My 250 Favorite Songs of the 2000s - #140-131

#140 - Black and White Town - Doves

Some Cities (2005)

#139 - One Armed Scissor - At the Drive-In

Relationship of Command (2000)

#138 - The Recluse - Cursive

The Ugly Organ (2003)

#137 - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars

Set Yourself on Fire (2004)

#136 - Gila - Beach House

Devotion (2008)

#135 - Abel - The National

Alligator (2005)

#134 - Dayvan Cowboy - Boards of Canada

The Campfire Headphase (2005)

#133 - Spring Hall Convert - Deerhunter

Cryptograms (2007)

#132 - Biscuits - Ghostface Killah

The Pretty Toney Album (2004)

#131 - Paper Tiger - Spoon

Kill the Moonlight (2002)

My 25 Favorite Artists of the 2000s - #22

#22 - The National

The National are easily one of the more underrated bands of the decade, as their music requires repeated listening in order to feel the full impact of their amazing songwriting abilities. Their first two albums were pretty good, but beginning with 2005's Alligator they quickly flew into the upper echelon of the indie rock stratosphere. Their next album The Boxer was a contrast to the previous album's emotionally aggressive stance, as it was one of the most elegant releases of the decade.

My Favorite Albums:

1. The Boxer (2007)

2. Alligator (2005)

3. Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003)

12. The National - City Middle (2005)

The National are possibly the most under-rated band in modern indie rock. Throughout their career they've made consistently great, elegant albums and their 2005 release Alligator was one of their best. This song, which is very slow and tense and features some recurring themes from earlier in the album, is a brilliant setup for the next track on the album, "Mr. November," which is one of the harder songs the band has ever written.