Burning Brides - throw em in the studio w/ Steve Albini or Butch Vig and wait for the world to change.
Iron and Wine - seems like there's a streak of 3 or so awesome albums still to come.
BRMC - both records had too many klunkers mucking things up; if they bump the qual:crap ratio up they'll be phenomenal.
Distillers - somewhere between the fury of "Sing Sing Death House" and the deliberate catharsis of "Coral Fang", this is where their greatest statement lies.

I don't know how it's possible for Blackalicous to get better after "Blazing Arrow", but I'll be elated if they somehow do it.

Sha. As if.

Totally agree with The Strokes and Neko
Case.

Also:
TV On The Radio
Earlimart
Decemberists


Older artists:
Radar Bros. (or did they disband?)
Cornelius

Disbanded band that could've/should've been a contender:
Beta Band

TV On The Radio
Les Savy Fav
Nellie McKay
Prefuse 73
Mars Volta
Queens of the Stone Age

a smaller one that could get much bigger, once people pay attention:

Moviola

I don't have too much indie cred to lose so I don't mind saying that I think Per Second...was incredible. Different than their first two? Of course, but I don't think that accesability necessarily equals mainstream (I would also argue that mainstream isn't inherently evil which puts me at odds with the indiehipsterelitisnob crowd). Plus there's no denying that I prefer the more popped out sound. Should they wish to make money and survive as a band I think that the sky is the limit for the forseeable future.

jc

yeah, i think their first two albums are incredible, but i think theyre still only just scratching the surface.

One band that sticks out in my mind is Seafood. (From England; dynamic indie rock; RIYL Pavement, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins.) I know one or two people here know about them, and maybe you UK guys have heard them, but this is one band I really like that I feel is way underrated and could really do something amazing. I've heard most of their latest, As the Cry Flows, and like its predecessors, there are songs I love among songs I don't care about at all, which leaves me feeling a little unstatisfied. Momentary glimpses of greatness that seem to narrowly slip away at the last instant.

I don't think they've ever toured in the US, and I know their guitarist/singer had some health problems recently, but I think if things work out (like staying healthy and releasing As the Cry Flows here and doing some US touring), we could hear a lot about them in the future.

I think Stellastarr has some potential. They have that retro-80's sound that's way over-done these days but have some pretty cool songs ('Jenny', for example). I think if they put their minds to it, they could make a great album.

The Legends could also be much better than Up Against the Legends indicates. Decent stuff but I think it gets old by the time you get to the end of the album. They write some good, catchy stuff though.

joseph arthur, ambulance ltd, maybe the stills, maybe neko case can top blacklisted (but i doubt it)

I'm gonna throw out Esthero. She has a new album coming out in early 2005, and I'm highly anticipating it- although I'm iffy about her new single. But, IMHO, this chick has a fantastic voice, and I think she has the potential to do so much more.

I also agree with the Stills, BSS, Ambulance Ltd., and Spoon (another highly anticipated 05 album)

i'd say spoon, but i'm wondering if he peaked with "girls can tell / kill the moonlight"

which reminds me, bright eyes might need to be on this list with is probably-overextended 2cds coming out in january.

shes finally gonna put out another album! i liked her what i heard of her when her last album came out, but she must have been gone for 6 or 7 years now, so i thought she just was never gonna come back. im happy she did though.

assuming i have esthero's last album, it was really good stuff & i'm looking forward to new music from her as well.

Yay! More Esthero fans!!! Have you guys heard the O.G. Bitch EP? I picked it up a few months ago... if this is what her new album is going to sound like, then I don't know, because I really liked Breathe From Another. The beats are great, but just the route she took with that song, referring to how Nelly Furtado tried to bite her sound or something like that....

Broken Social Scene, yo.

I wish I could agree, because I really like Danse Macabre, but it wore out almost completely after a lot of initial enthusiasm on my part, and then they followed it with something much less interesting, so I can't say I'm optimistic.

I think we'll hear new and better things from Okkervil River, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists and Sufjan Stevens. And Guns 'n' Roses.

haven't heard of that. i only have "breath from another" and never looked into any of her back catalogue.

I've seen a lot I agree with here (hopefully, anyway), like Animal Collective, Prefuse 73, TV on the Radio, Joanna Newsom, and possibly Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, and Les Savy Fav.

I like most of what I've heard by Gang Gang Dance, and if they could tighten up a little bit, they might have a great album in them.

I feel like MF Doom has yet to release as strong an album as he could.

Vetiver and the Double may have some future potential if they can hone a more distinctive sound.

I'm really looking forward to what Mike Ladd, Need New Body, Black Dice, and Magnolia Electric Co. do next also.

i heard the band is 'taking a break' right now, so there might not even be anymore wheat. i agree that per second was quite different than their other albums, and i think that's the fault of their label, trying to make them more radio friendly or something. check out this blog post about the rumors.

i wasn't a huge "A Ghost Is Born" fan, but i think Wilco are going to be making great records for a long time. I just hope jeff has it in keep a band for a few albums in a row.

Actually, all she has out is Breathe From Another. O.G. Bitch is the new single off the forthcoming album... I was kinda disappointed by it, but point being, I'm hoping the new album will be just as good as Breathe From Another, if not, better. I have high hopes for her.

I'm really interested what Fennesz and David Sylvian are going to do next.

i didn't really hate the album but it just seemed they'd lost whatever charm they had on their first two and were now just another semi-commercial indie rock band. eh i dunno. what that guy wrote about the album in that link in soreal's post is pretty much what i feel, except i didn't love the album.

seriously, the "naked" versions of Per Second are excellent, Wrens-level sounding production, perfect pop songs. i can barely listen to the official PS stuff, it sounds *so* ridiculously over-produced, esp. for a band that did Medeiros and parts of H&A. i don't really run in the same circles as these guys, so i haven't heard anything about the actual state of the band.

for new, well-crafted and/or somewhat unpredictable stuff, i can't wait to hear what's next from:
Beck
Fiery Furnaces
Wilco
Beauty Pill
Walkmen
Spoon
Prefuse 73/related
French Kicks (Trial has its moments)
Futureheads
M83 (really liking about half of the new one)
Malkmus
DNTEL/Postal Service
Flaming Lips

KPH