Best Albums of 2002

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Explore the best albums of 2002, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
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2002 year summaryThe best artists of 2002 were Wilco, Interpol, Coldplay, The Flaming Lips, Queens Of The Stone Age, Broken Social Scene, Beck, Sigur Rós, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Boards Of Canada.

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Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

"Not a single weak song on it. Not a single instrument out of place. Not a single production mistake. Not a single line that Tweedy doesn't inflect like if he really cared about his art. It's complex at every level, but it doesn't feel challenging because the music invites you to appreciate it lik..." [+] Reply

- Lacobra | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (11 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

1,702 charts

Rank Score:

16,270

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

85 (1,977 votes)

Comments:

174

Turn On The Bright Lights

Interpol

"In the earliest days of the 21st century, New York City was not only a dominant fulcrum for the arts, it also stood as a mecca for some of the best up-and-coming indie rock artists of the era. Bands such as The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. If these wonderful acts were assembl...""In the earliest days of the 21st century, New York City was not only a dominant fulcrum for the arts, it also stood as a mecca for some of the best up-and-coming indie rock artists of the era. Bands such as The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. If these wonderful acts were assembled at a legendary NYC party, deep in the corner, pensively camouflaging would be Interpol. Always tastefully suited and donning black, Interpol were surely the most brooding and moody of these groups and their music brilliantly reflected the sentiment of a city that they loved but was holding them prisoner. Their crowning achievement was 2002's Turn on the Bright Lights, an introspective compendium of social alienation and the poetic juxtaposition of perception and reality in the city they called home. Lead singer Paul Banks pulls no punches on third track NYC, claiming, "The subway is a porno, The pavements they are a mess, I know you've supported me for a long time, Somehow I'm not impressed". Lead guitarist Daniel Kessler vigorously drives fifth track Say Hello to the Angels. The breakneck pace is notably apt when uncovering the song's inspiration, unfailing sexual yearning during a rocky relationship. Fan favorite Obstacle 1 is often noted as an anthem for the turn-of-the-century indie revival. It was seemingly influenced by the death of a model that willingly pierced her own throat. The relevance to the narrator is still up for interpretation but lines such as, "But it's different now that I'm poor and aging, I'll never see this face again, And you go stabbing yourself in the neck," imply a distant, one-sided affinity. The darkness only purveys further from there. Playfully titled track Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down describes another flesh-centric liaison gone awry due to the title bearer's personal instability. Sam Fogarino's burst-guided drumming creates the sensation that the song itself is slowly descending deeper and deeper into the Hudson. Banks croons, "Bottom of the ocean she dwells, bottom of the ocean she dwells", as he too drifts into the abyss. The lion's share of the band's attention appeared to revolve around their status as dead ringers for legendary post-punk foursome Joy Division. Interpol, while respecting Joy Division's legacy, dismissed the strategic intention of such comparisons, not content to live in another's shadow or (Shadowplay). While The Strokes and LCD Soundsystem concocted hits that were not out of place at Columbia University parties and the sprawling New York City club scene, Turn on the Bright Lights' target was an entirely different audience. A sector of listeners that felt petrified at the notion of being present at a social soiree or those who desired whole-hearted love in favor of booze-soaked escapades. It's a shame that these days that Interpol are perceived to have lost their labels as critical darlings, lost to a new generation sporting deaf ears on which the band's music falls on. Shamefully, they often get lost in the shuffle when commenting about the impact of early 2000's indie rock, swiftly swept to the side by more thematically positive acts that potentially have less provocative things to say. How appropriate of the band to be caught up in such a woebegone story. Hindsight suggests that Interpol just may have been the finest act to grace that era. They certainly released its most polished, brilliantly arranged artifact. You can find it gracing the shelves of a Greenwich Village antique shop. "I had seven faces Thought I knew which one to wear But I'm sick of spending these lonely nights Training myself not to care" -NYC Standout Tracks: 1. Obstacle 1 2. Leif Erikson 3. Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down 97.8" [+] Reply

DriftingOrpheus | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

1,310 charts

Rank Score:

12,799

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

84 (1,651 votes)

Comments:

128

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

"i think it takes a very specific kind of person to like coldplay and appreciate them as a serious band. i veiw their good songs as paintings.i think that if one has any backround in music theory and studys these songs you find that they obviously knew what they were doing most songs start at the ..." [+] Reply

- audiooasis2012 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (9 helpful | 2 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

1,370 charts

Rank Score:

11,611

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

105

Average Rating:

79 (2,228 votes)

Comments:

188

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:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Queens Of The Stone Age

"A crunching, heavy, psychedelic masterpiece :D" Reply

- camsh | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 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:

You Forgot It In People

Broken Social Scene

"I've neglected this band for so long..... it was a shame, cos this album is really really good ! favorite song: Cause = Time." Reply

cartoken | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

650 charts

Rank Score:

5,277

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

313

Average Rating:

82 (721 votes)

Comments:

Sea Change

Beck

"Maybe "Sea Change" connected with me at the perfect time or not, but this is one of the best albums about loss, helplessness, and trying to move on, but being not truly able to move forward yet. Over years of weekly listening, I've found that once you move past Beck's own story about the creation..." [+] Reply

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

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

753 charts

Rank Score:

4,940

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"If you ask me, this is their best. It's less focused on being a "songs" album and is more focused on being an experience. The first couple (or five) times you hear it, it's hard to appreciate. The tracks are long and kind of muddle together after awhile. But after more listens, each piano note an..." [+] Reply

babyBlueSedan | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

686 charts

Rank Score:

4,400

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Red Hot Chili Peppers

""By the Way" is, undeniably, a stellar album, representing yet another tremendous offering from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It easily equates its predecessor, "Californication", in terms of its accessibility and the consistency with which it displays quality musicianship and meaningful lyrics." Reply

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

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

619 charts

Rank Score:

4,015

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

407

Average Rating:

76 (1,095 votes)

Comments:

10.

Geogaddi

Boards Of Canada

"This album is an experience from beginning to end and the artist always finds a way to challenge us with the soundscapes that they create. Compared to the duos other work this is slightly darker in tone and creates a lot more tension in the listener. They do this via the use of a monotone sound t..." [+] Reply

- Untitled | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

411 charts

Rank Score:

3,331

Rank in 2002:

Rank in 2000s:

Overall Rank:

520

Average Rating:

80 (478 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 2002 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	16	2%
Nas	2	0%
Drexciya	2	0%
Porcupine Tree	2	0%
King Crimson	2	0%
Coil	2	0%
Charlie Parker	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	465	47%
	186	19%
	38	4%
	37	4%
	37	4%
	26	3%
	25	3%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	933	93%
Yes	67	7%

Live?	Albums	%
No	962	96%
Yes	38	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	984	98%
Yes	16	2%

Best Albums of 2002 chart changes

Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Up 6 from 78th to 72nd I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love by My Chemical Romance
Up 5 from 50th to 45th Brainwashed by George Harrison
Up 4 from 65th to 61st Lord Willin' by Clipse

Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month
Down 3 from 55th to 58th The Remote Part by Idlewild
Down 3 from 75th to 78th The Execution Of All Things by Rilo Kiley
Down 2 from 47th to 49th Tell All Your Friends by Taking Back Sunday

« View best albums of 2001View best albums of 2003 »

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