Top 20 Albums of the 2000's

Yes, I adore music. Yes, I play music. Yes, my perspective on what the "20 Best Albums of the 2000's" is inescapably biased. Although I've attempted to take subjectivity out of the equation, I can't guarantee this list is flawless. I tend to appreciate music as music, not necessarily as social commentary, political grandstanding, or, worst of all, that ever-illusive "cool" factor. I'm a bit of a Formalist, so this list tries to honor music as music, with all its beauty and intelligence and charisma in tact. The music here ranges from rock to hip-hop, from classical to folk, from jazz to country. I sincerely hope you read and enjoy.

* Honorable Mentions: Elephant by The White Stripes (2003), Hot Fuss by The Killers (2004), Love by The Beatles (2006), The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem (2000), 19 by Adele (2008)

20.) Almost Killed Me by The Hold Steady (2004): This record is pure rock & roll. I love the larger-than-life percussion, the gregarious bass-playing, the lead guitar that crackles with electric vitality, and those cynical, slipshod vocals. The eighth track is named "Sketchy Metal," and that seems to sum it all up pretty well. Listening, you worry the whole thing might fall apart at any moment. Surprisingly, this looseness is one of the album's best qualities. It's straightforward, it's blunt, it's uncomplicated. It's awesome.

19.) Kid A by Radiohead (2000): While my hands-down, all-time favorite Radiohead album is 1997's OK Computer, I think Kid A is pretty great, too. It's a mesmerizing electronic epic, a hypnotic blur of warped synthesizers and warbling melodies. While it isn't always the most pleasing album for your ears (sometimes I just want to slap vocalist Thom Yorke in the face and tell him to use his diaphragm and just sing, for God's sake), it's incredible for your mind and imagination. Just put on some headphones, close your eyes, and listen - it's easy to be pulled downstream in the uniqueness of what's on display. This is a curious rock & roll odyssey, one that pushes genre expectations and challenges auditory conventions.

18.) Hold Your Horse Is by Hella (2002): On the merits of pure musicianship, this album deserves a mention. Hella is a two-man instrumental outfit, equipped with some of the most dizzying guitar-playing and unhinged percussion you can imagine. On Hold Your Horse Is, the guys manage to funnel their astonishing artistry into a brisk 30-minute hurricane. The opening song, "The D. Elkan," is an ironic red herring that'll sucker you into thinking this could be a traditional album. You would be wrong. What follows is a baffling, somehow engaging math rock head trip. I've always been a fan of "Republic of Rough and Ready," which acts almost as the band's flagship song, a single if ever that was possible. If you're hesitant, I say start there. Ease into the rest at your own pace. Trying to keep up with the melodies, rhythms, or even time signatures, should be avoided. Just maintain your grip on reality and enjoy the ride.

17.) Rated R by Queens of the Stone Age (2000): "Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy, and alcohol. C-C-C-C-C-CO-CAINE!!!" So begins Rated R, a hyperactive, hazy fever-dream of pure garage band glory. It's easy to admire the guts and gusto of the production; everything sounds wrung out and sweaty, like the album parties way harder than you do and has been out all night to prove it. But the musicianship is rather impressive, with tight rhythms, interlocking guitars, and surprisingly funky bass grooves. Songs like "Autopilot," "In the Fade," and showstopper "Better Living Through Chemistry" prove that the Queens of the Stone Age are more than just a dingy bar band. Much more.

16.) Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes (2008): I think it's pretty much impossible to dislike this album. Armed with a sun-soaked abandon and undying buoyancy, each track makes you tap your toes, bob your head, or sing along (even if you don't know the lyrics). The Southern rock instrumentation pairs well with the mountain folk melodies, and before you know it, you're soaring high in Appalachian skies on wings of finely-tuned harmonies and lively strings. This is a fun collection of songs, brimming with charisma and humble charm.

15.) Skylark by Renee Olstead (2009): The skylark is a bird that is nimble, quick, and graceful. With this album, Renee Olstead's beautiful voice is all that and more. It is elegant, agile, electric, soulful... It is, dare I say, perfect. She is a perfect jazz vocalist, standing ably alongside Ella and Billie and all the greats. Thankfully, the big band arrangements that accompany her perfection are almost equally impressive. Sure, the album covers its fair share of standards (including a rather unshakable rendition of "Hit the Road, Jack"), but the original songs play out nicely, too. This record is an underrated jazz gem, and you should listen to it immediately.

