Top 100 Records of the 21st Century (So Far) [2000-2024]: 100-91
It is hard to believe that we are 25 years deep into the 21st Century. Think about it. We’re a quarter of the way there. Wild. This all got me thinking about the music of this century and that it might be fun to come up with a list of my favorite records from the last 25 years. Then a few weeks ago, author and music critic Steven Hyden dropped his list The Best Indie Rock Albums Of The 21st Century, Ranked. It’s a pretty interesting list even if you are skeptical about Hydens’ Is This It vs. Hot Fuss litmus test. What really stood out to me in this piece was the proclamation “personal preference does not matter here.” That made me raise an eyebrow. Now, I’ve followed Hyden's work for years going back to his old podcast Celebration Rock, through a number of his books, and his current podcast Indiecast, so I think I have a pretty decent grasp on his tastes and sensibilities. It’s with that in mind that I can assure you, that list is dripping with his “personal preference.” Now that having been said, he is way more tapped into the indie rock trends and zeitgeist than I am, so maybe his picks are also the consensus picks…I have no idea. Ultimately though, I am far more interested in a list that is just based on his favorites than the consensus picks.
Anyway, this was a fun project that also served as a nice distraction during my last couple of weeks of grad school. Unlike Mr. Hyden, I did not limit myself to one record per artist. I can understand why people make that limitation but if I did that, the list wouldn’t represent my actual thoughts and opinions. So, yes that means that this list includes multiple entries from the likes of Frank Turner, Dave Hause, Sincere Engineer, the Hudson Falcons, and Ben Lee among others. It also includes both full-length albums and EPs with all new reviews.
100. Last Word Spoken by One Man Army (2000)
One Man Army’s sophomore full-length Last Word Spoken showed a band spreading its wings. When I first heard the band, I thought they sounded a lot like the Swingin’ Utters, which was great because I loved the Utters. One Man Army’s debut album, 1998’s Dead End Stories, was an instant street punk classic. Little did we know, this band had so much more to offer. At first, I didn’t quite know what the band was going for on Last Word Spoken and I lost track of them. That was until I saw a copy of BYO Split Series, Vol. 5, the split One Man Army released with Alkaline Trio in 2004, in Hastings and had to pick it up. From that point, it all clicked and fell into place. I quickly went back to Last Word Spoken and 2002’s Rumors and Headlines and became a lifelong fan. I wasn’t ready in 2000 to understand where the band was going, but it was well worth the wait.
99. The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton by Stephen Egerton (2010)
In 2010, the ALL and Descendents’ guitarist Stephen Egerton released his first solo album The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton. Egerton wrote and performed all the music and then sent each song to a friend who he thought fit with the music including Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath, Less Than Jake’s Chris DeMakes, Big Drill Car’s Frank Daly, Drag the River and Armchair Martian’s Jon Snodgrass, and John Moreland plus ALL’s Chad Price and Scott Reynolds and Descendents’ Milo Aukerman, among others. The result is an incredibly fun album that is a must for any ALL or Descendents fan and is probably the closest thing we’ll ever get to a new ALL record.
98. Who Would Ever Want Anything So Broken? (EP) by Beach Slang (2014)
This one is hard to talk about considering how things ended. For those who may not know, Beach Slang frontman James Alex was accused of emotional and mental abuse by the band’s tour manager in 2021. This broke my heart on multiple levels. First, I knew the people involved and hated to hear of the suffering that was caused by Alex. Second, this entire situation flew in the face of what Beach Slang professed to be all about. I wrote more about this at the time, but wanted to make sure that I addressed it here before talking about the band’s debut EP. Along those lines, I suspect that it may seem controversial to include this record on my list at all, but to exclude it would be to deny and attempt to rewrite history. The fact of the matter is that Beach Slang was incredibly important to me in the mid- to late-2010s. From the first time I put on Who Would Ever Want Anything So Broken?, I was hooked. This four song EP was an absolutely perfect debut and, when judging on the merits of the music itself, still is. Truthfully, I can’t bring myself to listen to Beach Slang very much anymore. In fact, I think the first time that I listened to their music since the revelation of the abuse allegations was in late 2024 and it was this EP. Even listening to it now for this review is tough. I still believe in these songs but it hurts knowing everything that happened.
