If you're a fan of indie music, then you know that the 2000's were an amazing decade for music and indie music in general. Regardless if you were into Hip Hop, Rock, Pop, EDM, or anything in between you'll find a slew of hard-working underground indie bands scratching and clawing for their chance at radio play. Bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes, and Radiohead dominated the airwaves with their unique sounds.

However, many great indie bands from the 2000's never got their due or the attention of the mainstream. In this blog post, we will explore some of the best indie music from the 2000's that you may not have heard of before or deserved a bigger fanbase without reaching those heights.

Before we get started. If you're looking for today's underrated or new indie music on the rise, be sure to check out the Indie Music community SharePro. With a collection spanning thousands of indie musicians and an even bigger catalog of tracks, you'll be sure to find something new to put into your playlist rotation.

1. The Decemberists

The Decemberists are a band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 2000. The band's musical style has been described as "literate indie rock", and their lyrics often focus on historical or literary themes. The Decemberists have released seven studio albums, the most recent of which, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, was released in 2015.

2. Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire is a band from Montreal, Quebec that formed in 2001. The band's musical style has been described as "baroque pop" and "art rock", and their lyrics often deal with themes of death and loss. Arcade Fire have released four studio albums, the most recent of which, Reflektor, was released in 2013.

3. Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend is a band from New York City that formed in 2006. The band's musical style has been described as "Afropop" and "indie rock", and their lyrics often deal with themes of love and loss. Vampire Weekend have released three studio albums, the most recent of which, Modern Vampires of the City, was released in 2013.

We all have our favorite time period of music, and for many the 2000's was their golden era.

4. Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes are a band from Seattle, Washington that formed in 2006. The band's musical style has been described as "folk rock" and "indie pop", and their lyrics often deal with themes of nature and love. Fleet Foxes have released two studio albums, the most recent of which, Helplessness Blues, was released in 2011.

5. Beach House

Beach House is a band from Baltimore, Maryland that formed in 2004. The band's musical style has been described as "dream pop" and "shoegaze", and their lyrics often deal with themes of love and heartbreak. Beach House have released four studio albums, the most recent of which, Depression Cherry, was released in 2015.

6. Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens is a singer-songwriter from Detroit, Michigan who began his career in 1999. Stevens' musical style has been described as "folktronica" and "indie folk", and his lyrics often deal with personal subjects such as family relationships and religion. Stevens has released seven studio albums, the most recent of which, Carrie & Lowell, was released in 2015.

Some indie bands of the 2000's are now major label bands due to well deserved respect.

7. Animal Collective

Animal Collective is a band from Baltimore, Maryland that formed in 2003. The band's musical style has been described as "psychedelic pop" and "noise pop", and their lyrics often deal with themes of nature and love. Animal Collective have released nine studio albums, the most recent of which, Painting With, was released in 2016

8. Bon Iver

Bon Iver is an American indie folk band founded in 2007 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. The band also includes Mike Noyce (guitar, backing vocals), Sean Carey (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Matthew McCaughan (bass guitar), and Michael Lewis (guitar, keyboards).

9. Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine is the stage name of American singer-songwriter Samuel Beam. Beam was born in Chapin, South Carolina, and currently resides in Dripping Springs, Texas. He has released six studio albums: Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), The Shepherd's Dog (2007), Kiss Each Other Clean (2011), Ghost on Ghost (2013), Beast Epic (2017), and Weed Garden EP (2018).

10. Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York City that formed in 2002 after the disbanding of previous musical projects by Edward Droste(vocals, guitars) and Daniel Rossen(vocals, guitars). The other members of the group are Christopher Bear(drums, vocals), who joined shortly afterward, and Chris Taylor(bass, woodwinds, backing vocals) who joined lastly in early 2005. All four members contribute to the songwriting and vocal performance with Droste being the primary composer for the group. Grizzly Bear's sound has been categorized as "baroque pop", "dream pop", "freak folk", "indie pop" ,"indie rock" , "lo-fi", and "noise pop".

To date, they have released five studio albums: Horn of Plenty(2004) Yellow House(2006 )Veckatimest(2009 )Shields(2012 ) and Painted Ruins(2017 ). All four members have been involved with other musical projects including Department of Eagles, Crystal Stilts, Yellowbirds, and Dirty Projectors.

Rossen and Droste have composed music for television series such as Big Little Lies. In 2009 Grizzly Bear was named one of the best new bands by Pitchfork Media. In 2012 their song "Yet Again "was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 55th Grammy Awards. In 2015 they collaborated with Brian Eno on a track for his album The Ship.

Indie music and where it's headed

It's hard to go through our list above and not feel nostalgic about what indie music used to be. It makes us a bit afraid of where it's heading based on the music of the past half-decade. We can all agree we've seen a steep decline in the quality, creativeness, and edginess of today's commercial radio tunes, which has started to pull the enthusiasm from most music loyalists. However, there's still hope.

As one of the largest communities of indie musicians, here at SharePro we can say with certainty that indie music is alive and well. The only chance we have in keeping a thriving and amazing indie music scene is that you the listener go out of your way to discover new music, new bands, and new artists, and learn about their story. When you're ready to take that leap, head on over to the SharePro indie artist community and browse thousands of new music from some of the world's best-underappreciated talent.