The Kills - Midnight Boom

Released in March 2008, Midnight Boom is the third studio album from The Kills and the record that saw the duo masterfully "deconstruct the rock riff." Shuffling off the minimalist scuzz of their previous work, Alison Mosshart (VV) and Jamie Hince (Hotel) collaborated with Spank Rock producer Alex Epton (aka Armani XXXchange) to infuse their garage-rock DNA with "beats, bleeps, and studio smarts." The result is an organic fusion of pop, glam, blues, and hip-hop that darts between "light and dark, funny and morbid."

Taking inspiration from Pizza Pizza Daddio—a 60s documentary about urban playground games—Hince built rhythms on an old-school MPC-60 drum sequencer to create "modern playground songs with dark lyrics." From the "carnal vocal exchanges" of "U.R.A. Fever" to the dance-floor-ready stomp of "Sour Cherry," Midnight Boom remains one of the most stylish and "trashy rock" documents of the late 2000s.