Best Albums Of 2000
GOLD
1. Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R (Interscope): Heavyweights in their own right, QOTSA are the closest thing we have to Nirvana right now.
2. PJ Harvey – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (Island): If she goes on for as long and as strong as Tina Turner has, I’ll die a happy man.
3. At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command (Grand Royal): A densely layered, complex punk delight. Three times as exciting as any TNT James Bond marathon.
4. The Fucking Champs – IV (Drag City): Name says it all.
5. Blonde Redhead – Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons (Touch and Go): As anomalous as its title, this is Blonde Redhead’s weep du jour.
SILVER
6. Sweep the Leg Johnny – Sto Cazzo!: An avant-jazz punk combo so beyond their time it hurts.
7. Enon – Believo! (See Thru Broadcasting): Haven’t had this much fun since I rediscovered “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.”
8. Sunny Day Real Estate – The Rising Tide (Time Bomb): At last inching toward Diary, the only thing more breathtaking was witnessing them live.
9. Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump (V2): How could a technological wasteland be so beautiful?
10. Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador): Could hardly make it through the entire thing, kept putting me to sleep. Yes, that is a good thing.
BRONZE:
11. Quickspace – The Death of Quickspace (Matador): If I do get in that fatal car crash, I hope these angels are there to whisk me away to heaven … or hell.
12. Le Tigre – Le Tigre (Mr. Lady): Garage DJs? Never a dull moment.
13. The Murder City Devils – In Name and Blood (Sub Pop): Funny, these are the guys my mom always told me to stay away from.
• “Spencer Moody On Murder City Devils’ Breakup: ‘Everyone Was Ready For A Change’”
14. Mondo Generator – Cocaine Rodeo (Southern Lord): QOTSA side project nastier than a dope dealer with scurvy … devouring rats … in a dumpster.
15. The Black Heart Procession – Three (Touch and Go): Suddenly my life doesn’t seem so bleak anymore.
Honorable mentions: Broadcast – The Noise Made by People (Warp); Bright Eyes – Fevers and Mirrors (Saddle Creek); Unida – Coping With the Urban Coyote (Man’s Ruin); Chicks on Speed – The Un-Releases (K); the Brian Jonestown Massacre – Zero EP (Bomp).
Originally published as “Special Olympics 2000” on VirginMega.com.
—
More lists:
Best Albums of the 2000s
Best Albums of 2009
Best Albums of 2008
Best Albums of 2007
Best Metal Albums of 2007
Best Albums of 2006
Best Albums of 2005
Best Albums of 2003
Best Albums of 1909
The Bad Penny (beta) 
Leave a Reply