10 Best Rock Albums Of The 2000s

10. Whatever People Say I Am... - Arctic Monkeys

As rock was finding its identity in the 2000's, many bands were bringing everything back to basics with a sound that had the thrashiness of punk fed through the lens of the garage rock boom of the 1960's. Though bands like the Strokes and the Hives were certainly making big waves in the scene, Arctic Monkeys's debut record had the right amount of attitude to separate itself from its counterparts.

Each track is a subtle glimpse into the mind of the adolescent male on the London club scene, with songs that hit you right in the chest like "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "Dancing Shoes." Songwriter Alex Turner also had a knack for coming up with interesting stories of alcohol-fueled debauchery while finding just the right amount of melody to keep the listener on their toes like on the single "Mardy Bum."

This record is also the first of its kind to gain widespread acclaim through the Internet, as fans kept sharing mp3 files of the songs before the record had even come out. Once their debut was released, Arctic Monkeys had the whole of England at their feet as they went on to conquer the rock scene.