Crowded House　

An institution in their homeland, a two-hit wonder in the U.S., and, during the last half of their ten-year career, bona fide stars in the U.K. and most of Europe, Crowded House recorded some of th ..more

The Clash　

The Sex Pistols may have been the first British punk rock band, but the Clash were the definitive British punk rockers. Where the Pistols were nihilistic, the Clash were fiery and ideal ..more

Green Day　

Out of all the post-Nirvana alternative bands to break into the pop mainstream, Green Day were second only to Pearl Jam in terms of influence. At their core, Green Day were simply punk rev ..more

Cocteau Twins　

A group whose distinctly ethereal and gossamer sound virtually defined the enigmatic image of the record label 4AD, Cocteau Twins were founded in Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1979. Taking their nam ..more

Korn　

Korn’s cathartic alternative metal sound positioned the group among the most popular and provocative to emerge during the post-grunge era of the late ’90s. The band began their existence as the Bak ..more

SUM 41　

The The　

The The is the guise of Matt Johnson, a mercurial singer/songwriter whose music has run the gamut from dance-pop to country. Born August 15, 1961, in London, Johnson was raised in the flat ab ..more

The Last Dinner Party　

The Lemon Twigs　

Channeling the Baroque rock of the ’60s, Long Island brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario started the Lemon Twigs while they were still teenagers. Like their father, Ronnie D’Addario, the ..more

Shellac　

More likely to play Reykjavik than Detroit, and more likely to release songs on flexi-discs in Dutch comic books than provide MP3s on their website, Shellac (or Shellac of North America) operate ..more

Cigarettes After Sex　

Japan　

Joy Division　

Formed in the wake of the punk explosion in England, Joy Division became the first band in the post-punk movement by later emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing a ..more

Joe Henry　

A gifted songwriter and vocalist whose intimate, richly detailed songs have been shaped by his eclectic musical world view encompassing rock, folk, country, soul, and jazz influences, Joe Henry is ..more

Smashing Pumpkins　

Of all the major alternative rock bands of the early ’90s, the Smashing Pumpkins were the group least influenced by traditional underground rock. Lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan fas ..more

Throbbing Gristle　

Abrasive, aggressive, and antagonistic, Britain’s Throbbing Gristle pioneered industrial music; exploring death, mutilation, fascism, and degradation amid a thunderous cacophony of mechanical noise ..more

Sex Pistols　

The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late ’70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revo ..more

Sonic Youth　

Sonic Youth were one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the ’80s. Where contemporaries R.E.M. and Husker Du were fairly conventional in terms of song structu ..more

Dinosaur Jr.　

Dinosaur Jr. were largely responsible for returning lead guitar to indie rock and, along with their peers the Pixies, they injected late-’80s alternative rock with monumental levels of pure guit ..more

THE DAMNED　

With punk’s history having entered a new millennium, the impact of the band initially judged the least likely to seems to grow ever more each day. The Ramones hold deserved pride of place for kic ..more