ORIGINAL HIPSTER

Paste Magazine is accepting votes for the ten best albums and films of the last decade. You can vote via the Paste website, Twitter, or Facebook.

How could I possibly narrow down to just ten all the albums I’ve liked since 2000? I’m sure my best-of list will leave out artists whose fabulous albums I haven’t heard or just won’t listen to because I can’t get into their music despite how good it is. Besides, what criteria makes an album one of the best? Are we talking the most influential albums–the most artistically significant–of the decade? The most popular? Albums with politically important songs? Albums whose songs featured prominently in the consciousness of listeners everywhere? Or, just in the U.S.A.? Moreover, the decade isn’t over yet. What about those releases yet to come? For certain, “best” is too broad a term.

Even so, I’m going to succumb to this tempting opportunity to be opinionated and exclusive. Here’s my list, which I reserve the right to amend at the end of 2009, in descending order of best-ness. (Note: This list will not include Arcade Fire or Radiohead because I don’t listen to them. I know. I’m such sinner against the gods of indie/alternative music.)

1. The White Stripes — Elephant (2003)

2. OutKast — Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2004)

3. Green Day — American Idiot (2004)

4. Amy Winehouse — Back to Black (2006)

5. Kanye West — Late Registration (2005)

6. Muse — Origin of Symmetry (2001)

7. Constantines — Kensington Heights (2008)

8. Pearl Jam — Pearl Jam (2006)

9. The Black Crowes –- Before the Frost…Until the Freeze (2009)

10. NIN – Year Zero (2007)