Metacritic: Best Albums of 2002

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64 A Camp
78 Akron/Family
73 Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women
74 Amazing Baby
62 Tori Amos
54 The Answer
74 Anti-Flag
74 Art Brut
71 Au Revoir Simone
65 Zee Avi
70 Bachelorette
77 Bat For Lashes
68 Big Business
76 Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
67 Black Dice
57 Black Eyed Peas
74 Black Moth Super Rainbow
71 Blank Dogs
65 Booker T.
54 The Boxmasters
65 The Boy Least Likely To
74 Brakes [aka brakesbrakesbrakes]
68 British Sea Power
66 Jeff Buckley
75 Busdriver
59 Busta Rhymes
64 Cage The Elephant
82 Bill Callahan
80 Camera Obscura
68 Cam'ron
79 Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
58 Chester French
82 The Church
61 Ciara
72 Clues
69 The Coathangers
74 Jarvis Cocker
90 Leonard Cohen
70 Elvis Costello
66 Graham Coxon
76 Crippled Black Phoenix
71 The Crocodiles
69 Cryptacize
71 Crystal Antlers
56 The Crystal Method
69 Dananananaykroyd
76 Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse
71 De La Soul
77 Death Cab For Cutie
68 Deer Tick
81 Deerhunter
70 Depeche Mode
78 Dinosaur Jr.
85 Dirty Projectors
86 DJ Quik & Kurupt
77 Doves
68 Dredg
76 Bob Dylan
82 Steve Earle
70 Eels
62 El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez
58 Eminem
60 Empire Of The Sun
54 The Enemy
67 Jeremy Enigk
68 Nathan Fake
85 The Felice Brothers
79 The Field
65 Fink
60 Fischerspooner
77 Flatlanders
62 Flo Rida
64 Franz Ferdinand
77 Gallows
72 Melody Gardot
59 Ginuwine
71 Golden Silvers
61 Gomez
69 Grand Duchy
73 Great Lake Swimmers
59 Great Northern
72 Green Day
86 Grizzly Bear
75 The Handsome Family
69 Ben Harper And Relentless7
75 PJ Harvey & John Parish
66 Heaven & Hell
85 Levon Helm
74 The Hold Steady
79 Patterson Hood
75 Jon Hopkins
82 The Horrors
69 Hanne Hukkelberg
74 Ida Maria
65 Immaculate Machine
75 The Intelligence
76 Iron & Wine
79 Isis
68 It Hugs Back
88 J Dilla aka Jay Dee
61 Jadakiss
86 Japandroids
61 Joan Of Arc
84 Joe Lovano Us Five
72 John Doe & The Sadies
70 Joker's Daughter
62 Jonas Brothers
53 Mike Jones
71 The Juan Maclean
76 Junior Boys
68 Kasabian
74 Diana Krall
56 Lady Sovereign
43 Ben Lee
68 The Lemonheads
76 Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
77 Lindstrom & Prins Thomas
65 Little Boots
79 The Low Anthem
67 Jason Lytle
75 The Maccabees
76 Magik Markers
80 Major Lazer
70 Malajube
71 Manchester Orchestra
85 Manic Street Preachers
57 Marilyn Manson
66 The Mars Volta
68 Dave Matthews Band
62 Maximo Park
70 Meat Puppets
80 Method Man & Redman
77 Metric
75 Micachu & The Shapes
69 Chrisette Michele
76 Miike Snow
67 Mika Miko
75 Rhett Miller
49 Mims
72 Mr. Lif
72 Moby
78 Moderat
70 Mandy Moore
80 Mos Def
70 Bob Mould
74 Nadja
72 New York Dolls
72 Nite Jewel
67 NOFX
76 Noisettes
60 Paolo Nutini
67 Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band
74 Papercuts
76 Passion Pit
74 Peaches
71 Pet Shop Boys
68 Peter Bjorn And John
82 Phoenix
76 Pink Mountaintops
63 Placebo
66 Pomegranates
64 Iggy Pop
67 Prefuse 73
81 Ramblin' Jack Elliott
76 Rancid
54 Rascal Flatts
68 Lionel Richie
77 Alasdair Roberts
73 Rick Ross
55 Asher Roth
72 Savath & Savalas
61 Polly Scattergood
65 The Shortwave Set
60 Shout Out Out Out Out
66 Silversun Pickups
85 Todd Snider
78 Sonic Youth
72 The Soundcarriers
61 The Sounds
74 Regina Spektor
63 Spinal Tap
65 Spinnerette
81 St. Vincent
59 Still Flyin'
58 Street Sweeper Social Club
87 Sunn O)))
82 Sunset Rubdown
84 Super Furry Animals
74 Richard Swift
78 Taking Back Sunday
85 Tanya Morgan
81 Otis Taylor
71 Telekinesis
70 Telepathe
80 Thee Oh Sees
79 The Thermals
74 Rob Thomas
64 Thunderheist
74 Tiga
57 Tinted Windows
72 Tortoise
82 Allen Toussaint
71 Trembling Bells
69 Two Fingers
84 UGK
68 Keith Urban
71 John Vanderslice
85 The Vaselines
74 The Veils
73 Viva Voce
63 Patrick Watson
79 White Denim
77 White Rabbits
57 The Whitest Boy Alive
74 Wilco
80 Wildbirds & Peacedrums
78 Wolves In The Throne Room
65 The Wooden Birds
67 Wooden Shjips
81 Yeah Yeah Yeahs
70 Pete Yorn
93 Neil Young
60 Neil Young
72 Yusuf

