Modest Mouse

Combining the influences of new wave, post-punk, and lo-fi, Washington's Modest Mouse spent the second half of the 1990s becoming one of the most renowned indie-rock bands in America. Though often tagged an emo group, Modest Mouse transcends sub-genre categorisation. Their moody arrangements, inventive lyrics, and distinctly modern variation on the power-trio format set them apart even as the band's sound proved influential to subsequent hordes of emo bands and indie rockers. They're one of the few indie groups to have successfully weathered the jump to a major label with both their sound and audience intact.

• rock