Pixies

There's no overstating it: The Pixies are one of the biggest names in indie music history. Blending noise, surf, psychedelic and pop with Frank Black (aka Black Francis) at the helm, the group defined indie rock in the 90s. Weezer, Pavement, Nirvana and Radiohead have all cited The Pixies as a major influence – Thom Yorke has gone on the record saying The Pixies changed his life, while Kurt Cobain said that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was written to sound like a Pixies song. The band is back with a new album, and the critics are calling it classic Pixies fare. If you need a little brushing up, go listen to "Wave of Mutilation" or "Gigantic" to get a feel for the mega-influential but ultimately inimitable Pixies sound, a cool kind of weird that forever changed the landscape of indie rock.