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Neek's 2000s Cram List

It's that time of the year again! I've been pretty on it in terms of 2020 music, so I figured I would take the time while I'm ahead to play some much-needed catch-up. Gimme your most essential 2000s picks, not necessarily the best, but the most 2000s 2000s stuff!!
1Deftones
White Pony


2000

4.4
This is one of those records that immediately makes me go, "I get it." It's a great fucking rock record, full of twists and turns on the formula. There's a pervading tension and uneasiness that makes the album an exciting one to delve into, and every time I spun it I was glad I did. The balance of light and dark sounds is central to the sound, and this sounded more convincingly original than "Diamond Eyes" (the only other of theirs that I've jammed). Amazing stuff, through and through.

Favorite: "Digital Bath" "Rx Queen" "Change (In the House of Flies)"
Least Favorites: "Feiriceira" "Street Carp"
2Sleep
Dopesmoker


2002

4.0
Imagine being so conceited that you come up with a riff that you think is so good it could fill an entire album. And then imagine being so talented that you pull it off. This isn’t quite my cup of tea in terms of what I like to listen to high, but it was definitely a journey worth taking.

Favorite: N/A
Least Favorites: N/A
3Panda Bear
Person Pitch


2007
4Thrice
Vheissu


2005
5Pink
I'm Not Dead


2006
6Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven


2000
7Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot


2002
8Jay-Z
The Blueprint


2001
9Fall Out Boy
From Under the Cork Tree


2005
10Burial
Untrue


2007
11Boris
Boris At Last -Feedbacker-


2003 - JohnnyoftheWell

4.3
This is smoooooooooooth. Well, except for the parts that aren’t. But most of it is. This is some very engaging and delicious rock music, comfortable in its cohesion while also providing enough twists and turns along the way to keep the listener interested. While the vocals didn’t feel wholly necessary, they added some variety to the middle tracks that might’ve been missed otherwise. My main issue with this I guess is that the climax is smack dab in the middle, followed by two underlined and bolded “comedown” songs which feel a bit more obligatory than what came before. This is all just nitpicking though, the package works splendidly overall.

Favorites: “Pt. 2” “Pt. 3”
Least Favorite: “Pt. 4”
12Broken Social Scene
You Forgot It in People


2002 - JohnnyoftheWell
13The Knife
Silent Shout


2006 - JohnnyoftheWell
14The Microphones
The Glow Pt. 2


2001 - Asleepintheback

4.2
This is a mostly stupendous, slightly frustrating work of folk-rock that I definitely understand the praise for. While I find the lyricism to be a bit oblique and the sequencing uneven, this hits here hit so goddamn hard that it’s easy to overlook how simple it would’ve been to whittle down this tracklist. There are so many surprises and twists and turns here—I clearly didn’t know what I was walking into. I almost wish this nailed down a more cohesive style or at least found an idea to focus on (the more maximalist tracks here especially excite) but yeah, this is well worth the few misses here.

Favorites: “Map” “The Moon”
Least Favorite: “Headless Horseman”
15Frightened Rabbit
The Midnight Organ Fight


2007 - Asleepintheback
16The Mountain Goats
The Sunset Tree


2005 - Asleepintheback
17Modest Mouse
The Moon & Antarctica


2000 - Pangea

4.6
This is just one of those albums that I immediately got. The intense brooding, the crazy scope, and the dark depths were all so exciting and fun to explore. The length of the album felt well deserved, and I was just shocked by how eclectic yet cohesive it was sonically. I'm just throwing fancy words at this (what else am I supposed to do?) to make it clear that I enjoyed the hell out of this, but yeah. I enjoyed the hell out of this.

Favorites: “The Cold Part” “The Stars Are Projectors”
Least Favorite: “Paper Thin Walls”
18Sweet Trip
Velocity : Design : Comfort


2003 - Pangea
19The Flaming Lips
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots


2002 - Pangea

4.2
Yoshimi is such a cute, bright, twee-to-the-bone record that its hard to find a comparison. The way it sways and squeaks through its narrative (I’m assuming there is one though I could make no sense of it on my listens) is amusingly arresting, and its winding instrumental passages provide the most engaging portions of the record. It was hard to fall in love with the vocals just because of how monochrome they felt compared to the rest of the colorful backdrops, but its still a record I’ve found myself coming back to time and again.

Favorites: “Fight Test” “In the Morning of the Magicians” “Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)”
Least Favorite: “One Mort Robot / Sympathy 3000-21”
20Gospel
The Moon is a Dead World


2005 - dedex

4.4
Yeah, so I wasn't sure to expect with this but wow was this awesome. Taking several genres and mashing them together into a vile paste, this album had an aggression that was not marred by its sonic or emotional scope. It was a muscular vendetta that wans't afraid to think big, and I gravitated towards it big time. When some points verged on redundant, the slimness of the package made sure that there was very little for that. This rules, and I'm excited to see how it grows on me with time.

