBack", and "What Goes Around...Comes Around"


















22. Plans (2005)
Death Cab for Cutie
[Atlantic]

For Death Cab's major label debut, Ben Gibbard and company created a sprawling soundscape that spanned "the length of the isle of Manhattan" and reflected on the meaning of love, life, and death.

Must download tracks: "Marching Bands of Manhattan", "Soul Meets Body", and "I Will Follow You Into The Dark",


















21. The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
Mariah Carey
[Island]

Mariah's mid-decade comeback album showcased the voice just as strong as ever, but more reserved. It remains Carey's classiest album to date.

Must download tracks: "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off", and "One and Only"


















20. 808s & Heartbreak (2008)
Kanye West
[Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam]

Kanye ditched his four year college theme plan and rapping when his mother died and his fiance broke it off all in the same year. His emo-pop art masterpiece became his most divisive release.

Must download tracks: "Welcome to Heartbreak", "Heartless", and "Love Lockdown"


















19. Breakaway(2005)
Kelly Clarkson
[RCA]

Kelly Clarkson let the real her show in her sophomore album, rocking out to some of the best pop rock tunes this decade has heard. Still the best release by an American Idol alum.

Must download tracks: "Breakaway", "Since U Been Gone", and "Behind These Hazel Eyes"


















18. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
Coldplay
[Capitol/Parlophone]

Coldplay became the world's biggest band, but they needed an album to justify that to themselves and everyone else. Ditching a formula that had already sold millions of albums, they teamed up with Brian Eno and ruled the world.

Must download tracks: "Violet Hill", "Viva La Vida", and "Lost!"


















17. Sam's Town (2006)
The Killers
[Island]

Brandon Flowers boasted that Sam's Town would be one of the best albums in 25 years. It's actually the 17th best of the decade. Toning down the synth-glam, the Killers made a the great American rock album.

Must download tracks: "When You Were Young", "For Reasons Unknown", and "This River Is Wild"


















16. Back To Black (2006)
Amy Winehouse
[Island/Universal Republic]

Amy Winehouse captivated the world with her bizarre behavior and catchy neo-retro sound. Filled with drug and alcohol references, her album mirrored her tabloid life, which didn't stop her from winning a slew of awards.

Must download tracks: "Rehab", "Tears Dry On Their Own", and "Love Is A Losing Game"



















15. Transatlanticism (2003)
Death Cab for Cutie
[Barsuk Records]

Death Cab's breakthrough album took snapshots of life, a New Year's party, rummaging through a glove compartment, making out in the back of a car, and it found the drama, beauty, and pain that exists in those moments in time. Ben Gibbard's lyrics are pure poetry.

Must download tracks: "The New Year", "Title and Registration", and "The Sound of Settling"


















14. Intimacy (2008)
Bloc Party
[Wichita]

Bloc Party is the sort of band that assaults your ears with raw visceral guitar and rapid-fire percussion. Not exactly intimate. They managed to craft a deep and emotional record however, one with songs that perfectly describe the rage, anger, and sadness in losing love.

Must download tracks: "Mercury", "Halo", and "Signs"


















13. Blackout (2007)
Britney Spears
[Jive]

Britney Spears is shockingly absent on her greatest album. Her voice is shredded through vocodors to become another instrument in her producer's arsenal, but its haunting, danceable, and dark vibe is a frighteningly accurate soundtrack to her self destruction.

Must download tracks: "Gimme More", "Piece of Me", and "Break the Ice"


















12. The Blueprint (2001)
Jay-Z
[Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam]

Jay-Z wowed the world with his soul sampling The Blueprint, an album that became the blueprint for hip-hop in the 2000s. Without it, Kanye West would never had made it big (he produced several songs), sampling wouldn't have become the default option in rap, and the "-izzle" phenomenon would have never happened.

Must download tracks: "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "Girls, Girls, Girls", and "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)"


















11. A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
Coldplay
[Capitol/Parlophone]

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.

Must download tracks: "The Scientist", "Clocks", and "Green Eyes"


















10. Give Up(2003)
The Postal Service
[Sub Pop]

When Death Cab's Ben Gibbard and electronic artist Jimmy Tamborello teamed up, the results were breathe-taking. Their one time Postal Service gig was an indie laptop daydream, and the biggest selling album for the Sub Pop label since Nirvana.

Must download tracks: "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight", "Such Great Heights", and "Brand New Colony"


















9. Richard X Presents His X Factor Vol. 1 (2003)
Richard X
[EMI/Astralworks]

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That was the attitude EMI took after bootleg mash-up artist Richard X was caught illegally distributing mash-ups. This authorized compilation of mash-ups rerecorded by a slew of Europe's biggest pop acts made for the decade's best pop album.

