A music list of some sort

Dylan Matthews lifted a pretty fine idea from the AV Club’s Steven Hyden; he made a list of his favorite albums from each year he’s been alive.  Since I am also a music dork, and I really don’t have anything better to do, here’s my list:

1987: Eric B. & Rakim, Paid in Full

1988: Joy Division, Substance (Yes, I know the material was recorded ten years earlier, but it still counts.)

1989: Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique*

1990: Fugazi, 13 Songs

1991: Nirvana, Nevermind (I know it’s cliche’, but the album had a huge impact on me.)

1992: Pavement, Slanted & Enchanted

1993: A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders

1994: Nas, Illmatic and Portishead, Dummy (I couldn’t decide which one I liked more, so I chose both.)

1995: The GZA, Liquid Swords

1996: Beck, Odelay

1997: Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out

1998: Mos Def & Talib Kweli, Black Star

1999: Foo Fighters, There Is Nothing Left to Lose

2000: At the Drive-In, Relationship of Command

2001: Spoon, Girls Can Tell (A close runner-up was Daft Punk’s Discovery)

2002: The Streets, Original Pirate Material

2003: Danger Mouse & Jemini, Ghetto Pop Life

2004: TV on the Radio, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

2005: Sufjan Stevens, Come on! Feel the Illinoise

2006: Girl Talk, Night Ripper

2007: The Pipettes, We Are the Pipettes

2008: Neon Neon, Stainless Style

I had a really difficult time choosing favorite albums for 1991, 1994, 2001, 2002, and 2004.  My runner-ups for 2002 and 2004 are Interpol’s Turn On the Bright Lights and The Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike, respectively.  And those, along with 1997, were also my strongest years.  If I had to recommend any album out of this list, it would be Paul’s Boutique.  It’s a masterpiece of an album, and if you’re a fan of “pop” music, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not listening to it.  Go buy it.  Now.

Despite this not being a proper “meme,” ‘m going to tag some folks anyway.  John Cain, Matt Zeitlin, Justin Blank, D.W. Horstkoetter, and Daisy, show me what you got.