I am Kyle's self-indulgence

I was going to write up full descriptions of why I like each of these, but I don't think I have the time for that. Instead, you just get brief comments.

10. The Grey Album - Danger Mouse
I was a little bit surprised that this made it on my list (I basically went through iTunes, wrote down every album I like that came out in the past decade, then began eliminating my lesser favorites until I was left with ten). Anyway, I've never really thought of this as one of my favorite albums, although I do like it a lot. It's fitting that it ended up on the list, though, because it kind of embodies the issues of music creation and ownership that emerged during this decade: it's a mashup of The Beatles and Jay-Z, made without permission of the original artists, released online for free. Did I mention it's also really good?

9. Elephant - The White Stripes
I'm a little surprised this made it as well, but looking back I do think it's one of the most influential albums of the last ten years.

8. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
I discovered Johnny Cash's music in the '00s, and I think this album, the last released before he died, is the best of his American Recordings.

7. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - The Flaming Lips
Surprisingly, I almost didn't include this album at all, I think because I've grown a little tired of this particular phase of the band (that's partly why I've been so excited about their new direction on Embryonic). I went back and listened to Yoshimi, though, and was reminded of why I liked it so much in the first place, and how it helped shape my musical tastes. So it went back on the list. I still don't think it's as good as the next ones, though.

6. The Crane Wife - The Decemberists
I don't have much to say about this one, except that I had a hard time picking which Decemberists album to put on the list (I made an arbitrary rule of no more than one album per artist). They really can do no wrong in my book.

5. Ships - Danielson
This album really took me by surprise. I listened to it because of the Sufjan Stevens connection, and I really didn't know what to think at first. I couldn't stop listening to it, though, and eventually came to love every song on it, Daniel Smith's weird falsetto and all.

4. () - Sigur Rós
Beautiful music, ironically made more accessible by the fact that there is no album title, no song name, and no discernible lyrics, because I don't have to wonder what those Icelanders are singing about.

3. Kid A - Radiohead
This was the first album I downloaded before its official release date, way back in 2000. I remember listening to it for the first time and thinking it was so weirdly different from OK Computer (which was so weirdly different from The Bends, which was so weirdly different from Pablo Honey). Back then there was just no telling what Radiohead would do next, and I think musically Kid A has proven to be their most experimental album. I think it has aged well because of that, but also because it has songs that are really great, no matter what instruments they're played on.

2. Real Gone - Tom Waits
My friend Andrew turned me on to this album. The first time I heard it was on my headphones while walking the dogs and kid (my preferred method for listening to new music). I still can't describe the sound I encountered (just go listen to Top of the Hill), but I knew one thing immediately: I had never heard anything even remotely like this before. By the third or fourth song I knew that I really liked it; by the middle of the album, I knew I was going to have to buy a copy; and by the end I had a feeling that I was going to be listening to a lot more Tom Waits in the future.

1. Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
Long-time readers may remember that I went a little bit nuts for this album, starting way back in July 2005. Since then I've explored a lot of other music of very different styles, but when I come back to Illinois those opening notes still give me chills.

(+1): Embryonic - The Flaming Lips
I debated about whether or not to include this. Right now, I think I actually like this better than Yoshimi, but I feel like it's too soon to make a definitive judgment. If I still feel the same way about it a year or two from now I may add it to my top ten of the decade retroactively.