Best Alternative Rock & Rock Albums of the Decade

As we’re reaching the end of 2009, we have to have a Top 10 list of the best albums by alternative rock/rock bands of this decade.

Blink 182– Take Off Your Pants & Jacket
Take Off Your Pants & Jacket came out during the Summer of 2001. Tracks include “Story of a Lonely Guy, ” “Stay Together For the Kids” and “Shutup.” Blink 182 is a punk rock band from Poway, California. Band members are Tom DeLonge (vocals, guitar), Mark Hoppus (vocals, bass) and Travis Barker, drums.

Linkin Park– Hybrid Theory
This album debuted in October 2000. It sold 10 million albums. Top hits include ” One Step Closer,” “Papercut, ” “In the End” and “Crawling.” Members of the band include Chester Bernington, Brad Delson, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, Joe Hahn and Mike Shinoda. The band is from Agoura Hills, California. Chester Bernington, lead singer of band, experienced a lot of drug abuse as an adolescent. Plus his parents fought a lot which eventually led to a divorce. He used his past youth experiences in the lyrics of this album.

Linkin Park– Meteora
Meteora was their second album. This album sold 4 million copies. It was released in March 2003. Hits include: “Somewhere I Belong,” “Faint,” “Lying from You,” “From the Inside,” “Breaking the Habit” and “Numb.” The song “Numb” became the biggest song of the year.

Muse– Absolution
This album came out in 2003. Muse is from Devon, England. Band members are Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar and piano), Christopher Wolstenholm (bass) and Dominic Hovard, drums. Hits from the album include “Falling Away with You,” “Apocalypse Please,” “Time is Running Out” and “Hysteria.” According to their album discography, it has themes of fear, mistrust, persistance, achievement and joy.

The All American Rejects– The All American Rejects
Hit singles are “Swing, Swing,” “The Last Song” and “Time Stands Still.” This album debuted in February 2003. Band members are Tyson Ritter (lead vocals, bass), Nick Wheeler (lead guitar), Mike Kennerty (rhythm guitar) and Chris Gaylor, drums. The All American Rejects are a four piece American rock band from Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Fall Out Boy– From Under the Cork Tree
Fall Out Boy is from Wilmette, Illinois. Their album came out in May 2005. It was their third album. The album cover picture features a van with a trailer in a slump of snow. Actually the picture depicts the band members car accident while driving to New York to film a video. The album title is from a line in the book, “The Story of Ferdinard” by Munro Leaf. Hits from the album include “Dance, Dance,” “Sugar, We’re Going Down” and “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More Touch Me.” Members of the band are Patrick Stump (vocal-rhythm guitar), Joe Trohman (lead guitar), Pete Wentz (bass) and Andy Hurley, drums.

Incubus– Morning View
This album was released in October 2001. The band is from Calabasas, California. They formed their band in 1991. Morning View is their fourth album. The title of the album came from the street where their house was located while recording this album. Hits include “Nice to Know You,” “Circles,” “Wish you Were Here” and “Warning.” Band members are Brandon Boyd (vocals), Mike Einziger (lead guitar) and Jose Pasillas, drummer .

Audioslave– Audioslave
Audioslave consisted of ex-Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell (rhythm guitarist, drummer) and former instumentalists from Rage Against the Machine: Tim Morello (guitarist), Tim Commerford (bass, backup vocals) and Brad Wilk, drums. Audioslave was a hard rock band from LA, California. They formed as a band in 2001. Chris Cornell named the band from a vision that he had. Their trademark was a blend of 1970’s hard rock with a blend of 1990’s alternative rock. In November 2002 their album was released.. Hits include “Cochise,” “Show Me How to Live,” “What You Are,” “Like A Stone” and ” I am the Highway.”

Oasis– Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
This album debuted in 2000. Hits include: “Gas Panic!,” “Sunday Morning Call” and “Where Did It All Go Wrong.” Noel Gallagher, one of the band members, saw a image of Sir Isaac Newton on the side of a coin while inside a pub and recalled his quote “If I can see further than anyone else, it is because I am standing on the shoulder of giants.” The end of that quote became the title of the album. Unfortunately this album was a departure of the bands usual style of depicting optimism in their songs. Band members Paul Arthurs and Paul McGuigan departed from the group when this album came out. Plus Noel Gallagher was attempting to stop his drug abuse. The band is from Manchester, England. Band members are Liam Gallagher (vocals, tambourine), Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (bass), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Noel Gallagher, lead guitar and vocals. Liam and Noel Gallagher are brothers.

Green Day– American Idiot
My last band is Green Day which formed in 1987. They’re an American rock band but were formally considered a punk rock band. Members of the band are Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool. Their seventh album American Idiot was produced as a rock opera. The band was inspired by the rock band The Who. Within the album Billie Joe Armstrong created the character Jesus of Suburbia who follows the life of an anti-hero. According to Armstrong Jesus of Suburbia is a powerless everyman desensitized by a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin. He hates his town so he leaves for the city. Two other characters St Jimmy, a Punk Rock Freedom Fighter and Whatsername, a Mother Revolutionist are also characters within the album. These two characters illustrate rage vs love as an album theme. Blind rebellion is the self destruction of St Jimmy. Whereas Jesus of Suburbia wants to follow your beliefs and ethics. American Idiot was released in September, 2004. Songs include “American Idiot,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Holiday,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and “Jesus of Suburbia.” Green Day received a Grammy for Best Rock Album.

Each Alternative Rock/Rock Band within this article has their own web site. Wikipedia.org also has further band information.