Adam Horne's Best of the 2000s

Before the 2000s, independent music was largely reserved for the avid concertgoer, the mixtape creator, the vinyl crate digger. Thanks to a wonderful, magical invention called 'the internet,' as well as the decline of traditional media juggernauts, the past decade has made indie music accessible to everybody. If you make music that's good enough, people will hear it. And so, the past ten years have brought an abundance of new classics in rock, hip-hop and electronica to add to our collective canon.

My personal list is somewhat predictable, aside from a few deviations. Choosing only ten favorites in each category was a more difficult task than I ever could have imagined. Except for the 'Worst Songs.' That was unnervingly easy.

Best Songs of the 2000s
10. 'We May be the Ones' by Paul Westerberg
9. 'D.A.N.C.E.' by Justice
8. 'Electric Feel' by MGMT
7. 'Black and White Town' by Doves
6. 'Two Weeks' by Grizzly Bear
5. 'Young Folks' by Peter Bjorn and John
4. 'The Light' by Common
3. 'Come Pick Me Up' by Ryan Adams
2. 'Maps' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1. 'My Girls' by Animal Collective

Best Albums of the 2000s
10. 'Back to Black' by Amy Winehouse
9. 'Silent Alarm' by Bloc Party
8. 'You Forgot It in People' by Broken Social Scene
7. 'Veckatimest' by Grizzly Bear
6. 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' by Animal Collective
5. 'Donuts' by J Dilla
4. 'It's Never Been Like That' by Phoenix
3. 'Turn on the Bright Lights' by Interpol
2. 'Is This It' by the Strokes
1. 'Funeral' by Arcade Fire

Artists of the 2000s
10. Danger Mouse
9. Eminem
8. Gorillaz
7. OutKast
6. Interpol
5. Arcade Fire
4. Kanye West
3. J Dilla
2. The Strokes
1. Radiohead

Worst Songs of the 2000s
10. 'Who Let the Dogs Out' by the Baha Men
9. 'Axel F.' by Crazy Frog
8. 'Let's Get Retarded' by Black Eyed Peas
7. 'Rockstar' by Nickelback
6. 'Bad Day' by Daniel Powter
5. 'Crank That' by Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
4. 'You're Beautiful' by James Blunt
3. 'Fireflies' by Owl City
2. 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue' by Toby Keith
1. 'Complicated' by Avril Lavigne

Adam is an intern for Spinner [Ed. note: He's modest, too. He's Spinner's original intern!]. He loves jazz and feels a little guilty for not including any on these lists. Once he was escorted into a concert by GZA from Wu-Tang Clan. (True story.)