Most Prolific Artists of the Decade: #1-10

Our latest list-- the Most Prolific Artists of the Decade-- looks to chronicle the most important (for better or for worse) artists of the decade. For one reason or another, be it their positive (or negative) cultural significance, landmark moments for music, staying power or otherwise, these artists mattered a great deal this decade.

In no way is this a list of our favorites of the decade. On the contrary, many of our favorites are not present, while others whom we're actually not fans of, have made the list. So without further ado, check out our the fifth (and final) part of our Most Prolific Artists list below. Next to each artist's name, you'll see a basic numeric list of all primary recordings this decade. For many of these, their impact should probably be self-explanatory. Enjoy, and if you haven't yet read our list of the Best Songs of 2009, or Best Albums of the Decade, read up on those too.

10. T.I. -- 6 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Paper Trail)/2 EPs, P$C -- 1 LP (2005's 25 to Life)

9. Conor Oberst -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2009's Outer South)/1 EP, Bright Eyes -- 8 LPs (Most recent: 2007's Cassadaga)/4 EPs, Desaparecidos (1 LP/1 EP), Monsters of Folk (1 LP)

8. Arcade Fire -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2007's Neon Bible)/1 EP

7. Justin Timberlake -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2006's FutureSex/LoveSounds), 'N Sync -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2001's Celebrity)

6. Jay-Z -- 7 LPs (Most recent: 2009's The Blueprint 3)

5. The White Stripes -- 5 LPs (Most recent: 2007's Icky Thump)/1 EP

4. Lil' Wayne -- 5 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Tha Carter III)/1 EP/10 Mixtapes

3. Animal Collective -- 8 LPs (Most recent: 2009's Merriweather Post Pavillion)/4 EPs

2. Kanye West -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2008's 808s & Heartbreak)

1. Radiohead -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2007's In Rainbows)/3 EPs

[Previously on Animal Noises: Most Prolific Artists of the Decade: #11-20]

Best Albums of the Decade: #1-10

Welcome to the final installment of our countdown to the best albums of the decade. There's probably a consensus on the top few, but beyond that, hopefully there's some surprises. As would be expected, a few artists made multiple appearances on the overall list, some maybe shockingly so. Still, these are our picks for the best albums of the decade. Enjoy below-- album streams are courtesy of Lala.com.

10. Censored Colors, Portugal. The Man (2008)

9. Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective (2009)

8. The Black Album, Jay-Z (2003)

7. The Moon & Antarctica, Modest Mouse (2000)

6. Dog Problems, The Format (2006)

5. Illinois, Sufjan Stevens (2005)

4. Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear (2009)

3. Funeral, Arcade Fire (2004)

2. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, Bright Eyes (2005)

1. Kid A, Radiohead (2000)

[Previously on Animal Noises: Best Albums of the Decade: #11-20]

#21-30

#31-40

#41-50

Best Albums of the Decade: #11-20

We've nearly reached the end of our countdown of the best albums of the decade. As difficult as compiling this list was to compile, I think it was worth it. Hopefully you do too. Check out #11-20 below-- all album streams are courtesy of Lala.com

20. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips (2002)

19. Deja Entendu, Brand New (2003)

18. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast (2003)

17. Get Rich Or Die Tryin', 50 Cent (2003)

16. Silent Alarm, Bloc Party (2005)

15. Apologies to the Queen Mary, Wolf Parade (2005)

14. Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, Bright Eyes (2002)

13. White Blood Cells, The White Stripes (2002)

12. You & Me, The Walkmen (2008)

11. Hail to the Thief, Radiohead (2003)

[Previously on Animal Noises: Best Albums of the Decade: #21-30]

Best Albums of the Decade: #31-40

Our countdown of the best albums of the decade continues today. As any music listener knows, there were a lot of releases this decade-- many of which struck a chord with someone, somewhere, while others failed to do so. I think it's fair to say that more music came out this decade than any other, and with that comes more difficult decisions in determining what's really best. Check out the next 10 selections below-- all album streams are courtesy of Lala.com.

