(Submitted on November 14, 2017)
The story of the music that I have most enjoyed thus far in the 21st century begins in the suburban garages of the 1960s where rebellious teens, inspired by their musical idols, were thrashing around on guitars and drums, hoping, in part, to drive their parents crazy. In the early days of the “garage rock” or “garage punk” movement, these young musicians looked to R&B music for their sound, but the British Invasion caused a shift in style as countless bands formed attempting to emulate the music (and success) of bands such as the Beatles. The garage phenomenon was largely unlabeled at the time, but it took place worldwide and produced very strong local and regional music scenes.
These were the days of smaller, independent record labels and local radio stations, both of which allowed many young bands to record and get airplay at the local level. While this is where the career trajectory ended for most, some bands, such as the Sonics of Tacoma, Washington, broke through and achieved national and international success. Of course, not all of the bands which would come to collectively be described as garage bands were created by suburban teens. Urban groups, often including seasoned professional musicians, were also drawn to the sparse, raw stylings of the genre that combined aggressive, sometimes shouted vocals with basic chords played on guitars, keyboards (often organs) and drums. The music had a primal quality, which was emphasized through production techniques that made even studio recordings sound like a garage practice session. Boom, the second studio album of the Sonics, is a notable example of this stripped-down rock. In New York, garage punk had a different, more avant-garde edge to it with lyrics from bands such as the Fugs and the Velvet Underground that were at times more philosophical, political and poetic. The Velvet Underground, led by Lou Reed, was not particularly successful from a commercial standpoint, but is widely recognized as being hugely influential across a number of subsequent musical genres including punk, new wave and alternative rock. Certainly, they are the band most commonly referenced by the artists whose work I will discuss below.
By the end of the 60s the first wave of garage rock ultimately fell victim to changing tastes, the growing popularity of more sophisticated production values and a more complex musical sound. However, in the years to come, the demand by true lovers of rock for fast-paced, adrenaline-producing, raw, energetic music never actually died, and by the mid-70s a movement (later referred to as “proto-punk”) was taking shape led by bands such as the Velvet Underground, MC5 and the Stooges, led by Iggy Pop. Their work inspired the punk music genre, which became a fully blown response to the “over-produced” music that now dominated radio. Punk music and the subculture that emerged alongside it (most famously in Great Britain) offered an outlet for rebellious youth who wanted to express their anti-establishment views. In New York, bands such as the Ramones and the Cramps, and in London groups including the Clash and the Sex Pistols, “paid open homage to 60s garage rock” (Heller) while, at the same time, creating a very unique movement.
The 80s and 90s continued to produce garage rock and garage punk bands, proving that there was a continued niche for a more “lo-fi” style of music. Bands formed in the 80s, including Chesterfield Kings, Plasticland and the Fuzztones, were the first of the garage rock “revivalists” and they brought a “somewhat less raw approach” adding “a neater, at times janglier set of sounds to the garage-rock toolbox.” (Heller) Together with the Cynics, from Pittsburgh, these bands resurrected a more “subversively psychedelic image” (Heller) that harkened back to the 60s. The 90s brought bands including The Gories, The Mummies, The Devil Dogs and New Bomb Turks that were well known to garage rock enthusiasts, but real commercial success for the revival genres ebbed. Towards the end of the 80s, in cities like New York, excitement was building for new forms of music, most importantly hip hop, which was innovative and on its way to becoming the best-selling music genre of the 90s. The center of the alternative rock scene shifted to the west coast, to cities like Seattle and Los Angeles, where grunge bands such as Nirvana and funk metal bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers had great success and paved the way for the nu-metal genre (think Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park) of the late 90s. (Goodman)
All of which brings us to the 21st century when, as Jason Heller wrote, “no one could have predicted how hard the [garage rock] genre would come roaring back.” Even more unlikely, New York was at the forefront of this revival which also came to be known as “post-punk revival.” In her book titled Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001- 2011, Lizzy Goodman describes the pull of New York at the very end of the 90s when young musicians, and their followers, again felt drawn to the innate tension of the city. She describes young bands such as the Strokes and Interpol as not “real bands” but “coconspirators, comrades in the pursuit of ‘youth and abandon.’” She goes on to write:
“We were all – every kid in the crowd and every person on stage – chasing the same thing: a feeling of rebellion, of possibility, of promise of chaos. We had to find it so we could figure out how to be ourselves, and we couldn’t locate it without each other. We were chasing something…that was synthesized for our generation by Nick [Valensi]’s guitar when he let it scream for a while before the Strokes crash-landed into the opening of ‘New York City Cops’ and by Karen O [of the Yeah,Yeah, Yeahs]’s primal yowl on ‘Our Time’ and James Murphy [of LCD Soundsystem]’s comic despair on ‘Losing My Edge.’ We were all chasing New York City.”
