The B-52’s – The B-52’s
Before new wave fully took over the charts in the early 1980s, one quirky band from Athens, Georgia, arrived with a sound unlike anything…
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– Indie Rock
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
Every few years, a debut album appears that reminds listeners just how much fun guitar music can be. Long before their first full-length record…
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Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over the Country Club
Following the enormous critical success of Norman F**ing Rockwell!*, Lana Del Rey faced an unusually difficult challenge. The 2019 album had been hailed as…
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Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
Grief has inspired countless great albums, but very few confront it with the honesty, patience, and compassion found on Ghosteen. Created in the aftermath…
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Hookworms – Microshift
Reinvention can be risky, especially for a band that has already carved out a distinctive identity. During their first two albums, Hookworms built a…
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My Bloody Valentine – m b v
Few albums have carried the weight of expectation quite like m b v. When My Bloody Valentine released Loveless in 1991, they didn’t simply…
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Jack White – Blunderbuss
After spending more than a decade redefining modern rock through The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather, Jack White reached a point…
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PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
By the time Let England Shake arrived in 2011, PJ Harvey had already established herself as one of the most fearless and unpredictable artists…
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Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Few bands have followed a pair of universally acclaimed albums with as much confidence as Arcade Fire did in 2010. After the emotional grandeur…
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Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
Some albums make an immediate impression with enormous hooks and larger-than-life production. Others reveal themselves slowly, growing richer and more rewarding with every listen.…
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Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
Few debut albums have arrived with as much anticipation—or delivered on it as completely—as Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Released…
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The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
By the early 2000s, The Flaming Lips had already accomplished something remarkable. After spending nearly two decades as cult favorites known for noisy psychedelic…
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The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
At the dawn of the 21st century, mainstream rock had become increasingly polished. Nu metal dominated the charts, post-grunge filled radio playlists, and major-label…
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Belle and Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister
Not every great album announces itself with volume. Some whisper instead. Released on November 18, 1996, If You’re Feeling Sinister is the kind of…
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
Reinvention is one of the hardest things for a successful band to pull off. After earning acclaim with the garage-punk fury of Fever to…
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Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes
Some debut albums arrive with polished professionalism and years of major-label refinement. Others explode onto the scene with raw energy, youthful anxiety, and an…
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