In the 2000s, Indie-rock was defined largely by its flair for producing majestic and dramatic music. While many attempted to make music in this light, only a handful succeeded, including The Decemberists and Broken Social Scene, among other. No band, however, embodied this aesthetic more so than the Arcade Fire. Unlike any other album in
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Entering this decade, Wilco was labeled as one of the rising stars in alternative-county, and appeared intent on continuing its journey towards a flourishing career down this route. Ten years later, Wilco has indeed emerged as one of the more successful groups of this decade, but the path in which they accomplished this could not
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Not only was Kid A significant in terms of being Radiohead’s transitional work, but rather it was largely responsible for the upswing in electronic music’s prevalent influence on rock during this decade. Just as Daft Punk delivered electronic music to mainstream pop and dance audiences, Radiohead managed to bring the genre to alternative-rock. Their fusion
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Of all the endeavors indie-folk statesman Sufjan Stevens takes on—for better, for worse, or for those just simply out there—one thing is certain: the man thinks in epic proportions and partakes in grand ventures. Amid his multi-instrumental talents, exploratory themes, and concepts; Sufjan Stevens has embarked on an illustrious career path, earning a spot among
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I hesitate to discuss albums with an ‘obsessive’ perspective or in which one warrants ‘repeated’ listens, in part because I run the risk of potentially overusing hyperbolic language. Instead, my views are reserved when expressing such exuberance and enthusiasm about an artist, song, or album. In looking at music in such a skeptical, discerning manner,
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TV on the Radio stand as one of these rare visionaries who allow their music to surpass the boundaries that restrict so many other artists. The group’s 2006 work, Return to Cookie Mountain, is a statement of experimental excellence that only occurs when a band opts to take risks in making music and chooses to
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Whereas fellow New Yorkers Interpol reawakened post-punk within the larger rock scene, The Strokes were largely responsible for this decade’s influx of garage-rock influenced bands. The Strokes’s debut album Is This It (2001) created a blueprint for what modern rock was to become in the following years after its release. Both simultaneously aggressive and laidback,
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The story behind The Hold Steady’s founding endures as my one of my favorite Rock and Roll myths of this decade. Soon-to-be founding Hold Steady members Craig Finn and Tad Kubler were previously members of the cult-Minneapolis rock band Lifter Puller. After this band’s demise in the early 2000s, the two were together watching The
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In 1962, R&B legend Ray Charles’s Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music helped redefine Country music through his crossover from R&B. By breaking through social barriers, Charles entered a predominantly white genre and managed to sway Southern listeners into embracing his music. By breaking down this racial barrier, Charles managed to challenge the preconceived
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By far the best band at capturing the essence of its post-punk predecessors, Interpol has became recognized as this generation’s Joy Division through its hauntingly melancholic ambience and sense of impending doom embedded in their sound. And it is on their debut release Turn on the Bright Lights (2003) that this New York group lives
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Since their formation in 1998, My Morning Jacket has transformed their sound from a straight-forward rock tone toward a more experimental, spacier, and surreal style. Frontman Jim James and the rest of the Louisville-based group have not only become mainstays in modern rock since their inception, but are one of the last remnants of the
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Lead Singer Justin Vernon has come quite a long way over the past couple years, and has weaved quite the tale surrounding his music. As the story goes, Vernon recorded his debut 2008 album For Emma, Forever Ago, while staying in his cabin up in northern Wisconsin by himself for four months. After breaking up
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Some rappers make great albums, and some thrive with hits. Jay-Z is a hit-maker—it is how he became a mogul, a star, an iconic figure—so to discuss him otherwise would do a disservice to him. Yet to leave off the most prolific artist in his genre today off of this list would simply be asinine.
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Another mark of the 2000s occurred in the unexpected rise ethnic musical influences and its unification with indie-rock. From Sri-Lankan dance-fusion within M.I.A.’s sound to the frenetic gypsy-punk of Gogol Bordello, this decade has witnessed the formation of cultural fusion within indie circles. In my opinion, however, the
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While a neo-soul movement swept across mainstream music throughout much of this decade (culminating with Amy Winehouse’s Grammy award winning Back to Black), most people fail to acknowledge the true impetus of this revival—The Dap-Kings. Formed in 2000 by Daptone Records co-founders Gabriel Roth and Neal Sugarman, the group soon garnered a reputation as one
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Arguably the most recognizable group of decade—if not for their signature sleek black helmets and trademark pyramid DJ booth—Daft Punk remains one of the most influential, yet mysterious groups of recent years. The French duo of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter emerged near the end of the
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Between their seamless combination of soul-tinged blues, raw garage punk, and their earnest authenticity to blues legends preceding them, The Black Keys have staked their claim as one of this decade’s premier blues act.
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On his third album of the 2000’s, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy may not have created a new batch of his hardest-hitting dance grooves; however, what Murphy found was a certain level of maturity as he showed some restraint in using particular notes at the most opportune time
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Antony Hegarty’s voice remains one of the most hauntingly perfect and eerily unique demonstrations of melancholic splendor that I have witnessed in my life. The heartbroken, yet ever-so-inviting aesthetic in his voice, along with his serenely beautiful arrangements prevail as works of almost indescribably beautiful proportions. On
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Over the course of his illustrious hip-hop career, Common has evolved from an artist known for his immense underground following into one of this generation’s most respected rappers. Unlike the majority of his peers over the past two decades, Common has staked his claim as one of hip-hop’s
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Between its timelessness and originality, The Fleet Foxes managed to take the indie-rock world by storm in 2008 with their eponymous debut release. On one level, Fleet Foxes succeeds through its ability to transport listeners into another world altogether—one devoid of all the complexities of modern life. More
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With a decade dominated in the serious aesthetic of indie-rock’s focus on majestic displays of art, Jens Lekman has provided an alternative direction though his uniquely refreshing style, which stands as appealing and humorous in its own right. His best work of this decade comes off his most
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In a decade flooded with synth-heavy indie rock acts on one hand, and majestic baroque pop collective on the other, the emphasis toward lo-fi music had fallen to the wayside. Yet, look closely, and the sub-genre still perseveres, albeit with much less of a following than its above
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Over the past decade, Definitive Jux Records has provided hip-hop with an infusion of innovation and originality. While artists such as Aesop Rock, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, and Dizzee Rascal all have garnered substantial credibility within the hip-hop world, owner Jaime Meline, more commonly known under the pseudonym
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A few months ago, I wrote an article about Animal Collective, in which I labeled the band as the next Radiohead. In dubbing the band with such an honor, I never intended to predict a path towards simply mainstream success, but more so in terms of influence as
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Featured throughout December at http://www.waronpop.com will be the best albums of the 2000s. For 25 days, we will look at the 25 best albums of the decade. Before we look at those albums, let’s catch a glimpse of the honorable mentions of the past 10 years.
40) Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
After releasing four
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