Top 100 Records of the 21st Century (So Far) [2000-2024]: 10-1
One of the interesting things about being the kind of music fan that also compulsively likes to make lists, is seeing how those lists change over time. In some cases a record that you liked in real-time can hit you in new ways and become something that you love or in others, you might discover an artist or record years after it was released that rocks to the top of your personal charts. Either way, lists are snapshots of a specific moment in time. In other words, ask me to make this list again in a few years and it would probably be very different.
Before we dive into the Top 10, I wanted to talk about some stats. The decade that had the most records on my list was the 2010s with 47. The 2000s had 32 and the 2020s (at least 2020-2024) had 21. The year with the most records was 2017 with 9. (See Justin, I told you it was a great year for music!) Five years tied for the least number of records, with two each – 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, and 2019. In some of the reviews I made reference to my star rating of the record. I am using the five star scale that is used on Rate Your Music and made popular by professional wrestling journalist and historian Dave Meltzer. Every record on this list I have rated at least four stars on Rate Your Music, with 19 that got 4 stars, 46 landed a 4.5, and 35 received the full 5. God I’m a nerd.
Here are what I think are the 10 best albums and EPs of the 21st Century so far.
10. Death Ride (EP) by Don’t Make Ghosts (2016)
Oklahoma City’s Don’t Make Ghosts fucking rule. And no I’m not saying that because these guys are my friends, I’m saying it because it’s true. I will never forget the first time I saw them live. They were opening for the Hudson Falcons and they blew me away. It didn’t hurt that lead vocalist/guitarist Nick Waggoner and drummer Jesse Smith were also in my all-time favorite band from Oklahoma the Roustabouts, but again that’s not why I loved their music, it was just the icing on the cake. The band plays a brand of melodic punk that pulls from all over the place and just works. Death Ride was a flawless debut and sounds better every time I hear it.
9. Quarter Life Crisis by Baby Queen (2023)
Baby Queen took everything that was great about her early singles, EP, and The Yearbook and turned it up to 11 on her proper full-length debut Quarter Life Crisis. The album opens with the powerfully poignant and soaring “We Can Be Anything,” a song that carries a very similar message to that espoused by Angel in one of my favorite television scenes of all-time. After that, we’re off to the races. The version of the album on streaming is Quarter Life Crisis (Deluxe), which includes two bonus tracks, plus a number of songs from her previous releases. The entire thing is exceptional. 5 stars, easy.
8. Bury Me In Philly by Dave Hause (2017)
Bury Me In Philly is the most out and out joyous record in Dave Hause’s discography. Produced by Eric Bazilian, the album harkens back to classic records like Bryan Adams’ Reckless, Rick Springfield’s Working Class Dog, and Bazilian’s own band The Hooters’ Nervous Night. Bury Me In Philly is that perfect mix of punk inspired anthems, working class power pop, heartland rock, and the Big Music. This is absolutely my shit.
7. Cuban Ballerina by Dead To Me (2006)
Dead To Me’s debut album was a revelation. Going in, I knew that One Man Army’s Jack Dalrymple was singing and playing guitar but I had no idea what Western Addiction’s Tyson "Chicken" Annicharico was bringing to the table. At first I was a little put off because while Dalrymple’s fingerprints were all over this record, it did not sound or feel like One Man Army. I soon got over that and realized that this band and album were something special. This album is nearly 20 years old and sounds as fresh, vibrant, and poignant today as it did in 2006.
6. One Heartbeat Away From Hell by The Staggers (2003)
The Staggers, back when the Dallas, TX band was known as Riot Squad, were once described as “what if the Misfits were from Texas.” While there is truth in that comparison, it certainly does not do this band justice. One Heartbeat Away From Hell was the band’s second album as The Staggers, fourth overall, and absolutely their best. I saw them live a number of times in the early 2000s and every single time they were incredible. Sadly, guitarist Billy Blitz passed away a few years ago. He was not only a fantastic guitarist, but an overall good dude. Lead singer/guitarist Joe Blow, another great guy, went on to form the band Dog Company and released his solo debut The Sky Above, This Hell Below in 2024.
The Staggers will always hold a very special place in my heart. They were one of the best bands that I have ever seen live, put out some of my all-time favorite records, and always made me feel like family. I will always feel a little sad when listening to these records thinking about Billy, his huge smile, and whaling guitar, but I am a better man for having known him and this band. Thank you gentlemen, it’s been an honor.
5. In The Throes by John Moreland (2013)
John Moreland’s second solo album (his fifth overall when counting the records with The Black Gold Band and The Dust Bowl Souls) is his magnum opus. Driven by his haunting voice, soul-baring lyrics, and acoustic guitar, In The Throes is perfect. I love absolutely everything about this album. The song “Blacklist” has always held a special place in my heart because of how it hits so close to home, especially with the closing lyrics –
Maybe I don’t have it in me, maybe it doesn’t have me in it
And if I don’t fly, that’s fine, just let me find the place where I fit
Amen.
