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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David Gedge put the Wedding Present on a shelf after a 1997 gig. Since then, he's concentrated on the classic pop-oriented Cinerama, centered lyrically around his regular themes of courtship, romance, love, lust and infidelity. Since Gedge spent the better part of two decades in a band that painted his diverse tastes into a corner musically,... [+] Read More

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Bellingham, WA, indie pop quartet Death Cab for Cutie began in 1997 as the solo project of singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard, who previously recorded under the name All-Time Quarterback. The underground success of the cassette You Can Play These Songs' Chords inspired Gibbard to recruit a full-time band including guitarist/organist Christopher Walla... [+] Read More

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Solar-powered space pop combo Grandaddy was formed in Modesto, CA, in 1992 by singer/guitarist/keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch; although a noisy, lo-fi approach characterized early recordings like 1994's Complex Party Come Along Theories, with the 1995 additions of guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist... [+] Read More

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Helium is essentially the project of Mary Timony, formerly of the girl punk band Autoclave. Helium formed in 1992 with Brian Dunton on bass and Shawn King Devlin and started releasing 7"s like 1993's The American Jean. 1994 saw the band release the Pirate Prude EP, an interesting but somewhat inaccessible exercise in mixing radical feminism with... [+] Read More

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Scottish rockers Idlewild formed in Edinburgh in late 1995, originally comprising singer Roddy Woomble, guitarist Rod Jones, bassist Phil Scanlon, and drummer Colin Newton. A year of steady touring preceded the release of the band's 1997 Human Condition label debut single, "Queen of the Troubled Teens," which immediately found favor with Radio 1... [+] Read More

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Not so much a band as a long, strange trip, the chaotic avant pop pranksters Mercury Rev formed in Buffalo, NY, in the late '80s. Originally comprised of vocalist David Baker, vocalist/silver pickup guitarist Jonathan Donahue, guitar shaper/single-exhaust clarinetist Grasshopper (born Sean Mackowiak), rooster-tail bass flutist Suzanne Thorpe,... [+] 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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Even within the eclectic world of alternative rock, few bands were so brave, so frequently brilliant, and so deliciously weird as the Flaming Lips. From their beginnings as Oklahoma weirdos to their pop culture breakthrough in the mid-'90s to their status as one of the most respected groups of the 2000s, the Lips have ridden one of the more... [+] Read More

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The orchestral folk-pop of the Gentle Waves was primarily the brainchild of singer/songwriter Isobel Campbell, best known as the cellist and occasional vocalist for Scottish twee phenoms Belle and Sebastian. Recorded with the aid of fellow B&S members Stuart Murdoch, Richard Colburn, Chris Geddes, Mick Cooke, and Stevie Jackson following the... [+] Read More

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Yo La Tengo was in many respects the quintessential critics' band: in addition to its adventurous eclecticism, defiant independence, and restless creative ambition -- three qualities that virtually guarantee music press acclaim -- the group's frontman, Ira Kaplan, even tenured as a rock scribe prior to finding success as a performer. So... [+] Read More

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