 | | Acoustic rock quartet Racoon scored one of the biggest hits in Dutch chart history with their 2005 ballad "Love You More. |
 | | Dutch pop band Johan released one swell self-titled album in 1997, marrying the jittery indie guitar strum of the Wedding Present to the cool, ironic retro-pop charms of the Cardigans and the manic hooks of the best Buzzcocks singles. |
 | | Erik de Jong (Spijkenisse, February 2, 1961) is the mastermind behind Spinvis. Once a student of composition at the conservatory of Amsterdam, De Jong debuted in 2002 with Spinvis, a collection of songs he had composed behind the computer in his attic. |
 | | Formed in Nyborg, Denmark in 1993, Saybia (Søren Huss -- vocals, Jess Jenson -- keyboards, Jeppe Langebek Knudsen -- bass, Sebastian Sanstrøm -- guitar, Palle Sørensen -- drums) self-released a number of EPs before securing a major label deal with EMI. |
 | | After failing to secure an international audience for nearly ten years, Snow Patrol broke into the mainstream with 2003's Final Straw, a mega-selling album that showcased the band's fondness for epic, melancholic rock. |
 | | Like their countrymen the Cardigans and Komeda, Sweden's Cloudberry Jam drew from an eclectic pool of influences -- the vintage Motown sound, cool jazz, even a hint of Latin American music -- to hone their own distinctive brand of elegant, finely-textured lounge-pop. |
 | | Apparently, lightning does, in fact, strike twice. In exactly the same way that indie chamber folk auteur Jens Lekman was discovered -- his homemade CD-Rs falling into the right hands -- Lekman's Swedish compatriot Emil Svanängen ended up signed to a respected American indie label when someone in Sub Pop's Seattle offices happened upon the talented singer/songwriter's early homemade discs through the Internet. |
 | | A Dutch pop/rock band formed in 1998, Di-Rect sang their tunes in English and were able to score a record deal thanks to prominent DJ Rob Stenders in 2000. |
 | | When it comes down to defining 50 years of Dutch popular music, a relatively big spot ought to be reserved for Daryll-Ann. |
 | | The Wannadies are one of Sweden's sweetest secrets, a band that was lucky enough to look beyond the pop sensations of ABBA, Ace of Base, and Roxette to establish a career inside modern rock. |
 | | Formed in Tilburg, the Netherlands and led by pianist and vocalist -- and chief songwriter, for that matter -- Jacqueline Govaert, Krezip was a rock/pop group that went through a number of changes, both in personnel and label over the course of their career, but managed to keep their heads about them enough to maintain a wide fanbase and strong record sales. |
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 | | Prior to releasing their first single in 2007, the London-based band Ghosts had gone by the name of Polanski and released a handful of small-pressing singles. |
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 | | Formed in Gronigen, the Netherlands, in 1996, IOS (which was short for Is Ook Schitterrend) was a pop-rock band that went through many changes -- both in membership and labels -- before settling and becoming a successful act. |
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 | | A band with an epic sound recalling Jeff Buckley and their fellow Irishmen U2, Mrnorth feature vocalist/guitarist Colin Smith, his cousins Emmett O'Malley and Oisin O'Malley on guitars/vocals and bass/keyboards, respectively, and drummer/percussionist Adrian Mordaunt. |
 | | Inevitably compared to the likes of Coldplay and Snow Patrol, emotive rock outfit Long-View proved they were in it for the long haul when their debut album took two years to reach its peak position. |
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 | | Part of the relentlessly polite school of dad rock that flowered in Great Britain after Coldplay (think Muse, Snow Patrol, Travis, etc. |
 | | Jerusalem-based alt-rockers missFlag might have never found an audience outside of their native Israel if they hadn't stuck a chord with KCRW DJ Nic Harcourt in 2007. |
