10 Greatest Garage Rock Albums Of The 2000s

The dawn of the new millennium marked a garage rock revival, interwoven with the post-punk movement that sought to embrace traditional garage sounds while redefining the genre's boundaries. A plethora of new groups found their voice throughout the decade, taking over from the old guard and developing garage rock into more than we ever dreamed it could be.

Needless to say, 2000s garage rock was dominated by US bands, who led the charge with driven (and over-driven) riffs, strained, passionate vocals, off-the-cuff solos, and a devil-may-care attitude that would see their segment of the genre become a mainstay within modern music. Meanwhile, most of the acts involved in the UK scene (with just a few exceptions) created a new species of treble-heavy indie rock that fused itself to the mainstream and was, by decade's end, as dated as stripy tees and trilby hats.

In any case, whether it came from The White Stripes' nuts-n-bolts approach, the live performance energy The Hives brought to their releases, The Black Keys' rudimentary recording techniques, or the many passion projects that attempted to fuse together sounds from across the spectrum, the decade left us with an impressive and expansive selection of albums to choose from. But only 10 can reign supreme...

Contrary to what their name may suggest, Eagles of Death Metal do not in-fact make the heavy stuff. Conceived of by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme in the late '90s, when Homme was winding up Kyuss and just getting Queens of the Stone Age rolling, the band hit the scene with the bluesy boogie record Peace, Love, Death Metal in 2004.

Always straddling several genres, and having nothing to do with reviving or otherwise attempting to resuscitate the garage rock genre, it wasn't until EODM's third album in 2008 that they put out something capable of turning the heads of garage aficionados throughout the Western world: Heart On.

As tongue-in-cheek as anything the band have done in their now two-and-a-half-decade career, from the title down through the lyrics to the claps, horns and Homme's vibraslap inserts (on the title track), Heart On manages never to take itself too seriously while nevertheless delivering all the garage essentials: fuzzy basslines, power chords, tight riffs and snappy drum fills.

Kicking down the door with "Anything 'Cept the Truth" and following it up with the album's breakout track "Wannabe in L.A.", the record is far scrappier and driven than anything they have done previously. And, with the band's revolving door of studio and touring musicians (including talents as diverse as Jack Black, Brent Hinds and Joey Castillo), it's unlikely fans will ever hear the like again.