Favorites of the Aughts

This is not a "Best Of" list, I think such lists are incredibly subjective and usually wrong. This is a very subjective list, it is based on my personal connection to the item. This is not merely a "Favorite Albums" or "Favorite Films" of the decade, this puts it all my favorite media mediums together. This list is not perfect; I mean, can I really compare the television show 30 Rock to Over the Rhine's Ohio album? It's not an easy task, so the rankings are close, but not perfect. This list is not complete; it's been a long ten years, and surely I've forgotten some things, which is why you should add your thoughts to it. Enjoy!

75) NCAA Football 2004 - From when we played this in Flanny and Britcher's room to when I started a dynasty mode in Portland, this has been really fun to play.

74) My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges - One of my favorite albums of last summer.

73) Arcade Fire, Funeral - I know that this (and Neon Bible) are great albums, but I didn't really get into them until this past year, and they're still growing on me.

72) Iron Man - What a fun film, I didn't expect half of what I got out of it. Looking forward to RDJ to continue lighting up the screen as Iron Man.

71) Almost Famous - This is one of those films that I always enjoy watching but haven't seen very often.

70) Zwan, Zwan - A fun summer album, it reminds me of sharing a cubicle with Lynette.

69) Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago - This album will grow on me, it's great, but for now it stays towards the back of the list.

68) The Envy Corps, Dwell - The best band from Iowa? Yeah. I love seeing them live, they're fun. Last saw them play at an Apple Store. I hope they keep making music.

67) The National, Alligator - This and Boxer sort of run together for me, but the last track "Mr. November" makes this the album to pick.

66) The Avett Brothers, I + Love + You - This album may really grow on me, but since it just came out I have to give it time. But seriously, it's great.

65) White Stripes, Elephant - Some of my favorite White Stripes songs are on this album, "Ball and Biscuit" is great.

64) District 9 - I will have to see this film again, but I really liked it when I saw it in the theater. I do have a friend who says that he considers it one of the best films of the year.

63) No Country for Old Men - So dark, yet beautiful. I wish it had more hope in the resolve, but what can you say? It had to end like that.

62) The Incredibles - Pixar continually puts out great movies, I'd say that Monster's Inc. is also close to being on this list.

61) Beck, Sea Change - The perfection of "sad bastard music"? Perhaps.

60) Katamari Damacy - This game reminds me of Jon and Lynette. And laughing.

59) Ministry of Magic, Goodbye Privet Drive - I hated this album when it was being produced in the room across from mine, but now it's hard for me to listen to it without putting it on repeat. Catchy, great sound and I do like me some Harry Potter.

58) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - A solid film: great acting, great cast, great soundtrack.

57) Crash - I remember the feeling of being slapped in the face after watching Crash.

56) The Departed - Another dark and great film. Great cast too, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg? Win.

55) World War Z by Max Brooks - This was a fun read. Zombies, fake history, heroes, victory by mankind.

54) Twothirtyeight, Regulate the Chemicals - This album holds up. I routinely listen to it when I want something to sing along to.

53) The Long Winters, When I Pretend to Fall - This album reminds me of the days when I had just moved back from Trinity. IT still brightens my day when I listen to it.

52) Wall-E - Another great Pixar film. How do you convey so much emotion with robots who *barely* speak English? I don't know, but they managed it.

51) The Squid and the Whale - Jeff Daniels' beard. Oh, and a great portrayal of the pain of divorce. Reminded me a lot of Ordinary People.

50) Damien Jurado, I Break Chairs - Damien is one of my favorite "under-the-radar" musicians. This album is different than most of his other stuff, but still great.

49) Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism - So this is the new year?

48) Bright Eyes, Lifted - I bought this album in Denver over spring break in aught-three, I had heard it was good. I was thoroughly confused on my first listen, but later I learned to love Bright Eyes.

47) World of Warcaft - This is an amazing game. I may never play it again, but it seriously is incredible.

46) The Appleseed Cast, Two Conversations - I used to nap to this on a regular basis. A great melodic album and able to tell a story through it as well.

45) The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow - I do recall being in love with this album when I first got it. I'm not

44) Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer - I read this in the same month I read the two Asher Lev books, I felt very Jewish for at least two weeks. I really liked the intertwining stories.

