In the wake of grunge’s implosion in 1994 came a storm of new alternative acts – Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Oasis, and more, all competing with NSYNC for MTV playtime. What was missing from the crop was something raw, something messy, something… indie.
Anthropologists might argue that indie was born in the late eighties with Pixies and Pavement, tracing back to punk influences from Jonathan Richman and Television, with all roads of course leading to The Velvet Underground and Nico. I’d argue it started on September 11th, 2001 when The Strokes cut “New York City Cops” off of their debut record to be released in the US later that month.
The Stroke’s Is This It ignited a new desire for guitar music around the world, and its perfectly imperfect production spawned a new sound that bands through the 2000’s could only hope to emulate. Now 25(ish) years later, we have a quarter of a century worth of indie to look back on and cherish, but most importantly, to rank arbitrarily to earn some sweet nostalgia-driven web traffic.
In my last post I laid a framework for what I considered indie – anything that appeared counter to a mainstream genre, anything that had guitar-y vibes, anything that felt, well, indie. You know it when you see it.
There are some notable exceptions from this list that may appear on other centennial round-ups. There is no Bloc Party, or The Hives, or Interpol, because they sound too much like The Strokes. There is no Perfume Genius, or the 1975, or Lana Del Rey, because that is just pop music. There is no Radiohead, or PJ Harvey, or My Bloody Valentine, because those are 90s bands. There is no Arcade Fire, or Bon Iver, or The National, because they are boring. And no Sufjan Stevens, because I’m not into that. I only include one album per artist, as this list would be 50% Animal Collective related albums if not. This list also attempts to skew away from 2000-2010, and offers picks that you may not consider indie and may not actually be very great, but instead represent something important to indie, or something important outside of it.
Anyways, here’s 50 of the best indie albums of the 21st century so far, in no particular order until the top ten. Listen along to our Spotify playlist here (spoilers, beware!).
50. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) – Arctic Monkeys
Alex Turner once said he’d always wanted to be one of The Strokes. After churning out a dozen comically massive smash hits on A.M. he must’ve realized rock fame wasn’t worth the hassle – he’s only been putting out jazzy nonsense since. The Arctic Monkeys’ debut just feels more indie than their later releases, and doesn’t have any Home Depot guitar riffs like “Do I Wanna Know?”
49. Santigold (2008)- Santigold
I just found out Santigold had a cameo in the last season of The Office. That’s kinda like seeing Wilco on Parks and Rec. Something very indie was happening at NBC those years.
48. Fleet Foxes (2008) – Fleet Foxes
I’m not that big on Fleet Foxes, but this list must include something folky. Maybe they contributed to the stomp clap recession music from Mumford and The Lumineers, maybe they contributed to its new iteration in the “coastal” garbage from Mt. Joy and Noah Kahan. But maybe I’ll give them a pass, because “White Winter Hymnal” is just that good.
47. Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time (2013) – Candy Claw
Most 21st century shoegaze bands are just bad Loveless rip-offs, but Candy Claws takes the waves of sound somewhere different: somewhere bright and whimsical and charming. This might be the most chronically online album on the list, but sometimes RYM-core gets it right.
46. Schlagenheim (2019) – black midi
black midi’s 2018 KEXP session, full of untitled and unreleased tracks, struck an immediate spark that propelled the trio to the helm of the post-punk scene. Six years later, they are broken up, with exceptional solo projects on the way. That’s as indie as it gets.
45. For the First Time (2021) – Black Country, New Road
Ants From Up There is by far and away the better album, but the Slint tribute band’s first outing earned them a Mercury Prize shortlist and universal acclaim. Their post-Wood output is leaning towards twee, and that’s the closest that sound will get to this list.
44. Girl with Fish (2023)- feeble little horse
feeble little horse might be the best indication of where guitar centric could be going in the coming years. They’re mixing glitchy distortion with pop melodies to extraordinary affair; their songs begin and end on different planets. And they’re not from New York. Nice!
43. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002) – The Flaming Lips
I saw The Flaming Lips open for Weezer on the Journey to the Blue Planet Tour and they were doing way too much. But they can have a pass, cause this album rocks.
42. Magnolia Electric Co. (2003) – Jason Molina
Steve Albini should be somewhere on this list. So here you go.
41. Twin Fantasy (2011) – Car Seat Headrest
Will Toledo went to William and Mary. Now that is indie.
40. Titanic Rising (2019) – Weyes Blood
I didn’t really get Weyes Blood until I heard her play through the rain at Pitchfork 2023 while waiting by Big Thief’s stage. Pretty good, though.
39. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2003) – Wilco
On that same Chicago trip to Pitchfork I saw the Wilco apartment complex. I’ve read the units are essentially triangles with large balconies. Prices don’t look too bad actually, they should pull an American Football and buy one as an Airbnb.
38. Fever To Tell (2003) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Wait, they don’t love you like I love you.
37. Punisher (2020)- Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers in 2020 was one of those inflection points that causes a genre to collapse in on itself. From production to songwriting, every new indie girlie has been chasing Bridgers in some way, and they are all sooooooo bad. Just like when Pure Heroine came out. We’re still living in a post-Punisher world, who’s going to break that mold?
