Since the Flaming Lips' "Soft Bulletin" has already been touted here, I'll go with my other choice - Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." I apologize if I missed the post for Wilco, I've been swamped at work. Both those albums hit me as "something new" and (although they've lessened a bit) are mainstays in my rotation. 

"Soft Bulletin" has this undercurrent of love, humanity, compassion, & hope...with the weight of the times. I always think of "Race For The Prize" as finding a cure for AIDS. 

When "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" came out, I was living in a suburb of Chicago near O'Hare. I know the album was written & recorded before 9/11, but the songs have tons of creepy foreshadowing. From the obvious "Ashes of American Flags" and "War On War" to "Jesus, Etc."

"Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
tuned to chords 
Strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Voices whine
Skyscrapers are scraping together
Your voice is smoking
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around"

Standing outside of work with the empty sky from the planes being grounded at O'Hare was extremely weird. The silence was a constant reminder of what was happening - Not that there weren't thousands of other reminders everyday. That album really pulled me through. 

The album also has a similar vibe as "Soft Bulletin" - love, humanity, compassion, & hope.

"Oh I`ve got reservations
about so many things
but not about you"