Bobby B's 50 Albums Of The Decade (#50-46)

After spending several hours and TTC rides with my iPod revisiting literally hundreds of albums spawned from the decade that began at the turn of the century, I managed to whittle down a pretty extensive list to a mere 50 choices. These are not the best albums of the decade, these are simply the ones that have spent the most time in my headphones. And I rambled enough about that here, so let's just get on with the list:

50. Gold - Ryan Adams (2001)

There are many that will argue that Ryan's post Whiskeytown output simply does not measure up, but I think the man's brilliance is unrivaled to the point of actually being a bit freaky. Admittedly, prior to his current hiatus, a strong argument could be made for the fact that the man could use a bit of discretion. He has, after all, released ten albums this decade, and that's not including various EP's and unreleased projects. But the fact that he makes more appearances on my list than anyone else shows that it's very rare that his overindulgence results in throwaway mediocrity. Like most of his albums, Gold may be three or four songs too long, but even the lesser songs may simply be a case of too much all at once, as opposed to actually being not that good. The album is a great example of keeping things relatively varied, sporting some straight ahead rockers and other mellower moments, the best of which is the stunning La Cienega Just Smiled and the epic Nobody Girl, which was co-written with Ethan Johns. [Myspace: Ryan Adams]

49. Everything I've Forgotten To Forget - Amos the Transparent (2007)

Everybody knows by now how much I love this Ottawa band, but you may be surprised to learn that this album did not actually make my top 10 for 2007. Like most great albums, this one is a grower. Many of the tracks are instantly likable, like After All That, It's Come To This (with Amy Millan) and the upbeat pop of It's A Beautiful Life. But to fully gain the greatest benefit from this album, one really needs to experience Amos The Transparent in a live setting. Songs like (Here's To) New Beginnings, The Stale Scent Of Old Beer and Title Track take on a new life after seeing them live, and if given the right exposure, those songs have the potential to be true Canadian anthems. The band is still resting comfortably below the radar, but hopefully the decade ahead will see Amos The Transparent sink into the national consciousness with greater success. [Myspace: Amos The Transparent]

48. Writer's Block - Peter Bjorn And John (2006)

For many in the blogosphere, this decade awakened people to the fact that the Swedes can craft a pretty wicked pop song like nobody else. Peter Bjorn and John's third album saw them putting aside some of the heavier power pop stylings of their first two albums, to make way for songs that are more on the twee side of the fence, and doing so with great success. Their signature song Young Folks, boosted by the sweetly saccharine vocals of Victoria Bergsman, is easily one of the best pop songs that I've ever heard, and, for once, the public actually agreed. Although the song's appearance in various commercials and TV shows made it the runaway hit of '06, it wasn't the only great song on the album. Objects Of My Affection and Let's Call It Off are equally as accessible and toe tapping. [Myspace: Peter Bjorn and John]

47. Never Hear The End Of It - Sloan (2006)

Just barely squeezing into my top 30 of 2006, Sloan's 8th album is one that I've been revisiting on a regular basis over the last couple of years, and I'm actually as surprised as anyone that it made the final cut of this list. Personally I find that the songs on this album do not work as well when played on their own, meaning that the album's brilliance really shines through when played as a whole. The fact is, that it's just such an infectious album and their best since 1996's One Chord To Another. What has understandably scared away some people is that the album contains 30 songs, and some people are afraid of commitment. However, if you put forth just a tiny bit of effort, you'll see that the album flows so seamlessly with an Abbey Road Side Two abandon that it actually contains less filler than their two albums previous and the one that followed it. It also contains one of Chris Murphy's greatest compositions (the McCartney-esque Fading Into Obscurity) one of Andrew Scott's best (I Know You), a whole slew of great Jay Ferguson moments and Patrick Pentland's most punk rock moment ever (HFXNSHC). The Brits may have their fair share of fab four worshipers, but Oasis can only dream of releasing an album as Beatle-esque as this. [Myspace: Sloan]

46. Left And Leaving - The Weakerthans (2000)

Nobody with half a brain would ever question John K Samson's poetic songwriting abilities, but never before has that been more apparent than on this classic release from 2000. Besides containing one of my favorite songs, not just of the decade, but of all time, Aside, the album continues to age extremely well. The line "I'm leaning on this broken fence between past and present tense" is highly appropriate since the album has the ability to speak to me in different ways as each year goes by and circumstances change in my life. While it's true that this album was released at the height of the whole emo thing, Samson's lyrics really stood out in the sense that I never felt he was trying to be overtly preachy, pounding my ears with an iron fist, so to speak. He was also not the sort to wallow in his own self pity, screaming his lungs out at the fact that he's the most misundertood teenager in Winnepeg . No, the music on this CD is simply a poetic declaration of his thoughts, emotions and feelings sounding less like a protest song, and more like a person's highly articulate diary. [Myspace: The Weakerthans]

Tomorrow: Bobby B's 50 Albums of the Decade (#45 - 41)