40. Futuresex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake (2006)

39. Trouble, Ray LaMontagne (2004)

38. Person Pitch, Panda Bear (2007)

37. The Ugly Organ, Cursive (2003)

36. Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River (2005)

35. The College Dropout, Kanye West (2004)

34. Anything Else But the Truth, The Honorary Title (2004)

33. Tha Carter III, Lil' Wayne (2008)

32. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco (2002)

31. In Rainbows, Radiohead (2007)

[Previously on Animal Noises: Best Albums of the Decade: #41-50]

Weekly Top 10: Album Closers

Nothing seems to make, or ruin, a great album like the last song. Something otherwise great can be sullied in your eyes (ears) if that final glimpse leaves much to be desired, and something a little above average can gain a much higher evaluation solely off of that last collection of notes. Here, we list our favorites of the ladder category-- our favorite album closers. Though Imeem does not have one of my top picks, Grizzly Bear's "Foreground," I'll forgive them for the most part, as the rest of the list is pretty solid. Enjoy below.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Weekly Top 10: Songs Featured on How I Met Your Mother]

Weekly Top 10: Songs Featured on How I Met Your Mother

This week's Top 10 is inspired by one of my favorite shows on television, How I Met Your Mother. Basically, I was watching a marathon's-worth of the show, and decided that this would work fairly well as a theme. Though it's not based entirely on music like some other sitcoms, it does have its moments where music plays a central and deciding role in the action. Trust me, you'll enjoy this, just like the show.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Weekly Top 10: Greeting Songs]

Pre-Screening: 7 Worlds Collide

Album: The Sun Came Out

Artist: 7 Worlds Collide

Label: EMI

Due Out: September 29th (U.S./Canada)

Putting aside my usual rules for reviewing compilation albums, 7 Worlds Collide is more deserving than most of its breed because of the level of collaboration. The tracks, though constructed by many separate artists, fit into one cohesive, and flowing portrait of 24 songs. For those who may not be aware, contributors include some of the most notable names in alternative music today, such as Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone; Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway; The Smiths' and Modest Mouse's Johnny Marr and of course, the mastermind of the effort, Neil Finn, amongst many others. The proceeds from the album directly benefit Oxfam, which looks to fight hunger and poverty.

"Too Blue" starts off the effort, featuring most of the project's main musicians. For the most part, it appears as a brightened-up Wilco track (makes sense since a large portion of the band's involved), and works as a perfect segue into the second song, one of the band's own, "You Never Know." One of the better tracks off of this year's Wilco (The Album), it fits surprisingly well into the mix here, and gives Tweedy his moment to shine above the rest. Next, "Little By Little" spends a good fifteen seconds doing a solid impression of Thom Yorke, before bursting into a frolicky part-country, part-indie pop jam. The up-tempo, vocally-involved melody gives way, however, to "Learn to Crawl," a track seemingly made for guitar ensemble.

"Black Silk Ribbon" pops in as our first completely female-dominated track, as Bic Runga and KT Tunstall move the song from its initial distorted fuzz to a classic chick-folk extravaganza. "Girl, Make Your Own Mind Up" backs the tempo down immediately afterward, inserting itself as a forlorn, pleading and melancholy acoustic number featuring some variation on a Wilco solo by track's end. Next, "Run In the Dust" is Marr's turn to lay in the limelight, as he presents this trippy and anthemic pop track that almost sounds as if it's been lifted from Radiohead's b-sides collection. Once again, immediately afterwards, the vibe is lurched to a halt by another slower number, this time smooth and airy jazz number, "Red Wine Bottle."

