War by U2
U2's fierce 1983 album turned protest into anthems, the record where the young band found its conscience and fire.
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Alternative Rock
Alternative rock grew out of the underground music of the 1980s and broke through in the 1990s. It favours melody and texture over polish, and often carries an introspective, searching mood.
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Flyleaf by Flyleaf
Flyleaf's raw 2005 debut pairs heavy alternative metal with searching, faith-haunted lyrics about pain and hope.
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Learning to Breathe by Switchfoot
Switchfoot's 2000 album, the warm pre-fame record where their best-loved early songs first took shape.
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Oh! Gravity. by Switchfoot
Switchfoot loosen up on this scrappy, restless 2006 album, kicking against everything that drags the spirit down.
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Achtung Baby by U2
U2's bold 1991 reinvention, a darker record about love and betrayal that I came to long after its release.
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Nothing Is Sound by Switchfoot
Switchfoot's restless 2005 album wrestles with doubt and discontent, heavier and darker than its breakthrough.
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A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay
Coldplay's darker, sharper 2002 album, the one where the band grew up, anchored by Clocks and The Scientist.
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Parachutes by Coldplay
Coldplay's gentle 2000 debut, a quiet, hopeful record I went back to discover after their bigger albums.
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X&Y by Coldplay
Coldplay's ambitious 2005 album reaches for the stadiums, full of widescreen anthems and the enduring Fix You.
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The Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot
Switchfoot's 2003 breakthrough turns the ache of feeling out of place into a call to live for so much more.
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