Music, and just about everything else, was overshadowed by the terrorist attacks against America on September 11, 2001. But now, over 6 years on, we can look back at the music that defined 2001 with a clear mind. And there was a lot to love. It was an important year for music, if only for the fact that it would be the last one before America was thrust into war. Songwriters had not yet begun to consider the new world in which we live.
2001 was the start of a new millennium and music was supposed to be created by robots and machines. Instruments would be played by simply thinking. Although these futuristic predictions did not come true, computers and technology did have a significant impact. Music continued to branch out in 2001, with room for more styles than ever before, and artists became empowered by home recording technology and the Internet.
This playlist includes 6 and 1/2 hours of the very best music released in 2001 as selected by consensus among the world of music criticism. It includes, rock, folk, country, hip-hop, rock, indie and electronica. Jazz, blues, world and classical music were left out for the sake of continuity. And you'll be hard pressed to find Billboard hits in the list. It's not about sales, or popularity, but quality. I have picked one song from albums voted as the very best of the year. The result is an extremely listenable list that provides a reflection on the year 2001.
The Best of 2001 Playlist
2. Sunflower - Low
3. Everything Hits At Once - Spoon
6. A Thousand Kisses Deep - Leonard Cohen
9. Jacksonville Skyline - Whiskeytown
10. Reason To Cry - Lucinda Williams
11. Half Acre - Hem
12. Joan Jett Of Arc - Clem Snide
13. Working Girls (Sunlight Shines) - Pernice Brothers
14. Hotel Yorba - The White Stripes
15. When The Stars Go Blue - Ryan Adams
16. Angeldust (Please Come Down) - Jump, Little Children
17. River - Red House Painters
18. Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright
21. I'll Fly Away - Gillian Welch And Alison Krauss
22. How Does It Make You Feel? - Air
23. Do It All Over Again - Spiritualized
26. Streethawk I - Destroyer
27. Caring Is Creepy - The Shins
28. Happy New Year - Camera Obscura
29. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
30. Black Book - Stephen Malkmus
31. Life On A Chain - Pete Yorn
32. Mass Romantic - The New Pornographers
33. They Removed All Trace That Anything Had Ever Happened Here - Hood