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The Best Artists Of The 00s (So Far)

Posted about 1 year ago
In less than two years this decade will be over. It's hard to believe, as most of us still haven't decided what to call it (the "oughts", the "naughties"?) let alone get a grip on what it means. It's been a blur of stolen elections, downspiraling economies, mounting debt, and a paranoid entertainment industry relentlessly jerking their customers around. Despite all the BS, some people still managed to release some good albums. The era of blockbusters are over, because the industry no longer has a stranglehold on bottlenecking the variety of what we choose to listen to. As much as they'd like twenty million people to all buy the same ten albums at Walmart, we have a far wider variety of choices than ever before. The era of consensus is over, and canons are always questionable. That may sound strange coming from a compulsive listmaker, but I'm all for supporting a variety of opinions. Lists aren't very interesting if they're all alike. Just because lists can be challenged doesn't mean they aren't valuable. I've used critic's polls and books like the MOJO Collection and 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die to find albums I've overlooked, reconsider ones I've dismissed, and get a different perspective on ones I'm familiar with. Whether I agree or not, I often hear things I didn't notice before. Even with the endless streams of new music and the explosion of music blogs, some cluster groupthinking does occur, and many of the artists at the top of my list will seem, *yawn*, predictable. That part is inevitable. Don't let it distract you from digging deeper and finding out what's so special about Nação Zumbí, My Computer, Ampop, Arto Lindsay, The Czars and The Flaming Stars. You just might find a new obsession.Like the 90s list, I made this list by taking the rank each album appeared in its respective year and averaged it with the other albums. More weight was given to artists with more albums. At least those with consistent albums. Take Amon Tobin, for example. He started the decade strong with two albums that each placed 3rd in 2000 and 2002. But his album in 2006 didn't make the top 200, so he barely made the list. Competition is fierce, despite the fact that without hindsight, it seems many of the artists lack the larger than life quality as those from other decades, especially the dead ones. I'd like to see all these artists stay alive and release their best albums yet in the next two years. At least two have broken up (Sleater-Kinney, 16 Horsepower), but there should be plenty of artists (Edan, The Knife, Benoît Pioulard, Yeasayer, White Rabbits, etc.) following up their debuts, making the list and pushing off any slackers. I excluded the ones who only have one album so far. A few one album wonders might make the individual album list, but the top 100 artists of the decade should have more than one load in their holsters. Continue...
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Comments (19)

  1. fastnbulbous
    fastnbulbous says 01. TV On The Radio 02. Radiohead 03. Nação Zumbí 04. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 05. Patrick Wolf 06. The White Stripes 07. Mastodon 08. My Computer 09. Arto Lindsay 10. Tom Waits 11. Spoon 12. Junior Boys 13. Sleater-Kinney 14. Sigur Ros 15. Queens of the Stone Age 16. Field Music 17. Franz Ferdinand 18. Broadcast 19. Gorillaz 20. Mark Lanegan 21. Moreno/Domenico/Kassin +2 22. Opeth 23. Maximo Park 24. The Rakes 25. PJ Harvey 26. The Mars Volta 27. Hawksley Workman 28. Ed Harcourt 29. Shack 30. Out Hud 31. Four Tet 32. Max De Castro 33. Tinariwen 34. Editors 35. Burial 36. LCD Soundsystem 37. Mogwai 38. The Czars 39. The Strokes 40. Neko Case 41. The Flaming Stars 42. Menomena 43. Bloc Party 44. Enslaved 45. Colder 46. Wilco 47. Fennesz 48. Godspeed You Black Emperor! 49. Mission Of Burma 50. 16 Horsepower 51. Hot Chip 52. Otto 53. The Books 54. John Vanderslice 55. El-P 56. Ampop 57. N.E.R.D. 58. The Rapture 59. Tony Allen 60. Elbow 61. Eluvium 62. Black Mountain 63. Rob 64. The Black Keys 65. Witchcraft 66. Björk 67. Nina Nastasia 68. Russian Futurists 69. The Futureheads 70. Café Tacvba 71. Handsome Family 72. M83 73. Lali Puna 74. Roots Manuva 75. Tunng 76. !!! 77. Built To Spill 78. Dälek 79. The Roots 80. Joanna Newsom 81. Dungen 82. Tom Zé 83. Tokyo Jihen 84. Robert Wyatt 85. Delgados 86. Sparklehorse 87. The Coral 88. Gogol Bordello 89. Frog Eyes 90. 65daysofstatic 91. Boris 92. The Walkmen 93. Prefuse 73 94. Parts & Labor 95. Blue States 96. Stars 97. Cornelius 98. Amon Tobin 99. Black Moth Super Rainbow 100. A Frames