97. The Clown Watches the Clock by Micah Schnabel (2024)
The Clown Watches the Clock, Micah Schnabel’s fifth solo album is also his best to date. The record is filled with songs that are as fun and catchy as they are biting and scathing. It strikes the perfect balance of socially conscious lyrics with Schnabel’s signature alt country indie punk rock ‘n’ roll sound.
96. Laurel St. Demo 2005 by Tim Barry (2006)
Laurel St. Demo 2005 was originally released as a CDr in 2005 and then reissued in 2006 by Suburban Home Records. The current version available on streaming services was released by Chunksaah Records in 2013 and includes the EP Live At Munford Elementary. Suburban Home was right to give this a proper release making it Barry’s solo debut because it is fantastic. The former/current Avail lead singer started playing acoustic folk music in 2004 and has released nine studio albums, two live albums, and various singles and splits over the last two decades. Of all of the punks that picked up acoustic guitars in the mid-aughts, Barry has a folk authenticity that is different and unique among his contemporaries. The album’s opening track, “Idle Idylist,” is not only the perfect opening statement but quite possibly also the best thing he’s ever done.
95. The Rebirth of Venus by Ben Lee (2009)
The Rebirth of Venus was the third album in Ben Lee’s trilogy of excellent indie pop albums from the mid- to late-2000s. This one is not only chock full of social commentary but touches on issues of spirituality with heart and finesse, especially on the closing track “Song for the Divine Mother of the Universe.”
94. Make Sound by The Copyrights (2007)
Here’s a potential hot take: The Copyrights are the best pop punk band of the 21st century. Make Sound, the band’s third full-length album, is chock full of songs that are sickeningly catchy, punchy, and smart. I was hooked from the first listen and I’ve been a fan ever since. This is what I want out of my pop punk.
93. Stay Positive by The Hold Steady (2008)
I completely missed the heyday of The Hold Steady in real time. In fact, the first time I heard of them was through a live video of Dave Hause playing a mini medley of The Loved One’s “100K,” Joe Strummer’s “Coma Girl,” and The Hold Steady’s “Constructive Summer.” After hearing that, I googled the line “Raise a toast for St. Joe Strummer,” found the original, and was immediately blown away. Then I listened to Stay Positive and heard the title track’s reference to “the early 7 Seconds” and I was hooked. I have gone back and listened to the band’s other albums, but they didn’t connect with me like Stay Positive. There’s also a lot of lore in those first few albums that just didn’t work for me, even though I love a bunch of the songs (“Stuck Between Stations” is a stone cold classic). The band plays indie heartland rock that is punctuated by Craig Finn’s Randy Newman meets Bruce Springsteen vocals. While not a perfect record, it is still great if for no other reason than the opening track “Constructive Summer.”
92. Fixed Ideals by Muncie Girls (2018)
Muncie Girls were one of the best indie punk bands to come out of the UK in the 2010s. Indie punk, at least how I define it, is a style of punk that pulls heavy influence from early 90s indie rock. Bands in this sub-genre include Great Cynics, Shit Present, Fresh, Broadcaster, and most of the Specialist Subject Records roster. What made this band standout was Lande Hekt’s biting lyrics and vocals. Fixed Ideals ended up being not only Muncie Girls’ sophomore full-length but their last album, with their final release being the 2020 EP B-Sides the Point. One thing's for certain, this band went out with a bang. Fixed Ideals contains some of the band’s best material, including the brilliant and all too relatable “Picture of Health.” This album notched up the energy level, which was perfect for these songs and this band. Sadly, I never got to see Muncie Girls live, but at least we have the records.
91. All That You Can’t Leave Behind by U2 (2000)
After embracing irony and electronic dance music in the 1990s, U2 decided to give earnest, soaring rock ‘n’ roll another go on 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind. This was the most Big Music the band had done since The Joshua Tree and it worked. It was also the album that Coldplay seemed to use as a blueprint for their entire career. All That You Can’t Leave Behind saw U2 re-embracing their soaring, nearly spiritual tendencies, resulting in a record that was hopeful and inspiring. Plus “Beautiful Day” is undeniable.