My albums of the decade: 24-17

24. P.G. Six - The Well of Memory

Not the best known, this one, but it's one of the most affecting records I've ever heard. British folk revival-influenced US mountain music, with a strong drone-psych thread...but better than that probably sounds. P.G. Six (aka Pat Gubler) also provided one of my gigs of the decade too, that this clip was taken from:



23. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

Sure, it's fairly straightforward American indie music, but it's rarely done quite as perfectly as this



22. Bonnie Prince Billy - Master and Everyone

Will Oldham is The Don, and this is one of the greatest albums in the entire American songbook. That's three albums in a row where I've mention America.



21. Beck - Sea Change

While subsequent albums have been pretty good I'd say that this was Beck's last great album. Full of pathos and beauty, and ideal for wallowing to.





20. Low - Things We Lost in the Fire

Even though it would be quite easy to regard Low as making miserable music, I find it strangely spiritual, and therefore uplifting. I'm not religious, so music and nature are the closest I get to spirituality. That looks less profound written down.



19. Super Furry Animals - Mwng

There were other contenders (Phantom Power particularly), but SFA have never sounded so carefree as they do on this album. The melodies are among their most beautiful. Sometimes I wish I could understand what they were singing about on it, but in a way I'm kind of glad I can't.



18. Spiritualized - Let it Come Down

While Ladies and Gentlemen... will no doubt go down as Jason Pierce's magnum opus, I regard Let It Come Down as having his strongest collection of songs, bar none.



17. Mt Eerie - Lost Wisdom

An album born of pain and solitude, as delicate and ephemeral as ash in the wind



More to follow tomorrow!