    Best Albums of the 00s (So Far)

    01. Radiohead - Kid A (Capitol) 00 02. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (4AD/Interscope) 06 03. Björk Vespertine (Elektra) 01 04. TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch & Go) 04 05. Radiohead - Hail To The Thief (Capitol) 03 06. Four Tet - Rounds (Domino) 03 07. Café Tacvba - Quatro Caminos (MCA) 03 08. PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (Island) 00 09. N.E.R.D. - In Search Of ... (Virgin) 02 10. Amon Tobin - Supermodified (Ninja Tune) 00 11. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (Interscope) 02 12. Asian Dub Foundation - Community Music (London) 00 13. Amon Tobin - Out From Out Where (Ninja Tune) 02 14. The Notwist - Neon Golden (City Slang) 02 15. Mastodon - Blood Mountain (Reprise) 06 16. Opeth - Ghost Reveries (Roadrunner) 05 17. Patrick Wolf - Wind In The Wires (Tomlab) 05 18. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones (Interscope) 06 19. Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub) 07 20. The Mars Volta - De-Loused In The Comatorium (GSL/Universal) 03 21. Kassin +2 - Futurismo (Video Arts Japan/Luaka Bop) 06 22. Radiohead - In Rainbows (ATO) 07 23. Apparat - Walls (Bpitch Control) 07 24. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals (We Are Free) 07 25. Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R (Interscope) 00 26. Sussan Deyhim - Madman Of God: Divine Love Songs of the Persian Sufi Masters (CramWorld) 00 27. Hawksley Workman - For Him And The Girls (Isadora/Ba Da Bing) 00 28. Hawksley Workman - (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves (Universal) 01 29. The Strokes - Is This It (RCA/BMG) 01 30. Brian Wilson - SMiLE (Nonesuch) 04 31. Mastodon - Leviathan (Relapse) 04 32. My Computer - No CV (Tesla UK) 05 33. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (Domino) 05 34. Junior Boys - Last Exit (Kin UK) 04 35. Rob - Satyred Love (Source/Virgin Fr) 02 36. My Computer - Vulnerabilia (13 Amp UK) 02 37. Arto Lindsay - Invoke (Righteous Babe) 02 38. The Walkmen - Bows And Arrows (Record Collection) 04 39. Arto Lindsay - Salt (Righteous Babe) 04 40. Sketch Show - Loophole (Third Ear) 04 41. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Warner) 02 42. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch) 02 43. Nina Nastasia - The Blackened Air (Touch and Go) 02 44. The Rakes - Capture/Release (V2 UK) 05 45. Robyn (Konichiwa Records) 05 46. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Wichita/V2) 05 47. The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant) 06 48. The Knife - Silent Shout (Rabid/Mute) 06 49. Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position (Universal/Polydor) 07 50. Matthew Dear - Asa Breed (Ghostly International) 07 51. Jesu - Conquerer (Hydra Head) 07 52. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (Graveface) 07 53. White Rabbits - Fort Nightly (Say Hey) 07 54. Nação Zumbí - Fome De Tudo (Deck Disk Brazil) 07 55. Björk - Medulla (Elektra) 04 56. Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things (Tirk) 06 57. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (Anti) 06 58. Joanna Newsom - Ys (Drag City) 06 59. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell (Interscope) 03 60. Hot Chip - The Warning (DFA/Astralwerks) 06 61. The White Stripes - Elephant (V2) 03 62. Plush - Fed (After Hours Jpn) 02 63. Tom Waits - Alice (Anti/Epitaph) 02 64. Neko Case - Blacklisted (Bloodshot) 02 65. Field Music (Memphis Industries UK) 05 66. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (Sub Pop) 05 67. At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command (Grand Royal) 00 68. Sigur Rós - Ágaetis Byrjun (FatCat/Bubble Core) 00 69. Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher (Warp) 03 70. Otto - Sem Gravidade (Trama) 03 71. Shack - Here's Tom With The Weather (North Country UK) 03 72. Broadcast - Hahasound (Warp) 03 73. Annie - Anniemal (679) 04 74. The Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum (Beggars) 04 75. Benoît Pioulard - Précis (Kranky) 06 76. Tony Allen - Lagos No Shaking (Honest Jon) 06 77. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye (Domino) 06 78. Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld (Drag City) 04 79. Nação Zumbí (Trama) 02 80. Patrick Wolf - Lycanthropy (Tomlab) 04 81. Sleater-Kinney - All Hands On The Bad One (Kill Rock Stars) 00 82. Nação Zumbí - Radio S.AMB.A. (Stern's Brasil) 00 83. Ed Harcourt - From Every Sphere (Astralwerks/Heaven) 03 84. Fugazi - The Argument (Dischord) 01 85. Mercury Rev - All Is Dream (V2) 01 86. Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life (EMI/Parlophone) 01 87. Ed Harcourt - Here Be Monsters (Virgin) 01 88. Ampop - Nature Is Not A Virgin (R&R Iceland) 00 89. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (Kranky) 00 90. 16 Horsepower - Secret South (Razor & Tie) 00 91. Cappablack - Facades and Skeletons (Scape Germany) 06 92. Nação Zumbí - Futura (Trama) 06 93. Lansing-Dreiden - The Dividing Island (Kemado) 06 94. Various Productions - The World Is Gone (XL) 06 95. Primal Scream - Xtrmntr (Creation) 00 96. Sufjan Stevens - Greetings from Michigan (Asthmatic Kitty) 03 97. Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power (XL/Beggars) 03 98. Pulp - We Love Life (Uni/Island) 01 99. The Black Keys - Rubber Factory (Fat Possum) 04 100. Razorlight - Up All Night (Vertigo UK) 04
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  2. Slicing
    Slicing says I only knew like 10 of those artist haha...that's really distressing actually:/
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  3. Cody B
    Cody B says Enjoyed the list.. Do you think this speaks well of the decade compared with other decades? (Lack of larger than life stars notwithstanding) Any folks on both the 90's and 00's list?
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  4. Michael P
    Michael P says I'm just not feelin' the love for TV on the Radio. Granted, I've only heard Return to Cookie Mtn, but it didn't grab me like it did for - apparently - most other rock critics last year. There are two stellar tracks on the album, and the rest - in my opinion - is forgettable. I don't mean to be harsh - just wanted to throw in a dissenting opinion.
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  5. fastnbulbous
    fastnbulbous says That's cool. The album took a while to sink in. You should definitely hear their EP and first album. Feel free to give your top 1, 5, 10, or 20 artists and albums. Which artists do you think will move up the ranks this year and '09? I tried to get a discussion going over at iLX and it's like pulling teeth. It's really disheartening. This is supposed to be my community. Music geeks should be my people, right? But if you look at the snide responses, you'd think all music obsessives also have personality disorders. Or maybe they're just asshole wannabe hipsters too cowardly to give their real opinions for fear of ridicule from the rest of the jackals. While MOG is at least a friendlier, warmer forum largely free of personal attacks, the problem is that most posts sink into oblivion before a real discussion ever occurs. What artists are missing that you'd include? Super Furry Animals, for example, had a good run, but I couldn't get into Love Kraft and Hey Venus!. Maybe I'll need to re-listen.
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  6. fastnbulbous
    fastnbulbous says Cody - Do you think this speaks well of the decade compared with other decades? Any folks on both the 90's and 00's list? To be fair I think I'll have to wait 'til 2010 to be able to compare decades, heh. 2010, damn that sounds weird. Where's my jetpack? For sure, there's a handfull on both lists. See my 90s list. Bands on average take more time between albums and stay together longer than before, so it's inevitable.
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  7. Sturgell
    Sturgell says "While MOG is at least a friendlier, warmer forum largely free of personal attacks, the problem is that most posts sink into oblivion before a real discussion ever occurs." -I would have to agree with that. The sheer number of posts made everyday make some of the more interesting threads seem to fade away. That's why I always go back with the "posts I've commented on" filter and catch up on certain subjects. 15. Mastodon - Blood Mountain (Reprise) 06 16. Opeth - Ghost Reveries (Roadrunner) 05 -BIG PROPS for this! Sooo many snobs write off what a lot of the metal community has been doing when in actuality, it's some of the most progressive music out there(IMO)! Which reminds me! Mastodon and Dimmu and coming through the Bay Area soon.
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  8. Bartleby
    Bartleby says An impressive and very thorough list - I for one don't like compiling (sounds like doomsday kind of ominous). Get me this straight, is this a personal list or statistics aggregated based on individual ratings?
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  9. fastnbulbous
