5. "The 1975" - The 1975
A polarizing band: you either love them or hate them. Personally, I think The 1975 are a ballsy group. Experimenting with sounds from funk, indie, ambient and R&B, their self-titled, debut album is an interesting journey through drug use, love, sex, self-awareness and criminality. The 1975 created a piece of art, which is something not many bands are doing anymore nowadays. People have forgotten how to experiment, and how to appreciate something that's different. Their second album "I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful, Yet So Unaware Of It," continued the trend of experimentation. However also found a more synth-pop/80s feel along the way. They're more confident now that they have a number one album under their belts. However, the ambient sounds and lyrical vulnerability of the first album are what really captured my attention.
4. "2" - Mac Demarco
A newer face in the Indie Rock scene, Mac Demarco is the best-known artist coming out of the bustling Indie scene in Montreal, Canada. While his album "Salad Days" is really well known for its psychedelic guitars and dreamy synthesizers, I think it's the straightforward guitar rock on his album "2" that takes the cake. The ballad "Ode to Viceroy" about Demarco's favorite cigarette brand, and the catchy "Cooking Up Something Good" which is actually about his parents cooking meth are staples of this album, which has helped create a newer sound for Indie rock. These songs, along with every song on this album, create a sound that has inspired many artists already.
3. "White Blood Cells" - The White Stripes
Although the albums "Elephant" and "Icky Thump" are more notable for their singles (you can't name one sports game you've been to since 2003 where you haven't chanted "Seven Nation Army"), The White Stripes really struck Indie gold with White Blood Cells. With songs like "Hotel Yorba" and "Fell in Love With a Girl", this album proved that The White Stripes were a force to be reckoned with. Jack White's guitar mastery and Meg White's gorilla-like, primitive but powerful drumming quickly became synonymous with the genre.
2. "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" - Arctic Monkeys
While everyone in the mid-2000s was copying The Strokes' New-York style of Indie Rock, the four members of the Arctic Monkeys came out with a faster and louder sound that changed the game completely. The fastest-selling debut album in British music history, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" is a staple of the genre. They essentially took The Strokes' style,The Sex Pistols' aggression, and the lyrical profundity of The Smiths and created an album that outlined the lives of young British club-goers. With songs like "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "Mardy Bum", this is an album full of rhythm and energy that fed the flame of indie rock started at the beginning of the decade in New York City.
1. "Is This It" - The Strokes
36 minutes and 28 seconds of raw, down and dirty rock that took influence from the Velvet Underground, Television and The Cars. In 2001 the genre of Indie Rock as we know it today was forged in a basement-turned-recording studio by five New Yorkers in their 20s. This album is more than just an excellent compilation of songs. It's representative of a time where New York was still edgy, dirty, punk and real. Each song is a fast and catchy tale about the urban youth, written from the eyes of frontman Julian Casablancas. While many look to his lyrics as a standout part of the album, the rest of the band is just as important. The dual guitar melodies created by Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi are mind-blowing, the bass riffs of Nikolai Fraiture create counter-melodies to the guitar and vocals that give the music a little more complexity. The drumming of Fab Moretti is explosive, simple and straightforward. He doesn't even have a crash cymbal on his drum kit. But in the end, it's the songs that matter. The rhythm you'll find in songs like "The Modern Age" and "Last Nite," and the softer but still passionate songs like "Is This It" and "Someday" really prove how good this album is. Some call it unprofessional, I call it brilliant.
