Top Songs — 2001
▶ Spotify PlaylistAt 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, I was in the South Tower of the World Trade Center when the North Tower was hit. I began making my way down the stairs, not fully grasping the gravity of the situation until I reached the 44th floor, and the South Tower was struck. A mix of relief and panic overwhelmed me when I finally made it outside and looked up to see the full extent of the devastation. I thought about Hope, who was at home watching this unfold on the news, not knowing where I was. It wasn't until I walked 20 blocks away from the chaos and found a working pay phone that I was able to call and tell her I was OK.
Looking back, The divergent paths in rock at the time seemed to mirror the complex feelings of the post-9/11 world, offering two distinct ways to process the new reality. Bands like The Shins, Beachwood Sparks, and Beulah provided dreamy, escapist sounds, channeling the sunny nostalgia of The Beach Boys and offering moments of solace. Meanwhile, the gritty garage rock revival led by The Strokes tapped into restless energy and angry defiance, delivering a raw, rebellious release in the face of uncertainty.
The coping mechanisms these songs provided — alternating between soothing calm and cathartic release — reflected the shifting emotions of the time.
1.⭐ The New Pornographers — Letter From An Occupant
2.⭐ Eels — Fresh Feeling
3.⭐ Crooked Fingers — The Rotting Strip
4.⭐ The Strokes — Hard To Explain
5.⭐ Creeper Lagoon — Under The Tracks
6.⭐ Travis — Flowers In The Window
7.⭐ Creeper Lagoon — Here We Are
8.⭐ Beachwood Sparks — By Your Side
9.⭐ Rilo Kiley — Wires And Waves
10.⭐ Beulah — Gravity's Bringing Us Down
11.⭐ The White Stripes — Fell In Love With A Girl
12.⭐ Ryan Adams — When The Stars Go Blue
13.⭐ The New Pornographers — Mass Romantic
14.The Strokes — New York City Cops
15.Rilo Kiley — Always
16.Weezer — Island In The Sun
17.Pete Yorn — Just Another
18.Creeper Lagoon — Wrecking Ball
19.The Tyde — New Confessions
20.The White Stripes — Hotel Yorba
21.The Divine Comedy — Perfect Lovesong
22.The Shins — New Slang
23.The Moldy Peaches — Anyone Else But You
24.The Strokes — Someday
25.Pernice Brothers — The Ballad of Bjorn Borg
26.Pete Yorn — Strange Condition
27.Aerosmith — Jaded
28.Stephen Malkmus — Jenny & The Ess-Dog
29.The Shins — Know Your Onion!
30.R.E.M. — Imitation Of Life
31.Destroyer — English Music
32.Creeper Lagoon — Hey Sister
33.Pernice Brothers — She Heightened Everything
34.Ryan Adams — New York, New York
35.Bad Religion — Sorrow
36.The New Pornographers — The Fake Headlines
37.Pernice Brothers — Flaming Wreck
38.Andrew W.K. — Party Hard
39.Creeper Lagoon — Sunfair
40.Travis — Follow The Light
41.The Tyde — All My Bastard Children
42.Weezer — Hash Pipe
43.Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — Whatever Happened To My Rock 'N' Roll (Punk Song)
44.New Order — Crystal
45.Muse — Plug in Baby
46.Creeper Lagoon — Dead Man Saloon
47.Beulah — A Good Man Is Easy To Kill
48.The Strokes — Is This It
49.The Soundtrack Of Our Lives — Sister Surround
50.The Moldy Peaches — Who's Got The Crack
51.Daft Punk — Digital Love
52.Pete Yorn — For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)
53.Gorky's Zygotic Mynci — Stood On Gold
54.Beulah — Gene Autry
55.Pernice Brothers — Working Girls
56.Beachwood Sparks — The Sun Surrounds Me
57.Travis — Side
58.Pete Yorn — Closet
59.Super Furry Animals — Juxtapozed with U
60.The Soggy Bottom Boys,Dan Tyminski — I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow