The Top 50 Albums of the 2000s: 25-21

25 | MODESELEKTOR Happy Birthday!
BPitch Control, 2007

DOWNLOAD | “2000007” (feat. TTC)

Even aside from earning the distinction of being the only German abstract techno record to snare Thom Yorke for a guest vocal, Modeselektor’s Happy Birthday! is a future template for what techno might sound like if it weren’t always chained to a four-on-the-floor kick drum. Interestingly, it also makes a strong case for what hip-hop might sound like if the genre took more chances. Had Ghostface spit over “2000007,” every producer in the game would have run back to the lab trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.

24 | THE POSTAL SERVICE Give Up
Sub Pop, 2003

VIDEO | “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”

It seems like such a contrived thing to say, but I’ve always been more excited about the Dntel-half of the Postal Service than the Death Cab-half. By the time Give Up was released in 2003, it was already well-established that Ben Gibbard could write a song that could make you weep into your pillowcase. But Jimmy Tamborello — a glitchy microhouse producer whose previous collaboration with Gibbard yielded five minutes of static frequencies over a jagged breakbeat — took this opportunity to sidestep his fringe status, co-write a filler-free album of electro-pop, and become the first-ever Plug Research alumni to earn a gold record. If that’s not a millenial fairytale, I don’t know what is.

23 | RHETT MILLER The Instigator
Elektra, 2002

DOWNLOAD | “Our Love”

Before going solo, Rhett Miller’s model good looks and aw shucks blue eyes had the benefit of blending in with the Old ’97s — the mostly rugged alt-country band he fronted. Without their backdrop, Miller’s semi-awkward earnestness would run the risk of being a focal point or a distraction, but The Instigator proved to be a moment of transcendence: With the help of producer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, Miller shifted the attention to his songcraft — every song a perfectly concise examination of love and temporality. It’s also a guilt-free pop album, for those nights when my friends come over and I have to turn off the Dixie Chicks.

22 | JAY-Z The Black Album
Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam, 2003

VIDEO | “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”

First of all, an acknowledgment to the elephant in the room: The Black Album — which was touted as Jay-Z’s final album before retiring — should have been his last. If anything, it certainly sounded like his last. Watching him write “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” on the spot, in the Fade To Black documentary was nothing short of watching a dying man crossing out lines on his Bucket List; in that moment, it was more about the urgency of art, less about tomorrow’s brunch with Chris and Gwyneth. In that sense, The Black Album was, indeed, a final album of sorts for Jay-Z. It was his last piece of unblemished work before inevitably surrendering to his own celebrity.

21 | COLDPLAY Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (Prospekt’s March Edition)
Parlophone, 2008

VIDEO | “Life in Technicolor ii”

I realize how polarizing Coldplay is, how they’re dismissed as a band that “rips off the boring parts of Radiohead.” I also kind of think that’s bullshit. (I’d argue that Radiohead rip off the boring parts of Can and Autechre, but that’s another debate.) The thing about Coldplay that makes people hate them is that they are just so damn likeable: they love the same records you do, they worship Brian Eno as much as Animal Collective, and they obviously know something about that irresistible intersection between rhythm and melody. Indeed, Viva la Vida traffics in this sort of percussive pop; there’s a reason why every rapper you love feels compelled to namecheck them. You can insist that this record is milquetoast and shallow if it makes you feel better, but even a year after its release, I’m still uncovering the layers. Also, it’s probably on your iPod, too, so get over it.