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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Sarah Assbring, the sole member behind El Perro Del Mar, began working on From The Valley To The Stars during the spring and summer of 2007. The recordings were done in her own studio in Gothenburg. Sarah explains that she "tried to let the recording process be as free and organic as possible. Many takes are first ones. In contrary to my... [+] Read More

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Enon are the trio of John Schmersal (who was involved with Brainiac and John Stuart Mill) and Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon (both of Skeleton Key). Like groups such as Olivia Tremor Control, they're interested in exploring that wide territory between pop-rock songs and noise, employing a wealth of samples, industrial sound processing, and... [+] Read More

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Sweden's Jens Lekman emerged from relative obscurity to quickly establish himself as the darling of the global indie pop set, winning widespread acclaim from fans and critics for his uncommonly witty and well-crafted pop songs. Born February 6, 1981, in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lekman exhibited little interest in music as a child, but at 14 was... [+] Read More

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Athens, GA's Now It's Overhead mixes moody pop influences such as the Cure and Depeche Mode and the layered textures of bands like Spiritualized and My Bloody Valentine into lovelorn indie rock. Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Andy LeMaster, bassist/keyboardist/trumpeter/vocalist Orenda Fink, keyboardist/vocalist Maria Taylor, and... [+] Read More

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Saturday Looks Good to Me began in late 1999 when Fred Thomas of Flashpapr and Lovesick began to assemble a supergroup of musicians from Michigan's indie rock scene to create a festive Beach Boys-inspired pop band. Inspired by the experimental pop sounds of Godzuki's Chris Fachini and his Teach Me Tiger project, Thomas began to record a series... [+] Read More

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After the 1997 dissolution of Henry's Dress and a brief dalliance with Go Sailor, Amy Linton began fooling around with a four-track and some solo material in a comfortable home studio setting. It turned out she had quite bit to say, and in quite a hooky fashion. The so-named Aislers Set officially debuted with Terrible Things Happen, issued... [+] Read More

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The Stockholm-based pop collective the Concretes were formed in 1995 by vocalist Victoria Bergsman, guitarist Maria Eriksson, and drummer Lisa Milberg; over the course of three years, they added guitarist Markus, bassist Martin Hansson, organist Per Nystrom, trumpeter Ulrik Karlsson, and vocalist/harmonica player Malte. Malte and Nystrom were... [+] 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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Omaha, NE, anomaly Tilly and the Wall, formed in 2001 out of the ashes of several groups -- including Conor Oberst's pre-Bright Eyes endeavor, Park Avenue -- and gained some underground notoriety for their unorthodox approach to percussion: forsaking the traditional drum kit for the amplified tap shoes of dancer Jamie Williams, and hand... [+] Read More

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