Equally inspired by Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Gang of Four, and the Cure, South London art-punkers Bloc Party mix angular sonics with pop structures. Consisting of singer/guitarist Kele Okereke, guitarist Russell Lissack, bassist/singer Gordon Moakes, and drummer Matt Tong, the band was formerly known as Angel Range and Union before settling on... [+] Read More

Yes No

The Athens, GA-based Elf Power emerged as part of the second wave of bands linked to the Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, a coterie of like-minded, lo-fi indie groups -- including the Apples (In Stereo), Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Olivia Tremor Control -- who shared musicians, ideas, and sensibilities. Formed by... [+] Read More

Yes No

Philadelphia's Hail Social features Davye Hawk (vocals/guitar), Matt Maraldo (drums), Dan Henry (bass), and Richie Roxas (guitar). The roots of the indie rock foursome took hold when Hawk and Maraldo befriended one another at work. Both were eager to start making music, but the reserved, self-conscious Hawk was reluctant to share his years of... [+] Read More

Yes No

During a period when pop music was overtaken by uninspired, pedestrian rock and MTV-ready teen bands, bland R&B, and ultra-commercial hip-hop, I Am Spoonbender burst out of the indie underground with a sound so futuristic that it made even the most adventurous of contemporaries seem somehow status quo. Drawing on elements as wildly divergent as... [+] Read More

Yes No

Singer/songwriter Jim Noir was born in 1982 in Davyhulme, Manchester, the same city that gave birth to Morrissey 23 years before. His dreams of making music started early; he was fascinated with TV as a young boy, and by middle school he was performing in talent shows and singing in various karaoke competitions. His performance of 808 State's... [+] Read More

Yes No

The Boy Least Likely To is a duo made up of singer/lyricist Jof Owen and Pete Hobbs. Owen writes the words and sings them; Hobbs writes the music and plays it. Formed in the English countryside (specifically Wendover), the Boy Least Likely To is influenced by country storytellers like Marty Robbins, C-86 indie pop groups like the Pastels and... [+] Read More

Yes No

Equally inspired by classic tunesmiths like Buddy Holly and John Lennon as well as the attitude and angular riffs of fellow New Yorkers Television and the Velvet Underground, the Strokes were also equally blessed and cursed with an enormous amount of hype -- particularly from the U.K. music press, whose adulation for the group rivaled their... [+] Read More

Yes No

Yet another promising Canadian indie rock band, Montreal-via-British Columbia's Unicorns began in the late '90s, when high-school friends Nick (Neil) Diamonds and Alden Ginger began crafting their roundabout, lo-fi, but distinctly catchy music. Cheap keyboards, loud guitars, and real and mechanical drums surround the duo's skewed and often... [+] Read More

Yes No