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?

The Queen Is Dead

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

1/16

Loveless

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

2/16

OK Computer

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

3/16

The Stone Roses

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

4/16

Different Class

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

5/16

If You're Feeling Sinister

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

6/16

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.

7/16

The Bends

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

8/16

Screamadelica

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

9/16

Definitely Maybe

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

10/16

Dog Man Star

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

11/16

Wet Leg

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

12/16

xx

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

13/16

Dogrel

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

14/16

Silent Alarm

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

15/16

Pink Flag

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

16/16