This Thanksgiving, introduce your cool uncle to these ten modern alternative rock albums.
We all have the "cool" uncle. He’s the one who pushes the prank or dirty joke just a step too far (or three), and tries to impart wisdom about scoring girls, ordering the appropriate cocktail, and the proper way to hold a cigar.
Raising two daughters, supporting his wife, and working 70 hours a week in sales, Cool Uncle does not have the time he once did to discover cool stuff. But he loves action movies, ironic comedy, and raw music.
That’s where you come in.
In our over-stimulated society, you’ll hear those catchy Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber choruses while running errands at Target, on a Facebook advertisement, or on your top-40 radio station. But underneath all of the bubblegum pop clutter, there exist some killer alternative rock albums that will remind Cool Uncle of his jeans jacket glory days.
So this Thanksgiving, show Cool Uncle these "millennial" records (listed chronologically), and help him maintain his cool.
1. Vampire Weekend: “Vampire Weekend” (2009)
Graduates of Columbia University, these New York City prepsters prove their intellect with Rostam Batmanglij’s experimentation with keys, horns, and synths and Ezra Koenig’s lyrics on not giving a f*ck “about an Oxford Comma.”
Often compared to Paul Simon’s “Graceland” for its baroque pop influences on tracks like “Walcott,” Vampire Weekend’s debut self-titled ranks 430 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
Most recent record: "Modern Vampires of the City" (2013)
2. Arcade Fire: “The Suburbs” (2010)
For over a decade, Canadian group, Arcade Fire – influenced musically by David Bowie and The Cure – crafts lyrics on youth romanticizing themes like “the anxiousness of waiting for [love] letters” as lead singer Win Butler tells NME.
Arcade Fire reached commercial stardom with “The Suburbs,” which won the Grammy award for “best alternative music album” and received radio play with hits, “We Used To Wait” and “Ready To Start.”
Most recent record: "Reflektor" (2013)
3. Sleigh Bells: “Treats” (2010)
It’s 1978 all over again when the Van Halen-esque guitar riff on “Demons” cranks through your speakers.
From Brooklyn, New York, Sleigh Bells creates noise pop that sounds unnaturally loud. Their distorted guitars and fizzy amps leave you no choice but to turn it up to 11 and embrace the purposeful mess. Lead singer Alexis Krauss tells Pitchfork that the record’s most accessible song,“Rill Rill,” puts Sleigh Bells “in a really good spot creatively” because of its inclusion.
Most recent record: "Bitter Rivals" (2013)
4. M83: “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” (2011)
In late 2010, M83’s creative driver, Anthony Gonzalez, told Pitchfork that their next album would be "very epic." From Antibes, France, M83 beckons music writers to conjure up fresh ways to describe their cinematic tones.
Reminiscent of perhaps the most important concept album of all time, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” locks you in from the get go, with the firework-like opening synths on “Intro” and with their acoustic ballad, “Wait,” which feels like life flashing before your eyes.
5. Jake Bugg: “Jake Bugg” (2012)
The product of a broken home in Clifton, Nottingham, Jake Bugg’s lyrics tell tales of childhood tribulations.
“You never forget where you're from,” Bugg tells the Guardian.
And with his self-titled debut (2012), Bob Dylan-esque Jake Bugg, at 18, became the youngest male in history to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. His contemplative “Simple as This” reveals his maturity as a songwriter, as he mines “for treasure deep in [his] bones.”
Most recent record: "Shangri La" (2013)
6. Alabama Shakes: “Boys & Girls” (2012)
From Athens, Alabama, lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard turned her rock stardom dream into reality with this debut, recorded In Nashville’s ATO. Howard embraces her blues-rock influences, telling Vulture “everybody is paying homage to everybody” in music.
“Boys & Girls’” lead singles “Hold On” and “Hang Loose” – with a splash of Led Zeppelin and a splotch of Elvis Presley – feel like hybrids of 1972 hard rock and late 1950s rockabilly.
Most recent record: "Sound & Color" (2015)
7. Tame impala: “Lonerism” (2012)
When recording with mixer David Fridmann at Modular Recordings, Australian front man Kevin Parker obsesses over imperfections.
“Does every note fit the song’s underlying tone?” Parker asks Pitchfork.
Perhaps because of his obsessiveness, “Lonerism” reached number four on the charts in Australia and number 34 in the United States. Acid-tripping, free-spirited hippies would have totally grooved to the Lennon-like vocals and far-out vibes on the psychedelic single, “Elephant.”
Most recent record: "Currents" (2015)
8. Arctic Monkeys: “AM” (2013)
From Sheffield, England, this punk rock group's first LP, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” (2006) became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history. Five records later, “AM” peaked at number six on the U.S Billboard and at number one in the U.K.
“AM’s” head banging single, “Do I Wanna Know?” generates a similar stadium-like energy as Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Lead singer Alex Turner blossoms his songwriting on “AM,” telling Pitchfork it’s the “same story, different director.”
9. Houndmouth: “Little Neon Limelight” (2015)
With two lead singers, Matt Meyers and the country-styled Katie Toupin, this quartet from New Albany, Indiana creates a feel-good buddy record – with qualities of Americana rock groups like The Band – that gives grumpy, old southern rock connoisseurs reason to believe in the future of twangy electric guitars.
Lead single “Sedona” draws imagery of friends lounging in beach chairs, drinking Budweiser and cooking burgers on a charcoal grill. As the Guardian explains, the album is “instantly euphoric.”
10. Courtney Barnett: “Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit” (2015)
From Melbourne, Australia, Barnett, who conquers her depression through songwriting, tells Rolling Stone that she thinks, “It's important to feel the pain."
You feel the pain on “Depreston”’s soul-searching melodies, yet her playfulness reveals itself in zany lyrics on sinking “like a stone, like a first owner’s home loan,” and bone-crushing guitar riffs on the single, “Pedestrian at Best.”
Early '90s garage punk would have welcomed Barnett's speak-singing style – reminiscent of The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis – with open arms.
