The Strokes Is This It Named Album Of The Decade

The Strokes’ 2001 debut Is This It has been named the Best Album of the Decade by NME.

And so this morning, as some music fans happily throw on their Strokes t-shirt with pride and others ask themselves, ‘Really? Is This It?’, the season of lists, polls and the best-of is officially underway.

The Libertines’ Up the Bracket was second and Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR third in NME’s monster list, but the real beauty of these types of Best-Of collections is figuring out who got shafted and who really isn’t top 50 material.

Check below for a complete look at the top 50 albums of the decade from NME.

Regardless of how many producers, label honchos and music bigwigs were involved in the process of crafting the NME top 50, it remains a completely subjective endeavor. Bands like Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys were also among those able to cast their votes.

The BBC points out that 2002 is the most well-represented year in the list with eight albums, including Interpol, The Streets and Queens of the Stone Age.

NME Editor Krissi Murison said:

“This is the definitive word on the greatest albums of the 00s – as voted for by everyone who helped make music brilliant this decade.”

I don’t see Neko Case, The Black Keys or a bunch of other artists I thought delivered some of the finest music of the decade, so already the list is incomplete in my mind. However, taking NME’s list as is, I really have no problem with their Top 50. Sure, I’d bump Jay-Z down and move up Arcade Fire, but really no use in ruining my morning over the fact that I don’t see one damn album from The Black Keys!

The complete list of the Top 100 does feature some excellent selections of music from the decade (The Sleepy Jackson, My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, Kings of Leon), so it’s not a total loss.

But do I think Is This It is the album of the decade? No. But I’ll play along. I do recall liking the pop-meets-garage rock album from the New York City band in the tight-fitting jeans back in 2001, but I don’t think I have given it much listen lately. Still, “Last Night” is a highlight, and the whole album always made for a good soundtrack to late night hi-jinks. Unfortunately the album doesn’t hold much staying power in my mind. I liked it in ‘01-’02, but as we flip the page to the next decade I’m not sure Is This It is coming with me.

Leaving out Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood pretty much bastardizes the whole damn list anyway, so whatever!

NME does redeem themselves nicely (in my eyes) with the inclusion of The Avalanches‘ quite awesome, 2000 release Since I Left You. Slotted at number 45 is probably too low, but thankfully it’s on there.

The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas said of the band’s top-billing in the top 50:

“It’s totally crazy! I thought it was great when I heard.

“But does it mean it’s a good musical decade or a bad musical decade? I don’t know, I’m such a bad judge of my own stuff. Recording the album was fun. It was stressing, it was exciting. I don’t want to get carried away, but I’m pretty damn psyched with myself,” he added.

As well you should be, Julian.

NME Top 50 albums of the decade are:

• 1. The Strokes – ‘Is This It’
• 2. The Libertines – ‘Up The Bracket’
• 3. Primal Scream – ‘XTRMNTR’
• 4. Arctic Monkeys – ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’
• 5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Fever To Tell’
• 6. PJ Harvey – ‘Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea’
• 7. Arcade Fire – ‘Funeral’
• 8. Interpol – ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’
• 9. The Streets – ‘Original Pirate Material’
• 10. Radiohead – ‘In Rainbows’
• 11. At The Drive In – ‘Relationship Of Command’
• 12. LCD Soundsystem – ‘Sound Of Silver’
• 13. The Shins – ‘Wincing The Night Away’
• 14. Radiohead – ‘Kid A’
• 15. Queens Of The Stone Age – ‘Songs For The Deaf’
• 16. The Streets – ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’
• 17. Sufjan Stevens – ‘Illinois’
• 18. The White Stripes – ‘Elephant’
• 19. The White Stripes – ‘White Blood Cells’
• 20. Blur – ‘Think Tank’
• 21. The Coral – ‘The Coral’
• 22. Jay-Z – ‘The Blueprint’
• 23. Klaxons – ‘Myths Of The Near Future’
• 24. The Libertines – ‘The Libertines’
• 25. The Rapture – ‘Echoes’
• 26. Dizzee Rascal – ‘Boy in Da Corner’
• 27. Amy Winehouse – ‘Back To Black’
• 28. Johnny Cash – ‘The Man Comes Around’
• 29. Super Furry Animals – ‘Rings Around The World’
• 30. Elbow – ‘Asleep In The Back’
• 31. Bright Eyes – ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’
• 32. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Show Your Bones’
• 33. Arcade Fire – ‘Neon Bible’
• 34. Grandaddy – ‘The Sophtware Slump’
• 35. Babyshambles – ‘Down In Albion’
• 36. Spirtualized – ‘Let it Come Down’
• 37. The Knife – ‘Silent Shout’
• 38. Bloc Party – ‘Silent Alarm’
• 39. Crystal Castles – ‘Crystal Castles’
• 40. Ryan Adams – ‘Gold’
• 41. Wild Beasts – ‘Two Dancers’
• 42. Vampire Weekend – ‘Vampire Weekend’
• 43. Wilco – ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’
• 44. Outkast – ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’
• 45. Avalanches – ‘Since I Left You’
• 46. The Delgados – ‘The Great Eastern’
• 47. Brendan Benson – ‘Lapalco’
• 48. The Walkmen – ‘Bows and Arrows’
• 49. Muse – ‘Absolution’
• 50. MIA – ‘Arular’

What do you think about this list from NME? Who is missing from their Best Albums of the Decade list?