Top 100 Albums of the 2000s

Volume 10 : 01-10

	01 / The Avalanches / Since I Left You / 2000 I got this record when it was released ten years ago, and it’s been my favorite ever since, sample based music that will blow your mind. Best Track – Live At Dominoes
	02 / Broken Social Scene / You Forgot It In People / 2002 The most epic alternative rock record I’ve ever listened to, even more amazing live, essential listening from start to finish, there’s nothing else like this. Best Track – Shampoo Suicide
	03 / Interpol / Turn On The Bright Lights / 2002 Post Punk never sounded this good, Paul Banks has the monotone delivery down, and the songs are perfectly constructed. Best Track – Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down
	04 / …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead / Source Tags And Codes / 2002 Perhaps the only people to listen to more Sonic Youth than me, they expand that sound into guitar driven anthems, perfectly produced unlike their later material. Best Track – How Near, How Far
	05 / Cannibal Ox / The Cold Vein / 2002 No other hip-hop record sounds like this, elaborately concieved and meticulously executed, a producer and his mc’s working in perfect harmony. Best hip-hop ever. Best Track – Ridiculoid
	06 / The Strokes / Is This It? / 2000 Set the table for a series of over hyped bands, the Strokes were never able to catch lightning in a bottle again, but they deliver the goods on every track here. Best Track – Hard To Explain
	07 / RJD2 / Deadringer / 2002 DJ Shadow eat your heart out, the place to start for sample based instrumental hip-hop. Absolutely undeniable great. Best Track – Ghostwriter
	08 / The White Stripes / White Blood Cells / 2001 Having paid their debt to theri influences on previous records, the White Stripes expand their sound to create an amazing blue rock record, their very best material. Best Track – Hotel Yorba
	09 / Clinic / Internal Wrangler / 2000 Maybe no band was weirder in this decade, Clinic sounds like a psychedelic Velvet Underground, with completely incoherent vocals. Best Track – The Return Of Evil Bill
	10 / J Dilla / Donuts / 2006 Jay Dee produced in several different styles over two decades, but his final release was a post-humous masterpeice of instrumental hip-hop. Best Track – Two Can Win

Top 100 Albums of the 2000s

Volume 9 : Albums 11-20

	11 / Arcade Fire / Funeral / 2004 A record so good it will likely overshadow anything else they ever release. Also the record that launched the blog evolution of music media. Best Track – Wake Up
	12 / Fugazi / The Argument / 2001 The last gasp of one of the best bands of all time happens to be the best Fugazi record ever. The dynamics of soft and loud, slow and fast have never been used better. Best Track – Epic Problem
	13 / The Unicorns / Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? / 2003 Canadian pop music equally inspired by the elephant six collective and the post hardcore of the late 80s. Freewheeling to the point of being slap stick. Best Track – Les Os
	14 / Love Is All / Nine Times That Same Song / 2005 Swedes doing post-punk acompanied by saxophone. Naturally they have an irresistible pop flair, and this album has an energy thats impossible to replicate. Best Track – Busy Doing Nothing
	15 / At The Drive-In / Relationship Of Command / 2000 The type of straight ahead rock that doesn’t come around very often, because rock music is seldom this clever or original. Best Track – Pattern Against User
	16 / Broadcast / Tender Buttons / 2005 Paring their sound down from epic morricone style pop to barebones synths, guitars and beats to create a haunting backdrop for Trish Keenan’s amazing voice. Best Track – Subject To The Ladder
	17 / Madvillain / Madvillainy / 2004 Beats by Madlib, MCed by Doom, two of the best artist in hip-hop. 22 short tracks of marjuana enduced mythology. Best Track – Raid
	18 / The Rapture / Echoes / 2003 Echoes is the result of the union of the perfect band with the perfect producer (DFA), together they recorded the seminal dance punk album. Best Track – House Of Jealous Lovers
	19 / Dungen / Ta Det Lungt / 2004 Absolutley authentic sounding psychedelic rock, the brainchild of muti-instrumental savante swede Gustav Ejstes, better than any psychedelic band of the 70s. Best Track – Ta Det Lungt
	20 / Spoon / Gimme Fiction / 2005 The best record from the best band. It has a deliberately timeless quality, staying away from the over-produced sound that characterized some of their other work. Best Track – Sister Jack