"The Ties That Bind Us," surely a preview of what Selway's solo album will be like, sends us into the first disc's homestretch on a positive note, as Phil's song plays like a folksy Radiohead. In keeping with sounding like other artists, "Reptile," Lisa Germano's first shot at singing on the album, sounds like a strange rejected Belle and Sebastian single, combining wispy indie pop with a campfire girl sing-along quality that's quaint in spurts. Without a second to waste though, it goes straight into "Bodhisattva Blues," which many fans have heard already. It sounds like a psychedelic jam band cover of a Wilco track, yet is surprisingly appealing, even with that description. Keeping with the Wilco theme, Tweedy brings disc one to a close with a stereotypical, albeit appropriate ballad of regret.

Headman Neil Finn finally embraces his role as ringleader on "All Comedians Suffer," shifting quickly back and forth between eccentric 80s hair metal interlude and classic alt-rock anthem. Staying loud, "Duxton Blues" is about as country as the album gets, functioning as a regular revival song, but not distractingly so. The energy on these first few Neil Finn-involved tracks on the second disc is uncanny, and infectious. Even so, that doesn't stop "Hazel Black" from turning into somewhat of a stripped down version of a Sheryl Crow top-40 hit (pass). Thankfully, we're rescued by Tim Finn's "Riding the Wave," a Coldplay-esque piano ballad that's as uplifting as it is sad. It's the type of thing Chris Martin would have done in 2004, just not anymore.

And then the album gets very somber, very quickly. Selway's "The Witching Hour" is appropriately dark and foreboding for the track's name, with a moody and mysterious air about it that lends very well to its theme. "Over and Done," actually seems more upbeat at first, before you realize the subject matter is all about a break up, and suddenly the piano ballad becomes more of a burden. Same goes for "Change of Heart," which does the same exact thing, just from a female point of view. As much as "Don't Forget Me" also touches on these themes, its fun southwestern flair and pop-rock sensibility make it a keeper amidst a fairly uneventufl final turn on the album.

"Long Time Gone" comes off immediately as a Dave Matthews Band cover, which is probably my main issue with it off the bat. Otherwise, it would probably be an enjoyable and maybe even pleasant experience. "The Cobbler" also employs an impressionistic nature, just more appealingly so. The song, without a doubt, pays homage to Elliott Smith, with a dreary, cloudy, heart-on-your-sleeves presentation that can only point to him. From here, the album's final two tracks are not much more than the last things keeping you from the end. "3 Worlds Collide" is a lot of ambitious African and Caribbean experimentation crammed into one song, while "The Water" is a very preachy, but relaxed guitar ballad that sends you away a lot more softly than you entered.

As I mentioned, The Sun Came Out is very cohesive, especially for a 24-track effort involving this many artists. My one issue, and it ends up being a fairly large one, is how it squanders the energy it builds in the opening, and portions of the middle, just to revolve itself around a few breakup songs and acoustic numbers. For all of the good here, and there is quite a bit, there are a bunch of tracks I could definitely have done without. Perhaps, though, that's what happens with a collection of this magnitude. Some songs are just destined to be duds, but sadly it's to this effort's detriment. Not that you really need any, but if you'd like similarities, consult Wilco, Neil Finn and Monsters of Folk.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best Track: "Too Blue" (nothing original from album available, but Wilco's "You Never Know" is)

[Previously on Animal Noises: New 7 Worlds Collide: "Bodhisattva Blues"]

Tuesday's Releases (9/1): Now Streaming

Welcome to September, everyone. And with the start of this month also comes more consistency in terms of releases, so hopefully this section stays quite full for the remainder of the year. Today, Spinner has provided us with a pretty varied collection of albums, from hip-hop to a kids album to your standard indie rock and alternative, so hopefully you'll all enjoy. As always, credit for the original idea goes out to LargeHeartedBoy.

• Curse Your Branches, David Bazan
• #1 Hits Explosion, The Apples in Stereo
• Oof!, Blue Scholars
• Break Up, Scarlett Johansson & Pete Yorn
• Here Comes Science, They Might Be Giants
• The Fine Print, Drive-By Truckers
• Red, Datarock

And as a bonus, the re-released versions of Radiohead's Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief.

