Today we’ll continue the countdown with 5 more.

15. The Mars Volta – De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) : I don’t do drugs but if I did, the first thing I would listen to while on them is Dark Side of the Moon. And then I would probably listen to this. It is as much art as it is music. It kind of reminds me of a splatter painting. Mars Volta just threw random notes on paper and somehow it just worked. I have no idea how they come up with this stuff. The music seems so scattered but it’s one hell of a ride as everything races around to catch up with itself.
    Highlights – Inertiatic ESP, Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of), Televators
14. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) : One of the most fun albums of the decade. It’s almost impossible to sit still while listening to the energy they managed to fit on 1 CD. It’s practically a relief when you reach “Riot Van” midway through the disc as you almost definitely need a break from the 100 mph of the rest of the album. I only wish this album would have came out a few years earlier as it would have sure been fun to listen to during those long nights of pong.
    Highlights – I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, When The Sun Goes Down, From The Ritz To The Rubble
13. Red Hot Chili Peppers – By The Way (2002) : I don’t know what to write about this album. It’s nothing ground breaking but it was a slight departure away from your typical Chili Pepper sound. A lot less funk and a whole lot more melodies and harmonies. It had a lot of big singles but it didn’t seem to have much staying power and it seems like everyone, including me to some extent, has forgotten about this beautiful record. I listened to it straight through for the first time in a long time while writing this up and it definitely reminded me why it had to make this list.
    Highlights – Dosed, Tear, Venice Queen
12. Eminem – Eminem Show (2002) : Arguably Eminem’s best album. Even after the enormous success of the Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem still came back heavier and just as angry at the world. Unfortunately this was the last album where he wouldn’t realize how rich he really was.
    Highlights – Business, Hailie’s Song, ‘Till I Collapse
11. Sinch – Clearing The Channel (2005) : Sinch found some minor success after the debut of their first major label release, the self titled Sinch, earlier in the decade. Somehow their success was shortlived and it was only downhill from there. It’s literally mind blowing how they didn’t explode onto the music scene after they made this record. There’s a reason the music industry is dying and I think it may just be because guys like these are stuck working regular 9-5s.
    Hightlights – Identity Theft, Sails, The Power of Suggestion

Tomorrow we get into the big guns and start the #10.

I’m currently watching: NFL Football: NY Giants at Washington Redskins

Let’s begin.

20. Here we have my honorable mentions, so to speak, all grouped up into 1. My musical tastes changed a lot this decade and this is probably where they started as they carried over from the last decade, so we can’t just forget them. These guys were all considered, and might just deserve a spot higher on here, but they just didn’t make the cut. So… here they are in no particular order:
    • New Found Glory – New Found Glory (2000) : Completely solid from top to bottom. Not a bad track.
      Highlights – Better Off Dead, Hit or Miss, All About Her
    • Blink-182 – Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
      Highlights – Anthem Part 2, Online Songs, Reckless Abandon
    • Millencolin – Pennybridge Pioneers (2000) : Sure it won’t win any awards but if there’s one album on this list that makes me feel young again, it’s this one. Where’s the award for that?
      Highlights – No Cigar, Duck Pond, A-Ten
19. The Killers – Hot Fuss (2004) : This album made me change my tune on really popular music as I was pretty late to the game with these guys. I finally said who cares if it’s really trendy, I like it. I recently heard the melody to Smile Like You Mean it as background music in a commercial and I said to myself, “Ooh, that’s nice. That songs gonna make it.” before I realized what it was. I’m only upset that living in Vegas, I didn’t find them sooner.
    Highlights – Mr. Brightside, Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I’ve Done
18. Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most (2001) : I may not want to paint my fingernails black, stretch my ear lobes out and then kill myself however there’s definitely a little spot in my music library for this album.
    Highlights – The Best Deceptions, Saints and Sailors, The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
17. Element of Surprise – U:pside Down (2002?) : Notched down a few pegs for the brevity of the record but it made the list because E:OS knocked it out of the park with this pop/rock/metal nugget.
    Highlights – There’re only 6 tracks, I have them all ranked the same. Listen to the whole album, it’s only 24 minutes.
16. Sinch – Sinch (2002) : This is some solid hard rock. Loud and energizing yet subltle and melodic. 10 years earlier and this album may have been huge.
    Highlights – Seven, The Silent Aquiescence Of Millions, Bitmap

Tune back in tomorrow for albums 15-11.

I’m currently watching: NFL Football: Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers

Lists are fun but they’re never easy. I almost wasn’t going to do this segment and as I was writing it all up I must have talked myself out of it a numerous amount of times. I’m glad I persisted though as it forced me to listen to a lot of great music over the last week. Coming up over the next 11 days, I will be posting my thoughts on MY top albums of the decade and somehow giving them a number to signify their greatness. Well +/- 1 or so. Hey, it’s almost a ridiculous task to compare apples to oranges or in some cases, apples to apples. Regardless of what their number is, these are the albums that I was consumed by when they came out or when I finally got around to discovering them… they’re the ones that I just couldn’t stop listening to until the people around me probably started getting annoyed at the amount of times they were listening to the same thing over and over again. I say they should have just been happy that this decade stopped me from listening to the Beatles incessantly but some people won’t see it that way. Probably because I still managed to listen to the Beatles incessantly. So tune in tomorrow when I’ll get this thing started and reveal albums 20-16. I know you’re all super excited and can’t wait.