14.) Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace by Foo Fighters (2007): This is the quintessential Foo Fighters album, for better or worse. Dave Grohl screams and slides, Taylor Hawkins absolutely demolishes the drums, and every melody rings with a top-40 bounce. And it all works, dammit. Each track is an anthem, the flavors ranging from downtrodden contemporary to spirited rock. The wash of distortion on "The Pretender" colors the old-school blues guitar riff with modern hues. "Long Road to Ruin" is an injection of sugary pop, with immense likability and a glossy production. The meditative guitars and ambitious arrangement of "Come Alive" keeps the spirit of Led Zeppelin alive. I'm particularly fond of "But, Honestly" with its rainbow of 12-string glory and larger-than-life finale. The Foo Fighters are often overrated and underrated, depending on who you ask. I contend that with this album, they are neither. Here, they got it just right.

13.) The Blueprint by Jay-Z (2001): Yes, ladies and gentlemen: The Ruler's back. Although Jay-Z has made his share of solid albums, this is probably the best. The Blueprint is exactly what its name suggests - a template for success, the very epitome of why hip-hop is so revered. It's uninhibited, polished, sly, irreverent, and very, very cool. The whole record is imbued with a groove so deep it can swallow you whole. Each song seems to leap from your speakers and explode to life - a musical fireworks display of life and personality. I'm particularly enamored with "Heart of the City," which might be my favorite rap tune of all time.

12.) Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips (2002): The beautiful weirdness of this album is encapsulated perfectly by its title. The phrase Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is oddly poetic, like the first line of some obscure John Lennon tune. And indeed, there are many parallels to be made between The Flaming Lips and The Beatles, and this record communicates them all: Mystic psychedelia, inventive storytelling, playful hooks, understated yet effective instrumentation, and a sacred chemistry between band-mates. This is an ambitious record, full of bubblegum philosophizing and groovy science-fiction. Put it on, and you'll be hard pressed to turn it off.

11.) Elephant Eyelash by WHY? (2005): This is a super bizarre album, but don't worry - it's a good kind of bizarre. There certainly isn't anything else like it, that's for sure. Somehow by abandoning melody, embracing nebulous chord structures, and sprinkling every track with an ironic dash of hip-hop, Elephant Eyelash manages to achieve the impossible: It creates a purely original sound without pretension or alienation. Allow yourself to get caught up in the inventive rhythms, the quirky instrumentation, and the unusual lyrics laced with imagery. You won't be disappointed.

10.) On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams - performed by the New York Philharmonic, the New York Choral, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (2002): Whatever feeble words I could write about this piece would be inadequate. I'd rather just tell you the story behind it: In January of 2002, the New York Philharmonic commissioned John Adams to compose a piece in memorial of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Instead, Adams gave listeners what he calls a "memory space" in which one can meditate on the tragedies of that day. Indeed, he did just that. This piece is devastating, eerie, violent, somber, and, ever so faintly, hopeful. It is one of the most important compositions of the last decade.

9.) Sea Change by Beck (2002): Never have purity of spirit and integrity of musical expression weaved together so harmoniously. Here Beck has crafted a beautiful album, dripping with melancholia and aching with dejection. The arrangements range from the verbose ("Paper Tiger") to the quaint ("Already Dead"). Paired with the haunting melodies and lamenting vocals, each song is captivating. Yet listening to this album, I can't help but be transported back to high school. I remember riding home from prom in the back of my buddy's station wagon, arm around my girlfriend, listening to this record in entirety as the stars shined overhead and Michigan suburbia whizzed by beyond the window. That's what Sea Change is - a musical memory, an unforgettable soundtrack. You'll be enchanted with this album's simple loveliness.

8.) The Question by Emery (2008): This album is more than pop-punk, or hardcore, or post-hardcore, or whatever you want to label it. Instead, The Question is a monumental feat of modern music. What other contemporary rock bands sound like this? With arrangements and structures this diverse? With harmonies and counter-melodies used so effectively? With such accomplished, nuanced musicianship? While I know this album may not be everyone's cup of tea (from the screaming, to the frenetic energy, to the brash instrumentation), it at least deserves a certain amount of respect. It feels like Emery took classical songwriting techniques and applied them to modern punk, like mixing Schubert with Green Day. Green Schubert - that's what this album is. The Question is a beautifully unexpected masterpiece, vicious and vibrant.

7.) Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (2006): By blending 21st century cynicism with traditional R&B songwriting, Winehouse gives listeners a spellbinding reinvention of Motown - complete with playful hooks, comfortable arrangements, and stunning genius. Yeah, we all know "Rehab" is great, but I prefer the quieter compositions, namely "Love is a Losing Game," a slick little song of sadness and sass. Other than our songstress's smoky vocals, which you can't help but love, the album's real success is its total lack of irony - it all seems sincere. Huh. Sincerity. Remember that? It's definitely something we need more of in contemporary pop music.

