25) Leslie Feist
Oh, the indie kids can't resist Feist's shaggy bangs, voice so smoky it could cure jerky, and the sense that — despite her cutesy-voiced hit "1234," and duets with Sesame Street inhabitants — underneath it all there's a red-hot heart full of dirty secrets from north of the border. This Canadian songstress doesn't need a plunging neckline, soprano-operatics or Britney-style theatrics to bring us to our knees: just a guitar, a mic, and the intense, joyous look she has when performing are enough to rock our world. — N.A. |
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24) Nina Persson
We remember all too well that day in 1998 when we saw Craig the Indie Kid walking down the street in a Cardigans t-shirt. The Cardigans? Like, "Lovefool" Cardigans? Craig the Indie Kid would never let his cred be tarnished though, and so, guided by the light of his coolness, we listened to First Band on the Moon. It was awesome. While Nina Persson's Swedish accent made the word "love" a grating annoyance, her every other breath felt like a summer breeze nibbling your ear lobe. Persson slid from playful into seductive-cool on Gran Turismo and has stayed that way ever since. "My Favourite Game" is plenty sultry, it's true, but even Craig the Indie Kid would admit Persson was never as desirable as she was in "The Great Divide". — J.C. |
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23) Miho Hatori
Co-founding New York's premiere gastronomy-themed Shibuya-kei rap duo is one thing, but making it look yummy is a whole 'nother enchilada. With Miho Hatori, we could have our cake and eat it too — with her sing-song insouciance and deliciously baffling lyrics, Cibo Matto wooed many a mid-'90s record-store clerk. Makes sense: the surest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and Hatori is one of pop music's tastiest purveyors of ear candy. — C.L. |
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22) Ninja (The Go! Team)
Ninjas are still sexy, despite the internet's best efforts over the past decade. The Go! Team's Ninja, however, trumps the average ninja many times over. The U.K. band's trademark blend of sunny guitars, surf rhythms, and pounding beats would be the limp stuff of Old Navy commercials if not for Ninja's yell-chant marches. She has no time for your hipster disinterest. Ninja demands you give chase. Key tracks are "Huddle Formation" and "Keys to the City". — J.C. |
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21) Kim Gordon
Too often female rock stars get trapped in token-girl routines, relying on outfits and make-up to the point of damaging their cred. Not so Kim Gordon. If she looks good, she's probably wearing her own clothes. Ageless, androgynous and electrifying, she keeps the CBGB's ethos alive, even as the club and much of what it stood for have disappeared into the past. — M.L.
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