In a short space of time a group of New York bands, led by the Strokes and Interpol, went from virtual obscurity to being considered at the forefront of a movement. They were not alone though and Detroit also produced a significant number of artists, most notably the White Stripes, the Von Bondies and the Detroit Cobras, who helped open the floodgates for the first wave of the garage rock/garage punk/post-punk revival stars. International acts including the Hives from Sweden and the Vines from Australia also broke through and, when the dust settled, these two bands, together with the Strokes and the White Stripes, were generally seen as the “big four” who brought garage revival a level of global recognition that had not been enjoyed by garage rock bands of the past. (Morris) Here, then, are profiles of these four influential “first wave” bands:
The Strokes
Ian Youngs, writing some short takes for the BBC in 2002, said of the Strokes – who are arguably the most famous, but the least true to genre of the four bands – that they were “the first to discover that the leather jackets and scratchy riffs of the 70s New York scene are the perfect antidotes to nu-metal and melancholic mainstream rock.” The Strokes formed in the late 90s, with vocalist Julian Casablancas, lead guitarist Nick Valensi, rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti, all of whom have been members since the band’s inception. With the exception of Hammond, they met at school on the Upper West Side of New York, where Casablancas, their songwriter, became familiar with the music of the Velvet Underground and they were all exposed to, and inspired by, artists such as the Doors, Talking Heads and the Ramones as well as an Ohio band called Guided by Voices. (Phares, “The Strokes”) The band started performing at local parties and then hit the Manhattan club scene but, interestingly, their first commercial success came in the UK. The release of their first EP, The Modern Age, on Britain’s independent Rough Trade Records in early 2001 created a bidding war among record labels; the band would soon be signed by RCA. Their debut studio album, Is This It, was released in July 2001 to nearly universal critical acclaim. They toured that summer in the UK and Europe and, from the get-go, received effusive praise from the music journalists who covered them. The hype appears to have been enormous. Eric Ducker wrote their first cover story for The Fader magazine in London that summer. About their concert, Ducker wrote, “If you’ve ever seen a good rock show, I’ll spare you the details, but man, the Strokes are fun. You should see them, a mix of controlled mayhem and boogie-oogie-woogie.” That doesn’t sound over the top, but he also noted that “Following the fuzzy logic of phenom-based journalism, there are already more articles about the Strokes that cover them being hyped than there are ones that hype them…[but that] without hearing any music, The Fader knew months ago we were going to feature the Strokes the second photographer Leslie Lyons showed us the publicity photo she took of them.” An interview by James Oldham in the same year in the UK weekly NME magazine, which put them on the cover twice in the lead up to the release of their first album, said “It’s certainly true that magazines have lost their minds for the Strokes. Not just NME, but style mags, fashion mags, guitar mags, everyone.” Musically, the band were greeted as the “saviors of edgy guitar rock” and an article by Jay McInerney in New York magazine from 2006 summed up my attitude to their work well saying that:
“Listening to the Strokes was like listening to an underground, highly selective classic-rock station playing tunes with which you knew you were familiar but that you couldn’t quite identify. The Strokes’ sound seemed both brilliantly distinctive and hugely derivative. You couldn’t necessarily point to any one riff or vocal phrase and say, that’s the Velvet Underground, or Blondie, or the Cars, or Nirvana, or even Tom Petty.”
Valensi, quoted in that same article, attributed the success of the Strokes’ first album to the fact that it was “kind of New Wave, kind of retro” and that “no one was doing that music then – the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, the Cars. That music never went out of style, but no one was playing it. We were filling some kind of void in music.” This is a recurring theme in interviews with the top bands of the post-punk revival era – that there is always a place for the adrenaline-fueled, highly energetic rock sounds that those bands epitomize. It should also be noted that the music produced by these bands, while holding enormous appeal for garage rock enthusiasts, was quite individual in style leading some to take issue with how the bands were labelled. Jason Heller gave voice to this, writing of the Strokes that they “are routinely lumped in with the White Stripes, but they shouldn’t be. Calling the Strokes a garage rock band is like calling Duran Duran a punk band. Nothing against either the Strokes or Duran Duran, but still.”
