The rise of Indie

Band of horses
Cease to begin

One of the bands to break into the mainstream while keeping its Indie street credential intact is this sextet. A guitar band if there ever was one, Band of Horses’ three-guitar attack is perfect for laying out deftly interplaying lines. Drawing influence from such former Indie stalwarts like REM, the Horses’ lyrics conjure up dread (Is There a Ghost?) as well as gentle humour (Detlef Schrempf, about a German basketball player).

What you won’t find in the Horses is howling angst. What you get in songs like The General Specific and Ode to LRC are mature ruminations backed by some very compelling music. Lead singer Ben Bridwell’s high-pitched tenor is a superb instrument in its own right and compelling enough to win over new admirers to this brilliantly raggedy band.

Download this: Detlef Schrempf
Sub Pop

British sea power
Do you like rock music?

BSP proves that Indie rock can be anthemic and still very different from the mainstream. The Brighton band’s freshly minted album Do You Like Rock Music? could yet be the album that breaks them into the mainstream and the music bears out their pretensions to greatness. Long famed for their strangeness (stuffed animals on stage), BSP’s music has been a long-standing joke. But they explode on this album with the wonderful Waving Flags, their lead-off single about immigration and acceptance and continue with the guitar jangle of Atom, which has one of the catchiest chorus around. Definitely one of the bands of the year.

Download this: Atom
Rough Trade Records

LCD Soundsystem
Sound of silver
New York’s LCD

Soundsystem is another Indie fave that has been successfully punching above its weight for the last two years. The sound meshes insistent guitar drones over keyboard textures and a steady beat. Riding on top of the sound is singer James Murphy’s uncannily David Bowie-like vocals. Songs like All My Friends and Someone Great show off the songwriting muscle of the band, while the raver Get Innocuous! is already a club classic. If you like dance music and want to be pleasantly surprised by it as well as dance to it, Sound of Silver is the album for you.

Download this: Someone great
DFA Records/EMI