Dallas Music Blog

More and more frequently, indie rock acts are not only proving that the typical guitar-bass-drums formula isn't necessarily the only path to success, but that no more than two band members are really needed.

As a result two-piece bands are simply everywhere.

Take, for example, our own fair city, in which one might find duos like RTB2, Smile Smile, The O's and Fight Bite playing any given weekend. But it's hardly just a local trend; even tonight, as pop singer Pink brings her Funhouse tour to the American Airlines Center, indie duo The Ting Tings will be following in tow as her opening act.

In honor of The Tine Tings, here's a list of our favorite indie rock duos--starting with that very alliteratively named duo.

Who: The Ting Tings
Instrumentation: guitar, bass, drums, vocals
Why we love 'em: They combine tongue-in-cheek pop and fuck you-style punk to create songs so chock full of hooks that they never fail to get a party started.

Who: Rodrigo y Gabriela
Instrumentation: two acoustic guitars
Why we love 'em: What's not to love about dueling Mexican classical guitarists who often cite Metallica as their major influence?

Who: Mates of State
Instrumentation: synthesizers, drums, competing vocals
Why we love 'em: It's not just because they're indie rock's "THAT couple." Through chaotic organs, crooked waltz drumming, and complex vocal harmonies this act manages to create more of a ruckus than most bands three times its size.