Felt　

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

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

James　

As one of the first groups to be dubbed the next Smiths, James became an institution on the British alternative music scene during the ’80s and ’90s with their pleasant folk-pop. Early in thei ..more

Jesus And Mary Chain　

Like the Velvet Underground, their most obvious influence, the chart success of the Jesus and Mary Chain was virtually nonexistent, but their artistic impact was incalculable; quite simply, the ..more

Jim O'Rourke　

American post-classical composer Jim O’Rourke has been a key component in the increasing overlap of the American and European experimental music avant-garde, working in everything from jazz and roc ..more

Johnny Marr　

Kaiser Chiefs　

Specializing in a melodic blend of classic Brit-pop, post-punk, and new wave, Kaiser Chiefs’ early blue-collar, pub-style take on indie rock managed to split the difference between timely and nosta ..more

The Killers　

Few bands in the early 2000s rose so quickly to the forefront of pop music as the Killers. With a mix of ’80s-styled synth pop and fashionista charm, the band’s street-smart debut, Hot Fuss, bec ..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

Kula Shaker　

By reviving the swirling, guitar-heavy sounds of late-’60s psychedelia and infusing it with George Harrison’s Indian mysticism and spirituality, Kula Shaker became one of the most popular Britis ..more

Liam Gallagher　

Liam Gallagher / John Squire　

The Libertines　

The Libertines joined the pop fray of 2002, competing with the likes of the Strokes, Hives, Vines, and Doves with their debut single, What a Waster. The Bernard Butler-produced tra ..more

Lush　

Meshing dreamy, effects-drenched guitars with airy, catchy melodies, Lush were one of the most prominent shoegaze/dream pop bands of the early ’90s. Led by guitarists Miki Berenyi and Emma And ..more

Manic Street Preachers　

Dressed in glam clothing, wearing heavy eyeliner, and shouting political rhetoric, the Manic Street Preachers emerged in 1991 from their hometown of Blackwood, Wales, as self-styled Generation ..more

Mansun　

Arriving in the aftermath of Brit-pop, Mansun was one of the first British guitar bands to depart from the prevailing styles of the mid-’90s, leaving both light, Beatlesque pop and studied trad- ..more

MGMT　

Finding an unlikely middle point between Suicide’s hostile, proto-electro punk art noise and the sardonic, pop-friendly sound of the Flaming Lips, MGMT started as electroclash musical terrori ..more

Muse　

Muse’s fusion of progressive rock, electronica, and Radiohead-influenced experimentation have helped them sell millions of records and top charts worldwide. It’s all crafted by guitarist/vocalis ..more

My Bloody Valentine　

Like the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, and the Jesus and Mary Chain before them, My Bloody Valentine redefined what noise meant within the context of pop songwriting. Led by guitarist { ..more