6.) The College Dropout by Kanye West (2004): Without question, this is hip hop's best record of the 2000's. With lively flow, clever lyrics, engaging themes, grabbing beats, and incredible hooks, it's an extraordinary debut for West and a high note for fans of the genre. While sarcasm seems to ooze from every pore (tracks like "New Workout Plan" and "School Spirit" practically laugh in your face), there's sincerity in its delivery. Even through the farce, West is preaching his philosophy of downtrodden pride and unexpected success. Other songs, like "All Falls Down" and career highlight "Jesus Walks" utilize relatively complex arrangements to examine life in the new millennium. Regardless of how entertaining and ostentatious his latter albums turned out to be, I think The College Dropout is West at his absolute best.

5.) Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles by John Mayer (2008): Blues, folk, pop, and rock delivered with such ease and expertise as to render the eclecticism all but invisible, this is definitely the best live album of the last decade. Mayer's melodies, whether vocal or instrumental, dance about your ears. Toe-tapping froth and heart-blazing soul cool and invigorate with equal intensity. Mayer proves his guitar-legend status, imprinting on every track a commanding degree of musicality. Highlights include the groovy "Vultures," a balls-to-the-wall rendition of Ray Charles's "I Don't Need No Doctor," and an acoustic cover of "Free Fallin" that is simply a revelation. Each song is a classic, every note is spot-on. What a concert.

4.) Illinois by Sufjan Stevens (2005): This incredible concept album (which focuses on, you guessed it, the state of Illinois) has a funny way of redefining musical sensibilities and shaping pop expectations for those curious enough to listen. Stevens entrances you with hypnotic stories and flamboyant arrangements, ones that lace softly atop each other with a naturalism unrivaled in the decade. Its lilting melodic flirtatiousness, coupled with the slick production, is borderline sublime. The song "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." will chill (and also break) your heart. "Jacksonville" is downbeat funk with a southern twang. "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" will expose you to the outer limits of pop music, with fun time signature changes and intriguing chord progressions. If you have no reservations about an album that dares to take chances, and then dares to commit to those chances, look no further than this.

3.) Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006): The individual records in this double album are named "Jupiter" and "Mars," and truly they each communicate worlds. Stadium Arcadium is a musical powerhouse that delivers everything from momentous rock to sing-song folk, from bottomless funk to trickling lullabies. Each member of the band performs at his musical zenith, and the chemistry they share together is kindred. Chad Smith's heavy-handed percussion lays a concrete framework, while Flea's virtuoso bass adds a surprising level of musical innovation. Guitarist John Frusciante does an excellent job smoothing over the arrangements, providing texture and depth with stunning vocal harmonies and counter-melodies. Singer Anthony Kiedis gives each track its heart and enthusiasm. The result? Stadium Arcadium is the best rock album of the decade, and perhaps one of the best ever recorded.

2.) American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash (2002): Wow. This is an amazing record. It's so rich in character, so authentic in its imagery, that you half expect a plume of desert dust to puff out of your headphones every time you listen. The name "Johnny Cash" carries a certain weight, and on American IV you can hear it. There's a heaviness to each song, a palpable weariness that speaks volumes about mortality and experience. Cash's craggy vocals will stain your heart, and his sickly sweet arrangements will percolate in your brain. His rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is hauntingly melancholic, yet "Personal Jesus" is a toe-tapping firecracker. The overall range is phenomenal, and yet it all feels undeniably Cash. Which, of course, means it feels undeniably American, and undeniably classic. This is a stunning album of loss, love, and hopeful redemption. It is essential.

1.) Classical Brubeck by Dave Brubeck - performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the London Voices (2003): In this, my pick for the best album of the last decade, we find jazz icon Dave Brubeck composing a transcendent collection of symphonies and recording them with the always-incomparable London Symphony Orchestra. This multifaceted compilation is marked by its rhythmic innovation, its melodic irony, and its overall breadth of musicality. You'll marvel at Brubeck's ability to construct chorales into kingdoms, and then realize you're only just scratching the surface. There's so much going on in these pieces - each one feels like a thriving ecosystem, teeming with life and possibility and wonder. Vibrant fugues lead into soulful jazz, ringing choruses fade into calm strings. The sheer brilliance and innovation of Brubeck's composition is astonishing. How did someone create all this? How could so much beauty and power stem from just one person? I can't listen to these pieces without laughing and shaking my head in disbelief. It's hard to put into words how wonderful this album is, so I'll simply encourage you to give it a listen and become enraptured. It's immaculate.