Franz Ferdinand

The Scottish group's debut is a dirty, stylish racket filled with needling guitars courtesy of the school of art/punk (circa 1982). Throw in their tendency to fall back on a solid 4/4 beat, and you've got a recipe for mega-hipness in 2004. This wouldn't mean a thing if the songs weren't good, but they are.

Young enough to only work when they need the money, a musical tradition worth fighting for ("Michael," "Jacqueline").