Arcade Fire – "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" – Funeral
The chug of the runaway locomotive began here
Air – "Venus" – Talkie Walkie
Striking, abrupt piano thunder in outer space
My Morning Jacket – "Wordless Chorus" – Z
Haunting echoes make no words necessary
Interpol – "Untitled" – Turn On The Bright Lights
The guitar sound that's been copied a thousand times since
Chemical Brothers – "Galvanize" – Push The Button
Makes even Budweiser seem classy
Franz Ferdinand – "Jacqueline" – Franz Ferdinand
Dueling guitars that fueled a dance-rock craze
The White Stripes – "Seven Nation Army" – Elephant
Simple, powerful, and impossibly catchy
LCD Soundsystem – "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" – LCD Soundsystem
The cool get cooler
Grandaddy – "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot" – Sophtware Slump
Synth-rock opera
Radiohead – "Everything In Its Right Place" – Kid A
The start of a new era in many regards
Postal Service – "District Sleeps Alone Tonight" – Give Up
One of the best tracks of a helplessly important album
The Stills – "Lola Stars and Stripes" – Logic Will Break Your Heart
Shows how much fun being in a band could be
Spoon – "Everything Hits At Once" – Girls Can Tell
Wafting cigarette smoke in the coolest bar in town