Canada

3 peoples: one ukelele, one guitar, and more than one drum come together from other places and make some bang up indie pop with extremely cool experimental vocal harmonies and driving rhythms. If you haven't heard these cats yet you will... or if you won't you should... or just listen already! Aren't you tired of reading my ramblings?

Unique wailing vocals that remind me of Native American chants. Anthem rock with elaborate arrangements featuring huge arrays of musicians. Their debut album funeral was arguably the best indie release of 2004.

urgent music with a message - tries to avoid gangsta rap clichés and posturing - vocal style comparable to Eminem - you think you know hardcore? - K'Naan, a Somali, knows hardcore

Baroque pop supergroup (19 members): utterly creative and beautiful. Download their entire 2005 self titled album free here in real media format courtesy of Arts & Crafts.

ingenious and infectious - upbeat rock that'll surprise and delight listen after listen - great friggin' music - great friggin' lyrics - don't pass this over

Emotion stirrers, as great artists oughta be, done with their introspective honesty and passionate songwriting. This is rock, very good rock. Here you'll find them stripped down: acoustic guitar and glockenspiel. Four songs: Burn Your Life Down, Back In Your Head, Dark Come Soon (my fav), The Con, and an interview.

"Music is the new pornography." - Jimmy Swaggart Canadian indie rockers whose sound is highly influenced by such power pop bands as The Cars and Cheap Trick, although their songs are generally of a greater melodic and harmonic complexity. - Wikipedia

Indie folk / baroque pop with a large sound, i.e. horns, strings, piano, banjo, guitar, you name it. With smashing composition and vocal sensibilities she makes original yet razor sharp hooks I can't resist, so I'm caught. I expect you will be too.

A synth guitar duo + drum machine constructing picturesque and dynamic sound scapes in the vein of a Thoreau Ziggy Stardust. Listen to their debut Plague Park in entirety here: one of the best albums of 2007.

Come get clever lyrics and experimental beats/samples to satisfy your esoteric hip hop tastes. Plenty of tracks from his first LP Breaking Kayfabe & new release Afterparty Babies.