Originally forming as Pilate in the early 2000s the Toronto-based rock quartet Pilot Speed changed their name to such in mid-2006 to avoid possible lawsuits as their music spread internationally from their native Canada especially due to the litigiou…

While Hot Chip were one of many bands from the early 2000s to have adopted an electro-pop sound, they stand apart from the pack both for their melodicism and for their fully live, band-oriented approach to the genre. Shortly after emerging from their…

With her omnivorous musical tastes and cheeky attitude London-based pop singersongwriter Lily Allen made a name for herself almost as soon as she released her demos on the Internet The daughter of comedian Keith Allen Lily spent most of her childhood…

The Blow is really visual artist and performer Khaela Maricich who formerly released recordings under the name Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano after which she recorded with the help of some guests for K under the name the Blow The Blow set…

An indie/garage supergroup consisting of two members of Toledo's Greenhorns, Motor City power-pop songsmith Brendan Benson and the inimitable Jack White, the Raconteurs play a fairly straightforward version of classic rock that contains hints of the …

The members of space pop innovators Mew first met in the seventh grade in Hellerup Denmark Before they could even play instruments the ambitious youths -- singer Jonas Bjerre guitarist Bo Madsen bassist Johan Wohlert and drummer Silas Graae -- were r…

Gnarls Barkley is the remarkable collaboration between DJ/producer/mash-up king Danger Mouse and psychedelic soul crooner/MC Cee-Lo, of the Atlanta hip-hop group Goodie Mob. Both refreshingly outre and delightfully accessible in the manner of Outkast…

German electronic pop band Klee formed in Kln in 1998 Originally founded under the name Ralley frontwoman Suzie Kerstgens guitarist Tom Deininger and keyboardist Sten Servaes adopted the Klee moniker following a brief 2002 hiatus borrowing the name i…

Alison Goldfrapp first gained notoriety for her astonishing vocal work on albums by Tricky and techno duo Orbital. She joined forces with composer Will Gregory in the late 1990s to create her own moody, sensual version of contemporary electronica. Wi…

Were it not for the fact that Phil Spector began as a member of the Teddy Bears, this one-hit-wonder trio would most likely be a minor footnote in the history of rock. Spector moved to the USA with his family at the age of nine following the suicide …

The Feeling were one of a multitude of young U.K. bands to grab a moment or two in the spotlight during the mid 2000s. However, the band had a markedly different approach to rocking, passing on the typical Britpop and post-punk influences in favor of…

Few rock singers of the 90s were as original and instantly unforgettable as Thom Yorke as his band Radiohead became one of the biggest bands of the 21st century after making a career out of specializing in challenging and unpredictable rock Born Octo…

Fullerton CAs Cold War Kids make music with roots that go deep and wide embracing influences as diverse as Bob Dylan Billie Holiday Jeff Buckley and the Velvet Underground Matt Aveiro Matt Maust Jonnie Russell and Nathan Willett began crafting their …

Formerly known as Cherry New Yorks rock-meets-electronica duo Ratatat features multi-instrumentalistprogrammer Evan Mast and guitarist Mike Stroud Mast is also the brains behind the pretty laptop pop of Evax and with his brother ERock he runs the ind…

MSTRKRFT pronounced master kraft are the Daft Punk-loving alter ego of Death from Above 1979s Jesse F Keeler along with producer Al-P Hailing from Toronto the duo makes a move from DFA 1979s abrasive rock to robotic electronic complete with vocoders …

Glasgow-via-Belfast indie-rock ensemble Snow Patrol have played everything from shambolic noise-pop a la Pavement, to a slightly droney post-rock in the vein of Mogwai, to epic lovelorn anthems modeled after Coldplay. While the band's influences are …

British trio Keane, who trade in the sort of grandiose, melancholy Britpop that was the chief domain of Coldplay for much of the early 2000s, broke big with their 2004 debut album, HOPES AND FEARS. While many hear the band's sound as yet another wate…