A band that takes its name from a French children's television series about a boy and his dog would almost have to be precious, and to be certain, Belle & Sebastian are precious. But precious can be a damning word, and Belle & Sebastian don't have the negative qualities that the word connotes -- they are private but not insular, pretty... [+] Read More

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Broken Social Scene materialized in 1999 when K.C. Accidental's Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, formerly of By Divine Right, bonded their friendship into a band. They spent the next few years honing an atmospheric rock sound in their native Toronto and the dynamic was great. Feel Good Lost marked their debut album in 2001 and introduced a... [+] Read More

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In the middle of 2005, the Brooklyn/Philadelphia-based Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were being touted as the hottest unsigned band in the U.S. Their self-titled debut was self-produced, self-released, self-promoted, and self-distributed, with a great deal of help from the grassroots indie blog machine. There was so much online interest in the band... [+] Read More

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The dreamy bittersweet world of Margot & the Nuclear So and So's is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Richard Edwards. In 2004, he formed the eight-piece indie rock collective in his native Indianapolis, naming the band after the Margot Tenenbaum character in Wes Anderson's sophisticated comedy The Royal Tenenbaums. In addition to Edwards'... [+] Read More

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Alternative rockers Nada Surf teamed singer/guitarist Matthew Caws and bassist Daniel Lorca, longtime school friends who played together in various bands throughout their formative years. After Lorca spent a year in Spain, he returned to New York in 1988, where he and Caws eventually formed Because Because Because; by 1993 the group had mutated... [+] Read More

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The brainchild of singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes, euphoric indie popsters Of Montreal were among the second wave of bands to emerge from the sprawling Elephant 6 collective. A native of Athens, GA, Barnes was inspired to form the group in the wake of a broken romance with a woman from Montreal; signing to Bar/None while living in Florida, he... [+] Read More

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Colin Meloy leads the Decemberists, a five-piece outfit whose pop sound has listeners comparing the band with the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel and Belle & Sebastian. Meloy, who hails from Missoula, MT, is the main songwriter for the group. Rounding out the lineup are Ezra Holbrook on drums, Nate Query on upright bass, Jenny Conlee on accordion,... [+] Read More

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The Reindeer Section is the super group combining some of Scotland's musically creative as well as some of indie rock's finest to emerge during the late '90s. All hailing from the city that brought Travis, Primal Scream, and Texas to the U.K. music forefront, the Reindeer Section boasted similar testimonies to their native land and swooning swan... [+] Read More

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