'00s Alternative Rock

The post-millennial alternative rocker is a beast of many parts, a good number of them sewn together in this rampant Frankenstein-like compilation of the finest sounds this side of the year 2000. The lasting energy of punk stokes several fires here (the Arctic Monkeys, the Hives), and there's plenty of artful genre-bending (Beck, the Streets).

In a post-post-modern world, alt rock is all about peeling back the layers to find something new in a welter of influences, whether it's the Bravery reinventing dance-rock ("An Honest Mistake"), the Mars Volta tinkering with prog rock ("The Widow"), or Interpol ransacking post-punk rock. You are now officially in alt-rock heaven.

Alternative rock rose from the underground, and some of its best artists still thrive on the indie side. Searching through this next batch couldn't be more rewarding for the alt connoisseur. Hurl stones at the glass houses of the mainstream with Joan As Police Woman, and Canadian duo Death from Above 1979 (who split in August 2006).

The momentum for alternative rock in the '00s derives from multiple sources of inspiration — punk, post-punk, new wave, garage, synth-rock, you name it — and the results represent some of the most satisfying fusions in the history of cutting-edge sound. Revivalism is not a dirty word: it's the key to the magical kingdom of reinvention, as fresh awakenings of garage rock (the White Stripes) and post-punk (Franz Ferdinand) readily confirm. Make these Essentials your definitive, contemporary alt rock pit stop.