Funeral — Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire's 2004 debut Funeral emerged from profound personal loss, yet it became a critical juggernaut, ranking among the very best-reviewed albums of the 2000s on multiple critics' decade-end lists. Recorded for under $100,000, it sold over 500,000 copies in the US, and its emotional intensity stands alongside its more polished follow-up The Suburbs, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2011.