    fastnbulbous says A personal list aggregated from yet more personal lists, mwa ha ha. See my site. People often refer to www.fastnbulbous.com as "they" because they don't believe a single person would be lunatic enough. Just as well that they think I at least have minions should anyone cross me.
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  10. darmuzz
    darmuzz says OK I will take the plunge. My own favourites, decade so far: White Stripes Rufus Wainwright Dresden Dolls Sigur Ros These are artists I think the 00s will be remembered for: Coldplay Death Cab for Cutie Bright Eyes Arcade Fire And in the pop world: Black Eyed Peas Alicia Keys & kudos to you for listing Hawksley Workman!
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  11. Cody B
    Cody B says I can't wait to see you in your highend audio jetpack, dropping list science from above the ex-ozone layer. Cheers fast n'
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  12. jenny
    jenny says Wow, this list makes my head spin...isn't it hard enough deciding what you liked in a given year? I personally am not as fond of TVOTR...liked the first EP, less enthused about the rest. However, I would add, somewhere, in no particular order. Devendra Banhart "Rejoicing in the Hands" Akron/Family/Angels of Light "ST" Calla "Televise" The National "Alligator" (and possibly Boxer, not sure...) Liars "They Threw Us All in a Trench" Dirtbombs "Ultraglide in Black" Angels of Light "Everything Is Good Here" Consonant "ST" Ponys "Laced with Romance" BellRays "Grand Fury" BRMC "ST" (This is maybe 1999, not sure) The Fall, "The Real New Fall EP" Calexico "Feast of Wire" The Hold Steady "Almost Killed Me" (Much Better, IMO, than Boys and Girls) Kelley Stoltz "Antique Glow" Oneida "Secret Wars" The Reigning Sound "Too Much Guitar" Thermals "More Parts Per Million" The Wrens "The Meadowlands" Oh, kind of ran off at the list there, sorry...
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  13. Cody B
    Cody B says Wow, I guess one thing I could say between the 90's and the 00's is that Hip Hop is dead! the other would be that metal lives. Dug it..
    Permalink posted 01/29/2008
  14. Bartleby
    Bartleby says @Fastnbulbous: This would have made Benjamin Franklin proud...
    Permalink posted 01/30/2008
  15. brendanhalpin
    brendanhalpin says I dig the lists, though of course, like all lists not made by me, this one has problems. (kidding!) (sort of!) I would add Frank Black's "Devil's Workshop," "Black Letter Days" and "Show Me YOur Tears" for best albums, along with Apples in Stereo's "Velocity of Sound" and "New Magnetic Wonder." Also the Len Price 3's "Rentacrowd".
    Permalink posted 01/30/2008
  16. Karloff
    Karloff says You rated "Hail To The Thief" 10- and "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes" 9+, yet "Blood Thirsty..." is #04 and "Hail..." is #05. Is there something about your rating system that I'm not getting? Ok, actually I just wanna see Radiohead top your artist's list... ;P
    Permalink posted 01/31/2008
  17. fastnbulbous
    fastnbulbous says Yeah, my lists are riddled with inconsistencies. Though they're getting better -- this Russian named Maxime Pugachev keeps me on my toes. I'm flattered anyone cares. I like HTTT less and DYBTB more since I first rated them in the yearly lists. Technically going just by points Radiohead would have topped it, but I also consider the fact that they're more on an artistic downswing, while I'm betting that TVOTR have yet to peak. Hopefully I'll find out later this year. I counted their EPs too. I'm still pondering why Ben Franklin would be proud.
    Permalink posted 01/31/2008
  18. jaysonn
    jaysonn says Nice work. Why not, here is my top 10 of the 00s: Radiohead -- Kid A (2000) Silver Jews -- Bright Flight (2001) Sonic Youth -- Murray Street (2002) Wilco -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) Califone -- Quicksand/Cradlesnakes (2003) Blur -- Think Tank (2003) Wilco -- A Ghost is Born (2004) Sufjan Stevens -- Illinois (2005) J Dilla -- Donuts (2006) Panda Bear -- Person Pitch (2007)
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  19. Salsasoup
    Salsasoup says

    I was happy to see frog eyes on the list but I would disagree that TV on the Radio is #1. I am going to see them at sasquatch though... I also thought that the best radiohead album of the 00's was In rainbows but music is all opinion, very good list

    Permalink posted 03/02/2009

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