Top 100 Albums of the 2000s

Volume 8 : 21-30

	21 / The Exploding Hearts / Guitar Romantic / 2003 Perhaps the last gasp of punk rock, at least in the traditional sense. Sounds like a classic from the first listen to the last. Best Track – Sleeping Aides And Razorblades
	22 / Mclusky / Mclusky Do Dallas / 2001 Smashing At The Drive-In, Nirvana and the Pixies into one giant hedonistic rock and roll romp, and full of personal vendettas. You won’t stop listening to this. Best Track – Day Of Deadringers
	23 / Liars / They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On Top / 2002 Maybe only Interpol had a larger influence on the New York scence that was the trend maker of the decade. Attidue and agression that is irresistible. Best Track – We Live NW Of Compton
	24 / Swan Lake / Beast Moans / 2006 Krug, Bejar and Mercer come together to release another incredible Candadian super group album. At least as good as anything they released individually. Best Track – All Fires
	25 / Working For Nuclear Free City / Businessmen And Ghosts / 2007 A complete discography of WFNFC material, an essential part of Manchester’s musical history, distilling something new out of all the bands that preceded them. Best Track – Rocket
	26 / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Fever To Tell / 2003 Seldom can you find music with such confident swagger and uncompromising attitude. The launching point for Karen O. as one of the world’s quintessential rock stars. Best Track – Y Control
	27 / Andrew W.K. / I Get Wet / 2001 Big, Loud, Gaudy, Stupid, all statements that reflect this album, but also reflect pre 9/11 America. Essential listening. Best Track – I Get Wet
	28 / Deltron 3030 / Deltron 3030 / 2001 Automator, Kid Koala, Del and Friends collaborate on this sci-fi hip-hiop masterpiece. A definining moment in underground hip-hop. Best Track – Positive Contact
	29 / Les Savy Fav / Rome / 2000 Despite only being five songs, this is the best release from seminal rockers Les Savy Fav. Music thats almost to clever for its own good. Best Track – Hide Me From Next Feburary
	30 / Death From Above 1979 / You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine / 2004 Only drums and bass, these guys deliver some of the most entertaining rock music of the deacde. They may have a limited range, but their urgent energy makes up for it. Best Track – Blood On Our Hands

Top 100 Albums of the 2000s

Volume 7 : Albums 31-40

	31 / Tv On The Radio / Return To Cookie Mountain / 2005 One of the most consistent bands of the decade, and their second full length record shows off the impressive variety of styles they incorporate into their unique sound. Best Track – Blues From Down Here
	32 / Jamie T. / Panic Prevention / 2007 Maybe the best brit pop record of all time. Half the songs could be hit singles. Some of the lyrics don’t make sense, but it’s not his fault, after all he’s English. Best Track – Back In The Game
	33 / Gnarls Barkley / St. Elswhere / 2006 A collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-lo. Neo Soul mixed with Ennio Morricone infused r&b, made Danger Mouse a style maker for the rest of decade. Best Track – Crazy
	34 / Dizzee Rascal / Boy in da Corner / 2003 Most grime was a disposable novelty, but Dizzee brought something new and something old back into hip-hop. An evolutionary step that will likely be forgotten. Best Track – Fix Up, Look Sharp
	35 / Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson / Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson / 2008 Backed by members of Grizzly Bear, and produced by David Sitek, I can’t believe know one has heard this incredible singer/songwriter. Best Track – Woodfriend
	36 / Pleasure Forever / Alter / 2003 The words goth rock make me shudder, but this SF trio released an album that made me reconsider everything knew about rock. Best Track – Czarina
	37 / Danger Mouse & Jemini / Ghetto Pop Life / 2003 Before anyone knew who Danger Mouse was, he released this hip-hop masterpiece with Chicago mc Jemini and guests. Killer beats and killer ryhmes. Best Track – Take Care Of Business
	38 / Grizzly Bear / Yellow House / 2006 Indie folk blown up to epic proportions. Far more focused than their debut, Grizzly Bear created a sound often imitated, but never replicated. Best Track – Colorado
	39 / LCD Soundsystem / LCD Soundsystem / 2005 DFA was the sound of dance punk, producing most of the relevant act in the scene, this is his debut, full of amazing singles. Best Track – Tribulations
	40 / The Go! Team / Thunder, Lightning, Strike / 2004 A hodgepodge of pop, rock and r&b topped off with double dutch vocals. Still sounds fresh even though it sounds like it was recorded on cassette. Best Track – Junior Kickstart