I’m currently watching: NFL Live

Last week was something else. I had my best week of the season but I was poised for one of the greatest fantasy weeks ever. I had 174 points going into Monday night with Vernon Davis and Tim Hightower to go. Only needed 17 points to break the unheard of 200 mark. But then it happened once again. Seriously Tim Hightower? .07 points? You fumble the ball on your first carry and only get 1 more carry the rest of the game while you let Beanie Wells carry the load against your tough division rivals? You make me sick. You are benched next week. This is 2 weeks in a row with a critical first drive fumble that cost you significant playing time. Enough is enough. Vernon Davis found the end zone but it wasn’t enough. If I had started Wells, I finish with 200.45 points. Instead I finished with 183.77. Other than that though, everything else was ridiculously fantastic. Kyle Orton and DeSean Jackson both broke 20 points. Drew Brees and Ryan Grant both broke 30 points. Chris Johnson??? 40 points. 150 points from 5 guys. What a performance. Reggie Wayne was held to nothing again but he carried me for the first half of the season so I still can’t complain.

Oh, and Robbie Gould. You’re as good as Gould but your team is complete crap. Watch out for a first aid kit from Peyton Manning because I’m telling him you’re cut.

I’m currently watching: NFL Football: Atlanta Falcons at NY Jets (even though Cox still says 49ers at Eagles)

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I’m currently watching: Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas

It’s that time of the week again… time for my last minute, during next week’s games, fantasy rant about last week’s stuff. Well last week wasn’t a great week but it was a pretty good one. Didn’t lose too much ground to anyone. When you need to lose by 50 points a week to win the league and you only lose by about 10 points, you now gotta lose by a whole lot more the rest of the way out. It’s science. Well math. Regardless it’s fact. Drew Brees had another stellar week as he actually needed some last minute monstrous come from behind awesomeness to beat the Redskins. Matt Ryan was still out with turf toe so I had to roll with Kyle Orton who has been less than stellar since his injury. He was still exceptionally less than stellar. Reggie Wayne has been rendered completely useless since every team started double teaming him constantly a few weeks back and that trend continued. There are just too many weapons on that Colts offense to keep Manning from forcing the ball to Reggie. DeSean was still out with a concussion so I rolled with Maclin. Turns out he was hurt so he didn’t anything. But then there’s old reliable Chris Johnson who didn’t find the end zone but still managed 20 points. Oh, and thank you Eagles D for putting up one of your big defensive games against the Matt Ryan and Michael Turner-less Falcons team. You could have done more if you didn’t give up that stupid TD on the last play of the game but I’ll deal with 18 points. In the end it was a 130 point week. 4 weeks to go. I’m finally just waiting for my trophy.

I’m currently watching: NFL Football: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

Last week was almost hell. Started on Thanksgiving with Ryan Grant against the Lions. Thought I’d get a monster day. He did shit. 13.65 points? That’s what you end up always doing against great defenses. I expected way more against the Lions. It’s cool though because like I said, that’s what I expect from Grant anyway. I still have my whole team to go.

So I get up a little bit earlier on Sunday, despite the Eagles being on TV, because I was planning on starting Jason Snelling all week in place of Michael Turner but then it sounded like Turner was going to start the few days prior. Well he did. Way to go Falcons. You fully deserve him being hurt more severely this week. Anyway, I had to find a replacement quick. Sure I could have gone with Tim Hightower or Beanie Wells but where’s the fun in that? I saw the Bengals were holding out the very healthy Cedric Benson just because they were playing the Browns and I just couldn’t pass up the Browns match-up so I picked up Bernard Scott who was hot the week before filling in for Benson. Looked like a great move. So about an hour later I’m paying attention to the 5 people I had starting in the morning games and I’m getting no points. Turns out my guys had been dropping like flies. Matt Ryan pretty much got hurt stepping onto the field and his day was done with .5 points. Fantastic. 1 QB down. Then my hot start of the week, Bernard Scott, who had been running pretty well in the game, goes down with turf toe. Day done with 12.3 points. He coulda been in the 20s. AND THEN DeSean goes down with a concussion. Thank heavens he had already found the end zone but he finished with 2 catches, 41 yards and a TD. He probably should have had 2 TDs but we won’t go there.

Regardless, I had a bunch of key positions started in those morning games and only Reggie Wayne was playing in the 2nd half. And he still had a very non Reggie Wayne day. Found the end zone but only had 3 catches for 19 yards. Ugh. David Akers was pretty much my best and most consistent player of the morning with his whole 12 points. Glad I have that huge lead now aren’t I? I really only have Chris Johnson and Drew Brees left and the 2nd place team has like 75 points on me.

But then we all know how that went. Chris Johnson did what he does best yet again and gets me 27.88 points. That included outscoring everyone on my team with a single 80 yard TD run. But wait, there’s more. Drew Brees won player of the week for a reason. Almost 400 yards and 5TDs. 38 points. Just what the doctor ordered on Monday night.

Despite how we got there, in the end it was another very good week. I only lost about 12 points of my huge lead. However, this week coming up may be my toughest test with an injury depleted lineup and poor defensive match-ups scattered all over the place. The huge lead will surely be tested this week. 5 weeks to go. Bend but don’t break is what they say. I just gotta avoid running a prevent defense.

I’m currently watching: Sunday NFL Countdown