10 Perfect Albums That Will Make You Love Alternative Rock

In the early days of alternative, the genre just seemed to be limited to every other kind of rock music that didn't find its way onto the charts. For as many bands fit under that label, these were the kind of acts that were limited to college rock stations and didn't really stand a chance on landing on the hit parade any time soon. Things were turning around at the end of the '80s though, and The Cure captured our hearts through raw emotion alone.

Before you even know what the lyrics of these songs are, you can feel the internal angst on every song on Disintegration, as Robert Smith paints a picture in your mind with sound. Though the Cure is known a lot more these days for their goth aesthetic, there's hardly any doom and gloom to be found on this record, focusing more on relationships and how hard it is to control your feelings from day to day.

When looking through tracks like Lovesong and Pictures of You, Robert Smith isn't just singing these melodies for the hell of it. The kind of energy that he's putting into his vocals almost feels like he's bound to spontaneously combust at any moment. That's what love will do to you though. It sometimes feels like the end of the world, and Smith is one of the few that managed to give a voice to that kind of helpless feeling.