By Chris Moore:

With only two days remaining in this decade, I’ve finally completed The Weekend Review’s take on the fifty best albums of the past ten years.  I’ve added the modifier “Rock” albums in order to purposely separate out the other genres currently taking up spaces on many of the end of decade lists.  The albums you will see here stretch across a wide range — from acoustic rock to alternative/indie rock to grunge rock and many shades in between – but what these works all have in common is that basic rock sensibility, namely a songwriter or band with guitars, bass, drums, and words and music of their own creation.

I had originally planned to post a top thirty list, but there were just too many (as you’ll see below) great albums that deserve ranking.  And indeed, this has been a difficult — but enjoyable — task, pouring through my iPod selections and stacks upon stacks of CDs from the decade.  I greatly enjoyed discussing and debating where certain albums should fall, and I was introduced and reminded of not a few by my close friends.  Perhaps the most difficult part was attempting to remove my bias, wherever possible, from my final rankings.  I even had to add the honorable mentions note, highlighting two albums that I could not in good faith rank higher than even one on the list above them and yet felt strongly about their quality.

With that, I enthusiastically thank those people who humored my desires to discuss and debate the greatest music of the decade, and I hope you will enjoy this first installment of the list.  Check back tomorrow for the next ten, with annotations included for each album.  And, of course, please leave your comments, criticisms, and even your own lists — I’d love to read and consider them!

31) Get Behind Me Satan – The White Stripes

32) Binaural – Pearl Jam

33) The Thorns – The Thorns

34) Rebel, Sweetheart – The Wallflowers

35) In Rainbows – Radiohead

36) Little by Little… – Harvey Danger

37) Reptile – Eric Clapton

38) On and On – Jack Johnson

39) Elephant – The White Stripes

40) American IV: The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash

41) A Ghost is Born – Wilco

42) Riot Act – Pearl Jam

43) The Wind – Warren Zevon

44) Songs for Silverman – Ben Folds

45) The Ruminant Band – The Fruit Bats

46) (Breach) – The Wallflowers

47) Snacktime – Barenaked Ladies

48) More Than You Think You Are – Matchbox Twenty

49) Wildflower – Sheryl Crow

50) Sea Change – Beck

Honorable Mention

51) Here & Now – America

52) Transatlanticism – Death Cab for Cutie