The Flaming Lips breakthrough with Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.
Though their 1999 outing The Soft Bulletin marked the beginning of The Flaming Lips’ style turning-point, Yoshimi established the layered, psych-rock experiments as a permanent feature of the band’s personality.
Norah Jones won a Best New Artist Grammy Award the following year for her Come Away With Me debut, refreshing vocal jazz / pop as a viable genre again. Up against Jones was Avril Lavigne and her even more successful debut Let Go, which went platinum six times over and is still the Canadian singer-songwriter’s best selling effort.
In the hip hop spectrum, The Roots released their critically-acclaimed Phrenology LP. The record featured collaborations with Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild and Cody Chestnutt, the latter on a reworking of ChestnuTT’s 2002 track “The Seed” that was praised by media outlets.
Missy Elliott’s Under Construction was a smash hit with critics and fans, spawning a video for “Work It” that has become an integral part of popular culture.
Was 2002 the Greatest Year in Music? Let us know what you think in the comments below and across social media with #XPNGreatestYear.
Albums:
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots – The Flaming Lips
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco
All Hail West Texas – The Mountain Goats
Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
Let Go – Avril Lavigne
Alice – Tom Waits
Blood Money – Tom Waits
Turn on the Bright Lights – Interpol
Didn’t It Rain – Songs: Ohia
Sea Change – Beck
Deadringer – RJD2
() – Sigur Ros
Under Construction – Missy Elliott
Silver Lining – Bonnie Raitt
Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone – The Walkmen
Blacklisted – Neko Case
Beaches & Canyons – Black Dice
Control – Pedro the Lion
C’mon C’mon – Sheryl Crow
One Beat – Sleater-Kinney
About a Boy – Badly Drawn Boy
Castaways and Cutouts – The Decemberists
Murray Street – Sonic Youth
Geogaddi – Boards of Canada
Kill the Moonlight – Spoon
The Headphone Masterpiece – Cody ChestnuTT
Jerusalem – Steve Earle
Demolition – Ryan Adams
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
A Rush of Blood To the Head – Coldplay
Southern Rock Opera – Drive-By Truckers
Lifted or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground – Bright Eyes
Phrenology – The Roots
The Rising – Bruce Springsteen
The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse – Jay-Z
No! – They Might Be Giants
The Magnificent – DJ Jazzy Jeff
This Side – Nickel Creek
Let Go – Nada Surf
The Creek Drank the Cradle – Iron & Wine
Voyage to India – India.Arie
The Execution of All Things – Rilo Kiley
You Forgot It in People – Broken Social Scene
Oh Me Oh My – Devendra Banhart
The Guest – Phantom Planet
Justified – Justin Timberlake
Loose Screw – The Pretenders
Round Room – Phish
