15. Kanye West - the College Dropout
14. TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
13. Phoenix - Alphabetical
12. Air - Talkie Walkie
11. the Roots - Tipping Point
10. Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy
If you listen to this album and don't feel anything, you're officially made of stone. Polyphonic is brilliant, vibrant music that sadly isn't too radio friendly.
9. Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want To Be
TBS dominates the "emo" genre and this album proves to be above the curve with a distinct blueprint of their songwriting. It builds up and reaches it's appropriate height to complete the song.
8. Jesse Malin - the Heat
Jesse is quite interesting. His live shows are fantastic and probably better than his albums, but he mixes some great rock w/ ballads. He brings the New York culture to the record and his songwriting is highly underrated as a solo artist.
7. Elliot Smith - From a Basement On The Hill
This is Elliot's last album... sadly. This album is dark and dives into his drug filled world and his pain. This was put together by Elliot's family after his departure perserving his legacy with his last masterpiece.
6. Wilco - A Ghost is Born The song containg the album title is from the opening track "Theologians", a brilliant peace of work... also somewhat of a satire on the popular phrase 'a star is born.' The album can be challenging at times, but is still listenable. "Hummingbird" leaves a lasting impression with the lyrics: "it's goal in life was to be an echo."
5. Arcade Fire - Funeral During the recording of this album, the band was surrounded by deaths in their respective families. With the losses on their minds and hearts, they focused on life.
4. Franz Ferdinand When I first heard "Take Me Out," I prayed that these guys wouldn't be a one hit wonder and my prayers were answered! Their self titled album will be hard to top and await any future music they release. Franz has redefined their own brand of indie rock.
3. the Killers - Hot Fuss The Killers have came thru with dance/rock and they have no apologies. One might have the fear that after hearing "Somebody Told Me" that the album might sound all alike which is not the case at all. Each track on the album has it's own distinct style. Lyrics that stand out on the album: "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier..."
2. Snow Patrol - Final Straw
Behind the polished sound of "Chocolate" and "Run" is the gritty rock that represents the album. Gary Lightbody's voice has this bottled up emotion that shines in his choruses.
Final Straw starts off "How to Be Dead" detailing a hard relationship and then manages to rip into "Wow", dominated by loud, blazing guitars. Final Straw ends with the song "Same", a melodic song to close a flawless album.
1. the Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
This album tells a story filled with characters and subplots in a dark time in Mike Skinner's life. The album begins with what is possibly Skinner's worst day as he has lost 1,000 dollars among other problems going on. Further down the album, we are introduced to his girlfriend and her infidelity with one of his friends. Skinner makes this story all the more personal by bringing in his own personal demons such as his gambling addiction, epilepsy, and drug use.
The track record for concept albums looks bleak, but this is the exception. The album is chronological from start to finish, so listen all the way thru, before skipping tracks.
