Really, nothing good can come from looking at (or re-posting) a list of Entertainment Weekly’s 100 Best Records from 1983-2008. Obviously it’s going to be almost completely wrong. And it is. It is so wrong. But that’s just the thing - it is soooo wrong. Bafflingly wrong, to the point where it actually becomes worth looking at, if only to wonder what the fuck was going on with the people who compiled it.

100 George Michael - Faith (1987)
99 Hole - Live Through This (1994)
98 Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003)
97 Britney Spears - Britney (2001)
96 PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
95 T.I. - Trap Muzik (2003)
94 The Police - Synchronicity (1983)
93 Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)
92 Destiny’s Child - The Writing’s on the Wall (1999)
91 Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (1993)
90 System of a Down - Toxicity (2001)
89 Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2 (2000)
88 Peter Gabriel - So (1986)
87 2Pac - All Eyez on Me (1996)
86 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)
85 Dixie Chicks - Home (2002)
84 New Order - Low-Life (1985)
83 The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl (1984)
82 Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)
81 Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)
80 Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics (2006)
79 The Replacements - Let It Be (1984)
78 Pearl Jam - Vs. (1993)
77 Portishead - Dummy (1994)
76 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)
75 Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
74 Moby - Play (1999)
73 Smiths - The Queen is Dead (1986)
72 Van Halen - 1984 (1984)
71 No Doubt - Rock Steady (2001)
70 Mary J. Blige - My Life (1994)
69 The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
68 Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball (1995)
67 Metallica - Metallica (1991)
66 Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
65 The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)
64 Erykah Badu - Mama’s Gun (2000)
63 U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)
62 Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)
61 Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full (1987)
60 Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (1994)
59 Madonna - Ray of Light (1998)
58 The Pixies - Surfer Rosa (1988)
57 Neil Young - Harvest Moon (1992)
56 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
55 Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions… (1988)
54 Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
53 Elvis Costello - King of America (1986)
52 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
51 Fugees - The Score (1996)
50 LCD Soundsystem - Sounds of Silver (2007)
49 Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
48 Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
47 Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville (1993)
46 Björk - Homogenic (1997)
45 Belle and Sebastian - If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996)
44 Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998)
43 Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique (1989)
42 Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
41 Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984) - Legend
40 The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)
39 Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow (1996)
38 Run-DMC - Raising Hell (1986)
37 Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
36 TLC - CrazySexyCool (1994)
35 Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)
34 The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
33 Alicia Keys - As I Am (2007)
32 R.E.M. - Life’s Rich Pageant (1985)
31 Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
30 Guns N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
29 Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (2004)
28 Nas - Illmatic (1994)
27 Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
26 Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind (1997)
25 Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights (2002)
24 Shania Twain - Come On Over (1997)
23 The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999)
22 De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
21 Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
20 Fiona Apple - Tidal (1996)
19 Beyoncé - Dangerously in Love (2003)
18 A Tribe Called Quest - People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)
17 Beck - Odelay (1996)
16 Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)
15 Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
14 The Cure - Disintegration (1989)
13 Cat Power - You Are Free (2003)
12 OutKast - Stankonia (2000)
11 Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)
10 Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)
09 Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2007)
08 Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)
07 Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
06 Green Day - American Idiot (2004)
05 Madonna - Madonna (1983)
04 Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004)
03 U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)
02 Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
01 Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)

This is a joke, right? There is actually a “critic” (or group of “critics”) who would honestly and thoughtfully put the Emancipation of Mimi 41 spots ahead of OK Computer on a top 100 list, but still put In Rainbows in the top 10? That doesn’t make one damn lick of sense. The more I stare at the list the more confused I get. Who is this list supposed to cater to? It seems like it’s trying to cater to everyone, and in doing so has become relevant to no one.