Brave Cool World: The New Indie Rock Revolution

	By Jin Moon & Jon Bahr

These aren't your father's indie rockers. M.I.A. is a Sri-Lankan hip-hop artist who took the music world by surprise in 2005 with her funky beats and divine flow.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah came out of nowhere (actually, New York and Philly), sold tens of thousands of their debut album, and then boldly refused to sign with any of the record labels who came knocking on their door. Sufjan Stevens marched on with his zany plan to record an album based on every state in the country. As crazy as it sounds, his second record in the project, Illinois, is a folk-pop tour de force and topped many critics 2005 "best-of" lists. Then there is The Arcade Fire, whose mini musical epics have won fans all around the world, including rock legends such as David Bowie and David Byrne, both of whom have joined the band onstage in concert. These and many other ASCAP writers featured on the following pages are creating adventurous music that refuses to be boxed-in, and with the help of the Internet and other innovative mediums for reaching new audiences, rock music is undergoing a bold resurgence. How cool is that?

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