Albums: 2001

1. Stephen Malkmus' STEPHEN MALKMUS

2. Silver Jews' BRIGHT FLIGHT

3. The Microphones' THE GLOW, PT. 2

4. Ryan Adams’ GOLD

5. The White Stripes' WHITE BLOOD CELLS

6. Radiohead's AMNESIAC

7. Marmoset's RECORD IN RED

8. Buck65's MAN OVERBOARD

9. Ben Folds’ ROCKIN’ THE SUBURBS

10. Clem Snide’s THE GHOST OF FASHION

11. Built to Spill’s ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE

12. Sparklehorse’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

13. Bob Dylan’s LOVE AND THEFT

14. Pernice Brothers’ THE WORLD WON’T END

15. Spoon’s GIRLS CAN TELL

16. Whiskeytown’s PNEUMONIA

17. Preston School of Industry's ALL THIS SOUNDS GAS

As far as lists and music and albums and film go, this, too, was an epic year for me. I was still in that strange twilight period where every third thing you discover - be it a writer, director, musician or girl with dyed hair - changes your everything. Nothing mattered yesterday as much as GIRLS CAN TELL mattered today. The way I felt on the day I bought that first Stephen Malkmus album - the second I had my copy in my hands - sticks with me. I remember going to Meijer at midnight with my friend John to but AMNESIAC. I remember THE GLOW, PT. 2 as the first album I ever had to order online because no stores in my hometown could get it. I remember spending the entire Christmas season with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE on repeat, feeling like I was in a movie - like I was important.

This is another list that I could surely rework. Expand. Go nuts with. But, again, I'm going to keep it as honest as possible. These are the 14 albums that I loved to death in 2001. I still like all of them, especially the Top 6. My current girlfriend (then friend) and I loved ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE so much that we went to see them play - this right before we started talking about dating. Just before year's end I'd turned said gal into a Pavement/Malkmus fan, and so we went to a Malkmus/Jicks show together as newly-flirty friends. She'd worked at record stores and gone to college with me. We're still together and we still love Stephen Malkmus as much as anyone. We still love Built to Spill and damn if we didn't listen to Ryan Adams' GOLD just last night. I even saw Ryan perform during this era, at a show in Chicago with my friend/mentor Jim Dart. Great show.

We're old now, but, like the albums on this list, we're holding up just fine. This list holds up so well, in fact, that if I don't add anything to it and just leave it how it is, I'm happy with it. No shuffling or deleting. It's perfect.