10 2000s Rock Albums You Constantly Have To Defend Loving
Going to bat for the musically misunderstood.
The noughties was an absolute gold mine for both great and crushingly awful rock music. Everything from genre revivals and electronic infusions to the much-maligned nu metal craze had an impact on the world of rock as the 21st century blew in.
The result was a dizzying array of eclectic sounds and emerging groups that completely changed the face of rock in for the new millennium. While '90s breakout stars such as Radiohead continued to take the genre in unheard of directions, the more conventional likes of Nickelback became meme-worthy... and not for nice reasons.
Essentially, despite the incredibly diverse range in quality and style, the beauty of rock in the 2000s was that it had a little bit of something for everyone. In turn, rock fans found themselves in a perpetual state of debate, arguing the merits of everyone from experimental rockers like Linkin Park to heartland-friendly groups like The Killers.
There are some albums, however, that get struck down with bad reputations, even when loyal listeners are singing their praises to the heavens. From critical dismissals to polarizing style changes, these eyebrow-raising LPs will incite arguments everywhere they get brought up, much to the chagrin of the fans who have to stick up for them.
10. Radiohead - Kid A
In a surprising move that left many critics and listeners dumbfounded, Radiohead bid farewell to the guitar completely following the immense success of more rock-friendly LPs such as 'The Bends' and 'OK Computer'. The result was 2000's 'Kid A', an experimental piece of moody ambience.
The Oxfordshire crew's fourth studio effort arrived on a tsunami of hype. Three years on from 'OK Computer', Radiohead had firmly solidified themselves as one of the UK's most important and influential acts. Never ones to stick to their laurels, Thom Yorke and co. blended electronica, jazz and classical whilst dropping conventional lyricism.
Many of these curious decisions stemmed from Yorke's creative issues at the time, including writer's block and a general disdain for groups he felt were copying Radiohead's sound. In a stark statement against expectations and the music media as a whole, 'Kid A' was born. Despite the hard work put into the LP, the group did almost no promotional work for it, not even releasing a single in support of its release.
All of these calls were unsurprisingly greeted with a polarised, often frosty reception, with some critics even dismissing the album as an act of self-destruction. For fans who'd grown accustomed to the more alternative rock-focused style of prior albums, 'Kid A' was, at best, a head scratcher.
More than two decades later, the LP's critical reputation has grown immensely. For fans, though, it remains a love it or hate it kind of deal, frequently sparking debates over its merits.