@Megan Bulman

Meet the outsider poets who inspired punk with their wild noise.

Whether it’s a weekday morning or Saturday night, get going with this personalised set of upbeat music. Refreshed every Monday.

Songs to help you relax and unwind. Updated every Sunday.

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

The tracks you can’t get enough of lately, all in one place. Updated as you listen.

The songs you can’t do without. The more you use Apple Music, the more essential they become. Refreshed every Tuesday.

The music world wasn't quite ready for the combustible, gender-bending New York Dolls when they emerged in the early ‘70s. With a sound that's best described as part glam, part punk and part heavy metal—but before those genres were part of the musical lexicon—NYDs were divisive pioneers whose influence far outpaced their commercial success. The band dissolved in 1977 after releasing two of the most important records in rock history: 1973's New York Dolls and 1974's Too Much Too Soon. NYDs got a second wind in 2004, putting out three LPs from 2006 to 2011.

"Maps" is one of the most gorgeous post-punk songs ever written, a garage-rock love letter that builds from a gritty breakdown to a transcendent chorus so melodic Beyoncé squeezed it into Lemonade. But it wouldn't be half as moving if it weren't for Karen O's soft, mysterious voice, the rare instrument that can express joy, pain and resignation in the same breath. On other songs from the New York band's 2003 debut LP, she shouts with the ferocity of a No Wave nihilist. And she chants over the haunting keys and churning guitar on synth-punk time bomb "Heads Will Roll" as if to announce the apocalypse.

When these buttoned-up Columbia University grads let loose on grammar, punk and African beats, the result is some deliciously infectious indie pop. While their 2008 debut garnered comparisons to Paul Simon's Graceland, with the sunny, scrappy Afropop of "Mansard Roof" and the skanking rhythm of "A-Punk", Vampire Weekend have proven to be far more versatile—see "Diane Young", with its dissonant surf rock groove, and the string-and-marimba-touched "Horchata". Throughout, Ezra Koenig remains playfully self-aware, turning witty phrasing into relatable words of comfort with that catchy, distinctive yelp.

The gloomy post-punk of Interpol's '02 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, established an irrevocable link to Joy Division, but the band's sustained success proved that they were far more than mere copycats. Embracing a much warmer sound for their '04 follow-up, Antics, the New Yorkers went onto score hits with '07's Our Love to Admire and their eponymous '10 LP. Following various line-up changes, side projects and record label shuffles, the group returned triumphant in '14 with the back to basics El Pintor.