Is This It was named the best album of that year by Billboard, CMJ, Entertainment Weekly, NME, Playlouder, and Time and it is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential albums of the 21st century. The band has gone on to release four more studio albums but writers Philip Cosores and Collin Brennan possibly summed up their situation when they offered an opinion on why they have never been nominated for a Grammy Award. They remarked that “if the Strokes were ever going to be nominated, it should have happened with their legendary debut record, which was likely just a little too cool for Grammy voters at the time. Their work since has consistently reached a smaller audience and dipped in quality, keeping them on the outside looking in.”
The White Stripes
The White Stripes formed in the late 90s with members Jack White (guitar/piano/vocals) and Meg White (drums/vocals), a musical style that blended garage rock, punk, and blues, and a distinctive red-and-white wardrobe. They released a total of six studio albums between 1999 and 2007, receiving widespread critical acclaim in the process, before a lengthy hiatus turned into the split of the duo (who claimed to be siblings but in reality were actually married for a time early in their careers) in 2011. Their third album White Blood Cells (2001) established them as stars, while Elephant (2003), Get Behind Me Satan (2005), and Icky Thump (2007) each won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. (Leahey, “The White Stripes”) Their greatest mainstream success was the single “Seven Nation Army,” known for one of the most recognizable guitar riffs of the 21st century as well as for achieving significant popularity as a “sports anthem.” Charles Klosterman of Spin magazine interviewed Jack and Meg White in October 2002 and took a look at what made the White Stripes “America’s most frothed-over rock group” of the time. He concluded that their mixture of “junk punk and tangled roots music” did what great rock bands are supposed to do – they “reinvented the blues with contemporary instincts.” In Klosterman’s words, “Everything is raw and unrehearsed and imperfect. And that’s why it’s so fucking good… Audiences hear something in their music that’s so fundamental, it almost feels alien.” The interview quoted Jack, who insisted that “We have to go back…the last twenty years have been filled with digital, technological crap that’s taken the soul out of music.” “The point,” Meg added, “is being a live band.” The simple, direct catharsis of garage rock lay at the heart of the earlier work of the White Stripes and, while they departed somewhat from it in Get Behind Me Satan, they returned to their garage, punk, and blues roots for Icky Thump.
The Hives
The Hives formed as teenagers in Fagersta, Sweden and they are still performing today. (Phares, “The Hives”) Original members Per and Niklas Almqvist, Mikael Karlsson, Christian Grahn and Mattias Bernvall got together with one thing in common – they neither understood nor cared for the grunge phenomenon and wanted to rebel against it. Mark Spitz interviewed them for Spin magazine in 2004, in an article titled “Sharp Dressed Manskap,” and they discussed the importance of their visual look, which was “a reaction to the moth-eaten-flannel and dirty-denim grunge movement.” Musically, Spitz noted that “they were a hardcore band that dressed like a new-wave band and secretly loved power pop.” In a true throwback to the early days of garage rock, they honed their skills in “Hive Manor” A.K.A. the Bernvall family basement. Their earliest performances were at local dances and clubs where they would play original music and “accelerated 60s covers.” They released their debut studio album Barely Legal in Sweden in 1997, but first achieved recognition with 2000’s Veni Vidi Vicious and singles “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Main Offender,” all of which were released in the UK and subsequently in the US by recording executives looking to take advantage of the wave which “spirited and poppy” garage punk was riding. The hype surrounding the Hives was huge and, in an effort to make sure it was justified, the band applied enormous discipline to developing a persona and a stage act that would electrify audiences. They became known for dressing exclusively in black and white, and their energetic live performances have always earned them accolades from reviewers. They have released a total of five studio albums, the most recent, Lex Hives, in 2012. In fact, it is a review of this album, in NME magazine in 2012, that provides a most apt description of the music of the Hives. The reviewer notes that the band is fashion and fad-resistant and that “they believe in the redemptive power of loud, dumb, fun, witty, sarcastic, life-affirming scream-along, strut ‘n’ roll and not a lot else.” (“The Hives – Lex Hives”) The reviewer goes on to assume that the Hives will continue making great records like Lex Hives “until they drop dead,” but on this he may be wrong, as right now they have no albums in the works, being unable to agree on their future musical direction.
