 | | Bethany Cosentino was no stranger to the stage when she began working on recordings with bandmate Bobb Bruno under the name Best Coast in 2009. |
 | | An unlikely but undeniably catchy mix of Factory Records-style indie and '50s-inspired melodies, the Drums have roots that can be traced to the childhood friendship of Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham. |
 | | Cold Cave's collage of darkwave, noise, and synth pop is the project of Wes Eisold, formerly the singer for hardcore bands Some Girls and Give Up the Ghost and also of the more electronically inclined XO Skeletons and Ye Olde Maids. |
 | | A Los Angeles quartet dealing in sparse, atmospheric art rock, Warpaint originally consisted of sisters Jenny Lee Lindberg and Shannyn Sossamon (on bass and drums, respectively), as well as Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman on vocal and guitar. |
 | | Born in the Dominican Republic, raised in Florida, and boasting an expansive musical background that includes composing for a touring dance company and fronting a Boston punk group, George Lewis, Jr. |
 | | Glasser is the ethereal electronic project of Cameron Mesirow, a Los Angeles native surrounded by classic and more challenging music since birth. |
 | | Cults' twinkling experimental pop arrived in a shroud of mystery early in 2010, when the group posted three songs on their Bandcamp page. |
 | | Best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist for Bloc Party, Kele Okereke was born in Liverpool, England to Nigerian parents. |
 | | Australian indie electronic group Cut Copy take many of their cues from contemporaries like Air, Daft Punk, and LCD Soundsystem, but with a distinctly pop sensibility that draws on classic AM radio pop singles from the 1970s and '80s, with elements of vintage disco and synth pop that appeal to song-based listeners as well as the club kidz. |
 | | New York-based musicians Alex Naidus (bass), Kip Berman (guitar/vocals), Kurt Feldman (drums), and Peggy Wang-East (keyboards/vocals) came together to form the Pains of Being Pure at Heart in 2007. |
 | | Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice began working together in 2005, when Rice made a guest appearance on Lewis’ first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat. |
 | | Phantogram is an electronic rock duo from upstate New York whose music incorporates psychedelic pop vocals, J Dilla-style hip-hop beats, and shoegazing sensibility. |
 | | Songwriter/producer Derek Miller and vocalist Alexis Krauss comprise Sleigh Bells, an experimental pop duo that began earning its first fans after a breakout performance at the 2009 CMJ Festival. |
 | | New York City-based Francis & the Lights are a progressive alternative rock band that mixes electronic music with a blue-eyed soul aesthetic. |
 | | Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti craft lo-fi recordings full of intrigue -- and full of contradictions. |
 | | Equally indebted to the Shins and Brian Wilson, the Morning Benders mix sunny pop songcraft with jangling guitars, collegiate wit, and a contemporary indie ethic. |
 | | Kevin Parker (vocals/guitar) and Dominic Simper (bass) formed Tame Impala as 13 year olds in Perth in 1999, sticking to bedroom recordings until 2007, when Jay Watson joined them on drums and backing vocals. |
 | | Formed in Oxford, England, by longtime friends Yannis Philippakis (guitar) and Jack Bevan (drums), along with Andrew Mears on vocals, guitarist Jimmy Smith, and bassist Walter Gervers, Foals -- whose name is a play on the etymology of Philippakis' name -- began as a way to protest against the proggier sounds that were both popular in Oxford and in Philippakis and Bevan's former band, the Edmund Fitzgerald. |
 | | The handclapping indie pop of Freelance Whales was born on the streets and subways of New York City after the band's formation in Queens at the end of 2008. |
 | | Taking their name from the J.G. Ballard novel that became a 1987 Steven Spielberg film, Australia's larger-than-life electro-glam-pop duo Empire of the Sun feature the Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele and Pnau's Nick Littlemore. |
 | | After spending several years with the post-punk outfit Sidecar Kisses, vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd left the lineup and launched the Joy Formidable, drawing heavily from shoegaze and noisy alt-rock to create their new group's sound. |
 | | A punk-inflected indie rock group whose bawling, thrashing sound reflected a wide range of influences ranging from the Pixies to Bright Eyes to Bruce Springsteen, Glen Rock, New Jersey's Titus Andronicus formed in 2005 with Liam Betson, Ian Graetzer, Eric Harm, Patrick Stickles, and Dan Tews. |
 | | Marina and the Diamonds, really just Marina Diamandis, was born in Wales to Welsh and Greek parents in 1986, although she has often claimed to be from Ancient Greece. |
 | | The Radio Dept. were one of the more successful shoegaze-influenced indie rock bands to come out of Sweden in the early 2000s, making waves among indie aficionados on the strength of their critically acclaimed first release, Lesser Matters. |
