“Paste” Makes A Very Tasteful Illinoise

noah | November 3, 2009 11:00 am

Yesterday, Paste released its list of the 50 Best Albums Of The 2000s, and the list was topped by none other than Sufjan Stevens’ Illinoise, which honestly seems like it was released way longer ago, so established has he become in the indie-rock firmament. Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the Arcade Fire’s Funeral, Radiohead’s Kid A, and Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning rounded out the top five. Full rundown after the jump, but first, a few reactions. THE GOOD: Hey, look, Stankonia! At No. 8! Three places beneath… Bright Eyes. Sigh. THE BAD: Instead of noting the male-white–breadiness of the list—because that is, after all, the way of Paste, and you can’t expect them to change their stripes just for the sake of a mid-autumn pageview-generation ploy—I’m going to zero in on one totally questionable choice. Namely, the selection of M.I.A. albums on the list. Arular (No. 10) and not Kala? Really? I mean, Arular is fine, but Kala is kinda next-level. Is it because of the (admittedly unfortunate) Timbaland track? THE WHAAAA? Dear Paste fact-checkers: Not for nothing, but Radiohead’s In Rainbows was not entirely “self-released,” as you claim. I know that would screw up the “it changed everything with its revolutionary pricing methods” that serves as the angle for your gushing write-up of the record. Pity that you muffed the opportunity to write about something so (yawn) groundbreaking by regurgitating a tired, half-true spiel. 50. Björk, Vespertine (Elektra, 2001) 49. Libertines, Up The Bracket (Rough Trade, 2002) 48. Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose (Interscope, 2004) 47. Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (Domino, 2006) 46. Music From The Motion Picture Once (Columbia, 2007) 45. Radiohead, In Rainbows (Self-released, 2007) 44. The Jayhawks, Rainy Day Music (Lost Highway, 2003) 43. Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian, 2007) 42. Jay-Z, The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001) 41. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver (Capitol, 2007) 40. TV on the Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope, 2006) 39. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (Merge, 2007) 38. Gentleman Jesse, Introducing Gentleman Jesse (Douchemaster, 2008) 37. Iron & Wine, Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop, 2004) 36. Pedro The Lion, Control (Jade Tree, 2002) 35. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino, 2009) 34. Music From The Motion Picture O Brother Where Art Thou? (Mercury, 2001) 33. Coldplay, A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Capitol, 2002) 32. The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Bros., 2002) 31. Death Cab For Cutie, Transatlanticism (Barsuk, 2003) 30. Damien Rice, O (Vector, 2003) 29. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar, 2008) 28. Paul Westerberg, Folker (Vagrant, 2004) 27. Drive-By Truckers, Decoration Day (New West, 2003) 26. Over the Rhine, Ohio (2004) 25. Sigur Rós, Med ud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL, 2008) 24. The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, 2003) 23. Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker (Bloodshot, 2000) 22. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (Capitol, 2006) 21. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend (XL, 2008) 20. The National, Boxer (Beggars Banquet, 2007) 19. Beck, Sea Change (Interscope, 2002) 18. Amy Winehouse, Back To Black (Universal Republic, 2007) 17. Kanye West, The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella, 2004) 16. Rufus Wainwright, Want One (Dreamworks, 2003) 15. Patty Griffin, 1000 Kisses (ATO, 2002) 14. The Strokes, Is This It (RCA, 2001) 13. Josh Ritter, The Animal Years (V2, 2006) 12. Spoon, Kill the Moonlight (Merge, 2002) 11. The Hold Steady, Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant, 2006) 10. M.I.A., Arular (Interscope, 2005) 9. The Avett Brothers, I And Love And You (Columbia/American, 2009) 8. OutKast, Stankonia (Arista/LaFace, 2000) 7. Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator) (Acony, 2001) 6. The White Stripes, Elephant (V2, 2003) 5. Bright Eyes, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek, 2005) 4. Radiohead, Kid A (Capitol, 2000) 3. Arcade Fire, Funeral (Merge, 2004) 2. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch, 2002) 1. Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005) The Best Albums Of The Decade [Paste]