The Vines
The Vines formed in Sydney, Australia in 1994 and were composed of Craig Nicholls (lead guitar/vocals), Patrick Matthews (bass/backing vocals) and David Oliffe (drums). The band still exists today although only Nicholls remains from the original lineup. AllMusic described them as having found inspiration “particularly in the grungy craft of Nirvana and the melodic, psychedelic appeal of vintage British pop.” (Leahy, “The Vines”) The release of their debut single, “Factory,” in November 2001 spurred their popularity in Europe and their debut studio album, 2002’s Highly Evolved, went platinum in Australia and gold in the US and UK. The British press immediately touted them as the best band since Nirvana and in September 2002 they appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, accompanied by the headline “Rock Is Back: Meet the Vines.” In the Rolling Stone article, writer Rob Sheffield grouped the band with the Strokes, the White Stripes and the Hives, the four being acclaimed “as leaders of a new modern-rock sound that blows away the bloated Kornclone clichés of the past few years.” Sheffield then makes a point with which I agree entirely, stating:
“In truth, none of these bands really has much in common with one another, but they all get lumped together because they show how rock fans across the world are starved for some new excitement and adrenaline, punk-rock style.”
The Vines’ high-energy style has always come, in part, from the frenetic and often controversial behavior of Craig Nicholls. Nicholls has always been ambitious for the band and his belief in the “mind-altering, life-affirming power of music” (Sheffield) has been behind that drive. Inspired by the music of Nirvana, Beck and Pavement, he was happy to be grouped with bands like the Strokes and the White Stripes, saying “I don’t think it’s a movement. It’s just real rock music.” (Sheffield) The Vines have both benefitted and suffered from the unpredictability of Nicholls on stage and in the studio but, in general, reviewers have not felt that their material post-Highly Evolved has ever matched its standard. NME magazine, reviewing 2008’s Melodia, went as far as to apologize profusely for its earlier proclamations regarding Nicholls as the “savior” of rock ‘n’ roll. (“The Vines – Melodia”)
The first thread that runs through the stories of the four bands above is that they were all playing music which spoke to a generation of music lovers who were frustrated with the rock music of the 80s and 90s and who yearned for live, raw, energized, stripped-down rock. The second thread is the degree to which all of these bands were hyped by the music industry and music journalists, all of them at some point being referred to as the “saviors” of rock and the leaders of the “New Rock Revolution,” a term coined by NME. However, concerns were being raised almost immediately that their music sales were not in line with the hype and, while successful, the bands were never quite able to take on the superstar status that had been predicted for them. Mark Spitz wrote an article for Spin magazine in 2010 titled “The New Rock Revolution Fizzles” saying that the “back-to-basics, turn-of-the-millennium bands went from…blazing to smoldering in half the time.” Spitz, who had been a “true believer in 2001,” admitted that he was “caught up in the excitement of rock feeling sexy again,” but by 2005 he knew that the movement had not exploded, but rather had “popped” like a “roman candle.” He questioned why bands such as the Strokes never realized their dreams on a mass level, and suggested that (in the words of Malcolm Gladwell) perhaps “The act of discovering what’s cool is what causes cool to move on.”
One important aspect of the music of these “first wave” garage revivalists was the influence that it had on nascent bands and on new bands forming. Simon Reynolds, in The Guardian, referred to the bands that followed as an “avalanche” and noted that he gradually came to acknowledge the music of “second wave” bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys as “REALLY good,” adding that he was swayed by their “combination of rhythmic force and big, bold vocal presence.” The “avalanche” included many bands from the UK, which makes sense as it was the epicenter of post-punk revival hype, and bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, and the Fratellis all released albums which had been influenced by garage and post-punk revival music. In the US, the existing band Yeah Yeah Yeahs signed a major contract, and the Killers released their debut album in 2004. In Australia, Jet released their debut album in 2003 and it too achieved success with a garage rock sound. Following are profiles of three of these “second wave” bands whose music I have enjoyed over the years.