 | | Featuring a three-part harmonies and a casual, folksy sound, Fistful of Mercy is a supergroup comprised of Ben Harper, Dhani Harrison, and Joseph Arthur. |
 | | Mixing electronic polish with guitar-driven hooks à la Phoenix and the Postal Service, Bangor and Donaghadee, Northern Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club feature singer/guitarist/programmer Alex Trimble, guitarist/singer Sam Halliday, and bassist/singer Kevin Baird. |
 | | Atmospheric, 69 bpm-obsessed dance-pop collective Gayngs craft impeccably rendered, R&B-infused electro-indie pop built upon a foundation inspired by smooth and quirky English art rock outfit 10cc. |
 | | This hugely promoted UK band broke through in 1993 by merging the lyrical perspective of Morrissey with the posturings of David Bowie and the glam set. |
 | | Atmospheric English indie pop group the xx formed in London in 2008 around the talents of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Baria Qureshi, and Jamie Smith, when the bandmembers were still in high school. |
 | | Influenced by artists as diverse as Arctic Monkeys and Stevie Wonder, Eliza Doolittle has crafted a blend of ska, breezy, summery folk, and retro-modern pop that has drawn comparisons to the likes of Lily Allen and Kate Nash. |
 | | Detroit native Kyle Hall was 15 years old when he made his debut on Omar-S' FXHE label. Released in October 2007, “Plastik-Ambash” was a challenging, primitive-yet-complex single-sided 12” that barely hinted at Hall’s creative power. |
 | | Formed in 2008, Local Natives craft their dramatic and eclectic brand of indie rock from their home base in Los Angeles, California. |
 | | Fusing low-res electronic noise and pop hooks so effortlessly that it can seem accidental, Crystal Castles began as producer/multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath's solo project in late 2003. |
 | | Monarchy began attracting an audience in November 2009, when the duo released two tracks of sleek, synth-heavy electronic pop. |
 | | Here We Go Magic's creative center, singer/songwriter Luke Temple, first made his name as a muralist, and the Brooklyn band's music fully fits that pedigree. |
 | | Angus & Julia Stone's intimate folk music is anchored by the band's namesake siblings, with percussionist Mitch Connelly and bassist Clay McDonald adding their own contributions to the mix. |
 | | Although formed during the post-punk revival of the late '90s, the National took inspiration from a wider set of influences, including country-rock, Americana, indie rock, and Brit-pop. |
 | | Keith Morris, one of the pioneers of the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene as lead singer with the first lineup of Black Flag and founder of the Circle Jerks, returns to his roots in fast, loud, confrontational music with the group OFF! OFF!'s story began when Keith Morris and guitarist Greg Hetson began mapping out plans to make a new Circle Jerks album, and Dimitri Coats of the Burning Brides was brought in to produce the sessions. |
 | | The odd combination of an Englishman in the midst of southeastern Texans, Electric Touch emerged following the demise of British band IV Thieves and Houston, TX-based Bojones. |
 | | Hailing from Manchester, Hurts are a synthesizer-based duo featuring vocalist Theo Hutchcraft and keyboardist/guitarist Adam Anderson. |
 | | This San Francisco based band formed after Tobin Mori's previous group Korea Girl broke up. Assembling a small core of musicians, Ee began recording its debut album in the fall of 1999. |
 | | Despite its summery name, Beach House creates music that is dark, dreamy, and alluringly hypnotic. Baltimore residents Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand (the niece of French composer Michel Legrand) formed the duo in 2005, with Legrand's hushed, Nico-like vocals and Scally's delicate instrumentation paving the way for their first batch of songs. |
 | | A combination of indie rock muscle and theatrical, unapologetic bombast turned Arcade Fire into indie royalty in the early 2000s. |
 | | The Boston, Massachusetts-based Passion Pit began as a one-man project of singer and songwriter Michael Angelakos to produce a Valentine's Day gift for his girlfriend. |
 | | Championed by tastemakers like BBC DJ Gilles Peterson and respected producer Diplo, Baltimore rapper Rye Rye arrived in 2008 with an effervescent style and some support from M. |
 | | The North Carolina-based lo-fi indie rock outfit Love Language was formed in Raleigh by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Stuart McLamb after a series of false starts, hard times, and general malcontent that found the newly reformed artist ready to embrace a healthier, less destructive lifestyle. |
 | | The alternative pop group the Men are among the forgotten one-hit wonders of the early '90s. Actually, calling the Men one-hit wonders may be a misnomer since their most well-known track, "Church of Logic, Sin & Love," didn't cross over into the mainstream. |
 | | |
 | | The music of Brooklyn's Yeasayer is an eclectic, genre-bending journey into pop, rock, Middle Eastern and African musics, folk, and dub. |
 | | The Rural Alberta Advantage are an indie rock band from Toronto whose self-released debut album became an Internet sensation in 2008. |
