'00s Indie Rock

In the new millennium, rock artists are taking punk's D.I.Y. stance to heart and working outside the music-biz box. Whether the band is hardcore, sadcore or math rock, the ethic is fiercely independent. These cuts offer a provocative slice of today's indie rock.

Indie rock '00-style is an attitude more than a simply defined sound. The guitars might be dipped in vintage garage, or the voices might be sweetly ethereal, but the artist always remains true to his or her art. Here are more examples of rock's most independent talents.

While the music industry's corporate dinosaurs desperately try to evolve, the small-but-agile indie rock creatures have been thriving in the 21st century. Odd eggs of creativity are breaking open in remote corners of the musical jungle. We've tracked down exotic, obscure indie rock specimens for your enjoyment.

The 21st century indie rock scene is a bazaar (sometimes bizarre) of mixed-and-matched sounds, drawing upon four decades of pop-rock history for parts and accessories. Electronic beats, folk melodies, and punk guitars coexist — sometimes in the same band, sometimes in the same song. The underground yields its most adventurous sounds in these samples of indie rock, double-aught-style.