The most underrated albums from each year of the 2000s

Most underrated album of 2007

2007's underrated album hits close to home, literally. The St. Louis area band So They Say was one of my heroes in high school. Coming off a big break album, Antidote for Irony, So They Say released Life in Surveillance on October 9, 2007. This wasn't received as well as expected, and I don't know if that's what happened here, but the band would split in different musical directions following the release.

I can't say that it tops the previous release, but this album was terrific as well, and I have to give it the most underrated of the year. Some notable songs on this album are "Wake Me Up," "Close Range," and "Just Forget My Name." The approach of the dual vocals, the guitar leads and riffs, every piece that goes into making music, these guys were always top-notch. It's a shame that we couldn't get more of this. Guys, if you're reading this, another one?

Underrated album of 2008

Another Drive-Thru/Rushmore Records band that just never got what they deserved or the recognition. I recently found the singer on TikTok doing covers and different videos. As for the rest of the band, I don't know, but I wish it were making music.

The Mile After, another band from North Carolina, dropped their full-length album titled Armada on June 10, 2008. I found this band randomly on Pure Volume years earlier before they released this, and by chance, I walked into a venue where they were playing in St. Louis one time. That was the only time I got to see them, but the three-part harmonies were something else to see live.

I loved this release with the vocals and the piano. It was pop punk, but it was pretty pop punk. The whole album is catchy, well-produced, and well-put-together; why it isn't in most people's record cabinets or even saved music baffles me. The harmonies are done so well here, especially in the song "The Only One." Some other notable songs are "Piano Song," "Worst Offender," and "Money Is Not A Thing." I don't know what happened to the band or why they and the album got the recognition they both deserved, but maybe someone can find them now and enjoy them.