New Radiohead (?), "These Are My Twisted Words"

I didn't have internet access last night, so unfortunately, I missed this firestorm. Apparently, it would seem that Radiohead has a new song, less than a week after Thom Yorke sat around telling us not to expect much, etc., etc. rubbish rubbish rubbish. The track, "These Are My Twisted Words," appeared over at Radiohead fan site AtEase with blind excitement earlier yesterday. I'm told the track name is lifted from the lyrics, so you can probably assume that this isn't the actual name of the song, and that's if you believe it's even a Radiohead track. It's fairly good quality, and sounds an awful lot like Thom, but until we get some confirmation, not going to be able to say it for sure. It's a good one though, I will commit to that. If you're interested, you'll want to check it out below, courtesy of Stereogum. If that happens to disappear, indulge yourself in the Youtube video.

"These Are My Twisted Words"- Radiohead

New Radiohead, "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)"

This was a bit unexpected, but I'm still very glad to see it. Radiohead's got a new song, which will probably not be on any upcoming album. As has been common practice for the band in the past, the track, "Harry Patch (In Memory Of" is for a charity/cause (in this case, the Royal British Legion). The song was inspired by the death of the Harry Patch, the last surviving World War I combat soldier, with the words pulled from an interview the man gave in 2005. It's a cool, ambient track. Sort of reminds me of "Four Minutes," the band's most recent reaction to death/tragedy. The beginning also made me think of Coldplay, which was a bit unsettling, but luckily, that goes away. If you're interested in just streaming the song, head over to BBC. If you'd like to purchase, Radiohead's website is the place to be. It'll cost you about $1.70, but everything's going to the aforementioned cause.

Music Video Monday: "No Surprises"

Track: No Surprises

Artist: Radiohead

Album: OK Computer

Year: 1998

When talking about Radiohead's music videos, "weird" would be an apt description, but perhaps "thought-provoking" is a better term.  Thom Yorke and the guys are an interesting bunch, who love to push the envelope, get people talking, and overall, make fantastic music.  The following video seems to touch on some of those traits, as well as explore pieces of the band's songwriting mindset.  For those who don't know the story, the band had a very hard time dealing with the success of OK Computer back in 1997, so perhaps this video provides a good visual representation of the feelings involved with that.

The video for "No Surprises" is simple.  Yorke's head, in an astronaut-type helmet, is virtually the only image you see for the entire four minutes.  Scrolling in front of him are the words to the track, which he is singing for most of the video.  If you haven't seen it before, I won't ruin it for you.  However, I will just say that you shouldn't be alarmed by the images.  The worst, and seemingly probable, outcome does not, in fact, occur.  Still, it's a strange sight, but I guess that's what makes them who they are.  Enjoy.

Grammys Performances

In a quick follow-up to last night's post on the Grammys, I figured I'd add the videos from two of the more notable live performances.  Radiohead's use of the USC Marching Band is interesting, and admittedly, I would probably criticize any other artist for doing it.  For some reason though, it works for this rendition of "15 Step".  And then there was "Swagga Like Us".  I'm stil undecided as to how I feel about this one.  I guess the black and white thing was cool, but, the song just seemed a bit off.  Plus, we probably could have done without the very pregnant M.I.A.  Anyway, check out the videos below.

Congrats to the 2009 Grammys Winners

Normally I'd just ignore the Grammys, but this year, it seemed that the powers that be went out of their way to actually listen to music, rather than just base it upon radio play and record sales.  That being said, I wanted to congratulate the following Animal Noises mainstays for their respective awards, as well as laugh at Katy Perry and the Jonas Brothers for failing to win awards.

Animal Noise Congratulates:

Kings of Leon

Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals, "Sex on Fire"

Radiohead

Best Alternative Music Album, In Rainbows

Best Boxed Set or Special Limited Edition Package, In Rainbows

Lil' Wayne

Best Rap Solo Performance, "A Milli"  

Best Rap Song, "Lollipop" (Feat. Static Major)

Best Rap Album, Tha Carter III

Jay-Z, T.I., Lil' Wayne & Kanye West

Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group- "Swagga Like Us"