Interpol

The members of Interpol managed to cross over without ever looking or sounding like they were trying too hard. Sure, the lyrics can occasionally be cringe-worthy, but Interpol’s dark-yet-accessible albums of gray-hued post-punk still sound absolutely terrific. In recent years, the band has amicably parted ways with a major label and two bassists (founding member Carlos Dengler and Slint’s Dave Pajo), all the while issuing a self-titled 2010 effort on Matador. Despite singer Paul Banks’ assertions that it has some “classical stuff going on,” it’s really just more of the same old Interpol.

Updated 04/26/2011