A Certain Ratio　

A Certain Ratio were key to their native Manchester scene and consequently post-punk. The band debuted near the end of the ’70s with a single as astringent as anything else out at the time, then se ..more

Alice In Chains　

Andy Partridge / Chris Braide　

Aurora (Norway)　

BECK　

Initially pegged as the voice of a generation when Loser turned into a smash crossover success, Beck wound up crystallizing much of the postmodern ruckus inherent in the ’90s alternative explosio ..more

Big Black　

Bjork　

A visionary artist who effortlessly blends avant-garde and pop elements, Bjork soon eclipsed the popularity of her former group the Sugarcubes when she launched her solo career after the group’s ..more

Blancmange　

Taking their name from a type of cooked pudding, the electronic duo Blancmange interlaced the arty, exotic dance rhythms of Talking Heads with the quirky melodrama of early-’80s British synth po ..more

Cigarettes After Sex　

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

Cock Sparrer　

One of the first Oi! bands, Cock Sparrer were playing loud, raw, Cockney working-class anthems as early as the first wave of British punk, although record company difficulties prevented them from i ..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

Cranberries　

Combining the melodic jangle of post-Smiths indie guitar pop with the lilting, trance-inducing sonic textures of late-’80s dream pop and adding a slight Celtic tint, the Cranberries became one o ..more

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 Cure　

Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late ’70s, few were as enduring and popular as the Cure. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist R ..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

The Dandy Warhols　

David Sylvian　

Following the 1982 dissolution of Japan, the group’s onetime frontman David Sylvian staked out a far-ranging and esoteric career that encompassed not only solo projects but also a series of fasc ..more

Deftones　

Deftones were one of the first groups to alternate heavy riffs and screamed vocals with more ethereal music and hushed singing -- spawning a fair amount of imitators in their wake. The group first ..more

Depeche Mode　

Originally a product of Britain’s new romantic movement, Depeche Mode went on to become the quintessential electro pop band of the 1980s. One of the first acts to establish a musical identity based ..more