43) Children of Men - I like the premise, I like the story, I like Clive Owens, I like the really long shots.

42) The Dark Knight - Yeah, this movie is awesome.

41) O Brother, Where Art Thou? - This is my dad's favorite film, and it's great. The Coens are brilliant, really. Everything about this movie is great.

40) Sondre Lerche, Two Way Monologue - Lynette introduced me to this artist and album, and I recently remembered it and started listening to it again. We saw him at the MShop, he was funny, the opener was not. Great little indie pop album.

39) The Decemberists, The Crane Wife - I like the subtle rock elements that this album brought.

38) Life of Pi by Yann Martel - I read this in my first month in Portland, when I read ten-plus books in the first few weeks I was there. I remember being really intrigued with it, and always wanted to reread it and write out my thoughts on it.

37) Radiohead, In Rainbows - In looking at some "Best of" lists I see that Kid A is near the top of a lot of them, I just can't get enough of this album though.

36) Wilco, Sky Blue Sky - Dad rock? Ok, I can accept that. It's good and beautiful and they're my favorite band. I left A Ghost is Born and Kicking Televison off the list because it might be too much Wilco. Is there such a thing?

35) Donnie Darko - Yeah, the indie film that every hipster claims to be their first favorite movie or something like that. I just think it's a cool story with interesting use of time travel. Although I did see Donnie Darko 2 [S. Darko] in the rental place the other day, it seems really a shame, right?

34) Once - An awesome story with amazing music. Sarah has fallen in love with this film, and I can't blame her. I always find it weird that I am disappointed that the characters make the right decision in the end.

33) Elliott Smith, Figure 8 - The only album that Smith really released in the aughts. Tragic that we have to do without him making new music, but we have some great stuff from him.

32) Iron & Wine, Our Endless Numbered Days - Another album that I remember being in love with at the time, but unlike the Shins, I still love this album. Beautiful Americana.

31) Stranger than Fiction - If they had cast someone other than Will Ferrell as the main character this film might be even higher on my list. Still, a great story and use of narrative within narrative.

30) Yo La Tengo, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out - I had forgot the inclusion of any YLT, but Andrew reminded me of my folly. I haven't enjoyed the past few albums of theirs as much as I love I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, but this album holds up. It's slow but full of emotion and beautiful droning music.

29) Kings of Convenience, Riot on an Empty Street - I still really like this album, from top to bottom. And they still remind me of Simon and Garfunkel.

28) Postal Service, Give Up - Yes, it's indietronicapop at it's best.

27) Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Cardinology - Ryan Adams was part of eleven albums that released this decade. It's really hard to choose one or two of those, but I really dig this album. I saw the tour for this album, and it was great. I hope that mister Adams doesn't give up on making music as the rumors have indicated. Honorable mentions: Easy Tiger, Gold, Cold Roses, Pneumonia.

26) V for Vendetta - I saw this movie on my infamous Seattle spring break trip in aught-six. It was perhaps the highlight of the trip. And seeing it during the "height" of the Bush administration made it more believable.

25) The Office (US/UK) - I don't know how to separate the two versions, even though they are quite different now. The UK version made me cringe more than anything I'd ever watched, and the US version has waivered, but continues to make me laugh.

24) Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman - I went with Lynette to hear Klosterman give a reading at Powells. My first introduction to both the author and the [greatest] bookstore [in the world]. I have since thoroughly enjoyed his thoughts on all subjects, and I'm definitely a fan.

23) Bright Eyes, I'm Wide Awake and it's Morning - This album was king when it was released in aught-four, and it's still great. I might just have to listen to it right now.

22) Pedro the Lion, Control - My favorite Pedro album. A great [well, tragic and dark] story throughout, and really great guitar tone. Just a great album.

21) Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - It was reading the fourth book, Goblet of Fire, that I realized how awesome the series is. I bought the seventh book at midnight and read it in a day, and was a little sad when it was over. I've read the last three or four books multiple times. I'm not a superfan, but I really enjoy the series.

