One of the most inventive and eclectic figures to emerge from the '90s alternative revolution, Beck was the epitome of postmodern chic in an era obsessed with junk culture. Drawing upon a kaleidoscope of influences -- pop, folk, psychedelia, hip-hop, country, blues, R&B, funk, indie rock, noise rock, experimental rock, jazz, lounge, Brazilian... [+] Read More

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Japanese sonic collagists Buffalo Daughter formed in 1993, comprising vocalists/multi-instrumentalists SuGar Yoshinaga and Yumiko Ohno along with turntablist Moog Yamamoto. Cutting-and-pasting sounds ranging from funk to lounge-pop to avant-noise, the trio debuted the following year with the LP Shaggy Headdressers, followed in 1995 by Amoeba... [+] Read More

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The East Village all-star unit Butter 08 comprised Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Russell Simins, Skeleton Key's Rick Lee and graphic designer Mike Mills (not to be confused with the R.E.M. bassist of the same name). Formed in the wake of a drunken evening spent producing the Cibo Matto single "Know... [+] Read More

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A Japanese-born duo relocated to New York and christened with an Italian band name, Cibo Matto's music mirrored the melting-pot aesthetics of their origins, resulting in a heady brew of funk samples, hip-hop rhythms, tape loops, and fractured pop melodies all topped off by surreal narratives sung in a combination of French and broken English.... [+] Read More

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Japanese pop-noise savant Cornelius was born Keigo Oyamada in 1971; a self-taught guitarist inspired early on by Kiss and Black Sabbath, his musical alias was later chosen as an homage to the Planet of the Apes film series. A product of the same Shibuya-kei bubblegum scene that also gave rise to Pizzicato Five, Cornelius debuted in 1993 with the... [+] Read More

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It may have taken Cornershop a few years to perfect its innovative hybrid of Indian music, British indie rock, and contemporary dance, but with the release of a third full-length album, When I Was Born for the 7th Time, the racially integrated group's multi-cultural fusions made band instant critics' darlings. Taking their name from a common... [+] Read More

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Josephine Wiggs came to prominence as the bassist for the British goth band Perfect Disaster in the late '80s. During 1990, she became part of the Breeders, an alternative-rock supergroup led by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donnelly of Throwing Muses. The Breeders became a full-time group in 1992, once the Pixies disbanded. Donnelly left the... [+] Read More

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Russell Simins first came to attention as the drummer for experimental rockers the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Simins went solo in 2000 with the album Public Places on Grand Royal Records. The album, different from his work with Jon Spencer, gave Simins the chance to do other things on a record besides play drums and allowed him to explore... [+] Read More

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As the son of John Lennon, perhaps the most beloved Beatle, and avant-garde musician Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon was a celebrity before he had even begun his recording career. That may be the reason why he didn't choose straight-ahead pop as his musical vocation, like his half-brother Julian did. Instead, he cleverly positioned himself between pop and... [+] Read More

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One of alternative rock's most promising -- and frustrating -- bands, the Breeders were conceived initially as a way for Pixies bassist Kim Deal and Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly to let out some suppressed creative energy and to take a break from being the second bananas in each of their main bands. Deal and Donelly both played guitar,... [+] Read More

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