Arcade Fire

Best Albums of the 2010s

by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)

We’re already six years into the 2010s, so I thought it would be a good time to list my favorite albums of the decade, so far anyway. This is a tentative list, so as I hear new things and change my mind on other albums the  list list will be update. I’ll try to do it regularly,  but at the very least I’ll add new albums to it at the end of each year. (more…)

My Favorite Albums Of The 2000s

by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)

A list of my favorite albums to come out in the 2000s (2000-2009).

Decade Rank Album Artist Year Stars Rating
1 Kid A Radiohead 2000 ✮✮✮✮✮ 99
2 In Rainbows Radiohead 2007 ✮✮✮✮✮ 98
3 Transatlanticism Death Cab For Cutie 2003 ✮✮✮✮✮ 95
4 Funeral Arcade Fire 2004 ✮✮✮✮✮ 94
5 Hybrid Theory Linkin Park 2000 ✮✮✮✮✮ 93
6 Is This It? The Strokes 2001 ✮✮✮✮✮ 92
7 Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool Lupe Fiasco 2007 ✮✮✮✮✮ 92
8 Discovery Daft Punk 2001 ✮✮✮✮✮ 90
9 All That You Can’t Leave Behind U2 2000 ✮✮✮✮✰ 89
10 Graduation Kanye West 2007 ✮✮✮✮✰ 89
11 Morning View Incubus 2001 ✮✮✮✮✰ 88
12 Merriweather Post Pavilion Animal Collective 2009 ✮✮✮✮✰ 87
13 Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace Foo Fighters 2007 ✮✮✮✮✰ 86
14 Antidotes Foals 2008 ✮✮✮✮✰ 85
15 Parachutes Coldplay 2000 ✮✮✮✮✰ 85
16 Room On Fire The Strokes 2003 ✮✮✮✮✰ 84
17 Be Common 2005 ✮✮✮✮✰ 84
18 Meteora Linkin Park 2003 ✮✮✮✮✰ 83
19 Chuck Sum 41 2004 ✮✮✮✮✰ 81
20 The Carter III Lil Wayne 2008 ✮✮✮✮✰ 80
21 The Black Parade My Chemical Romance 2006 ✮✮✮✮ 79
22 Origin of Symmetry Muse 2001 ✮✮✮✮ 79
23 By The Way Red Hot Chilli Peppers 2002 ✮✮✮✮ 79
24 Hypnotize System Of A Down 2005 ✮✮✮✮ 79
25 Sing The Sorrow AFI 2003 ✮✮✮✮ 78
26 How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb U2 2004 ✮✮✮✮ 76
27 Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Phoenix 2009 ✮✮✮✮ 76
28 It’s Blitz! Yeah Yeah Yeahs 2009 ✮✮✮✮ 76
29 Late Registration Kanye West 2005 ✮✮✮✮ 76
30 Good News For People Love Bad News Modest Mouse 2004 ✮✮✮✮ 76
31 A Beautiful Lie 30 Seconds To Mars 2005 ✮✮✮✮ 75
32 Boxer The National 2007 ✮✮✮✮ 75
33 Sigh No More Mumford & Sons 2009 ✮✮✮✮ 75
34 Hot Fuss The Killers 2004 ✮✮✮✮ 74
35 Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor Lupe Fiasco 2006 ✮✮✮✮ 73
36 Demon Days Gorillaz 2005 ✮✮✮✮ 73
37 A Rush Of Blood To The Head Coldplay 2002 ✮✮✮✮ 72
38 The College Dropout Kanye West 2004 ✮✮✮✮ 72
39 Wincing The Night Away The Shins 2007 ✮✮✮✮ 71
40 Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge My Chemical Romance 2004 ✮✮✮✮ 70
41 Afterwords Collective Soul 2007 ✮✮✮✮ 70
42 Louder Now Taking Back Sunday 2006 ✮✮✮✰ 68
43 Neon Bible Arcade Fire 2007 ✮✮✮✰ 68
44 Plans Death Cab For Cutie 2005 ✮✮✮✰ 68
44 Revolutionary, Vol. 2 Immortal Technique 2003 ✮✮✮✰ 67
45 Mezmerize System Of A Down 2005 ✮✮✮✰ 68
45 Black Holes & Revolations Muse 2006 ✮✮✮✰ 67
46 Hail To The Theif Radiohead 2003 ✮✮✮✰ 66
47 Toxicity System Of A Down 2001 ✮✮✮✰ 66
47 Silent Alarm Bloc Party 2005 ✮✮✮✰ 65
48 The Eraser Thom Yorke 2006 ✮✮✮✰ 65

(updated Jan 1, 2016)

YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite albums of 2013

by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)

…Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age  (81/100)

“Refreshing” is the word that comes to mind.  …Like Clockwork is definitely the purest rock album we’ve had in years.  No gimmicks, no sell out songs,  just loud guitar riffs, pounding drums, and the occasional piano.

Reflektor by Arcade Fire (77/100)

Reflektor is by no means a perfect Arcade Fire record, but people tend to hold the band to a much higher standard.  I think Reflektor‘s problem isn’t the fact that they tried something new, but that it has more just-ok, don’t-really-give-it-a-second-thought songs (“Flashbulb Eyes”, “Here Comes the Night II”, “Joan of Arc,”) than any of their other works.  But then there are songs like the title track, “Awful Sound” and “Porno” that are so intricately put together that it makes up for any other tracks that might be lacking a little something.  I’m a much bigger fan of disc 2 over disc 1, but the album as a whole is quite indulging.

Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend (74/100)

To me, Vampire Weekend is a band everyone is embarrassed about liking.  You don’t feel cool saying that you’re listening to them, but you know you want to listen.  Modern Vampires of the City is by far the band’s best album.  It’s extremely playful and upbeat; great for a summer day at the beach.  Every song has it’s own personality. (more…)