9. Arctic Monkeys
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Inspired by the new wave of garage rock and punk, the Arctic Monkeys quickly made their way into the rock scene in both the US and UK. Their first few singles "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor" and "When the Sun Goes Down' topped the UK charts and they quickly made it to international fame after the releases of their first two studio records "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" and "Favourite Worst Nightmare". With their unique fusion of garage rock, punk, and British rock highlighted in songs such as "Balaclava" and "Fluorescent Adolescent", the Arctic Monkeys were one of the first British bands to see total international recognition since Oasis years prior. After the release of their third and fourth studio records "Humbug" and "Suck It and See", the Arctic Monkeys decided to drastically change their sound in their hit 2013 record "AM". Featuring songs like "Do I Wanna Know?" and "R U Mine?", this record would redefine the Arctic Monkeys feel entirely with many of the songs returning to a more traditional heavy rock sound. As the Arctic Monkeys continue to make music and tour across the globe, it is very obvious that their sound, style, and their clever fusion of genres will remain a hugely influential factor in the sound of modern rock today.
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8. The Strokes
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Coming straight from the New York garage rock scene, The Strokes emerged bringing with them a new sound that would change the sound of modern rock entirely. With inspirations from bands like The Velvet Underground, The Doors, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Strokes would use their influences to create their debut record "Is This It" in 2001. Their hits "Someday" and "Last Nite" exemplified a sound that would stand as a backbone for the garage rock and indie rock sound that was going to take hold in the US and UK. Their next record "Room On Fire" would go on to feature similar qualities to their first album with songs like "Reptilia" and "12:51" garnering them radio success. After releasing their third studio record "First Impressions Of Earth", the band took a break to work on their solo projects. When they returned to record their next two records "Angles" and "Comedown Machine", they began to experiment with their sound taking inspiration from 80's rock hits and indie-electronic bands like MGMT. Overall, The Strokes have greatly influenced the modern rock sound and with the release of their 2020 record "The New Abnormal", it seems they have no signs of stopping anytime soon.
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7. Foo fighters
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Following the death of Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl formed the band “Foo Fighters” to continue the production of songs he had previously worked on in his own solo career. With prior success in Nirvana, their debut self titled record was bound for success, especially with hits such as “Big Me” and “This Is a Call”. While recording their second album, the original drummer of the band, William Goldsmith, left the band due to creative differences leading to now drummer Taylor Hawkins joining the band. Their second record “The Colour And The Shape” was critically acclaimed with many of the songs becoming radio hits such as “My Hero”, “Monkey Wrench”, and “Everlong”. In these early songs of their discography, the Foo Fighters revolutionized the alternative rock sound with their blend of grunge and hard rock. With the release of eight more studio records as well as several collaborations with well-know artists, the Foo Fighters seem like they will continue to inspire modern rock artists and the sound of rock and roll for years to come.
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6. The white stripes
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As one of the leading forces behind the garage rock revival of the late 90's and early 2000's, The White Stripes gained an immense amount of popularity for their signature style and tonality present in their entire discography. Starting off strong with their first two records, "The White Stripes" and "De Stijl", Jack and Meg White would change the sound of modern rock with their blues and post-modern punk inspired songwriting. Bound for success after the release of their hit record "White Blood Cells", The White Stripes paved the way for the garage rock revival. Their songs "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" and "Fell in Love With a Girl" soon became radio hits and garnered the group a large following. This following would get even larger after the release of their fourth record, "Elephant" which featured the rock anthem "Seven Nation Army". With millions of people across the globe inspired by their music, The white stripes would continue to inspire musicians and fans alike for years, even after the band split in 2011. They ended up releasing a total of seven records, all of which would live on in rock and roll history as some of the most inspirational records to influence modern day rock.
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5. The Red Hot CHilli peppers
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With one of the most unique fusions of funk and punk rock ever seen in rock and roll, there was no doubt The Red Hot Chili Peppers would live on as rock and roll legends. Starting out with the releases of their self titled record as well as their records "Freaky Styley" and "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan", The Chili Peppers began to slowly, but surely make their way into the public's eye with their incredibly unique sound and amazing stage presence. However, the band was met with tragedy after the death of their guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988. The band was able to slowly recover and eventually added Chad Smith and John Frusciante to their band. They would go onto release "Mothers Milk" which garnered them fame and recognition in part due to MTV featuring their videos for their songs "High Ground" and "Knock Me Down". Their next studio record, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" would bring a lot of attention to the band as well with their hits "Give it Away" and "Under The Bridge". Frusciante left the band for a short period due to his drug addiction, and the band would go onto record "One Hot Minute" with the guitarist for Jane's Addiction, Dave Navarro. Once Frusciante returned in 1999, the band would record and release their most popular album to date, "Californication". The band would continue writing and recording for their 2002 record "By The Way" and their 2006 record "Stadium Arcadium" until once again, Frusciante parted ways from the band. Josh Klinghoffer was chosen to take Frusciante's place and he has stayed with the band for two studio records. As of recently, the band has announced that Frusciante will be rejoining, but because of the pandemic, he hasn't stood in for many performances as of recently. Overall, The Red Hot Chili Peppers are on of the most unique and inspiring bands to grace the earth and their legendary sound continues to influence modern rock to this day.
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4. Green Day
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Starting out in the underground punk rock scene of northern California, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt would form Green Day (formerly "Sweet Children") in 1989 with Drummer Al Sobrante. The group went on to record three separate EPs entitled "1000 hours", "39 Smooth", and "Slappy" and later compiled them to form their first LP, "1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". This record was in no way immensely popular, but it granted the band it's first glimpse of fame in the underground punk rock scene. The band would go onto replace Sobrante with now drummer Tre Cool and record their second album "Kerplunk" in 1992. This new record featuring hits such as "2000 Lightyears Away" and "Welcome to Paradise" helped the band get recognized by major labels and by 1994, they would sign to Reprise and begin recording their third album, "Dookie". This record would become a huge commercial success with their songs "Basket Case", "Longview", and "When I Come Around" reaching listeners across the globe. The band would continue to reach international fame with their albums "Insmoniac", "Nimrod", and "Warning" which featured the same punk rock energy that Green Day had innovated. However, soon later the group decided to change up their sound from the traditional 90's punk rock tonality that had encapsulated their records since their debut. Their 2004 album "American idiot" would be a driving force for this change with the group adopting a new rock opera format to their songs. Finding success with their hits "Holiday", "Wake Me Up When September Ends", and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Green Day redefined the punk genre of the early 2000's. They would continue this style of music with their next album "21st Century Breakdown" which had similar rock opera elements. This slowly began to fade out with their next studio album releases, but Green Day's grasp over the modern rock sound was evident with many bands taking influence from their sound.
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