10 Most Overrated Indie Rock Albums Of All Time

A right place/right time band, Bloc Party burst onto the scene when angular, sensitive but noisy guitar rock was having a major moment. They stood head and shoulders above some of the era’s landfill indie with strong technical chops and smart songcraft, and it picked up many awards while selling well.

In retrospect, though, it’s by no means a top tier release, even grading on the curve of the 2005 vintage of British guitar rock. The songs are pacey, delivered with real energy, and at their best were packed with punchy, memorable riffs.

Once you get past the good stuff, though, the drop off is precipitous. “She’s Hearing Voices” is undercooked and unmemorable, “This Modern Love” sounds like a lazy attempt to grab some of that third wave emo money, and “So Here We Are” pushes the vocal talents of Kele Okereke to breaking point, and then a little bit more.

The record has actually aged better than a lot of albums of similar critical worth from the era, but an all-timer it decidedly is not.