The Head and The Heart

During the late 2000s, indie rock turned all woodsy, hirsute and harmony-vocal inclined, and few bands more embodied that shift to communal thrift-store pop than the Head and the Heart. The group began casually, with Russell and transplanted Californian and computer-science major Josiah Johnson meeting at an Irish pub in Seattle and playing together. Other members, including violinist and singer Charity Rose Thielen, joined up, and soon a band had emerged. Their self-released 2009 debut cemented their sound: fragile melodies and enveloping harmonies that occasionally worked themselves up into emotional whirlwinds. The record sold so well in their part of the country that it was picked up for national release by Sub Pop, becoming one of the label’s best-selling albums of that era.