116 Best

The early 2000s brought a shift not just in music genres, but also in how music was produced and consumed. While some call it the "loudness war," referring to the trend of compressing music to sound louder on smaller devices, many artists and engineers bucked this trend, focusing on dynamic range and sonic fidelity. This guide highlights some of the greatest albums 21st century has given us, focusing on those with exceptional audio quality....

The search for the definitive album of the century is a tricky one, less about objective truth and more about a complex cocktail of critical acclaim, commercial success, cultural impact, and, let's face it, nostalgia. How do you even begin to compare Adele's record-shattering "21" to Kendrick Lamar's socially conscious "To Pimp a Butterfly"? Or pit Beyoncé’s visual album, “Lemonade,” against the raw energy of The White Stripes? At a glance:...