Best Albums of the Last Decade
The rock album theme of the "00s"? Consistency.
There were unquestionably less amazing records this decade than any other decade in rock. I probably listened to 3000 or so discs that came out in the "oughts" and gave just 3 "perfect" scores. But that doesn't mean everything sucked. Good, even great, albums came out in droves. By the same artists. Year after year.
Maybe it's just the way I listen to music (I'm pretty loyal to artists I like) but it was fascinating going through this exercise and seeing the consistency - for example, finding that all of the last 3 Mars Volta records were clustered together, along with the last 3 or 4 MMJ albums, TV On The Radio, Doves, Kings of Leon etc. It's pretty much the case down the line, from the few credible superstar bands like Green Day, U2, Radiohead, to the old warhorses like Dylan and Springsteen on down to the many excellent bands that never get airplay in these fractured times. And those bands are really the heart of the great rock of the decade - the mid-level Bonnaroo/Coachella/Lollapalooza draws. Highly credible bands that play theatres and put out a bunch of records that aren't quite "10s".
Soon, when I have more time to actually play with my own website, I'll be ranking my whole record collection. With far fewer "10s" in this decade, will I find that the overall number of great records (9+ ratings) are also lower this decade than in the 70's, 90s, 60's and even 80's? I can't wait to find out. I'm pretty damn sure the 70's and the 90's will blow this decade away, but not sure if the breadth of great albums was quite as consistent in the 80's or the 60's (I don't count jazz on this list - hard to compare apples to apples - so the 60's are hampered in my book by getting a pretty late start).
It's also fun to revisit records that - great as they may be - just don't seem a part of this last decade at all. Fatboy Slim? The last studio record from Rage Against The Machine? It also underscores how 2000-2001 frankly just had some more interesting stuff going on. Strange that 2001 feels like sooo long ago. A very fun exercise, this.
Wish I had time to write little blurbs about each record, but at the time of posting I just have too much going on. Blurbs/reviews will be trickling in.
The rankings took a lot of time, even with the ultimate listmaking tool at my disposal. To clarify for you readers who have gotten this far- I listened to (and am pretty likely to own) the entire decade's output by all but about 2% of the bands on this list, so (if you care) you can safely assume that, for example, having Motorhead's "Inferno" on this list does not mean I'm just I am just some dude who scored the odd Motorheaad album, but rather that Inferno was a surprisingly high-quality album by a band that hadn't put out anything consistently memorable in a long time. And so on.
I was originally planning a 200 or 250 item list, but some quality records would have gotten cut. So it's 300 - but in fairness, quality does start to drop around #275 or so.
Criteria:
Live albums and compilations of all sorts excluded. Had I included live albums, certainly Wilco, Warren Haynes, and many "official bootlegs" would have made the list. Other thoughts - Pearl Jam barely on the list, tho an absolute fave live band. Ditto for Phil and Friends, and Gov't Mule as well. Live versions are just better for these guys. When you make a list, you gotta have some rules (tho, when I do my 70's albums list, I don't see how I'll be able to exclude live albums - we humans are maddeningly inconsistent creatures).
And when I find myself deep in the weeds of trying to slice whether, say, the Starsailor debut beats Gillian Welch's "Time", I ask "if i had to live without ever hearing one of these which would it be?" Not entirely fair, as one can burn out on a once-loved album so of course I try to take that into consideration as well. Such is how it goes, when Ranking
There were unquestionably less amazing records this decade than any other decade in rock. I probably listened to 3000 or so discs that came out in the "oughts" and gave just 3 "perfect" scores. But that doesn't mean everything sucked. Good, even great, albums came out in droves. By the same artists. Year after year.
Maybe it's just the way I listen to music (I'm pretty loyal to artists I like) but it was fascinating going through this exercise and seeing the consistency - for example, finding that all of the last 3 Mars Volta records were clustered together, along with the last 3 or 4 MMJ albums, TV On The Radio, Doves, Kings of Leon etc. It's pretty much the case down the line, from the few credible superstar bands like Green Day, U2, Radiohead, to the old warhorses like Dylan and Springsteen on down to the many excellent bands that never get airplay in these fractured times. And those bands are really the heart of the great rock of the decade - the mid-level Bonnaroo/Coachella/Lollapalooza draws. Highly credible bands that play theatres and put out a bunch of records that aren't quite "10s".