20) Death Cab for Cutie, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes - Perhaps my first introduction to that thing called "indierock", by D. Bradley. I choose this album over Transatlanticism and The Photo Album because I like the mellowness and the story weaved within.

19) Over the Rhine, Ohio - A beautiful double album that introduced me to the band. Wonderful music with an incredible soulful voice.

18) 30 Rock - I know that there isn't much plot, but it's ability to continually make me laugh and laugh and then rewatch the episode, well, I hope it never goes away.

17) I am Trying to Break Your Heart (A Film about Wilco) - The combination of this film and living with Andy Tucker made me fall in love with Wilco. It's just amazing that Sam Jones was there with a camera to capture the story that unfolds about one of the best albums of the decade.

16) I Heart Huckabees - This film is existential. And brilliant. A great cast. Awesome use of philosophical matters within a great narrative. Yeah, awesome.

15) High Fidelity - I love music and movies and am confused about romance, so yes, I do love High Fidelity. Oh, and I like top fives. But really, I'm one of those guys that can see the brilliance and deeper meaning in the Nick Hornby story.

14) Arrested Development - Yes, the show that should still be making us laugh. Mitch Hurwitz is a genius. The layering and repetition of jokes, is amazing. I'm not sure how they could keep track of all that they did, but I'm glad that they managed to do what they could in three short seasons.

13) Battlestar Galactica - The show that made me feel okay about being a nerd. I love that I went from scoffing about this show to defending it within a few months. It really is great, you should watch it.

12) Darjeeling Limited - How do I sort out the Wes Anderson films? Not sure. Currently it's based on how many times I've watched each, which hinders his most recent work. BUT, this film did change things for Anderson's story-telling. That scene with the river and then the flashback? It melted my brain.

11) The Life Aquatic - I don't care if it's highly stylized, it's fun. And beautiful in a lot of ways. And beyond that, I love that Anderson's stories are almost entirely tragedies with comedic tones. I wish I had more "Wes Anderson Moments" in my life.

10) Hot Fuzz - The comedic team of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright may be literally unstoppable.

9) Shaun of the Dead -This Pegg/Frost/Wright film is amazing in many ways. My first intro to the team and it has slowly made its way up the charts on my all-time favorite films.

8)Royal Tenenbaums - The top-ranked Anderson film on my list. Everything about this film is great. Everything. If Bottle Rocket didn't have such sentimental meaning to me, Tenenbaums would be my favorite Anderson movie of all-time.

7) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - I went to this film by myself, and clearly remembering my mind being utterly blown at the end of it. The choice of love, the pain that comes with it, choosing to move past that pain. I really don't know how to communicate the emotions of the film.

6) Sufjan Stevens, Come On, Feel the Illinoise - Plenty has been written about this album. It's great, Sufjan is a genius, the stories told are incredible and beautiful, the orchestral nature of the music is amazing.

5) Belle & Sebestian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress - This is a great pop album. It probably doesn't hold a candle to Illinoise or YHF musically, but I love it. If I had to listen to only one album for the rest of my days, this would be it.

4) Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Perhaps it was just my time in Portland or living with Andy or watching I am Trying to Break Your Heart repeatedly but something about this album will always live deep within me. The music has merged with the story of its creation and my time in Portland, and thus I love it.

3) Blue Like Jazz/A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Don Miller - I couldn't differentiate between these two books, I view them as bookends of each other. I read both at times in my life when I needed something to change my thinking a bit, to challenge me. Both books succeeded grandly.

2) Lord of the Rings - No other movie[s] come close to defining the 104 Family as much as the Lord of the Rings movies do. We watched them together, we cried to them together, we talked about them a lot, I can't watch them without thinking of the adventures of our fellowship. And, the story is one of my all-time favorites, having read the books repeatedly since fifth grade or so. And the movies manage to tell the story and show Tolkien's world marvelously.

1) LOST - It really was close between LotR and LOST, but LOST wins [perhaps only because the ending is still is a mystery to me]. In the past four years I've been watching LOST it has been a source of community and speculation, two of my favorite things. The mystery of the show, the use of lore, the characters... It really is awesome. I may feel like I've lost a friend when it ends this spring.


There you have it, may the tens be blessed with more great music, games, films, show, and books. you have my love.