Top 100 Albums of the 2000’s

Volume 6 : Albums 41-50

	41 / Wolf Parade / Apologies To Queen Mary / 2005 Produced by Isaac Brock, Wolf Parade blows away every Modest Mouse record. An incredible balance between the very complex, and the painfully simple. Best Track – I’ll Believe In Anything
	42 / Radiohead / In Rainbows / 2007 Radiohead may have been the band of the previous decade, but after a couple disapointing realeases, they self released what maybe their strongest album. Best Track – Bodysnatchers
	43 / Islands / Return To The Sea / 2006 Emering out of the ashes of the Unicorns, Islands set the stage for the afro-pop revival at the tail end of the deacade. Almost every song has its own style. Best Track – Volcanoes
	44 / The Libertines / Up The Bracket / 2002 Possibly the most important British debut since The Clash, The Libertines set up the return of brit pop, which dominated the UK charts for the rest of the decade. Best Track – Death On The Stairs
	45 / Joanna Newsom / The Milk-Eyed Mender / 2004 A whimsical adventure that feels like it should be accompanied by a childrens novel. Utterly unique. Best Track – Sprout and the Bean
	46 / Gorillaz / Gorillaz / 2001 The first step in Damon Albarn re-envisionment as a solo artist, Gorillaz was an amazing collaboration that showed what music could be like in the new decade. Best Track – Clint Eastwood
	47 / Stars / Set Yourself On Fire / 2005 Another Canadian indie pop collective delivers the goods on their third album, sometimes a bit too giddy, but it’s hard to imagine more intelligent pop music. Best Track – One More Night
	48 / A Sunny Day In Glasgow / Scribble Mural Comic Journal / 2007 Beautiful ambient pop music from Philadelphia. It’s kinda like chaotic shoegaze, but far better than any noise pop rivals. Best Track – Our Change Into Rain Is No Change At All
	49 / The Streets / Original Pirate Material / 2002 The Falco of the 2000’s. A mixture of pop, dance, and hip-hop and sharp lyrics made Mike Skinner a star in the UK, doesn’t really sound like anything else. Best Track – Weak Become Heroes
	50 / The Walkmen / Bows + Arrows / 2004 One of the mainstays of the New York post-punk scene, varying between mellow and up tempo, what joy division might have sounded like if they listened to Bob Dylan. Best Track – Thinking Of A Dream

Top 100 Albums of the 2000’s

Volume 5 : Albums 51-60

	51 / Peter, Bjorn and John / Writer’s Block / 2007 The preponderance of the single Young Folks makes the rest of this album overlooked. It’s almost like a history of pop in the last 40 years, and of course, they’re Swedes. Best Track – Lets Call The Whole Thing Off
	52 / Aesop Rock / Labor Days / 2001 Aesop Rock is one of the best MC of the decade, continuing in Del’s west coast style, but the beats are way better than anything Del’s done recently. Best Track – 9-5ers Anthem
	53 / Metallic Falcons / Desert Doughnuts / 2006 About as spaced out as a record can get, but it’s haunting like a bad dream. Widely overlooked. Best Track – Four Hearts
	54 / Hot Hot Heat / Make Up The Breakdown / 2002 Sounding like The Cure on speed, Hot Hot Heat’s debut is as scorching as their name implies. Their first EP is killer as well. Best Track – Talk To Me, Dance With Me
	55 / Lykke Li / Youth Novels / 2008 With songwriting help from Björn Yttling, Lykke Li delivered one of the most irresistible and original pop records of the decade. Best Track – I’m Good, I’m Gone
	56 / Constantines / Tournament Of Hearts / 2005 A hybrid of Fugazi and Springsteen, the Constantines tightened up their sound and shortened the track list to produce their best album. Best Track – Love In Fear
	57 / Bon Iver / For Emma, Forever Ago / 2008 Justin Vernon recorded this album in isolation in Wisconsin, and it definitely comes through on the record. Ridiculously good. Best Track – Skinny Love
	58 / Danger Mouse / The Grey Album / 2004 This unofficial release is the best thing Jay-Z has ever done, and he didn’t have anything to do with it. If the Beatles were around today they probably be collaborating with Jay-Z and Kanye anyway. Best Track – Encore
	59 / B.R.M.C. / Howl / 2005 After a disapointing sophmore record, BRMC reenvisioned themselves as retro-americana rockers. One of the biggest surprises of the decade. Best Track – Shuffle Your Feet
	60 / M.I.A. / Arular / 2005 Spawned hundreds of hipster-hop imitators. An amalgam of many different styles became one of the signature sounds of the decade. Best Track – Hombre