Soon, when I have more time to actually play with my own website, I'll be ranking my whole record collection. With far fewer "10s" in this decade, will I find that the overall number of great records (9+ ratings) are also lower this decade than in the 70's, 90s, 60's and even 80's? I can't wait to find out. I'm pretty damn sure the 70's and the 90's will blow this decade away, but not sure if the breadth of great albums was quite as consistent in the 80's or the 60's (I don't count jazz on this list - hard to compare apples to apples - so the 60's are hampered in my book by getting a pretty late start).
It's also fun to revisit records that - great as they may be - just don't seem a part of this last decade at all. Fatboy Slim? The last studio record from Rage Against The Machine? It also underscores how 2000-2001 frankly just had some more interesting stuff going on. Strange that 2001 feels like sooo long ago. A very fun exercise, this.
Wish I had time to write little blurbs about each record, but at the time of posting I just have too much going on. Blurbs/reviews will be trickling in.
The rankings took a lot of time, even with the ultimate listmaking tool at my disposal. To clarify for you readers who have gotten this far- I listened to (and am pretty likely to own) the entire decade's output by all but about 2% of the bands on this list, so (if you care) you can safely assume that, for example, having Motorhead's "Inferno" on this list does not mean I'm just I am just some dude who scored the odd Motorheaad album, but rather that Inferno was a surprisingly high-quality album by a band that hadn't put out anything consistently memorable in a long time. And so on.
I was originally planning a 200 or 250 item list, but some quality records would have gotten cut. So it's 300 - but in fairness, quality does start to drop around #275 or so.
Criteria:
Live albums and compilations of all sorts excluded. Had I included live albums, certainly Wilco, Warren Haynes, and many "official bootlegs" would have made the list. Other thoughts - Pearl Jam barely on the list, tho an absolute fave live band. Ditto for Phil and Friends, and Gov't Mule as well. Live versions are just better for these guys. When you make a list, you gotta have some rules (tho, when I do my 70's albums list, I don't see how I'll be able to exclude live albums - we humans are maddeningly inconsistent creatures).
And when I find myself deep in the weeds of trying to slice whether, say, the Starsailor debut beats Gillian Welch's "Time", I ask "if i had to live without ever hearing one of these which would it be?" Not entirely fair, as one can burn out on a once-loved album so of course I try to take that into consideration as well. Such is how it goes, when Ranking
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Name
Buy
Artist
What Do You Think?
Release type
Genre(s)
Release Date
Tracks
Producer
Label
Length (mins)
Their Rating
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1
Wilcoadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Rock music2004-06-22At Least That's What You Said,Hell Is Chrome,Spiders (Kidsmoke),Muzzle of Bees,Hummingbird,Handshake Drugs,Wishful Thinking,Company in My Back,I'm a Wheel,Theologians,Less Than You Think,The Late GreatsJim O'Rourke,WilcoNonesuch Records4052.467 -
2
The Strokesadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Garage rock,Indie rock,Post-punk revival2001-07-29Is This It,The Modern Age,Soma,Barely Legal,Someday,Alone, Together,Last Nite,Hard to Explain,New York City Cops,Trying Your Luck,Take It or Leave ItRCA Records2189.627 -
3
The Hold Steadyadd commentAlbumPost-punk,Rock music2006-10-03Vagrant Records2412.707 -
4
Green Dayadd commentAlbum2004-09-13Wake Me Up When September Ends,Homecoming: The Death of St. Jimmy / East 12th St. / Nobody Likes You / Rock and Roll Girlfriend / We're Coming Home Again,American Idiot,Shoplifter,Governator,Jesus of Suburbia: Jesus of Suburbia / City of the Damned / I Don't Care / Dearly Beloved / Tales of Another Broken Home,Holiday,Boulevard of Broken DrGreen Day,Rob Cavallo3438.707 -
