statements of intent

thinking about the newest mclusky album, i feel really strongly that those first three songs are a really really strong "statement of intent" for the band, and one of the strongest examples in rock in the past few years. by that, i guess i mean that they sound totally *themselves* and assured, like everything clicks into place. what are some other examples of this? doesnt have to just be rock, of course - first four songs on Discovery seems like a good example. "last nite"? umm, i think this question is a good one, but i cant seem to come up with a ton of examples, or even articulate what im looking for very clearly. see what you can do with this...