Entering the 2000s, a flush of bands surfaced with a clear gratitude to post-punk and alt-pop, contrasting dramatically from the flannel-wearing grunge-rock that ruled the ’90s. While the post-grunge movement proved a shrine to Nirvana and sounds of the past, a new crop of bands rebelled with unabashedly pop-y, hyper-melodic sounds, paying homage to their diverse roots without simply reiterating past styles and designs.
In this Top 10 list, Gibson.com breaks down our Top 10 Modern Rock Bands that debuted in the 2000s, many of whom are already shaping the 2010s. Who are your faves?
10. Paramore
When 2005’s All We Know Is Failing debuted on Fall Out Boy frontman Pete Wentz’s label, Fueled by Ramen, it was obvious the punk-pop scene was in for an upheaval. The Franklin, TN-based group were spearheaded by a fireball singer, Haley Williams, a girl with a huge set of pipes and a heart full of failed loves. Paramore’s next album, Riot!, delivered emo-kid anthems “Misery Business” and “Crushcrushcrush” with zippy songwriting and catchy hooks. The songs shot to the top of the alternative chart and eventually crossed over to pop, scoring Paramore a headlining slot at Bamboozle 2010 and three Grammy nominations by decade’s end.
9. Gorillaz
It’s a safe bet that when Blur frontman Damon Albarn had the idea for the first-ever “virtual hip-hop group”, complete with cartoon visuals from Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl), he didn’t think it would turn into a platinum-selling musical project. But that it did, beginning with 2000’s EP, Tomorrow Comes Today, followed by their 2001 self-titled, full-length debut. The latter toted a #1 rock hit in “Clint Eastwood” that’s been remixed and revamped countless times on its way to pushing over seven million copies worldwide. Next up, 2005’s Demon Days went double-platinum and picked up a host of Grammy nominations. Now that Albarn is back with Blur, it’s hard to say when or if Gorillaz will be back at it. Until then, they’ve left us with a collection of cinematic songs – an artifact of 2000s pop culture.
8. Franz Ferdinand
Glasgow rock quartet Franz Ferdinand’s Darts of Pleasure EP got the attention of the music industry with smart lyrics and dramatic beats, but it wasn’t until their 2004 self-titled debut that Franz Ferdinand’s talent and flair really got noticed. Lead single “Take Me Out” took off like a rocket, starting with an ominous, acoustic preface before bursting into that vibrant, party-happy verse and unforgettable chorus. The quirky band’s blend of campy humor, hyper-activity and scruffy style made them one of the most loveable alternative bands of the 2000s and a welcome addition to the garage-rock, post punk reawakening.
7. TV on the Radio
Sure, it’s a catchy band name. But Brooklyn-based TV on the Radio offers much more than that – try a mix of post-punk, electronic, jazz and indie, melded in such an inspired way that it’s impossible not to listen. The band came out in the early 2000s – a time when post-grunge was everywhere and almost nothing sounded original. Enter 2004’s Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, and its elements of soul, spiritual, jazz, doo wop and experimental rock, and there’s no wonder TV on the Radio is hailed as one of the most wonderful musical surprises of the 2000s.
6. Disturbed
When it comes to hard rock and alt-metal, the guys of Disturbed ruled it in the 2000s. Joining up in Chicago’s South Side, frontman David Draiman and company released Sickness in 2000. While the album carried a mix of raucous metal and pummeling hard rock assault, Draiman’s full, strong vocals brought a vulnerable, melodic quality that was missing from Disturbed’s contemporaries, even on heavy hits “Down with the Sickness” and “Stupify.” The guys went on to enjoy three consecutive #1 debuts in the 2000s, and with their latest album, 2010’s Asylum, also debuting at #1, it seems Disturbed is “Sick” no longer.
5. The Black Keys
If the White Stripes introduced minimal, two-man blues-rock to the mainstream, the Black Keys took it into the new millennium. With 2002’s The Big Come Up, the Keys introduced a thicker sounding garage-blues sound with an ample mix of soul, funk and hard rock. Dan Auerbach brought powerful blues-based vocal lines and coarse, reverbed riffs, while Patrick Carney's drums complimented the organic, lo-fi atmospheres with earthy-sounding beats. The Black Keys released six albums throughout the 2000s, played club show after club show, picked up five Grammy nominations (and three wins) and, ultimately, succeeded in making raw, electric blues incredibly cool.
4. The Killers
As the 2000s took off, Las Vegas’ The Killers leapt quickly from alternative rock darlings to mainstream pop heartthrobs in a matter of years. With a winning combination of dance-rock groove and ’80s synth pop, the group’s new-wave-flanked debut, Hot Fuss, became one of 2004's most successful releases, producing pop radio hits “Somebody Told Me,” “Mr. Brightside,” “All These Things that I’ve Done” and “Smile Like You Mean It.” They wooed MTV audiences and modern rock snobs alike, forever joining chunky riffs with romantic landscapes in one very danceable combo.
3. Arcade Fire
Years before their Album of the Year sleeper win for The Suburbs at the 2011 Grammys, Canada’s Arcade Fire was already going strong with a uniquely intense combination of indie rock power and dramatic, lush song fare. Few bands of the 2000s captured such an eclectic mix of genres, from bossa nova to punk to neo-classical pop. With husband and wife team Win Butler and Regine Chassagne at the helm, Arcade Fire proved brilliantly experimental bands in the tradition of Radiohead still spring up every decade or so.
2. Kings of Leon
We all know the paradox of the American rock star who is royalty overseas but can strut the streets of his hometown as anonymous as the next guy. Such was the story of Kings of Leon’s early days. In the U.K., the Nashville-based Southern rock ‘n’ rollers were inescapable. They sold out their first European tour. They headlined the main stage at Glastonbury. Still, the mainstream U.S. contingent didn’t catch on until 2008’s Only by the Night and the album’s course singles, “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire.” What set the Grammy-winning guys apart was how they relied less on perfect-sounding, digital mastery and more on bare bones, Zeppelin-style, stick-in-your-head rock tunes.
1. The Strokes
Arriving with a vast amount of hype from the U.K. press, The Strokes proved to be one of a handful of groups worthy of their effervescent reviews. Wearing their influences proud – The Stooges, Buddy Holly, Lou Reed and the Velvets, John Lennon – The Strokes didn’t just reiterate the sounds of past decades but reshaped them in a way that brought together years of diverse musical sounds and spat them out in a new, contemporary masterpiece. On the New York City group’s full-length debut, Is This It, The Strokes offered a pop-friendly, new millennium take on ’70s and ’80s-brand New York punk, packed with smart, smirky vocals, brisk guitars and an insanely catchy swagger. New wave, post-punk, garage-pop – whatever you want to call it, The Strokes did something few bands could in the 2000s: create a sound all their own.
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