Shea: Examining the best artists of the year, decade

As 2009 came to a close, an explosion of activity took place in music newsrooms across the… As 2009 came to a close, an explosion of activity took place in music newsrooms across the country.

Fevered debates, ever-changing lists and crucial decision-making went down to produce this year’s music lovers’ bread and butter — the best-of lists.

The annual frenzy was even more daunting this year as music writers and editors had to come to a consensus on the best albums, artists and songs of not only 2009, but of the entire decade as well.

Ah, and what a great decade it has been. The new millennium introduced us to The Strokes, The Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes as well as many other bands and artists creeping under the radar and just waiting to break out in 2010.

The votes are counted and the results are in. As the readers it’s now our responsibility to serenely nod in approval, indignantly point out who was forgotten and show outrage at who the lists chose to include.

Personally, I was immensely disappointed to see that The Strokes didn’t snag any major “Number One” slots, but I was thrilled to see multiple magazines acknowledged The Decemberists.

To sum it up, most major media sources agreed that Wilco, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Arcade Fire and Radiohead presented us with some of the top albums of the decade and similarly agreed that Neko Case, Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective jammed out some of the best albums of the year.

Of course, every list is wildly different even if they do feature some common favorites. The Avett Brothers’ newest album was featured 33rd on Spin’s “Top 40 Albums of the Year” but snagged the prestigious spot of number nine on Paste’s “Top Albums of the Entire Decade.”

Lists are always as different as the people and publications that put them out, which consistently make for some great debates and discussions.

Reviewing a year or decade of music is also a great way to sift through years of music and pull out what’s actually worth our time.

Even if you missed some of the great album debuts of the decade (which wouldn’t be surprising, since most of us were still sporting braces and Aeropostale monkey t-shirts for the first few years of the 2000s), all is not lost.

Now is a great time to give bands that are always on the edge of your radar a place on your iPod and to check out what you missed.

Do you have your own top 10 list or lists? Send them to us and check back at pittnews.com next week to see Pitt’s favorites of the decade!