Bright Eyes are the musical vehicle of Conor Oberst, a young singer/songwriter from Nebraska who first attracted the attention of the indie music world in 1994 -- when he was just 14 years old -- as the singer and guitarist for Commander Venus. After releasing two albums, Commander Venus broke up, but not before the bandmembers started their own... [+] Read More

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The self-described "fuzz-folk" project Neutral Milk Hotel was one of the primary outgrowths of the Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, a coterie of like-minded, lo-fi indie groups -- including the Apples (in stereo), the Olivia Tremor Control and Secret Square -- who shared musicians, ideas, and sensibilities. While ranging in sound and... [+] Read More

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The two-man duo comprising the Black Keys, singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, were in their early twenties when their debut, The Big Come Up, was issued in 2002. From Akron, OH, they play close-to-the-bone, raw blues-rock, the only instrumentation being Auerbach's guitar, Carney's drums, and the occasional organ. Auerbach... [+] Read More

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The Mountain Goats are one of the more unusual bands to find shelter under the ever-expanding umbrella term of indie rock. Hyper-prolific and militantly lo-fi, there are over a hundred Mountain Goats songs scattered across compilations and label samplers, most of them recorded (by choice) on a department-store boom box. Although many musicians... [+] Read More

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Detroit minimalist rock duo (specifically, southwest Detroit minimalist rock duo) the White Stripes -- Jack White, guitar and vocals, Meg White, drums -- formed in 1997 (Bastille Day, to be precise) with the idea of making simple rock & roll music. From the red-and-white peppermint candy motif of their debut singles, self-titled album, and stage... [+] Read More

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According to legend, "Ugly Casanova" is the pen name used by a crazed Modest Mouse fan named Edgar Graham who broke into the band's show in Denver in 1998. Intrigued by the man's journals full of potential song lyrics, frontman Issac Brock assembled a hodgepodge of Pacific Northwestern friends to realize some of the words as songs in 2000. The... [+] Read More

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Canadian indie pop combo Wolf Parade formed in 2003 in Montreal, where their first show was opening for the Arcade Fire. From there Dan Boeckner, Spencer Krug, Hadji Bakara, and Arlen Thompson recorded and self-released a four-song EP, and followed that with a six-song recording in 2004. They eventually gained the attention of Isaac Brock, and... [+] Read More

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