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys formed in Sheffield, England, where they began recording demos shortly after they started performing; this collection of songs was burned on to CDs which were given away for free at gigs. Their popularity began to grow over 2004 and 2005, largely through sharing of their music on fansites and word of mouth, as opposed to marketing or advertising. They signed with independent label Domino in 2005. Their first two singles went straight to #1 on the UK charts, and they released their debut album in early 2006. That album, titled Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, is still the fastest-selling debut album in the history of the UK charts. (Leahy, “Arctic Monkeys”) Writing in a 2006 article on the band for The Guardian, Alex Kumi stated that “their rough and energetic album, which features tales of working-class life, alcopops and prostitution, has drawn comparisons with The Clash and Oasis,” but it is generally recognized that the Strokes’ Is This It was the “chief catalyzing influence” on the group’s early work. Frontman Alex Turner told NME in 2011, “I remember I used to play (Is This It) in (high school) all the time, when our band was first starting…I remember consciously trying not to sound like the Strokes, deliberately taking bits out of songs that sounded too much like them, but I still loved that album…As much as they probably hate hearing this as well, they were the band that encouraged me to rip the knees of my jeans and write on them in marker pen.” (“Alex Turner”) All five Arctic Monkeys studio albums reached #1 on the UK charts, the most recent of which was released in 2013. After a several-year hiatus, their next album is on track to be released in 2018.
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand formed in Glasgow, Scotland, and signed with Domino in 2003. They were inspired by the post-punk movement and bands like Talking Heads and Gang of Four and their music has a catchy feel designed for dancing. Their frontman, Alex Kapranos, told Alexis Petridis in an interview for GQ that they were reacting to some elitist trends they saw in alternative music and added that “it seemed like the most rebellious thing we could do was to play a really catchy song.” According to AllMusic, the release of their first EP in the fall of that year led some to dub them the “Scottish Interpol.” The band released their eponymous debut album in 2004 to much critical acclaim. They have released four studio albums in total, with a fifth due to be released in 2018. (Phares, “Franz Ferdinand”) The band has enjoyed recognition at the Brit Awards and NME Awards in the UK, along with several Grammy nominations stateside. They are best known for the single “Take Me Out,” released in early 2004. It is recognized as their “signature song” as well as one of the top “indie anthems” of the 21st century, and also achieved attention for its music video which became an MTV staple.
The Killers
The Killers, one of the most successful rock bands of the 21st century, formed in Las Vegas in 2002, and started out by playing clubs in their hometown. A local reviewer, Mike Prevatt, had the opportunity to listen to a demo they made and commented that they were different from other local bands marrying “pop styles of British music with the lo-fi fuzz of modern indie rock.” Of “Mr. Brightside,” which subsequently became an international hit, Prevatt wrote, “it’s energetic, New Wave, garage, a feel-good Strokes-esque anthem.” The Killers caught the attention of a UK representative for Warner Bros., who gave their demo to London independent label Lizard King. The band generated buzz in the UK and, by fall 2003, in the US as well. They signed a deal with Island Records and released their hugely successful debut album Hot Fuss in 2004, “a mix of 80s-styled synth pop and fashionista charm” according to AllMusic. It featured worldwide hits “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me,” “All These Things That I’ve Done,” and “Smile Like You Mean It.” The Killers have now released a total of five studio albums, the most recent of which, Wonderful Wonderful, is currently topping the charts. It is important to note that their musical repertoire has expanded over the years to incorporate genres as varied as Bruce Springsteen-esque Americana/heartland rock and, as AllMusic described it, “sleek, oddball dance-rock.”
Now here we are in 2017 and, while most of the bands that I’ve discussed are still active, playing music festivals and occasionally producing albums, I consider that it is fair to say that the post-punk/garage revival genre had well and truly faded by 2010. Even the “second wave” artists, who had so vigorously emulated bands such as the Strokes in their early recordings, began fairly quickly to infuse their music with a broader range of musical influences including electronic and new wave, among others. And to date there has been no “third wave” achieving commercial success. So, was the early popularity of the post-punk revival bands “the last gasp of rock and roll” as some have suggested? I choose to believe not. Crowds swarm concerts and festivals in 2017 to watch performances that consist of nothing but a DJ on a stage who mixes tracks or plays what may be pre-recorded sets, designed to coordinate with pyrotechnic displays. There must be many music lovers who, like me, do not understand the appeal of this art form and who are happier in local venues watching live performances and waiting for the next big breakthrough of raw “garage” sounds. There will always be rising generations of young musicians who want to rebel against the mainstream, and rock, including basic garage rock, will again have its day.
