What is the best British indie album of all time?

Britpop, post-punk, shoegaze, and beyond — British indie has a distinctive voice unlike anywhere else. Which UK indie album do you consider the greatest?

1

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths' 1986 album, the cornerstone of British indie — witty, melancholy, guitar-jangly, and utterly definitive.

2

Loveless

My Bloody Valentine's 1991 shoegaze masterpiece, a wall of distorted guitar that redefined what sound could be.

3

OK Computer

Radiohead's 1997 rock-and-electronic landmark, anxious, prescient, and profoundly British.

4

The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses' 1989 debut, one of the most beloved British albums ever made, fusing indie rock with baggy dance rhythms.

5

Different Class

Pulp's 1995 Britpop classic, Jarvis Cocker's wry observations on British class, desire, and celebrity.

6

If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle & Sebastian's 1996 delicate Scottish indie pop gem, bookish and melodic.

7

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys' 2006 debut, the fastest-selling debut in British chart history, capturing working-class Sheffield life.

8

The Bends

Radiohead's 1995 guitar-heavy breakthrough, bridging Britpop ambition with indie rock vulnerability.

9

Screamadelica

Primal Scream's 1991 acid house/indie rock fusion, one of the most joyful and influential British albums.

10

Definitely Maybe

Oasis' 1994 Britpop debut, a swaggering collection of anthemic rock songs that became a British cultural phenomenon.

11

Dog Man Star

Suede's 1994 dense and glam-influenced indie rock masterpiece, a flawed but brilliant British statement.

12

Wet Leg

Wet Leg's 2022 debut, witty and infectious British indie rock that won the Mercury Prize.

13

xx

The xx's 2009 debut, sparse and intimate British indie pop of extraordinary emotional restraint.

14

Dogrel

Fontaines D.C.'s 2019 Irish post-punk debut, a raw and literary voice in the British indie tradition.

15

Silent Alarm

Bloc Party's 2005 post-punk revival debut, tight, angular, and urgent.

16

Pink Flag

Wire's 1977 post-punk debut, a pioneering minimal art-punk record that influenced decades of British indie.