The Two Zeros: The Best Albums of the Decade (according to Last.fm)

"Another day, another way for me to open up to you." - Jamie Lidell, Another Day

Let's just get this out of the way first. Here's the empirical and historical data about my listening habits of the last 10 years. Last.fm has been replaced by feedly as my favorite web tool but that's only by a hair. I joined last.fm (when it was known as iscrobbler or something like that) on January 26th, 2005 and I would venture to guess that I haven't listened to CDs since. Everything must be scrobbled so that means everything must be ingested into my digital music library (iTunes) and listened to on the computer or on the iPod. No exceptions.

This is my one compulsive obsession in life and I have no plans on giving it up. So, before we start digging into the critical or emotional choices for the best music of the decade later on this week, here's what the numbers say:

1. J Dilla aka jay dee – Donuts
2. Jazzanova – Of All The Things
3. Jaylib – Champion Sound
4. Incognito – Bees + Things + Flowers
5. Robin Thicke – The Evolution of Robin Thicke
6. Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
7. Sia – Colour The Small One
8. Common – Be
9. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
10. 4hero – Play With The Changes
11. Madvillain – Madvillainy
12. Imogen Heap – Speak for Yourself
13. Justice – Cross
14. Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple
15. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere
16. DANGERDOOM – The Mouse And The Mask
17. Jay Dee – Ruff Draft
18. Koushik – Be With
19. Erykah Badu – Mama's Gun
20. Rhymefest – Mark Ronson presents Rhymefest: MAN IN THE MIRROR

And since I don't have last.fm data for the first half of the decade, here's the list I made 5 years ago:

1. Mama's Gun - Erykah Badu (2000/Kedar)
2. Simple Things - Zero 7 (2001/Palm Pictures)
3. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - Outkast (2003/La Face)
4. AOI: Bionix - De La Soul (2001/Tommy Boy)
5. Red, Hot + Riot - Various Artists (2002/MCA)
6. Reflection Eternal - Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek (2000/Priority)
7. Shades of Blue - Madlib (2003/Blue Note)
8. Like Water for Chocolate - Common (2000/MCA)
9. The Colored Section - Donnie (2002/Giant Step)
10. Vespertine - Bjork (2001/Elektra)
11. One Word Extinguisher - Prefuse 73 (2003/Warp)
12. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash (2002/Universal)
13. Aaliyah - Aaliyah (2001/Blackground)
14. In Between - Jazzanova (2002/Atlantic)
15. One Beat - Sleater-Kinney (2002/Kill Rock Stars)
16. Voodoo - D'Angelo (2000/Virgin)
17. Phrenology - The Roots (2002/MCA)
18. Another Late Night - Zero 7 (2002/Kinetic)
19. Justified - Justin Timberlake (2002/JIVE)
20. Since I Left You - The Avalanches (2000/Modular)

How funny that I cared about which label things came from back then. I couldn't tell you whose releasing the vast majority of the music I listen to these days outside of Stones Throw and The Numero Group.

Anyway, there's the hard facts. More meaningful stories about some of these (and probably several that aren't on the list) to come.