Works Cited
“Alex Turner – Why I Love the Strokes’ ‘Is This It.’” NME Blog, NME, 28 Jul. 2011 http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/alex-turner-why-i-love-the-strokes-is-this-it-7945 Accessed 2 Nov. 2017
Consores, Philip and Collin Brennan. “The 30 Worst Grammy Snubs of Active Artists.” Consequence of Sound, 8 Feb. 2017, consequenceofsound.net/2017/02/30-active-artists-to-never-win-grammys/ Accessed 1 Nov. 2017
Ducker, Eric. “This 2001 Story Of The Strokes’ Rise To Fame Is A Rock & Roll Time Capsule.” The Fader, No. 9, Fall 2001, http://www.thefader.com/2015/09/15/the-strokes-cover-story-issue-9 Accessed 30 Oct. 2017
Goodman, Lizzy. Meet Me In The Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001- 2011. Dey Street Books, 2017. Kindle edition
Heller, Jason. “Where to Start with the Primal Sound of Garage Rock.” 30 March 2015, The A.V. Club, http://www.music.avclub.com/where-to-start-with-the-primal-sound-of-garage-rock-1798278168 Accessed 28 Oct. 2017
Klosterman, Chuck. “Back to the Garage.” Spin, Oct. 2002, pp. 64-68. books.google.com/books?id=EiUGaclNKKQC&pg=PA7&source=gbs_toc&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false Accessed 1 Nov. 2017
Kumi, Alex. “Arctic Monkeys Make UK Chart History.” The Guardian, 30 Jan. 2006, www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jan/30/arts.artsnews Accessed 2 Nov. 2017
Leahey, Andrew. “Arctic Monkeys – Artist Biography.” Allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/arctic-monkeys-mn0000325357/biography Accessed 26 Oct. 2017
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Leahey, Andrew. “The Vines – Artist Biography.” Allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-vines-mn0000582463/biography Accessed 26 Oct. 2017
Leahey, Andrew. “The White Stripes – Artist Biography” Allmusic.com, www.allmusic.com/artist/the-white-stripes-mn0000921710/biography Accessed 28 Oct. 2017
McInerney, Jay. “Group Therapy” New York Magazine, 16 Jan. 2006, nymag.com/nymetro/news/culture/features/15495/ Accessed 29 Oct. 2017
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Oldham, James. “The Strokes: Why New York’s Finest Will Change Your Life – Forever.” NME, June 2001, transcribed at She’s Fixing Her Hair: The Strokes Fansite, http://www.shesfixingherhair.co.uk/blog/interviews/interviews-nme-may-2001 Accessed 28 Oct. 2017
Petridis, Alexis. “Franz Ferdinand.” GQ, 2004, republished 29 Aug. 2013, http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/franz-ferdinand-interview-new-album Accessed 4 Nov. 2017
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Phares, Heather. “The Strokes – Artist Biography.” Allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-strokes-mn0000568137/biography Accessed 26 Oct. 2017
Phares, Heather. “The Hives – Artist Biography.” Allmusic.com, www.allmusic.com/artist/the-hives-mn0000074520/biography Accessed 26 Oct. 2017
Prevatt, Mike. “The Killers” Las Vegas City Life, archived from the original 29 Dec. 2002 web.archive.org/web/20021229002808/http://www.lvlocalmusicscene.com/band_detail.cfm?BandName=The+Killers&Genre=Alternative Accessed 4 Nov. 2017
Reynolds, Simon. “Notes On the Noughties: Clearing Up the Indie Landfill.” The Guardian, 4 Jan. 2010, http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/jan/04/clearing-up-indie-landfill Accessed 1 Nov. 2017
Sheffield, Rob. “Interview: The Vines.” Rolling Stone, 19 Sept. 2002, http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-vines-20020919 Accessed 1 Nov. 2017
Spitz, Marc. “Sharp Dressed Manskap.” Spin, Aug, 2004, pp. 62-68. books.google.com/books?id=dVuFuZEeUX0C&pg=PA9&source=gbs_toc&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false Accessed 3 Nov. 2017
Spitz, The New Rock Revolution Fizzles.” Spin, May, 2010, p. 95. books.google.com/books?id=yqmlNOuYQdEC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false, i Accessed 4 Nov. 2017
“The Hives – Lex Hives.” NME, 1 Jun. 2012, www.nme.com/reviews/album/reviews-the-hives-2-13267 Accessed 3 Nov. 2017
“The Vines – Melodia.” NME, 8 Aug. 2008, http://www.nme.com/reviews/album/reviews-the-vines-9836 Accessed 1. Nov 2017
Youngs, Ian . “Entertainment | New bands race for rock stardom.” BBC News, BBC, 22 Oct. 2002, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2346791.stm Accessed 29 Oct. 2017