4. Bless My Psyche by Sincere Engineer (2021)
How does a band follow up a perfect debut album? In the case of Sincere Engineer, it is with an even better album. Bless My Psyche is filled with lead singer/guitarist Deanna Belos’ wit and awkwardness but this time around, the band is even tighter than before (which is saying something). One of the many things that I love about this band is the fact that while they are obviously in the grand tradition of Chicago punk rock, there is something that is just slightly off-kilter resulting in a sound that truly is like no other. The songs “Tourniquet” and “Out of Reach,” which beautifully blend into each other and should always be played together, helped me in the days after my mother-in-law passed away in 2021. Also, “Coming in Last” and “Dragged Across the Finish Line” feel like they were written just for me. God I love this band!
3. The Only One by Roustabouts (2002)
I’ll never forget the night that I saw the Roustabouts live for the first time. It was a show at the N. Western location of Music Dimensions, an excellent Oklahoma City punk, indie record store. The show was the Hudson Falcons and The GC5 with local openers the Roustabouts and The Doozers. It was my first time seeing all four bands and one of the best times I’ve had at a show. That was sometime in 2000. Over the next three to four years, I saw the Roustabouts live…it had to be in the double digits. When their full-length debut The Only One came out in 2002, I was immediately hooked. Somehow they captured in the studio how unbelievably great this band was live. I’ve had this record in my life since its release 23 years ago. One of the things that I love about The Only One is that I’m always finding something new in it. This was a band that came up in the street punk scene of the late 90s but if you didn’t know that going into this record, you probably wouldn’t hear it. This is just excellent melodic punk rock, plain and simple. And if the music wasn’t enough, the Roustabouts are great guys that I’m proud to call friends.
2. Be More Kind by Frank Turner (2018)
Be More Kind is the most important record in Frank Turner’s catalog, easily the most important record of the 2010s, and quite possibly the most important album of the 21st century to date. Its importance comes from its message of kindness, which is summed up best in the chorus of the title track –
In a world that has decided
That it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind
Kindness, humility, forgiveness, compassion. That is the message of Be More Kind and it is a message that the world desperately needs.
1. Go Farther In Lightness by Gang of Youths (2017)
Sometimes I wonder how people decide on what albums or movies or books end up at the top of their year-end lists. It really is a bit of a silly exercise by those of us who are committed and dorky enough to do it. For me, it almost always comes down to a gut feeling. When I started this project of putting together my Top 100 Records of the 21st Century (So Far), I had no idea what would end up at number one. First I went through my Favorite Records by Year Google Doc, then looked over past best of lists and started writing down options. Using Google Sheets I organized all of the records and started the whittling down process. Still, I wasn’t sure how it would all end. Usually when making these lists, I don’t start writing the reviews/blurbs until I have the order decided on and am putting the post together. This time around, since I wanted to write all new reviews of each record after listening to each record, so I started writing based on mood and what I wanted to listen to at the moment. That’s when it hit me and I just knew.
The older I get, the music that really sticks with me is the music that makes me feel something. It hits me emotionally, spiritually, philosophically. Yes the music has to speak to me but there must be more than just catchy tunes. Sure there are artists that I desperately love that don’t hit me in this way, but that is not the stuff that I find myself going back to again and again. This list is a testament to this mindset. The artists that I connect with on those deeper levels have records all over this thing (something I was very conscious of while putting it together). So it might seem a bit odd that my record of the first 25 years of the 21st century is one that I came to fairly recently.
According to a Currently Listening post from 2022, Gang of Youths was on my radar at that time but truth be told I have no memory of it. I even went back through my tracking playlist for 2022 and their album angel in realtime. was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, I heard of the band from an episode of Indiecast, a podcast that I enjoy but rarely dig into their recommendations. A year or two ago, Justin and Dylan from Punk Lotto Pod made a reference to the Big Music in relation to bands like U2, Midnight Oil, and Simple Minds. Immediately my ears perked up and in 2024 I started digging into this amorphous sound and collection of artists. It was during this research that I found Go Farther In Lightness on Rate Your Music’s Big Music chart. That’s when I started to dig in. At first it was specific songs that grabbed me like “the angel of 8th ave.” from angel in realtime. and “Magnolia” from The Positions, as I listened to the This Is Gang of Youths playlist on Spotify.
Go Farther In Lightness is the band’s sophomore full-length and easily their best to date. While the record has plenty of standout tracks, it works best as a whole. It is a long album clocking in over an hour and that is probably why it took a while for me to fully absorb and click with it. Don’t let that dissuade you from giving it a go because Go Farther In Lightness is an album that rewards repeat listens. Beyond the music, which is soaring and anthemic, it is the album’s message that makes this so special. Go Farther In Lightness is an album about compassion, hope, perseverance, and love, all of which this world desperately needs. Steven Hyden in his previously mentioned The Best Indie Rock Albums Of The 21st Century, Ranked list said the following –
Perhaps it says something about the state of “music with guitars” indie in the 2010s that Go Farther In Lightness didn’t become, commercially speaking, the 21st century’s answer to The Joshua Tree. But it deserved to be.
I couldn’t agree more.