Island Records

Okay.  Everybody knows that the "what album would you take with you to a deserted island" question is stupid.

So here's the game.  Name one album from each year that you would take with you to your deserted island.  This isn't "best album of each year"...this is "what album from each year would you listen to for the rest of your life".  I think that is more honest.

As well, no honourable mentions.  No runners up.  One album.  You'll be amazed at some of the battles.  In some of these cases, I don't even think these are the bands best albums, but this is the way things shook out.  As well, I was really surprised by the strong years.  2011. 2008. 2007. 2004. 1996.  Do these years say something about me?  Does it have something to do with where I was at in life?  Hopefully I didn't get any of these years wrong.

2013 - Deerhunter - Monomania - Nothing will touch this album this year.
2012 - Frank Ocean - Channel Orange - Another easy one.
2011 - Wu Lyf - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain - I'm going to miss these guys. Great year though.  Lots of runners up.
2010 - Beach House - Teen Dream
2009 - Sunset Rubdown - Dragon Slayer.  This seems really wrong somehow.  But there it is.
2008 - Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life.  Man, this was a hard year.  Lots of great albums...nothing that really set itself apart.
2007 - Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings. Another great year that made the decision tough.
2006 - The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
2005 - Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
2004 - Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat.  This was a battle to choose this one.  Lots of great albums.
2003 -  Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People.  I actually thought 2003 would hold up as a better year than this.
2002 - ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags and Codes
2001 - Fugazi - The Argument
2000 - Swingin' Utters - Swingin' Utters
1999 - Superchunk - Come Pick Me Up
1998 - Rancid - Life Won't Wait. This was a tough call.  I chose this album because it was a bit atypical, a bit under-appreciated, yet representative of the era.
1997 - Supersuckers - Must've Been High.  I so badly want to name a runner up here.  This oh so narrowly wins.
1996 - Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister.  Tough year.  So many albums.
1995 - Fugazi - Red Medicine
1994 - Beatnuts - Street Level
1993 - Wu-Tang - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). This was a narrow win.
1992 - This is the worst year for fucking music.  Easy.  Anything that I write in here will be a revisionist lie.  So I'll go with the most under-rated album from this year.  Faith No More - Angel Dust.  Haven't listened in a few years, but it's full of surprises.
1991 - Nirvana - Nevermind.  There were some other albums here...but honestly?
1990 - Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual.  I cannot listen to "Been Caught Stealing" any more, but the rest of this album is amazing.
1989 - Pixies - Doolittle
1988 - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation.  Just because of "Teenage Riot".  It took me a few years to discover this album.


My back catalog gets a bit thin at this point, so I'm going to end it here.