Favorites: "Congratulations… You’ve Hit Bottom!" "Golden Dawn"
Least Favorite: "And Redemption Gills the Emptiest of Hearts"
21Alexisonfire
Watch Out!


2004 - dedex
22At the Drive-In
Relationship of Command


2000 - dedex
23The National
Boxer


2007 - Icebloom

4.2
This is another 4.2 for my National stack. I always feel like I should like them more than I do (and I do like them, quite a bit), but Berniger’s at-times flaccid vocals and their stately pacing throughout their records eventually wears on me. Still, as far as indie rock guys I understand why these guys capture attention for those looking for a more mellow touch—I guess I just look to other genres for that mood. Top-notch rock songwriting, just not varied or rambunctious enough to capture my heart fully.

Favorite: "Green Gloves” “Ada”
Least Favorite: "Squalor Victoria"
24Sigur Ros
( )


2002 - Icebloom
25ISIS
Panopticon


2004 - Icebloom
26The Gathering
Souvenirs


2003 - Trifolium

4.3
Yes yes yes great stuff! Honestly the length got to me, was hoping I would grow out of it but I never quite did. I thought the earlier tracks were better at the slow-churn trip-hop stuff than the back half (which didn’t add as much in comparison), which made it seem a bit bloated, but the quality drop-off is barely enough to complain enough. This is a very consistent and beautiful mesh of sounds that had me properly invested everytime I threw it on. I hope this will grow in time, and I hope I get onto these guys discog sooner rather than later, I love what I’ve heard so far!

Favorite: "Even the Spirits Are Afraid” “We Just Stopped Breathing”
Least Favorite: "Jelena"
27Indigo Jam Unit
Pirates


2008 - Trifolium
28The Decemberists
The Hazards of Love


2009 - Trifolium
29Opeth
Blackwater Park


2001 - Nocte
30Mastodon
Blood Mountain


2006 - Nocte

3.9
Blood Mountain is a bit old-school for my metal tastes, as its unwieldy chaos proves more numbing than enticing at times, but it’s hard to deny the sheer power of the musicianship and melodicism present. The thick atmosphere and varied effects have become more apparent to me since I first hear it, and might be just enough to get me to dig a lil deeper into their discography. God that closing trio rips.

Favorites: “Sleeping Giant” “This Mortal Soil” “Pendulous Skin”
Least Favorite: “Hand of Stone”
31Meshuggah
obZen


2008 - Nocte
32ISIS
Oceanic


2002 - MiloRuggles

4.3
There’s a lot of big, imposing, try hard adjectives that come to mind when I try to describe this record, but honestly “oceanic” is a good one. Gobsmacking in scope, I gotta say I’m a huge fan of this particular blend of metal, alternately chugging and chilling, and the stoner elements here are unexpected but totally welcome. I will say it’s a bit lopsided, as the backhalf rarely introduces anything as seismically surprising as the first, but its all gravy. Can’t wait to get high to this one someday very soon.

Favorites: “The Other” “Carry” “ Weight”
Least Favorite: “Him”
33Tim Hecker
Harmony in Ultraviolet


2006 - MiloRuggles
34Ko Otani
Shadow of the Colossus: Roar of the Earth


2005 - MiloRuggles
35Sleaford Mods
The Mekon


2007 - Zak
36Death Cab for Cutie
Transatlanticism


2003 - Boney
37The Wrens
The Meadowlands


2003 - Boney
38Spoon
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga


2007 - Boney
39Dir En Grey
Uroboros


2008 - Uzumaki
40Muse
Absolution


2003 - Uzumaki
41Envy
Insomniac Doze


2006 - Uzumaki
42Don Caballero
American Don


2000 - MementoMori
43Porcupine Tree
In Absentia


2002 - MementoMori
44Neurosis
The Eye of Every Storm


2004 - MementoMori
45Emery
...In Shallow Seas We Sail


2009 - tyman128
46Deftones
Saturday Night Wrist


2006 - tyman128
47Mudvayne
L.D. 50


2000) - tyman128
48Karnivool
Sound Awake


2009 - SitarHero
49The Darkness
Permission to Land


2003 - SitarHero
50Sum 41
All Killer No Filler


2001 - SitarHero
51Kaiser Chiefs
Employment


2005 - Divaman
52Metric
Fantasies


2009 - Divaman

4.0
Absolutely LOADED top-to-bottom with indie bops, there’s a real glow that makes this one really special. While I prefer their latest (which inspired me checking this (along with Johnny’s nag)), I can’t deny the shimmering energy that bristles under each song. Some are more repeat-worthy than others, but there’s not a bad cut off this. Minus points for not having a strong closer :(

