6 Addictive 2000s Rock Albums That Were Ahead of Their Time

Rock music had a great era in the 2000s, and we got to enjoy a ton of top-notch albums during this decade. That being said, a few projects from the 2000s were considerably different from what everyone else was doing. Let’s dive into six excellent 2000s rock albums that were ahead of their time!

1. ‘Kid A’ by Radiohead

The 2000 release of Kid A by Radiohead was a fresh start for the band, at least according to frontman Thom Yorke. It was also the first no. 1 album for the band in the US. OK Computer was the band’s breakthrough hit, but Kid A cemented their status as one of the greatest rock bands of the turn of the century. 

It features all of the elements of solid Radiohead music, from unique concepts to electronic distortion to watery, strange sound design. There isn’t an album out there quite like it.

2. ‘Elephant’ by The White Stripes

Elephant is one of the most quintessential early 2000s rock albums. This 2001 record by The White Stripes is hot, savage, and features a bit of a sad story of love lost and the struggle to keep a marriage together. 

Despite its sad subject matter, it’s an absolutely filthy and danceable alt-rock punk-blues album. It kicks off with the iconic “Seven Nation Army”, but the meat of the album boasts a ton of underrated individual tracks.

3. ‘Hot Fuss’ by The Killers

This wouldn’t be a list of iconic and addictive 2000s rock albums that were ahead of their time without including the 2004 album Hot Fuss by The Killers. Few albums were loaded with hit singles at the time quite like this one. “Mr. Brightside”, “All These Things That I’ve Done”, and “Smile Like You Mean It” are just a few.

This album hails to the days of Duran Duran and the early 1980s, but it lends a modern and relatable vibe to it all. Fake English accent aside, this record is a delightfully hedonistic and nostalgic piece of work.

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4. ‘Figure 8’ by Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith’s 2000 album Figure 8 is melodic, balanced, and dripping with the most heartwrenching lyrics you could imagine. It was his last album before his death in 2003, and it’s since become one of his most revered works. 

Despite its gloomy (yet relatable) subject matter, the album manages to pack delightfully human elements, from dance-hall piano to Beatles-inspired riffs to power-pop vibes.

5. ‘Z’ by My Morning Jacket

The 2005 album Z by My Morning Jacket doesn’t get enough love, in our opinion. It’s a quintessential art rock album, but it deserved more mainstream attention than it got. It’s a jam-band wonderland with clear Brian Eno influences, but it is sonically, and uniquely, My Morning Jacket.

6. ‘American Idiot’ by Green Day

Can an album be both ahead of its time and true to its roots? We think so, especially when it comes to the 2004 album American Idiot by Green Day. Punk rock was already decades into its lifespan when this album came out, and a lot of music during this era leaned more towards post-punk and pop-punk. While this album does have some pop punk leanings, it is, in its heart of hearts, a punk album. And a darn good one at that! 

This was a gutsy project to take on with its scathing critique of American society, and it was definitely ahead of its time while also taking on a fairly traditional punk concept.

Photo by Chris Phelps, Courtesy of The Oriel

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