Years are fairly arbitrary time periods. The only thing that makes a decade is the human conditions’ odometer fetish. Unfortunately, like you, I’m human as well and fall prey to these tendencies. I can’t claim to know everything, I’m just an educated observer; and here are my educated observations. They are not perfect and neither you nor I will completely agree with them in a years time, but that is the fun of lists.
I seriously considered just placing all of daft punk – discovery on the list. I love that album that much. In fact, most of 2001 was dominated by just a few albums. I could listen to anything off those top 6 albums at any moment in time. Kid A deservedly gets all the plaudits for the decade but I’d rather listen to any of those top 10 albums if I was forced to choose.
Check out the videos for super furry animals – “its not the end of the world”, royksopp – “eple”, and radiohead – “knives out” if you’ve never seen them before. Those are three of the brilliant videos ever made.
Top 10 Albums of 2001:
10. Andrew W.K. – I Get Wet
9. The Dismemberment Plan – Change
8. Liars – They Threw Us in a Trench and Put a Monument on Top
7. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
6. Beulah – The Coast is Never Clear
5. Spoon – Girls Can Tell
4. The Strokes – Is This It?
3. Sigur Ros – Ágætis Byrjun
2. Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World
1. Daft Punk – Discovery
Top 100 Songs of 2001:
100. Daft Punk – “Too Long” video
99. The Strokes – “NYC Cops” video
98. The Beta Band – “Human Being” video
97. Spoon – “Anything You Want”
96. Jim O’Rourke – “It’s All Downhill From Here”
95. Daft Punk – “Something About Us” video
94. Les Savy Fav – “Reprobates Resume”
93. Built to Spill – “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss”
92. The Faint – “Agenda Suicide” video
91. Sigur Ros – “Ny Batteri” video
90. Liars – “Grown Men Don’t Just Fall In a River Like That”
89. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Spread Your Love” video
88. Stereo Total – “Musique Automatique” video
87. Rufus Wainwright – “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” video
86. Burning Airlines – “Outside the Aviary”
85. Royksopp – “Remind Me” video
84. Ozma – “Domino Effect” video
83. Rilo Kiley – “Science vs. Romance”
82. Cake – “Long Line of Cars”
81. Sing-Sing – “Tegan”
80. The Strokes – “Someday” video
79. Bjork – “Hidden Place” video
78. The Dismemberment Plan – “Superpowers”
77. Fugazi – “Full Disclosure”
76. Daft Punk – “Crescendolls” video
75. Built to Spill – “In Your Mind”
74. Stereolab – “Captain Easychord”
73. Mouse on Mars – “Actionist Respoke” video
72. The Paper Chase – “These Things Happen”
71. Clem Snide – “Moment in the Sun”
70. Pulp – “Bad Cover Version” video
69. Andrew W.K. – “Ready to Die”
68. Spoon – “Fitted Shirt”
67. Ladytron – “Playgirl” video
66. New Order – “Crystal” video
65. Cake – “Meanwhile, Rick James…”
64. Jim O’Rourke – “Memory Lane”
63. The Shins – “Know Your Onion” video
62. Beulah – “A Good Man is Easy to Kill” video
61. Liars – “Loose Nuts on the Velodrome”
60. Les Savy Fav – “Crawling Can Be Beautiful”
59. Radiohead – “Pyramid Song” video
58. John Vanderslice – “Bill Gates Must Die”
57. The White Stripes – “Fell in Love With a Girl” video
56. Daft Punk – “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” video
55. Fugazi – “Cashout”
54. The Beta Band – “Squares” video
53. Rilo Kiley – “Wires and Waves” video
52. Super Furry Animals – “Rings Around the World” video
51. Spoon – “Lines in the Suit”
50. N.E.R.D. – “Lap Dance” video
49. Ladytron – “Mu-Tron” video
48. Built to Spill – “Strange”
47. Air – “Radio #1” video
46. The Dismemberment Plan – “Face of the Earth”
45. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Awake”
44. Cake – “Opera Singer” video
43. The Drive-By Truckers – “Act 1: Ronnie and Neil”
42. Les Savy Fav – “Tragic Monsters”
41. Squarepusher – “My Red Hot Car (Girl)” video
40. The Strokes – “Modern Age” video
39. The White Stripes – “Hotel Yorba” video
38. Daft Punk – “Aerodynamic” video
37. Andrew W.K. – “She Is Beautiful” video
36. Basement Jaxx – “Where’s Your Head At?” video
35. Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players – “Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959” video
34. The Shins – “Caring is Creepy”
33. Whiskeytown – “Ballad of Carol Ann”
32. Radiohead – “Knives Out” video
31. Royksopp – “Eple” video
30. Jim O’Rourke – “Therefore I Am”
29. Beulah – “Silver Lining” video
28. Super Furry Animals – “It’s Not the End of the World” video
27. Rufus Wainwright – “California” video
26. Stereo Total – “L’amour a 3” video
25. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Timorous Me
24. The Faint – “Glass Danse”
23. Sigur Ros – “Staralfur” video
22. Liars – “Mr. Your on Fire Mr.” video
21. Manu Chao – Me Gustas Tu video
20. The Dismemberment Plan – “Time Bomb” video
19. Royksopp – “Poor Leno” video
18. The White Stripes – “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” video
17. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Whatever Happened to my Rock N’ Roll (Punk Song)” video
16. Beulah – “Gene Autry” video
15. Radiohead – “I Might Be Wrong” video
14. Felix Da Housecat – “Madame Hollywood”
13. Cake – “Short Shirt, Long Jacket” video
12. Spoon – “Everything Hits at Once” video
11. The Strokes – “Last Night” video
10. Basement Jaxx – “Romeo” video
9. Fugazi – “The Argument”
8. Andrew W.K. – “Party Hard”
7. Super Furry Animals – “Juxtaposed with U” video
6. Daft Punk – “One More Time” video
5. Jay-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” video
4. Sigur Ros – “Svefn g englar” video
3. The Shins – “New Slang” video
2. Dntel – “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan” video
1. Daft Punk – “Digital Love” video