1. Girl Talk, "Night Ripper" (2006): Engineer by day, dance party superhero by night: Gregg Gillis has single-handedly changed the face of music, and "Night Ripper" is his best work yet. Gillis' digital mash-ups expertly combine seemingly incongruous artists' songs to produce tracks that, though borrowed, feel brand new. (And if nothing else, no one had as much fun in the 2000s as Girl Talk.)
2. The Strokes, "Is This It?" (2001): The Strokes' debut album came at the beginning of the new millennium and asked the question that was on everybody's mind: "Is this it?" The answer would come crashing down a scant few months later, but while 9/11 set the tone for the rest of the decade politically, "Is This It?" set it sonically — with strung out vocals, fuzzy guitar and infectious melodies.
3. Arcade Fire, "Funeral" (2004): An indie-rock band doesn't usually compose a debut album full of majestic anthems, but Arcade Fire's epic release features swelling string sections, dramatic lyrical references to the apocalypse and calls to revolutionary action. Recorded during a year when four members of the band lost family members, "Funeral" at once conveys melancholy and hope, joy and despair.
4. The Killers, "Hot Fuss" (2004): With this debut album, The Killers burst onto the music scene with a unique and odd blend of pop, rock and synth tunes. The Killers will forever hold a place in music history as the band that refused to let the best part of the '80s die for a generation that grew up on boy bands and blonde bubblegum girls.
5. Danger Mouse, "The Grey Album" (2004): By bringing together the most popular rap album of the time, Jay-Z's "The Black Album" (2003), with one of the most popular albums of all time, The Beatles' "White Album" (1968), Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) was able to appeal to pretty much everybody. The combination of J-Hova's ("God MC") genius lyrics and The Beatles' groundbreaking tunes is most definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
6. The Hold Steady, "Boys and Girls in America" (2006): Bar-rock has not died, and The Hold Steady, a rollicking group of Midwest-to-Brooklyn transplants, proved it. A driving backdrop of crunchy, classic rock guitar riffs, sparkling piano builds, punchy bass and hard-hitting drumming provide a refreshing, retro-reviving alternative to many of today's synth-y indie rock bands.
7. MGMT, "Oracular Spectacular" (2008): MGMT's debut blends neo-psychedelia, electronica, funk, rock and tribal chanting to an extent that defies description. A diverse, eclectic and catchy collection of songs and influences, "Oracular Spectacular" is bound to have appeal for fans of a wide variety of genres for years to come.
8. The White Stripes, "Elephant" (2003): With this album's simplicity and obvious technical prowess, Jack White made it cool to return to your roots — or at least those of someone you admire. White's affinity for basic blues licks and Meg's no nonsense, no solo drumming set the stage for most recent alternative rock and effectively place The White Stripes' sound at the forefront of this decade.
9. Various Artists, "Garden State OST" (2004): Most of us can't go back to Zach Braff's movie without laughing at the line about The Shins, but by the time the first chords of "Let Go" (2002) by Frou Frou kick in during the Newark Airport scene there isn't a dry eye in the room. From Coldplay to Iron and Wine, this wasn't just the soundtrack to a movie, it was quite possibly the soundtrack to a generation.
10. Bon Iver, "For Emma, Forever Ago" (2007): Moody guitar loops and front man Justin Vernon's ethereal vocals combine to create an otherworldliness that transcends time and place. Somehow, "For Emma, Forever Ago" manages to break your heart in a way that leaves you heading back for more.
| 1. "Mean Girls" (2004): "Mean Girls" breaks from the pitfalls of other formulaic rom-coms by showing a more true-to-life, though still outrageous, depiction of how nasty high school cliques can be. This film showcases Lindsay Lohan at her peak and we'd argue that this film is "The Breakfast Club" (1985) of our generation, aware of its absurdity and all the more successful for it. Let's face it: "Mean Girls" is, like, totally fetch.
2. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004): Kate Winslet gives a career-best performance as Clementine, and Jim Carrey proves he's more than a funnyman in this winner. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry take an age-old quandary — why can't we forget old relationships — and creates a complex yet accessible film that gets richer (and clearer) with each viewing.
3. "The Dark Knight" (2008): Comic book movies have been good ("Spider-Man 2," 2004) and bad ("Catwoman", 2004), but "The Dark Knight" completely redefined the genre, showing that superhero flicks and pieces of artistic cinema are not mutually exclusive. The cast turned in fine performances and Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker is one for the books.
4. "Man on Wire" (2008): This gem of a documentary captures the passion and thrill behind French renegade tight-rope walker Philippe Petit as he dares to do the unthinkable: dance his way across the Twin Towers in New York City. The film is all the more poignant to watch in the wake of 9/11, and its pacing and cinematography make it as enthralling as a heist film.
5. "Finding Nemo" (2003): It was tough deciding between Disney/Pixar's "Finding Nemo" and "Up" (2009) for best animated film of the decade, but ultimately "Finding Nemo" is the one that stuck with us most — maybe because of the loveable and memorable Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres).
6. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007): Julian Schnabel's interpretation of Jean-Domique Bauby's poignant memoir is, in a word, beautiful. The film's restricted view — from the single functioning eye of paralyzed Bauby — is nothing short of visual poetry and opens up into the even more lush landscape of Bauby's imagination.
7. "City of God" (2002): "City of God" is a punch in the chest. Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund's gripping tale of life in Brazil's favelas hits every emotion possible: it's moving, beautiful, eye-opening, terrifying, heartbreaking and often funny. "City of God" serves as an important reminder of masterpieces found outside of American cineplexes.
8. "No Country for Old Men" (2007): "No Country" is a probing examination of what it means to grow old, buried under a nail-biting cat-and-mouse game between an everyman and a seemingly soulless killer. The film is riddled with challenges; slow pacing and a maddeningly ambiguous ending among them. But those who can stomach it know "No Country for Old Men" is not a film that is soon forgotten.
9. "Inglourious Basterds" (2009): A list of the decade's best work would be incomplete without a Quentin Tarantino film. While "Basterds" may not be Tarantino's best work, it stands as a testament to what the man is capable of. People accuse Tarantino of a lot of things, most notably being a talentless, narcissistic, egotistical hack, but he's undeniably one of the most important cinematic auteurs working today.
10. "Moulin Rouge!" (2001): This oft-overlooked musical directed by Baz Luhrmann not only catapulted Nicole Kidman to superstar status, but also revived the movie musical genre, making way for Oscar-winner "Chicago" (2002) that often gets all the credit. This musical, with its music video quick cuts, stunning costumes, set design and use of popular songs rather than show tunes redefined the importance of song in film. | (Note: We declined to include any series that premiered before 2000.)
1. "The Wire" (2002-2008): HBO's "The Wire" is as close to perfect as anything that's ever aired on TV, and this isn't hyperbole. The show is structured like a Greek tragedy with plot threads running through the entire series, each season exploring a different aspect of modern urban life. While many great shows aired during the 2000s, none were as good as "The Wire," and it's hard to imagine that any ever will be.
2. "Arrested Development" (2003-2006): Mitchell Hurwitz's critically-acclaimed but ratings-challenged "Arrested Development" came to define a new type of comedy. It was smart, topical, meta and flat-out hilarious — and, sadly, gone too soon.
3. "Lost" (2004-present): The show has been known for taking big risks, and while some have failed miserably (think: Nikki and Paulo), others have worked to reenergize viewers and change the course of the entire series. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have succeeded in making one of the most mystifying, grandiose and intriguing, not to mention downright beautiful, shows in history.
4. "30 Rock" (2006-present): The series has won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series each of the past three years, but awards alone didn't get the show on this list. Rather, it's the biting television industry satire, smart and quick writing, goofy but lovable characters and the wide array of (mostly) well-used guest stars. Sometimes "30 Rock" gets a little too meta for its own good, but even an off episode is better than most other television comedies on the air. 5. "Friday Night Lights" (2006-present): The NBC/DirecTV drama, based on the book and film of the same name, has managed to turn a story about small-town Texas football into a beautiful tale of middle-American life — no small feat for a program that has narrowly avoided cancellation each season. "FNL" hasn't relied on gimmicks and stunts to make this list; it has earned it with its stellar writing, superb acting and fine direction.
6. "The Office" (U.S. version) (2005-present): Many viewers bemoaned the American adaptation of the British hit "The Office" when it first premiered, calling it nothing more than a rip-off of a classic series. Sure, the pilot was pretty much a carbon copy of the original's plot, but by only the second episode ("Diversity Day"), the new series found its own knee-slappingly hilarious voice. 7. "Mad Men" (2007-present): On paper it doesn't sound like anything special, but it's the packaging that sets "Mad Men" apart. AMC's glossy period piece has been transporting audiences to a simpler time for three seasons now, each stronger than the last. At the very least, "Mad Men" will be remembered as a game changer in the realm of technology: the show that launched a thousand HDTVs.
8. "The Colbert Report" (2005-present): Stephen Colbert's self-assured delivery of his cocky-as-all-hell alter ego has enchanted us nightly ever since his first address to his "nation." In fact, we doubt we could have weathered the Bush years without him.
9. "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-present): After the reign of "Friends" ended in 1994, television viewers needed a new Manhattan clique to cling to. "How I Met Your Mother" (HIMYM) was just the rebound audiences needed to satisfy their sitcom fix. What really makes HIMYM legend — wait for it — dary? Jokes that stick, and an insider's glossary of terms fans will quote for years to come.
10. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (2005-present): It's hard to imagine that a show about such inherently bad people could be so good, but it is. The FX comedy about the fictional Paddy's Pub gang is grossly politically incorrect, but it knows it — and solidly carves out its place in the comedy world. |