5
Drive-By Truckersadd commentAlbumSouthern rock2004-08-24Where the Devil Don't Stay,Tornadoes,The Day John Henry Died,Puttin' People on the Moon,Carl Perkins' Cadillac,The Sands of Iwo Jima,Danko/Manuel,The Boys From Alabama,Cottonseed,The Buford Stick (The Legend of Sheriff Buford Pusser),Daddy's Cup,Never Gonna Change,Lookout Mountain,Goddamn Lonely LoveDavid BarbeNew West Records4242.533 -
6
Radioheadadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Art rock,Electronic music2000-09-27Treefingers,In Limbo,Optimistic,Everything in Its Right Place,Kid A,The National Anthem,Morning Bell,Idioteque,How to Disappear CompletelyNigel Godrich,RadioheadCapitol Records,Parlophone2999.893 -
7
The Mars Voltaadd commentAlbumExperimental rock,Progressive rock2003-06-23Son et Lumiere,Inertiatic ESP,Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of),Tira Me a las Arañas,Drunkship of Lanterns,Eriatarka,Cicatriz ESP,This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed,Televators,Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt,AmbuletzOmar Rodriguez-Lopez,Rick RubinGold Standard Laboratories,Universal Records4079.627 -
8
Grandaddyadd commentAlbumIndie rock2000-05-08He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot,Hewlett's Daughter,Jed the Humanoid,The Crystal Lake,Chartsengrafs,Underneath the Weeping Willow,Broken Household Appliance National Forest,Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground),E. Knievel Interlude (The Perils of Keeping It Real),Miner at the Dial-A-View,So You'll Aim Toward the SkyV2 Records2812.933 -
9
Drive-By Truckersadd commentAlbumSouthern rock2003-06-17The Deeper In,Sink Hole,Hell No, I Ain't Happy,Marry Me,My Sweet Annette,Outfit,Heathens,Sounds Better in the Song,(Something's Got To) Give Pretty Soon,Your Daddy Hates Me,Careless,When the Pin Hits the Shell,Do It Yourself,Decoration Day,Loaded Gun in the ClosetDavid BarbeNew West Records3893.467 -
10
U2add commentAlbumRock music,Alternative rock2000-10-30Beautiful Day,Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of,Elevation,Walk On,Kite,In a Little While,Wild Honey,Peace on Earth,When I Look at the World,New York,Grace,The Ground Beneath Her FeetBrian Eno,Daniel LanoisInterscope Records,Island Records3190.427 -
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11
Animal Collectiveadd commentAlbumExperimental rock,Indie rock2009-01-20Domino Records -
12
Built to Spilladd commentAlbumRock music2001-07-10The Host,In Your Mind,Alarmed,Trimmed and Burning,Happiness,Don't Try,You Are,Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss,Strange,The WeatherPhil EkWarner Bros.,Warner Bros. Records2356.76 -
13
The Hold Steadyadd commentAlbumPost-punk,Rock music2008-07-15Rough Trade Records,Vagrant Records -
14
Bruce Springsteenadd commentAlbumRock music2007-10-30Brendan O'BrienColumbia Records -
15
The Secret Machinesadd commentAlbumNew Prog2004-05-18First Wave Intact,Sad and Lonely,The Leaves Are Gone,Nowhere Again,The Road Leads Where It's Led,Pharaoh's Daughter,You Are Chains,Light's On,Now Here Is Nowhere3045.0 -
16
Kings of Leonadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Garage rock,Indie rock,Rock music,Southern rock2004-11-01The Bucket,Soft,Four Kicks,Where Nobody KnowsEthan JohnsRCA,RCA Records2258.667 -
17
U2add commentAlbumRock music2009-03-03Brian Eno,Daniel Lanois,Steve LillywhiteInterscope Records,Island Records -
18
Yeah Yeah Yeahsadd commentDance-punk,Dream pop,Indie rock,New Wave,Synthpop2009-03-09David Andrew Sitek,Nick LaunayInterscope Records,Modular Recordings,Polydor Records -
19
Radioheadadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Art rock,Electronic music2003-05-26Go to Sleep. (Little Man Being Erased.)Nigel GodrichCapitol Records,Parlophone3401.8 -
20
Nick Cave and the Bad Seedsadd commentAlbumPost-punk2001-04-02As I Sat Sadly by Her Side,Gates to the Garden,Bless His Ever Loving Heart,Darker With the DayNick Cave and the Bad SeedsMute Records4064.653 -
