Kraftwerk Computer World

By 1981's Computer World, Kraftwerk's quest to become one with their machines was pretty much complete. The vocals are suffused in eerie electronic processing, as though cyborgs had grabbed the mic; the zapping rhythms sound less like drums than bursts of pure electricity. So much pop music can be traced back to their digital Big Bang: They gave electro its syncopated beats, and "Numbers" was sampled on Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" and scores of other songs. The band's gentle melodies, meanwhile, make their future-past a remarkably reassuring place to visit.