62. Arcade Fire – Wake Up (2005)

By the middle of the decade, it was painfully obvious that rock has gone out of the business of changing the world. Young rock musicians no longer attempt to create themselves in a unique identity, no longer challenge the existing order, no longer try to produce hits that would shake the globe. They, and their disciples, regard rock as "serious" and "quality" music, stay away from the charts, and are busy regurgitating rock's glorious past, innovating only within its boundaries. Indie, that independent record industry which sprung in the seventies in an attempt to bypass the established industry and create art for the sake of art, has grown to such an extent that it can provide rock artist with a rather comfortable existence, enabling them to create without external pressures. The result is that the indie bands are siphoned in the confines of the indie world, and don't try to transcend it and struggle in a world where other rules apply, a world that would require of them to show true originality, ingenuity and rebelliousness. All they have left to offer is to play rock a bit differently, and write interesting songs.

Among the new indie bands, Arcade Fire is arguably the best. On the basis of drums and guitars they add a lot of acoustic instruments, creating complex records with intriguing sound textures. Music with a lot of "quality" (in other words, boring), but cute.