40 Essential Alternative Albums of the 00's

Okay, that decade went by sooner then we realized! I think it'd be great to look at the great Alternative musical artifacts of the decade. I've included some records in this essential list that are infact quite well known, and are on the edge of what we consider mainstream (this is where the hypocrisy of Alternative music seeps in). Whereas some may only be known to only a few closely knit people. Either way, lets go:

40 Essential Alternative albums of the 00’s

All Gone Dead - Fallen & Forgotten - An excellent piece of the Deathrock revival of the 00's
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not - Post-Britpop at its best (as it sucked)
Bauhaus - Go Away White - Even reformed bands can make good albums
Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash - A golden monument of Electroclash
The Birthday Massacre - Violet - The most haunting Synthrock record ever made
Bloc Party - Intimacy
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster - Horse Of The Dog - A Garage-Punk-Gothabilly classic for all fans of the genre
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
The Horrors - Primary Colours - Europhic, dark, intricate, loud and psychedelic
The Horrors - Strange House
Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future - Nu Rave was a short lived fad, this is a long lived record
Leftover Crack - Mediocre Generica
M83 - Saturdays = Youth - Synthgazing masterpiece
MC Lars - The Graduate - The Godfather of Post-Punk Laptop Rap at his godliest moment
Mindless Self Indulgence - You’ll Rebel To Anything - Synthrock masterpiece, it's the Birthday Massacre, except gothless and Hip Hop influenced
Mr. Lif - Emergency Rations
My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade - I personally despise 4th-Wave Emo bands, but these guys just shot a bullet in my head
Neils Children - Something Perpetual
Paralitikos - Roma No Paga Traidores
Placebo - Black Market Music
Placebo - Covers
Peaches - The Teaches of Peaches
Radiohead - Kid A - Brought underground forms of Electronic into the mainstream atmosphere
Rammstein - Reise, Reise - What was left of Industrial Metal following the genre's downward spiralling
Robots in Disguise - Get RID!
Robots in Disguise - We’re In The Music Biz
Sex Gang Children - Bastard Art
She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge
The Strokes - Room Of Fire
Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only
Various Artists - Who’s America? (Def Jux) - For all to remember Left-Leaning Anti-War and Anti-Bush Hip Hop of the decade
Various Artists - Yes New York (Wolfgang Morden) - An insight into the New York Alternative scene of the early 00's that centered around
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!

Various Artists - EXP6 - Mixtape

A mixtape for the masses composed of The New Thing and awesome beats/psychaedelic sounds. I recommend for those who know nothing of the New Thing :)

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If you like what you hear, then I encourage you to purchase the music on CD, Vinyl, mp3, ect.

Various Artists - New York Thrash

The "historical" Hardcore punk compilation New York Thrash, as the name says, it was a compilation album released by ROIR in 1982, documenting the New York Hardcore scene of the early 80's, featuring such bands as the Bad Brains, Adrenalin O.D. and the Beastie Boys. Yes, the Beastie Boys had actually formed as a Hardcore punk outfit in the early 80's, but by the late 80's, their sound had drifted into a Hip Hop direction, which was actually better lol, seriously, Beastie Boys work in Hip Hop is better than their Hardcore. Anyways, New Yorks Hardocore scene was late developing compared to most other cities (i.e. Washington DC, Phoenix, LA, San Francisco). It also included more bands from outside of New York City, many coming from New Jersey (e.g. Beastie Boys) and Long Island. Also, it should be noted that the Bad Brains are from DC. But were briefly based in New York due to an unnofficial ban at most DC nightclubs, caused by the bands often unpredicted stage antics of lead singer H.R.. Anyways excellent album, great to blast off your earphones and develop a short-lasting case of Tinnitus.

Tracklist:

1. I Hate Music - The Mad

2. Getaway - Kraut

3. Shotgun - Heart Attack

4. Social Reason - The Undead

5. New Years Eve - Adrenalin OD

6. Illusion Won Again - Even Worse

7. Cry Now - Fiends

8. Here and Now - Nihilistics

9. Nightmare - The Undead

10. Taxidermist - False Prophets

11. Regulator (version) - Bad Brains

12. Riot Fight - Beastie Boys

13. Love and Kisses - Nihilistics

14. Asian White - Fiends

15. Last Chance - Kraut

16. Emptying the Madhouse - Even Worse

17. Paul's Not Home - Adrenalin OD

18. Scorched Earth - False Prophets

19. God is Dead - Heart Attack

20. The Hell - The Mad

21. Big Take Over (version) - Bad Brains

22. Beastie - Beastie Boys

Sorry, I don't have the reissue, which contains two more tracks by The Stimulators, not to be confused with a German band also called The Stimulators. New York Thrash was originally published on cassette in 1982 and reissued on CD with bonus tracks by the above artist in 1998.

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Various Artists - A Dark Cabaret

Its a compilation of Dark Cabaret music that Projekt Records put out back in 2005. Its composed of Dark Cabaret songs form various bands and artists from the 90s and 00s. Most of these bands appeared on Projekt sooner or later. The album includes such artists as the Dresden Dolls, Black Tape for Blue Girl, Jill Tracy, ex-Christian Death frontman Rozz Williams (who died in 1998, RIP) and various others.

Tracklist:

1. Dresden Dolls - Coin-Operated Boy
2. Revue Noir - Sometimes
3. Jill Tracy - Evil Night Together
4. Katzenjammer Kabarett - Gemini Girly Song
5. Audra - Cabaret Fortune Teller
6. Nicki Jaine - Pretty Faces
7. Pretty Balanced - Simon's Sleeping
8. Black Tape for Blue Girl - Knock Three Times [Skinny Kinda Mix]
9. The Brides - Audience to The Ends
10. Rozz Williams - Flowers
11. ThouShaltNot - True Love

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