Yeah Yeah Yeahs

 

 

While their first few albums may have fit the Indie Rock label to a T, the more recent albums have introduced a gospel element, making for a very unique sound.

Bob Mould

 Bob Mould started off his post-Husker Du solo career with a hit song, then went on to more acclaim with his band Sugar.  He's continued putting out great material ever since.

The House Of Love

 

 

The House Of Love were one of those bands who bridged the gap between '80s new wave and '90s indie rock.  A little Britpop, Alt rock, and shoegaze mixed together.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

 

 

I remember in the mid-80s when RHCP and Fishbone would play every Friday at the Roxy on the (now-gone) Sunset Strip for $4. Back then, who would've thought...

Of Monsters And Men

 

 

Of Monsters And Men hail from Iceland and the fact they can't be compared to Bjork/Sugarcubes despite having a female singer is quite refreshing. Their sound has gone from an acoustic-based rock songs to more electronic-oriented pop sound.

The Fixx

 

The Fixx is a British band that oddly found little success in their homeland, but scored multiple hits in the US.  Those hits have often overshadowed that their first few albums were really stellar post-punk works.

Screaming Trees

 

 

Screaming Trees. RIP Mark Lanegan.

The Enemy

 

The Enemy's first two albums were Brit-pop with punky energy and catchy tunes. Their third album, however, was something much more emotive, with soaring melodies and a grand, sweeping kind of feeling. They promptly broke up after that album, leaving it one of the decade's unheard classics.

John Grant

 

To look at John Grant, you may imagine some kind of rustic, folksy music.  Instead, he uses 70s era electronics, 80s new wave, and his malleable voice to create something entirely its own.  Sometimes experimental, almost avant garde, other times very danceable pop tunes.

Future Islands

 

 

As pure a New Wave sound as you can get.

Chvrches

 

 

Chvrches is a synthpop band from Scotland who have successfully taken the sound of the '80s into the present.

White Lies

 

 

In the same way that Interpol wore their Joy Division influence on their sleeves, so do White Lies clearly owe a huge debt to Tears For Fears... without really sounding LIKE them, outside of the vocal similarities or the occasional guitar lick.

Erasure

 Vince Clarke and Andy Bell have been crafting top-notch electronic pop songs for nearly 40 years.

David Sylvian

 

David Sylvian started as the singer of Japan in the early '70s. After they broke up in the early '80s he continued on as a solo artist. And he's still going. Many of his recordings are instrumental/ambient/experimental.  His first album or 1999's Dead Bees On A Cake are good starting points for fans of Japan.