Posted on Monday 8th January 2024 at 16:00
There’s nothing we love more as human beings than getting a little bit nostalgic, is there?
As we dive into another new year, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles was on the big screen, the Nintendo DS was released and the final episode of Friends aired to over 52 million Americans.
But what about music? Here at Gigantic Tickets, we thought we’d take a look back at 20 albums turning 20 years old in 2024. From rock operas, pop debuts, and iconic collaborations: this list will have fans of any genre wondering where the time went. So, sit back, read on, and feel free to groan about just how old all this has made you feel.
In what the NME called “the most cathartic album of the year”, Arcade Fire’s Funeral was the band’s debut LP and with it, they entered the music industry with a bang. The album was lauded by critics and is one of the most praised of the entire 00s; it was the second-most mentioned record in the end-of-decade Top 10 lists behind Radiohead’s Kid A.
Funeral is a wholly triumphant record: thoroughly uplifting and joyful in nature, while maintaining complexity and intricacy in its composition that left it head and shoulders above its peers. Contrary to its namesake, Funeral is a feeling of euphoria and celebration. It remains one of the most beloved rock albums of a generation.
Pop-rock sweetheart Avril Lavigne returned with her sophomore album in 2004 with a little more grit and an extra helping of darkness in her sound. Under My Skin did away with the childlike innocence of the “Sk8er Boi” era and leant into a punkier edge, as she grew up alongside her new-found fame.
Drawing comparisons to goth rock icons Evanescence, Lavigne never quite broke out of the pop scene (and with her follow up, The Best Damn Thing, veered even closer to high production, polished pop). But, in Under My Skin she proved that she had the talent and integrity to create rock music that could break into the mid-00s mainstream with post-grunge bangers and guitar-led ballads that had a lot to say.
Wakefield trio of brothers The Cribs were originally supposed to release their debut self-titled album in 2002, but had to wait for drummer Ross Jarman to turn 18 first. Impressive, then, that even in their late teens this essential indie, garage rock record springboarded The Cribs into an illustrious career that has endured the last two decades, with now eight LPs to their name.
While The Cribs could have easily been lost in amongst the indie boom of the early to mid-00s while The Libertines and The Strokes reigned supreme and Arctic Monkeys were just moments away from exploding, it’s the unique northern charm and wit that made The Cribs a stalwart of the scene – as AllMusic put it, “the Jarmans' down-to-earth, wryly funny, and often poignant songwriting set them apart”.
Destiny’s Child returned from a two year hiatus to record their fifth and final studio album in 2004 – the aptly named Destiny Fulfilled. Having rejoined, following a period where they were exploring their solo efforts, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams released an album with fierce attitude and enthralling narrative that spawned such iconic tracks as “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier”.
Destiny Fulfilled was a parting gift from the trio, and a firm farewell from one of the most successful girl bands of all time, who wouldn’t perform together for a full song again until Beyonce’s Super Bowl halftime show in 2013. Most of all, the album felt like a celebration of female friendship – the key theme and driving force behind this final album.
Five albums in, Marshall Mathers had nothing to prove when releasing Encore in 2004, which became his third consecutive release to top the Official UK Album Charts. What came of this freedom was an Eminem album that was equal parts clever, humorous, anguished and pointed.
Eminem’s signature irreverence comes out in full force on Encore and earned him as much controversy as it did award nominations. Encore’s tracklist boasted huge singles that charted in all corners of the globe, including “Mockingbird”, “Like Toy Soldiers” and “Just Lose It” and became an unforgettable moment in rap music history.
The Chronicles of Life and Death was Good Charlotte’s third release and became their highest chart debut, hitting the No.3 spot back in October 2004. The album found Good Charlotte experimenting with their sound in new and exciting ways, the result of which was a darker record than we’d previously seen from the American rock outfit.
It was in this dark place that the band really dived into themes of mortality and stepped away from their previously polished pop-punk sound, which spawned breakout hits “The Anthem” and “Girls & Boys”. Lead single from The Chronicles of Live and Death “I Just Wanna Live” was a huge departure from what people expected from Good Charlotte, and pushed the band in an entirely new direction.