36. The Glow, Pt. 2 (2001) – The Microphones
This could’ve been any Phil Elverum release. I’m quite partial to the elephant.
35. Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020) – Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple’s 2020 comeback album dropped a month into the COVID lockdown, and for me became the de facto record of the period. It also inspired Pitchfork to get their sauce back for like a year, but Condé Nast shut that down real quick.
34. Alvvays (2014)- Alvvays
There will only be one band on this list that misuses a “V” to form another letter. Sorry CHVRCHES.
33. You Forgot It In People (2003)- Broken Social Scene
I’m into fashion alongside all this music stuff (Talking Threads column coming soon!) but the piece of clothing I get the most comments on is a black hoodie with, “park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me,” printed in Arial font. “Anthems” might be the best indie track ever.
32. Salad Days (2014) – Mac DeMarco
Another inflection point, every guy with a Strat and a reverb pedal wanted to sound like Mac for the last decade. Sometimes you do something so well its just ruined forever. All of his contemporaries sound like vibey nonsense to me; Salad Days just sounds right.
31. Visions (2012)- Grimes
Grimes has officially graduated into a cohort of the Top 10 Most Annoying People on the planet, but for a brief moment, her music was everything.
30. In Colour (2015)- Jamie XX
It took a decade to follow up In Colour, and for good reason. The tracks with Romy and Young Thug are untouchable, pure dance bliss. Is this even indie? Probably not, but its my list so I don’t care.
29. 1000 gecs (2019)- 100 gecs
Many have moved on from 100 gecs and hyper-pop after lockdowns lifted and the For You Page scrolled on, but I’m Still Here (2024). It was not a joke to me, it did not “scratch my brain” in the right place; it was real, tangible, present. 10,000 gecs is the more guitar-forward record, but their debut is a perfectly abrasive mess.
28. Immunity (2019) – Clairo
Bedroom pop proved to be a scourge on indie through the late 2010s, but Clairo has emerged from that crowd as the sole owner of any talent. From those first lo-fi EPs to the jazzy, soulful Charm – she’s a proven star. Immunity has her best tracks, with glowing production from Vampire Weekend’s Rostam.
27. Be the Cowboy (2018) – Mitski
This could be any Mitski album, but I’m partial to “Nobody.”
26. Bloom (2012) – Beach House
This could be any Beach House album, but I’m partial to “Lazuli.”
25. Blonde (2016) – Frank Ocean
I guess I have to put Alex G somewhere, so I’ll use the only project of his that I like. Frank Ocean covers a lot of genres and sounds across Blonde, but the guitar work is resoundingly indie. I’ll always wonder what the King Krule version of these tracks would sound like. Probably worse.
24. Melodrama (2017) – Lorde
This is just pop music, but it’s good, so it’s indie.
23. Dark Red (2017) – Steve Lacy
This isn’t even an album, its just Steve Lacy’s mega hit single. But you have to remember he made this on an iPhone, so it’s indie.
22. Currents (2015) – Tame Impala
Turns out Tame Impala was only one guy. Very indie.
21. Franz Ferdinand (2004) – Franz Ferdinand
I’d be lying if I said I had listened to this all the way through, but “Take Me Out” has to be the biggest indie rock track of the century behind “Seven Nation Army” or “Do I Wanna Know?” Hardest beat switch of all time?
20. Veckatimest (2009) – Grizzly Bear
This spot could go to Passion Pit or STRFKR or any number of the indie one hit wonders. Don’t lie, I know you’re only bumping “Two Weeks.” Only difference is that Grizzly Bear has a pretty good album surrounding their one standout track.
19. Demon Days (2005) – Gorillaz
Demon Days might have the greatest list of features of all time. And the guy from blur is there too. What a win!
18. De Stijl (2000) – The White Stripes
Yeah Elephant is much better but this is wayyyy more indie.
17. Lush (2018) – Snail Mail
There’s something special about a classically trained guitarist coming of age into the bedroom slop fest of post-2013 indie and releasing a bunch of Pavement inspired tracks. Now they’re touring with Dinosaur Jr. and Turnstile and Waxahatchee. Lindsey Jordan and company are picking their references and colleagues with poise, and with LP3 allegedly completed, could be in time for a Snail Mail summer.
16. Transatlancicism (2003) – Death Cab for Cutie
Ben Gibbard had to go somewhere.
15. The Execution of All Things (2002) – Rilo Kiley
Jenny Lewis had to go somewhere.
14. Give Up (2003) – The Postal Service
Holy shit.
13. Cansei De Ser Sexy (2006) – CSS
If indie sleaze is real (it isn’t) then CSS is the closest to approximate it in full. Just listen to “Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex.” I mean, come on.
12. Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004) – The Go! Team
Ian Partron made a bunch of illegal samples and put the record out thinking nobody would listen, only for it to be a critically acclaimed hit, forcing him to clear all the samples and re-record the whole album. Doesn’t get more indie than that.
