The Bees started out as the duo of Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, both of whom hailed from the Isle of Wight. They recorded their debut album, Sunshine Hit Me, in a home studio in a shed in Butler's parents' garden. Butler and Fletcher, both multi-instrumentalists and singers, were avid record collectors and, even more so, avid record... [+] Read More

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The Bees started out as the duo of Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, both of whom hailed from the Isle of Wight. They recorded their debut album, Sunshine Hit Me, in a home studio in a shed in Butler's parents' garden. Butler and Fletcher, both multi-instrumentalists and singers, were avid record collectors and, even more so, avid record... [+] Read More

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The three man, dreamy textured, harmony-laden British band Arnold weaves a blend of pop music that is ultimately singular: The heartfelt lyrics are incisive, the loose playing is lush. Originally called Patio, the band's singer died suddenly but the trio-Mark Saxby, guitar; Phil Payne, bass; Phil Morris, vocals and drums-pressed on and dubbed... [+] Read More

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I play everything myself w/ a drum machine. I've spent most of my time playing drums. Sometimes I played bass. (Montag, JZ Barrell, Semi-Gloss, Odes, Eva Haze, Deformo) I was always writing songs of my own. I also write fiction and I've published a novel: Oscar Caliber Gun, also published as The Golden Calf. My second novel,... [+] Read More

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Seattle, WA's Band of Horses plays dense, aching mid-tempo indie rock reminiscent of Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Formed in 2004 by multi-instrumentalists Ben Bridwell and Matthew Brooke out of the ashes of former incarnation Carissa's Wierd, the group caught the attention of Sub Pop during a show with friends and future lablemates Iron & Wine. The... [+] Read More

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The enigmatic noise-pop outfit Comet formed in early 1994 in Mesquite, Texas. Brought together by a common love of the Beatles, singer/guitarist Jim Stone, his bassist brother Neil, guitarist Daniel Huffman and percussionist Josh entered the studio later that year to cut their debut single "Portrait," produced by Mercury Rev alum David Baker. A... [+] Read More

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Inverting his stage name from Black Francis to Frank Black, the former Pixies lead singer/songwriter embarked on a solo career after he broke up the band in early 1993; actually, he began recording his solo album before he told the band the news. Working with former Pere Ubu member Eric Drew Feldman, Black occasionally heads into the... [+] Read More

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Issaquah, WA, indie rock trio Modest Mouse was formed in 1993 by vocalist/guitarist Isaac Brock, bassist Eric Judy, and drummer Jeremiah Green. After honing their muscular sound in "The Shed" -- a makeshift practice space built by Brock on the land next to his mother's trailer -- Modest Mouse entered Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios to cut... [+] Read More

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Shortly after the breakup of his acclaimed indie pop group the Faith Healers at the end of 1994, London-based guitarist/vocalist Tom Cullinan formed Quickspace Supersport with Sean Newsham (bass), Wendy Harper (vocals/guitar), Max Corradi (drums), and Barry Stillwell (keyboards). While Cullinan's new band retained some of the same droning... [+] Read More

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Radiohead was one of the few alternative bands of the early '90s to draw heavily from the grandiose arena rock that characterized U2's early albums. But the band internalized that epic sweep, turning it inside out to tell tortured, twisted tales of angst and alienation. Vocalist Thom Yorke's pained lyrics were brought to life by the group's... [+] Read More

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Featuring a dynamic fusion of several alternative stylistic touchstones, Snow Patrol's compositions combine songwriting aptitude with guitar rock's sharpest strains. Originally from Northern Ireland, Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar) and Mark McClelland (bass, keyboards) first got together in Dundee, Scotland, where they were studying, prior to... [+] Read More

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After Pavement announced they were going on hiatus at the end of 1999, the status of one of America's finest indie rock bands was a mystery for the first half of 2000. It became clearer that summer, however, when it was revealed that both singer/songwriter/guitarists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg were preparing solo albums. Malkmus was... [+] Read More

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Athens, GA-based psych-folk collective Summer Hymns was formed in 1997 by singer/guitarist Zach Gresham and drummer Philip Brown, who previously teamed in the group Joe Christmas. Masters of the Hemisphere guitarist Bren Mead completed the original lineup, with Of Montreal's Derek Almstead and Dottie Alexander soon joining on bass and keyboards,... [+] Read More

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Super Furry Animals were one of the first post-alternative bands, fusing together a number of disparate musical genres -- including power pop, punk rock, techno, and progressive rock -- creating a shimmering, melodic, irreverent, and willfully artsy rock & roll. As one of the leading bands of the mid-'90s Welsh movement, they were already tagged... [+] Read More

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The band met during a typing course in 1987 and decided that they had better use for their fingers.

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While failing to earn the same critical notoriety and cultish devotion lavished upon countrymen Belle & Sebastian or Mogwai, the Delgados were in many respects the true epicenter of the contemporary Scottish pop renaissance. Through their renowned Chemikal Underground label, the group not only launched the careers of acts from Bis to Arab Strap,... [+] 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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Portland, Oregon-based Helio Sequence was comprised of vocalist/guitarist Brandon Summers and keyboardist/drummer Benjamin Weikel. The project debuted in 1999 with the Accelerated Slow-Motion Cinema EP before dropping the Cavity Search full-length Com Plex two years later. Helio Sequence's 100% home studio approach allowed for a lot of sonic... [+] Read More

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