21
Radioheadadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Art rock,Electronic music2007-10-10Mark Stent,Nigel GodrichXL Recordings,TBD Records2554.0 -
22
Isisadd commentAlbumPost-metal,Experimental music,Avant garde metal,Sludge metal2002-09-17The Beginning and the End,The Other,False Light,Carry,-,Maritime,Weight,From Sinking,HymMatt BaylesIpecac Recordings3800.0 -
23
Wilcoadd commentAlbumAlternative rock2002-04-23I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,Kamera,Radio Cure,Jesus, Etc.,Ashes of American Flags,Heavy Metal Drummer,Pot Kettle Black,Poor Places,Reservations,I'm the Man Who Loves YouJim O'Rourke,WilcoNonesuch Records3113.493 -
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Radioheadadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Art rock,Electronic music,Jazz,Experimental rock2001-06-04Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box,Pyramid Song,Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors,You and Whose Army?,I Might Be Wrong,Knives Out,Dollars & Cents,Hunting Bears,Like Spinning Plates,Life in a GlasshouseNigel Godrich,RadioheadCapitol Records,Parlophone2637.333 -
25
Rage Against the Machineadd commentAlbumAlternative metal,Funk-rock,Rapcore2000-12-04Microphone Fiend,Pistol Grip Pump,Renegades of Funk,I'm Housin',How I Could Just Kill a Man,The Ghost of Tom Joad,Maggie's Farm,Kick Out the Jams (live),How I Could Just Kill a Man (feat. Cypress Hill) (live),Kick Out the Jams,Beautiful World,In My Eyes,Down on the Street,Street Fighting Man,People of the Sun,No ShelterBrendan O'Brien,Rage Against the Machine,Rick RubinEpic Records3638.067 -
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PJ Harveyadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Indie rock2000-10-23Big Exit,Good Fortune,A Place Called Home,One Line,Beautiful Feeling,The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore,This Mess We're In,You Said Something,Kamikaze,This Is Love,Horses in My Dreams,We Float,This Wicked TongueMick Harvey,PJ HarveyIsland Records3198.0 -
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Bob Dylanadd commentAlbumBlues,Folk rock2001-09-11Mississippi,Bye and Bye,Lonesome Day Blues,Floater (Too Much to Ask),Po' Boy,Sugar Baby,Honest With Me,I Was Young When I Left Home,The Times They Are A-Changin' (alternate version),Moonlight,Tweedle Dee & Tweedle DumBob DylanColumbia Records3452.467 -
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U2add commentAlbumAlternative rock,Rock music2004-11-22Vertigo,Miracle Drug,Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own,Love and Peace or Else,City of Blinding Lights,All Because of You,A Man and a Woman,Crumbs From Your Table,One Step Closer,Original of the Species,Yahweh,Fast CarsBrian Eno,Chris Thomas,Daniel Lanois,Mark Ellis,Nellee Hooper,Steve LillywhiteInterscope Records,Island Records3192.293 -
29
The Secret Machinesadd commentAlbumRock music2006-04-252750.933 -
30
Modest Mouseadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Indie rock2000-06-13Wild Packs of Family Dogs,What People Are Made Of,3rd Planet,Perfect Disguise,Tiny Cities Made of Ashes,The Cold Part,Gravity Rides Everything,Dark Center of the Universe,A Different City,Alone Down There,The Stars Are Projectors,Paper Thin Walls,I Came as a Rat,Lives,Life Like WeedsBrian DeckEpic Records3583.467 -
31
Sigur Rósadd commentAlbumPost-rock1999-06Intro,Svefn-G-Englar,Starálfur,Flugufrelsarinn,Ný Batterí,Hjartað Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm)Fat Cat Records,Bad Taste4334.76 -
32
Built to Spilladd commentAlbumRock music2006-04-11Warner Bros.,Warner Bros. Records3265.867 -
33
Isisadd commentAlbumDoom metal,Post-metal2004-10-19So Did We,Backlit,In Fiction,Wills Dissolve,Syndic Calls,Altered Course,Grinning MouthsMatt BaylesIpecac Recordings,Robotic Empire3546.413 -
34
System of a Downadd commentSingle2002-03-11Toxicity,Marmalade,Metro (explicit version)586.44 -
