10 x 10 # 10 – My favourite albums of the noughties…

And so the year, and the decade ends – and I’ve saved my favourite list till last, the most potent version of the most potent artform, the holy grail of new and old bands alike, the full album – these ones have been my favourites of the decade – in no particular order, these are my desert island discs of the noughties:

• Radiohead – In Rainbows
• The Dears – No Cities Left
• Elbow – Seldom Seen Kid
• Damien Rice – O
• Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
• British Sea Power – Do you like Rock Music?
• The Knife – Silent Shout
• Sigur Ros – Agaetis Byrjun
• Antony and the Jonsons – I am a bird now
• Erlend Oye – DJ Kicks

Spotify playlist (excluding Radiohead) is here

What are your favourite albums of the decade?

10 x 10 #9 – My favourite singles of the noughties…

Some great pop music around during the noughties – here are 10 of my favourite tunes – you can listen to the entire playlist at Spotify by clicking here.

• Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
• Beyonce feat Jay-Z – Crazy in Love
• Robyn feat Kleerup – With Every Heartbeat
• Kylie Minogue – Can’t get you out of my head
• Rihanna – Umbrella
• Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks
• Jay-Z Feat Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
• Eminem – The Real Slim Shady
• Kelis – Milkshake
• Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger

Which tunes rocked your world in the 2000’s?

10 x 10 #8 – My favourite movies of the noughties…

Still my favourite way to relax, an appointment with the big screen and a chance to completely escape and immerse myself in someone else’s imagination. These are my favourite 10 movies from the noughties – in no particular order:

• Slumdog Millionaire
• Juno
• There will be Blood
• Lost in Translation
• The Dark Knight
• The Wrestler
• City of Ember
• The Lives of Others
• Children of Men
• Control

Which movies are your favourites of the Noughties?

10 x 10 # 7 – Best Books of the Noughties

I doubt that scholars will think of any of these as classics – but these are my favourite books of the decade – in no particular order:

• Atonement – Ian McEwan
• Freakonomics – Levitt and Dubner (my thoughts at the time)
• Small Island – Andrea Levy
• I, Lucifer – Glen Duncan
• Non-fiction – Chuck Palahniuk (my review in 2006)
• The Bloodstone Papers – Glen Duncan (my review in 2006)
• A Week in December – Sebastian Faulks (my review earlier this year)
• Black Earth, A Journey Through Russia After The Fall – Andrew Meier
• The Long Walk, A True Story of a Trek to Freedom – Slavomir Rawicz
• Let Me Finish – Udo Grasshoff

What books take pride of place on your shelves at the end of the noughties?

(My full library is here)

10 x 10 # 6 – Best Music Videos of the Noughties

Right – we’re reaching the important ones now – these are some of the best music videos of the noughties – not necessarily the best songs, but the 3 minute masterpieces that accompany them – each with links to watch the video – again, in no particular order:

• Kylie Minogue – Come into my world – excellent video with great camera tricks as the work revolves round La Minogue.
• Beyonce – Single Ladies (and all the spoofs) – the clip that spawned a meme, the original still the best
• Royksopp – Remind Me – great animation, and a cool message
• MGMT – Kids – psychedelia is back!
• Kanye West – Can’t tell me nothing – with the very awesome Zach Galifiankis
• The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist – superb effects on this
• Depeche Mode – Wrong – the darkness at the heart of the chart
• Fatboy Slim – Weapon of Choice – who knew Walken had the moves?
• Arctic Monkeys – When the Sun goes Down – with the excellent Stephen Graham
• Lady Gaga – Bad Romance – late entry but an amazing video

Which videos rocked your decade?

10 x 10 # 5 – Best Blogs out there…

So, you’ve set up that shiny new laptop or netbook that you’ve been bought and you’re looking for new places to visit – I recommend these 10 – ten of the best blogs out there that will set you up for 2010 and beyond…

• LifeHacker – tips and tricks to make you smarter
• Zenhabits – minimalist productivity advice
• Web Worker Daily – for those of us that make a living from the internets
• Nicholas Bate – the home of Instant Brilliance and MUCH MUCH more
• Mel Carson – fellow Microsoftie – and great blogger…
• Steve Clayton – another fellow Microsoftie – a man with his finger on a pulse
• This isn’t happiness – inspiration, every single day
• Pocket-Lint.Com – gadgets, tech, english
• Seth Godin – Books, Blogs, Wisdom

What sites are you visiting every day?

10 x 10 # 4 – Christmas Songs

Christmas Time – and wherever you are, whether you celebrate or not, I hope you are having a peaceful time with people you love.

I’m breaking one rule here today (give me a break, its Christmas!) – these are my alltime favourite Christmas Songs, not just from the Noughties – every single one is timeless – My Christmas Spotify Playlist is here.

• The Pogues feat Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
• Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas
• The Ronettes – I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
• Dean Martin – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
• Brenda Lee – Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree
• Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry
• Sufjan Stevens – O Come, O Come Emmanuel
• The Waitresses – Christmas Wrapping
• Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby
• Bruce Springsteen – Santa Claus is Coming to Town

What’s rocking your world this Christmas day?

10 x 10 # 3 – Best TV Commercials…

Everyone knows the best bits of TV are in between the programmes – 30 seconds of brilliance from the mind of a marketing genius – in no particular order are 10 of my favourite ads from the noughties:

• Nike – Parklife (so many great Nike ads)
• Honda – the Cog
• Will.I.Am for Obama (not strictly advertising – but all the same)
• Xbox Halo 3
• Levis – Odyssey (for Sarabande alone)
• Sony – Balls (my first exposure to Jose Gonzales)
• Cadbury – Gorilla
• John Smith – Peter Kay (the whole series – "come on…avanti")
• Apple Ipod Nano – Feist
• T-Mobile Dance (Flashmob + Commercial = Genius)

What got your attention between the programmes this decade?

10 x 10 # 2 – Best TV of the decade…

Day Two of my Top Tens for 2010 – looking back at some of the best TV I’ve consumed during the noughties – in no particular order:

• The Inbetweeners – British comedy at its finest
• Lost – still loving the island adventures
• Rescue Me – Truly brilliant scripts
• The Office – US is good, but original UK is the best
• House – Hugh Laurie, completely reinvented
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – a daily dose of reality
• Spooks – Britain spies never looked so real
• Doctor Who – aimed for children, loved by grownups
• Mad Men – if I could be in one of these, this would be it
• Californication – Hank Moody is my hero

What has kept you locked to the TV this decade?

10 x 10 – Best Gigs of the decade…

Well, everyone is doing it – so I have to join in – I’m finishing the decade with 10 top ten lists – today, I’m reminiscing on the best gigs I saw during the decade:

• Ian Brown @ Reading – October 2007
• Elbow @ Porchester Hall, London – February 2008 (the first airing of tracks from The Seldom Seen Kid)
• The Dears @ Astoria – July 2005 (honourable mention to The Dears at the Electric Ballroom in 2004)
• Morrissey @ the Roundhouse – January 2008
• The Editors @ Showbox in Seattle – February 2008 (honourable mention to Brixton Academy, but this was a small venue and great sound)
• Leonard Cohen @ O2 London – July 2008 (a lifetime ambition fulfilled)
• Damien Rice @ Reading – July 2007 (but not at Brixton a year earlier)
• Muse @ Wembley – June 2007 (Crap seats – venue too big, but great show)
• Depeche Mode @ Wembley – April 2006
• Stephen Fretwell @ London – September 2005 (with Liam Frost in support)

(in no particular order)

What were your favourite gigs of the decade?