Top 100 Albums of the 2000’s

Volume 4 : Albums 61-70

	61 / Sigur-Ros / Takk… / 2005 Might not be as perfect as Agaetis Byrjun, but to be honest I listen to this record a lot more. Maybe no one makes more beautiful or more emotional music. Best Track – Saeglopur
	62 / El-P / I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead / 2007 Meticulously crafted record is the hip-hop equivalent of Mars Volta, who naturally guest along with Trent Reznor, perhaps Trail of Dead will be on his next record. Best Track – The Overly Dramatic Truth
	63 / Beirut / Gulag Orkestar / 2006 Riding the wave of world music infusion into indie rock, this eastern european folk influenced record has a timeless quality to it. Best Track – Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
	64 / The Dismemberment Plan / Change / 2000 The final record from "The Plan" was their most polished blending of their eclectic style. Best Track – Time Bomb
	65 / Ratatat / Classics / 2006 Ratatat really figured out their sound on their second album, some of the most entertaining intsrumental pop music. Best Track – Kennedy
	66 / Rival Schools / United By Fate / 2001 A post-hardcore record that defines what emo was before it became whatever it is now. This New York collective on released one record, almost as good as Fugazi. Best Track – Holding Sand
	67 / Arctic Monkeys / Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not / 2006 The Monkeys defined the sound of brit-pop in second half of the decade, as much as The Libertines defined the first half. Best Track – From The Ritz To The Rubble
	68 / King Geedorah / Take Me To Your Leader / 2003 Doom produced this monster movie inspired side project, which is a little more bizarre than his other solo work, and that’s saying something. Best Track – Anti-Matter
	69 / Beck / Guero / 2005 A renunion with the Dust Brothers heralded a return to the style that made Beck so successful in the 90s. Best Track – Go It Alone
	70 / The Shins / Oh, Inverted World / 2001 Spawned hundreds of imitators, but nothing sounds quite like The Shins debut. This record can still change your life. Best Track – Caring Is Creepy

Top 100 Albums of the 2000’s

Volume 3 : Albums 71-80

	71 / The Lovely Feathers / Hind Hind Legs / 2006 Post-hardcore pop music, why do only Canadians play this style? Amazingly good, and there’s a track named Rod Stewart. Best Track – Frantic
	72 / Modest Mouse / The Moon & Antarctica / 2000 Paving the way for indie bands to reach commercial success, Modest Mouse found their formula for success on this record. Best Track – I Came As A Rat
	73 / Dirty Projectors / Bitte Orca / 2009 After several sprawling and incosistent albums, and Black Flag covers record, Dirty Projectors pull it all together for one of the most original indie releases of the decade. Best Track – Two Doves
	74 / Burial / Untrue / 2006 This reclusive UK dubstep producer makes extremely polarizing music, but this is the dubstep record. Best Track – Etched Headplate
	75 / Edan / Primitive Plus / 2002 Edan runs beats, the turntables, and the mike, and kills it on all three on this self produced ode to late 80’s hip-hop. Best Track – Rapperfection
	76 / The Last Shadow Puppets / The Age Of The Understatement / 2008 Brit pop with an orchestra, should be a disaster, but ended up one of the most interesting albums of the decade. Best Track – My Mistakes Were Made For You
	77 / Lupe Fiasco / Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor / 2006 If Kanye was really that great, he would have released this record. Stylisticly consistent and intelgent hip-hop. Best Track – The Emperor’s Soundtrack
	78 / The Fiery Furnaces / Gallowsbird’s Bark / 2003 Mathew Freidberger write some of the most bizarre pop music you’ll ever come across, not all gems, but it’s always an interesting listen. Best Track – I’m Gonna Run
	79 / The Dodos / Visiter / 2008 Two piece band equally inspired by African Drumming and country blues fingerpicking. Unusually Good. Best Track – Ashley
	80 / Coldplay / A Rush Of Blood To The Head / 2002 There’s a million reasons to deny their critical and commercial success, but Coldplay was at their high water mark on this record. Best Track – God Put A Smile Upon Your Face

