Joshua Ostroff's Best of the 2000s

As a hippie offspring who grew up during the birth of hip-hop, was in high-school for the alt-rock revolution and raved his weekends away during university, it seems a little sad that the 2000s boasted no similar mass movement.

But that's not to say the past decade was lacking in mind-blowing music. Quite the opposite, actually. The splintering communal crowd and internet-fueled indie scene gave ever more musicians a chance to be heard and ever more fans a chance to find their new favourite band all while breaking down the barriers between artist and audience in a manner that would have made even Kurt Cobain smile.

Besides, when it mattered we all shook it like a Polaroid picture during 'Hey Ya!'

Best Songs of the 2000s
10. 'Paper Planes,' M.I.A.
9. 'Seven Nation Army,' White Stripes
8. 'LES Artists' Santigold
7. 'Where's Your Head At?' Basement Jaxx
6. 'Work It,' Missy Elliott
5. 'Crazy,' Gnarls Barkley
4. 'Anthems for a 17-Year-Old-Girl,' Broken Social Scene
3. 'Hey Ya!' OutKast
2. 'Staring at the Sun,' TV on the Radio
1. 'The Rat,' The Walkmen

Best Albums of the 2000s
10. 'Face Control,' Handsome Furs
9. 'Robyn,' Robyn
8. 'Hell Hath No Fury,' Clipse
7. 'You Forgot It In People,' Broken Social Scene
6. 'American Idiot,' Green Day
5. 'Marshall Mathers LP,' Eminem
4. 'Kid A,' Radiohead
3. 'Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?' Metric
2. 'The College Dropout,' Kanye West
1. 'The Body, The Blood, The Machine,' The Thermals

Best Artists of the 2000s
10. Amy Winehouse
9. LCD Soundsystem
8. Beyonce
7. Justin Timberlake
6. Feist
5. Flaming Lips
4. Daft Punk
3. Hot Chip
2. Arcade Fire
1. M.I.A.

Worst Songs of 2000s
10. 'How You Remind Me,' Nickelback
9. 'My Way,' Limp Bizkit
8. 'My Band,' D12
7. 'Gasolina,' Daddy Yankee
6. 'Thong Song,' Sisqo
5. 'You're Beautiful,' James Blunt
4. 'Just Dance,' Lady Gaga
3. 'My Humps,' Black Eyed Peas
2. 'Viva la Vida,' Coldplay
1. 'Something In Your Mouth,' Nickleback

Joshua Ostroff is editor of Spinner Canada. He already spent most of his intro blurb blabbing about his bio. D'oh!