Entertainment is what keeps us sane. The world we live in isn’t a perfect one and life can be quite hard ever so often, as such entertainment offers us an escape and frees us from the shackles of boredom and stress. Some people entertain themselves by playing online games on sevenjackpots while others spend the entire weekend binging on Netflix. However, there is one type of entertainment that is universally loved and that is music. Music has a certain magic that no other art form has ever been able to replicate.

Music has more genres, formats, languages, and styles than any other medium of entertainment it is extremely likely that everyone on earth likes some type of music. While a lot of people stick to the music that is regional of them, English music has always had a way to penetrating even the thickest of borders and making its way into the hearts of nearly everyone who listens to it.

English music has been popular for decades at this point and each decade has been dominated by one specific genre. Rock, hip-hop, electro, etc. all suddenly become insanely popular and just as suddenly fall out of the public consciousness. But there is one type of English music that is completely immune to this and that is alternative rock.

What is alternative rock?

As the name suggests, it was a genre of music that emerged when rock was the end-all be-all of the music industry, as an alternative for people to turn to when they eventually got burnt out on the tunes that were constantly playing on the radio.

Since then the term has been used to refer to songs that aren’t in line with the mainstream genre of the time and have the same spirit that the songs did during the time alternative rock first started to appear on the music scene.

If you love alternative rock or want to start listening to it then you must have these artists on your playlist if you want to reach true musical ecstasy.

 The Lumineers

There are very few perfect things in the world. If you want to experience what true perfection feels like then you need to go to YouTube right now and watch a video titled β€œThe Ballad of Cleopatra” by The Lumineers.

 Utilizing soft tunes, amazing lyrics and a distinctive style, The Lumineers have made a name of themselves among alternative music fans all the world and most of their concerts end up going sold out but you’ll find that is the case with artists on this list. What makes The Lumineers special is that their songs actually tell stories, something which is very easy to spot while listening to their songs in the order they are on the respective albums. The story which they have managed to tell with the four songs that make the aforementioned ballad can take the breath away of even the most stone-hearted of people.

Songs you NEED to listen to

  • Sleep on the Floor
  • Angela
  • Cleopatra

Tame Impala

As far as being one of the few Australian bands to gain world-wide fame, tame impala isn’t actually even a band. Kevin Parker might just be the most talented living musician in the world right now as he not only sings, but all composes music and writes lyrics for all the songs of Tame Impala.

Every song that Tame Impala has ever released is thought to provoking, sounds absolutely blissful and works as the perfect background score for when you just want to chill out. All three of their albums are fantastic works of music that are celebrated by the fans of Tame Impala and their popularity is only growing.

Tame Impala has become so influential that one the biggest legends of the music world, Pink Floyd, has confessed that it’s the latest song was greatly inspired Tame Impala.

Songs you NEED to listen to

  • The Less I Know the better
  • Elephant
  • Feels like we only go backwards

Linkin Park

Most people end up growing out of the type of music that Linkin Park thrived on but that doesn’t diminish the impact their music has had on the world. If you got into English music in the mid-to-late naughties then chances are that Linkin Park was your favourite band during those early years.

Deep meaningful lyrics, creative styles and exceedingly rocking music helped Linkin Park rise to the point where they are considered by many as one the best bands of all time. In fact, they are thought of as proper heroes by their extremely loyal fans for bringing themes of depression, loneliness and addictions to the forefront without glorifying any of it in the slightest.

Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, had the third-best singing voice the world has ever seen and his death was a true loss for everyone who has ever hummed to music.

Songs you NEED to listen to

  • In the End
  • Waiting for the End
  • Lost in the Echo

My Chemical Romance

It is easy to forget just how popular My Chemical Romance was during its peak. It was the band that everyone going through their emo phase was completely obsessed with and when you listen to their music now, it is easy to see why. No other band has ever managed to make music that so perfect showcases the feeling of angst.

β€œWelcome to the Black Parade” And β€œNa Na Na” are songs that literally helped defined what alternative rock can mean to people and showed the world just how much potential this genre still had, especially at a time when the world of alternative rock had lost it’s biggest hero.

  • Songs you NEED to listen to
  • Welcome to the Black Parade
  • Na Na Na

Helena

Nirvana

If there was one individual who could have been credited with making alternative music the massive global phenomenon it is today, the name of the lead singer of Nirvana would have to be taken. Kurt Cobian is and shall forever be remembered as the hero of alternative rock and Nirvana shall never be forgotten for the revolution it brought to the world of music.

Smells Like Teen Spirit isn’t just the best alternative rock song ever made, it is one of the best-composed pieces of music to have been crafted by humans. If you have never had this song on your English music playlist then you need to rectify this blunder right away.

Some of the most popular bands that exist today owe their entire careers to the foundations that Nirvana built and if anyone still needs more proof of just how good this band was then they should listen to the amazing songs that are recorded by Foo Fighters, the band whose lead singer was the drummer of Nirvana.

Songs you NEED to listen to

  • Smells Like Teen Spirit
  • Come as You Are
  • The Man Who Sold the World

So there you have it, the 5 bands that you need to have on your playlist if the alternative rock is your favourite genre but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The current state of the music industry is a very interesting one and platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud have given a platform to people who never have received it in an earlier decade.

There are so many good artists nowadays that it has become impossible to keep track of all of them so just as a bonus here are more alternative rock bands that you can listen to as you try to navigate the complex jungle of modern music. 21-century pilots, Imagine Dragons, Walk the Moon, One Republic, and Arctic Monkeys.