cars & trains is Tom Filepp, raised amidst the spastic anti-planning of metro-area New York strip malls. His songs result from a severe love/hate relationship with computers. His methods jump between the analog and digital, polish and grit. As technology crashes and freezes, Tom inevitably picks up the mandolin or glockenspiel from a horde of... [+] Read More

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By turns cuddly and chaotic, San Francisco's Deerhoof mixes noise, sugary melodies, and an experimental spirit into sweetly challenging and utterly distinctive music. The group began as the brainchild of guitarist Rob Fisk and drummer/keyboardist Greg Saunier in 1994; early releases, such as 1995's 7"s Return of the Woods M'Lady and For Those of... [+] Read More

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A short-lived studio-based project, ESP Summer gave the pop underground one dazzling LP in 1994 and was never heard from again. Much like the pairing of Brian Eno and David Byrne in the early '80s, Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive) and Ian Masters (Pale Saints) made for an alignment of talented studio eccentrics of the time. Their excellent... [+] Read More

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Formed in Bristol, England in 1993, the elusive avant-noise project Flying Saucer Attack primarily comprised the duo of singers/guitarists David Pearce and Rachel Brook, refugees from the group Lynda's Strange Vacation who formed FSA as an outlet for their interest in home-recording experimentation. Drawing influence from Krautrock, folk, and... [+] Read More

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"Dark," "ultra-cynical" and "heavy" have been the some of the adjectives used to describe the Tumwater, WA's Karp. First calling attention to themselves in '94 with their first full-length Mustache Wild on K Records, Karp laid it on thick by flaunting their fascination with the Melvins and Black Sabbath. The following year Suplex was released... [+] Read More

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The geographically and stylistically nomadic indie rock band Lilys was the vehicle of singer/songwriter Kurt Heasley, the group's founder and sole constant member. A Philadelphia native, Heasley and Lilys bowed with the 1991 single "February 14," a nod to My Bloody Valentine; while based in Washington, D.C., they recorded their 1992 debut LP, In... [+] Read More

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In January 1995, guitarist/vocalist Arrington De Dionyso was encouraged by the musicians that became Old Time Relijun to assemble a group to perform the compositions that he was writing. Since that time, the group has signed a recording contract with K Records and released two full-length CDs with the label. Between 1989 and 1995, De Dionyso... [+] 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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Alongside fellow natives Beat Happening, Some Velvet Sidewalk helped establish Olympia, WA, as an epicenter of the American indie rock community throughout the 1980s and 1990s, their minimalist sound and wide-eyed world view giving rise to the emergence of the love-rock ethic. Originally a duo comprised of singer/guitarist Al Larsen and drummer... [+] Read More

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Combining an inclination for melodic '60s pop with an art rock aesthetic borrowed from Krautrock bands like Faust and Neu!, Stereolab were one of the most influential alternative bands of the '90s. Led by Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, Stereolab either legitimized forms of music that were on the fringe of rock, or brought attention to strands of... [+] Read More

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The Austin, Texas-based drone-pop quartet the American Analog Set evolved from the ashes of Dallas' Electric Company in 1994. After Electric Company's demise, guitarist/vocalist Andrew Kenny, keyboardist Lisa Roschmann, and drummer Mark Smith reunited to cut a number of impromptu four-track recordings which ultimately led to their decision to... [+] Read More

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The Halo Benders were a side project for Built to Spill's Doug Martsch and Beat Happening's Calvin Johnson, uniting two of the Northwest's more idiosyncratic indie rockers. The results were appropriately loose and eclectic, with an off-the-cuff charm and a quirky sense of humor that brought them general critical approval. Johnson had spent the... [+] Read More

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Perhaps the most musically abrasive group in the world of indie-rock, Unwound specialize in a dense collection of crushing power chords rising to feedback, melding the noise of Sonic Youth's more raucous passages with a rare energetic flair which rivals even that of Fugazi. Formed in 1991 in a small town close to the indie-rock nerve center of... [+] Read More

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