Feb 01, 2009 By Mike Hilleary Winter 2009 - Anticipated Albums of 2009

The Parisian members of Revolver—Ambroise Willaume, Christophe Musset, and Jérémie Arcache—are not native English speakers. When they speak, their sentences often succumb to the occasional slip in verb tense or syllable emphasis. There are even instances of hesitation and momentary pause when the search for the optimal phrase leaves them somewhat at a loss.

Nov 01, 2008 By Kyle Lemmon Year End 2008 - Best of 2008

Back in their home base of Donnington, England, Late of the Pier’s career started with a jumbled mess of dusty synthesizer equipment, guitars in various states of disrepair, and scattershot drum kits. The band’s keyboardist/sampler, Sam Potter, remembers those early days stuck in a musty attic well. “Our singer/guitarist Sam [Eastgate]’s dad played in a couple bands in the ’80s,” Potter explains. “A lot of the original instruments we played came from that attic. We used to practice with this old battered blue drum kit and this old guitar that was covered in comics. We used to get stoned and just go crazy.”

Nov 01, 2008 By Nate Daly Year End 2008 - Best of 2008

Life was looking grim for Will Roan last winter. “A year ago, I was working making raincoats and just trying to be able to pay rent and being really scared because my band was breaking up. It’s a really strange place to be in now—recording a full-length record. Bizarre,” says the singer for Brooklyn’s Amazing Baby.

Oct 01, 2008 By J. Pace Apse

“We understand why we get the post-rock thing, but we hate it,” says Robert Toher, guitarist/vocalist of Apse, speaking from his home on Cape Cod. Apse can’t seem to avoid the comparisons to Sigur Rós, Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and their ilk.

Sep 02, 2008 By Frank Valish Vivian Girls

For Cassie, Katy, and Ali of Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls, being in a band began as a fun extension of a life filled with other pursuits. When the band started in March 2007, Cassie was studying illustration at Pratt Institute, Katy was finishing degrees in physics and education at Rutgers University, and Ali, also at Rutgers, was majoring in German. However, after three 7” singles and a limited-run pressing of the band’s debut album—which sold out within a week of its May release—things have been heating up. In fact, Cassie, Katy, and, Ali—who all prefer to be referred to only by their first names—were lucky to make it out of school at all.

Sep 02, 2008 By Marcus Kagler Fall 2008 - Jenny Lewis

“Not everyone sees the genius in bluegrass,” says Mumford and Sons vocalist/guitarist Marcus Mumford. “Our banjo player, Winston, is the driving force behind the bluegrass leanings in Mumford and Sons. He taught himself how to play banjo while in high school. He’s really the bluegrass guy, but we all love it.”

Sep 01, 2008 By Mike Hilleary Frances

Between the two of them, Frances’ Paul Hogan and Brian Betancourt are in the midst of counting just how many instruments were involved in the making of the Brooklyn-based band’s full-length debut, All the While. They are talking themselves through the numbers like two students working out some difficult mathematics problem, and just as the bandmates are about to settle on a final estimate, Hogan remembers to bring up their song, “Decoy.”

Jun 02, 2008 By Chris Tinkham Lykke Li

In 2002, when indie kids in the U.S. looked to Sweden as a hotbed for new music upon the emergence of bands such as The Hives, 16-year-old Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson was devising her escape from Stockholm.

Apr 02, 2008 By Frank Valish Plants and Animals

The three members of Montréal’s Plants and Animals might be Music Studies graduates, but theirs is not the sound of intellectual snobs. Graduating from Montréal’s Concordia University in the early part of the century with degrees in electro-acoustic music, Warren Spicer, Matthew Woodley, and Nicolas Basque have, with their sophomore album, Parc Avenue, hit upon a sound that is at once smooth, complex, and organic, with touches of ’70s rock and soul and an expansive musical palette that includes everything from flutes to violin and choirs of voice.