Aussie rock has always worn an unmistakable stamp of raw honesty and uninhibited creativity, from the 60s and 70s when pub rock was born, the explosion of obscure indie that arrived with the 80s, and alt-rocking stars of the 90s; era after era, Oz rock is always thriving.
And the dawn of the new millennium was no exception! The year 2000 was blessed with a slew of hot albums, hard-hitting and catchy as hell in all the right measure. Here are six of our favourites – let us know yours in the comments!
1. Magic Dirt | What Are Rock Stars Doing Today
“Dirty Jeans”
Magic Dirt’s fuzz-drench angst was captivating enough, but in 2000 experience and expertise saw them channel a newfound affection for pop arrangements into their third album, without losing any of that signature angst. What Are Rock Stars Doing Today and it’s lead single, “Dirty Jeans” were infectiously catchy; masterfully crafted to delve deep in your subconscious and leave you wondering how you still remember every single word, twenty years later!
Magic Dirt are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album with a very special What Are Rock Stars Doing Today White Vinyl Edition – pre-order, here.
2. The Superjesus | Jet Age
“Gravity”
Speaking of killer pop arrangements, we have the Superjesus’ second studio album, Jet Age which followed up their hugely successful, uniquely shaded, prog-heavy debut, 1998’s Sumo, with a platinum-selling album packed with taught, melodic radio hits – that hit hard! Like “Gravity,” “Secret Agent Man” and “Second Sun,” all of which remain fan-favourites on the setlist of any live Superjesus show to this day.
3. Killing Heidi | Reflector
“Weir”
How was this for a debut! Folk-pop siblings turned alt-rock megastars as they started climbing their way up the Triple J Unearthed ranks with their catchy songwriting in the late 90s. Killing Heidi started recoding Reflector when they were still teens, mixing striking dynamics, big riffs and melodic pop into breakout album that debuted at number one, stayed there for three weeks, was later certified platinum and won the band four ARIA awards, including Album of the Year.
That’s a lot for singer, Ella hooper to achieve before she was even old enough to buy a beer!
4. Powderfinger | Odyssey Number Five
“My Happiness”
Powderfinger’s fourth studio album, curiously titled Odyssey Number Five was massive! Like 8x platinum massive. It’s two biggest singles, “These Days” and “My Happiness” topped the Triple J Hottest 100 in 1999 and 2000 consecutively, making them the first and only band to date to ever do so.
5. 28 Days | Upstyledown
“Rip It Up”
Aussie punk protégé’s, 28 Days smashed it out of the park with their sophomore LP, debuting at number one on the ARIA charts under the steam of the anthemic lead single, “Rip It Up,” an undeniable nod to the Beastie Boys that gave Australia their very own renegades of rap-rock defiance.
6. The Living End | Roll On
“Roll On”
The Living End’s second album was markedly more polished than their punk leaning, self-titled debut. With producer Nick Launay, who had previously worked with Silverchair, Midnight Oil and INXS and Nick Cave, at the helm, the album drew more heavily from 80s pub rock and rockabilly, hitting a sense of timelessness that they’ve kept to this day.
Roll On earned the trio international notoriety, landing them lauded spots on both Conan O’Brien’s and David Letterman’s late-night shows. The album also included “Carry Me Home.” which appeared on the Guitar Hero II soundtrack.
Don’t miss out on your chance to get Magic Dirt’s very special 20th Anniversary White Vinyl Edition of What Are Rock Stars Doing Today – available to pre-order, here!
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