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The following table displays the highest-scoring albums for the year in Metacritic's database with a minimum of 7 reviews. Also listed at the bottom of the page are year-end top ten lists provided by various critics and publications.

You may also view an index of all albums in our database alphabetically by artist.
In addition, you may view the top-rated albums by year: All | 2007 | '06 | '05 | '04 | '03 | '02 | '01 | '00

The 30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year
1	Original Pirate Material by The Streets	2002	90
2	Alice by Tom Waits	2002	90
3	Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age	2002	89
4	Kill The Moonlight by Spoon	2002	88
5	Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco	2002	87
6	Phrenology by The Roots	2002	87
7	The Creek Drank The Cradle by Iron & Wine	2002	87
8	Rings Around The World by Super Furry Animals	2002	86
9	OST by 24 Hour Party People	2002	86
10	Didn't It Rain by Songs: Ohia	2002	85
11	Don't Give Up On Me by Solomon Burke	2002	85
12	Source Tags & Codes by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead	2002	85
13	One Beat by Sleater-Kinney	2002	85
14	The Last Broadcast by Doves	2002	85
15	Geogaddi by Boards Of Canada	2002	84
16	No! by They Might Be Giants	2002	84
17	S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. by Out Hud	2002	84
18	Veni Vidi Vicious by The Hives	2002	84
19	Blood Money by Tom Waits	2002	84
20	Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips	2002	84
21	The Beginning Stages Of... by The Polyphonic Spree	2002	84
22	We Love Life by Pulp	2002	84
23	Cobblestone Runway by Ron Sexsmith	2002	84
24	In Search Of... [Second Version] by N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]	2002	83
25	God's Son by Nas	2002	83
26	Skyscraper National Park by Hayden	2002	83
27	() by Sigur Rós	2002	82
28	Blacklisted by Neko Case	2002	82
29	Cookie: The Anthropological Mix Tape by Me'Shell NdegéOcello	2002	82
30	Come Away With Me by Norah Jones	2002	82

Music Critics' Year-End Top Ten Lists

Village Voice 2002 Pazz & Jop Poll (a survey of 695 critics) Read The Full Results
1	Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2	Beck: Sea Change
3	The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
4	The Streets: Original Pirate Material
5	Sleater-Kinney: One Beat
6	Bruce Springsteen: The Rising
7	The Roots: Phrenology
8	Eminem: The Eminem Show
9	Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head
10	Missy Elliott: Under Construction

Blender

1. Eminem: The Eminem Show

2. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

3. Pink: M!ssundaztood

4. VA: The Best Bootlegs In The World Ever

5. Beck: Sea Change

6. Dixie Chicks: Home

7. The Roots: Phrenology

8. Missy Elliott: Under Construction

9. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

10. Tori Amos: Scarlet's Walk

Urb
(Note: Ranking of albums was not specified; listed in alphabetical order)

Atmosphere: God Loves Ugly

EL-P: Fantastic Damage

Felix Da Housecat: Kittenz And Thee Glitz

High Contrast: True Colors

J-Live: All Of The Above

Timo Maas: Loud

N.E.R.D.: In Searh Of

Recloose: Cardiology

DJ Shadow: The Private Press

Underworld: A Hundred Days Off

The Onion A.V. Club
(Andy Battaglia)

1. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

2. Recloose: Cardiology

3. Kylie Minogue: Fever

4. Michael Mayer: Immer

5. 2 Many DJ's: As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 2

6. Metro Area: Metro Area

7. Fennesz, O'Rourke, Rehberg: The Return Of Fenn O'Berg

8. MRI: All That Glitters

9. Clipse: Lord Willin'

10. Spoon: Kill The Moonlight

The Onion A.V. Club
(Josh Modell)

1. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

2. Low: Trust

3. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

4. The Promise Ring: Wood/Water

5. Ugly Casanova: Sharpen Your Teeth

6. Beck: Sea Change

7. McLusky: McLusky Do Dallas

8. Pedro The Lion: Control

9. Radar Brothers: ...And The Surrounding Mountains

10. Hot Hot Heat: Make Up The Breakdown

The Onion A.V. Club
(Noel Murray)

1. Spoon: Kill The Moonlight

2. Josh Rouse: Under Cold Blue Stars

3. Life Without Buildings: Any Other City

4. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

5. The Reigning Sound: Time Bomb High School

6. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

7. Rhett Miller: The Instigator

8. Lambchop: Is A Woman

9. Hot Hot Heat: Make Up The Breakdown

10. Cornelius: Point

The Onion A.V. Club
(Keith Phipps)

1. Beck: Sea Change

2. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

3. Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow

4. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

5. Josh Rouse: Under Cold Blue Stars

6. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

7. Tom Waits: Alice

8. The Roots: Phrenology

9. Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up On Me

10. Bruce Springsteen: The Rising

The Onion A.V. Club
(Nathan Rabin)

1. Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow

2. Count Bass D: Dwight Spitz

3. The Roots: Phrenology

4. People Under The Stairs: O.S.T.

5. J-Live: All Of The Above

6. N.E.R.D.: In Searh Of

7. Common: Electric Circus

8. Cody Chesnutt: The Headphone Masterpiece

9. Devin The Dude: Just Tryin' Ta Live

10. Talib Kweli: Quality

The Onion A.V. Club
(Stephen Thompson)

1. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

2. Me'Shell NdegéOcello: Cookie: The Anthropological Mix Tape

3. Josh Rouse: Under Cold Blue Stars

4. Andrew W.K.: I Get Wet

5. Rhett Miller: The Instigator

6. Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank The Cradle

7. Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow

8. Sigur Rós:( )

9. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

10. Ron Sexsmith: Cobblestone Runway

Playlouder

1. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

2. Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster: Horse Of The Dog

3. Doves: The Last Broadcast

4. Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf

5. Sonic Youth: Murray Street

6. Eminem: The Eminem Show

7. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

8. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

9. McLusky: McLusky Do Dallas

10. Idlewild: The Remote Part

Stylus

1. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

2. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

3. N.E.R.D.: In Searh Of

4. 2 Many DJs: As Heard on Radio Soulwax Part II

5. Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights

6. City of Caterpillar: City of Caterpillar

7. Xinlisupreme: Tomorrow Never Comes

8. Various Artists: Improvised Music From Japan Box Set

9. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

10. Super Furry Animals: Rings Around the World

Pop Matters
(Sarah Zupko, PopMatters Editor & Publisher)

1. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

2. Steve Earle: Jerusalem

3. The Libertines: Up The Bracket

4. The Coral: The Coral

5. Ms. Dynamite: A Little Deeper

6. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

7. Doves: The Last Broadcast

8. Common: Electric Circus

9. The Vines: Highly Evolved

10. Idlewild: The Remote Part

Mixer

1. Timo Maas: Loud

2. Underworld: A Hundred Days Off

3. High Contrast: True Colors

4. Royksopp: Melody A.M.

5. Miss Kittin & The Hacker: The First Album

6. Jurassic 5: Power In Numbers

7. Metro Area: Metro Area

8. DJ Shadow: The Private Press

9. Felix da Housecat: Kittenz and Thee Glitz

10. ILS: Soul Trader

E! Online

1. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

2. Norah Jones: Come Away with Me

3. Beck: Sea Change

4. Missy Elliott: Under Construction

5. Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up on Me

6. Elvis Costello: When I Was Cruel

7. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

8. David Gray: A New Day At Midnight

9. Bruce Springsteen: The Rising

10. Beth Orton: Daybreaker

E! Online
(David Adelson)

