Although music enthusiasts and rock journalists are all known for their lengthy rhetoric glorifying the music of decades past, almost none of them would be caught dead waxing poetic about the early millennium. In fact, most music aficionados would probably consider the time between 1997 and 2007 as one of the least original moments in musical history.
Despite the lull, fans of indie and alternative pop-rock probably shouldn’t be so quick to write off the early millennium as a noteworthy decade. And while there was a certain level of disconnect between the music people wanted to hear and the music that was being produced during that time, several well-known artists produced some truly incredible albums in the earliest years if the 21st Century.
Let’s not be so quick to forget about…
1. The Photo Album – Death Cab For Cutie
Most people don’t associate Death Cab For Cutie with an album released before the mega-successful Plans in 2005, but before they achieved mainstream status, Death Cab already had quite a few impressive LP’s under their belt. The Photo Album was released in 2001, and from it, fans were privy to some of their most impressive singles, like “A Movie Script Ending” and “I Was A Kaleidoscope.” Unlike the more raw, less-produced tracks on Death Cab For Cutie’s earlier albums, The Photo Album features the first examples of that iconic sound we know and love today.
2. The Weakerthans – Reconstruction Site
I can’t praise The Weakerthans enough without wondering how many people actually know who I’m talking about; honestly, why don’t more of you listen to them? The Weakerthans are an indie-rock culmination of four key figures in the Canadian punk rock scene (John K. Samson from Propagandhi, most notably). And with Reconstruction Site, they really touched on a subject punk rock almost never approaches. The entire album is, from start to finish, a love letter to overcoming clinical depression, and each song feeds into the one before in a way that makes the listener feel like he or she is on that journey of self-love right along with them.
3. Old Crow Medicine Show – O.C.M.S.
Today, Old Crow Medicine Show is best known for its modern spin on an old-time bluegrass string band, but in 2004, the acoustic quintet was just finding its sound. Well, they absolutely found it with this self-titled collection of original pieces and virtually unknown bluegrass covers, including “Wagon Wheel,” a song originally written by Bob Dylan and later finished by Old Crow Medicine Show. Seriously, Bob Dylan liked them so much that he let them finish his song.
4. Flogging Molly – Swagger
Swagger, released in 2000, is the first studio album by Celtic punk band, Flogging Molly, and man, what an entrance they made. Several of the tracks were used in movies and television shows that year (including “Selfish Man,” “The Worst Day Since Yesterday,” and “The Ol’ Beggars Bush”), and the album itself solidified their place at the forefront of the Irish punk revival.
5. Neutral Milk Hotel – In An Aeroplane Over The Sea
In An Aeroplane Over The Sea gets an honorary mention here because even though it was released just before the millennium, it didn’t really arrive on the indie scene until a few years later. Unbelievable as it may sound to today’s fans (considering they just sold out a reunion tour this past year), In An Aeroplane Over The Sea was virtually panned by critics following its initial release, and most music journalists just didn’t know what to make of the confusing and somewhat disturbing imagery–of course, they all eventually ate their words eventually. In An Aeroplane Over The Sea is now officially considered one of the most important works of independent music of the last few decades, and the band (though often defunct) gains new droves of fans with each passing year.
