Sarah Jarosz　

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, clawhammer banjo, and guitar) Sarah Jarosz was seemingly born a musician -- she was already a virtuoso on mandolin by the time she was ten. ..more

Slowdive　

Commonly identified as shoegaze, Slowdive nonetheless exhibited a broader set of inspirations -- one that spanned four decades, including folk-rock, dub, and ambient techno -- than the majority of ..more

Black Country, New Road　

Belle And Sebastian　

A band that takes its name from a French children’s television series about a boy and his dog would almost have to be precious, and to be sure, Belle and Sebastian are precious. But precious ..more

Travis　

Along with Cast, Ocean Colour Scene, Kula Shaker, and Embrace, Travis were one of the most prominent British trad rock bands in the mid- to late ’90s. Following Oasis’ lead of crafti ..more

Franz Ferdinand　

Named for the Austro-Hungarian Archduke whose murder sparked World War I, Glasgow’s Franz Ferdinand helped define the sound of the 2000s and 2010s with their mix of arty rock, dance music, dub, and ..more

Stereolab　

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 ban ..more

Kings Of Leon　

Initially embraced as the Southern Strokes for their resurrection and reinvention of Dixie-styled rock ＆ roll, Kings of Leon steadily morphed into an experimental rock outfit during the 2000s. ..more

The Vaccines　

bar italia　

High Llamas　

Although the High Llamas are nominally a group, they’re pretty much the brainchild of singer and guitarist Sean O’Hagan. O’Hagan did some time in the London-by-way-of-Dublin band Microdisne ..more

Phoebe Bridgers　

A Los Angeles, California-based folk-rock artist with a dreamy and hook-filled indie pop heart, Phoebe Bridgers’ evocative lyrics and commanding voice have drawn comparisons to artists like Julie ..more

Real Estate　

New Jersey’s Real Estate stake their claim to a warm, hazy style of indie rock with breezy melodies. The band was formed in Ridgewood by lead singer/guitarist Martin Courtney (Predator Vision ..more

Beach House　

Despite their summery name, Beach House create music that is dark, dreamy, and alluringly hypnotic. Baltimore residents Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand (the niece of French composer Michel ..more

Waxahatchee　

Named after the lake not far from her parents’ house in Alabama, Waxahatchee is the name of D.I.Y. songwriter Katie Crutchfield’s band, which began in 2011 as a solo project, appearing first in ..more

Coral　

Anohni And The Johnsons　

Curve　

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, innovative U.K. alternative group Curve created a towering monolith of guitar noise, dance tracks, dark goth, and airy melodies. While Curve achieved a cons ..more

Cast　

As one of the most traditional guitar bands to emerge during the Brit-pop era of the mid-’90s, Cast have weathered negative criticism from certain quarters of the media, who labeled them mere reviv ..more

AJR