2000-2009:60-51

60)As I Lay Dying - Frail Words Collapse
I remember when I first heard "94 Hours" I nearly soiled myself. Like, literally. The volume was up really loud, and those bass blasts... Anyway, solid crunchy metalcore. So good. So good.
As I Lay Dying - 94 Hours

59)Over the Rhine - Ohio
Reoccurring themes on this list: smokey-voiced female singers. Few croon it better than Karin Berquist in that sultry-on-accident kind of way. Regarding Ohio, double-discs usually end up boring me, but all 21 of these tracks are captivating on their own while contributing to some sort of familiar-but-not bigger picture.

58)Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
Yes, I think Plans is better than We Have the Facts and Photo Album. This is my list, not yours. Though Plans was released on a major label, and though it went Platinum, and though it received several Grammy nods, I still get the feeling it's the red-headed step-child of Death Cab albums. It's soft and tender without being whiny, and the songs are really well-crafted.
Death Cab For Cutie - Soul Meets Body

57)Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites
Danes! One neat thing about this album (and there are several) is that most of the tracks bleed into each other, forming what could either be a few epic songs or many normal-lengthed ones. Regardless, the music of Mew falls from somewhere beyond the upper atmosphere, a place both heavenly and slightly dangerous. I think it's called Denmark.

56)Richard Buckner - Dents and Shells
Not as generally stripped down as his previous releases (though equally as devastating) Buckner and his posse still utilizes the two most heart-wrenching instruments known to man: the slide guitar, and his own husky voice. There's an underlying sensation of hope, however, that prevents Dents from being such a downer.
Richard Buckner - A Chance Counsel

55)The Dismemberment Plan - Change
Are they being serious? Are they being sarcastic? Joking around? Bored? Somebody tell me how to feel. The songs themselves are unquestionably awesome as they're built around the hookiest hooks and too-clever lyrics. Tragically, this was the Plan's last studio album as they broke up a couple years after its 2001 release.

The Dismemberment Plan - Superpowers

54)Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
Southern rock with a much-needed conscience. The Truckers exhibit southern pride without ignoring the socioculteral elements and attitudes that have retarded the region since the 1800s. And somehow they do it in a musically ear-pleasing way.

53)Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
Speaking of social consciousness... Morrissey! Despite the natural heaviness of political, social, and religious commentary, many of the tracks are upbeat and seriously catchy -- radio-friendly, even, which is somewhat unusual for Morrissey -- and cleanly put together.


52)Denison Witmer - Of Joy and Sorrow
Introspective songs about old and new relationships, friendships, and bittersweet nostalgia. Witmer's delivery is gentle and hushed, yet he holds your attention by striking familiar emotional chords.
Denison Witmer - Simple Life

51)Pedro the Lion - Control
This is where David Bazan made the move from slo-core to something more musically aggressive (though his lyrical aggressiveness has always remained consistently... aggressive). Less a concept album than Winners Never Quit, themes of death and sex and misinterpreted Christianity still permeate Control. The album is both a commentary and a challenge.
Pedro the Lion - Rapture
Pedro the Lion - Penetration