In spite of the success debut album Sound of the Underground brought for Girls Aloud, the band found themselves on a knife edge of being dropped from their label Polydor Records in the early 2000s. A year after their Popstars: The Rivals win, and subsequent debut, the band returned to the studio for their sophomore album What Will The Neighbours Say? with a point to prove: that they were here for the long haul.
What came of this determination was a record that boasted some of the group’s most beloved and iconic singles, including “The Show”, “Jump” and the widely-adored “Love Machine”. It was perhaps the release of What Will The Neighbours Say? that firmly planted Girls Aloud in the zeitgeist of the 00s, propelling the band to huge heights of success and a further three albums before their eventual disbandment.
Green Day had already become punk favourites long before the release of their 2004 album American Idiot. Ten years earlier, Dookie became the record that put Green Day on the map, and on the path to becoming rock’n’roll icons. Throw an epic, hour-long rock opera into the mix and you’ve got the stuff of legends.
American Idiot was not simply an album; it was a cultural shift. This concept album reenergised the band’s career which had already seen 14 years go by and six LPs released. It appealed to the disenfranchised and disillusioned, while taking aim at those in power and questioning authority at the very highest levels. Even 20 years since its release, Green Day’s seminal album American Idiot is making headlines, thanks to its permanently relevant political undertones.
In 2003, former No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani began to step away from the ska-punk band that had brought her fame, in search of a solo project that approached another genre entirely. Inspired by 80s new wave and electronica, Stefani aimed to incorporate the sounds of The Cure, Prince and Depeche Mode into her music: the culmination of which resulted in her debut LP Love. Angel. Music. Baby., which not only played on electropop as a genre, but also hip-hop and soul.
Stefani’s impact with Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was huge, and singles like “What You Waiting For?” “Rich Girl” and “Hollaback Girl” have held up against the test of time, marking her as a heralded songwriter in her own right, alongside her contribution to No Doubt’s back catalogue.
In a collaboration no-one saw coming, JAY-Z and Linkin Park came together in 2004 to release an EP entitled Collision Course – a mash up of existing songs from both artists’ back catalogues. The album was incredibly popular among fans of both artists and beyond, charting at No.1 in the US Billboard 200 chart (JAY-Z’s eighth chart topper, and Linkin Park’s second).
While the concept was instigated by MTV’s Mash Ups show, JAY-Z and Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda decided that rather than just remixing the existing songs together and performing them as such, they would re-record the mash ups to ensure that the songs worked together in the best way possible. The result was an album like none other, and its inaugural single “Numb/Encore” remains a widely-loved track in both artists’ discography.
Ten years into their career, Jimmy Eat World had a huge task on their hands: to follow the album that had finally seen them break into the mainstream. Previous album Bleed American released in 2001 had found the band at levels of success hitherto unseen, and fans and critics alike were excited to see what could come next.
The result was Futures, an album created amidst the friction of newfound fame. The band clashed with previous collaborator and producer Mark Trombino, which saw him leave the project, but once complete Futures saw Jimmy Eat World develop a new, more complex style in their musicianship which drew comparisons to hardcore legends Fugazi. Singles "Pain" and "Work" became instant classics, which are remembered by fans as iconic as their breakout hit "The Middle", in a sound that was much edgier than the more chart-ready Bleed American.
In 2004, the infamous Kanye West made his debut. Having previously produced for the likes of JAY-Z and Talib Kewli, Kanye West had amassed a level of expectation for what his debut LP would produce. Thankfully, The College Dropout was a triumphant album that instantly made Kanye a major player in hip-hop, and would be the first of many acclaimed albums to come.
The College Dropout was packed full of crucial social commentary, faith, and dark humour which resonated not only with fans of the genre, but with the wider public, charting at No.2 in the US Billboard 200. While it was his only album to date that didn't hit the number one spot, this incredible feat is not a reflection on its quality and impact: The College Dropout remains one of the most heralded hip-hop released of the last several decades.
It's difficult to comprehend that it's been 20 years since the sound of a generation was released, and we heard "Mr. Brightside" for the very first time. Back in 2004, unknown Las Vegas rock band The Killers released their debut album Hot Fuss, and it feels as though the music industry never truly recovered.
Hot Fuss, although considered an essential album in its own right, is no doubt most famous for spawning the iconic single "Mr. Brightside". The single has been ranked multiple times as the best song of the decade (Absolute Radio, XFM) or all-time (XFM), and has been confirmed as the most streamed song released prior to 2010 (BPI). The Killers have continued to graft for the stadium-level success they've achieved since, with seven acclaimed albums to their name. But their legacy has no doubt been secured by the unprecendented heights of their first ever single.
