80. OOIOO – Gold and Green
Yoshimi P-We (of the Boredoms) drops much of the grating no wave and goes for melody and atmosphere (kind of like her main band’s album from the same year in fact). – Willie Rambo Strider
79. Broadcast – The Noise Made by People
I have always heard Stereolab too much in Broadcast’s music to get too into it. Which isn’t fair to them, cos it is pretty darn good electronic Euro-pop made for old spy movies. Contains some fantastic songs and would rank much higher if I could ever get over how much it sounds like a Stereolab rip-off. — Songssuck
78. White Stripes – De Stijl
I hadn’t listened to this in at least 5 years. It just never made me as hard as everyone else. But I am glad I dug it out, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Pretty diverse set of songs for a rock duo. If you liked Elephant pick this up, I always thought this was a better album. – Ho Chi Unser Jr.
77. Boris – Flood
Like Absolutego, this album is one long track (I know that turned a few off already). Boris at their most minimalist and serene. Jimi Hendrix joining a krautrock band and trying to seduce a woman by sending gentle ocean guitar waves her way would sound like this. But at times one feels as if the waves are a flood of heaviness, albeit not heaviness from loudness, riffs or death metal vocals. Leave it to Boris to be so good they can be heavy without being heavy. — Pthestudp
76. Deftones – White Pony*
Deftones: here to show us that rap + metal or nu-metal wasn’t such a bad idea after all. — Pthestudp
75. Super Furry Animals – Mwng
A largely acoustic offering, void of the electronic studio wizardry and harder rocking songs and sung entirely in Welsh. Interestingly enough, as this was my first SFAs, I thought they were all like this. And that’s not a bad thing, even though their organic arrangements and acoustic instrumentation don’t allow the band to really flesh the songs out like on other SFA albums. I guess the band didn’t put too much time or money into the album (this along with the other aforementioned differences made some critics and fans dismiss this album as a stunt), but that doesn’t keep it from being a really great pop album that you will sing along with, even if it is in Welsh (actually the language barrier for me makes this album more otherworldly and lush and just plain better, I can’t really explain it. It is just a beautiful language). Get a version with the 5 bonus tracks, they are good. – Dr. Anonymous
74. Wu-Tang Clan – The W
Depending on what day it is, I like this even better than Supreme Clientele (although not most days). It makes me sad when I talk to people about 36 Chambers and they haven’t heard this one. – Dr. Anonymous
73. Primal Scream – XTRMNTR
Bobby Gillespie recruits Mani (from the Stone Roses, which was an excellent choice, as some of the basslines are just incredible) and Kevin Shields (of My Bloody Valentine) and an army of robot insects for his percussion section. The first two songs on the album, “Kill All Hippies” and “Accelerator” vie for the top songs of 2000. But one cannot start off an album so strong and expect people not to be disappointed as it goes along. If this list was the best two songs to start off an album, XTRMNTR would win hands down. – Kid Kilowatt
72. Mirah – You Think It’s Like This But Really It’s Like This*
I’ve read a lot of myths about Mirah. That she makes nut milk and sells it at the café she runs out of her apartment, that she was born on her parents’ kitchen table, that her full name is Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, and that she is a gay Jewish hobo hippie. Who knows which, if any, are true. Her debut album has been called “brutally cloying” and a “charmer.” Honestly, I find both to be true depending on one’s mood and which of the 16 songs one is listening to. The discerning folks at aQ records point out that Mirah could have just as easily done the soundtrack to Juno. That goes a long way towards describing her music, but it is nowhere as apt of a description as on YTILTBRILT. You can literally hear some of the songs on the movie, they are honest, endearing and heart wrenching. Phil Elverum of the Microphones (which Mirah was also a member of) lends his production and instrumental skills to the album, and his presence is palpable. – Suzy Creamcheese
71. Arab on the Radar – Soak the Saddle
Yoko Ono fronting the teenage noise punk band next door. Obviously, for some, or in certain moods this album will be too abrasive/annoying. But I cannot say ‘No’ to the guitars (although Pitchfork can, they gave it a ‘2.0’). – Songssuck
70. Marumari – The Wolves Hollow
Supposedly, this album tells the story of a wolf race from outer space. The wolfemian fed cow brains to a supercomputer in order to survive. But on April 18th, 1976, the war of the worlds began when earth wolves attacked the wolfemian. Before the alien wolves were all destroyed, thy passed their music onto Josh Presseisen, who had contacted the wolfemian some years earlier on ham radio. This all sounds really lame and ridiculous, until one has listened to the album about 3 times. The Wolves Hollow rewards repeated listens and the otherworldliness of the music begins to shine through. Then one realizes it could only have come from alien wolves. – Kid Kilowatt
69. Iron Maiden – Brave New World
Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith return to Maiden thus reuniting the classic lineup (along with 3rd guitarist Janick Gers) for the first time since 1990’s No Prayer for the Dying (I think, it might have even been 88’s Somewhere in Time). Maiden sound rejuvenated and ready to kick ass again. Seriously, if you like Maiden you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. Not as good as their first five albums, but up there. Brought down a bit by Harris’ overt progginess that doesn’t work at times, but how many 80’s metal bands still kicked this much ass in 2000? None. — Pthestudp
68. Sacred Steel – Bloodlust
Ever been sad after thinking about the lack of classic metal being produced these days? Well dry your tears heavy metal warriors. Sacred Steel are here with 11 songs that sound like it is 1983. – Pthestudp
67. Swearing at Motorists – Number Seven Uptown
Dave Doughman and Don Thrasher (dude who drummed for GBV during their especially kick ass period) create some Guided By Voices influenced ditties about coming home for Christmas, vans, wondering where you went wrong, and seeing an ex girlfriend walking down the street. I love their lo-fi harmonies. An underrated album from a very unheard band. – Kid Kilowatt
66. The For Carnation – s/t
Nick Mirov, who writes for the website the Bay Bridged had this to say: “This album is the sonic equivalent of standing on a deserted dock at midnight and watching fog roll towards you with a nagging feeling in your gut that some evil presence is near.” I bought this album because of its connections with Slint and Tortoise (Brian Mc and Britt Walford from Slint and John McEntire from Tortoise). Don’t be surprised if you are disappointed if you come to this album for the wrong reasons (it really isn’t much like Slint or Tortoise), as I was for a long time. – Songssuck
65. Boss Hog – Whiteout
Some swampy blues, with a lot of electronics thrown in for extra kicks, from Christina Martinez and her husband Jon Spencer. Judge this book by its cover cos the music, like the cover is good shit. – Willie Rambo Strider
64. Propagandhi – Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes*
John K. Samson left to form Weakerthans and took a lot of the melody & humor along with him. Propagandhi were much more hardcore and pissed off on this album, “with friends like these, who the fuck needs Cointelpro?” Definitely worth buying the actual album, a lot of info that blew my mind back then included. Appropriate that it was one in the bunch that my mother threw away, that’s for sure (although I would like to think that Patti stands against “bullshit politicians,” the exploitation of workers in 3rd World countries, terrorism, and “ordinary people do[ing] fucked-up things when fucked-up things become ordinary.”) She just really hates hardcore. Don’t we all. – Pthestudp
63. Radiohead – Kid A*
I know I know. You are tired of hearing/reading about Radiohead and Kid A. But you know what’s crazy? There are some people who don’t listen to Radiohead. Dumbasses. I hadn’t listened to this in like 5 years (Who’s guiltier?). But seriously, that kind of proves my point: it is overrated. It has become more of an idea than an album (like a holy grail everyone just looks at and no one drinks from), topping everyone’s best of the 00’s lists. A good (but not the best from the last 10 years) album that needs to be listened to and not talked about. So I’ll shut up now. – Dr. Anonymous
62. Jackie-O Motherfucker – Fig. 5
Deep in the Psychedelic Forest live a tribe of dwarves. But these aren’t the type of dwarves you may have heard of. These dwarves like to party, get fucked up and jam. In fact these dwarves’ drum circles are so groovy that Albert Ayler sometimes stops by to sit in on the circle, drop some shrooms, drink some dwarf beer and deconstruct and revise folk classics to the point they become avant-garde masterpieces (in fact “Amazing Grace” is pretty much unrecognizable). Can you dig it? — Songssuck
61. The Panoply Academy Corps of Engineers – Concentus
If it were not for a album put out by Dischord, Concentus would hold the best math rock album of 2000 title. Nar Nar Nar/ Nar Nar Nar Nar/ Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy! – Songssuck
Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs 