Best Albums of the 2000s

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Explore the best albums of the 2000s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
Last updated: 4 hours ago

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2000s decade summaryThe best artists of the 2000s were Radiohead, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Coldplay, Sufjan Stevens, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, The White Stripes, Wilco and Animal Collective.

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11.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

"A modern masterpiece, I'd say. The whole album has a clean, sharp feel, but it has harsh, dark undertones. Clocks and The Scientist are the key tracks here, but even Warning Sign and Amsterdam are brilliant pieces amongst many other. An essential to any modern collection." Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (8 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

1,370 charts

Rank Score:

11,611

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

12.

"This is a brilliant album. I can't believe I've forgotten to add it too my chart for so long! So many good influences on it and the lyrics say so much in so little. Always play it before parties to get in the mood, songs like "Someone Great" and "All My Friends" remind me to cherish my time with ..." [+] Reply

andy_hunter | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (12 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2007

Appears in:

1,246 charts

Rank Score:

11,421

Rank in 2007:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

109

Average Rating:

84 (1,413 votes)

Comments:

13.

Elephant

The White Stripes

"I hate to be the guy who isn't super enthusiastic about an album that is so unanimously praised - and this is good music, but it's not even the best of this year let alone a top 10 for this decade. It's pretty stylistically monotonous and the guitar work isn't as spectacular as I'd expect from ev..." [+] Reply

corenfro | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

1,540 charts

Rank Score:

11,332

Rank in 2003:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

111

Average Rating:

83 (2,163 votes)

Comments:

130

14.

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

"Want to say thank you to all the BEA folks out there; if it wasn't for all of you, I never would have discovered this amazing record. It instantly became one of my all time favorites." Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

1,332 charts

Rank Score:

10,687

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

117

Average Rating:

83 (1,690 votes)

Comments:

107

15.

For Emma, Forever Ago

Bon Iver

"There are some albums that feel like they belong to a specific time of year or a specific place in our memories. This album fits that for me. It reminds me of standing out on my balcony at 3 AM in the cool fall air. Just a really beautiful album." Reply

- Matthew | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2007

Appears in:

1,262 charts

Rank Score:

10,411

Rank in 2007:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

16.

"Thank you, BEA, for introducing this album to me. I'd heard of the band but never bothered to listen to them until I saw this highly ranked on this website. And I'm blown away. Fantastic record. My favorite tracks right now are Blue Ridge Mountains, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, and Ragged Wood. I..." [+] Reply

AwaitingAndrew | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2008

Appears in:

1,314 charts

Rank Score:

10,170

Rank in 2008:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

126

Average Rating:

83 (1,624 votes)

Comments:

17.

Songs For The Deaf

Queens Of The Stone Age

"One of the most powerful and sexiest rock record ever made. The transitions with the radio at the end of songs is just amazing." Reply

- nipplefart | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

1,173 charts

Rank Score:

10,074

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

129

Average Rating:

83 (1,538 votes)

Comments:

18.

Discovery

Daft Punk

"First album I've ever listened to and will always be a classic to me. Almost every track is non-stop enjoyment to me. It's come to my attention that the listening experience does improve after watching the movie linked to it, "Interstella 5555"" Reply

BigPoppa93 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

1,082 charts

Rank Score:

9,903

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

131

Average Rating:

83 (1,447 votes)

Comments:

19.

Amnesiac

Radiohead

"For those that don't know what Marmite is, basically it's a yeast spread that you put on toast or crumpets; a quite strong and distinct taste. They say you either love it or hate it... Is Amnesiac like Marmite? For me, "Pyramid Song" is very easy to love and the ratio of who love it to those that..." [+] Reply

- gon2bed | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +12 votes (12 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

1,359 charts

Rank Score:

9,642

Rank in 2001:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

20.

"Probably the greatest album ever made, Demon Days was my introduction to good music, and man what an album it was. The first 60-70 listens were for the music. It kept me coming back for more every time, never caring to think about the lyrics for fear of missing out on yet another subtlety that ma...""Probably the greatest album ever made, Demon Days was my introduction to good music, and man what an album it was. The first 60-70 listens were for the music. It kept me coming back for more every time, never caring to think about the lyrics for fear of missing out on yet another subtlety that made Demon Days so great. The next 20 or so listens were for deciphering the lyrics because of how difficult it was to understand what he was saying and to gather any meaning from it. But afterwards, the album became a whole other experience. The epic story of incompetent governments destroying the world figuratively through mass media, and literally through nuclear weaponry was a huge thing to take in. The story of the soldier in Dirty Harry is one of the most heartfelt moments: He originally felt a need for honour and to fight off the enemy, but now has horrific memories and can't sleep at night for fear of remembering the tragedies that took place. He realizes that he was just being manipulated by members of the government to further their personal gains and wishes that he could be an innocent and ignorant kid once again. Or one of the most tragically beautiful moments I have ever experienced in any song I've ever heard: the moment in All Alone where the electronics pan out and these warbling effects flow in, the moment where the lead character listens to his consciousness telling him that he amounts to nothing in the great scheme of things and that he may as well give up fighting the corruption in the system because that corruption will never go away. And of course there's the backstory told in Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head and the inspiring message in the wonderful closing track. But where this album shines is its production. I have always been a sucker for good production, and this album is so clean and polished even in its ultra-dirty moments like O Green World and White Light that it's simply irresistible in full CD quality. If you don't want to hear this album yet, don't worry- there's more! The soundscapes painted by Demon Days are so varied that you can't spend 5 minutes without hearing something entirely new and exciting. Every song is in its own genre, which greatly enhances the pleasure derived from listening to this album time after time again. In some areas there is variety within 10 seconds, like the guitar-to-piano-to-strings-to-electronic section of Last Living Souls (another favourite, but more of a grower to some people). All in all, this is a must have album and I am very happy to see it rated as highly as it is. Basically, the people who like it think it's spectacular, and the people who dislike it really don't care for it. There is no middle ground. Hopefully you are the former, but hey, to each his own. Happy listening!" [+] Reply

sageamagoo | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +15 votes (16 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

1,132 charts

Rank Score:

9,348

Rank in 2005:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

144

Average Rating:

82 (1,691 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 2 of 100

Best Albums of the 2000s composition

Year	Albums	%

2000	102	10%
2001	101	10%
2002	108	11%
2003	111	11%
2004	87	9%
2005	108	11%
2006	100	10%
2007	92	9%
2008	89	9%
2009	104	10%

Artist	Albums	%

Bruce Springsteen	6	1%
Animal Collective	6	1%
Death Cab For Cutie	5	0%
Porcupine Tree	5	0%
The White Stripes	5	0%
Radiohead	5	0%
Dream Theater	5	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	547	55%
	222	22%
	57	6%
	39	4%
	24	2%
	23	2%
	18	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	990	99%
Yes	12	1%

Live?	Albums	%
No	993	99%
Yes	9	1%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	991	99%
Yes	11	1%

Best Albums of the 2000s chart changes

Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Up 3 from 68th to 65th Deathconsciousness by Have A Nice Life
Up 2 from 75th to 73rd Transatlanticism by Death Cab For Cutie
Up 2 from 23rd to 21st Vespertine by Björk

Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month
Down 2 from 20th to 22nd Boxer by The National
Down 2 from 70th to 72nd The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New
Down 1 from 22nd to 23rd American Idiot by Green Day

« View best albums of the 1990sView best albums of the 2010s »

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