#549 The 32 Best Albums of 2001

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        August 5, 2026
    
    
#549 The 32 Best Albums of 2001


        Hey folks!
Here are the 32 best albums of 2001 as decided by you, the voters. If anyone asks you what the 32 best albums of 2001 are, you direct them to this official and binding list. The albums are presented in seed order, from highest to lowest, from most expected to be here to least expected. Any album with a seed of #33 or lower was an underdog and had to fight a higher seed to be here, so kudos to the one album that did that. Any album with a seed of #65 or lower had to defeat two higher-seeded albums to be here, twice as hard as the other underdogs, so double kudos to those albums. Unfortunately, no albums with a seed of #65 or lower made it this far.
Without further ado, the 32 Best Albums of 1989:
#1 Wilco, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT
Defeated #128 Slipknot, IOWA, 261-99-1; defeated #64 Rufus Wainwright, POSES, 171-60-2.
#2 The Strokes, IS THIS IT
Defeated #127 Ryan Adams, GOLD, 268-21-4; defeated #66 Shakira, LAUNDRY SERVICE, 183-86.
#3 The White Stripes, WHITE BLOOD CELLS
Defeated #126 Squarepusher, GO PLASTIC, 160-55-3; defeated #67 Mogwai, ROCK ACTION, 169-65-1.
#4 Daft Punk, DISCOVERY
Defeated #125 Tipsy, UH-OH!, 149-58; defeated #61 Pulp, WE LOVE LIFE, 138-69-1.
#5 Björk, VESPERTINE
Defeated #124 Nas, STILLMATIC, 159-31-5; defeated #69 Air, 10 000 HZ LEGEND, 144-38-3.
#6 Radiohead, AMNESIAC
Defeated #123 Whiskeytown, PNEUMONIA, 175-30-1; defeated #70 Destiny's Child, SURVIVOR, 154-75-1.
#7 Gorillaz, GORILLAZ
Defeated #122 Clearlake, LIDO, 135-56-2; defeated #58 Stereolab, SOUND-DUST, 130-108-1.
#8 Gillian Welch, TIME (THE REVELATOR)
Defeated #121 Ash, FREE ALL ANGELS, 162-53; defeated #72 Kristin Hersh, SUNNY BORDER BLUE, 90-47-4.
#9 Spoon, GIRLS CAN TELL
Defeated #120 Opeth, BLACKWATER PARK, 151-87; defeated #56 Spiritualized, LET IT COME DOWN, 125-72.
#10 The Shins, OH, INVERTED WORLD
Defeated #119 Travis, THE INVISIBLE BAND, 141-49-4; defeated #74 Super Furry Animals, RINGS AROUND THE WORLD, 125-103-1.
#11 Missy Elliott, MISS E... SO ADDICTIVE
Defeated #118 Ruby, SHORT-STAFFED AT THE GENE POOL, 118-31; #54 Unwound, LEAVES TURN INSIDE YOU, 111-46.
#12 Fugazi, THE ARGUMENT
Defeated #117 Ludacris, WORD OF MOUF, 155-30-1; defeated #53 Lucinda Williams, ESSENCE, 105-51-3.
#13 Rilo Kiley, TAKE OFFS AND LANDINGS
Defeated #116 Blink-182, TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET, 187-80-2; defeated #77 The Knife, THE KNIFE, 99-79-1.
#14 Jay-Z, THE BLUEPRINT
Defeated #115 Gotan Project, LA REVANCHA DEL TANGO, 96-81-6; defeated #51 New Order, GET READY, 117-95-1.
#15 Aaliyah, AALIYAH
Defeated #114 Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions, BAVARIAN FRUIT BREAD, 94-58-2; defeated #79 Fennesz, ENDLESS SUMMER, 90-50-5.
#16 Low, THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE
Defeated #113 Thursday, FULL COLLAPSE, 161-52-2; defeated #80 Roots Manuva, RUN COME SAVE ME, 114-53.
#17 Cake, COMFORT EAGLE
Defeated #112 Margo Guryan, 25 DEMOS, 136-82-3; defeated #48 Ben Folds, ROCKIN' THE SUBURBS, 111-77-5.
#18 Stephen Malkmus, STEPHEN MALKMUS
Defeated #111 Kaija Saariaho & Esa-Pekka Salonen, SAARIAHO: GRAAL THÉÂTRE, CHÂTEAU DE L'ÂME & AMERS, 111-49; defeated #47 Death Cab for Cutie, THE PHOTO ALBUM, 103-73-2.
#19 Kylie Minogue, FEVER
Defeated #110 Zero 7, SIMPLE THINGS, 111-42-1; defeated #46 Tortoise, STANDARDS, 114-76-1.
#20 Bob Dylan, "LOVE AND THEFT"
Defeated #109 Wu-Tang Clan, IRON FLAG, 121-103-4; defeated #45 Basement Jaxx, ROOTY, 129-22-1.
#21 Le Tigre, FEMINIST SWEEPSTAKES
Defeated #108 k., NEW PROBLEMS, 109-58-1; defeated #85 Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, GLOBAL A GO-GO, 105-67-1.
#22 System of a Down, TOXICITY
Defeated #107 The Detroit Cobras, LIFE, LOVE AND LEAVING, 112-88-1; defeated #43 Josie and the Pussycats, JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE, 105-97-2.
#23 Drive-By Truckers, SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA
Defeated #106 Tricky, BLOWBACK, 110-57-3; defeated #42 Ladytron, 604, 117-111.
#24 The Coup, PARTY MUSIC
Defeated #105 Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, THE SWIMMING HOUR, 113-45-1; defeated #41 Sparklehorse, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, 95-56.
#25 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, THE TYRANNY OF DISTANCE
Defeated #104 Converge, JANE DOE, 154-93-3; defeated #40 Aphex Twin, DRUKQS, 110-101-1.
#26 Jimmy Eat World, BLEED AMERICAN
Defeated #103 Janet Jackson, ALL FOR YOU, 143-57-2; defeated #39 Guided By Voices, ISOLATION DRILLS, 130-130.
#27 Cannibal Ox, THE COLD VEIN
Defeated #102 The Dirtbombs, ULTRAGLIDE IN BLACK, 109-105-1; defeated #38 Tool, LATERALUS, 99-86-1.
#28 Andrew W.K., I GET WET
Defeated #101 Garbage, BEAUTIFUL GARBAGE, 113-96-5; defeated #37 Röyksopp, MELODY A.M., 95-86-1.
#29 Built to Spill, ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE
Defeated #100 Mercury Rev, ALL IS DREAM, 125-66-2; defeated #36 The Microphones, THE GLOW PT. 2, 89-74-2.
#31 The Dismemberment Plan, CHANGE
Defeated #98 De La Soul, AOI: BIONIX, 101-58-2; defeated #34 Silver Jews, BRIGHT FLIGHT, 103-95-3.
#32 Mary J. Blige, NO MORE DRAMA
Defeated #97 Stars of the Lid, THE TIRED SOUNDS OF STARS OF THE LID, 140-65-1; defeated #33 Aesop Rock, LABOR DAYS, 89-86-2.
#35 Life Without Buildings, ANY OTHER CITY
Defeated #94 Firewater, PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, 106-41-1; defeated #30 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YEAH YEAH YEAHS ep, 115-77-2.
Conspicuously missing:
#30 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YEAH YEAH YEAHS ep (lost to #35 Life Without Buildings, ANY OTHER CITY, 115-77-2)


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