[SweetAdeline]

3 proper albums minimum.

 

[DavidMahler]

Hmmm wow...........

Artist of the decade - Elliott Smith (gotta give it to Elliott despite him dying only a 3rd into the decade) He released 1 album while alive and 2 were released posthumously and they're all brilliant. I would give a nod to Figure 8 as the best of the 3.

Musician of the decade - I have two for this....... Murray Perahia, who has recorded a chock full of Bach works throughout the decade including the greatest Goldberg ever recorded (in my humble opinion). Just bubbling under I would give a nod to Marc Andre Hamelin who is the most technically gifted pianist to ever get a contract, no question and he usually tackles some obscure material which deserves more attention and often does not get the attention it deserves because not enough pianists care to invest so much energy into learning something which involves so much technical wizardry but yet is not by a "definitive composer".
In jazz music I give a nod to Keith Jarrett who I feel has continued down his path as the Jazz's greatest exponent of the piano trio.

Band of the decade: Torn between Radiohead, Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire. And I'm going to eliminate Radiohead and Flaming Lips because I feel they did their finest work in the 90s. SO...Arcade Fire

EDIT: I realize that Arcade Fire doesn't have "3 proper albums" and that Elliott technically doesn't either.....but I stand by my picks..............no one touches Elliott this decade regardless of his absence for 2/3 of it.

 

[Nepenthe]

That is SO difficult.

I predict Lips, Radiohead, and Animal Collective will be mentioned.

BUT, my answer is "Will Sheff-fronted bands" to include Shearwater and Okkervil River. Can I do that?

 

[donunus]

Coldplay

 

[Nepenthe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMahler /img/forum/go_quote.gif I realize that Arcade Fire doesn't have "3 proper albums"

Close though, call it two and two-thirds since they did have a 33 minute EP.

 

[SweetAdeline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nepenthe /img/forum/go_quote.gif That is SO difficult. I predict Lips, Radiohead, and Animal Collective will be mentioned. BUT, my answer is "Will Sheff-fronted bands" to include Shearwater and Okkervil River. Can I do that?

Definitely, in that example I would include Will Sheff as an individual artist even though he doesn't necessarily have a solo album.

Neko Case could be another example I would put in that category, although it is slightly different.

 

[LingLing1337]

Porcupine Tree

 

[bcpk]

Radiohead

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Porcupine Tree is sure hard to beat if you take the entire Decade into account starting with Lightbulb Sun in June 2000, followed by In Absentia, then Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet, not to mention the fantastic EP's that came out as well like Futile and Nil Recurring. Really top notch stuff all along.

 

[HipHopScribe]

Joe Henry
CunninLynguists
Will Sheff (Okkervil River)
John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats)
Animal Collective
K-Os
Bob Dylan
Neko Case
Aimee Mann
Nick Cave

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Notwist only have two albums proper (Sturm doesn't count, since it's a soundtrack, albeit very very good) in the oughts, so they're out, despite my love for them.

I'd have a hard time coming up with anything better than Porcupine Tree, which would lead to Steven Wilson being artist -- what with his solo stuff, No-Man, Blackfield, Bass Communion, remastering the King Crimson and Abba catalogs for surround, and whatnot.

Although I really really like Hilary Hahn and Helene Grimaud. And Keith Jarrett. And I love the way Al Di Meola has reinvented himself since Tirami Su.

 

[Nepenthe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Porcupine Tree is sure hard to beat if you take the entire Decade into account starting with Lightbulb Sun in June 2000, followed by In Absentia, then Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet, not to mention the fantastic EP's that came out as well like Futile and Nil Recurring. Really top notch stuff all along.

Plus Blackfield.

EDIT: but of course that was mentioned in the very next post.

 

[userlander]

Even though I'm not a huge fan, I don't see how you can't give it to Radiohead.

Flaming Lips would be my second choice. I kind of agree with Elliott Smith, but I think his best work was probably ahead of him. He wasn't a flash in the pan kind of talent, I don't think.

Otherwise, the 2000s kind of sucked, imho, with strong acts of the 90s kind of getting a little long in the tooth (Beck, Wilco, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, etc.), and the newer bands not really emerging as all that great, again imho (Arcade Fire, Spoon, Kings of Leon, Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree - huh? do not see the appeal of that band at all).

We need something NEW and really GREAT to get everyone's attention and shake things up again. Don't know what that's going to be, but I hope it's soon.

 

[SweetAdeline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HipHopScribe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aimee Mann Nick Cave

Hmmm, these are two I didn't think of initially. Good call.

 

[SweetAdeline]

Here's some quick ones I thought of that haven't been mentioned.

The Walkmen
Ted Leo
The Hold Steady
Andrew Bird
Hayden
Low
Constantines
TV on the Radio

And it is amazing how Wilco managed to not make my list given their start with YHF and AGiB, they sure limped across the finish line.