Ten Classic Aussie Albums Turning 25 In 2025

While many of us are of the staunch belief that 2000 was – at most – only a few years ago, it may come as a rude reminder to know that we’re now 25 years on from the turn of the millennium.

On one hand it was a period of excitement due to the impending arrival of the Sydney Olympics, and on the other there was a sense of nervous at play due to the rapid-pace rise of tech and the infamous Y2K scare, but through it all, we had plenty of amazing music on offer to soundtrack the year.

While nostalgia softens our opinions towards bad music at times, rarely do we find ourselves looking back at good music with anything less than the most positive of attitudes.

So with that in mind, it seems like an appropriate time to take a walk back down musical memory lane as we reflect on some of the classic Aussie albums that celebrate their quarter-century this year.

Of course, we can’t focus on every classic album from 2000 (our apologies to Augie March’s Sunset Studies and The Fauves’ Thousand Yard Stare), but it’s time to at least scratch the surface.

The Avalanches – Since I Left You

It’s hard to look at Australian music without naming Since I Left You as one of the most important records of all time. A kaleidoscopic patchwork of samples from the Melbourne outfit who, just years earlier, could be seen on Recovery as something of a Beastie Boys-inspired group, Since I Left You was nothing short of a masterpiece.

Ambitious, exuberant, and club-ready, yet reflective, heartfelt, and even funny at times, there’s an anachronistic quality about The Avalanches’ work in that while it feels representative of the cutting-edge music of the time, it’s equally light years ahead of contemporaries, and reflective on the beauty of years gone by. Nothing can touch a record such as this.

Kylie Minogue – Light Years

On the topic of Light Years, Kylie Minogue’s seventh album in 12 years came about following the somewhat divisive Impossible Princess from 1997. While Kylie was darker and more experimental than what had come before, fans still longed for the sound of her previous work. Realising the importance of her fanbase, you can’t fault Kylie for listening to feedback.

The result was a brief hiatus from music that resulted in Light Years, her first-chart-topping album, and spawned #1 singles such as Spinning Around and On A Night Like This. Kylie was already massive by this point, but Light Years was the turning point that continued with 2002’s phenomenal Fever, and truly cemented her status as the Princess of Pop.

Powderfinger – Odyssey Number Five

Fun fact: Powderfinger’s Odyssey Number Five is (so far) the only album to host two #1 songs from triple j’s Hottest 100. If that isn’t representative of the impact such an album, and Powderfinger as a whole, had upon Australian music in 2000, then nothing is.

Following on from the major successes of Double Allergic and Internationalist, one could have forgiven Powderfinger for crumbling under pressure of expectations, but instead, they returned with an album full of more hooks than a bait shop. In fact, the strength of this album even saw Powderfinger posited as Australia’s next big musical export, going so far as to see them tour the US with a rising Coldplay and appear on Late Night With David Letterman.

While 9/11 might have thwarted their efforts to crack the US, the impact of this album remained, and an even hungrier Powderfinger continued to thrive for the next decade.

Madison Avenue – The Polyester Embassy

At times, Madison Avenue are often overlooked in Aussie musical history, but it’s hard to look past the impact that The Polyester Embassy had upon its release.

Comprising producer Andy Van Dorsselaer and singer Cheyne Coates, 1999’s empowering Don’t Call Me Baby might have put them on the map, but the one-two punch of releasing follow-up single Who The Hell Are You in 2000 was a masterstroke that saw the single top the charts, and force the album into the top five, along with chart positions in the UK and Japan.

Though the band fizzled out soon afterwards, they weren’t without the legacy they had curated. Weeks after the album’s release, they took home four trophies at the ARIA Awards (including Single Of The Year, Highest Selling Single, Breakthrough Artist – Single, and Best Video for Don’t Call Me Baby), and left us with a memorable live performance, complete with iconic glass of water.

Slim Dusty – Looking Forward Looking Back

Say what you will about Slim Dusty, but the word ‘lazy’ need never enter the conversation. By 2000, he’d been playing music for 55 years, released just as many albums, and had been involved in 100 records across his lifetime. With countless Country Music Awards to his name, and plenty of ARIA Award nominations (but no wins, despite a Hall Of Fame induction 12 years earlier), one could think it was time to pack it in; job done.

