The Allstonians, "Mikey Dee"
After the collapse of Moon Ska Records left a smoking crater in the scene, it took some bands a while to get back on track. The Allstonians were one of them, with a gap of 6 years between The Allston Beat and Bottoms Up!. The time didn't really do them any favors - it's a decent album, but it doesn't really have the same energy or charm as the first two, which are some of my favorites from the third wave.
Arctic Monkeys, "When The Sun Goes Down"
The first Arctic Monkeys album was hyped to the skies by the music press, and honestly - it totally deserved it. It's energetic, tight, and thoroughly charming, and the record is sort of endlessly listenable.
TV On The Radio, "Dancing Choose"
While I'm talking about the music press, this record (Dear Science,) showed up on a ton of best-of lists that year, and again, I think the press mostly got it right. I'm very generous when people confirm my biases!
Death Cab For Cutie, "Crooked Teeth"
Transantlanticism really clicked with me, I thought it was a fantastic album. Death Cab hadn't really gotten me excited prior to that, so I was excited to hear their followup, Plans. And...it's fine. It's back to the usual for Death Cab, which is totally fine. It's fine.
The Polyphonic Spree, "Section 11 (We Sound Amazed)"
Hmmm...do we need eight and a half minutes of the Polyphonic Spree? Well, Five Songs cares not about your pathetic human needs! It is remorseless and inhuman, and if it decides you need some off-brand mid-period Flaming Lips, that's what you're getting.