35
Interpoladd commentAlbumIndie rock,Post-punk revival2002-08-19Untitled,Obstacle 1,NYC,PDA,Say Hello to the Angels,Hands Away,Obstacle 2,Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down,Roland,The New,Leif EriksonGareth JonesMatador Records2941.667 -
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Damon Albarn,Paul Simonon,Simon Tong,Tony Allenadd commentAlternative rock2007-01-22Danger MouseHonest Jon's,Parlophone -
37
My Morning Jacketadd commentAlbumIndie rock,Jam band,Psychedelic rock,Southern rock2001-06-05At Dawn,Lowdown,Death Is the Easy Way,Hopefully,Bermuda Highway,Honest Man,X-Mas Curtain,Just Because I Do,If It Smashes Down,I Needed It Most,Phone Went West,Strangulation!,[untitled],The Way That He SingsDarla Records4440.173 -
38
The Mars Voltaadd commentAlbumExperimental rock,Jazz fusion,Progressive rock,Psychedelic rock2005-03-01Omar Rodriguez-LopezGold Standard Laboratories,Universal Records4617.933 -
39
Primal Screamadd commentAlternative rock,Electronica,Indie rockAdrian Sherwood,Brendan LynchCreation Records -
40
Metallicaadd commentAlbumHeavy metal,Thrash metal2008-09-16Metallica,Rick RubinMercury Records,Universal Music Group,Vertigo Records,Warner Bros. Records -
41
The Strokesadd commentAlbumGarage rock,Indie rock,Post-punk revival2003-10-20What Ever Happened?,Reptilia,Automatic Stop,12:51,You Talk Way Too Much,Between Love & Hate,Meet Me in the Bathroom,Under Control,The End Has No End,The Way It Is,I Can't WinGordon RaphaelRCA Records2016.267 -
42
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43
Bob Dylanadd commentAlbumBlues,Folk rock,Rock music,Country2006-08-28Bob DylanColumbia Records3768.187 -
44
The Twilight Singersadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Rock music2003-10-14Martin Eden,Esta Noche,St. Gregory,The Killer,Decatur St.,Papillon,Follow You Down,Feathers,Number Nine,Teenage WristbandOne Little Indian Records2686.587 -
45
Bruce Springsteenadd commentAlbumRock music2002-07-30Brendan O'BrienColumbia Records4392.08 -
46
Nine Inch Nailsadd commentConcept album,Industrial rock2007-04-16Atticus Ross,Trent ReznorInterscope Records -
47
TV on the Radioadd commentAlbumElectronic music,Experimental rock,Indie rock2006-06-30David Andrew Sitek4AD,Interscope Records3374.667 -
48
Iron & Wineadd commentAlbumFolk music2004-03-24On Your Wings,Naked as We Came,Cinder and Smoke,Sunset Soon Forgotten,Teeth in the Grass,Love and Some Verses,Radio War,Each Coming Night,Free Until They Cut Me Down,Sodom, South Georgia,Cinder and Smoke (demo),Swans and the Swimming,Free Until They Cut Me Down (demo),Hickory,Fever Dream,Passing AfternoonBrian DeckSub Pop2689.893 -
49
Dovesadd commentAlbumIndie rock2000-04-03Firesuite,Here It Comes,Catch the Sun,The Man Who Told Everything,Break Me Gently,The Cedar Room,Sea Song,Rise,Lost Souls,Melody Calls,Reprise,A HouseSteve OsborneAstralwerks,Heavenly Records3558.733 -
50
My Morning Jacketadd commentAlbumRock music2003-09-09Mahgeetah,Dancefloors,Golden,Master Plan,One Big Holiday,I Will Sing You Songs,Easy Morning Rebel,Run Thru,Rollin Back,Just One Thing,Steam Engine,One in the SameATO Records4310.96 -
51
Ryan Adamsadd commentAlbumAlternative country,Country2000-09-05(Argument With David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey),My Winding Wheel,Bartering Lines,Call Me on Your Way Back Home,Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains),Come Pick Me Up,To Be the One,Why Do They Leave?,Shakedown on 9th Street,Don't Ask for the Water,In My Time of Need,Sweet Lil Gal (23rd/1st),AmyEthan JohnsBloodshot Records3125.16 -
52
Drive-By Truckersadd commentAlbumAlternative country,Rock music2001-09-12David Barbe -
53
Amy Winehouseadd commentAlbumBlues,Jazz,Rhythm and blues,Rock music,Ska,Soul music,Pop musicMark RonsonIsland Records,Republic Records -
54
Bruce Springsteenadd commentAlbumFolk music2006-04-25We Shall Overcome (Pete Seeger)Bruce Springsteen,Jon LandauColumbia Records3636.08 -
55
