Silent Alarm - Accolades

Accolades

"Silent Alarm didn't just make the band household names—it was a pivotal post-millennium release, effectively securing the reputation of its producer Paul Epworth and serving as a blueprint for domestic indie acts to follow: you can wear your heart on your sleeve while delivering punchy, pop-savvy rock music that appealed to radio heads and dancefloor doyens alike, and that bridged the commercial-critical divide brilliantly."

—Mike Diver of Clash in 2009, on the record's importance to UK independent music

Silent Alarm was shortlisted for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize, but was beaten by Antony and the Johnsons' second album I Am a Bird Now. It was also nominated for the 2005 Shortlist Music Prize, but lost to Sufjan Stevens' fifth album Illinois. The record was named Album of the Year for 2005 by NME ahead of Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral, by Intro in Germany, and by Rumore in Italy. URB included Silent Alarm in its unnumbered shortlist of the best records of 2005. It figured highly in other end-of-year best album lists: at number two by Hot Press and by Stylus, at number four by Drowned in Sound, at number six by Spin, at number seven by Metacritic's chief editor, and at number nine by The Denver Post. Silent Alarm earned Bloc Party several nominations, including Best Alternative Act at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards, Best British Band at the 2006 NME Awards, and Artist of the Year at the 2006 PLUG Awards. The record itself won Indie Rock Album of the Year at the 2006 PLUG Awards. It was also nominated as Best Album at the 2006 NME Awards, and as Album of the Year at the 2006 PLUG Awards.

In 2006, NME placed Silent Alarm at number 55 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever!, while Drowned in Sound ranked it at number three in its list of the editorial staff's 66 favourite albums of 2000–2006. In 2009, Clash placed the record at number 11 in its list of the 50 Greatest Albums, 2004–2009. The same year, Pitchfork Media ranked it at number 156 in its list of The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s, while NME included it at number 38 in the list of The Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade decided by the publication's staff and music industry members. In 2010, Stylus placed Silent Alarm at number 31 in its list of the Top Albums of the previous decade.