Hey folks!

Last night, I announced the first 115 albums entered into the upcoming Best Album of 2001 Tournament. If you missed it, or you were there when it happened but need a permanent list, well, here you go.

During the nomination phase, 197 ballots were submitted, resulting in 7,038 votes across 1,522 individual albums. (For the 1989 tournament, those numbers were 167 ballots, 5,418 votes, and 1,035 albums.) The threshold to be entered into this tournament was 15 nomination votes, a record-high number and one that kept a lot of terrific albums off this list. There are still 13 open slots, and while a number of those are earmarked for contest winners and at least one Editor’s Choice, there will still be enough to get some of those albums in.

Speaking of which, this Saturday, February 7th at noon, on Bluesky, we’ll be playing the Guessing Game! Be the first person to post what the top three albums were in terms of vote totals, in order, and you’ll be able to enter any qualifying 2001 release into the tournament! Twist: two albums tied for 3rd place, so you’ll actually have to name four albums in order!

Onto the albums. Unfortunately, due to poor time management on my part, this list will not contain Spotify or YouTube links, and the pictures will not have alt text. By the time I announce the full slate of albums in the 2001 tournament, all of those deficiencies will have been corrected.

And with that, here are the first 115 albums entered into the Best Album of 2001 tournament!

Aaliyah, AALIYAH

Ryan Adams, GOLD

Aesop Rock, LABOR DAYS

Air, 10 000 HZ LEGEND

Tori Amos, STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS

Andrew W.K., I GET WET

Aphex Twix, DRUKQS

Ash, FREE ALL ANGELS

Basement Jaxx, ROOTY

The Beta Band, HOT SHOTS II

Beulah, THE COAST IS NEVER CLEAR

Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, THE SWIMMING HOUR

Björk, VESPERTINE

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, B.R.M.C.

Mary J. Blige, NO MORE DRAMA

Blink-182, TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET

Broken Social Scene, FEEL GOOD LOST

Built to Spill, ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE

Cake, COMFORT EAGLE

Cannibal Ox, THE COLD VEIN

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, NO MORE SHALL WE PART

Converge, JANE DOE

The Coup, PARTY MUSIC

Daft Punk, DISCOVERY

De La Soul, AOI: BIONIX

Death Cab for Cutie, THE PHOTO ALBUM

Destiny's Child, SURVIVOR

Destroyer, STREETHAWK: A SEDUCTION

The Dirtbombs, ULTRAGIDE IN BLACK

The Dismemberment Plan, CHANGE

Drive-By Truckers, SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA

Bob Dylan, LOVE AND THEFT

Elbow, ASLEEP IN THE BACK

Missy Elliott, MISS E... SO ADDICTIVE

Explosions in the Sky, THOSE WHO TELL THE TRUTH SHALL DIE, THOSE WHO TELL THE TRUTH SHALL LIVE FOREVER

Fennesz, ENDLESS SUMMER

Ben Folds, ROCKIN' THE SUBURBS

Four Tet, PAUSE

Fugazi, THE ARGUMENT

Garbage, BEAUTFUL GARBAGE

Gorillaz, GORILLAZ

Gotan Project, LA REVANCHA DEL TANGO

Guided By Voices, ISOLATION DRILLS

Kristin Hersh, SUNNY BORDER BLUE

Janet Jackson, ALL FOR YOU

Jay Z, THE BLUEPRINT

Jimmy Eat World, BLEED AMERICAN

k., NEW PROBLEMS

Alicia Keys, SONGS IN A MINOR

Kings of Convenience, QUIET IS THE NEW LOUD

The Knife, THE KNIFE

Alison Krauss + Union Station, NEW FAVORITE

Ladytron, 604

Le Tigre, FEMINIST SWEEPSTAKES

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, THE TYRANNY OF DISTANCE

Life Without Buildings, ANY OTHER CITY

Lightning Bolt, RIDE THE SKIES

Lovage, MUSIC TO MAKE LOVE TO YOUR OLD LADY BY

Low, THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE

Ludacris, WORD OF MOUF

Stephen Malkmus, STEPHEN MALKMUS

Mercury Rev, ALL IS DREAM

The Microphones, THE GLOW PT. 2

Kylie Minogue, FEVER

Mogwai, ROCK ACTION

Muse, ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY

My Morning Jacket, AT DAWN

Nas, STILLMATIC

N*E*R*D, IN SEARCH OF… [Electronic Version]

New Order, GET READY

Jim O'Rourke, INSIGNIFICANCE

Old 97s, SATELLITE RIDES

Opeth, BLACKWATER PARK

Pernice Brothers, THE WORLD WON’T END

Prefuse 73, VOCAL STUDIES + UPROCK NARRATIVES

Pulp, WE LOVE LIFE

R.E.M., REVEAL

Radiohead, AMNESIAC

Rilo Kiley, TAKE OFFS AND LANDINGS

Roots Manuva, RUN COME SAVE ME

Röyksopp, MELODY A.M.

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions, BAVARIAN FRUIT BREAD

Shakira, LAUNDRY SERVICE

The Shins, OH, INVERTED WORLD

Silver Jews, BRIGHT FLIGHT

Slipknot, IOWA

Sloan, PRETTY TOGETHER

Sparklehorse, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Spiritualized, LET IT COME DOWN

Spoon, GIRLS CAN TELL

Squarepusher, GO PLASTIC

Stars of the Lid, THE TIRED SOUNDS OF STARS OF THE LID

The Strokes, IS THIS IT

Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, GLOBAL A GO-GO

Stereolab, SOUND-DUST

Super Furry Animals, RINGS AROUND THE WORLD

Superchunk, HERE'S TO SHUTTING UP

System of a Down, TOXICITY

Tenacious D, TENACIOUS D

They Might Be Giants, MINK CAR

Tipsy, UH-OH!

Tool, LATERALUS

Tortoise, STANDARDS

Travis, THE INVISIBLE BAND

Unwound, LEAVES TURN INSIDE YOU

Rufus Wainwright, POSES

Weezer, WEEZER (GREEN ALBUM)

Gillian Welch, TIME (THE REVELATOR)

The White Stripes, WHITE BLOOD CELLS

Wilco, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT

Lucinda Williams, ESSENCE

Wu-Tang Clan, IRON FLAG

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YEAH YEAH YEAHS ep

Pete Yorn, MUSICFORTHEMORNINGAFTER

Zero 7, SIMPLE THINGS

Remember, the Guessing Game is this Saturday, Feb 7th, noon CST on Bluesky!

Thanks,

Kent