Phil Dzikiy …is a writer.

My Top 100 Albums of the Decade (40-31)

40. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2008)

"This is our decision to live fast and die young, we've got the vision, now let's have some fun! Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?"

Remember, about a dozen years ago, when electronica was supposed to take over? Bleeps and bloops. That's what the future was supposed to sound like, right? With that, there would eventually be shimmering, silver jackets and precisely angled haircuts.

Ah, but the future is not set. We were at least a decade too early. MGMT has created something which bares a passing resemblance to techno, but with a beating human heart as the machine's core. Neo-psychedelia, folktronica, call it what you will — "Time to Pretend" and others set the bar, even if they don't set the future.

MGMT - "Kids"

39. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007)

"Someday you will die and somehow something's gonna steal your carbon"

A grower, full of the Mouse's memorable melodies. The production is clean, but in terms of the songwriting, it's not really that much of a departure from anything else the group did in the decade. Fine, maybe it's not as adventurous as some may have expected, but in the end, the songs are better.

Modest Mouse - "Fire It Up"

38. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets (2004)

"I know I like doing the talking, time goes on, I'm talking still ... while soldier girls are dodging grenades and rockets, and moms and dads are paying the bill ... and they say, it's the only way, ooh, it's the only way"

By this point, you knew what to expect from Ted and his pharmaceutical friends. (Well, the Ted Leo fans among you knew.) Smart, tight, catchy rock — the tunes came right on cue. So, Shake the Sheets may not have grabbed you from the get-go, because you expected greatness. This album was a bit more political, but no matter the subject, Leo matters because you can hear that he cares.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - "Me and Mia"

37. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins (2008)

"They ask for blood ... what do you think this woman's made of? I stuck a small, thin pin in my thumb, they dreamt a low, long line to be crossed ... and I crossed it."

A followup in every sense to The Stage Names, but with stronger, harder songs. When I first listened to The Stand Ins, it sounded like the best Okkervil album yet, and though I don't believe that's really the case anymore, the thought still speaks to the initial punch served up by songs like "Lost Coastlines," "Calling and Not Calling My Ex," and my favorite, "Starry Stairs," which is just another great Will Sheff song about deceased porn star Shannon "Savannah" Wilsey. Sheff could (should?) probably write a whole Savannah concept album — it would be fantastic.

Okkervil River - "Lost Coastlines"

36. The New Pornographers - Challengers (2007)

"What's the weight of the world worth to you, kid? Go write down what you see, and see how far it can go"

I didn't even really like Challengers much at first. It lacked the instant, bouncy appeal of the band's past albums. But in time, it made up for that with a sweeping, varied collection of songs, suitable for all times and places. High points abound — Neko Case's vocals on "Go Places" are some of her very best, which is saying something. And though Dan Bejar's songs usually function as necessary diversions on most NP albums, "Myriad Harbour" and "The Spirit of Giving" are two of the top tracks on Challengers.

The New Pornographers - "Mutiny, I Promise You"

35. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)

"There's only music, so that there's new ringtones"

It wasn't the best decade for British rock. It's no wonder the British press (and public) went ape — pun intended! — over the Monkeys. The Monkeys are a legitimately exciting rock band led by young talent — singer-songwriter Alex Turner turned 20 just before this debut dropped in England. The hype was largely warranted. Whatever People Say is a bit hit-or-miss, but it's largely hit. Some may like the rapid-fire singles of Side A, but I'm more partial to the album's homestretch, with "Mardy Bum," "When The Sun Goes Down," and "A Certain Romance," which sounded like an instant classic as soon as that opening sequence switched gears.

Arctic Monkeys - "When The Sun Goes Down"

34. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World (2001)

"You've got to tolerate all those people that you hate; I'm not in love with you, but I won't hold that against you"

This was my introduction to the Super Furry world, a world where anything goes, as long as it sounds like bliss. Rings is glorious fun — experimental, unafraid, ambitious, always listenable. Why aren't more groups like this, willing to go all out on a quest for pop perfection? Well, most groups ain't got the talent. Or the guts.

Super Furry Animals - "It's Not the End of the World?"

33. Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins (2005)

"Let's pretend we don't exist ... let's pretend we're in Antarctica"

An expansion and improvement on the new direction taken by Satanic Panic in the Attic. Sunlandic is another pop wonder funhouse where there's always a sense of underlying sweetness. Also, "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games" is far better when it's not about Outback Steakhouse.

Of Montreal - "Requiem for O.M.M.2"

32. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)

"I'm in need of someone to take care of me tonight"

It's that extra spark — genuine oomph — that puts Ga x5 over the top. It's the horns on "The Underdog," a song that absolutely must be featured in a future Wes Anderson movie. It's the falsetto in "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb." The very existence of "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case." The heft in the album's bookends — "Don't Make Me a Target" as a warning, "Black Like Me" as a memory-maker for the long walk home. Spoon shows it has swagger.

Spoon - "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb"

31. M. Ward - Hold Time (2009)

"And he put his name in the chorus like the the dark before the dawn, so that in my hour of weakness, I'd remember it's his song — he's got a line in the water, he's a fisher of men"

Christian Rock. The two words that make most rock fans — religious or not — shudder and turn away. It can conjure up images of crowds holding their hands skyward as numerous interchangeable acts play nearly indistinguishable "praise anthems" for compilations featured on TV commercials. Even worse, some thoughts turn to Creed.

It doesn't have to be this way, though, as there's no reason why Christianity can't be explored in pop music, just like any other subject matter. M. Ward's Hold Time is at the very least, spiritual, but to be more accurate, it's very Christian. And at some points, very Catholic. Now, you can still relate to the songs without connecting with all the allusions and references (which is part of what makes Ward such a skilled songwriter), but it's all there, out in the open.

Getting back to the root of the "Christian Rock" problem, none of this would matter if the music was forgettable. Hold Time is anything but. It's lush and lovely, sparkling and dreamy. The cover songs don't feel forced. It picks up and slows down with masterful ease. If Hold Time is a Christian album, it's a Christian album with heart and brains — accepting that one's faith can be questioned without being destroyed.

M. Ward - "Rave On"