Now that I've finally published my number one album of the last ten years, here are all ten in order, with links to the full reviews. Enjoy. 1. " High Violet " by The National 2. " The Nashville Sound " by Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit 3. " In Waves " by Trivium 4. " Lux Prima " by Karen O & Dangermouse 5. " Back Roads & Abandoned Motels " by The Jayhawks 6. " Wovenwar " by Wovenwar 7. " Push The Sky Away " by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 8. " Hymn Of A Broken Man " by Times Of Grace 9. " A Sailors Guide To Earth " by Sturgill Simpson 10. " In Spades " by The Afghan Whigs
Sometimes things are just right. Sometimes you just know. Sometimes you don't need to hear it again to confirm whether or not you just heard something that cannot be improved. In that spirit I give you the 2010 masterpiece by The National. This is a perfect album, that somehow manages to save it's finest moment, and indeed the finest moment of their career until the very last song. I wonder if this could happen in 2020, but ten years ago streaming hadn't achieved the dominance it had now, and fortunately The National are a band with a strong enough following and reputation to still demand respect for the album as a form. From the opening of "Terrible Love", which starts like a machine warming up and builds to a cacophonous crescendo, it grabs your attention with music that is melodic, interesting, intriguing and noisy. This album may be a classic, but it doesn't sound classic. It by turns opaque, beautiful, uplifting and heart-breaking. Unusually for an