Download 2008 featuring The Jesus and Mary Chain, Gang of Four, Brand New, Mute Math, Yeasayer, M83 and more

Brand New
Formed on Long Island, NY, Brand New appeared on the punk-pop scene in 2000. Consisting of drummer Brian Lane, vocalist/guitarist Jesse Lacey, bassist Garrett Tierney, and guitarist Vin Accardi, the band began making a name for itself on the local scene with a self-released four-song...

Mates of State
Kori Gardner (keyboard/vocals) and Jason Hammel (drums/vocals) were both playing guitar and singing in the Kansas music metropolis of Lawrence before forming the Mates of State in 1997.

Rjd2
Rjd2's music is a collage of cut-and-paste hip-hop that combines disparate elements to make for soulful, moody portraits of the world. Born in Eugene, OR, on May 27, 1976, he moved to Columbus, OH, a few years later and was raised there.

M83
In 2003, Frenchmen Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau enjoyed international acclaim for Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, a luscious blend of shoegaze aesthetics, ambient pop, and progressive textures.

Cut Copy
Australian indie electronic trio Cut Copy take many of their cues from contemporaries like Air, Daft Punk, and LCD Soundsystem, but with a distinctly pop sensibility that draws on classic AM radio pop singles from the 1970s and '80s, with elements of vintage disco and synth pop that...

Mute Math
Giddily swiping ideas from several decades' worth of alternative rock, New Orleans' electro-rock quartet Mute Math at times recalls New Order's synth-dance epics, the shambling shuffle of the Stone Roses and the rest of the Madchester scene, the spiky chilliness of prime Radiohead...

Louis XIV
The core unit of San Diego's Louis XIV had originally played together in the rootsy, alt-rocking Convoy, which issued an album called Black Licorice in 2001. Having moved on by 2003, vocalist/guitarists Jason Hill and Brian Karscig and drummer Mark Maigaard hooked up with bassist...

The Duke Spirit
The brash, bluesy, female-fronted quintet the Duke Spirit formed when singer/harmonica player Liela Moss met guitarist/keyboardist/singer Luke Ford at art school. Moss was studying photography and Ford painting, but the pair decided to ditch school and move to London to focus on their music.

De Novo Dahl
De Novo Dahl began as the partnership of songwriting friends Mark Bond (aka Vovo Dahl) and Joel McAnulty (aka Joel J. Dahl or Jsperanza) at high school in Hendersonville, TN. Bond, a singer and keyboadist, and McAnulty, a singer and guitarist, initially formed a band called "Harmonium,"...

Blitzen Trapper
Often compared to the early lo-fi eclectic mixtures of Beck, Portland, OR's Blitzen Trapper had already gone through various genres on its first few records. Led by guitarist/vocalist Eric Earley, the band is also comprised of Erik Menteer (guitar, keyboard), Brian Adrian Koch (drums...

The Whigs
Parker Gispert (vocals/guitar), Julian Dorio (drums), and Hank Sullivant (bass) create the rollicking indie rock sounds of the Whigs. With a jaunty mix of Westerberg-like style and a heartfelt country disposition, the Whigs played their first shows while attending the University of Georgia.

Flosstradamus
Curt Cameruci (aka Autobot) and Josh Young (aka J2K) began the Flosstradamus project as a series of DJ parties in their hometown of Chicago. Word of mouth about their eclectic mashup of electro, house, minimal techno, and sleazy R&B quickly spread, and their parties often would...

Datarock
Dressed in matching red tracksuits, Norwegian tongue-in-cheek electronic-dance band Datarock were one of several groups labeled by the U.K. press as "new rave." Easily combining inspiration from Devo, Talking Heads, and Happy Mondays, the band's unpredictable performances...

The Parlor Mob
Red Bank, New Jersey's the Parlor Mob arose out of the ashes of an earlier, short-lived band named What About Frank, circa 2004, and quickly attracted a small following in local clubs. Comprised of vocalist Mark Melicia, guitarists Dave Rosen and Paul Ritchie, bassist Nick Villapiano...

Atmosphere
Atmosphere are a hip-hop group from Minneapolis centering around rapper Slug (aka Sean Daley). The son of a black father and a white mother who divorced when he was a teenager, Slug became entranced with hip-hop, graffiti, and breakdancing, and formed the Rhymesayers collective with...

Vedera
At once aggressive, atmospheric, and emotionally forceful, Vedera are a four-piece indie rock band from Kansas City, MO, who have made a name for themselves through a pair of small-label recordings and plenty of touring.

William Fitzsimmons
Born the youngest child of two blind parents, William Fitzsimmons was raised in the outskirts of the steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Reared more on sound than sight, Fitzsimmons was immersed in a musically saturated home teeming with a myriad of instruments, classical and...

Yeasayer
The music of Brooklyn's Yeasayer is an eclectic, genre-bending journey into pop, druggy rock, Middle Eastern and African musics, folk, and dub. Vocalist/keyboardist Chris Keating and vocalist/guitarist Anand Wilder were both raised in Baltimore, where they honed their vocal skills...

Tapes 'n Tapes
Minneapolis, MN, indie rock classicists Tapes 'n Tapes formed in the winter of 2003, when guitarist/vocalist Josh Grier (aka "Tapes 1"), bassist Matt Kretzmann ("'n") and guitarist Steve Nelson ("Tapes 2") began crafting a sound that harked back to the...