I’m prepping to create a list of the 25 Best Albums of the 21st Century so-far. I looked through my Best of Articles, looked through my favorite playlist0,s and went off the top of my head and created an initial list. Then I researched some other existing lists and added where I agreed something was potentially one of the best albums. Some great artists I love just didn’t make the cut. Sorry to Kesha, Justice, and especially Tinashe, but as strong as their singles are, they don’t have strong overall albums.
Then I started doing some cuts, anything that I haven’t listened to in a long time I took off. So, as much as Radiohead’s Kid A and even Amnesiac come up over and over, I haven’t really listened to either album since In Rainbows came out, and I’ve returned to OK Computer, the Bends, even Pablo Honey multiple times since than, so I can’t say those early 2000s albums really stuck with me.
To make the creation of the eventual list easier I broke down the nominees into genres and tried to fill in as many genres as I could. Otherwise there would be a chance of the final list being only Rap and Indie Rock. You’ll see that I personally have some blindspots. I can throw out names like the Dillinger Escape Plan, Alison Kraus + Union Station, and Melissa Aldana and say I enjoyed them but I barely listened to them this century. So, while I want to make the final list a good encapsulation of multiple genres of the Century so far, it will be far from perfect Anyway, here are the nominees.
Alt Country
Pneumonia – Whiskeytown
Satellite Rides – Old 97s
The Instigator – Rhett Miller
Bluegrass
Blues
Broadway/Soundtracks
Hamilton Original Broadway Recording
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Josie and the Pussycats – Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
Music from Baz Luhrman’s Moulin Rouge
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse Soundtrack
The Book of Mormon Original Broadway Cast Recording
Waitress Original Broadway Cast Recording
Wicked Original Broadway Cast Recording
Christmas
Christmas Songs – Diana Krall
Fruitcake EP – Sabrina Carpenter
Wrapped in Red – Kelly Clarkson
Classical
Country
American IV: The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash
Home – the Dixies Chicks
Identity Crisis – Shelby Lynne
Midwest Farmer’s Daughter – Margo Price
Dance
Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
Missundaztood – Pink
The Fame – Lady Gaga
Try This! – Pink
Electronica
Coexist– the XX
Give Up – the Postal Service
Light & Magic – Ladytron
the Bones of What What You Believe – Chvrches
The Sophtware Slump – Grandaddy
xx– The XX
Emo
Bleed American (Jimmy Eat World) – Jimmy Eat World
Four Cornered Night – Jets to Brazil
Maybe I’ll Catch Fire – the Alkaline Trio
Picaresque – the Decemberists
Riot! – Paramore
Transatlanticism – Death Cab for Cutie
Wooden Heart – Listener
Your Majesty – the Anniversary
Folk
Let’s Be Still – the Head and the Heart
O – Damien Rice
The Head and the Heart – the Head and the Heart
The Lumineers – the Lumineers
Hardcore
Indie Rock
Funeral – Arcade Fire
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga – Spoon
Good News for People Who Love Bad News – Modest Mouse
Heartthrob – Tegan and Sara
Illinois – Sufjan Stevens
Neon Bible – Arcade Fire
The Moon & Antarctica – Modest Mouse
Treats – Sleigh Bells
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco
Jazz
Come Away with Me – Norah Jones
Live In Paris – Diana Krall
K-Pop/J-Pop
Latin
Metal
Pop
1989 – Taylor Swift
21 – Adele
All I Ever Wanted – Kelly Clarkson
Born to Die – Lana del Rey
Guts – Olivia Rodrigo
One of the Boys – Katy Perry
Red – Taylor Swift
Sour – Olivia Rodrigo
What a Devastating Turn of Events – Rachel Chinouriri
Power-Pop
Get Guilty – A.C. Newman
Oh, Inverted World – the Shins
Sky Full of Holes – Fountains of Wayne
Weezer [Green Album] – Weezer
Weezer [Red Album] – Weezer
Welcome Interstate Managers – Fountains of Wayne
Punk
Alkaline Trio – Alkaline Trio
American Idiot – Green Day
R & B
Beyonce – Beyonce
Lemonade – Beyonce
The Emancipation of Mimi – Mariah Carey
Rap
#LongLiveSpeakerKnockerz – Speaker Knockerz
Be – Common
Blazing Arrow – Blackalicious
Damn. – Kendrick Lamar
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ – 50 Cent
God’s Son – Nas
Kids See Ghosts – Kanye West and Kid Cudi
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West
Phrenology – the Roots
Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels 2 – Run the Jewels
Stankonia – OutKast
Strange Clouds – B.o.B
Swimming – Mac Miller
The Black Album – Jay – Z
The Blueprint – Jay-Z
The Eminem Show – Eminem
The Life of Pablo – Kanye West
The Marshall Mathers LP – Eminem
To Pimp a Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar
Under Construction – Missy Elliott
Rock
All That You Can’t Leave Behind – U2
Elephant – the White Stripes
Is This It? – the Strokes
Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
Living in America – The Sounds
Stay Positive – the Hold Steady
Singer/Songwriter
Begin to Hope – Regina Spektor
Extraordinary Machine – Fiona Apple
Marry Me – St. Vincent
Volume One – She & Him
Wounded Rhymes – Lykke Li