The Independent

The Presidents of the United States of America
The Presidents of the United States of America were one of the most unlikely success stories of the post-grunge alternative rock scene in Seattle. Where the rest of their Seattle brethren traded in heavy guitars and heavy angst, the Presidents rejected torment for humor, writing short, simple, and absurd punk songs that relied more on goofy attitude than sludgy riffs and tormented screams....

Digitalism
As acts like Erol Alkan and the Klaxons were blurring the lines between indie rock and dance music in 2007, Germany's Digitalism were mashing garage band attitude with pumping electro music while in cahoots with the stylish French house label Kitsuné Music....

Don Carlos
Sweet-voiced vocalist and composer Don Carlos (born: Euvin Spencer) has had his greatest success singing with Black Uhuru, the reggae trio he formed in 1974 with two friends -- Rudolph Dennis and Derrick "Duckie" Simpson -- from the "Waterhouse" district in Kingston....

Akron/Family
Akron/Family are one of those exasperatingly unknowable bands. They've concocted an image, all right -- check out their MySpace page or the Young God Records one, and you will quickly be advised that they are "extremely nice, sincere and well-mannered young men from rural America who came to New York City in 2002 to make music....

Mystery Jets
The Syd Barrett-worshiping indie outfit Mystery Jets formed in the early '90s when the group's shock-headed frontman, Blaine Harrison, was only 12. The band was initially called the Misery Jets, in honor of the Heathrow-bound jets that habitually roared over their native Eel Pie Island, but they changed their name when Blaine (who, again, was very young at the time) misspelled "misery....