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The National is an American indie rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1999, by friends from Cincinnati, Ohio. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pairs of brothers: Aaron Dessner (guitar, bass, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). Their self-titled debut album"The National" (Brassland 2001) was recorded and released before they had played even a single show. Read more on Last.fm

Pale Saints was a British shoegaze band formed by Ian Masters (bass/vocals), Graeme Naysmith (guitar), and Chris Cooper (drums). They began as a three-piece band based in Leeds, England, in 1987. The band was signed to 4AD records by 4AD chief Ivo after their first London show. They were amongst a number of groups in the nineties who were dubbed as shoegaze by the NME and Melody Maker. Early band interviews showed them to be a fun-loving bunch in contrast to their dark, lyrically pessimistic pop music. Read more on Last.fm

The Velvet Underground was an American experimental rock band formed in New York City in 1964. It originally comprised singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. In 1965 MacLise was replaced by Moe Tucker, who played on most of the band's recordings. Though their integration of rock and the avant-garde resulted in little commercial success, they became one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. Read more on Last.fm

Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her narrative songwriting, which is often inspired by her personal life, has received widespread media coverage and critical praise. Swift rose to mainstream prominence with her sophomore studio album, Fearless (2008), a country pop record with crossover appeal. Aided by the top-five singles “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me”, Fearless was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Read more on Last.fm

Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley (raised Scott Moorhead; November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American musician. After spending approximately a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he began performing in the early 1990s at venues in Manhattan’s East Village, where he developed a following. Buckley signed with Columbia Records and released his only studio album, "Grace", in 1994. He toured internationally to promote the album, performing in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Read more on Last.fm

John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997), better known as Townes Van Zandt, was a critically acclaimed American songwriter and singer. Much of Van Zandt’s musical canon--songs such as "Pancho and Lefty", "For the Sake of the Song", "Tecumseh Valley", "Rex's Blues", and "To Live is to Fly"--are widely considered masterpieces of American folk music. His musical style is often described as melancholy in sound and delivery with rich and poetic lyrics. Read more on Last.fm

Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. Known for his deep, gravelly voice, his lyrics often explore the lives of marginalized and overlooked individuals. Beginning in the folk scene of the 1970s, Waits’ music has since incorporated influences from rock, jazz, Delta blues, opera, vaudeville, cabaret, funk, and experimental techniques. Waits was born in Pomona, California, and later moved to Whittier, where his early experiences on Kentucky Avenue shaped much of his later work. Read more on Last.fm

Eunice Kathleen Waymon (21 February 1933 – 21 April 2003), better known by her stage name Nina Simone, was an American singer, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Simone aspired to become a classical pianist while working in a broad range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, soul, folk, rhythm and blues, gospel, and pop. Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on 21st February 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, USA, one of eight children. Read more on Last.fm

Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was among the earliest tenor players to adapt the bebop musical language of people such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the instrument. His studio and live performance career spanned over 40 years. Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". He played a Conn 10M Lady Face until 1964. Read more on Last.fm

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