Support the Little Guys (and Gals): Five Indie Bands to Check Out

Whether self-released or on indie record labels, sometimes it's the not-so-famous bands that really move us. Here are five bands that put on a completely unique live show, and are also great to listen to at home.

MGMT

Pronounced "The Management," MGMT previously toured with Of Montreal. While the music sounds great, MGMT's is more of a concept band you need to see to believe. These two poorly dressed lads sing and play cardboard and obviously broken instruments while the sound guy plays their CD in the background. A homemade, two-part, spray-painted sheet with their band logo hangs behind them. In between wild gesticulations, one of these plucky lads taps a drumstick on a two-drum kit to produce an actual drum noise. Oh, and all their songs are about pretending to be rock stars and life in the fast lane. Although the music sounds like indie synth-pop, this is rock-and-roll irony at it's best. You'll never dance or clap along so enthusiastically, because these guys (even though they aren't actually playing) put on a crazy show.

If that isn't interesting enough, awhile ago MGMT was giving away copies of the MGMT kit. The kit included the karaoke version of their CD, lyrics sheets, and detailed instructions. Recipients of this kit were to make MGMT costumes, learn the songs, get some props, and go play live shows as MGMT.

Meanwhile, the actual MGMT decided to add a third member and tour the West Coast as a psychedelic grunge band. You can still order their EP from their first incarnation, though.

Chicago Farmer

This "band" is really one guy with a guitar and a harmonica, who sings both funny and sad country and folk. Don't let that put you off, though-this is country at its best, reminiscent of the time before Shania Twain hijacked the genre and turned it into twangy pop. Chicago Farmer sounds more like an episode "Prairie Home Companion" for the under-30 set than anything you'd see on VH1.

If you're still not convinced, imagine a mild-mannered man who can lead all the hip kids in one of Chicago's upscale Lincoln Park bars in a riotous sing-along. He's not afraid to cover the heavy hitters like Johnny Cash and Nirvana in such a hip locale either, but it's Chicago Farmer's original songs that stick in your head at the end of the night.

Chicago Farmer just released his album, "From a Small Town in Illinois," which is a beautiful tribute to both the pride and humor that goes along with being a Midwesterner. The album's first song, "Illinois Anthem," is about the singer's girlfriend who runs away to Chicago with her new surfer boy so he can ride Lake Michigan's waves.

Exit Clov

All the reviews of this band can't seem to get past the ridiculous cuteness of the twin sisters fronting this Washington D.C. band. I thought the reviewers were doing this band a disservice by mentioning their cuteness quotient first and the music last. Now that I've seen them live, I've got to warn you-those girls are so freaking cute it's almost unfair to the people who originally came to see their music. After all, these girls have real talent and play multiple instruments.

So…moving away from the cuteness and on to the music. Exit Clov plays the kind of full-sounding indie pop everyone loves. If Letters to Cleo had moved into this decade, never done a movie soundtrack (or six), got political, and Kay Hanley morphed into really hot Asian twins, they would be Exit Clov.

If you can see them live, do so. Although there isn't anything terribly unique about their live show, they're all just so likable and charismatic. Plus, I'm a sucker for a live rock show with violins and keyboards.

Tilly and the Wall

This band from Omaha looks like a band from Omaha - they just seem full of wholesomeness and optimism. Although they opened for Bright Eyes for much of their last tour, there isn't any Emo-ish whining or self-indulgent sadness here. In addition to playing solid indie rock, the girls tap dance through all their songs. The clicking from their tap shoes makes for what sounds like another instrument thrown into the mix. It's not just novel, it sounds really neat and looks absolutely amazing.

CocoRosie

Like Tilly and the Wall, CocoRosie is another band that has opened for Bright Eyes. Unlike Tilly and the Wall, CocoRosie doesn't put on a high-energy novelty act. Instead, the two women (another sister duo) of CocoRosie put on an incredibly subdued performance of mournful sounding trip-hop. Occasionally, they use children's toys like a Fischer Price xylophone or a Spin and Say to add to their textured sound. The real draw here, though, is the amazing singing that accompanies an animated video project. While lots of bands have started incorporating custom-made videos into their performances, CocoRosie's seems to suit the mood perfectly and add a last transformative element. The music, sound layers, voice, and video all combine to take to a dream place in your head, and you won't be the same after CocoRosie taps into your unconscious self.