1. Eminem: The Eminem Show

2. Ralph Stanley: Ralph Stanley

3. Norah Jones: Come Away with Me

4. Audioslave: Audioslave

5. Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up on Me

6. Jurassic 5: Power In Numbers

7. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

8. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

9. Foo Fighters: One by One

10. Nirvana: Nirvana

The Wire

1. Sonic Youth: Murray Street

2. Derek Bailey: Ballads

3. Boards of Canada: Geogaddi

4. Asa-Chang & Junray: Jun Ray Song Chang

5. Various Artists: Improvised Music From Japan

6. Jim O'Rourke: Insignificance

7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui UXO

8. Cecil Taylor Feel Trio: 2 Ts For A Lovely T

9. DJ/Rupture: Minesweeper Suite

10. Philip Jeck: Stoke

Uncut

1. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

2. Bruce Springsteen: The Rising

3. EL-P: Fantastic Damage

4. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

5. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

6. Lambchop: Is A Woman

7. My Computer: Vulnerabilia

8. Beck: Sea Change

9. Suicide: American Supreme

10. David Bowie: Heathen

Entertainment Weekly
(David Browne)

1. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

2. Elvis Costello: When I Was Cruel

3. Starsailor: Love Is Here

4. N.E.R.D.: In Searh Of

5. Bruce Springsteen: The Rising

6. Audioslave: Audioslave

7. Sonic Youth: Murray Street

8. Moby: 18

9. Clipse: Lord Willin'

10. Norah Jones: Come Away With Me

Entertainment Weekly
(Tom Sinclair)

1. Stew: the Naked Dutch Painter... And Other Songs

2. The Soundtrack of Our Lives: Behind The Music

3. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

4. The Mooney Suzuki: Electric Sweat

5. N.E.R.D.: In Searh Of

6. Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up on Me

7. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

8. Bruce Springsteen: The Rising

9. The Greenhornes: Dual Mono

10. Robert Randolph and the Family Band: Live at the Wetlands

Spin

1. The White Stripes: White Blood Cells

2. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

3. Beck: Sea Change

4. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

5. Eminem: The Eminem Show

6. Weezer: Maladroit

7. Missy Elliott: Under Construction

8. Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf

9. N.E.R.D.: In Searh Of

10. The Hives: Veni Vidi Vicious

Mojo

1. Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up on Me

2. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

3. Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf

4. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

5. Beth Gibbons and Rustin' Man: Out of Season

6. Supergrass: Life On Other Planets

7. Beck: Sea Change

8. Brendan Benson: Lapalco

9. N.E.R.D.: In Searh Of

10. The Coral: The Coral

Inkblot

1. Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow

2. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

3. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

4. Gomez: In Our Gun

5. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

6. Common: Electric Circus

7. Paul Westerberg: Stereo/Mono

8. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead: Source Tags And Codes

9. FC/Kahuna: Machine Says Yes

10. Extra Glenns: Martial Arts Weekend

Metacritic.com | Music Editor

1. Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights

2. Spoon: Kill The Moonlight

3. The Delgados: Hate

4. Cornelius: Point

5. Sonic Youth: Murray Street

6. Wire: Read & Burn 01 / Read & Burn 02

7. Ladytron: Light & Magic

8. Out Hud: S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.

9. Sing-Sing: The Joy of Sing-Sing

10. Clinic: Walking With Thee

CultureDose.com

1. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

2. Beck: Sea Change

3. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

4. Elvis Costello: When I Was Cruel

5. The Roots: Phrenology

6. Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow

7. Frank Black & The Catholics - Black Letter Days

8. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead: Source Tags And Codes

9. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head

10. Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank The Cradle

New York Magazine

1. Raphael Saadiq: Instant Vintage

2. DJ Shadow: The Private Press

3. Jason Moran: Modernistic

4. Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf

5. The Streets: Original Pirate Material

6. Bright Eyes: Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

7. Akufen: My Way

8(tie). Various:2 Many DJ’s, As Heard on Radio Soulwax series; Various Artists: Disco Nouveau; Ellen Allien: Weiss Mix

9. The Parallax Corporation: Cocodisco

10. Nas: God's Son

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The 30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year

Music Critics' Year-End Top Ten Lists