1) Ghostface Killah Supreme Clientele
This record established Ghostface Killah as not only Wu Tangʼs new leader but as one of the brightest and most promising voices in rap music. Combining more raw, spontaneous energy, vivid, street-crime storytelling, humor, swagger and just plain skill on this record than most artists can hope for in a career, this was the perfect soundtrack to usher in a new millennium of hip hop.

2) Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco took some major risks with this album and they all paid off immensely. Jeff Tweedyʼs songwriting mixed with a perfect balance of experimental and deconstructed soundscapes and the rock/alt-country sound the band had become known for all blend together seamlessly. There are no signs that Wilco wonʼt continue making great records but I doubt theyʼll make another one as beloved and heartfelt as this one.

3) Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
This record sounded classic to me the first time I listened to it. Rarely does an album or artist with as much hype as there was surrounding this record live up to it. However, Justin Vernon created that perfect concoction of “familiar and feel-good” while exploring new terrain and establishing a sound all his own.

4) Gillian Welch Time, The Revelator
Keeping true to her country and folk influences, Gillian Welch stands by her simplicity as one of her many strengths and this album is a perfect example of it. With no more than a couple stringed instruments per song, air tight vocal harmonies and a beautiful country drawl, Welch masterfully walks the line of carrying on the craft and tradition of folk music while simultaneously breathing new life into it.

5) Radiohead Kid A
One of the great rock bands of our time completely reinvented themselves at the peak of their career, alienating fans and music critics alike. But Radiohead wanted to make something different, so eventually we pulled up a chair and really gave this thing a listen (despite the fact that it had more in common sonically with Pink Floyd than with OK Computer). It took a while to sink in but this is a pivotal moment of transition and creative genius caught on record, of one of the most important bands weʼve seen so far.

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Also: More from Culture Bully’s Best of the Decade