There are few bands as tumultuous and storied as The Libertines. Prior to their original disbandment during the release of their second, eponymous album The Libertines, their career had been peppered with headlines and controversy that propelled them into the limelight, not always for good reason. But, what came from this whirlwind of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll was an album that has stood the test of time as an indie rock essential.
Featuring singles "Can't Stand Me Now" and "What Became of the Likely Lads", The Libertines was a shambolic symbol of the now-nostalgic indie sleaze era, which shines brightest when it is loud and unapologetic. Drawing influence from the strained relationship between frontmen Carl Barat and Peter Doherty, this album is as real and brutally honest as it gets. The Libertines did away with the notion of sophomore slump and became one of the most influential albums of an era.
Back for their second instalment cleaner and more refined in sound, My Chemical Romance upped the ante with Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Easily one of the most enduring and iconic albums of the emo scene, Three Cheers was a triumphant return for the New Jersey outfit, which incorporated an expert blend of rock and punk conventions to create that signature emo tinge that MCR are famed for.
It's in Three Cheers where we see the bold theatrics that MCR do so uniquely in the alternative scene. It paved the way for their seminal release The Black Parade, and proved that the band drew influence far beyond just their musical heroes: bringing art, theatre, and literature into their creations.
Scissor Sisters found fame across the pond here in the UK with their debut, chart-topping, eponymous album, more so than in their native US. Their first album Scissor Sisters was an uplifting tale of LGBTQ+ life in New York City, and has gone down in history as one of the most important queer albums of all time, and won the 2005 BRIT Award for Best International Album.
Scissor Sisters managed to find adoration and acclaim across fans of a multitude of genres, with timeless and universal party anthems that still sound as fresh 20 years later as they did when they first hit the radio A lists back in 2004. Just sit back and listen to the enduring "Filthy/Gorgeous" or "Take Your Mama", and try to disagree.
Rap opera and concept album aren't two phrases you often find adjacent to one another, and yet it's the best way to describe The Streets' sophomore album A Grand Don't Come For Free. In Mike Skinner's 2004 project under the moniker of The Streets, we follow the tale of a man's string of bad luck as he loses £1,000 and is unlucky in love.
A Grand Don't Come For Free is a bold and ambitious record that truly set The Streets apart from any other artist in the mainstream at the time, attempting to combine narrative and prose with rap in a completely unique and compelling way. With huge singles "Dry Your Eyes" and "Fit But You Know It", it remains to this day one of the most acclaimed albums to come out of the UK in several decades.
11 albums in, it might feel as though a band have said everything that they needed to say. The fatigue could quite easily settle in. But not U2. In their third decade as a band, U2 continued to push boundaries and retain their spot as arguably the biggest rock band on the planet. 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was just further proof of this.
Bono described How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb as their "first rock album", which tackled themes of life and death, love and war. Never one to shy away from the big subjects, U2 managed to create a grand and impactful album that felt as fresh and new as their first release, while showing categorically that they'd continued to learn, grow and refine their sound over the past thirty years.
During the height of alternative rock and emo of the mid-00s, The Used found truly found their footing on their second album In Love and Death and enjoyed their moment of commercial success as a result. The album still found space to hit those heavy subjects in spite of its more commercial sound, and almost certainly fuelled the angst of an entire generation.
20 years on, the work of The Used is still looked upon favourably in the alternative scene; In Love and Death is considered a standout release of the era. Blending contemporary rock and punk with 80s influences in the form of The Cure and Soft Cell, the ambition of The Used was never under question and it was executed to near perfection in their second LP.
The full breadth of Usher's talents were on display when his fourth studio album Confessions was released. While not only blending a variety of genres, including dance, hip-hop, pop and R&B, Usher confirmed with this record that he was a generational talent, capable of writing and performing flawlessly soulful tracks that influenced musicans from Beyonce to Janelle Monae for decades to come.
Whether in club classic "Yeah!", the lovelorn "Burn", or the exposing "Confessions Part II", Usher's Confessions was a true cultural shift in 2004, and his music infects all corners of pop culture even 20 years since its release.
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