100 Best Albums of the Decade: 10-6

10: Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

Released with the revolutionary pay-what-you-want system, In Rainbows first became famous for how people could listen to it. However once the hype died down, everyone realized what it was they actually had the pleasure of enjoying - an incredibly liquidized album in which every song perfectly plays off one another. The second best Radiohead album, In Rainbows is the perfect blend of the artsy jams the band is famous for, as well as the electronic influences they have long been experimenting with. Whether singing about drowning, a suffocating love or the world's obsession with celebrity, Thom Yorke and company created an instant masterpiece that has only grown better with age. Top Tunes:(Videotape, House Of Cards, Weird Fishes)

9: Brian Wilson - Smile (2004)

You think Axl Rose had it rough when he labored for 17 years to make Chinese Democracy? You must not have heard about Brian Wilson. The former mastermind behind The Beach Boys, Wilson hit the height of his creative prowess in 1966 when he composed Pet Sounds - a record influenced by The Beatles and tailor made for The Beatles. Smile was to be the sequel. But thanks to a nervous breakdown, a growing drug habit and a lack of confidence from his band mates, Wilson faded from public life and only a handful of tunes from the album ever saw the light of day.

However 37 years after the fact, Wilson brushed off the dust on his forgotten masterpiece and showed the world that with age comes wisdom, and that genius never dies. Each tune radiates warmth and charm and cradles you like the California sun. Sure the lyrics "Sunny down snuff I'm alright" may have no meaning to you, but to Wilson is means the world. His demons exorcised and his troubled past behind him, Smile is the most glorious of reawakenings. Top Tunes:(Good Vibrations, Surf's Up, Our Prayer/Gee/Heroes & Villains)

8: Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)

An album as big as his ego, The Blueprint had the unfortunate release date of 9/11/01. But that didn't stop Jay-Z's greatest album from conquering the charts and the entire rap world. Let's take a trip down memory lane before HOVA went soft, became a CEO and decided to get all up in Rihanna's and Alicia Keys' ass (sorry Beyonce but you know it's true).

Sure his boast of representing "for the seat where Rosa Parks sat" might seem a bit extreme but Jay's confidence and self admiration are the two biggest ingredients for the album's success. Pair those elements with slick production on the part of Kanye West, Just Blaze, Eminem and a few others and this album becomes the sound of a veteran creating a magnum opus that hammers you with rhyme, flow and some of the heaviest beats of Jay's career. Top Tunes:(IZZO (Hova), Takeover, Jigga That Nigga)

7: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (2002)

In 2002 the Queens of the Stone Age reigned as rock's supreme royalty - if only for what seemed like the blink of an eye. The stars were aligned for this group of desert rockers to make their bid for glory after their self titled debut (1998) and Rated R (2000) established them as supreme indie riff masters and metal head kings. Singer / guitarist Josh Homme and then bassist Nick Oliveri got the party started on Songs For The Deaf with their unique blend of hard rock crunch and punk sensibilities, then decided to invite back, vocalist for the The Screaming Trees, Mark Lagegan, and first timer - drummer supreme, Mr. Dave Grohl.

A very lose (and by very loose I mean almost non existent) concept album, SFTD plays like a night time journey through the desert on the way to Joshua Tree where the band calls home. One of the most versatile albums of the decade, QOTSA show off their thinking muscles and rev their creative juices through high octane jams, mellowed out melodies, brilliant guitar solos and crunching rhythms. Titled Songs For The Deaf because it was expected to be listened to by no one, this record opened up the band to a whole new audience and has sold almost 1 million copies. Top Tunes:(Song For The Dead, Go With The Flow, The Hanging Tree)

6: OutKast - Stankonia (2000)

One of the most important hip hop albums ever. Stankonia redefined what great rap could be as Big Boi and Andre 3000 thought outside the box and took their bright mix of funk, soul and Southern charm to the masses. America had "Youth full of fire ain't go nowhere to go". So these two super stars built a home for all to gather and get down in the new "electric revival" or "pull an Anne Frank and hide out in my attic for like maybe two weeks". Which ever you prefer.

Don't let the album cover fool you. These two tricksters my seem intimidating, but all they wanted to do was a throw a party for the new millennium and introduce themselves to your daughter as gentlemen. They ain't looking for puppy love and when you're so fresh and clean as these Atlanta geniuses, you always make being so cool look so easy. Top Tunes:(B.O.B., Ms. Jackson, So Fresh, So Clean)