Sonic Youthadd commentAlbumAlternative rock2002-06-10Plastic Sun,Sympathy for the Strawberry,The Empty Page,Disconnection Notice,Rain on Tin,Karen Revisited,Radical Adults Lick Godhead StyleGeffen Records,Interscope Records2743.613 -
56
Kings of Leonadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Garage rock,Indie rock,Rock music,Southern rockEthan Johns -
57
Drive-By Truckersadd commentAlbum2008-01-22 -
58
The Mars Voltaadd commentAlbumJazz fusion,Progressive rock2006-09-12Omar Rodriguez-LopezGold Standard Laboratories,Universal Records4566.227 -
59
Spiritualizedadd commentAlbumSpace rock2001-09-16On Fire,Do It All Over Again,Don't Just Do Something,The Twelve Steps,The Straight and the Narrow,I Didn't Mean to Hurt You,Stop Your Crying,Won't Get to Heaven (The State I'm In),Lord Can You Hear Me,Anything More (instrumental),Out of SightArista Records3788.733 -
60
Nine Inch Nailsadd commentAlbumAlternative metal,Alternative rock,Industrial rock2005-04-27Alan Moulder,Trent ReznorInterscope Records,Nothing Records4105.253 -
61
The Libertinesadd commentAlbumGarage rock,Indie rock,Punk rock,Rock music2002-10-21Vertigo,Death on the Stairs,Horrorshow,Time for Heroes,Boys in the Band,Radio America,Up the Bracket,Tell the King,The Boy Looked at Johnny,Begging,The Good Old Days,I Get AlongRough Trade Records2200.107 -
62
Jesuadd commentAlbumAmbient music,Doom metal,Post-metal,Rock music,Shoegazing,Experimental music2007-02-20Justin BroadrickHydra Head Records -
63
TV on the Radioadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Experimental rock,Funk-rockDavid Andrew Sitek4AD,Interscope Records -
64
The White Stripesadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Blues-rock,Garage rock,Punk blues2003-03-19Seven Nation Army,Black Math,There's No Home for You Here,I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself,In the Cold, Cold Night,I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart,You've Got Her in Your Pocket,Ball and Biscuit,The Hardest Button to Button,Little Acorns,Hypnotize,The Air Near My Fingers,Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine,Well It'John Anthony Gillis,Liam WatsonV2 Records,XL Recordings -
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TV on the Radioadd commentAlbumExperimental rock,Indie rock,Rock music2004-03-09David Andrew SitekTouch and Go Records -
66
Killing Jokeadd commentAlbumIndustrial metal,Industrial rock,Post-punk2003-07-28 -
67
My Morning Jacketadd commentAlbumIndie rock,Jam band,Psychedelic rock,Southern rock2005-10-04John LeckieATO Records,RCA Records -
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The Mars Voltaadd comment2009-06-23Omar Rodriguez-LopezMercury Records,Warner Bros. Records -
69
The Mars Voltaadd commentAlbumProgressive rock,Psychedelic rock2008-01-29Omar Rodriguez-LopezGold Standard Laboratories,Universal Motown Records Group,Universal Records -
70
Tooladd commentAlbumAlternative metal,Art rock,Progressive metal,Progressive rock2001-05-14The Grudge,Eon Blue Apocalypse,The Patient,Mantra,Schism,Parabol,Parabola,Ticks & Leeches,Lateralus,Disposition,Reflection,Triad,Faaip de OaidDavid Bottrill,ToolVolcano Records,Zoo Entertainment4758.32 -
71
The Twilight Singersadd commentAlbumRock music2004-08-24Feeling of Gaze,Too Tough to Die,Hyperballad,Strange Fruit,What Makes You Think You're the One?,Real Love,Hard Time Killing Floor,A Love Supreme,Please Stay (Once You Go Away),Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair,SummertimeOne Little Indian Records2386.96 -
72
Guns N' Rosesadd commentAlbumHard rock,Rock music2008-11-23Geffen Records4278.0 -
73
Portisheadadd commentAlbumArt rock,Downtempo,Electronica,Electronic music,Experimental rock,Trip hop,Experimental music2008-04-28Island Records,Mercury Records -
74
Robert Plant & Alison Kraussadd commentAlbum
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Green Dayadd commentAlternative rock,Pop punk,Power pop,Punk rock,Rock opera2009-05-15Butch Vig,Green DayReprise Records -