11. Bluffer’s guide to the flight deck (2004) – Flotation Toy Warning
10. Treats (2010) – Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells is the ultimate iteration of the eccentric female lead and mysterious guitarist/producer guy emulated by Crystal Castles, Chairlift, Jockstrap, Magdalena Bay, and dozens more. “Rill Rill” went triple platinum in my broken earbuds for sure.
9. Writer’s Block (2006) – Peter Bjorn and John
Everybody knows “Young Folks” – what if I told you that’s the worst song on the album? Writer’s Block is a beautiful collection of love songs, with some of the most gorgeous arrangements indie rock has ever seen (heard?). “Up Against The Wall” and “Roll The Credits” deserve as much fame as their biggest hit, and more.
8. Oracular Spectacular (2007) – MGMT
Oracular Spectacular best sums up everything great and everything wrong with its era of indie. It was elitist, innovative, superficial, irresistible – indie excellence trickling down from the Ivy Leagues to the masses. But watching those early performances of an unfinished “Kids” tearing across Princeton lawns – you really think, “that could be me.” Still one of the worst concerts I’ve ever seen, though.
7. This Is Happening (2010) – LCD Soundsystem
This slot could’ve went to any of LCD Soundsystem’s first run of albums, but placing “Dance Yrself Clean” as the opening track elevates this record beyond the rest. James Murphy is the master of this indie rock and electronic dance fusion, and perfectly captures the existential dread of his generation, and delivers its remedy on the dance floor. I’ve cried at two concerts in my life, both LCD Soundsystem shows, both during “Home.”
6. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009) – Phoenix
When I think of indie rock, the first guitar riff I hear is “A-Punk.” The second is “1901.” The third is “Lisztomania.” The riffs these French fellas produce are second to none (well, except Vampire Weekend in this case). Regardless, this album has “Lasso” too – save some for the rest of us, Thomas.
5. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (2022) – Big Thief
The latest record from Big Thief feels like the first indie album since 2013 that could really challenge the canon. It is a sprawling and transformative body of music, and every time I enter it, I leave a different person. Each listen yields a new favorite song, a new flicker to obsess over. Big Thief is one of the only proper bands to breakout in the last few years – each member is an extraordinary musician in their own right, and this album is the ultimate coalescence of everything each has worked towards in their careers.
I took this album with me around the world in the summer of 2022. It was the soundtrack to my last few months of freedom, before the start of my funeral procession.
4. Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) – Animal Collective
If I were to say Animal Collective was the greatest American band of all time, most people would write me off as an indie-obsessed and consensus-trapped nut. But they have a strong case. From early EPs of Avey Tare and Panda Bear swirling around Baltimore to transcendent psychedelic rock epics, they have covered more ground in two decades than Radiohead, The Beatles, and many more. Each of their albums has a dedicated sect of followers claiming its their magnum opus – though I fall into the most basic camp. Merriweather Post Pavilion is the pinnacle of an exuberant blend of dance, psych, electronic, and indie. “My Girls” might just be the seminal track of late 2000s indie, but its also surrounded by ten other brilliant songs, capped off with the most hype song of the indie canon in “Brother Sport.” There is something to love in every one of their releases, but Merriweather makes its mark on every listener.
3. Person Pitch (2007) – Panda Bear
The prevailing theory on The Velvet Underground’s debut is that while it didn’t sell many copies, everyone who bought it started a band. Person Pitch is the equivalent record for twenty first century indie. It is the foundational building block for sample based pop in the past twenty years, and has inspired an entire cohort of artists chasing Panda Bear’s sound. He is the closest in spirit to Brian Wilson (RIP) that the musical world has produced since Pet Sounds, and across his solo career, star-studded list of features, and Animal Collective output he has established himself as a central pillar of modern indie, rivaled by none, and an inspiration to a generation of new artists.
2. Modern Vampires of the City (2013) – Vampire Weekend
Their self-titled debut contains an eccentric collection of the most important tracks of late 2000s indie, from “Campus” to “Oxford Comma” and of course the ever present “A-Punk” that played immediately whenever you turned on your iPod. Yet the weight of those indie pop hits bears down on the band’s image and purpose. “Mansard Roof” invokes a caricature of east coast yuppies prancing around New York in boat shoes and polos – an inside joke from a collective of Jersey kids that the casual vampires likely missed. Modern Vampires of the City has the indie pop hits to match, but more importantly sounds and themes that match a group aging out of the hard and fast lifestyle of indie rock stardom and beginning to grapple with the rest of their lives. It features the best songwriting and best production of Ezra and Rostam’s careers respectively, and in the years following Rostam left the band and Ezra paused the project for six years. After all, where do you go once you’ve reached the top?
1. Room On Fire (2003) – The Strokes
At the top of this article I said The Strokes invented indie rock with the quintessential Is This It. It only took two years for them to perfect indie rock with Room On Fire. The riffs are harder, the drums are snappier, and the lyrics are more devastating. The comically long gap of silence at the start of every song generates electric tension for the track to come. If Is This It is the greatest debut album of all time, Room On Fire is certainly the greatest sophomore release ever. Is their debut better? Perhaps. But being contrarian is incredibly indie, and that’s what I’m here to do.
Check out the full list of the Best Indie Music of the 21st Century in playlist format at the Spotify embed below.
gone gazing 