 | | Hailing from the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, alternative rock sextet Royseven play a tightly constructed style of ethereal pop that has been favorably compared to the likes of Snow Patrol, Muse, and Coldplay, and has earned the band a large following on the European festival circuit. |
 | | Golden State frontman, guitarist, and primary songwriter James Grundler was best known for his previous work with Paloalto, a melodic alt-pop group often referred to as an American version of Radiohead. |
 | | Taking cues from Muse, Coldplay, and even the Bravery, Seattle alt-rock outfit the Myriad began with university students Jeremy Edwardson and John Roger Schofield. |
 | | A contemporary power pop band from Vancouver, the Odds formed in 1987 around the shared talents of Craig Northey (vocals, guitar), Steven Drake (guitar, vocals), Doug Elliott (bass), and Paul Brennan (drums). |
 | | The Vancouver-based Cinnamon is comprised of Terry Miles (vocals, guitar), Tom Williams (lead guitar), Kevin Cooper (bass), and Marq DeSouza (drums). |
 | | Formed in the London suburb of Epsom, Clocks were a four piece rock outfit influenced by some of the legends of English rock, such as the La's, Oasis, Teenage Fanclub, the Beatles, and the Kinks. |
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 | | Singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Miller was one of the more underrated and oft-overlooked disciples of sweet yet sinister power pop masters Alex Chilton/Big Star. |
 | | The power pop band Cool Blue Halo was formed in 1990 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by members Paul Bodreau, Jason Ives, Barry Walsh, and Glenn MacCulloch. |
 | | The members in the alternative pop/rock group Conspiracy began performing together in 1992 in California. |
 | | Despite several critics dismissing Morning Runner as yet another replica of Coldplay -- the band is even on the same U. |
 | | Drummer Brandt Huseman and his twin brother, guitarist Matt Huseman, formed the garage band Splitsville in 1996 as a side project to their power-pop combo Greenberry Woods in tandem with that band's one-time guitar tech, Paul Krysiak, filling the bassist role. |
 | | The synth pop outfit Elkland features Jon Pierce (vocals), Joel Tarpin (keyboards), Adam Kessler (guitar), and Jesse Pierce (drums). |
 | | Named for a classic album by the Flamin' Groovies, Shake Some Action! is a band from Seattle, WA, steeped in the influences of classic pop from the '60s through the '90s. |
 | | Formed in London, England, in 2006, Royworld-- Rod Futrille(vocals), Rob Parkin(guitar), Tim Miles(keyboards), and Gerry Morgan(drums) -- were led by Rod and his brother -- and co-composer -- Crispin Futrille, and rounded out after the other members answered an advertisement looking for musicians. |
 | | When most bands begin to build up enough of a buzz in their hometowns that a move to a more "music biz"-oriented city may be in the offing, the choice is usually New York or Los Angeles. |
 | | After two solo albums, ex-Hüsker Dü guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould formed Sugar in 1992, with bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis; the band signed with Rykodisc in the U. |
 | | Begun as nc-17, this Canadian alternative pop/rock group changed its name after an American band with the same moniker threatened to sue. |
 | | Aussie rockers Eskimo Joe formed in Fremantle in 1997. Singer/bassist Kavyen Temperly and drummer Joel Quartermain, who previously collaborated in the band Freud's Pillow, recruited guitarist Stuart MacLeod to enter the Australian National Campus Band Competition and, after claiming top honors, won a slot at the annual Livid Festival as well as a trip to a recording studio. |
 | | Lunik tried out numerous members and genres before becoming a popular melodic pop outfit in the early 2000s. |
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 | | James Levy (guitar/vocals), Matthew Daniel Siskin (guitar), James Broughel (bass), and Mike Jones (drums) create the wistful indie rock stylings of Levy. |
 | | The Scottish ensemble Camera Obscura formed in 1996, when vocalist Tracyanne Campbell, percussionist John Henderson, bassist Gavin Dunbar, and guitarist David Skirving began creating lush indie pop with orchestral flourishes and romantic lyrics. |