Must download tracks: "Being Nobody", "Finest Dreams", and "Freak Like Me"


















8. Kid A (2000)
Radiohead
[Parlophone/Capitol]

Radiohead welcomed the new century with a disc that oozed millennial fears and paranoia. An alternative rock band using electronica was something new and unheard of, but it won over critics and fans alike.

Must download tracks: "Everything In Its Right Place", "The National Anthem", and "Idioteque"


















7. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
OutKast
[LeFace/Arista]

This wasn't an OutKast album, it was two solo records stitched together, sort of a reverse White Album. The Speakerboxxx side is classic old school hip-hop, a fitting successor to OutKast's body of work at the time. The Love Below was a psychedelic freak-out that drew its influences from the entire history of pop, rock, and rap.

Must download tracks: "Hey Ya!", " Happy Valentine's Day", and "Love In War"


















6. Is This It (2001)
The Strokes
[RCA]

There was a lot of pressure on the Strokes when their debut album came out, so much so that they ironically named their album Is This It. Fortunatley, it was it. The group deserved all the accolades the rock press threw on them and they kickstarted the garage rock revival with this energetic debut.

Must download tracks: "Last Nite", "Someday", and "Hard To Explain"

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5. Interventions and Lullabies (2003)
The Format
[Elektra]
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The Format's 60's inspired guitar pop is the kind of music that you hear for the first time but you swear you've heard it before. Its so catchy and so familiar, yet so original. Exploring themes of youth, coming of age, and both finding and falling out of love to roll-your-windows-down rock is a beautiful combination.

Must download tracks: "The First Single", "Tie The Rope", and "On Your Porch"

4. Silent Alarm (2005)
Bloc Party
[Wichita]

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Don't let the title fool you, there is nothing silent about Silent Alarm. But alarm? Yes. As the premier band in the post-punk genre, Bloc Party introduced themselves with a dance rock debut featuring hard hitting rhythmic friction and pointed lyrics that moves at breakneck speeds. It's an album about growing up in the modern, cold, uncaring world, something every teenager and twenty-something can relate to.

Must download tracks: "Banquet", "Helicopter", and "Like Eating Glass"


















3. Bleed American (2001)
Jimmy Eat World
[Dreamworks]
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Jimmy Eat World was dropped from their record label following their criminally underappreciated Clarity, but the band refused to let that get them down. They went on a grueling touring schedule and recorded their next album on their own dime. The airtight Bleed American was a perfect pop rock album, so perfect in fact, that labels were tripping over themselves to sign the band. Retitled Jimmy Eat World after September 11, this album is a prototype that both J.E.W. and other bands have unsuccessfully tried to replicate.
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Must download tracks: "Sweetness", "The Middle", and "Hear You Me"


















2. Hot Fuss (2004)
The Killers
[Island]
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The Killers were an American rock band who tried to sound British but were raised amind the glam and glitter of Las Vegas. The result was one of the most exciting debuts, not only of the decade, but in the entire history of rock and roll. They fit it all into Hot Fuss. There is sex, mystery, love, pain, synth, and a gospel choir. It couldn't have been pulled off without the knowledge and ambition of front man Brandon Flowers. Flowers understands rock and roll. He understands where it's come from and what it means. He has ambition rivaled by few in the music industry. It's evident in Hot Fuss, an album that so desparatley wants to be numbered among the greats, and pulls it off without sounding like it tried too hard.

Must download tracks: "Mr. Brightside", "Somebody Told Me", and "All These Things I've Done"


















1. The College Dropout (2004)
Kanye West
[Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam]

Kanye West's debut is a concept album about what it meant to be an African-American in turn of the century America, a successor to The Miseducation of Lauren Hill. Ye touched on drugs, religion, family, and working out so you could get yourself an NBA player and quit your day job at the mall. West appeared in the liner notes wearing a striped rugby shirt with the collar popped, not a basketball jersey and backwards hat. He refused to conform to the stereotypes of who a rapper is supposed to be. In doing that, he opened up the genre to a whole new audience. Capitalizing on what OutKast had already done for rap, Ye took it a step further, and soon, indie kids and rock snobs were certified Kanye West fans. West has proven himself to be one of the decade's most important and influencial artists, and one of the most important rappers of all time, but he has yet to come close to the grandeur of his debut album.

Must download tracks: "Jesus Walks", "New Workout Plan", and "Never Let Me Down"

td:ar albums number 25-1