3. White Stripes

With Get Behind Me Satan, the White Stripes capitalized on the success of their biggest album yet, Elephant -- by using the 2003 disc as a platform from which to jump into the deep end. Jack and Meg White's minimalist, high-volume blues punk becomes just one of many hues here, among the balladry ("I'm Lonely [but I Ain't That Lonely Yet"]), soul anthems ("Forever for Her [Is Over for Me]") and bizarro-world metal ("Blue Orchid"). Meg hits her drums so hard that almost everything rocks, as Jack furiously strums acoustic guitars, bangs pianos and strikes moody marimbas, plugging in only intermittently. Lessons learned on Jack's 2004 Loretta Lynn collaboration school the classic country folk of "Little Ghost," and hip-shaking cuts like "The Denial Twist" revel in skewered urbane funk. The Stripes' red-white-and-black-themed outfits remain, but their albums have exploded into full color.

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