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The Gutter Twinsadd commentAlternative rock2008-03-04Mark LaneganSub Pop -
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The White Stripesadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Blues-rock,Garage rock,Indie rock2005-06-01John Anthony GillisV2 Records,XL Recordings -
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Sleater-Kinneyadd commentAlbumIndie rock,Psychedelic rock,Punk rock2005-05-24Dave FridmannSub Pop2890.387 -
79
Beckadd commentAlbumAlternative rock2002-09-21It's All in Your Mind,Side of the Road,Ship in the BottleNigel GodrichGeffen Records -
80
Spiritualizedadd commentAlbumRock music2003-09-08This Little Life of Mine,She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit),Hold On,Oh Baby,Never Goin' Back,The Power and the Glory,Lord Let It Rain on Me,The Ballad of Richie Lee,Cheapster,Rated X,Lay It Down Slow2586.0 -
81
Red Hot Chili Peppersadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Funk-rock2006-05-05Rick RubinWarner Bros. Records3759.56 -
82
Steve Earleadd commentAlternative country,Country2000-06-06Ray Kennedy,Steve EarleE-Squared Records -
83
The Raconteursadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Blues-rock,Rock music2008-03-25Brendan Benson,John Anthony GillisThird Man Records,Warner Bros. Records -
84
Kings of Leonadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Rock music,Southern rockRCA Records -
85
Spiritualizedadd commentAlternative rock,Space rock2008-05-26Fontana Records,Sanctuary Records,Universal Records -
86
Sufjan Stevensadd commentAlbumBaroque pop,Folk rock,Indie folk,Experimental rock2005-07-05Asthmatic Kitty4455.36 -
87
Elliott Smithadd commentAlbumIndie rock2000-04-17Son of Sam,I Better Be Quiet Now,Bye,Somebody that I Used to Know,LA,Happiness / The Gondola Man,Junk Bond Trader,Everything Reminds Me of Her,Everything Means Nothing to Me,In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach) / The Roost,Stupidity Tries,Easy Way Out,Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?,Color Bars,Pretty Mary K,Can't Make a SoundElliott Smith,Rob Schnapf,Tom RothrockDreamWorks3135.533 -
88
Broken Social Sceneadd commentAlbumBaroque pop,Indie rock2002-10-15Capture the Flag,KC Accidental,Stars and Sons,Almost Crimes (Radio Kills remix),Looks Just Like the Sun,Pacific Theme,Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl,Cause = Time,Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries,Shampoo Suicide,Lover's Spit,I'm Still Your Fag,Pitter Patter Goes My HeartPaper Bag Records3376.84 -
89
Dovesadd commentIndie rockJohn LeckieAstralwerks,EMI,Heavenly Records -
90
My Morning Jacketadd commentIndie rock,Southern rockJoe ChicarelliATO Records -
91
Wolfmotheradd commentHard rock,Neo-Psychedelia,Psychedelic rock,Rock music,Stoner rock2006Jim DiamondInterscope Records,Modular Recordings,Universal Records -
92
R.E.M.add commentAlternative rockR.E.M.Warner Bros. Records -
93
Iron Maidenadd commentAlbumHeavy metal2000-05-30The Wicker Man,Dream of Mirrors,The Fallen Angel,The Nomad,Out of the Silent Planet,The Thin Line Between Love and Hate,Ghost of the Navigator,Blood Brothers,The MercenaryKevin Shirley,Steve HarrisEMI,Portrait Records,Sony Music Entertainment4023.427 -
94
Foo Fightersadd commentAlbumAlternative rock2007-09-25Foo Fighters,Gil NortonRCA Records -
95
Dovesadd commentAlbumIndie rock2002-04-29Intro,Words,There Goes the Fear,M62 Song,Where We're Calling From,N.Y.,Satellites,Friday's Dust,Last Broadcast,The Sulphur Man,Caught by the River,Pounding,Hit the Ground Running,Far From Grace,Willow Song,NorthendenSteve OsborneCapitol Records,Heavenly Records3241.213 -
96
Slipknotadd commentAlbumAlternative metal,Heavy metal,Nu metal2004-05-25Duality,Danger - Keep Away,Opium of the People,Circle,Vermilion,The Nameless,Prelude 3.0,The Blister Exists,Three Nil,Welcome,Pulse of the Maggots,Before I Forget,Vermilion, Part 2,The Virus of LifeRick RubinNuclear Blast,Roadrunner Records3671.08 -