Top 100 Albums of the 2000’s

Volume 2 : 81-90

	81 / Liars / Drums Not Dead / 2006 Comming off like the worst acid trip you’ve ever had, this is Liars at their conceptual best. Don’t listen to this on hard drugs. Best Track – The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack
	82 / M83 / Saturdays = Youth / 2008 One of the best electronic acts of the 00’s, and one of the few worth seeing live. Moster 80’s style ballads complete with Phil Collins drums. Best Track – Kim & Jessie
	83 / Spoon / Girls Can Tell / 2000 After struggling with Elektra, Spoon moved to Merge, and released their first great record. Brilliant Songs from the best band of the decade. Best Track – Take A Walk
	84 / Clem Snide / Ghost of Fashion / 2001 Essentially the dorkiest record of the decade, designed to make band geeks everywhere smile. Best Track – Moment In The Sun
	85 / Cymbals Eat Guitars / Why There Are Mountains / 2009 A retrospective of 90’s indie rock with 00’s style, expect a lot of 90’s revival in the next decade. Absolutley Monster tracks on this record. Best Track – Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)
	86 / The White Stripes / Get Behind Me Satan / 2005 The White Stripes released a lot of great material this decade, but this is their most cohesive and conceptual record. Best Track – The Denial Twist
	87 / The Knife / Silent Shout / 2006 Early in the synth wave that has dominated the end of thsi decade. Karin Dreijer’s give this record a really ominous feel. Best Track – We Share Our Mothers’ Health
	88 / Vampire Weekend / Vampire Weekend / 2008 Maybe the most hyped record since the The Strokes debut. Vampire Weekend somehow make sense out of their Upper West Side Soweto. Great pop songs. Best Track – M79
	89 / Menomena / Friend and Foe / 2007 One of the best indie bands of the deacade, they didn’t release a lot of material, but they nail every track on this record. Best Track – The Pelican
	90 / Mastodon / Leviathan / 2004 Conceptual masterpiece from one the most essential metal bands of the decade. Best Track – Megalodon

Top 100 Albums of the 2000’s

Volume 1 : 91-100

	91 / Cursive / The Ugly Organ / 2003 Cursive’s records have always been deeply personal mountains of emotion, and Ugly Organ is rife with Tim Kasher’s post divorce angst. There’s a thousand idea’s on this record, making it Cursive’s most interesting. Best Track – Sierra
	92 / Queens of the Stone Age / Rated R / 2000 QofSA’s interscope debut is their best record, and maybe their most collaborative work. They are at their creative peak, before line up changes ruined the band’s chemistry. Best Track – Feel Good Hit of the Summer
	93 / Roisin Murphy / Overpowered / 2007 Formely of Moloko, Roisin Murphy hasn’t made much of a splash stateside, but she’s realeased two excellent pop albums this decade. Almost every track on Overpowered could be a single, and her 80’s glam pop style really shines. Best Track – Dear Miami
	94 / Minus Story / The Captain Is Dead, Let The Drum Corpse Dance / 2004 A really dynamic psychedelic pop record in the vein of the Elephant 6 bands of the 90’s. It’s only eight tracks long, but they play out like an orchestral pop epic. Best Track – Gravity Pulls
	95 / Broken Social Scene / Feel Good Lost / 2000 The evolution of KC Accidental into a refined debut as Broken Social Scene. Mostly instrumentals, but all immaculately crafted masterpieces. Best Track – Guilty Cubicles
	96 / The Delgados / The Great Eastern / 2000 Not as loved as fellow scotts, Belle & Sebastian, but the Delgados produced this indie-folk pop gem. The Great Eastern moves deftly from minimalist moments to blown out indie epics. Best Track – Thirteen Gliding Principles
	97 / Ulirch Schnauss / A Strangely Isolated Place / 2003 Schnauss is a somewhat enigmatic producer from Germany, and on this record he moves away from techno by seamlessly blending it with shoegaze to create some wonderful bliss filled tracks. Best Track – On My Own
	98 / Thersea Andersson / Hummingbird, Go! / 2008 Somehow the Swedes have the pop thing totally figured out, and this home recorded singer songwriter mixes many influences on Hummingbord, Go! Some tracks are perfect pop gems, while others could soundtrack some unwritten movie. Best Track – Innan Du Gar
	99 / Bloc Party / Silent Alarm / 2005 Riding the wave of post-punk revialism that started at the begining of the decade, Bloc Party’s debut delivered more emotion and energy than most of the other bands in the scene. Best Track – Like Eating Glass
	100 / The Octopus Project / One Ten Hundred Thousand Million / 2004 One of the most energetic instrumental records of the decade, veering from krautrock to elctronic to jazz influenced rock. Best Track – The Adjustor