Top Albums of the 2000s - #5 and 6

#5 - The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)

#6 - The Notwist - Neon Golden (2002)

I mentioned in the honorable mention section that my interest in Hip Hop has waned in recent years. There are a two main reasons for that. The most obvious reason is that, Trafton, indie dork that he has become, is no longer around to tell me what is good, but the second, and just as important, reason is that I've started listening to a lot of electronic dance-y pop in recent years, and that has become a decent Hip Hop replacement.

Along with LCD Soundsystem*, these two albums were the gateway that led to so much of the indie music that is popular today - both with me and in general. Both are medium paced, somewhat dark pop albums with cheery sounding exteriors. Notwist is a tad less accessible, but they are both absolutely excellent and incredibly versatile albums. You can listen to them while doing pretty much anything: working out, studying, going to sleep, working or just hanging out. While I doubt they will end up on many of the slew of forthcoming best-of-the-decade lists, both were no brainers for me since, along with Wilco and the forthcoming #3 album on this list, they were my defining albums of the first half the 2000s.

(* - LCD Soundsystem's Sounds of Silver probably deserved an honorable mention, by the way. If fact, I've actually thought of 3 or 4 albums I forgot to mention ... Maybe I'll remedy that by cobbling together a Top 25 after I finish the countdown.)