Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

10 Underrated songs of the 2000s

A collage of album covers from the two thousands.

The 2000s saw the rise and dominion of the digital age, the war on terror, the Great Recession, social media and the digitization of music — upending the industry in a way we'd never seen before.

Artists like The Strokes, The White Stripes and Arctic Monkeys kept rock alive, while Beyonce, Britney Spears, Shakira and Justin Timberlake ruled the pop charts. At this point there were so many different offshoots of genres that we all got lost trying to figure out what “Post-Rock,” “Dubstep,” “Vaporwave” and “Nu-Metal” meant. But don’t worry, we’re going to go over these and more with this list of the underrated songs of the 2000s! Anything that’s left unexplained can be googled. Or better yet — Ask Jeeves!

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — “Red Eyes and Tears” — 2001

A rock band through and through, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club famously broke the floor at Leeds Town Hall in the UK. They just rock that hard. They were like The White Stripes when The White Stripes had classic garage rock influences, with a good heaping of blues thrown in. A part of me actually feels like this band never got bigger because they were around at the same time as The White Stripes, who dominated the decade's garage rock revival.

“Red Eyes and Tears” is a good introduction to the band and showcases their sound. The overall vibe of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is a little darker and a little more intense. I’d even say they could be viewed as the evil version of the White Stripes (they might not like that though).

Pinback — “Fortress” — 2004

Pinback is a band that’s kind of hard to “pin” down. They kind of sound like Modest Mouse, they kind of sound like The Shins, they kind of sound like Death Cab for Cutie.

Imagine all those bands blended together and you have the awesome track “Fortress.” It has all the elements of a fun 2000s indie rock song: hand claps, catchy acoustic guitar part, falsetto chorus. Can't you hear this song as the soundtrack to any 2000s intern’s life? Just picture them with their Gen 1 iPod and corded earbuds while they run to get their tech startup boss a coffee, this song playing in their ears.

King Geedorah — “Next Levels” — 2003

“Underground” hip-hop had a big moment in the ‘00s, and MF Doom is largely responsible for that. Over his lifetime he released some of the most influential albums of the genre, and since his death in 2020 he’s become an absolute legend.

“Next Levels” comes off the record Take Me To Your Leader, which he recorded under the moniker King Geedorah (like the Godzilla villain). The use of sci-fi samples and jazz is still fresh to this day (and you’ll see that influence in some of today’s hip-hop artists, like Tyler, The Creator, The Internet, etc). There’ve been countless imitations of MF Doom, but nobody has been able to rival what he did in the ‘00s. And this album alone, which flies under the radar compared to the rest of his discography, is a perfect example of that.

Air — “Cherry Blossom Girl” — 2004

French duo Air released their third album Talkie Walkie in 2004. The group had established a lush electronic sound and found success with their debut Moon Safari and the score to the film, The Virgin Suicides. Their sophomore follow up was the less-than-stellar 10,000 Hz Legend. The band needed a creative boost, and Talkie Walkie did just that.

The song “Cherry Blossom Girl” perfectly encapsulates a feeling of beauty and warmth. If you close your eyes, you can almost see the cherry blossoms falling in Japan. Air is a tremendous electronic band, and despite their rough sophomore album have received many accolades. But personally, I keep finding a lot of people who don’t know who they are. So, if you’re one of them — dive in now.

Songs: Ohia — “Farewell Transmission” — 2003

Alternative country gets thrown around a lot when you talk about bands like Wilco, Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell and Neko Case. Songs: Ohia falls into this category as well, but kind of like if you took that sound and threw the darker overtones of Elliot Smith and The Cure on top. Produced by legendary producer Steve Albini, The Magnolia Electric Co. was the last album to be released by Songs: Ohia before they became The Magnolia Electric Co. (yes, it’s a little confusing – but their original band name was too honestly).

