Elbow

Formed in Manchester, U.K., in the late 1990s, this five-piece rock outfit hit big with their debut album, ASLEEP AT THE BACK. Combining socially relevant lyrics concerning the contemporary British experience with complex, passionate music, they drew comparisons with both classic rock acts of previous decades--including Pink Floyd and Talk Talk--and more contemporary bands like Radiohead, while pursuing a more mainstream path than experimentally inclined millennial bands like Sigur Ros and Godspeed You Black Emperor.

• rock