Favorites: “Help I’m Alive” “Satellite Mind” “Gold Guns Girls”
Least Favorite: “Stadium Love”
53My Favorite
Happiest Days of Our Lives


2003 - Divaman
54Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)
What It Takes to Move Forward


2009 - Snake.
55Explosions in the Sky
The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place


2003 - Snake.
56Trespassers William
Different Stars


2002 - Snake.
57Minus the Bear
Planet of Ice


2007 - waior
58Miike Snow
Miike Snow


2009 - waior
59Justin Timberlake
FutureSex/LoveSounds


2006 - waior
60dredg
El Cielo


2002 - hesperus
61The Mars Volta
De-Loused in the Comatorium


2003 - hesperus
62Stars of the Lid
And Their Refinement Of The Decline


2001 - hesperus
63Norah Jones
Come Away with Me


2002 - pots
64Disturbed
Ten Thousand Fists


2005 - pots
65Joanna Newsom
The Milk-Eyed Mender


2004 - pots
66Jimmy Eat World
Futures


2004 - Lucman
67Mae
The Everglow


2005 - Lucman
68Oceansize
Effloresce


2003 - Lucman
69The Rural Alberta Advantage
Hometowns


2009 - SlothcoreSam
70Sage Francis
Personal Journals


2002 - SlothcoreSam
71James Yuill
Turning Down Water For Air


2007 - SlothcoreSam
727 Angels 7 Plagues
Jhazmyne's Lullaby


2001 - SteakByrnes
73Pinback
Blue Screen Life


2001 - SteakByrnes
74Dance Gavin Dance
Happiness


2009 - SteakByrnes
75Anberlin
Cities


2007 - Sowing
76The Antlers
In the Attic of the Universe


2007 - Sowing
77Manchester Orchestra
Mean Everything to Nothing


2009 - Sowing

4.3
This honestly towers over much of their discography in terms of being a convincing as hell rock album. It’s got stadium size riffs, relatable angst, and a rare recklessness from a band that always seemed a bit too tame for their own good—this is their best for me.

Favorites: “Pride” “Shake it Out” “Everything to Nothing”
Least Favorite: “The River”
78Iron And Wine
The Shepherd's Dog


2007 - dmathias52
79Neko Case
Fox Confessor Brings The Flood


2006 - dmathias52
80Copeland
You Are My Sunshine


2008 - dmathias52

4.2
While Blushing will likely always be my favorite Copeland record, this and Ixora sure do their thing beautifully well. Building on the gorgeous ballads of its predecessor, You Are My Sunshine doubles down on the lush tones and emotions while also adding some muscle in key places. This album maybe more than other capitalizes on all sides of Copeland and truly delivers on them all.

Favorites: “Chip Up” “To Be Happy Now” “Not So Tough Found Out”
Least Favorite: “Strange and Unprepared”
81Riverside
Out of Myself


2004 - chchelse
82Causa Sui
Summer Sessions Vol. 1


2008 - chchelse
83Cursive
The Ugly Organ


2003 - Satellite
84LCD Soundsystem
Sound of Silver


2007 - Satellite
85AFI
Sing the Sorrow


2003 - Satellite
86Eminem
The Eminem Show


2002 - Kompys2000
87Xiu Xiu
Fabulous Muscles


2004 - Kompys2000
88Ween
Quebec


2003 - Kompys2000
89A Perfect Circle
Thirteenth Step


2003
90Glassjaw
Worship and Tribute


2003
91Converge
Jane Doe


2001
92Daft Punk
Discovery


2001
93PJ Harvey
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea


2000
94System of a Down
Toxicity


2001
95Bright Eyes
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning


2005
96The Avalanches
Since I Left You


2000
97Taylor Swift
Fearless


2008
98Flyleaf
Flyleaf


2005
99Rihanna
Good Girl Gone Bad


2007

3.6
At once surprised yet not at all at how solid this album is. Rihanna was always one of the most dependable pop stars of her time, and the singles here all absolutely rip. The filler tracks are also surprisingly solid, bringing it together for a solid af closing run that reminds us why she was so big in the first place.

Favorites: “Shut Up and Drive” “Don’t Stop the Music” “Rehab”
Least Favorite: “Say It”
100Boards of Canada
Geogaddi


2002

3.8
I wasn't astounded by this one as I was hoping, but I really admired it. I suppose it's because it's more of a thinking experience than a feeling experience (unlike their debut which I'm checking and loving so far). The creepy loops and deep layers poke and prod at different parts of your mind, and I love how they were able to create this reactionary palate for the listener. I wish it were more involving, since it felt like I was staring at a piece of artwork on a wall, but it's hard to deny the craftsmanship here.

Favorite: "Music Is Math" "1969"
Least Favorites: "The Devil Is in the Details"
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