Poorly executed indie pop with a DIY don't really care tone and throw-away lyrics. Yet 1.1 million followers on Spotify.

Somewhat noodley, kind-of hard rock, with dueling guitars and wailing vocals. It's as if a punk rock band learned how to play, then tried to make complicated songs, but didn't know how to do it well, and the vocals couldn't keep up anyway. Click here for Apple Music playlist

Intriguing, fresh indie rock songs from lesbian perspective. Good quiet-loud dynamics, good lyrics and catchy melodies. Click here for Apple Music playlist

Depeche Mode with not as good vocals, lyrics or melodies.ad .

Mostly spare, intense downtempo folk/synth music from the former vocalist of Portishead.

Wannabe sellout indie pop band with a bright sound but none of their own ideas. Most recent album has grungier guitar sound.

Aggressively autotuned slurry explicit rap that reuses the same rhythms

Early Police Sting-like vocals are the most striking feature of this otherwise so-so pop-rock (plus a fair amount of hardcore in the mix).

Heavy, gothic-sounding atmospheric rock with good vocals.

Saucy, overprocessed uptempo pop.

Very strong lyrics are the strongest feature of this folk quartet. Very basic sound, simple instrumentation and homogeneous compositions make each song fail to distinguish itself from the previous. Kind of like Son Volt but a bit more poppy/clean cut, and less sonically interesting. Most recent album introduces keyboards and richer instrumentation.

Ben Harper is a solid songwriter and performer with his own extensive catalog, and also several albums with The Innocent Criminals. They back him well, adding a sort of New Orleans vibe to Harper's music. One of their big hits was "Steal My Kisses," which is very Jack Johnson-ish, but most of the stuff leans more towards soul. Harper's solo stuff can be in just about any genre as he dabbles in many. Click here for Apple Music playlist

Slow, depressing acoustic folk trying to out-sad Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska (and his voice is pretty similar) but not as musically interesting by a lot

Smooth vocalist maybe trying to rip off John Mayer's poppier stuff. Some catchy grooves. Big choruses.

Claranetist does instrumentals. Somewhat middle eastern vibe.

Jazzy adult contemporary bedroom pop-soul originals.

American Idol finalist who does soul/pop.

Probably great live, but this updated honkey-tonk music is too cleanly produced for our tstes. Needs to be grittier/dirtier. Talented band. We don't love his tinny voice, though he has chops.

Too serious folk, much of it acoustic, but some songs have full band. Layered vocals. Ambitious lyrics only partially successful - a little overdone. Not fun even when she's trying to be funny.

Competent but uncompelling sugar pop band - currently doing a reunion tour.