97
The Twilight Singersadd commentAlbumIndie rock2006-05-16One Little Indian Records2935.6 -
98
Queens of the Stone Ageadd commentAlbumAlternative rock,Desert rock,Hard rock,Heavy metal,Stoner rock2002-08-27Adam Kasper,Joshua HommeInterscope Records,Ipecac Recordings -
99
Sonic Youthadd commentAlternative rock2009-06-09Matador Records -
100
High on Fireadd commentAlbumHeavy metalJack EndinoRelapse Records
 but it was fascinating going through this exercise and seeing the consistency - for example, finding that all of the last 3 Mars Volta records were clustered together, along with the last 3 or 4 MMJ albums, TV On The Radio, Doves, Kings of Leon etc. It\'s pretty much the case down the line, from the few credible superstar bands like Green Day, U2, Radiohead, to the old warhorses like Dylan and Springsteen on down to the many excellent bands that never get airplay in these fractured times. And those bands are really the heart of the great rock of the decade - the mid-level Bonnaroo/Coachella/Lollapalooza draws. Highly credible bands that play theatres and put out a bunch of records that aren\'t quite \'10s\'.
Soon, when I have more time to actually play with my own website, I\'ll be ranking my whole record collection. With far fewer \'10s\' in this decade, will I find that the overall number of great records (9+ ratings) are also lower this decade than in the 70\'s, 90s, 60\'s and even 80\'s? I can\'t wait to find out. I\'m pretty damn sure the 70\'s and the 90\'s will blow this decade away, but not sure if the breadth of great albums was quite as consistent in the 80\'s or the 60\'s (I don\'t count jazz on this list - hard to compare apples to apples - so the 60\'s are hampered in my book by getting a pretty late start).
It\'s also fun to revisit records that - great as they may be - just don\'t seem a part of this last decade at all. Fatboy Slim? The last studio record from Rage Against The Machine? It also underscores how 2000-2001 frankly just had some more interesting stuff going on. Strange that 2001 feels like sooo long ago. A very fun exercise, this.
Wish I had time to write little blurbs about each record, but at the time of posting I just have too much going on. Blurbs/reviews will be trickling in.
The rankings took a lot of time, even with the ultimate listmaking tool at my disposal. To clarify for you readers who have gotten this far- I listened to (and am pretty likely to own) the entire decade\'s output by all but about 2% of the bands on this list, so (if you care) you can safely assume that, for example, having Motorhead\'s \'Inferno\' on this list does not mean I\'m just I am just some dude who scored the odd Motorheaad album, but rather that Inferno was a surprisingly high-quality album by a band that hadn\'t put out anything consistently memorable in a long time. And so on.
I was originally planning a 200 or 250 item list, but some quality records would have gotten cut. So it\'s 300 - but in fairness, quality does start to drop around #275 or so.
Criteria:
Live albums and compilations of all sorts excluded. Had I included live albums, certainly Wilco, Warren Haynes, and many \'official bootlegs\' would have made the list. Other thoughts - Pearl Jam barely on the list, tho an absolute fave live band. Ditto for Phil and Friends, and Gov\'t Mule as well. Live versions are just better for these guys. When you make a list, you gotta have some rules (tho, when I do my 70\'s albums list, I don\'t see how I\'ll be able to exclude live albums - we humans are maddeningly inconsistent creatures).
And when I find myself deep in the weeds of trying to slice whether, say, the Starsailor debut beats Gillian Welch\'s \'Time\', I ask \'if i had to live without ever hearing one of these which would it be?\' Not entirely fair, as one can burn out on a once-loved album so of course I try to take that into consideration as well. Such is how it goes, when Ranking', false, []);)
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