But Slim was never one to rest on his laurels, and with the release of 2000’s Looking Forward Looking Back, he proved he was far from done.

Peaking at #3 on the mainstream charts and topping the country chart, the record was nominated for Best Country and Highest-Selling Album at the ARIAs, ultimately winning the former. Though Slim might have passed a few years later, his late-in-life achievements proved that it's never too late for the trailblazers to get the kudos they so deserve.

Killing Heidi – Reflector

When Killing Heidi first rose to prominence in 1996 thanks to triple j’s Unearthed program, few could have imagined the Violet Town group – fronted by a then-13-year-old Ella Hooper would grow in stature so swiftly. Sure enough, tracks such as 1999’s Weir and Mascara were just appetisers to the release of debut album Reflector the following year.

So much was their hype that the record hit #1 on the charts, becoming the fast-selling Aussie album in history to that point, and bringing in seven ARIA Nominations. Ultimately taking out four (Album Of The Year, Best Group, Breakthrough Artist, and Best Rock Album).

Not since Silverchair had a young band managed to capture the attention of the rock music-loving public in such a way that Killing Heidi did, and frankly, few have come close since.

Magic Dirt – What Are Rock Stars Doing Today

Throughout the ‘90s, Geelong’s Magic Dirt had amassed a devoted following thanks to their noisy, alt rock sound, with numerous singles, EPs, and records released via the iconic Au Go Go label.

By rights, their early successes should have seen them break through to the mainstream, and by 2000, it seemed like that time had arrived. Signing to Warner sublabel EastWest, the group had gone from rubbing shoulders with underground rock acts to having a more mainstream tick of approval behind them.

What Are Rock Stars Doing Today arrived as their fourth record, and with more polished songwriting and production, the group found themselves garnering plenty of the recognition they’d long deserved. Even lead single Dirty Jeans (itself not exactly a standard rock song) managed to reach the top 100 of the ARIA charts, and saw the group receive their first placing in a Hottest 100 countdown.

Bodyjar – How It Works

By 2000, Bodyjar had experienced an impressive decade in the music industry. Releasing their first album as Helium in 1993, they adopted the Bodyjar name the following year and released a handful of albums under the Shagpile label, including 1998's No Touch Red, which is still one of the finest Aussie punk albums of the decade.

By the time their next album came around, they'd signed with EMI and were well placed for a massive follow-up, which is exactly what they did.

How It Works showcased Bodyjar firing on all cylinders, and showing the world what they could do with a bit of additional support in their corner. Lead single Not The Same found itself in the ARIA charts (and on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtrack), while the record itself gave the band their career-best placing of #19. Not too shabby.

Tex Perkins – Dark Horses

When Tex Perkins joined the previously-instrumental Cruel Sea alongside his time in the Beasts Of Bourbon, one could have thought he was just being greedy by wanting to work with another sensational band. Their success cemented them as one of the country’s most prominent bands in the alternative scene, so what more could he want? A solo career is the answer, it seems, with Dark Horses arriving in 2000 as an example of just what else Tex was capable of.

His second solo record, following 1996’s Far Be It From Me, to some, it felt a lot like The Cruel Sea due to its similar sound, but the rawness of the Beasts bubbled away while Tex himself let loose with his impressive blend of smooth, evocative compositions.

For those who like being confused, this record’s always a tough one to mention given that Tex would later adopt the name Tex Perkins’ Dark Horses for his next release.

Vanessa Amorosi – The Power

When Vanessa Amorosi released her debut album The Power in 2000, the 18-year-old Victorian likely had no clue what she was standing on the cusp of. The Power lived up to its name in terms of impact, with its impressive collection of high-energy pop tracks and (even the more reflective ballads) combining to give Australians the chance to unite in a musical sense at the turn of the millennium.

Peaking atop the Aussie charts, four of the record’s singles reached the top ten, while Absolutely Everybody arrived just in time for some New Year’s Eve celebrations in 1999. So much did the song and its album soundtrack the coming year that tracks like Shine peaked at #4 on the charts, while Amorosi managed to perform at both the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2000 Olympic Games.

Needless to say, if you think that Amorosi’s The Power wasn’t a cultural moment for us all, you weren’t paying much attention at the turn of the millennium.