Number 2: Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend” (2008).

If The Strokes “This Is It” (2001) sparked off a post-punk revival that lasted throughout the noughties, this album represented a continuation of, and departure from, that theme. Where The Strokes debut signaled a return for fuzzy, dirty New York punk rock, this represents a stylistic antithesis with its clean production, and its Afrocentric guitar work. 

For those who don’t know this album, it’s a delicate fusion of African guitar styles and anglo-American rock and pop. There’s punk basslines (“A-Punk”), electro touches (“One: Blake's Got A New Face”), African percussion (“I Stand Corrected”), some simple yet devastating keyboard work (“Oxford Comma”), and some lush strings (“M79”). The production is pared down and simple, with the band resisting the temptation to use too many overdubs. As a result, there’s a sparsity to the sound, and this allows the simplicity of the melodies, basslines and rhythms to shine through. 

And they rock a preppy Ivy League look of blue denim, button-down shirts, and woollen jumpers. What's not to like?