What is the best indie album of the 2000s blog-rock era?

Before streaming, blogs ruled — and a wave of guitar bands rode Pitchfork hype and MySpace pages to indie fame. The mid-2000s blog-rock era produced some of the most celebrated indie albums of the century. Which was the defining record of that moment? Cast your vote!

1

Is This It

The Strokes' 2001 debut, often cited as the album that started the blog-rock era and reinvigorated indie guitar music.

2

Turn on the Bright Lights

Interpol's 2002 brooding post-punk debut, a downtown NYC record that defined early blog-rock darkness.

3

Funeral

Arcade Fire's 2004 debut, the Pitchfork 10.0 that announced the death of rockism and the rise of the indie epic.

4

You Forgot It in People

Broken Social Scene's 2002 Canadian indie collective record that was an early online-era critical favorite.

5

Silent Alarm

Bloc Party's 2005 angular post-punk revival debut, a UK blog-rock essential.

6

Apologies to the Queen Mary

Wolf Parade's 2005 debut, a Pitchfork darling that represented the best of mid-decade indie rock.

7

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's 2005 self-released debut, the quintessential internet-hype success story of the blog era.

8

Alligator

The National's 2005 breakthrough, a critical favorite among blog-era tastemakers that launched them to the mainstream.

9

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand's 2004 debut, danceable and angular indie rock that became a ubiquitous blog-era anthem.

10

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Bright Eyes' 2005 album, a critical darling that made Conor Oberst one of the blog era's most discussed artists.

11

Gimme Fiction

Spoon's 2005 album, beloved by music bloggers for its precision and wit.

12

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective's 2009 psychedelic pop landmark, arguably the final great album of the blog-rock era.

13

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem's 2007 dance-punk masterwork, a beloved blog-era critical consensus pick.

14

Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend's 2008 debut, the last great blog-hype band breakthrough before streaming changed everything.

15

Transatlanticism

Death Cab for Cutie's 2003 breakout record, beloved by a generation of bloggers and indie fans alike.

16

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens' 2005 orchestral folk album, a Pitchfork-era prestige record that transcended genre.