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Formed in March of 1979, The English Beat (or, The Beat as they were originally known as in the U.K.) had their first chart hit, a cover of the Smokey Robinson hit "Tears of a Clown" that same year. Known for inclusivity, their musical influences included soul, reggae, pop, and punk. During the 1980s, they toured with contemporaries like The Talking Heads, David Bowie, R.E.M., and The Clash. 

"Psychedelic Rockers," a song from their second studio album, 1981's Wha'ppen, was released as a single in 1980. The graphics seen here feature Ranking Roger, one of the band's vocalists and a pioneer of British Ska. Ranking Roger was known as a "toaster," a reggae DJ or musician who raps over instrumental music sections.

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Offcell was a five-song album released by the alternative rock band Pinback in June of 2003. Pinback  was founded in San Diego in 1998 by Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Braden Diotte, both of whom have remained the only consistent members of the band since its inception. Other members currently include Cameron Jones and Chris Prescott.

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PigBag is a post-punk instrumental band that began in Cheltenham (a town in Gloucestershire, England) in 1980 by Chris Hamlin and ended in 1983. Roger Freeman was the multi-instrumentalist, Chris Lee played the trumpet, and James Johnstone was the guitarist. The band played in parks and at Hamlin's house for jam sessions. They added a rhythm section with drummer Andrew "Chip" Carpenter and bassist Mark "Miff" Smith. Mark was soon replaced by Sam Underwood who was a former member of the band The Pop Group. Another member joined the ensemble, Ollie Moore, who was the tenor sax player.

Their first gig was opening for The Slits at Romeo and Juliet's in Bristol on October 21st 1980. Their band name was originally Us Corporation but after their first show they changed their name to PigBag inspired by Hamlin's cloth bag which displayed an image of a warthog. Their set included twenty minutes of a positively received song later titled, "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag," which was recorded the next day at Y Records.

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The band Palomar formed in 1998 in New York. The three women and one man that make up Palomar make power pop, a more aggressive form of pop rock with energetic beats, complete with four-part harmonies, a sense of humor, and an uncanny ability to locate a groove.

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Owen is the solo project of Mike Kinsella (born in 1977), who is also a member of multiple well-known indie bands including Cap'n Jazz, American Football, Owls and Their / They're / There. 

Owen debuted in 2001 with a self-titled album, and shows Kinsella's full creative reign over the music process from songwriting to recording. Owen combines acoustic sounds or heavy string based arrangements and soft melodies with personal lyrics typical of the indie rock genre. As of 2023, Owen has released over 15 albums and EPs through Polyvinyl Records. 

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“White Line Fever” is a song by English hard rock band Motörhead, from the band’s 1977 debut self-titled album. White Line Fever is also the title of Motörhead singer, bassist, and songwriter Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister’s autobiography. Lemmy’s drug of choice throughout his life was speed and both the song “White Line Fever” and the band’s name reference speed use. After being kicked out of his previous band Hawkwind, Lemmy formed Motörhead in 1975. Lemmy named his new band after the last song he had written for Hawkwind – a track called “Motörhead”. According to Lemmy, Motörhead would play, “Loud, fast, city, raucous, arrogant, paranoid, speedfreak rock n roll…it will be so loud that if we move in next door to you, your lawn will die”. The band’s “classic” lineup also includes guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Motörhead is recognized as one of the forerunners to the new wave of British heavy metal, which reenergized heavy metal music in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

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Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band that formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The band's original lineup includes bassist Nikki Sixx, lead singer Vince Neil, lead guitarist Mick Mars, and drummer Tommy Lee. Known for their flamboyant and hedonistic style, Mötley Crüe was part of the first wave of glam metal in the 1980's. Nikki Sixx has previously stated that he was originally “thinking about calling the band Christmas,” an idea that the other band members rejected. Mick Mars came up with the name Mötley Crüe, based on a phrase he had heard a former bandmate use - “a motley looking crew”. The band altered the spelling to Mötley Crüe at the suggestion of Vince Neil, with the two sets of “metal umlauts” possibly inspired by the German beer Löwenbräu, the band’s beer of choice at the time.

Mötley Crüe is one of the best-selling bands of all time, with over 100 million records sold worldwide. The band has survived multiple break-ups and changes in lineup, reuniting and retiring many times over the years. The original members are currently back together – still rocking and recording new music. The image on this button is Mötley Crüe's band mascot, Allister Fiend, a character created by Nikki Sixx and featured on a lot of early Mötley merchandise.

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Modest Mouse is an American rock band that formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington. Founding members include lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. The band got their name from a passage Virginia Woolf's story “The Mark on the Wall” that reads, “I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest mouse-coloured people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises”. Modest Mouse released material on smaller independent labels throughout the 1990’s. Their 1997 breakthrough album, The Lonesome Crowded West, is considered by many to be one of the defining albums of 1990’s indie rock. The band achieved mainstream success after the 2004 release of their fourth album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which spawned two hit singles and received multiple Grammy nominations.

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Mick Jagger is the lead singer and Keith Richards is the guitarist for the internationally popular rock band, The Rolling Stones. Though there have been several rotating members in the band, Jagger and Richards have always remained its core. The pair formed The Rolling Stones in London, England and started performing in the 1960's. They quickly became the gritty alternative to the Beatles and grew their fanbase with macho showmanship and swinging rhythms. A few of their many classic hits include, "Honky Tonk Woman," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Start Me Up," "Satisfaction," and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." They still tour, performing to sold-out crowds around the world.

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