Indie Bands You Should Know Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Strokes

The Strokes and The White Stripes from America, The Hives from Sweden and The Vines from Australia were four bands dubbed the "The" bands by critics after the release of four massive albums by them during 2001-2002 ("Is This It", "White Blood Cells", "Your New Favourite Band" and "Highly Evolved" respectively). In October 2002, "Rolling Stone" released an issue with the words "Rock is Back!" on the cover, featuring articles on these bands and The Vines on the cover.

"Is This It" had an immediate and massive impact on music and culture. Electric guitars and skinny jeans quickly became the flavour of the month, and members of bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Kings of Leon have cited the album's release as a moment that made them want to start a band. The massive success of the album opened the doors for new bands to reach a more mainstream audience such as The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand. "NME" put them at number five on their 100 Most Influential Artists list of 2014. The album also spawned singles in the tracks "Last Nite", "Someday" and "Hard to Explain".

The album wasn't without its controversy however. The album cover was altered upon its release in the US for being "too sexually explicit", and track number nine (of eleven) was changed from "New York City Cops" (which the band wrote in good taste after 9/11) to another track titled "When it Started" on the US version of the album.

The album's legacy continued to stay strong long after its release. "NME" ranked it number three on their list of the 100 Best Albums in 2003, "Rolling Stone" named it number 199 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time issue in 2003 and number two on their list of the Best Albums of the Decade (behind Radiohead's "Kid A"). "Q Music" put the album on spot number 21 on their list of the 21 Albums That Changed Music, while "The Observer" put it at spot number 48 on their list of the same topic (out of 50). The album was also featured in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" (edited by Robert Dimery) and "The Guardian" put it in their special "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

Answer: Bat for Lashes

Bat for Lashes is the baroque/dream/art/indie pop project of multi-instrumentalist and singer-sonwriter Natasha Khan. She began recording material for her debut album "Fur and Gold" after finishing a degree in music and visual arts at the University of Brighton and while studying as a nursery school teacher. The album was well received and was nominated for the Mercury Prize, a feat repeated by her second album "Two Suns" (which focuses on Kahn's desert-born alter-ego Pearl and "the philosophy of the self and duality"). She experienced intense writer's block before the release of her more stripped-back 2012 album "The Haunted Man" and drew inspiration for music from drawing (upon the advice of Radiohead's Thom Yorke) and dancing. This album entered in at number 24 on the US Billboard 200 chart and number six on the UK Album Chart and finished on many end-of-year Best Albums lists including number six on "Spin"'s, number 17 on "Pitchfork"'s, number 22 on "The Guardian"'s and number 32 on "NME"'s.

In 2014, "NME" put Bat for Lashes at number 48 on their 100 Most Influential Artists list, calling her the "proto-Florence" (in reference to Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine) and name-dropping artists like Oh Land and Austra as artists she has influenced.

The other artists are also notable solo female indie acts.

Answer: The xx

The xx are Oliver Sim (guitar, vocals), Romy Madley Croft (bass guitar, vocals) and electronic producer Jamie Smith, better known by his stage name Jamie xx (electronics, production), and previously Baria Qureshi on guitar and keys (who left the band in 2009). Their debut album, "xx", was extremely acclaimed, earning them a Mercury Prize award in 2010 with critics praising their innovative use of minimialism and empty space in their sound. In 2014, NME magazine placed them at number ten on their list of the 100 Most Influential Artists, calling them "proof that it's possible to invent new spins on old genres".

The other bands are also notable indie pop/electronic groups from Britain. Chvrches hail from Scotland, while London Grammar and Alt-J are both English.

Answer: The National

The National took a while to find their feet, but eventually they were headlining music festivals everywhere. The band's sound, which has changed over the years, is based around melancholy, difficult to interpret and occasionally wacky lyrics, a generally dark atmosphere and the deep, distinctive baritone of singer Matt Berninger. After a handful of albums that were seemingly lost on the masses, they slowly grew their reputation with constantly critically acclaimed releases like 2005's "Alligator" and 2007's "Boxer". Their 2010 album "High Violet" saw them become one of the biggest indie acts in the world, coming in at number three on the US Billboard 200 and reaching gold status in Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Australia and the United Kingdom. 2013's "Trouble Will Find Me" also reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and was also nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 56th Grammy Awards. In 2013 they also released a film documentary titled "Mistaken for Strangers" (after a song from "Boxer"), which was filmed by Matt Berninger's brother as he worked with the band on tour, and performed their song "Sorrow" from "High Violet" 105 times in a row (a total of six hours) for an art instillation in New York.

The other bands are also notable indie rock bands.

Answer: Bon Iver

The story of "For Emma, Forever Ago", which has gone down in indie folklore history, goes something like this:
Frontman Justin Vernon, following the break-up of a relationship and band and a serious bout of glandular fever, retreated to his father's cabin in the woods of Medford, Wisconsin. Their he recorded in solitude with minimal equipment what would become "For Emma, Forever Ago". The album was self-released in July 2007 and, following acclaim from publications like "Pitchfork", re-released by label Jagjaguwar in February 2008 (with a new album cover) and in Europe and the UK by 4AD in May 2008.

Bon Iver's second album "Bon Iver, Bon Iver" was quite a new direction for the band, adding layers of sound and much more expansive instrument use. It was recorded in a remodelled veterinarian clinic in Fall Creek, Wisconsin owned by Vernon and his brother which was renamed Apple Base Studios. The album was hugely acclaimed by critics ("Pitchfork" gave it a 9.5/10 and the coveted "Best New Music" tag) and won them the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album and Best New Artist at the 54th Grammy Awards. The Best New Artist win was particularly controversial as they beat artists like Nicki Minaj and Skrillex to the award and many pointed out that, as they had already released an album and an EP (2009's "Blood Bank") they were no longer a "New Artist". In his acceptance speech, Vernon said "It's hard to accept because when I started to make songs, I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I'm a little bit uncomfortable up here." Bon Iver was also nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year (both for "Holocene").

