21 Best Alt Rock Albums of the 21st Century

While we mourn the death of the traditional record industry as we all knew it to exist in the 20th century, music itself has flourished in the new millennium.

Sure, we no longer have to flip through endless racks of CDs to discover sounds that speak to us, but albums have continued to resonate -- even if we don’t need to hold them in our hands. In fact, although technology has changed everything about the industry, it’s also opened up limitless sonic possibilities.

In this list, we spotlight the 21 greatest albums of the 21st century and, considering we’re only a fraction into it, the door will remain open for more neo-classics as they’re released. That means that although there is plenty to celebrate from the past, the best could still be yet to come.

Check out the gallery above to see our countdown of the 21st century's best records -- and let us know what you think we missed in the comments section below!