Musoscribe’s Best of the Naughties
As someone who’s been following pop music for four decades, I am a bit surprised to look back at the now-ending decade (the naughties) and conclude that it’s actually been a good one for music. Here’s my list of the best albums of the past decade.
No compilations or retrospectives are included (except ones by Pugwash and The Simpsons), just to keep things sort of current. Longtime readers may note that I’ve either reviewed many of these or actually interviewed the artists. What can I say? I write about what I care about. Also, I’m sure I’ve forgotten some discs I meant to include.
Note that the hyperlinks will take you somewhere relevant — usually musoscribe.com, my archive site — but it might be a review of something else by that artist, or an interview from a time period not corresponding directly to that album. Still worth your time if you’re hi-fi curious, so to speak.
You’ll have your own list, I’m sure. but I’m the one with the blog. Happy New Year.
2000
Air – The Virgin Suicides (soundtrack)
Porcupine Tree – Lightbulb Sun
Radiohead – Kid A
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
2001
Semisonic – All About Chemistry
Guided by Voices – Isolation Drills
Zero 7 – Simple Things
2002
Moby – 18
Brian Wilson – Pet Sounds Live
Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Porcupine Tree – In Absentia
2003
Fountains of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers
Love – The Forever Changes Concert
2004
The Polyphonic Spree – Together We’re Heavy
Brian Wilson – SMiLE
KT Tunstall – Eye to the telescope
Dungen – Tat Det Lugnt
Milk and Honey Band – The Secret Life of…
2005
Porcupine Tree – Deadwing
Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Cheeksters – 1965
Randy & the Bloody Lovelies – Lift
Lake Trout – Not Them, You
2006
Flaming Lips – At War With the Mystics
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs – Under the Covers Vol. 1
Wolfmother – s/t
Pete Yorn – Nightcrawler
Residents – The River of Crime
David Gilmour – On an Island
New Mastersounds – Live at La Cova
Richard X Heyman – Actual Sighs
Russian Circles – Enter
2007
Iggy and the Stooges – The Weirdness
Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet
Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full
Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army
Crowded House – Time on Earth
KT Tunstall – Drastic Fantastic
The Simpsons – Testify
New York Dolls – Live at the Fillmore East
James Morrison – Undiscovered
Warm in the Wake – American Prehistoric
2008
King Khan & the Shrines – The Supreme Genius of…
Black Mountain – In the Future
Tally Hall – Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Flight of the Conchords – s/t
Brothers and Sisters – Fortunately
2009
A Camp – Colonia
Knight Area – Realm of Shadows
Jamie and Steve – English Afterthoughts
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey – hERE aND nOW
Pugwash – Giddy
Dennis Diken with Bell Sound – Late Music
The Twilight Hours – Stereo Night
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.