Death Cab For Cutie: 'Soul Meets Body' (Atlantic)

IN 1987, WHEN R.E.M., one of the premier indie-rock bands of the '80s, scored a Top 10 hit with 'The One I Love', it gave notice to the legions of other indie bands (Hüsker Dü, for instance; maybe Nirvana?) that mainstream success on your own terms was possible. Here was an indie band that had toured the country in a van, playing the club circuit, just like every other indie band of the day — and suddenly their music was blasting from the radio.