The name Bon Iver (pronounced bon ee-VAIR) comes from the French phrase "bon hiver", meaning "good winter". Vernon removed the "h" as it reminded him of the word "liver", which was the site of an illness he suffered from at the time. He decided to adopt the name after hearing it on the TV series "Northern Exposure".

In 2014, "NME" put Bon Iver at number 30 on their "100 Most Influential Artists" list.

As well as Bon Iver, Justin Vernon is/was also a member of the bands Volcano Choir, Jason Feathers and The Shouting Matches amongst others, released music under the name Justin Vernon, produced albums by artists like Blind Boys of Alabama and collaborated with artists like Kanye West, James Blake and The Flaming Lips. Prolific indeed.

The other bands are also notable indie folk bands.

Answer: Phoenix

Phoenix began as a garage rock band in the outer suburbs of Paris, France before guitarist Laurent Brancowitz joined the band in 1995. Brancowitz joined them after leaving a punk band named Darlin', which also featured Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. The band's music was described by one critic as "daft punky thrash", from which Bangalter and Homem-Christo drew inspiration for their new music project's name- Daft Punk.

"Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" drew Phoenix out from the underground and in to the spotlight. The album was their first to reach certified gold status in the US and ended on many music magazine's year-end lists of the best albums of the year (including number three on "Rolling Stone" and "Spin"''s, number five on "Time"'s and number eight on "Pitchfork"'s). In an interview, singer Thomas Mars described the album's name (a play on the name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) as a "childish thing" like "unleashing a child into the museum and he draws a mustache on the Mona Lisa or something", a suitable description considering the album was their most upbeat and pop-ish.

Answer: Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian released their debut album "Tigermilk" in 1996 and slowly grew in popularity through word of mouth and critical acclaim, despite their publicity shy nature. While their second album "If You're Feeling Sinister" (which frontman Stuart Murdoch has said was "their best collection of songs" in interviews) didn't make a huge impact upon release, its legacy grew over time until it reached "best of" lists everywhere, including number 14 in "Pitchfork"'s Top 100 Albums of the 1990s list ("Pitchfork.tv" released an hour long documentary on the album in 2013 as part of their "Pitchfork Classic" series) and number 75 on "Rolling Stone"'s list of the same topic. It was also named in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" (chosen by music critics). The band's fame and legacy has grown over time and they have been consistently acclaimed by critics.

The other bands are also notable bands from Glasgow, Scotland.

Answer: Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend consists of Ezra Koenig on vocals and guitar, Rostam Batmanglij on guitar, keyboard, production and backing vocals, Chris Tomson on drums and percussion and Chris Baio on bass and backing vocals. They began at Columbia University as a rap collaboration between Koenig and Tomson called L'Homme Run, of which Koenig said in an interview with "Spin" "It was hard for me to take seriously because no one else would take it seriously". Their debut album "Vampire Weekend" was released in 2008 and its mixture of Afrobeat and punk rock influences had a strong impact on music, with "NME" noting that "fiddly high-pitched guitar lines became the new 'singing like Ian Curtis' and indie pop took on a far sunnier aspect" following its release in their "100 Most Influential Artists" list (Vampire Weekend came in at number 76). The album has been certified Gold status in the United States and Platinum in the United Kingdom and "Rolling Stone" ranked it at number 430 in its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" publication (2012). Vampire Weekend's 2013 album "Modern Vampires of the City" won the award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 56th Grammy Awards and was named the best album of the year by "Pitchfork" and "Rolling Stone" amongst others. It was also their second album in a row to reach number one on the US Billboard 200 Charts, after 2010's "Contra".

The other bands are also notable indie rock bands from New York.

Answer: Foals

Foals formed at Oxford University and, after releasing a handful of EPs and singles to build hype, released their debut album "Antidotes" in 2008, which peaked at number three on the UK Albums chart. Their sound, which included a mix of indie rock and math rock sounds, grew more emotive, funky, experimental and large sounding with their following two albums, "Total Life Forever" in 2010 and "Holy Fire" in 2013 (both of which were nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize award). They are well known for their energetic and loud live shows, with frontman Yannis Philippakis occasionally jumping off the stage or even balconies into the audience. They won the 2013 Q Award for Best Live Act and were nominated for the NME Best Live Act award in 2010 and 2013. "NME" placed them at number 91 on their "100 Most Influential Artists" list in 2014.

The other acts are also notable UK indie acts.

Answer: Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are notable in that they were one of the first bands to reach commercial success from Internet hype, with buzz from social media sites like MySpace and online file sharing the main reason for the huge sales of their debut "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not". The album has reached Quintuple Platinum status in the UK and spawned two number one singles on the UK Singles Chart in "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down". The band continued their massive fame in later years, with their fifth album "AM" becoming their fifth consecutive album to debut at number one on the UK Albums Chart, making them the first independent label band in history with five consecutive number one UK albums. It was also their third Mercury Prize nominated album (2007's "Favourite Worst Nightmare" was nominated and "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" won the award in 2006).

The other bands are all notable indie rock bands from Britain. One of these bands, Muse, wrote the official song for the 2012 London Olympics (titled "Survival"). Arctic Monkeys performed at the opening ceremony of these Olympics, performing "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and a cover of "Come Together" by The Beatles.