“Farewell Transmission” is the album opener, and starts with an instantly ear-perking slide guitar before the band kicks into a bit of doom and gloom. This is a textbook example of a long song that doesn’t feel long. You can tell the band is jamming a bit, but it sounds great. It’s become a cult classic album, and you can hear its influences in musicians like MJ Lenderman, Father John Misty and Phoebe Bridgers to this day.

Santigold — “L.E.S. Artistes” — 2008

Santigold, who at the time seemed to come out of nowhere, crafted innovative pop, reggae, hip-hop and rock with her stellar 2008 debut, Santogold.

Simply put, Santigold is awesome, and the 2008 song "L.E.S. Artistes" is truly a highlight of the decade. She brings a lot to the table here — there’s an epic chorus and a lot of different genres all blending together to create a massive track. New wave, dub, art-rock — it’s all here. “L.E.S. Artistes” is a masterwork in how to write a great rock song. The real question is - do you know Santigold?

(If you didn’t get the hint, listen to Santigold.)

Boards of Canada — “Music Is Math” — 2002

Boards of Canada is a treasure chest of a band. Once you find them, you’ll hold on to them and not want to give them away. In the world of electronic music they truly are one of the best, creating moody atmospheric soundscapes that can rival Hans Zimmer. Now, the fact that they don’t have a vocalist may make you nervous, but if you’re down to experiment with electronic ambient music it doesn’t get much better than this.

Most of their songs play like an epic science fiction soundtrack, and “Music is Math” has a beat that hits so hard you might need to get checked for tinnitus after the track ends.

The Mars Volta — “Viscera Eyes” — 2006

The Mars Volta came to be after the dissolution of At The Drive In, the post-hardcore band that included Mars Volta founders Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez Lopez. Channeling that hardcore energy, The Mars Volta is like a combination of Pink Floyd and Black Flag, with classic Latin influences throughout.

“Viscera Eyes” comes from the group’s equally underrated third album Amputechture. The guitar skills of Lopez shine, the range of Zavala’s vocals is not to be ignored, and the bouncing between English and Spanish lyrics will keep you on your toes. If you like this track, the band has a lengthy discography you can dig deep into.

Girls — “Hellhole Ratrace” — 2009

Girls, led by singer/multi-instrumentalist Christopher Owens, was exploring interesting territory at the end of the decade. They channeled a sound that was reminiscent of ‘50s doo-wop and early ‘60s pop, but with a ‘00s spin. Owens moody, but at the flip of a dime punky, vocals added yet another unique aspect to the group.

“Hellhole Ratrace” is a melancholy track clocking in at almost seven minutes. It has a slow build and Owens constantly repeat: “And I don't wanna cry my whole life through / I wanna do some laughing too / So come on, come on, come on, come on and laugh with me / And I don't wanna die without shaking up a leg or two / Yeah, I wanna do some dancing too / So come on, come on, come on, come on and dance with me(?)”

The track reminds me of hanging out with friends the night of high school graduation — feeling excited about the future but knowing deep down that things were going to change forever.

Crystal Castles — “Vanished”— 2008

The band Crystal Castles was wild while they were around. Frontperson Alice Glass was pretty scary to watch perform, and the band had an enigmatic presence overall. So it’s only fitting that “Vanished” is the song of theirs to know.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to be infected by nanobots and hit up the club (I’m not the only one, am I?), give “Vanished” a listen. The term cyberpunk gets thrown around quite a bit in pop culture – think The Matrix, Cyberpunk 2077, Necromancer, you get the idea. This song makes for a great candidate for the best cyberpunk song ever.

It’s not hard to imagine seeing Crystal Castles as extras in the movie Blade during the bloodrave scene… IYKYK.

Anthony Scanga is a Digital Music Producer, photographer, videographer and writer for Iowa Public Radio. He holds a bachelor's degree from the Seattle Film Institute. Since 2024, Scanga has worked with IPR's music team to bring Iowa's music scene and musicians to IPR's digital audience.